The HER2 gene amplification occurs in 20-30% of breast cancer and is correlated with a poorer prognosis compared to HER2-negative disease due to increased proliferation and metastatic potential. Two major types of receptor inhibitors have been developed for therapy and one for each categories is currently used in clinic: i) the humanized monoclonal antibody trastuzumab, directed against the HER2 extracellular domain; and ii) the EGFR/HER2 dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib. However, patients may develop resistance to drugs and show disease progression . Several resistant mechanisms have been explored and are still under investigation. Here, we focus our attention on the role played by the alternative splicing forms of HER2 in mediating HER2 oncogenic activity and in conditioning the response to HER2 therapies. Three HER2 splice variants have been described so far; the p100 and the herstatin gave raised to two secreted proteins of 100 kd and 68 kd, respectively that act as cell growth inhibitors. Herstatin has been described for its ability to interrupt the constitutive HER2 activation, but also for its capacity to hamper HER2 dimerization with the others HER receptors. Interestingly, herstatin, present as mRNA and protein in non cancerous tissue in areas adjacent to breast carcinoma, is absent as protein in 75% of mammary tumors, which indicates that cancer cells are protected by some intrinsic mechanism against the putative growth-inhibitory effects of this naturally occurring molecule. The third splice form of HER2 gene is the Δ16HER2, encoding for a receptor lacking exon16, whose absence determines a constitutive active dimers with transforming activity in vitro and in vivo. The Δ16HER2 binds to trastuzumab to a less extend, due to conformational changes of the extracellular domain. The Δ16HER2 accounts for almost 9% of the total HER2 transcripts in human breast cancers and, additionally, Δ16HER2 levels are supposed to increase proportionally at the increasing of the HER2 wild-type copy numbers in human primary breast cancers. The availability of a specific assay to determine and quantify the expression levels of this splicing form and the availability of Δ16HER2 transgenic mice models made this variant as the most promising for the development of biodrugs. Finally, HER2 carboxy-terminal fragments (CTFs), generated by alternative initiation of translation, were observed in breast cancer patients. In particular, 611-CTF was described to activate multiple signaling pathways since it is expressed as a constitutively active homodimer. Expression of 611-CTF led to development of aggressive and invasive mammary tumors and it was suggested to be a potent oncogene capable of promoting mammary tumor progression and metastasis.


This paper investigates the use of a networked system (e.g., swarm of robots, smart grid, sensor network) to monitor a time-varying phenomenon of interest in the presence of communication and computation latency. Recent advances on edge computing are enabling processing to be performed at each sensor, hence we investigate the fundamental latency-accuracy trade-off, arising when a sensor in the network has to decide whether to transmit raw data (incurring a computational delay) or transmit it (incurring communication delays) in order to compute an accurate estimate of the state of the phenomenon of interest. We propose two key contributions. First, we formalize the notion of processing network. Contrarily to sensor and communication networks, where the designer is concerned with the design of a suitable communication policy, in a processing network one can also control when and where the computation occurs in the network. The second contribution is to provide analytical results on the optimal communication latency (i.e., the optimal time spent on processing at each node) for the case with a single sensor and multiple homogeneous sensors. Numerical results substantiate our claims that accounting for computation and communication delays can largely impact the estimation accuracy, and the latency-accuracy trade-off becomes even more relevant in the presence of bandwidth constraints, large networks, and limited computational resources.


CITE-Seq enables simultaneous single cell transcriptome and proteome analysis via combining single cell RNA-seq with oligo-labeled antibodies. Conventional techniques such as flow or mass cytometry have caveats including the number of epitopes accurately detected or an inability to recover samples for transcriptome analysis. These limitations are prohibitive for multivariate analysis of limited clinical samples. We developed a CITE-seq assay that enables comprehensive immune cell profiling of Sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous lung disease characterized by abnormal CD4+ T cell Th1 activity. However, the disease etiology and course are variable and the underlying molecular drivers remain unknown. The long-term goal of this study is to utilize CITE-seq to identify immune molecular pathways of Sarcoidosis pathogenesis. In our initial studies, we analyzed PBMC's by CITE-seq vs. flow cytometry and observed similar cell profiles. However, the synergy of protein detection coupled with transcriptome analysis via CITE-seq enhanced cell subset identification vs. flow or scRNA-seq alone. We utilized CITE-seq in an ongoing longitudinal study of Sarcoidosis subjects to enhance resolution of the immune components contributing to disease. We compared CITE-seq to a flow cytometry panel analyzing the differential contributions of various CD4+ T cell lineages. The enhanced granularity provided by CITE-seq elucidated molecular pathways associated with disease pathogenesis. Thus, moving forward CITE-seq can provide the resolution and multivariate data collection required to identify the inflammatory drivers of Sarcoidosis.


Intervention planning is crucial for maintenance operations in particle accelerator environments with ionizing radiation, during which the radiation dose received by maintenance workers should be reduced to a minimum. In this context, we discuss the development of a new software tool and the entailed methodology, including the visualization aspects. The software tool integrates interactive exploration of a scene depicting an accelerator facility augmented with residual radiation level simulations, with the visualization of intervention data such as the followed trajectory and maintenance tasks. Its conception allows for future inclusion of measurements performed by mobile robotic devices. In this work, we explore the systems engineering life cycle of the development process of an interactive intervention planner, which includes the needs analysis, specification explicitation, conceptual mathematical modelling, iterative implementation, design and prototype testing and usability testing.


A microscopic description of the interaction of atomic nuclei with external electroweak probes is required for elucidating aspects of short-range nuclear dynamics and for the correct interpretation of neutrino oscillation experiments. Nuclear quantum Monte Carlo methods infer the nuclear electroweak response functions from their Laplace transforms. Inverting the Laplace transform is a notoriously ill-posed problem; and Bayesian techniques, such as maximum entropy, are typically used to reconstruct the original response functions in the quasielastic region. In this work, we present a physics-informed artificial neural network architecture suitable for approximating the inverse of the Laplace transform. Utilizing simulated, albeit realistic, electromagnetic response functions, we show that this physics-informed artificial neural network outperforms maximum entropy in both the low-energy transfer and the quasielastic regions, thereby allowing for robust calculations of electron scattering and neutrino scattering on nuclei and inclusive muon capture rates.


There has been substantial recent interest in MRI systems with lower $$$B_0$$$ field strengths, which can improve the value and accessibility of MRI. This work investigates the performance of diffusion tensor imaging on a prototype whole-body 0.55T system equipped with high-performance shielded gradients. Although the images suffer from noise contamination when using conventional image reconstruction techniques, we demonstrate that the use of an SNR-enhancing joint reconstruction technique can substantially reduce noise concerns, enabling high quality diffusion tensor imaging results. In addition, compared to diffusion data acquired on a conventional 3T scanner, the 0.55T images demonstrate substantially reduced susceptibility-induced geometric distortions.


A method has been developed for studying host-cell reactivation of cisplatin-damaged plasmid DNA in human T lymphocytes. Parameters of electroporation were established for transfection of the shuttle vector pRSV cat into H9 cells, and a rapid single-vial assay was used for measurement of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) activity in extracts of transfected cells. pRSVcat was modified with cisplatin to defined levels ranging from 5 to 40 platinum molecules per plasmid, and then transfected into H9 cells. Graded reductions in CAT activity were observed with increasing levels of platination of the plasmid. At 40 platinum molecules per plasmid, CAT activity was reduced to levels of the negative controls. The efficiency of electroporation-mediated transfer of plasmid into H9 cells was not reduced by high levels of cisplatin modification. The level of modification effecting a 63% reduction in CAT gene expression (the B0), was found to be 17 cisplatin molecules per plasmid. This assay system offers a rapid and sensitive method for assessing the capability of human lymphoid cells to reactivate cisplatin-damaged plasmid DNA.


Cooperative and individualistic learning experiences were compared in terms of their effects on interaction and relationships between hearing and hearing-impaired students. Two contradictory hypotheses were tested--one stating that the effort required for hearing and hearing-impaired students to communicate would lead to frustration, withdrawal, exclusion, and rejection; the other stating that cooperative learning experiences would lead to cross-handicap interpersonal attraction regardless of communication difficulties. Thirty 3rd-grade students (20 hearing and 10 hearing impaired) were assigned to conditions on a stratified, random basis controlling for handicap, sex, and ability level. They participated in the study for 55 min a day for 15 instructional days. The results indicate that subjects involved in cooperative learning experiences performed higher on measures of interaction and interpersonal attraction between hearing and hearing-impaired students than did subjects involved in individualistic learning experiences.


We propose a complete system of blind image restoration. We have no restrictions about the blurring filter causing degradation to the original image (e.g., zero or linear phase filter). The blurring filter estimation part of this system consists of two main steps: the mapping of the blurred image into the Radon transform domain, and the blind blur identification in this domain. The mapping simplifies the computational complexity associated with our system from a 2-D to a 1-D domain. The blind blur identification is based on a modified optimization method which uses cumulants in the estimation of the filter coefficients. The deconvolution step is based on a least squares optimization method. A singular value decomposition (SVD) technique is used in improving the optimization process in the estimation and deconvolution steps. Finally, the inverse Radon transform is computed to get the estimated restored image.


Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential barriers to the adoption of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in physicians. Methods: A survey was distributed to a sample of family physicians and pediatricians. Results: Lack of patient knowledge about HPV and lack of early bothersome symptoms of cervical disease were considered by respondents to be signifi cant barriers to optimal vaccination, as was parental reluctance to acknowledge that their child/adolescent is likely to become sexually active in her teens. The unwillingness of parents to vaccinate their child was the most commonly selected barrier to vaccine adoption. Responses did not signifi cantly vary by specialty. Discussion and Conclusions: Patient/parental attitudes may be the most signifi cant barriers to the effective adoption of HPV vaccines. These results suggest that additional education focused on strategies to facilitate reductions in patient and parent barriers to adoption of the HPV vaccines is needed.


Previous studies and regulators usually regard inside-debt compensation as a device to mitigate the conflict of interests between shareholders and debtholders, and believe that firms need to be enforced to pay their executives inside-debt compensations to resolve this conflict. However, although there is no federal mandate, in practice it is very common that firms voluntarily offer inside-debt compensations such as pensions and deferred compensations to their executives, which cannot be explained by extant research. In this paper we try to shed light on firms' endogenous reasons of offering inside-debt compensation. We examine a setting in which a firm seeks external fund from a competitive debt market for its project, and offers a compensation package which may include both performance-based and inside-debt compensations to its manager. We consider three scenarios with different seniority orders in claiming against the liquidation value upon bankruptcy. We find that in all the three scenarios, it is optimal for the firm to offer positive inside-debt compensation. This is because, by choosing the "right mix" between the inside-debt and the performance-based compensations, a firm is able to calibrate its manager's risk choice and achieve the first best to maximize its shareholders' welfare. Without inside-debt compensation, the firm is unable to achieve the first best.


THE tree of exact knowledge of Science and Technology is now so great that the whole growth is beyond the practical compass of a single museum; the branches, while interrelated through the central stem, are very numerous and the knowledge increasingly diverse in application, so that some differentiation is necessary for profitable study. This is particularly the case in subjects where the application and usage of the knowledge has wide social implications, such as in aeronautics. It is idle to consider human flight apart from the uses to which it may be put and its potential value; to appreciate the full significance of flight it is necessary not only to understand the technical basis of aircraft, but also the vicissitudes of human progress whereby the machine came to be invented and highly developed. For this reason, the treatment of aeronautics in a museum should go beyond the treatment accorded to some other branches of science and technology.


Insects and plants, whether or not they coevolved, have intimate interrelationships. This book concisely yet thoroughly describes these phenomena. In one chapter the salient facts known about carnivorous plants are described. In another, ant and plant relationships are summarized as an introduction to this vast subject. Pollination, of great interest to agriculturists and horticulturists, is briefly explained without the complexities detailed in the massive literature on this topic. Many other subjects are discussed, such as the memory of adult butterflies, which enables them to return to their host plants in the case of the polyphagous species. The book is seeded with such thought-provoking discussions as prostitution among the orchids and botanical indigestion in some plants.


The occurrence of vast masses of conglomerate on both sides of the Lammermuir chain has been well known to geologists since the days of Hutton and Hall. It appears, however, never to have been suspected that the formations of the north and south sides were connected by a band of considerable breadth running completely across the chain from Doon Hill, about two miles from Dunbar, to the Hardens Hills, about the same distance west from Dunse. The position, extent, and relations to the adjoining strata of this interesting formation of conglomerate will be best understood by reference to the accompanying sketch (see Map). The whole district occupied by the greywacke, conglomerate, and trap rocks is almost uniformly hilly, the height of the hills ranging from about 800 to 1400 feet above sea-level, those composed of conglomerate being in general fully as high as those consisting of greywacke or igneous rocks. The tracts occupied by the strata of the old red sandstone and lower carboniferous formations are much lower and flatter, and generally rise no higher than 300 or 400 feet above the level of the sea. The conglomerate occupies a trough in the greywacke, evidently the result of an ancient dislocation of great extent. At the margins it is seen overlapping the upturned ends of the greywoacke strata, which are generally either vertical, or dip at angles of 45° or upwards, to about W.N.W., the dip being rather steeper on the east side of the conglomerate than on the west.


Deep neural networks have exhibited remarkable performance in image super-resolution (SR) tasks by learning a mapping from low-resolution (LR) images to high-resolution (HR) images. However, the SR problem is typically an ill-posed problem and existing methods would come with several limitations. First, the possible mapping space of SR can be extremely large since there may exist many different HR images that can be downsampled to the same LR image. As a result, it is hard to directly learn a promising SR mapping from such a large space. Second, it is often inevitable to develop very large models with extremely high computational cost to yield promising SR performance. In practice, one can use model compression techniques to obtain compact models by reducing model redundancy. Nevertheless, it is hard for existing model compression methods to accurately identify the redundant components due to the extremely large SR mapping space. To alleviate the first challenge, we propose a dual regression learning scheme to reduce the space of possible SR mappings. Specifically, in addition to the mapping from LR to HR images, we learn an additional dual regression mapping to estimate the downsampling kernel and reconstruct LR images. In this way, the dual mapping acts as a constraint to reduce the space of possible mappings. To address the second challenge, we propose a lightweight dual regression compression method to reduce model redundancy in both layer-level and channel-level based on channel pruning. Specifically, we first develop a channel number search method that minimizes the dual regression loss to determine the redundancy of each layer. Given the searched channel numbers, we further exploit the dual regression manner to evaluate the importance of channels and prune the redundant ones. Extensive experiments show the effectiveness of our method in obtaining accurate and efficient SR models.


We report computed tomography (CT) findings for a rare case of follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the greater omentum from a 47-year-old female patient. The tumor presented ash a palpable mass lesion in the umbilical region for the last two months. Multidetector CT scan of the abdomen showed a 14-cm soft-tissue mass with calcification and necrosis within the greater omentum. As a result, a follicular dendritic cell sarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a solitary omentum mass, especially one with coarse and chunk-like calcifications.


Abstract This paper presents a new design and development process for integrating illuminated Polymeric Optical Fibre (POF) into knitted garments, by incorporating POF directly into the looped structure. Fully-fashioned knitting is presented as a means of overcoming garment design restrictions in existing works. A key challenge this work addresses is the creation of more appealing and fashionable form-fitting illuminated POF garments. The resultant work, a tight-fitting knitted raglan sleeve jumper with a section of knitted POF demonstrates that new aesthetics can be achieved, with our new technique. This project builds on existing research into POF integration into fashion and textiles, whilst challenging the existing view that POF cannot be formed into a looped structure. This project used a hand flat knitting machine to produce the knitted POF garment, to balance the benefits of using handcraft techniques for challenging fibres, with the faster knitting speed better associated with using knitting machines.


Statistical learning (SL) is involved in a wide range of basic and higher-order cognitive functions and is taken to be an important building block of virtually all current theories of information processing. In the last 2 decades, a large and continuously growing research community has therefore focused on the ability to extract embedded patterns of regularity in time and space. This work has mostly focused on transitional probabilities, in vision, audition, by newborns, children, adults, in normal developing and clinical populations. Here we appraise this research approach and we critically assess what it has achieved, what it has not, and why it is so. We then center on present SL research to examine whether it has adopted novel perspectives. These discussions lead us to outline possible blueprints for a novel research agenda. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


The performance of the left ventricle (LV) during diastole is defined by the pressure-volume relationship. Consequently, noninvasive techniques have been limited in the evaluation of diastolic function by their inability to evaluate intracardiac pressure, particularly LV filling pressure and end-diastolic pressure. Abnormalities of LV diastolic function play a major role in producing the clinical signs and symptoms of heart failure. Previous studies have demonstrated that the transmitral flow (TMF), pulmonary venous flow (PVF) and left atrial appendage flow (LAAF) velocity patterns determined by pulsed Doppler echocardiography are useful parameters for evaluating left atrial (LA) and LV hemodynamic events. However, these variables are influenced by loading conditions, particularly preload. Furthermore, it has become increasingly clear that abnormalities of LV diastolic function, such as relaxation and filling, can be assessed precisely using color Doppler M-mode echocardiography and pulsed tissue Doppler imaging irrespective of preload. This review presents a clinical approach to understanding the hemodynamic abnormalities of the LA and LV in a variety of cardiac diseases using these new modalities. In addition, the limitations of these techniques are discussed.


Author(s): Sileo, Katelyn Mary | Advisor(s): Kiene, Susan M | Abstract: Background: Ugandan fisherfolk are a priority population for the scale up of antiretroviral treatment (ART). However, a number of multi-level factors may pose a challenge to engaging this population in HIV care. Objectives: Our specific aims include: 1) examining the prevalence of substance use, and its effect on ART adherence; 2) exploring the role of norms of masculinity on men's engagement in HIV care; and 3) identifying individual, interpersonal, normative environment, and physical/built environment-level determinants of HIV clinic attendance and ART adherence.Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed methods study design was employed with male fisherfolk on ART in Waksio District, Uganda. This study included a quantitative structured questionnaire (N=300), and qualitative in-depth interviews (n=30). Aim 1 uses both the quantitative and qualitative data. Aim 2 uses only qualitative data. Aim 2 uses only quantitative data. Results: We identified sub-optimal engagement in HIV care among men overall. Aim 1 demonstrated alcohol's negative effect on ART adherence, and alcohol's greater effect on non-adherence among men taking twice daily regimens compared to once daily. Aim 2 demonstrated HIV as a threat to men's masculinity. However, ART's positive effects on health restored men's ability to fulfill their masculine roles, which motivated men for continued engagement in HIV care. Aim 3 identified multi-level factors associated with missed HIV clinic visits, including those at the individual (age), interpersonal (marital status), normative (anticipated HIV stigma), and physical/built environment-levels (travel time to the clinic, structural-barriers to adherence, accessing care on a landing site). Factors associated with ART non-adherence included those at the individual (age, income) and normative levels (anticipated and enacted HIV stigma).Conclusions: These findings highlight an urgent need for strategies to improve clinic attendance and ART adherence among male fisherfolk on ART, and add to our understanding of the multi-level determinants affecting HIV care engagement among male fisherfolk. We discuss public health implications, and suggest a package of interventions that may be integrated into differentiated service delivery specific to this most-at-risk population, including brief screening and intervention for alcohol reduction, gender transformative programming, and the integration of peer support and stigma reduction into community-based platforms for ART delivery.


Constructing near-infrared-light-mediated core-shell nanostructures incorporating upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and semiconductors is of great importance for potential applications in photocatalysis, nano-biomedical engineering, solar cell, etc. In this work, we have demonstrated a two-step solution process to synthesize email@example.com core-shell nanoparticles (CSN). Firstly, a layer of AA-Zn(Cd)[OH] composites was coated on UCNPs to form UCNPs@AA-Zn(Cd)[OH] composites, which has been converted to email@example.com CSN via sulfidation reaction process using thioacetamide (TAA) as the sulfur source. Moreover, the email@example.com yolk-shell nanoparticles (YSN) have been obtained from the email@example.com CSN after calcination at 400 °C, which show significantly photocatalytic activity for reduction of Cr(VI) under near-infrared light. All these can be attributed to the enhanced crystallization degree, resulting in enhanced energy transfer efficiency and separation efficiency of the photogenerated electrons and holes. An alternative strategy is provided in this study for fabrication of UCNP/semiconductor composites for various applications.


We introduce HUBERT which combines the structured-representational power of Tensor-Product Representations (TPRs) and BERT, a pre-trained bidirectional Transformer language model. We show that there is shared structure between different NLP datasets that HUBERT, but not BERT, is able to learn and leverage. We validate the effectiveness of our model on the GLUE benchmark and HANS dataset. Our experiment results show that untangling data-specific semantics from general language structure is key for better transfer among NLP tasks.


We studied twins to examine the genetics of epilepsy syndromes. We ascertained 358 twin pairs in whom one or both reported seizures. After evaluation, 253 of 358 (71%) had seizure disorders and 105 pairs were false positives. Among the monozygous (MZ) pairs, more were concordant for seizures (48 of 108; casewise concordance = 0.62 ± 0.05) than among the dizygous (DZ) pairs (14 of 145; casewise concordance = 0.18 ± 0.04). In 94% of concordant MZ pairs, and 71% of concordant DZ pairs, both twins had the same major epilepsy syndrome. When analyzed according to major epilepsy syndrome, the casewise concordances for generalized (MZ = 0.82; DZ = 0.26), both idiopathic (MZ = 0.76; DZ = 0.33) and symptomatic (MZ = 0.83; DZ = 0), were greater than those for partial epilepsies (MZ = 0.36; DZ = 0.05), with intermediate values seen for febrile seizures (MZ = 0.58; DZ = 0.14) an dunclassified epilepsies (MZ = 0.53; DZ = 0.18). We conclude that genetic factors are particularly important in the generalized epilepsies but also play a role in the partial epilepsies. The high frequency of concordant MZ pairs with the same major syndrome strongly suggets there are syndrome‐specific genetic determinants rather than a broad genetic predisposition to seizures.


Fatigue fracture is one of the main failure modes of Ti-6Al-4V alloy, fracture toughness and crack closure have strong effects on the fatigue crack growth(FCG) rate of Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The FCG rate of Ti-6Al-4V is investigated by using experimental and analytical methods. The effects of stress ratio, crack closure and fracture toughness on the FCG rate are studied and discussed. A modified prediction model of the FCG rate is proposed, and the relationship between the fracture toughness and the stress intensity factor(SIF) range is redefined by introducing a correcting coefficient. Notched plate fatigue tests (including the fracture toughness test and the FCG rate test) are conducted to investigate the influence of affecting factors on the FCG rate. Comparisons between the predicted results of the proposed model, the Paris model, the Walker model, the Sadananda model, and the experimental data show that the proposed model gives the best agreement with the test data particularly in the near-threshold region and the Paris region, and the corresponding calculated fatigue life is also accurate in the same regions. By considering the effects of fracture toughness and crack closure, the novel FCG rate prediction model not only improves the estimating accuracy, but also extends the adaptability of the FCG rate prediction model in engineering.


Orotic acid and its salts chronically administered have been shown to significantly improve cardiac function in pathological settings associated with ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of magnesium orotate (Mg-Or) administration at the onset of post-ischemic reperfusion on myocardial function and infarct size (IS). Ex-vivo experiments performed on isolated perfused rat hearts were used to compare Mg-Or administration with a control group (buffer treated), ischemic post-conditioning, orotic acid treatment, and MgCl2 treatment. Mg-Or administration was also investigated in an in-vivo model of regional I/R performed in rats undergoing reversible coronary ligation. The effect of Mg-Or on mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening after I/R was investigated in vitro to gain mechanistic insights. Both ex-vivo and in-vivo experiments showed a beneficial effect from Mg-Or administration at the onset of reperfusion on myocardial function and IS. In-vitro assays showed that Mg-Or significantly delayed mPTP opening after I/R. Our data suggest that Mg-Or administered at the very onset of reperfusion may preserve myocardial function and reduce IS. This beneficial effect may be related to a significant reduction of mPTP opening, a usual trigger of cardiac cell death following I/R.


Background: Glucose absorbed from conventional peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions contributes to unfavorable metabolic effects. Its replacement with a glucose-free osmotic agent such as icodextrin (ID) or amino acids (AA) may have some benefit on glucose and lipid metabolism. Methods: Serum lipids, insulin sensitivity and substrate oxidation (calorimetry) were measured before and after 8 weeks use of ID or AA in 22 patients. Calorimetry and blood tests (HbA1c, lipids) were also performed after 8 weeks of simultaneous use of ID and AA in 8 patients. Results: Cholesterol declined during the use of AA (4.8 ± 0.3–4.5 ± 0.3 mmol/l, p = 0.045). Triglycerides decreased during the use of both ID (2.2 ± 0.2–1.9 ± 0.1 mmol/l, p = 0.019) and AA (1.9 ± 0.2–1.6 ± 0.1 mmol/l, p = 0.024). Free fatty acids declined during the use of AA. There were no significant changes in insulin sensitivity. Glucose oxidation decreased and lipid oxidation increased during the use of ID, the changes in substrate oxidation were accentuated during the simultaneous use of ID and AA. Conclusion: Replacement of glucose with ID or AA had a benefit on glucose and lipid metabolism.


Microscopic flow in fractured porous media is a typical problem for the exploitation of tight reservoirs. The rapid-flow in the fractured porous-media is of great significance to efficient and continuous oil/gas exploitation. The fractures are expected to enhance flow conductivity and mass transfer between matrix and fractures, and to improve oil displacement during water flooding. However, the fractures may also lead to water channeling under some conditions. The understanding on the mechanism of the microscopic flow in the fractured porous media has been insufficient until now. In this paper, a two-dimensional pore-fracture network model is presented to study the role of fractures in the flow. The effects of two main dimensionless parameters, fracture length to network length lf/l and fracture density Nf/N, on the absolute permeability and the oil displacement efficiency are investigated. The results show that the flow in the matrix plays a controlling role at a low fracture density. Once the fracture density exceeds a certain value, the flow is controlled by fractures. With the increase of the fracture density, the oil displacement efficiency develops into three typical stages: when Nf/N 0.5, the oil displacement efficiency decreases rapidly. In the case lf/l > 0.8, the water mainly flows through a concentrated path connected by some fractures, resulting in it bypassing most oil regions, and thus the oil displacement efficiency decreases rapidly, similar to the water channeling.


The northern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul was extensively deforested in recent decades, and only isolated fragments of the original vegetation remain. The Parque Natural Municipal de Sertao comprises a remnant of Atlantic Rain Forest, one of the largest fragments in northern Rio Grande do Sul. This study examined the diversity of the herpetofauna, focusing on environmental distribution, seasonality and species richness. We used complementary methods of sampling such as pitfall traps, active search and occasional encounters. We recorded 23 species of frogs, nine snakes and one lizard. With respect to the relationship between amphibians and reptiles and the structural and abiotic factors of the environment, the edge of the fragment showed higher richness and increased dominance of amphibians and reptiles than the interior. The highest amphibian abundances were found when the minimum temperatures were higher and maximum temperatures were lower. The abundance of snakes was correlated with humidity, and species richness was influenced by humidity and monthly average temperature. Our results reinforce the importance of the conservation of forested areas to the maintenance of the species


We introduce a novel method of modelling Tullock rent-seeking contests that avoids the complexities encountered by the 'best response function' approach. We analyse contests in which there are many risk averse players differing in their attitudes to risk. We establish that, if every player has a constant degree of absolute risk aversion, a unique equilibrium exists. We also establish comparative static results and examine how the level of rent dissipation is affected by the heterogeneity of attitudes towards risk and the precise nature of the technology.


BACKGROUND
Calcaneal fractures are associated with substantial morbidity and socioeconomic impact, frequently leading to limited functional outcome and high economic costs. The Oxford foot model (OFM) has been reported as a valid addition to the biomechanical examination of the foot. The aim of our study was to analyze the gait of patients after operative repair of a calcaneal fracture in relation to functional outcome and radiographic findings.

METHODS
Thirteen patients with a calcaneal fracture underwent gait analysis with OFM at a minimum of six months after open surgery. Intersegmental range of motion was measured during gait. Results were compared with those of healthy subjects and those of patients who had undergone subtalar arthrodesis. Patient-reported questionnaires and radiographic images were also evaluated.

RESULTS
The range of motion between the hindfoot and the tibia in the push-off phase in the transverse plane was significantly correlated with the clinical outcome as reported by patients based on the Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) (r(2) = 0.51; p < 0.001) and the Short Form (SF)-36 physical component summary score (r(2) = 0.52; p < 0.001). We found a significant correlation between the step-off in the subtalar joint as measured on postoperative computed tomography (CT) and range of motion (r(2) = -0.74; p = 0.004). The step-off was also correlated with the patient-reported outcome questionnaire FADI (r(2) = -0.76; p = 0.003) and the SF-36 physical component summary score (r(2) = -0.78; p = 0.002).

CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that the subtalar joint range of motion of patients after a calcaneal fracture was related both to the quality of the reduction of the subtalar joint as evaluated on postoperative CT scans and patient-reported functional outcome.


Date Presented 4/16/2015
This study examined the annual rate of cognitive–functional decline measured by Cognitive Performance Test (CPT) scores in 80 subjects with neurocognitive disorders. Results indicate significance in the rate of decline of the total group (0.12 CPT) but little differentiation on the basis of etiology or severity of cognitive involvement.


The second stage of labour begins when the cervix is fully dilated and pushing begins until the fetus is delivered. A Caesarean delivery (CD) or operative vaginal delivery (OVD) is typically encouraged after the recommended time set by 'expert consensus'. This recommended time has been set out of concern for an increased chance of maternal and neonatal morbidities due to a prolonged second stage of labour, but without thorough consideration of heterogeneous risks for spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) and morbidities among women. To provide quantitative evidence for the recommendation, the first step is to compare the risks for SVD, CD or OVD, and the risks of maternal or neonatal morbidities simultaneously across the duration of the second stage of labour. To address such risk comparisons statistically, one needs to study the joint distribution for the time to delivery due to each mode and time to maternal or neonatal morbidity given information provided for each individual. We introduce a joint model which combines the competing risks data for delivery time and current status data for any type of maternal or neonatal morbidity given each woman's baseline characteristics. These two processes are assumed dependent through individual‐specific frailty under the joint model. Our numerical studies include a simulation that reflects the structure of observed real data and a detailed real data analysis based on nearly 12000 spontaneous labours. Our finding indicates the necessity to incorporate maternal characteristic such as age or body mass index in assessing the probability for delivery due to SVD, CD or OVD and the onset of morbidities across the second stage of labour.


Using molecular dynamics simulations, the tensile deformation behavior for two types of sub- 10 nm multilayer nanowires (NWs) have been investigated. For the structure with interfaces perpendicular to the wire axis, the deformation mechanism is changed from interface crossing by dislocations to interface rotation as the layer thickness is decreasing, causing a significant reduction in yield strength. However, the deformation mechanisms are all accommodated through interface crossing by dislocations regardless of layer thickness for the structure with interfaces parallel to the wire axis. Moreover, the yield strengths in the second structure are found to be controlled by two competing mechanisms: the interface strengthening by increased repulsive force and interface softening by increased dislocation source sites. The sudden stress drop after yielding point in NWs could be explained by the dislocation source- limited hardening mechanism: the more atomic fraction of newly formed stacking faults (SF) after stress drop, the larger normalized stress drop and the larger uniform tensile elongation. For the second structure, the larger total tensile elongation for larger layer thickness could be related to the twinning induced plasticity at the necking position. These findings should have implications for designing functionalized structures and devices in nanoelectromechanical systems.


In this paper, the DWT introduced through the design of the biorthogonal 5/3 filter bank using the lattice structure. The lattice coefficients of the proposed structure are very suitable for implementation using shiftonly operations (with a single shift and add operation) instead of multipliers to perform multiplications. This results in a recognizable hardware saving when implementing such lattice structure hardwarly. The designed filter bank implemented using Matlab programming for verification. Matlab programs are also used to find the PSNR values that are taken for a group of standard gray scale images as objective criteria for efficiency, resulting in high PSNR values of around 55dB. The efficiency of the results also measured subjectively, for some standard gray scale images by comparing the original input images with the resulting ones from combining both analysis and synthesis sides of the proposed DWT structure. The efficient FPGA implementation of such design is considered to show its simplicity.


In the South-Western part of Norway, lambs of the Old Norwegian short tailed breed (Spael) and crosses with the Dala breed sometimes develop an Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) shortly after they have been moved onto lush aftermath grazings from mountain pastures. This article covers the symptoms and pathoanatomical findings in lambs affected with ARDS (Table I). The lambs acquired ARDS 18-72 hours after change of pasture. Heavy dysphne, frothing at the mouth, elevated temperature (greater than 41 degrees C), tachycardia, urination and ruminal atony were striking symptoms (Table II). In the early phase of the disease the lambs were often in a tranquil state, depressed, sometimes atactic, and it seemed that they went into the overt dysphneic phase on exposure to physical stress. Morbidity was 1.4%, mortality 36%. Post mortem findings included frothy contents in the airways, heavy congestion and oedema in the lungs which also had emphysematous areas, subepicardial petechiae, varying degree of mottling of the myocardium, and also varying degree of paleness and spottyness of renal cortices. The lungs showed extensive focal alveolar and interstitial emphysema, septal congestion, alveolar oedema, partial collapse, and accumulations of polymorphonuclear leucocytes in vascular beds. Later, fibrillar material was found in the alveoli, alveolar macrophages accumulated, and interalveolar septa thickened because of increased fibromuscular tissue and mononuclear cells (Fig. 1, A-D). Alveolar epithelial hyperplasia was not seen in any stage. Four lambs were moderately infected with lungworms (D. filaria), three in the prepatent, one in the patent phase. Histopathological changes in other organs included granular degenerations of myocardial threads, and development of a glomerulonephritis and focal interstitial nephritis (Fig. 1, E-F). This disease entity (ARDS) in lambs seems to be unknown in literature. The disease is compared with other known diseases in ruminants. Etiology is so far unknown. Possibilities of sudden ruminal histamine formation coinciding with a hypersensitivity reaction is discussed.


The presence and regulation of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) was investigated in the adult rat superior cervical ganglion. Double-labelling immunofluorescence using specific antibodies against PACAP and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) revealed a dense innervation of postganglionic sympathetic neurones by PACAP-immunoreactive but VIP-negative nerve endings that mainly were of preganglionic origin since they disappeared after transection of the cervical sympathetic trunk. Since PACAP regulates transmitter synthesis and release in sympathetic neurones in vitro, this finding provides a morphological correlate for modulatory effects of PACAP in vivo. Few neurones contained PACAP under normal conditions. However, the number of PACAP-positive neurones increased in response to axotomy of the postganglionic nerves. Many of the newly PACAP-positive neurones also contained VIP, suggesting that both peptides are regulated by similar mechanisms.


Objective
To explore the signs of consistent changes of intestinal flora in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diabetes kidney disease (DKD) patients, by studying the key change characteristics of intestinal flora in these patients.

Methods
Thirty patients with T2DM,twenty-five patients with DKD were involved. Thirty healthy patients with matching age and sex were also involved as the control group. Fecal and serum specimens were collected from both the study group and the control group. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to sequence the 16S rDNA-v4 region of fecal samples; interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were detected by electrochemical luminescence and immunoturbidimetry. Microbiome analysis software QIIME (v1.9.1) was used to analyze the composition and diversity of intestinal flora. Microbial diversity analysis software LEfSe was used to compare intestinal bacteria markers differences between the study group and the healthy control group. The diagnosis model was established by the random forest method. The change characteristics of intestinal flora function were predicted by the PICRUSt.

Results
The intestinal flora diversity of DM and DKD patients was significantly different from that of the healthy control group (P<0.05). T2DM and DKD patients harbored lots of similar changes. For example, there was a significant decrease in Lachnospira, Faecalibacterium, Roseburia and Coprococcus(P<0.05). However, there was also a disease-specific pattern of imbalance between the two disease. There was a significant increase in Bacteroides in T2DM patients, and in Lactobacillus, Slackia, Anaerotruncus, Haemophilus and Enterococcus in DKD patients. Functional prediction was also confirmed that T2DM and DKD patients had more consistent changes. The correlation analysis between serum inflammatory indicators of T2DM and DKD and bacteria suggested that the decrease of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract of T2DM and DKD patients may be the cause of the increase of serum inflammatory indicators.

Conclusion
T2DM and DKD patients harbored lots of similar changes in intestinal flora, a decrease of bacteria producing butyrate,but there was also a disease-specific change between the two disease,providing a data basis for further studies to evaluate the risk of nephropathy in patients with diabetes by intestinal flora.

Key words:
Diabetes mellitus,type 2; Diabetic nephropathies; Gastrointestinal microbiome; DNA,ribosomal


Background —Cytokines released by activated T lymphocytes are key regulators of chronic inflammatory response, including atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of interleukin-3 (IL-3) in lymphocytes infiltrating the atherosclerotic plaque and the effect of this cytokine on primary vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Methods and Results —Twenty atherosclerotic carotid arterial specimens and 5 early atherosclerotic lesions from the internal carotid were manually minced to fragments, and T lymphocytes infiltrating the atherosclerotic plaque were isolated on solid-phase anti-CD3 polystyrene plates. Southern blot analysis demonstrated that in all samples, lymphocytes expressed IL-3 and IL-2 receptor &agr;-chain transcripts, indicating that in this context, the activated T lymphocytes may release IL-3. We further analyzed the expression of the IL-3 receptor and the biological effects exerted by the ligand on vascular SMCs. &bgr;-IL-3–transducing subunit was detected both on cultured SMCs and on endothelial cells and SMCs within atheroma. The analysis of the IL-3–induced biological effects demonstrated that it was able to trigger both mitogenic and motogenic signals. Moreover, we demonstrated that the addition of PD98059, a known inhibitor of the MAP–extracellular signaling-regulated/MAP kinase pathway, completely inhibited IL-3–mediated MAP kinase activation and IL-3–induced migration and proliferation. Finally, IL-3 was found to stimulate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene transcription. Conclusions —IL-3, expressed by activated T lymphocytes infiltrating early and advanced atherosclerotic plaques, may sustain the atherosclerotic process either directly, by activating SMC migration and proliferation, or indirectly, via VEGF production.


In this work, a novel energy-recycling single-antenna full-duplex (FD) radio is designed, in which a new three-port element including a power divider and an energy harvester is added between the circulator and the receiver (RX) chain. The presence of this new element brings advantages over the state of the art in terms of both spectral efficiency and energy consumption. In particular, it provides the means of performing both an arbitrary attenuation of the incoming signal, which in turn increases the effectiveness of the state-of-the-art self-interference cancellation strategies subsequently adopted in the RX chain, and the recycling of a non-negligible portion of the energy leaked through the nonideal circulator. The performance of this architecture is analyzed in a practically relevant four-node scenario in which two nodes operate in FD and two nodes in half-duplex (HD). Analytical approximations are derived for both the achievable rates of the transmissions performed by the FD and HD radios and the energy recycled by the FD radios. The accuracy of these derivations is confirmed by numerical simulations. Quantitatively, achievable rate gains up to 40% over the state-of-the-art alternatives, in the considered scenario, are highlighted. Furthermore, up to 50% of the leaked energy at the circulator, i.e., 5% of the energy of the transmitted signal, can be recycled.


Leukemia is one of the major diseases causing cancer-related deaths in the young population, and its cure rate is unsatisfying with side effects on patients. Fluorouracil (5-FU) is currently used as an anticancer drug for leukemia patients. Casticin, a natural polymethoxyflavone, exerts anticancer activity against many human cancer cell lines in vitro, but no other reports show 5-FU combined with casticin increased the mouse leukemia cell apoptosis in vitro. Herein, the antileukemia activity of 5-FU combined with casticin in WEHI-3 mouse leukemia cells was investigated in vitro. Treatment of two-drug combination had a higher decrease in cell viability and a higher increase in apoptotic cell death, the level of DNA condensation, and the length of comet tail than that of 5-FU or casticin treatment alone in WEHI-3 cells. In addition, the two-drug combination has a greater production rate of reactive oxygen species but a lower level of Ca2+ release and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm ) than that of 5-FU alone. Combined drugs also induced higher caspase-3 and caspase-8 activities than that of casticin alone and higher caspase-9 activity than that of 5-FU or casticin alone at 48 hours treatment. Furthermore, 5-FU combined with casticin has a higher expression of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD [Cu/Zn]) and lower catalase than that of 5-FU or casticin treatment alone. The combined treatment has higher levels of Bax, Endo G, and cytochrome C of proapoptotic proteins than that of casticin alone and induced lower levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) and BCL-X of antiapoptotic proteins than that of 5-FU or casticin only. Furthermore, the combined treatment had a higher expression of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) than that of casticin only. Based on these findings, we may suggest that 5-FU combined with casticin treatment increased apoptotic cell death in WEHI-3 mouse leukemia cells that may undergo mitochondria and caspases signaling pathways in vitro.


One way to inhibit protease activity is search is compound which can inhibit the enzyme known as protease inhibitor. The bacteria associated with sponge Xetospongia testudinaria, Chromohalobacter sp. 6A3, as producer Pseudomonas aeruginosa-protease inhibitor. Because the compound is important, determination medium composition for producing is very important to be conducted.  The purpose of this research was to determinate the glucose and yeast extract consentration accurately so protease inhibitor would be produced in a short time.  The accurate medium composition for producing the protease inhibitor were 0.1%(w/v) yeast extract; 0.05% (w/v) glucose;  0.5%(w/v) special peptone; 0.2%(v/v) trace element; and 2%(w/v) NaCl at pH 7. Keywords: Chromohalobacter sp., protease inhibitor, sponges.


STUDY OBJECTIVE
Cigarette smoking is a major preventable cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Most adult smokers start smoking regularly some time before 18 years of age. The aim of this study was to determine the age at which children begin cigarette smoking, to study the environmental factors that influence children to smoke, and to understand the reasons why children smoke. The results of this study may help lead to the development of more effective smoking prevention programs.

METHODS
We carried out a cross-sectional survey of all students in grades 6 to 11 (ages: 11 to 17 years) in two high schools in the Jerusalem area, using an anonymous self-completion questionnaire. The students were asked questions regarding the age at which they began smoking, initiation, their smoking habits, their reasons for smoking, and their views on children who smoke. In addition, they were asked about the smoking status of their parents, siblings, and friends. Finally they were asked about the health hazards of smoking.

RESULTS
Of the 847 students who answered the questionnaire, 35% stated that they had smoked at least once and 14% stated that they were currently smoking. The percentage of students who were currently smoking increased gradually with age to 36%. There was a sharp increase in experimental smoking after seventh grade (ages 12 to 13 years). Having a friend who smoked substantially increased the likelihood of smoking, whereas parental smoking or having a sibling who smoked did not increase the likelihood of smoking. The most common reason for starting to smoke was "to try something new" (55%). There was a significant difference between the views of students with different smoking statuses regarding children who smoke: nonsmoking children associated more negative characteristics to smoking. All of the children studied were well aware of the health hazards of cigarette smoking.

CONCLUSIONS
Smoking is highly prevalent among schoolchildren in Jerusalem. The increase in the rate of smoking at the age of 12 years indicates that smoking prevention programs need to be started at an earlier age. Peer pressure is a very strong stimulus for smoking in children. Since children are aware of the health hazards of smoking, prevention policy should be aimed more at associating smoking with negative images and addressing peer pressure.


This work presents a variable stiffness corrugated structure based on a shape memory polymer (SMP) composite with corrugated laminates as reinforcement that shows smooth aerodynamic surface, extreme mechanical anisotropy and variable stiffness for potential morphing skin applications. The smart composite corrugated structure shows a low in-plane stiffness to minimize the actuation energy, but also possess high out-of-plane stiffness to transfer the aerodynamic pressure load. The skin provides an external smooth aerodynamic surface because of the one-sided filling with the SMP. Due to variable stiffness of the shape memory polymer the morphing skin exhibits a variable stiffness with a change of temperature, which can help the skin adjust its stiffness according different service environments and also lock the temporary shape without external force. Analytical models related to the transverse and bending stiffness are derived and validated using finite element techniques. The stiffness of the morphing skin is further investigated by performing a parametric analysis against the geometry of the corrugation and various sets of SMP fillers. The theoretical and numerical models show a good agreement and demonstrate the potential of this morphing skin concept for morphing aircraft applications. We also perform a feasibility study of the use of this morphing skin in a variable camber morphing wing baseline. The results show that the morphing skin concept exhibits sufficient bending stiffness to withstand the aerodynamic load at low speed (less than 0.3 Ma), while demonstrating a large transverse stiffness variation (up to 191 times) that helps to create a maximum mechanical efficiency of the structure under varying external conditions.


The urokinase receptor uPAR (CD87), a GPI-anchored protein, is frequently over-expressed in tumor cells. uPAR provokes numerous cellular functions by focusing proteolytic activity on the cell surface, but also by inducing intracellular signal transduction via transmembrane interaction partners, thus inducing cell migration and invasion as well as cell survival. Soluble tumor-derived uPAR has recently been described to activate endothelial cells and was suggested to promote angiogenesis. Consistently, high uPAR expression in tumor cells or high serum levels of circulating uPAR predict worse prognosis of breast, lung or colorectal cancer patients. In this study, we found that tumor-derived soluble uPAR is a key regulator of PTEN expression in endothelial cells. HEK cells deficient in endogenous uPAR or uPAR deficient endothelial cells derived from uPAR -/- mice had high PTEN mRNA as well as protein levels, while reconstitution of endogenous as well as addition of soluble exogenous uPAR decreased PTEN levels. uPAR, thereby, led to an integrin-dependent activation of the NFkB pathway, a known transcription pathway inhibitor of PTEN. As a consequence of PTEN downregulation, the downstream PKB/Akt signalling pathway became activated, which led to an enhanced migratory as well as cell survival activity in endothelial cells. Cross-breeding of uPAR -/- mice with endothelial cell-specific PTEN +/- mice, thereby led to a rescue of the high migratory phenotype of PTEN heterozygous endothelial cells in vitro and angiogenesis formation in a directed in vivo angiogenesis assay (DIVAA). From our date we conclude that tumor-derived uPAR is a major regulator of PTEN expression in endothelial cells, which leads to the induction of the PI3K/Akt-pathway and an enhanced angiogenic phenotype. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C3. Citation Format: Gerald W. Prager, Matthias Unseld, Marina Poettler, Christoph Zielinski. Tumor-derived soluble uPAR regulates tumor angiogenesis via PTEN. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C3.


A vital part of almost every experimental electrochemical set up is the reference electrode. As the development of working and indicator electrodes progresses to sensors with greater long-term stability and efficiency, it is important for reference electrodes to keep up with that progress. In this review, the deficiencies of commonly used reference electrodes are discussed, and recent work in the development of new reference electrode designs for more stable and reliable electrochemical experiments is highlighted. This encompasses work with salt-bridge reference electrodes comprising nanoporous and capillary junctions, solid-contact reference electrodes, and ionic liquid-based reference electrodes.


This paper performs atomic simulations of the nucleation and growth of Xe bubble in UO2 at 1600 K. The bubble growth was simulated up to the bubble containing 50 Xe atoms. The Xe atoms were added directly to the bubble one by one, followed by a relaxation of the system for several picoseconds. The simulations estimated the bubble pressure and radius at different Xe concentrations. The results indicate that the bubble pressure drops with the increasing Xe/U and bubble size at low Xe concentration, while the pressure will increase with the Xe/U ratio at high Xe concentration. The swelling of the system associated with the bubble growth was also obtained. Finally, the recovery of the damaged structure was investigated.


Reports an error in "Maternal depressive symptoms and the growth of child executive function: Mediation by maternal sensitivity" by Seulki Ku and Xin Feng (Journal of Family Psychology, Advanced Online Publication, Mar 04, 2021, np). In the original article, there were errors in the second paragraph of the Method section whereby the text "22.1% did not in Grade 3," should have read "22.1% in Grade 3," and the text "The Ohio State University)." should have read "The Ohio State University." In addition, Figure 1 was incorrect and has been replaced. All versions of this article have been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2021-23726-001). This study examined the prospective associations among the trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms, maternal sensitivity, and child executive function (EF) across early and middle childhood, and tested the mediating role of maternal sensitivity in the links between change in maternal depressive symptoms and the growth of child EF. Participants included 1,364 children and mothers from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD). We found that maternal depressive symptoms (from 6 months to Grade 5) and sensitivity (from 36 months to Grade 5) decreased, whereas child EF (planning skills; from Grade 1 to 5) increased over time. We also found several direct associations: (a) lower maternal depressive symptoms at 36 months predicted higher sensitivity at 54 months; (b) higher sensitivity at 54 months and a faster decrease in sensitivity from 36 months to Grade 5 predicted higher child EF in Grade 1; and (c) higher sensitivity at 54 months predicted greater growth of EF from Grade 1 to 5. In addition, two mediation effects were found as follows: Lower levels of maternal depressive symptoms at 36 months predicted both higher levels of child EF in Grade 1 and greater growth of EF from Grade 1 to 5 through higher levels of maternal sensitivity at 54 months. The results suggest that early maternal depressive symptoms may have long-term effects on the growth of EF, especially planning skills, during middle childhood, and that one important pathway that maternal depressive symptoms affect child EF outcomes through maternal sensitivity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).


Because of the nature of the die casting process, the part geometry severely restricts the die geometry and hence affects the quality of the part. However, as is often the case in other manufacturing processes, diecastings are currently designed purely based on their function. The manufacturability of the diecastings is not considered until the design has been nearly completed and detailed. This is due to the design support limitations of current CAE tools. We present a new volume-based approach to support diecastability evaluation, especially in preliminary design. Our approach can be applied to arbitrarily shaped parts without pre-defined feature libraries. The focus is on the identification of geometric characteristics, e.g. heavy mass regions, that could be responsible for thermal-related part defects. A distance transform with city-block metric is used to extract this geometric property. Volume visualization techniques are also adopted to allow users to visualize the results in a clear and precise way.


This work studies the inoculation conditions for allowing the survival/predominance of a potential probiotic strain (Lactobacillus pentosus TOMC-LAB2) when used as a starter culture in large-scale fermentations of green Spanish-style olives. The study was performed in two successive seasons (2011/2012 and 2012/2013), using about 150 tons of olives. Inoculation immediately after brining (to prevent wild initial microbiota growth) followed by re-inoculation 24 h later (to improve competitiveness) was essential for inoculum predominance. Processing early in the season (September) showed a favorable effect on fermentation and strain predominance on olives (particularly when using acidified brines containing 25 L HCl/vessel) but caused the disappearance of the target strain from both brines and olives during the storage phase. On the contrary, processing in October slightly reduced the target strain predominance on olives (70–90%) but allowed longer survival. The type of inoculum used (laboratory vs. industry pre-adapted) never had significant effects. Thus, this investigation discloses key issues for the survival and predominance of starter cultures in large-scale industrial fermentations of green Spanish-style olives. Results can be of interest for producing probiotic table olives and open new research challenges on the causes of inoculum vanishing during the storage phase.


Gravito-acoustic modes in the Sun and other stars propagate in resonant cavities with a frequency below a given limit known as the cut-off frequency. At higher frequencies, waves are no longer trapped in the stellar interior and become traveller waves. In this article, we study six pulsating solar-like stars at different evolutionary stages observed by the NASA Kepler mission. These high signal-to-noise targets show a peak structure that extends at very high frequencies and are good candidates for studying the transition region between the modes and interference peaks or pseudo-modes. Following the same methodology successfully applied on Sun-as-a-star measurements, we uncover the existence of pseudo-modes in these stars with one or two dominant interference patterns depending on the evolutionary stage of the star. We also infer their cut-off frequency as the midpoint between the last eigenmode and the first peak of the interference patterns. Using ray theory we show that, while the period of one of the interference patterns is very close to half the large separation, the period of the other interference pattern depends on the time phase of mixed waves, thus carrying additional information on the stellar structure and evolution.


Abstract Definitions of weathering are examined and a definition of weathering for geotechnical purposes is proposed. Weathering is achieved by weathering processes, which depend upon the nature of the new environment to which the geological materials are introduced. Weathering processes are reviewed with particular reference to examples from engineering practice. The weathering product, the modified geological material and mass, is a consequence of the interaction of the weathering processes and the geological materials and mass on which the weathering processes act. Modes of weathering of particular rock types are reviewed. The paper concludes with a discussion of classification policy, recommending simplification.


A study was made on the domestic kitchen waste and night soil treatment performance of a full-scale sludge treatment plant. The sludge treatment at this plant was by thermophilic methane fermentation. The initial treatment, mesophilic to thermophilic fermentation, was able to be started up within a short time by adjusting the amount of influent waste. Thermophilic methane fermentation was carried out for five months (May-October) and the performance under a mean residual time of 22 days indicated a VTS decomposition of 42%, gas generation of 54-1,610 m3/day (average: 755 m3/day), and a mean methane concentration of 60%. The methane gas was used to generate power in the plant and the amount of power generated by methane gas was highest in October (average of 1,200 kWh/day). This was equivalent to about 7% of the power consumed at the entire sludge treatment plant. The BOD/NH4-N of the activated sludge influent water was lower, compared to a case where there is no recycle flow, due to the recycle flow from the methane fermentation process. There was, therefore, a tendency for an increase in the amount of methanol charged into the secondary denitrification tank. However, the quality of the effluent was satisfactory (BOD< 10 mg/L, SS< 5 mg/L, and T-N< 25 mg/L). Study results indicated that it was possible to implement a full-scale plant for recovering organic waste.


Electroabsorption modulation is achieved at or near a wavelength of 1.06 mu m with In/sub x/Al/sub y/Ga/sub 1-x-y/As/In/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As multiple-quantum-well (MQW) structures grown on GaAs substrates. The lattice mismatch (close to 2%) between the MQW and the substrate is accommodated by a compositional-step-graded buffer array. A dislocation density of less than 10/sup 7//cm/sup 2/ is estimated for the MQW region. For 80-to-100 AA well widths, a maximum electroabsorption coefficient of 8000 cm/sup -1/ with an applied voltage of 15 V is obtained.<<ETX>>


Abstract Background Previous studies have found contradicting results with regard to the use of antipsychotics during pregnancy and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed to evaluate the association between antipsychotic use in pregnancy and GDM. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library databases up to March 2019, for data from observational studies assessing the association between gestational antipsychotic use and GDM. Non-English studies, animal studies, case reports, conference abstracts, book chapters, reviews and summaries were excluded. The primary outcome was GDM. Estimates were pooled using a random effect model, with the I2 statistic used to estimate heterogeneity of results. Our study protocol was registered with PROSPERO number: CRD42018095014. Results In total 10 cohort studies met the inclusion criteria in our systematic review with 6642 exposed and 1 860 290 unexposed pregnancies. Six studies were included in the meta-analysis with a pooled adjusted relative risk of 1.24 overall [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09–1.42]. The I2 result suggested low heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 6.7%, p = 0.373). Conclusion We found that the use of antipsychotic medications during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of GDM in mothers. However, the evidence is still insufficient, especially for specific drug classes. We recommend more studies to investigate this association for specific drug classes, dosages and comorbidities to help clinicians to manage the risk of GDM if initiation or continuation of antipsychotic prescriptions during pregnancy is needed.


Judging the religiosity of individuals is difficult in itself, is often misleading, and is biblically condemned. Juding the religiosity of societies can be easier since in their aggregate, and in comparison with each other, a distinctive character of docility, of routine activities, and of effective social control can be discerned. Using crime rates as the main indicator, this article attempts to examine and explain the religiosity of the Saudi Arabian society since it claims a high level of benevolence due to the application of Shariah (divine) law. The methodology focused on the scrutinization of crime rates in the Kingdom and contrasted them with six Moslem adjacent countries in the region which do not apply Shariah law. The Saudi crime rate was dramatically lower than the median rate among the group, as well as considerably lower than in any individual country. Criminal data were further validated and interpreted by the use of three local self-reporting panels of judges, police officials, and laymen. Conclusions represent a synthesis of the unique role of Shariah law, the infrequency of criminal incidents, and ethnographic information collected from personal interviews conducted during a sabbatical leave the author spent in the Kingdom. The study shows that the continuing application of Shariah law in Saudi Arabia has a powerful cleansing influence on society, helps foster a non-criminogenic environment, and confirms some major theories in the literature in religiosity and socialization.


In spite of the attractive potential application of the dynamic behavior and defect of metal-organic framework (MOF), the achievement of these features is a challenging goal in the MOF research field. Herein, we report a Co(II) MOF, namely, [Co3(L)2(4-PTZ)2(H2O)2]n·solvent (H2L = 5-(isonicotinamido)isophthalic acid, 4-PTZ = 5-(4-pyridyl)-1H-tetrazole), that features dynamic structural transformation behaviors. By varying the coordination configuration of metal center through the removal of coordinated water molecules, the porous compound could undergo structural transformation to give a new crystalline phase with larger pore dimension. Moreover, the new phase features a mesoporous structure originating from the spatial defect that formed with the transformation process, which indicates that the modulation of dynamic behavior of the MOF could be a potential method for the engineering of a spatial defect. In addition, the gas sorption investigation results reveal that the new phase has enhanced selectivity for CO2/N2, CO2/CH4, and C2H2/C2H4 systems compared with that of the pristine phase, suggesting the potential of spatial defect engineering for the tuning of MOF gas sorption properties.


A mutation in the Escherichia coli dsbA gene (coding for a periplasmic disulfide oxidoreductase) reduces the rate of disulfide bond formation in the enzyme pullulanase and also reduces the rate at which the enzyme is secreted to the cell surface, as measured by protease accessibility. The enzyme did not become protease accessible when disulfide bond formation was completely prevented in the mutant strain by carboxymethylation. These results indicate that a disulfide bond may be required for, and certainly does not impede, the translocation of pullulanase across the outer membrane. Since it is unlikely that a disulfide bond could be formed and then reduced again in the periplasm, these results would appear to strengthen the argument that pullulanase polypeptides fold into or close to their final conformation before they are transported across the outer membrane. It is suggested that this might be a feature common to all proteins that are secreted by other Gram-negative bacteria by a pullulanase-like pathway.


Comparing with solder preforms, pastes and wafer backside evaporation, electroplating is a cost effective alternative. Electroplating process for depositing AuSn alloys onto metallized ceramic and semiconductor substrates, from a single solution has been developed. The stability of electroplating solution along with the effect of current density was studied. In addition, deposition uniformity could be improved by solution circulation. In this paper, a range of methodologies including SEM-EDX, GD, XRD, Laser microscope, and DSC were used to characterize AuSn Morphology, composition, uniformity, crystal structure, roughness and melting point properties. Composition with Au80Sn20 corresponds to both Au5Sn and AuSn phase respectively, which resulted in the eutectic composition of AuSn alloy. Stability of AuSn as a backside metal (BSM) for eutectic die attach with respect to environmental test (temperature cycling) is presented.


A new species of the genus Dentigaster Zettel, 1990 (Braconidae, Cheloninae) is described from savannah areas of Mato Grosso, São Paulo and Minas Gerais states, Brazil. This is the fourth species of the genus known for brazilian fauna.


OBJECTIVES
We examine whether grandparenting roles are related to formal volunteering among older adults.

METHOD
Logistic regression is used to examine the likelihood of volunteering based on grandchild care using data from the 2004 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (n = 13,785). Longitudinal analyses utilize treatment effects models to examine changes in volunteering for grandparents who begin nonresidential grandchild care between the 2004 and 2008 waves (n = 10,811).

RESULTS
Results show that grandparents raising coresidential grandchildren have lower odds of volunteering than grandparents providing no regular grandchild care. However, grandparents who provide nonresidential grandchild care are more likely to volunteer than grandparents not providing grandchild care and those raising a coresidential grandchild. Grandparents who provide nonresidential care for grandchildren engage in more volunteering before assuming grandchild care, and their volunteerism increases after becoming a caregiver for a grandchild.

DISCUSSION
Consistent with resource theory and the accumulation of roles, providing nonresidential grandchild care may draw grandparents into formal volunteer activity. The lower human capital resources evidenced by grandparents raising coresidential grandchildren may play a role in their lower likelihood of formal volunteering.


BACKGROUND
Previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of oxycodone and hydrocodone for the treatment of acute pain. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous reports have compared the efficacies of these commonly prescribed agents.

OBJECTIVES
To compare the efficacies of oxycodone and hydrocodone for the treatment of acute pain associated with fractures in emergency department (ED) patients.

METHODS
This prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted at an urban trauma center with an annual census of 65,000. Eligible participants included ED patients over the age of 12 years with fractures who consented to participate. Subjects were randomized to receive either oxycodone (5 mg orally [po]) with acetaminophen, or hydrocodone (5 mg po) with acetaminophen. Measurements included demographic information; pain scores on a verbal numeric rating scale at baseline and at 30 and 60 minutes; vital signs at baseline and at 30 and 60 minutes; and adverse effects. Ninety-five-percent confidence intervals (95% CIs) constructed about means and proportions were used to assess differences between the oxycodone and hydrocodone groups in analgesic efficacy and side effects.

RESULTS
Seventy-three subjects were randomized to receive oxycodone or hydrocodone. Sixty-seven subjects completed the ED study period (n = 35, oxycodone; n = 32, hydrocodone). There was no difference between the two groups in age, weight, gender, ethnicity, diagnoses, baseline pain scores, or vital signs. Patients in both groups had pain relief from baseline to 30 minutes (oxycodone mean change 3.7, 95% CI = 2.9 to 4.6; hydrocodone mean change 2.5, 95% CI = 1.7 to 3.3), and from baseline to 60 minutes (oxycodone mean change 4.4, 95% CI = 3.2 to 5.6; hydrocodone mean change 3.0, 95% CI = 2.1 to 3.9). There was no difference in pain between the patients treated with oxycodone and hydrocodone at 30 minutes (mean difference between groups -0.6, 95% CI = -1.8 to 0.5) or at 60 minutes (mean difference -0.5, 95% CI = -2.0 to 1.0). There was no difference between the groups in nausea, vomiting, itching, or drowsiness; however, the hydrocodone patients had a higher incidence of constipation (oxycodone 0%, hydrocodone 21%, difference in proportions 21%, 95% CI = 3% to 39% more with hydrocodone).

CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with acetaminophen and either oxycodone, 5 mg po, or hydrocodone, 5 mg po, resulted in pain relief among ED patients with acute fractures, and there was no difference between the two agents at 30 and 60 minutes. Adverse effect profiles were similar, with the exception of a higher incidence of subsequent constipation with the use of hydrocodone. These results suggest that oxycodone and hydrocodone have similarly potent analgesic effects in the first hour of treatment for ED patients with acute fractures.


In Sheffield City Council v E and Another, the Family Division of the High Court recently held that an individual has capacity to marry if he or she understands the nature of the marriage contract, ie that marriage normally involves certain obligations. The court then proceeded to define the rights and responsibilities that normally attach to marriage. This commentary considers the level of knowledge required to satisfy the test for capacity to marry. It assesses whether the rights and responsibilities referred to in the case are actually legal obligations and considers whether they are simple enough for an ordinary person to understand.


Abstract: Social Networking Sites (SNSs) are gaining popularity nowadays among the youth and their usage can also be extended to other walks of life. A few of these social networking sites are targeted at specific interest groups while others are general in nature. But overall, they serve as important tools for information sharing and resource management. So, their importance cannot be denied in the context of knowledge sharing at different education levels as well. This new phenomenon has prompted free-of-charge tools for facilitation in every walk of life, for every age group all around the world. With such widespread adoption, social networking sites are increasingly attracting the attention of academic researchers. In the West, social networking sites are also being used by teachers and students as communication tools to extend classroom discussions. In this context, the present study is aimed at measuring the academic usability of social networking sites for the e-learning mode within an indigenous culture. The focus of the study was to measure students' perception regarding usability of these sites in the learning process of the students of the Virtual University of Pakistan. The main objectives of the present study were to find out the perceived difference of opinion among academic and non-academic users of social networking sites regarding; knowledge sharing, assessing the possible facilitation provided by social networking sites in the learning process, skill enhancement and the role of a teacher as a facilitator and mentor while using social networking sites. For the purpose of conducting the present study, an online survey was conducted with the VU students. A questionnaire containing close-ended questions on a five-point Likert Scale was deployed as a data collection tool. The Alpha coefficient was determined to indicate the internal consistency of the questionnaire. For data analysis purposes, descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test were applied. Study findings suggested that those students who were the members of knowledge sharing SNSs perceived it to be more academically useful in comparison to non-academic users. Further, they stressed on the official use of these sites from the VU platform in order to make the learning process easy and more user friendly.


Understanding warm climate states is increasingly important as projections of anthropogenic climate change indicate atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in the coming century not previously seen on Earth for tens of millions of years. The Eocene (~56-34 Ma) is a critical period in the long-term Cenozoic climate evolution, encompassing the transition from widespread greenhouse warmth and high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels pervasive during the early Eocene to an icehouse world with major Antarctic ice sheets and cooler temperatures. Increasingly, it has become apparent that global climate during this transition was not gradual; the middle Eocene is characterized by significant short-term climate variability with recent findings including both transient warming and cooling events. However, the timing, and nature of many of the climate fluctuations during this interval are poorly constrained. To this end, this thesis aims to better characterize the long-term background trends and investigate the nature of short-term transient perturbations during the greenhouse climate of the middle Eocene. In Chapter 2, new nine million year long benthic foraminiferal stable isotope records (~46 to 38 Ma) generated from recently drilled equatorial Pacific sediments with excellent age control are presented. These are the first records to document that the seven enigmatic equatorial Pacific Carbon Accumulation Events (CAEs) are not associated with transient global cooling and/or glaciation events, as previously hypothesized. Further, new carbonate accumulation records in Chapter 3 provide the first robust evidence for the presence of CAEs 3 and 4 in the Atlantic basin. Together, these findings constrain the feasibility of potential CAE forcing mechanisms and imply that there are only two viable mechanisms; (1) solute flux from continental weathering, and (2) increased organic carbon burial from marine assemblage changes. A new compilation (including new and published records) of carbonate accumulation records from a paleodepth transect (2-4 km) in the Atlantic and Pacific basins provides the first multi-basin look at deep-sea carbonate burial at high temporal resolution across the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum global warming event (~40 Ma). New CCD and lysocline interpretations reveal for the first time that multiple rapid fluctuations ( 2 km water depth) are superimposed on long-term trends. This finding implies multiple pulses of carbon input to the ocean–atmosphere system during the MECO and provides critical time constraints to potential forcing mechanisms, which have so far remained elusive. In the final Chapter 4, new lithological and geochemical data from the Atlantic and Pacific Basins are presented which reveal the global nature of the transient 'C19r event' (~41.5 Ma) and confirm that the event meets the criteria to be defined as a 'hyperthermal'. Further, analyses of the stable isotope datasets suggests that the C19r event was not exceptional and is one (albeit the most extreme) of a large number of transient 'warming' events throughout the middle Eocene, adding to the growing body of data implying that hyperthermal occurrence is pervasive outside of the very warm late Paleocene and early Eocene.


Taking up queer reconfigurations of the modernist body, Anna Christine addresses Djuna Barnes's unusual array of bodies in Nightwood—bodies that cross boundaries of human and animal, objects and subjects, male and female. Christine finds these bodies are uniquely able to coerce readers through the unassuming, yet edged "cuteness" of these queer bodies, subsuming typical responses of disgust or disorientation. The "cute," queer erotic encounter then becomes means to open hopeful space for a non-heteronormative sexual futurity, a futurity that does not move forward laterally but goes down—and on all fours


Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are known to play important roles in various processes including development and differentiation. Chick embryo neural retina cells, capable of transdifferentiation into lentoid bodies and pigmented cells, were used in vitro to examine the effects of exogenous acidic (aFGF) and basic FGF (bFGF) on proliferation and protein accumulation. We demonstrate that both factors increase the proliferation of glial cells and modulate the survival of neurons without affecting protein accumulation within these cells. Moreover, FGFs stimulate the differentiation of the photoreceptors. The rate of proliferation varies over the period of culture, with a maximum occurring after 2 weeks, followed by a decrease concommitant with the appearance of lentoid bodies. The concentration of aFGF was measured using an enzyme immuno assay and showed an accumulation of this protein only in bFGF-treated cultures, suggesting that bFGF positively modulates aFGF synthesis in neural retina cell cultures.


To investigate the possibility of projection of unusual weathers such as hot and cool summer or disaster of heavy rainfall under the global warming condition, we have examined the reconstructed probability of extreme summertime high and low temperatures and local-scale heavy rainfall by using a regional climate model (RCM), Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) modified in the Terrestrial Environmental Research Center (TERC). The TERC-RAMS is a nested RCM and has driven by a forcing general circulation field obtained from realistic re-analysis data or Global Climate Models. Preliminary experiments are intended to reconstruct mainly on daily rainfall amount and frequency, and daily maximum and minimum temperatures in Japan. The results showed that the TERC-RAMS could reconstruct the rainfall frequency in one month, but not project the absolute amount of heavy rainfall well. In addition, this model has a systematic bias for under-estimation of temperature. The model experiments have necessity to further development especially on radiation and surface soil/water conditions.


Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (Bean syndrome) is a rare disease characterized by the presence of multiple vascular malformation of rubber-like consistence. This disease is of a genetic origin and most often is caused by sporadic mutation, however, exist reports on autosomal dominant type of heritance. Nevi are most frequently met in the skin and alimentary tract but may be present in all organs and tissues. The most frequent symptom of Bean syndrome is anaemia due to ferrum deficiency, which is a result of chronic hemorrhagia from vascular malformations in the alimentary tract. Vascular anomalies on the skin are usually asymptomatic. Other symptoms are less frequent and depend on the localisation of vascular changes and therefore patients with Bean syndrome require meticulous analysis of reported multiple - specialistic medical care.


The detection of the abuse of pseudo-endogenous steroids (testosterone and/or its precursors) is currently based on the application of the steroid module of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athletes' Biological Passport (ABP), implemented through ADAMS. Diagnostic metabolites are monitored for every athlete and statistically evaluated with a predictive Bayesian approach. In the case of suspicious samples, the data of the ABP are confirmed and the isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) test is activated. We have previously demonstrated that IRMS enables confirmation of the non-endogenous origin of pseudo-endogenous steroids in otherwise non-suspicious samples, after a longitudinal evaluation of the ABP, even after the inclusion of additional long-term diagnostic hydroxylated metabolites, and that the delta values of the parameters obtained during the IRMS confirmation process presented much less variability compared to the parameters of the ABP. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the application of the same methodology used for the evaluation of the ABP, on the delta values of the pseudo-endogenous steroids monitored. The effectiveness of the proposed model has been assessed on samples obtained after controlled administrations of oral androstenedione and transdermal testosterone. The results support the conclusion that, if applied, the longitudinal evaluation of the IRMS data allows the detection of positive samples that otherwise will be reported as atypical findings (ATF), improving the efficacy of the fight against doping in sport. This approach, by narrowing the individual acceptable range, could possibly improve the detection of the intake of preparations of synthetic origin with delta values close to or overlapping those of endogenously produced steroids. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


T. H. WOON SUMMARY Pseudoseizures, weakness of limbs, elective mutism, dystonia and behaviour problems were the presenting symptoms in three children from three different families with crises superimposed on chronic marital and familialstresses. Lack of open communication among parents and children contribute to the use of physical symptoms as an expression of emotional conflicts. Psychothera peutic management includes individual and family counselling which begin with obtaining a history of psychosocial background and recent stresses. The families, in addition to seeking modern medical intervention, proceeded with their own religious, cultural and social management.


This paper explores Tsitsi Dangarembga's debut novel, Nervous Conditions, from a political perspective. It has been read as portraying of gender relationships, social hierarchies and oppression of African women. This paper takes a different route as it analyses the role of masculinities through a political perspective. The conflict and struggle between genders in the text can be read through a political and historical perspective. This particular reading is permitted through a close analysis of the male characters in the novel. The research argues that male characters resemble or behave in away similar to white colonizers in their treatment of African women. Reading the novel through a political perspective provides the reader with the benefit of understanding the changes that occur in the characters and the role of gender conflict in the text. The triumph of Tambu and Nyasha at the end underscores the failure of colonial power to colonize Zimbabwe.


The general view of the Open Architecture test system is shown in Figure 1. It is a distributed object environment under Microsoft Windows operating system. The test system itself has been defined as a modularized system with a module control software and a backplane communication library. The definition of modules includes digital modules, device power-supply (DPS) module, arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) module, digitizer module etc. An open backplane communication library accessed via C++ language based test program and a GUI test programming layer above C++ provides a generalized user?s interface for the test system.


In this paper, a basic study on micro cutting process with SM20C at low temperature environment was performed. In macro cutting fields, the cryogenic cutting process has been applied to cut the refractory metal but, the serious problem may be generated in micro cutting fields by the cryogenic environment. However, if the proper low temperature is applied to micro cutting area, the cooling effect of cutting heat is expected. Such effect can make the reduction of tool wear and burr formation. For verifying this possibility, the micro cutting experiment at low temperature was performed and SEM images were analyzed.


As in many other areas, the notion of comparison is important in real estate appraisal. It is most convenient and practical to estimate the market value of a subject property based on the comparison of its characteristics with those of similar properties (comparables). Convergence to the similarity is the approach that systematically excludes the difference because, besides being convenient, results emerge more easily. Yet what actually exist in practice are properties often different from the subject. Is it possible to use rather uncomparable properties, in inverse direction, to estimate the market value of the subject property? It is the issue of interest in this paper which aims to enlighten the process of comparison by proceeding with uncomparable properties. Based on the use of a large dataset from Montreal (Canada), some coherent empirical results are presented.


Introduction: Predominantly monotypic plasma cell infiltrates are an uncommon renal finding in patients with malignant lymphoplasmacytic proliferation. Case presentation: We report the case of a 52-year-old man with chronic kidney disease and significant proteinuria associated with a monoclonal immunoglobulin spike (IgG&kgr;). Kidney biopsy revealed the presence of atypical multinucleated CD138+ plasma cells with voluminous nuclei stained exclusively with a &kgr; antibody. Electron microscopy showed mesangial and segmental parietal electron-dense, nonorganized hyaline deposits without immunogold labeling for the &kgr; light chain. The bone marrow aspirate revealed 6% of apparently mature plasmocytes without dystrophy. We therefore concluded that the patient had an indolent multiple myeloma with specific renal involvement in the form of malignant monotypic interstitial plasmacytic infiltration. We initiated a specific chemotherapy regimen including bortezomib–cyclophosphamide–dexamethasone. After 4 months of follow-up, creatinine levels had improved slightly and free &kgr; light-chain levels had decreased significantly within the normal range. Conclusion: This case highlights the need to consider neoplastic interstitial plasma cell infiltration systematically in patients diagnosed with an apparently benign monoclonal gammopathy and to consider adaptation of the chemotherapy regimen, to improve renal function.


As a key feature of modular multilevel converters (MMCs), a large number of semiconductor devices are employed in the converter and distributed over a stack of submodules. Each submodule has a strict temperature limit that imposes constraints on the operating range of the converter. Different loading conditions/losses in the submodules lead to unavoidable temperature variations inside the MMC, which consequently affect the system-level performance and reliability. This paper is focused on the electrothermal analysis and design of a medium-voltage silicon carbide (SiC)-based MMC system, from submodule power semiconductors to the overall MMC system integration of multiple submodules. Loss calculations are performed to estimate the cooling requirements and aid thermal design at different levels. The performance of forced-air cooling approach is analyzed within a numerical modeling framework. Maximum temperature of the SiC power modules is predicted using numerical tools. Thermal design of the MMC cabinet with various arrangement of air inlet(s) and outlet(s) is investigated and compared from a cooling performance perspective.