Background Autoimmunity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by autoantibodies to citrullinated proteins/peptides (ACPA)1. These antibodies, present in 60-70% of patients, antedate clinical onset and associate with an erosive disease course, suggesting a direct pathogenic involvement in disease initiation and progression2. Objectives With this study, we aimed to develop an efficient method for the purification of human ACPA, and to characterize their frequency and fine-specificity pattern in synovial fluid (SF) and plasma of RA patients. Methods SF and plasma samples were collected with informed consent and ethical approval from patients (fulfilling the ACR criteria for RA) with high anti-CCP antibody levels. SF samples (n=36) were first treated with hyaluronidase to decrease viscosity, then proteins were precipitated with ammonium sulfate, dissolved and further dialysed against phosphate buffered saline (PBS), before the IgG fractions were purified on ProteinG columns (GE Healthcare, Uppsala, Sweden). Plasma samples (n=10) were diluted in PBS before applied to the ProteinG column. ACPAs were further purified using CCP2 affinity columns, kindly provided by Euro-Diagnostica. Recovery and purity of total IgG and anti-CCP IgG were analysed using SDS-PAGE, Nanodrop (Thermo Scientific, Wilmington, DE, USA) and the CCP2-ELISA kit. Fine-specificity of the purified ACPAs were investigated using in-house ELISAs, with peptides from citrullinated α-enolase (CEP-1), -vimentin (Cit-vim), -fibrinogen (Cit-fib) and -collagen type II (Cit-C1). Results Anti-CCP IgG could efficiently be purified from SF and plasma, using ProteinG-, followed by CCP2-, columns. No CCP IgG response could be detected in the flow-through fractions. Higher concentrations of total IgG were found in plasma (13,6 mg/ml) compared to SF (4,2 mg/ml), while a higher percentage of CCP-specific IgG was detected in SF (3%), compared to plasma (2%). The purified anti-CCP IgG fractions cross-reacted with CEP-1, Cit-vim, Cit-fib and Cit-C1, while no reactivity to these citrullinated antigens were detected in the IgG flow-through fractions. Anti-CCP IgG dilution curves (starting at 10 μg/ml of purified antibodies) demonstrated differences in affinity between patients, which may correspond to the different ACPA-fine specificity patterns seen in patients. Conclusions The described methodology efficiently purifies ACPAs with multiple specificities, which will allow for their use in in vivo and in vitro studies, to further elucidate their arthritogenic and pathogenic capacity. In addition, the ACPAs will be tools for future immunoprecipitation-, immunoblotting- and immunohistochemistry experiments. References Schellekens, G. A. et al., The diagnostic properties of rheumatoid arthritis antibodies recognizing a cyclic citrullinated peptide. Arthritis Rheum 43(1), 155 (2000). van der Helm-van Mil AH, Verpoort KN, Breedveld FC, Toes RE, Huizinga TW, Antibodies to citrullinated proteins and differences in clinical progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther 7(5), R949 (2005). Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Abstract The paper describes changes in winter gale day frequency that took place in the Shetland and Faeroe Isles between ca. AD 1866–1905. During the early part of this period, winter gale day frequencies reached values that have never been exceeded since. During the later part of this time interval, culminating in the winters of 1903–04 and 1904–05, scarcely any gales occurred. The majority of the time interval between 1866 –1895 was characterized by high-amplitude fluctuations in the sign of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index (extreme positive to extreme negative) and by extreme changes in annual sea ice extent across the Greenland Sea. Between 1866–1894, however, winter gale day frequencies remained consistently high. It is suggested that this unusual relationship may be explained through the important role of sea ice extent across the Greenland Sea affecting the extent of the polar anticyclone and hence the position of the North Atlantic storm track. By contrast, the later part of this time interval (AD 1894–1905) was characterized by very few winter gales and no extremes in the monthly NAO Index.


Breast cancer (BC) is globally the most frequent cancer in women. Adherence to endocrine therapy (ET) in hormone-receptor-positive BC patients is active and voluntary for the first five years after diagnosis. This study examines the impact of adherence to ET on 10-year excess mortality (EM) in patients diagnosed with Stages I to III BC (N = 2297). Since sample size is an issue for estimating age- and stage-specific survival indicators, we developed a method, ComSynSurData, for generating a large synthetic dataset (SynD) through probabilistic graphical modeling of the original cohort. We derived population-based survival indicators using a Bayesian relative survival model fitted to the SynD. Our modeling showed that hormone-receptor-positive BC patients diagnosed beyond 49 years of age at Stage I or beyond 59 years at Stage II do not have 10-year EM if they follow the prescribed ET regimen. This result calls for developing interventions to promote adherence to ET in patients with hormone receptor-positive BC and in turn improving cancer survival. The presented methodology here demonstrates the potential use of probabilistic graphical modeling for generating reliable synthetic datasets for validating population-based survival indicators when sample size is an issue.


In this work, we consider each normal alkane as a hypothetical mixtureof methyland methylene groups, in which the interaction potential of each pair is assumed to be the average effective pair potential. Then, the LIR equation of state (EOS) is extended for such a hypothetical mixture. Also, three basic compounds, namely, propane, n-butane and cyclohexane, are used to obtain the contribution of each carbonic group in the EOS parameters. Using the calculated EOS parameters along with the modified EOS, the density of n-alkanes and their mixtures at different pressures and temperatures are calculated. The average percentage error in density is found to be less than 1.5% for both the pure normal alkanes and their binary mixtures.


We analyzed c-fos mRNA expression by northern blotting analysis in chicken osteoclast precursors which spontaneously differentiate to multinucleated osteoclasts in 5-6 days. Osteoclast precursors as well as mature multinucleated osteoclasts showed constitutive expression of c-fos mRNA which is not found in osteoblasts. The c-fos expression was enhanced transiently by serum, dibutyryl cAMP (10(-4) M) and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA) (5 x 10(-7) M). To clarify the role of c-fos in osteoclast differentiation, c-fos DNA was transfected into osteoclast precursors. Greater than 2 fold increases in tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and bone resorptive activity were observed in the transfected cells compared to controls 3 days after transfection, suggesting that prolonged expression of c-fos caused enhanced osteoclast differentiation.


We have compared the ability of beta-glucosidases from cassava, Thai rosewood, and almond to synthesize alkyl glucosides by transglucosylating alkyl alcohols of chain length C(1)-C(8). Cassava linamarase shows greater ability to transfer glucose from p-nitrophenyl-beta-glucoside to secondary alcohol acceptors than other beta-glucosidases, and is unique in being able to synthesize C(4), C(5), and C(6) tertiary alkyl beta-glucosides with high yields of 94%, 82%, and 56%, respectively. Yields of alkyl glucosides could be optimized by selecting appropriate enzyme concentrations and incubation times. Cassava linamarase required pNP-glycosides as donors and could not use mono- or di-saccharides as sugar donors in alkyl glucoside synthesis.


Automatic colourisation is the function of inferring colour information from a grey-scale prior and then combining the colour with the grey-scale to form a colourised version of the image. We identify Spatial Coherence as a particular weakness in methods that use Convolutional Neural Networks for colourisation. Generated colours do not adhere to semantic edges and are not consistent within boundaries where we would expect uniform colour. Spatial Coherence, while often evident to the human eye, does not yet have an objective metric. We show, by segmentation of the combined ab channels of the CIEL*a*b* colour space, that a segmentation based on CNN colourisation is poor. We argue the need for the development of metrics to evaluate a colourisation's performance on Spatial Coherence.


This study evaluates an original radon mitigation technique which uses solar-heated ventilation air to reduce radon and other indoor air pollutants. Providing energy-efficient make-up air for combustion appliances and stack effect losses, the Solar Radon Reduction System (SRRS) improves indoor air quality through dilution, slight pressurization, and reduced radon infiltration. Solar heating of intake air produces net energy gain in cold seasons, and the SRRS blower provides summertime cooling during low outdoor temperatures. Research methodology includes synchronized hourly radon data collected at five test homes and a "control" maintained under closed conditions over five 10-day test periods. The control closely correlated weather-related radon trends, particularly with leaky homes, and thus serves as an appropriate reference for simultaneous multi-home remediation measurement. Installed at six homes in northeast Iowa, the SRRS was found to significantly reduce winter-time radon at all homes with elevated levels by an average of 49%.


We modified a method for determining methanol content in detergents used in kitchens. Furthermore, an inter-laboratory study was conducted in 10 laboratories to validate the modified method. In this study, two concentrations of samples were blindly coded. Each laboratory determined the methanol content in each sample according to a protocol. The determined values were statistically analyzed according to an international harmonized guideline. HorRat values were calculated based on the reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSDR) which was estimated from the interlaboratory study, and predicted RSDR calculated from the Horwitz/Thompson equation. The HorRat values of the two samples were 0.8 and 1.8, meeting the performance criteria of less than 2 set by the Codex Alimentarius for analytical method approval. These results confirm that this modified analytical method shows good performance as an analytical method for determining methanol content in kitchen detergents.


This study analyzes how inflation affects innovation and international technology transfer via cash-in-advance constraints on R&D. We consider a North-South qualityladder model that features innovative Northern R&D and adaptive Southern R&D. We find that higher Southern inflation causes a permanent decrease in technology transfer, a permanent increase in the North-South wage gap, and a temporary decrease in the Northern innovation rate. Higher Northern inflation causes a temporary decrease in the Northern innovation rate, a permanent decrease in the North-South wage gap, and ambiguous effects on technology transfer. Finally, we calibrate the model to China-US data to perform a quantitative analysis. JEL classification: O30, O40, E41, F43


The role of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in chromatin replication and the activity of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase in the newly synthesized and old chromatin was studied. It was found that 3-aminobenzamide, which is an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase, had no effect on the initiation of DNA synthesis and only a moderate effect on DNA chain elongation. However, poly(ADP-ribose) synthetase activity in the newly replicated chromatin was two to three times higher than that of the unreplicated chromatin.


: Parasites, in particular trematodes, are unseen but ubiquitous components of marine intertidal ecosystems. Although parasites are known to affect population dynamics and food web structure, their potential function as an unrecognized path of energy flow in these ecosystems is yet to be quantified. We use published data on rates at which trematodes produce free-swimming infec tive larvae (cercariae) that are released from their gastropod intermediate hosts to investigate patterns in cercarial output as a function of different variables, and to calculate the annual produc tion of cercariae in different marine benthic systems. Across 18 trematode species, cercarial output (no. cercariae shed snan- 1 d- 1) ranged over 4 orders of magnitude and was positively correlated with snail host species size. While cercarial output did not correlate with latitude, it did correlate nega tively with the size of cercariae, and was influenced by the type of downstream host sought by cer cariae, being highest when this host was a vertebrate. Our estimates of annual cercarial production (kJ m- 2 yr- 1), which take into account the density of infected snails in the habitat, were within the range of production values reported for free-living invertebrates inhabiting benthic ecosystems. These estimates would be much higher if they included all trematode species in an ecosystem, and not just single-species values. Overall, results suggest that trematode cercariae represent potentially important paths of energy flow in benthic systems as well as a potentially important food supply to benthic organisms.


Objective: to reflect on the factors of satisfaction at work among health personnel who work in the Family Health Strategy (FHS). Method: it is a bibliographical research whose sources of information were scientific articles in the databases LILACS, SciELO, BVS and Bibliomed, and books. Results: in the FHS the quality of health services is a result of various factors is the result of various factors which are of both the definition and analysis of problems in assessing the degree of involvement of professionals with technical standards, and the humanities. The main factors of satisfaction at work are related to adequate compensation, good interpersonal relationships, enhancement of production, responsibilities and practices. Final considerations: if the teams responsible for the actions of health and managers work together, democratizing solutions, leaving policy issues to one side there will be changes in the program, making it and giving quality service to the user and the professional working conditions. Descriptors: family health program; job satisfaction; health personnel; working environment; public health. RESUMO


We had developed a communication system using a theory of P300 through a computer. 17 healthy subjects participated in all 3 experiments, while 4 ALS and 1 OPCA patients took part in the first 2 experiments only. In the 1st experiment, 4 short sentences of 'yes very much', 'yes' 'no' and 'can't answer' were shown on the display. The subjects were asked to select one of them as target. During the experiment 1, color of background was randomly changed for each sentence as the stimulation for the period of 300 msec and the interstimulus interval was 1,500 msec. In the 2nd experiment, 46 letters of Japanese character and several symbols were shown on the display (5 columns x 10 rows). In the 3rd experiment, we used 16 pictures together with X (4 columns x 5 rows). During recordings, the color of background was randomly changed for each row and then for each letter/picture of column containing target in experiment 2 as well as in experiment 3. The subjects were asked to start counting and when the target was stimulated, they were instructed to stop the counting process and repeat counting again until they encountered the stimulation of target again. This was repeated for the entire recordings. Computer defined a target by a biggest positive voltage between 300 and 600 msec and/or by the most powerful spectrum in 2-5 Hz after Fast Fourier transform in an averaged P300 (averaging number = 5-7). We then calculated the percentage of correct target by comparing the result and actual target. Results indicate that this communication aids can be used conveniently in patients with severe motor disabilities.


An investigation for the isolation and identification of psychrotolerant bacteria from eutrophic bottom environment showed average temperature during winter and summer was 8 and 26°C, respectively. Six bacterial isolates were characterized in details and identified as Deleya halophila, Chromohalobacter marismortui, Erythrobacter longus , Pseudomonas perfectomarina, Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus, Alteromonas undina . All isolates grew well at wide range of temperature between 5 and 30oC and considered as psychrotolerant. Key words: Psychrotolerant bacteria; Eutrophic environment DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/dujbs.v20i1.8837 Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 20 (1): 49-56, 2011 (January)


The COMRADEX Code is discussed briefly and instructions are provided for the use of the code. The subject code was developed for calculating doses from hypothetical power reactor accidents. It permits the user to analyze four successive levels of containment with time-varying leak rates. Filtration, cleanup, fallout and plateout in each containment shell can also be analyzed. The doses calculated include the direct gamma dose from the containment building, the internal doses to as many as 14 organs including the thyroid, bone, lung, etc. from inhaling the contaminated air, and the external gamma doses from the cloud. While further improvements are needed, such as a provision for calculating doses from fallout, rainout and washout, the present code capabilities have a wide range of applicability for reactor accident analysis.


In The Translation of Dr. Apelles, Ojibwe novelist David Treuer creates a reclusive scholar named Dr. Apelles who translates a newly discovered Native American manuscript. This manuscript turns out to be an Ojibwe version of Longus's second-century Greek novel Daphnis and Chloe. As he translates the work, Dr. Apelles falls in love with a beautiful woman named Campaspe, just as his namesake, the famous Hellenistic painter, did. Treuer's novel serves as a postmodern exemplum of his literary theory that Native literature should be judged by aesthetic rather than anthropological criteria and that all reality is a text to be "translated."


It is believed that gingivitis at puberty is exaggerated by alterations of the hormonal balance. We have suggested that estradiol promotes the gingivitis at puberty while progesterone reduces it (J. Hiroshima Univ. Dent. Soc. 19: 1987). But the mechanisms of these hormones which influence gingival inflammation are not known yet. Therefore, we hypothesized that one of the possible mechanisms of sex hormones on gingival inflammation is through their action on polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) function because PMNs play an important role in periodontal disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sex hormones on PMNs function, especially their migration in vitro. PMNs and plasma were obtained from heparinized peripheral blood of 23 healthy adults. PMNs were preincubated at 37 degrees C for 15 minutes with progesterone or 17 beta-estradiol at designated concentrations. After preincubation, PMNs migration was measured using 48-well chemotaxis micro-chamber with N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) as chemoattractant. The levels of estradiol and progesterone in the plasma were determined using Direct Radioimmunoassay Kits and the correlation between sex hormone levels and PMNs migration was investigated. PMNs migration to 10(-6) M FMLP was enhanced significantly by progesterone at the concentrations of 200 ng/ml while it was reduced by estradiol at 0.4 ng/ml and 2.0 ng/ml. Random migration of PMNs was enhanced significantly by progesterone at 20 ng/ml while it was reduced by estradiol at 0.4 ng/ml. Significant positive correlation was found between progesterone level in plasma and the PMNs migration in vitro. Estradiol level in plasma did not have any correlation with the PMNs migration in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Abstract. Analysis is made of K-index data from groups of ground-based geomagnetic observatories in Germany, Britain, and Australia, 1868.0–2009.0, solar cycles 11–23. Methods include nonparametric measures of trends and statistical significance used by the hydrological and climatological research communities. Among the three observatory groups, German K data systematically record the highest disturbance levels, followed by the British and, then, the Australian data. Signals consistently seen in K data from all three observatory groups can be reasonably interpreted as physically meaninginful: (1) geomagnetic activity has generally increased over the past 141 years. However, the detailed secular evolution of geomagnetic activity is not well characterized by either a linear trend nor, even, a monotonic trend. Therefore, simple, phenomenological extrapolations of past trends in solar and geomagnetic activity levels are unlikely to be useful for making quantitative predictions of future trends lasting longer than a solar cycle or so. (2) The well-known tendency for magnetic storms to occur during the declining phase of a sunspot-solar cycles is clearly seen for cycles 14–23; it is not, however, clearly seen for cycles 11–13. Therefore, in addition to an increase in geomagnetic activity, the nature of solar-terrestrial interaction has also apparently changed over the past 141 years.


Predicate encryption is an advanced form of public-key encryption that yield high flexibility in terms of access control. In the literature, many predicate encryption schemes have been proposed such as fuzzy-IBE, KP-ABE, CPABE, (doubly) spatial encryption (DSE), and ABE for arithmetic span programs. In this paper, we study relations among them and show that some of them are in fact equivalent by giving conversions among them. More specifically, our main contributions are as follows: − We show that monotonic, small universe KP-ABE (CP-ABE) with bounds on the size of attribute sets and span programs (or linear secret sharing matrix) can be converted into DSE. Furthermore, we show that DSE implies nonmonotonic CP-ABE (and KP-ABE) with the same bounds on parameters. This implies that monotonic/non-monotonic KP/CP-ABE (with the bounds) and DSE are all equivalent in the sense that one implies another. − We also show that if we start from KP-ABE without bounds on the size of span programs (but bounds on the size of attribute sets), we can obtain ABE for arithmetic span programs. The other direction is also shown: ABE for arithmetic span programs can be converted into KP-ABE. These results imply, somewhat surprisingly, KP-ABE without bounds on span program sizes is in fact equivalent to ABE for arithmetic span programs, which was thought to be more expressive or at least incomparable. By applying these conversions to existing schemes, we obtain many non-trivial consequences. We obtain the first non-monotonic, large universe CP-ABE (that supports span programs) with constant-size ciphertexts, the first ABE for arithmetic span programs with adaptive security, the first ciphertext-policy version of ABE for arithmetic span programs, and even more. We also obtain the first attribute-based signature scheme that supports non-monotone span programs and achieves constant-size signatures via our technique.


Forest carbon (C) sequestration in the eastern US will largely be driven by the interactive effects of disturbance due to land use change or management, climate, elevated CO2, and air pollution during the 21st century. In this study, we parameterized a process‐based model (TEM‐Hydro2) to quantify the effects of agriculture and timber harvest, climate, elevated CO2, and ozone on C sequestration during the 20th and the 21st century. We have not included the effects of natural disturbance such as fire, insect outbreaks, hurricanes, and tropical storms during the course of this study. Our site‐specific comparisons suggest that C recovery of forests after anthropogenic disturbance depends on the time since disturbance and amount of C in different pools, including wood product pools with residence times ranging from 1 to 100 years. Our 20th century regional simulations show that recovery following anthropogenic disturbance and elevated CO2 increased net carbon exchange (NCE), or net gain in the sink strength, by 64 and 32%, respectively, while ozone decreased NCE by 18%. However, there was a net loss of C due to disturbance if accounting from 1700. The 21st century simulation using the SRES A2 emissions resulted in an increase in NCE by 79% following partial annual timber harvest and 31% due to CO2 fertilization, whereas climate and ozone decreased NCE by 12 and 8%, respectively. Our modeling results indicate that anthropogenic disturbance is an important factor to include for improving model accuracy in simulating C stocks and fluxes of eastern temperate forests.


The AlA of apigenin was ten times higher than that of matricine. On the other hand, isolated chamazulene was ten times less active than matricine. Therefore differences in AlA found for the extracts may be attributed to the higher concentrations of matricine characteristic of extracts obtained from fresh chamomile. The lack of activity of a solution of the essential oil is probably due to the complete absence of hydrophilic constituents and matricine in this preparation.


Background 'Ad hoc' help-seeking by trainees from their supervisors during trainee consultations is important for patient safety, and trainee professional development. General practice trainee decisions about seeking (and responding to) supervisor oversight, support and advice may be influenced by a number of concerns, including reservations about the credibility of their supervisors. Methods Focus groups with general practice trainees were undertaken to explore their help-seeking decisions during consultations, and their assessments of the credibility and value of the help provided by their supervisors. All data was audio-recorded and transcribed, coded using in-vivo and descriptive codes, and analysed by the constant comparison of provisional interpretations and themes with the data. Findings are reported under the over-arching categories of help-seeking objectives, activities and outcomes. Results Early in their general practice placements trainees need advice about practice facilities, and the " complex maze " of local patient resources and referral preferences, as well as unfamiliar clinical presentations and management decisions. Subsequent help-seeking tended to be characterised informally as " having a chat " or " getting a second opinion " so as not to " miss anything " when trainees were " not 100% sure ", although trainees continued to emphasise the importance of being (and demonstrating that they were) safe. Time and workflow constraints had a powerful influence on trainee help-seeking decisions, and patients also exerted considerable influence. Trainees assessed the credibility of supervisors in terms of their approach to risk and their clinical expertise. The latter was often believed to be uneven. Several trainees reported seeking other opinions when they were uncomfortable with supervisor advice. Conclusion How a supervisor responds when their help is sought strongly influences the trainee's subsequent help-seeking. Trainees prefer to seek help from supervisors who respond promptly and observe the etiquette of providing help in front of patients, and whose advice they trust. Trainees learn through help-seeking to make their own clinical calls but remain curious about how other general practitioners practise. Several trainees expressed great respect for their supervisors and valued opportunities to observe their clinical expertise. These important learning opportunities should be provided throughout training.


Wendy Wasserstein, a Jewish-American playwright, has established her position as one ofthe renowned American dramatists. Wasserstein explores feminist themes in her plays,portraying women entangled and struggling in a patriarchal society bound on repressing theirvoice and identity. Her plays, marked with a tinge of humour, delve into the deep realms offeminist inquiry and endorse the power of feminism. The present paper explores her play,The Heidi Chronicles (1988) which covers a plethora of different issues within feminism. Itattempts to expose the patriarchal mind-set of men through the character of Scoop, discussesthe representation of lesbians and gays and their acceptance/rejection by feminists, andhighlights the struggle of feminists like Heidi.


Parameters of the post-disruption runaway electron (RE) beam in the low density background plasma achieved after secondary deuterium injection are investigated in DIII-D. The spatially resolved RE energy distribution function is measured for the first time during the RE plateau stage by inverting hard x-ray bremsstrahlung spectra. It has maximum energy up to 20 MeV and a non-monotonic feature at 5–6 MeV observed only in the core of the beam supporting the possibility of kinetic instabilities. Results of Fokker-Plank modelling qualitatively support the formation of the non-monotonic distribution function. The RE current profile is reconstructed for the first time using the spatially resolved RE energy distribution. It is found to be more peaked than the pre-disruption plasma current, with higher internal inductance, suggesting preferential formation of REs in the core plasma or potentially a radially inward motion of REs. The accessed relatively low current (180 kA) RE beam is found to be MHD stable, likely due to its elevated safety factor profile. From this base stable equilibrium, an internal beam instability is accessed by ramping up the current. The instability leads to a sawtooth-like relaxation of the RE current profile, but drives no RE loss. An internal kink mode proposed as a candidate instability is supported by results of MARS-F modelling. Electron cyclotron emission (ECE) spectrum measured during the low density RE plateau is found to be bifurcated, with a break point at ≈ 100 GHz, suggesting resonant absorption of the ECE at low frequencies.


A detailed quantitative study of the pnictide composite superconductor (CS) Ba0.6K0.4Fe2As2 is presented in the frame-work of the recently derived set of generalized BCS equations. Invoking multiple Debye temperatures to take into account anisotropy of the CS, we address the current experimental data on its Tc and the (not so clear-cut) gap-values via different theoretical scenarios that attempt to identify the ion species responsible for pairing in it. This is done with the aid of the Bogoliubov's restriction on the BCS dimensionless electron-phonon coupling constant. Significantly, our study sheds light on the gaps which have recently been observed in different iron-pnictide CSs as nodes or line-nodes on the Fermi surface and have evinced considerable interest.


Through an analysis of pKa values for HPZ3+, ionization potentials (IP) for PZ3, νCO for η-Cp(CO)(PZ3)Fe(COMe)0, and E° (229 K) and ΔH° for the η-Cp(CO)(PZ3)Fe(COMe)+/0 couple, we determined the values of the three electronic parameters, χd, Ear and πp that are needed to describe the stereoelectronic properties of phosphites. The phenomenon we call the 'aryl effect', which is described by the parameter Ear, is apparently not restricted to phosphines bearing pendant aryl groups but applies to the phosphites. πp is a new parameter related to the π acidity of the phosphites. The phosphites studied are listed in terms of increasing π acidity: P(OMe)3 ≈ P(OEt)3 ≈ P(OBu)3 ≈ P(O-i-Bu)3 ≈ P(O-i-Pr)3 < P(OCH2CH2Cl)3 < P(O-p-XC6H4)3 < P(OCH2)3CEt (X = MeO, Me, H, Cl, CN). Using these electronic parameters, along with Tolman's cone angle, we have now incorporated the phosphites into the QALE (quantitative analysis of ligand effects) model and analyzed 32 sets of spectroscopic, thermodynamic, and kinetic data mostly taken from the literature. The analyses give a median r2 value of 0.982.


At high temperature rise rate, the mechanical properties of 10 # steel were determined experimentally in a very wide range of temperature and strain rates. A new constitutive relationship was put forward, which can fit with the experimental results and describe various phenomena observed in our experiments. Meanwhile, some interesting characteristics about the temperature rise rate, strain and strain rate hardening and thermal softening are also shown in this paper. Finally, the reliability of the constitutive law and the correctness of the constitutive parameters were verified by comparing the calculation results with the experimental data.


Ecological memory refers to the influence of past events on the response of an ecosystem to exogenous or endogenous changes. Memory has been widely recognized as a key contributor to the dynamics of ecosystems and other complex systems, yet quantitative community models often ignore memory and its implications. Recent modeling studies have shown how interactions between community members can lead to the emergence of resilience and multistability under environmental perturbations. We demonstrate how memory can be introduced in such models using the framework of fractional calculus. We study how the outcomes of a well-characterized interaction model are affected by gradual increases in ecological memory under varying initial conditions, perturbations, and stochasticity. Our results highlight the implications of memory on several key aspects of community dynamics. In general, memory introduces inertia into the dynamics. This favors species coexistence under perturbation, enhances system resistance to state shifts, mitigates hysteresis, and can affect system resilience both ways depending on the time scale considered. Memory also promotes long transient dynamics, such as long-standing oscillations and delayed regime shifts, and contributes to the emergence and persistence of alternative stable states. Our study highlights the fundamental role of memory on ecological communities, and provides quantitative tools to introduce it in ecological models and analyse its impact under varying conditions. Author summary An ecosystem is said to exhibit ecological memory when its future states do not only depend on its current state but also on its initial state and trajectory. Memory may arise through various mechanisms as organisms adapt to their environment, modify it, and accumulate biotic and abiotic material. It may also emerge from phenotypic heterogeneity at the population level. Despite its commonness in nature, ecological memory and its potential influence on ecosystem dynamics have been so far overlooked in many applied contexts. Here, we use modeling to investigate how memory can influence the dynamics, composition, and stability landscape of ecological communities. We incorporate long-term memory effects into a multi-species model recently introduced to investigate alternative stable states in microbial communities. We assess the impact of memory on key aspects of model behavior and validate our findings using a model parameterized by empirical data from the human gut microbiota. Our approach for modeling memory and studying its implications has the potential to improve our understanding of microbial community dynamics and ultimately our ability to predict, manipulate, and experimentally design microbial ecosystems. It could also be applied more broadly in the study of systems composed of interacting components.


In this paper, systematic review and meta‐analysis were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of physical activity intervention on core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Physical activity intervention for core symptoms of ASD were retrieved by computer from the PubMed Cochrane Library, Web of Science, APA PsycNet, and CNKI database during December 1, 2022. Two researchers evaluated the quality of the included literature and extracted the data. Sixteen studies were eventually included, with a total of 587 patients with ASD. Meta‐analysis showed that the core symptoms of ASD patients decreased after physical activity intervention, ES(g) = 0.681(95% CI: 0.380–0.982, p = 0.000), specifically, physical activity improved the reduction of social disorder ES(g) = 0.749(95% CI: 0.524–0.973) and repeated rigid behavior ES(g) = 0.553 (95% CI: −0.079 to 1.186). Subgroup analysis showed that preschool children with ASD who were 3–6 years old, exercised for more than 12 weeks, more than 3 times a week, and exercised for more than 90 min per session had better improvement in core symptoms after participating in physical activity. The conclusion of this paper is that physical activity intervention can improve the core symptoms of ASD, especially the reduction of social disorders and repetitive behaviors.


Today the academic ranking for computer science is a hot and importmant problem. This paper introduces Computer Science Academic Rankings System (CSAR) which aims at academic information extracting, mining and ranking. In this paper we mainly present approaches for information extraction and normalization in CSAR. For semi-structured and unstructured web pages such as paper-view pages, we propose a method with natural language processing n-gram model and web grammar. We generate an optimal matching bipartite graph to extract authors and organizations information with maximum likelihood. CSAR also uses KM algorithm and Hungarian algorithm to find authors and emails correspondence. For information normalization, we introduce n-gram model, EM algorithm and trigram model with linear interpolation to construct part-of-speech tagger, with which to extract useful information from web source. Then TF-IDF model and string edit distance are applied to finish normalizing organization names. In experiment, our proposed approaches obtain high accuracy rate and great improvements of academic information extraction.


Background and Aim: During esophagectomy, splenic injury may occur due to unintentional operative trauma, caused by excessive traction on the splenic ligaments or mis-placement of retractors. The role of spleen in immune system is well recognized and the addition of splenectomy to esophagectomy may increase the rate of complications. The goal of this study was to determine the influence of splenectomy on postoperative morbidity and mortality after esophageal resection for esophageal cancer. Materials and Methods: Between January 2001 and April 2006, 420 cases with esophageal cancer underwent esophagectomy in a referral cancer institute. In 14 patients (3.3%) splenectomy was added because of unwanted splenic injury during operation. In-hospital morbidities and mortality and hospital stay were compared between patients with and without concomitant splenectomy. Results: Although the overall complication rate in splenectomized patients was higher than other patients (43% vs. 30%), this figure was not statistically significant (P value: 0.3). Cervical anastomotic leakage occurred in 35.7% of splenectomized patients in comparison to 12.2% of control group (P value: 0.01, Odds Ratio: 3.93, CI95%: 1.27–12.2). There were no significant differences in cardiac and pulmonary complications, and in-hospital mortality rate between patients with and without splenectomy (P value > 0.05). Splenectomy did significantly affect post operative hospital stay (19 ± 13 vs. 13 ± 7 days, P value: 0.004). Conclusions: During esophagectomy, unplanned splenectomy may increase the incidence of anastomotic leakage and hospital stay. Therefore, whenever possible preservation of the spleen should be considered. An unexpected relationship between splenectomy and anastomotic leaks needs further investigation.


this paper presents a control scheme based on fuzzy logic for adjusting the turbine speed so as to track the maximum power point. The power output from wind turbines varies nonlinearly with the wind speed, the speed of the turbine blade tips and the blade pitch angle. At a given pitch angle and wind velocity, maximum power is obtained at a specific turbine angular speed. Since wind speeds typically vary over a wide range, the turbine speed needs to be continuously adjusted so that its power output can be maximized. The proposed system is tested under various operating conditions to validate its performance. Simulation results prove the excellent performance of fuzzy control unit as improving power quality and stability of wind turbine.


In this paper we present the design of a wearable device that reads positive facial expressions using physiological signals. We first analyze facial morphology in 3 dimensions and facial electromyographic signals on different facial locations and show that we can detect electromyographic signals with high amplitude on areas of low facial mobility on the side of the face, which are correlated to ones obtained from electrodes on traditional surface electromyographic capturing positions on top of facial muscles on the front of the face. We use a multi-attribute decision-making method to find adequate electrode positions on the side of face to capture these signals. Based on this analysis, we design and implement an ergonomic wearable device with high reliability. Because the signals are recorded distally, the proposed device uses independent component analysis and an artificial neural network to analyze them and achieve a high facial expression recognition rate on the side of the face. The recognized emotional facial expressions through the wearable interface device can be recorded during therapeutic interventions and for long-term facial expression recognition to quantify and infer the user's affective state in order to support medical professionals.


Coastal lagoons are shallow water masses, discredited from the marines as a barrier that permits water to change through one or more inputs. These fragile ecosystems have a specific type of sediments with their own characteristics. Biogeochemical processes, mostly intervened by the benthic microbial loop, are significant for understanding the relationships among the lagoon and the contiguous coastal partition. This study was conducted in the Cakalburnu Lagoon (Izmir) area, which is located at the Bay of Izmir and the area covers 67 hectares. The aim of the present study is to constitute of determining the number of different microbial communities in the lagoon sediments. We collected from lagoon sediments samples at 7 stations and we applied a Real-time qPCR assay to determine levels of archaea (ARC), methanogenic archaea (MCRA), anaerobic methane oxidation archaea (ANME 1, ANME 2a, ANME 2c), bacteria (BAC) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB2) in the study. The amount of maximum abundance of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA gene in sediments are 2,66x10 10 gene copy numbers/g and 3,89x10 7 gene copy numbers/g, respectively. So, it was established that the archaeal abundance was intense in the lagoon sediments. The characterization of microbial diversity is significant for the comprehension of the biological fundamentals of the ecosystem. The data presented in our study contributes to the studies on preserving ecological and microbiological balance and determining biogeochemical cycles in sensitive ecosystems such as lagoons. The research will be conducted on studies to determine the abundance levels of seasonal and annual microbial groups in the future.


Modeling, optimization and fault diagnosis are key techniques in Computer-Integrated Manufacturing System (CIMS). Traditional approaches for modeling, optimization and fault diagnosis are dependent on simulation of mathematical model or experiential rules, they have limitations of knowledge acquisition to deal with those objects with strong nonlinear and non-Gauss noises. Data mining technique has comprehensively utilized machine learning, computational intelligence (artificial neural network, genetic algorithm), pattern recognition, mathematical statistics to mine and discover valuable and hidden knowledge from databases. The data mining system of modeling, optimization and fault diagnosis has been described. The algorithms of rule generalization, variables optimization and modeling for fault diagnosis have been also studied.


From model simulations of the uptake of CFC‐11, CFC‐12 and anthropogenic CO2, we investigate the method of using CFC‐derived water ages to determine the anthropogenic CO2 accumulation in the ocean. The CFC age method is best suited to water younger than 30 years where CFC water ages are most reliable. For water younger than 30 years, the CFC‐12 and CFC‐11 age method can estimate the global 1980–1990 accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 to within 10% and 22%, respectively. With the exception of the Southern Ocean south of 50°S and the equatorial upwelling areas, these CFC‐derived estimates of the water column inventory of anthropogenic CO2 are within 10% of the simulated values. Our results suggest that the CFC age method provides another way of determining the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 in the ocean. We applied the CFC age method to observed CFC data to estimate the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 in the North Pacific (20°N–65°N) between 1980 and 1990. For water younger than 30 years the CFC‐derived estimate of accumulation is 1.1 Gt C. In comparison, the estimate from the simulated CFC distribution is 1.3 Gt C. Our model simulation overestimated the accumulation north of 40°N and underestimated the penetration of anthropogenic CO2 into the subtropical gyre. From the observed CFC data we estimate the anthropogenic CO2 uptake by the North Pacific to be 1.1 Gt C/yr for the 1980s.


China's Belt and Road Initiative continues to attract considerable attention from scholars and observers in diverse fields. However, students of the Belt and Road Initiative ('the Initiative') have focused extensively on the land and sea dimensions of this grand project while only tentatively touching on its other dimensions. This article draws attention to the digital and maritime dimensions of the Initiative, which are respectively known as the Digital Silk Road Initiative and the Maritime Silk Road Initiative. Specifically, the article focuses on how artificial intelligence and big data, as promoted under the Digital Silk Road Initiative, intersect with the Maritime Silk Road Initiative to produce what the author refers to as Sea power 2.0. To contextualise this intersection, the article draws on patent data to show how artificial intelligence and big data are adopted in supply chains. The results from the patent analysis show that artificial intelligence and big data will play a crucial role in future supply chains, and hence, the Maritime Silk Road Initiative. Although the article focuses mostly on the commercial side of Sea power 2.0, it concludes by pointing out how artificial intelligence and big data could serve military objectives.


Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was done on 150 patients with swelling in the head and neck region, during the period of 18 months from July 1994 to December 1995. Of these, 55 patients underwent surgery permitting a correlation between the histopathological diagnosis based on permanent paraffin sections and the diagnosis made by FNAC in order to evaluate FNAC in terms of accuracy along with its complications and limitations. The overall accuracy in the 55 cases evaluated was 92.73% with sensitivity of 90.91% and specificity of 93.18%. It was confirmed that FNAC is a highly diagnostic procedure for assessing swellings in the head and neck region. The method is simple, safe and economical.


Aging is a biological process, the mechanisms of which are not fully known to us. Therefore, there are many theories on the mechanisms governing it. This paper describes the four theories that provide information on the molecular aspects of aging of organisms. The first theory assumes the impact of telomere length on the length of life. Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures located at the ends of chromosomes, which protect against the loss of genetic information and which shorten with each cell cycle. Excessively shortened telomeres are conducive to the development of cancer, and aging of cells and organisms. The second, mitochondrial, theory describes the impact of accumulating mutations in the mtDNA on aging. According to this theory, the aging process is caused by free radicals, i.e. chemically reactive molecules, formed in the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells as the result of the reduction of molecular oxygen. The toxic effect of such reactive oxygen species leads to the accumulation of oxidative damage and malfunctioning of cells. According to the third, immunological, theory, the main cause of aging is decreased immune function and reduced amount of produced T and B lymphocytes and disturbances in the production of antibodies, all of which progress with age. According to the fourth, cell theory, homeostatic imbalance is the main cause of ageing. Aging of cells in the elderly causes them to be more prone to the so-called old-age diseases. Each of the described theories provides a better understanding of the extremely complex process that is ageing, even though they do not provide complete explanations of its mechanism.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the serotype and antibiotic resistance profile of Salmonella spp. isolated from retail ground beef in Mexico City.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 100 samples of ground beef were analyzed. The pathogen was isolated by conventional methods and confirmed by PCR (invA gene, 284 bp).The antibiotic resistance profile was determined by the Kirby-Bauer method while serotyping was performed according to the Kauffman-White scheme.

RESULTS
We isolated a total of 19 strains of Lomita (6), Derby (4), Senftenberg (2), Javiana and Cannsttat (1) and undetermined (5) serotypes. The strains showed a high resistance rate to ampicillin (18/19), carbenicillin (16/19), tetracyclin (13/19), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (13/19). Multidrug resistance was observed in 14 isolates.

CONCLUSIONS
Several Salmonella spp. serotypes of public health significance are circulating in ground beef sold in the major Mexican city. Some of these strains are multi-drug resistance.


We investigate the problem of completing partial matrices to rank-one matrices in the standard simplex. The motivation for studying this problem comes from statistics: A lack of eligible completion can provide a falsification test for partial observations to come from the independence model. For each pattern of specified entries, we give equations and inequalities which are satisfied if and only if an eligible completion exists. We also describe the set of valid completions, and we optimize over this set.


The diffusion of a gas through a substance in which it is soluble is analogous to the passage of electric current through a circuit with both capacitance and resistance. We model steady-state diffusion employing this analogy, and extend the model to include a description of the kinetics of systems under circumstances of changing partial pressure, applying two physical constants from electrical circuitry to gas diffusion: capacitance (zeta) and resistance (R). We represent the substrate of the diffusion as a capacitor being charged through a resistor after the rapid imposition of a voltage change. Using the insight derived from this model we have devised an experimental system that allows us to approximate both D, the diffusion coefficient, and alpha, solubility, directly from the kinetic data. We do this by recording the exponential change in P(O(2))on one side of a sheet of material both with and without the addition of a purely resistive barrier of known resistivity. The method was used to estimate D and alpha for distilled water at a number of temperatures, olive oil, and the belly skin of Rana catesbeiana.


Morgagni hernia is a congenital, retrosternally situated, diaphragmatic defect usually seen on the right, but which may also affect the left side. It is very rare in adulthood and old age. As result of developing techniques in laparoscopy, congenital diaphragmatic hernia can now be repaired with minimally invasive means. Presently described are cases of 2 elderly female patients with subtle abdominal symptoms incidentally diagnosed with Morgagni hernia after abdominal computed tomography scan. Both patients were operated on using minimally invasive approach and laparoscopic repair was performed with synthetic material reinforcement in both cases. Patients were discharged after uneventful postoperative period. In conclusion, laparoscopic repair can be performed safely in selected cases at centers experienced in advanced laparoscopy.


Mouse is the most used model for studying the impact of microbiota on its host, but the repertoire of species from the mouse gut microbiome remains largely unknown. Accordingly, the similarity between human and mouse microbiomes at a low taxonomic level is not clear. We construct a comprehensive mouse microbiota genome (CMMG) catalog by assembling all currently available mouse gut metagenomes and combining them with published reference and metagenome-assembled genomes. The 41'798 genomes cluster into 1'573 species, of which 78.1% are uncultured, and we discovered 226 new genera, seven new families, and one new order. CMMG enables an unprecedented coverage of the mouse gut microbiome exceeding 86%, increases the mapping rate over four-fold, and allows functional microbiota analyses of human and mouse linking them to the driver species. Comparing CMMG to microbiota from the unified human gastrointestinal genomes shows an overlap of 62% at the genus but only 10% at the species level, demonstrating that human and mouse gut microbiota are largely distinct. CMMG contains the most comprehensive collection of consistently functionally annotated species of the mouse and human microbiome to date, setting the ground for analysis of new and reanalysis of existing datasets at an unprecedented depth.


In this study deferoxamine (DF), a strong iron chelator, was administered either before storage or during reperfusion, in an attempt to inhibit the iron-dependent hydroxyl radical production and improve the functional recovery of the cold-stored/reperfused cardiac explant. Excised rat hearts were flushed with Krebs-Henseleit buffer (KHB), arrested with a cardioplegic solution, CP11-EB, with or without DF, and immersion stored in CP11-EB at 0 degree C for 16 hr. To assess function, the stored hearts were reperfused in the working mode with KHB for 30 min. Experimental groups included: (i) DF treatment during prestorage flush [CP11-EB + 0.01 mM (n = 5), 0.05 mM (n = 13), 0.1 mM (n = 5), 0.2 mM (n = 5), or 0.75 mM DF (n = 5)]; (ii) DF treatment during reperfusion [KHB + 0.3 mM (n = 5), 0.6 mM (n = 7), 0.75 mM (n = 11), 1.0 mM (n = 6), 1.5 mM (n = 4), or 2.5 mM DF (n = 7)]; and (iii) untreated group (n = 8) received no DF during flush or reperfusion. Function of unstored hearts (n = 7) including aortic flow (AF, 54.6 +/ 2.6 ml/min); cardiac output (CO, 76.5 +/- 3.3 ml/min), systolic pressure (SP, 135.7 +/- 1 mm Hg), diastolic pressure (DP, 70.7 +/- 3.8 mm Hg), and work (96.7 +/- 6.4 g-meter/min) served as controls. Functional recovery of the untreated group was AF, 59%; CO, 58%; SP, 71%; DP, 73%; work, 41% of control values. DF treatment at any dose during the initial flush did not improve functional recovery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The incidence of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection is increasing in Korea. The aim of this study was to evaluate the recovery rate of NTM from respiratory specimens over a 10-year period in a tertiary referral hospital in Korea with a intermediate tuberculosis burden. We identified all mycobacterial isolates from respiratory specimens at the Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, Korea) obtained from January 2000 to December 2009. During the study period, 25,374 mycobacterial isolates were recovered from 8,115 patients. The proportion of NTM isolates was continuously increasing from 31.8% (167/525) in 2000 to 68.2% (3,514/5,152) in 2009 ( p p Mycobacterium avium complex (n= 4,734, 52%) and Mycobacterium abscessus complex (n=2,660, 29%). This study found a rapidly increasing trend in the isolation of NTM from respiratory specimens at a referral hospital in Korea. The high proportion of NTM even among AFB-positive respiratory specimens would represent serious challenge for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.


This paper describes the creation of a website designed for high school Biology students, which facilitates research on the Internet. The topic of research was the animal kingdom. After reviewing the related literature on learning theories, instructional systems design and Internet research, the method of design is discussed in depth. While reviewing the literature on Internet research, plagiarism was found to be a major issue. Methods of preventing plagiarism and focusing Internet research were incorporated into the overall design of the website. The design made it easy for students to identify the goals and expectations of the project. Scaffolding was also provided to focus their research, help prevent plagiarism and guide them step-by step through the project. Science teachers were used to evaluate the content and usability of the website. They determined that the format was easy to follow and information was easy to access. Whether or not the website actually helps prevent plagiarism remains inconclusive.


Introduction Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea (CDAD) is a common nosocomial infection that recurs in more than 1 in 4 cases. Garey et al. found that a course of rifaximin after standard therapy reduced relapse rate though not significantly1. We aimed to confirm or refute this finding. Method Design A parallel group, randomised, placebo controlled trial in 23 English hospitals. Funding NIHR RfPB Grant PB-PG-0110–21041. Norgine supplied drug and placebo without charge. Population age ≥18 with resolution of CDAD after treatment with metronidazole or vancomycin. CDAD diagnosis required evidence of toxin production or pseudomembranes at endoscopy. Exclusion criteria: pregnancy or breast feeding; life expectancy <4 weeks; unable to take intervention (hypersensitivity or swallowing disorder);>5 days elapsed since treatment. Randomisation was stratified by hospital using a remote, internet-based system. Participants, clinicians and researchers were blind to allocation. Intervention Rifaximin 1200 mg daily for two weeks then 600 mg daily for two weeks, in three divided doses. Comparator: identical placebo. Primary Outcome: relapse ≤12 weeks after treatment initiation. Sample size The planned sample size was 180 to detect a difference in relapse of 20% (30% placebo, 10% rifaximin) with 80% power, allowing for loss to follow-up of 20%. EudraCT 2012-003205-10; www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01670149 Results Recruitment occurred December 2012–March 2015. Of 2157 patients screened, 151 were eligible, willing and randomised before funding limits were reached (74 placebo, 77 rifaximin). Primary outcome data were available on 130. Mean age was 71.9 (SD 15.3). 36% were in-patients at start of intervention. 18/61 (29.5%) on placebo relapsed within 12 weeks compared to 11/69 (15.9%) on rifaximin, a difference between groups of −13.7% (95% CI −28.1% to 0.7%, p=0.06). The risk ratio was 0.54 (95% CI 0.28 to 1.05, p=0.07). During 6 month safety follow up 9 participants died in each group (12%). Adverse event rates were similar between groups. Conclusion CDAD relapse rate was 13.7% lower than on placebo. The confidence interval means that lack of effect remains possible but the estimated effect size is similar to Garey's trial, and those reported for fidaxomicin, with longer follow-up2. Age and mortality rate were higher in our trial which may reflect greater similarity to the population at risk. Comparative trials of cost effectiveness should follow. References . Garey et al. J Antimicrob Chemother 2011;66:2850–2855. . Crook et al. CID 2012;55(S2):S93–103. Disclosure of Interest G. Major: None Declared, L Bradshaw: None Declared, N Boota: None Declared, K Sprange: None Declared, A Jawhari: None Declared, M Diggle: None Declared, A Montgomery: None Declared, R Spiller Conflict with: Norgine Pharmaceuticals Ltd supplied product and comparator free of cost


The local gum of Acacia polyacantha was evaluated as a suspending agent in metronidazole benzoate suspensions in comparison with Acacia senegal and NaCMC at concentration range of 1-4% (w/v). The resulting  suspensions were evaluated for their sedimentation volume (%), degree of flocculation, rheology, redispersibility, and dissolution rate. Stability studies were performed for 3 months. The apparent viscosities were in the order of NaCMC> A. polyacantha > A. senegal . The redispersibilities of A. polyacantha and A. senegal were comparable but better than those of NaCMC. The sedimentation volumes (%) of the suspensions were higher for NaCMC followed by A. polyacantha and then A. senegal. KH2PO4 employed as a flocculating agent increased the sedimentation volume of the suspensions prepared with A. polyacantha whereas formulations with A. senegal and NaCMC were unaffected. All suspensions showed a release of greater than 85% of drug within 1 h. The results of stability studies showed that all suspension formulations were stable. From the foregoing, it can be concluded that A. polyacantha could be used as an alternative suspending agent. Keywords : Acacia polyacantha, Acacia senegal , suspending agent, rheology, metronidazole benzoate


Introduction In Brazil, both silicosis and tuberculosis (TB) have high prevalence rates, although there are regional differences. Silicosis is the most common pneumoconiosis in the world and silica´s exposure is a predisposing factor for TB, even in workers without silicosis. However, little is known about the influence of silicosis on TB rates in general population. The objective of this study is evaluate the impact of silicosis on epidemiology of tuberculosis in general population in cities of Minas Gerais (MG) state. Methods Ecological study, based on DATASUS data, from 2002 to 2016. TB rates in cities with known silica exposure (case-cities) were compared to others with no evidence of such exposure (control cities). The cities were matched in relation to: incidence of AIDS, HDI (longevity, education and income) and percentage of occupation in the mineral´s extractivism sector. Result The TB rates per 1 00 000 inhabitants were higher in the case-cities compared to the control-cities (158,8 and 41,3, respectively, p=0.00032). In the case-cities, the ratio found of man and women with TB was 1.85/1, being close to the rest of the state (2.29/1 in 2015). Discussion The silica exposure and silicosis may influence the elevation of TB rates in the general MG population. Because of the similarity of male/female ratio in the case-cities when compared to the rest of the state, it's possible that this increase does not come only from patients with silico-tuberculosis. The difficulties of diagnosis and treatment of TB in patients with silicosis delay the therapeutic strategy, which may result in a greater spread of TB among their contacts. However, new studies are needed to determine risk factors at the individual level, in order to guide preventive actions for silicosis and TB in regions with silica exposure activities.


Reforms to higher education in Australian universities since the 1980s have resulted in changes to the way universities are funded and the way students access universities. However, these changes have brought about shifts much more significant and profound that were anticipated by the architects. Taken together, the major reforms over the last fifteen years represent a re-making of universities, what they represent, the values they imbue in students, and their contribution to the wider community. A major side effect of these changes has been on the valuing and delivery of citizenship values through university education. While universities have increasingly focussed on the development of vocational skills in students and disregarded traditional academic values, businesses lament the loss of citizenship values in their employees.

It is argued in this paper that the advent of the "new" university conceptualises education as a commodity to be purchased by individuals, thus fundamentally changing the way students engage with their education, as well as changing the notion of the university as a public good.


An optical vitamin C sensing probe has been studied based on immobilized 2,6-dichloroindophenol. A kinetic method is employed in the analytical measurement. This optical sensor is shown to respond linearly to vitamin C concentrations in the range 1.6-10 mM at pH 3.0. This linear range varies with pH and temperature, which should be controlled when using the sensor for analysis of vitamin C. A good analytical correlation has been demonstrated for the analysis of vitamin C in samples of orange juice.


Distinct relationships such as activation, inhibition, cooperation, and competition are not established independently but in a correlated manner in complex systems. Thus the patterns of one type of interaction may reflect the impacts of other classes of interactions, but its quantitative understanding remains to be done. Referring to the plant-pollinator mutualistic networks, here we propose and investigate the structural features of a model bipartite network, in which the mutualistic relationship between two different types of nodes is established under the influence of the compatibility among the nodes of the same type. Interestingly, we find that the degree distributions obtained for extremely broad compatibility distributions are similar to those for a constant compatibility, both of which deviate from those for the Gaussian compatibility distributions. We present the analytic arguments to explain this finding. Also the dependence of the topological similarity of two nodes on their compatibility is illustrated. We discuss the application of our findings to complex systems.


In this article magneto hydrodynamics (MHD) boundary layer flow of compressible fluid in a channel with porous walls have been researched. In this study it is shown that the nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations can be reduced to an ordinary differential equation, using the similarity transformations and boundary layer ap- proximations. Analytical solution of the developed nonlinear equation is carried out by the Differential Transformation Method (DTM). In addition to applying DTM into the obtained equation, the result of the mentioned method is compared with a type of numerical analysis as Boundary Value Problem method (BVP) and a good agreement is seen. The effects of the Reynolds number and Hartman number are investigated.


Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases I and IV (CaMKI and CaMKIV, respectively) require phosphorylation on an equivalent single Thr in the activation loop of subdomain VIII for maximal activity. Two distinct CaMKI/IV kinases, CaMKKalpha and CaMKKbeta, were purified from rat brain and partially sequenced (Edelman, A. M., Mitchelhill, K., Selbert, M. A., Anderson, K. A., Hook, S. S., Stapleton, D., Goldstein, E. G., Means, A. R., and Kemp, B. E. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 10806-10810). We report here the cloning and sequencing of cDNAs for human and rat CaMKKbeta, tissue and regional brain localization of CaMKKbeta protein, and mRNA and functional characterization of recombinant CaMKKbeta in vitro and in Jurkat T cells. The sequences of human and rat CaMKKbeta demonstrate 65% identity and 80% similarity with CaMKKalpha and 30-40% identity with CaMKI and CaMKIV themselves. CaMKKbeta is broadly distributed among rat tissues with highest levels in CaMKIV-expressing tissues such as brain, thymus, spleen, and testis. In brain, CaMKKbeta tracks more closely with CaMKIV than does CaMKKalpha. Bacterially expressed CaMKKbeta undergoes intramolecular autophosphorylation, is regulated by Ca2+/CaM, and phosphorylates CaMKI and CaMKIV on Thr177 and Thr200, respectively. CaMKKbeta activates both CaMKI and CaMKIV when coexpressed in Jurkat T cells as judged by phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein-dependent reporter gene expression. CaMKKbeta activity is enhanced by elevation of intracellular Ca2+, although substantial activity is observed at the resting Ca2+ concentration. The strict Ca2+ requirement of CaMKIV-dependent phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein, is therefore controlled at the level of CaMKIV rather than CaMKK.


Objective: to build a proposal of nursing care from the perspective of the subject of the unconscious through the method of the Construction of Clinical Case in Mental Health and pointing out its contribution to the elaboration of the Singular Therapeutic Project. Method: the clinical case of a patient attending a CAPS of the municipal health services of Campinas was carried out. Results: the main signifiers of the subject, family and institution discourse were ordered by collation. Conclusion: Nursing care for the psychotic patient based on the singularity allows the construction of new therapeutic effects, which may favor the restoration of the patient in his position of subject and bring the nurse's contribution for the Singular Therapeutic Project.


Author(s): Mongkolsiriwattana, Chawin | Advisor(s): Ng, James C.K. | Abstract: For positive-sense single-stranded(ss) RNA virus, determinants that mediate minus-strand RNA synthesis have been often found to reside in 3'-terminal region of the viral genome. Although significant progress has been made in understanding these determinants in several model positive-sense ssRNA viruses, the knowledge of this particular aspect is significantly behind for many economically important viruses including those that belong to the genus Crinivirus (family Closteroviridae). Lettuce chlorosis virus (LCV) is a relatively new member of crinivirus with a bipartite single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome. This dissertation identified and examined determinants that mediate minus-strand RNA synthesis of LCV. Since no molecular tool of LCV was available for examining determinants involved in minus-strand RNA synthesis, Chapter 1 described the construction of infectious cDNA clones of full-length LCV genomic RNAs (1 and 2). Transcripts synthesized from infectious cDNA clones of LCV RNAs were shown to exhibit wild type LCV virion RNAs property in inoculated tobacco protoplasts: similar accumulation kinetics of RNAs 1 and 2, the synthesis of the major coat protein, and formation of virion-like particles. In addition, several novel LCV RNA 1-derived RNAs were detected, including first reported crinivirus defective RNAs derived from RNA 1. Next, we investigated determinants that mediate minus-strand LCV RNA 2 synthesis in Chapter 2 of this dissertation. First, we found that the exchange of conserved region of 3' non-coding regions (NCRs) of LCV RNAs showed no detrimental effects on minus-strand RNA synthesis, suggesting determinants involved in minus-strand RNA synthesis are similarly present in both 3' NCRs of LCV RNAs 1 and 2. Second, deletion analysis of 3' NCR of LCV RNA 2 showed that minimum sequences required for minus-strand RNA 2 synthesis lie between 25 to 98 nucleotides from the 3' terminus. Third, computer modeling and newly developed SHAPE (Selective 2'-Hydroxyl Acylation Analyzed by Primer Extension) analysis revealed a presence of 3'-terminal stem-loop (SL) structure, and mutational analysis showed that overall structure, but not loop, top stem and internal loop, of SL is required for minus-strand RNA synthesis. In addition, SHAPE analysis of LCV RNA 2 defective RNA showed that SL is a part of a larger Y-shaped structure.


The suppository for rectal administration of sodium valproate (VPA-Na) was prepared and its clinical effect was investigated in the epileptic patients to whom oral administration was difficult. We prepared two types of suppositories; type A included 600mg of VPA-Na, and type B included equivalent acetic acid in addition to 600mg of VPA-Na. VPA-Na contents in suppositories were determined using HPLC and plasma VPA concentration was determined by fluorescence polarization immunoassay.The content of VPA-Na in type A suppository gradually decreased to 78% by 4 months when stored in refrigerator, whereas it remained unchanged in type B. When these suppositories were rectally administered to six volunteers, type A showed the mean peak plasma VPA concentration (Cmax) of 16.6μg/ ml and the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from 0 to 8h (AUC 0-8) of 107.6μg·h/ml, and type B showed Cmax of 47.7 μg/ ml and AUG 0-8 of 303.6μg·h/ml. The values of type B were significantly higher than those of type A. To three patients suffering from status epilepticus, type B suppositories were administered at doses of 600mg to 1, 200mg every 8hr, and to four postoperative patients, suppositories were administered at a dose of 600mg for prophylaxis against neurosurgical postoperative epileptic seizure in addition to oral administration of 600mg of VPA-Na. Status epilepticus was well controlled, although small amount of diazepam were also injected. In four patients who underwent neurosurgical operation, the plasma concentration of VPA was maintained within the therapeutic range, and no epileptic seizure was observed. The present study suggests that undissociated VPA suppository is effective for some epileptic patients.


Based on a spatially augmented gravity model, the current paper isolates spatial interrelationships in foreign direct investment (FDI) to Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) not only across the destination but also across the origin country dimension of FDI. Results show that (i) spatial interrelationships across destination countries are present and are consistent with the predominance of vertical-complex FDI in total FDI; (ii) spatial correlation across origin countries is given in earlier years of transition, while spillover and competition effects cancel over the whole sample period; and (iii) agglomeration forces gain in importance for FDI to CEECs.


Directly written embedded structures created within fused silica by a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser are observed to strongly reflect blue light. Reflection emerges only in a direction parallel to the polarization axis of the writing laser. This anisotropic-effect is caused by a periodic modulation of refractive index of amplitude Delta.n ~ 10–2 with a characteristic period Lambda ~ 150nm over a spot size ~1.5µm. We show that the origin of the anisotropic reflection is the primary cause of other anisotropic phenomena reported in recent experiments.


In this paper, we presents a new method to encode the spatial information of local image features, which is a natural extension of Shape Context (SC), so we call it Feature Context (FC). Given a position in a image, SC computes histogram of other points belonging to the target binary shape based on their distances and angles to the position. The value of each histogram bin of SC is the number of the shape points in the region assigned to the bin. Thus, SC requires knowing the location of the points of the target shape. In other words, an image point can have only two labels, it belongs to the shape or not. In contrast, FC can be applied to the whole image without knowing the location of the target shape in the image. Each image point can have multiple labels depending on its local features. The value of each histogram bin of FC is a histogram of various features assigned to points in the bin region. We also introduce an efficient coding method to encode the local image features, call Radial Basis Coding (RBC). Combining RBC and FC together, and using a linear SVM classifier, our method is suitable for both image classification and object detection.


This bachelor thesis explores people's awareness of Big data and algorithms in their everyday use of social media and search engines. This research aims to gain an understanding of what implications the awareness leads to, which effects on privacy issues and identity do they result in? Relating closely to privacy and identity is the question of surveillance and self-governance, both of which are frequently used in discussions regarding Big data and algorithms. This thesis uses the method of qualitative interviews with four informants about their personal experience in their everyday life, regarding social media and search engines, to help answer the questions. This study discovers that the informants perceive their digital identity as highly linked to their 'real life'-identity, and that the use of Big data and algorithms can help them perform their identity on social media. The digital identity is highly representative for who they are and the personal data left on the internet contributes to the feelings of surveillance and therefore a sense of discipline is instilled with the informants. The discipline is often expressed through careful considerations with the implicit actions on social media such as 'likes' and 'following'. The informants try to conduct themselves according to the plurality of spectators that they imagine are watching. However, the study shows that the informants were less likely to change their search engine behavior, resulting in targeted marketing and the likeliness of creating 'filter bubbles'. Filter bubbles can participate in validating one's opinions and actions. The constant reassuring can result in the approval of one's conduct as highly desirable, consequently making it necessary to enforce onto others.


The authors analyze the problems of the Russian labor market. The features characteristic of Russian unemployment, hours of work, wages. The measures to stabilize the situation on the Russian labor market


Oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum were used to infect Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells. Cultures were incubated in a reduced-oxygen atmosphere in candle jars or in a 5% CO2-95% air atmosphere. At 72 h, parasites were quantitated microscopically and found to be enhanced 5.5-fold in the reduced-oxygen atmosphere. Using candle jars, we then determined that C. parvum was amenable to [3H]uracil incorporation assays and easily quantitated with this method.


Nutritional deficiencies of folate cause neural tube defects and several other diseases. The tri-enzyme method and microbiological assays were used to investigate folate variation in 78 rice germplasms. The effects of storage and cooking on folate content were also analyzed. Folate contents of brown rice varied substantially from 13.3 to 111.4 μg/100 g, whereas milled rice varied from 10.3 to 77.7 μg/100 g. Four cultivars from South China with high folate levels were identified in both sub-species. The average folate losses caused by storage and cooking were 23% and 48.3%, respectively. The highest folate content in cv. Laoshuya when cooked was 26.3 μg/100 g, about 25% of the recommended dietary intake (400 μg/day), assuming a daily per-capita consumption of 400 g/day cooked rice. The results suggested that it is potentially possible to screen for higher folate content varieties in germplasm and in breeding. It is also essential to develop new processing methods for maintaining higher folate contents in cooked rice.


Biomass is a significant renewable energy source. The conversion of woody biomass into a combustible gas provides the opportunity to enhance the efficiency of biomass-based power systems, and allows solid fuels to be used in high-efficiency power generation processes. This paper discusses the energy efficient utilization of biomass by turbo machines under unpressurized conditions, working with the inverted Brayton cycle in which turbine expansion, cooling by heat exchanger and draft by compressor are made in an open cycle mode. Author calls this an "atmospheric pressure turbine (APT)". Thermodynamic analysis has shown that an electric efficiency up to 25 percent (HHV) and a total energy efficiency of more than 75 percent (HHV) are expected for combined heat and power applications even at small plant capacities (less than 40 kW). By adapting EGR (exhaust gas recirculation), the total cogeneration efficiency is considerably improved by raising the recirculation ratio, and total energy efficiency of 85% is expected when EGR ratio is 0.4.However, the recirculation ratio is limited by the residual oxygen in the combustor. In the present analysis, in order to remove this limitation the air separation unit (ASU) is used additionally. Therefore, the recirculation ratio of 95% can be attained.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that can affect almost any organ in the body. It usually runs a chronic course with systemic inflammation, and age at diagnosis varies from 15 to 44 years. Laboratory reports often show high anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) levels, increased anti-double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (anti-dsDNA) levels, and low complement levels. 'Lupus flare' is a term used for an acute exacerbation of previously existing SLE. It usually manifests as an acute worsening of clinical signs and symptoms, along with an abrupt change in typical laboratory values. Triggers for a lupus flare include viral or bacterial infections, acute stress, and various environmental factors such as ultraviolet (UV) light. Ciprofloxacin is a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic used for various bacterial infections. On rare occasions, ciprofloxacin can cause adverse effects in the body, which may resemble an acute flare of SLE symptoms in patients with previously controlled disease. We have presented such a case of ciprofloxacin-induced reactions mimicking a lupus flare in an SLE patient.


This chapter has made an attempt to point out some aspects of various mechanisms involving damages of composite materials, which may have been caused due to various kinds of loading and environmental conditions. Failure analysis due to inclusion of such damages together with their respective modes of failure will give an insight into the ways to prevent such problems and help designers with prudent and reliable design criteria. These materials are categorized with polymers as matrix (PMC), metals to act as the matrix material (MMC) and ceramic–based composites (CMC). The main focus will be on Polymeric Matrix Composites, which are used to differentiate those with high– performance characteristics, generally, strength and stiffness, from the simpler forms like plastics being reinforced with other materials.


We calculate the phonon-drag thermopower Sg of an armchair graphene nanoribbon (AGNR) in the boundary scattering regime of phonons. Sg is studied as a function of temperature, Fermi energy and width of the AGNR. At very low temperatures T, Sg is exponentially suppressed and an activated behavior is observed which is characteristic of one-dimensional carriers. This is in contrast to the power law dependence in graphene in the Bloch–Grüneisen regime. However, at higher T, Sg in the AGNR levels off. Sg also shows strong dependence on Fermi energy and width of the AGNR. The magnitude of Sg in the AGNR is compared with that in single-wall carbon nanotube and graphene.


This paper proposes the track system with twin block sleeper for a LIM type maglev railroad. Because a LIM type maglev railroad is expected to be constructed in inner city, social costs can be required under construction. Accordingly, superstructure using precast plate was adopted and twin block sleeper which can be constructed together with precast plate was developed to reduce the construction period. To examine the structural safety of the proposed track system with twin block sleeper, the finite element analyses and the laboratory experiments were performed. Also, the workability of the proposed track system was investigated through the construction simulation test and construction experience in test bed.


At the complex structures(upper shear wall & lower frame) subjected to seismic load, stress concentrations develop st the vertical joint by difference between upper stiffness and lower stiffness. So, soft story phenomena, which are lower stiffness and higher story drift than higher parts, develop at lower frame parts. But there are no Korean provision for the soft story phenomena. Therefore, referring to latest American provisions(UBC-94), this study shall contemplated soft story phenomena by equivalent static forces procedure as seismic load condition. This study presents effective method that increase story stiffness to reduce soft story phenomena. Increasig column stiffness to control story drift ratio is insufficient, therefore lower frame parts need shear wall construction. When the same quantity of shear wall are arranged, using staggered shear wall is better effective than vertical continuous shear wall.


This paper reviews the manufacturing technology forecasts made over the last five decades relative to the realisation of these predictions. Predictions as to how technology will evolve in future periods have had mixed records of fulfilment. Some manufacturing technologies have not fulfilled expectations (e.g. integration technologies in the 1980s) whereas others have greatly exceeded expected adoption rates (e.g. the internet in the 1990s). Moreover, technology forecasts did not occur in a vacuum; they were always conjoined with projections about how to manage these technologies, global responses to these technologies, and the impact they will have on employment and skill.


The annotation of textual information is a fundamental activity in Linguistics and Computational Linguistics. This article presents various observations on annotations. It approaches the topic from several angles including Hypertext, Computational Linguistics and Language Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Open Science. Annotations can be examined along different dimensions. In terms of complexity, they can range from trivial to highly sophisticated, in terms of maturity from experimental to standardised. Annotations can be annotated themselves using more abstract annotations. Primary research data such as, e.g., text documents can be annotated on different layers concurrently, which are independent but can be exploited using multi-layer querying. Standards guarantee interoperability and reusability of data sets. The chapter concludes with four final observations, formulated as research questions or rather provocative remarks on the current state of annotation research.


A novel, simple and inexpensive method for the determination of naproxen enantiomers has been presented based on starch-capped Ag nanoparticles using the spectrophotometric technique. The morphology and structure of the starch-capped Ag nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. Under optimum experimental conditions, it was revealed that starch as a chiral selector could enantioselectively recognize naproxen enantiomers. Naproxen enantiomers were determined over a concentration range of 3.2 × 10−6 to 1.4 × 10−4 M with a detection limit of 2.7 × 10−6 M. The results showed a relative standard deviation of 1.0% and a relative error of −5.6% for the analysis of naproxen enantiomers in real samples.


The objective of the research is to identify problems/issues related to the professional development of the doctors in rural healthcare service. Methods: The combined research approach has been applied as the design of the research, which included a quantitative collection of the statistical data and qualitative characteristics expressed in obtaining personal opinion of the doctors about the problems existing in the area of professional development. A social survey has been conducted (anonymously filled questionnaires) among the rural doctors on the Northern Kazakhstan (Akmola and North Kazakhstan). "Survey on studying professional development of the Healthcare personnel in Rural Healthcare" consisted of 48 questions of open-end and closed questions. With the help of a mechanical random (non-repeated) sampling 175 doctors from central district (rayon) hospitals have been selected. The selection of the observation unit from among the general population has been carried out by applying the random number table. Considering the total number of the rural doctors in two oblasts the selected sampling plays only a representative role. The statistical tools included calculation of extensive indicators (indicators of distribution). For comparing statistical significance of the group a fitting criteria (chi-square) has been applied. Results: The research identified that the majority of the doctors have a desire to enhance and further develop their professional skills; a great number of the surveyed respondents (86.7%) would love to upgrade their professional level. The doctors, who have attended refresher courses/trainings, were able, upon return to work, apply in practice the knowledge they have acquired, and this contributed to the enhancement of their professional skills. The survey on the frequency/periodicity of the post-graduate education have shown that over half (54.2%) of the responding doctors consider that training (further development) of the doctors once in five years would be feasible. For that purpose the majority of the responding doctors (40.6%) wish to be trained/to develop their professional skills at the Medical University, 36.5% - at the Oblast Center where the specialists from the capital would be invited too, 22.9% prefer to travel to another region. It was recorded that many forms of the professional development (participation in international conferences and workshops, trainings at the leading national and international clinics) are not available to the major part of the employees. Conclusion: The analysis of the ways of professional development, in general, revealed satisfaction of the doctors in rural healthcare service in the context of the subject matter. The majority of the doctors strive towards professional growth and development, which shows the existing potential. Almost half of the responding doctors (56.0%) were able to apply in practice the acquired knowledge, which has enhanced their practical skills as well.


Gut microbiota composition may play an important role in the development of obesity-related comorbidities. However, only few studies have investigated gender-differences in microbiota composition and gender-specific associations between microbiota or microbial products and insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity (hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp), body composition (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), substrate oxidation (indirect calorimetry), systemic inflammatory markers and microbiota composition (PCR) were determined in male (n=15) and female (n=14) overweight and obese subjects. Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes-ratio was higher in men than in women (P=0.001). Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes-ratio was inversely related to peripheral insulin sensitivity only in men (men: P=0.003, women: P=0.882). This association between Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes-ratio and peripheral insulin sensitivity did not change after adjustment for dietary fibre and saturated fat intake, body composition, fat oxidation and markers of inflammation. Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes-ratio was not associated with hepatic insulin sensitivity. Men and women differ in microbiota composition and its impact on insulin sensitivity, implying that women might be less sensitive to gut microbiota-induced metabolic aberrations than men. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02381145.


We study the dynamics of a dilute spherical model with two-body interactions and random exchanges. We analyze the Langevin equations and we introduce a functional variational method to study generic dilute disordered models. A crossover temperature replaces the dynamic transition of the fully connected limit. There are two asymptotic regimes, one determined by the central band of the spectral density of the interactions and a slower one determined by localized configurations on sites with high connectivity. We confront the behavior of this model to the one of real glasses.


Large artery stiffness is an index of vascular aging associated with cardiovascular mortality. Whereas traditional risk factors for arterial stiffness are known, the contribution of socioeconomic factors is less reported. We sought to determine the relationship between arterial stiffness and socioeconomic deprivation (at the individual and neighborhood levels) in healthy males and females. In 7803 adults, carotid stiffness was determined by high-precision carotid echo-tracking. Individual deprivation data included education, living alone, occupation, and Evaluation of the Deprivation and Inequalities of Health in Healthcare Centers score. Neighborhood deprivation was determined from commune level data (smallest administrative subdivision) available from French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (2011) using principal component analysis. The separate and combined associations between individual and neighborhood deprivation (main exposures) and carotid stiffness (outcome) were quantified using linear and multilevel model adjusted for traditional risk factors. Analyses were conducted separately in males and females. Individual deprivation (lower education and occupation in males and living alone and higher Evaluation of the Deprivation and Inequalities of Health in Healthcare Centers in both populations) was adversely related to carotid stiffness, independently of potential confounders (P<0.05). Neighborhood deprivation was adversely related to carotid stiffness in males (P<0.05), but not in females. Socioeconomic deprivation, both at individual and, to a lesser extent, neighborhood level are associated with carotid stiffness in males. Only individual deprivation is associated with carotid stiffness in females.


This article presents an audio-visual methodology, VOSMET, designed to address activities of the craft of film editing, with a focus on the use of perception, and its implications. The methodology employs 13 different visual aspects and five different audio aspects, starting with video-recording observations of an editor, and ending with the analysis of eye-tracking data from film viewers. Craft research needs methodologies that address craft activities and cognitive approaches. Design practices share a similar need for reaching deeper understanding. It is neither established how film editors achieve perceptual precision in continuity editing in practice. The VOSMET methodology simultaneously captures bodily actions, utterances, software events, and keystrokes, along with the audiovisual material under processing, and uses graphics to distinguish between what takes place. The methodology also contributes by grasping what a film editor attends to, how this attention functions, as well as how perceptual factors are handled by the film editor. Finally, the methodology can evaluate editorial intentions against film viewer perceptions.


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is responsible for most of primary liver cancer cases and is the sixth most common cancer in the world with a general 5 year survival rate of 18% due to lack of effective therapy. Adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) with T-cell receptor–engineered T-cell (TCR-T) against HCC-associated antigen a-fetoprotein (AFP), can redirect human T cells to recognize and kill HCC tumor cells. However, the clinical efficacy of TCR-T therapy is dependent on the proper expansion, in vivo persistence of T cells that is markedly reduced due to exhaustion-associated dysfunction, and activation induced cell death. To improve persistence of TCR-T cells without modifying TCR affinity, we engineered TCR-T cells to overexpress c-Jun, an AP-1 transcription factor associated with T cell development and activation. In this study, we showed that TCR-T cells overexpressing c-Jun have enhanced expansion capacity in culture, improved cytokine production against HepG2 tumor cells without altering their cytotoxic potential. Interestingly TCR-T cells overexpressing c-Jun showed resistance to activation induced cell death with decreased expression of inhibitory receptors after stimulation with HepG2 tumor cells. Thus, c-Jun overexpression could be a potential therapeutic agent to enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of TCR-T cells against HCC.


One of the requirements of the curriculum of the new BA Social Work is that students shadow the work of practitioners before they undertake supervised practice. Shadowing provides an opportunity to observe social workers in different agencies and to learn from the experience of being in the observer role. This article focuses on the observational learning which is part of the shadowing experience. It discusses an observation curriculum designed for a new student group at an early stage in the programme. Using feedback from student assessments on the Sussex/Brighton BA, the course structure and learning outcomes are described and analysed. From initial evaluations it is argued that observation in shadowing provides an important introduction to key aspects of professional learning such as anti‐oppressive practice and communication skills.


Periodontal disease is one of the most common health problem affecting dogs. The disease is more prevalent in small breeds and brachycephalic breeds compared to large breeds, and incidence increases with advancing age. In first stage it affects only the gingival tissue and causes gingivitis. It later develops into periodontitis which involves changes in other periodontium tissues. Main etiological agents of periodontal disease are pathogenic bacteria of dental biofilm, and products of their metabolism. In human, Porphyromonas gingivalis , Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia play a key role in the etiology of periodontal disease. Also, there are many other candidates as human periodontal pathogens, including Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans , Prevotella intermedia , Prevotella nigrescens , Fusobacterium nucleatum , Parvimonas micra , Eikenella corrodens , Capnocytophaga gingivalis , Eubacterium nodatum and Campylobacter rectus . Since periodontal diseases in dogs are similar to human diseases in terms of disease progression and clinical manifestation, we can assume their common etiology. This chapter is focused on review about canine dental biofilm and about members of biofilm as potential causative agent of canine periodontal disease.


The leadership of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry in the opening of Japan to Western commerce has received just renown. Rarely, however, does one hear even the most casual reference to Perry's other activities in the Far East. Of these activities, perhaps the most neglected is his controversy with Humphrey Marshall over the diplomatic policy to be pursued by the United States regarding the Taiping rebellion.