In my last Memoir, Part XVII., I called attention to a spore-bearing strobilus, first described by me, under the name of Volkmannia Dawsoni , in 1871, in the 'Memoirs of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester.' This latter description was based upon sections made from a small fragment for which I was indebted to my old auxiliary Mr. John Butterworth, of Shaw, near Oldham, in the autumn of 1870. Beyond two insignificant fragments, seventeen years elapsed before any additional example of this very rare strobilus was discovered. Hence, during that interval, I had no means of confirming, or otherwise, the conclusions arrived at in that early Memoir. Nevertheless, in my Part V. of this series ('Phil. Trans.,' 1874) having to deal with some allied forms of Asterophyllitean stems, I again referred to this plant. I pointed out the resemblance between the forms of transverse sections of its central vascular axis ( loc.cit ., Plate 5, figs. 28, c , and 29) and those of the centres of the Asterophyllitean stems figured on Plates I., II., and III. of the same Memoir. The references to this fructification in Part XVII., mentioned above, were connected with my discovery of the vegetative stem of this plant, the structure of which further sustains my conclusions in my Memoir V., not that any specific identity exists, such as I fear some of my expressions in that Memoir might seem to imply, but that in any botanical classification, their positions, though they are generically distinct, must be very near to one another, especially so far as their vegetative organs are concerned. More recently, as stated in a footnote to p. 99 of Part XVII., Mr. Lomax, of Radcliffe, has brought to me a series of specimens which he has discovered and which are of considerable importance, since they make clear a number of features which have hitherto been obscure. On the other hand, several structures of importance, well shown in the specimens figured in my Memoir of 1871, are not preserved in my new examples. Hence, in order that all of what we know of this remarkable plant may be consolidated in the present examination of it, I have reproduced some figures of the more characteristic structures described in 1871. As shewn in Memoir V., fig. 28, transverse sections of the axial vascular bundle of this strobilus have a triangular form, the three projecting angles being broad and abruptly truncated. These features are illustrated by fig. 1, which represents this bundle as seen in the section in my cabinet numbered 1049. The mean diameter of this bundle, measuring from the truncated end of one angle to the more projecting angles of the other two, is about .05 of an inch. The breadth of each angle at its truncated extremity varies from .02 to .03. These measurements approximate closely to what I find in all my specimens, excepting one, of which I have two transverse sections (C. N. 1898, I and L), in which the maximum diameter of the bundle is about ˙0144, and that of the truncate extremity of the angle ˙0032, measurements the proportions of which approximate much more nearly to those of the young twig of Asterophyllites , fig. 1, Memoir V., than is usual in the homologous bundle of Bowmanites . The maximum diameter of the tracheids of this axial bundle, fig. 1, is about .004. None of the other tissues which must once have filled the circular area a" in the centre of which this bundle is placed, are preserved in any of my specimens, with the exception of the narrow line a' of fig. 1, which shows no definite structure; neither have I been able to discover any indications of vascular threads passing outwards from the bundle to the surrounding tissues of the axis; yet it is scarcely to be doubted that some such extensions must have existed. Fig. 1, b , represents a small portion of the innermost surface of what remains of the axial cortex. This organ is seen more perfectly in fig. 2, b (C. N. 1040 B), and a portion of the same is further enlarged in fig. 3. Throughout the greater part of its thickness, this cortex chiefly consists of a rather open parenchyma (fig. 3, b ), but, at its outer border b" , the tissues are more dense and opaque. Longitudinal sections of this stem (fig. 4, b , C. N. 1050) show that these cortical cells are more or less elongated vertically; the outermost of them passing into the prosenchymatous condition shown in fig. 5.


The influenza virus M2 protein has an ion channel activity that permits ions to enter the virion during its uncoating and also modulates pH of intracellular compartments. M2 protein is a homotetramer consisting of either a pair of disulfide-linked dimers or a disulfide-linked tetramer. The M2 trans-membrane domain peptide adopts an alfa helical secondary structure. In polarized cells, M2 protein is expressed at the apical cell surface. The amantadine-induced, M2-mediated conversion of influenza A virus haemagglutinin (HA) to the low pH conformation occurs in an acidic trans-Golgi compartment. The M2 protein ion channel activity can affect the conformation of cleaved HA during intracellular transport. The equine influenza virus 1 HA expressed from cDNA does not require coexpression of a functional M2 protein to maintain HA in its native conformation.


Abstract. The development of highly efficient electrode materials for the electro-catalytic oxidation of phenol from waste-water is a primary goal of environmental protection. In the present work, we have studied different metal sulphides (CoS, FeS, NiS, CuS) for phenol degradation. Using the density functional theory (DFT) based approach, we have studied the performance of these metal-sulphides for the electro-Fenton like processes and argue that NiS to be the best candidate, as seen in the recent experiment. From the calculated adsorption energies and activation barriers for the desorption of various important intermediates such as H2O2, OH, 2OH etc., the Bader surface charges that can be directly related to Lewis acidic behaviour, we conclude that NiS shows the optimal catalytic behavior required for the degradation of phenols.


The famous theorem of Bell (1964) left two loopholes for determinism underneath quantum mechanics, viz. non-local deterministic hidden variable theories (like Bohmian mechanics) or theories denying free choice of experimental settings (like 't Hooft's cellular automaton interpretation of quantum mechanics). However, a precise analysis of the role of randomness in quantum theory and especially its undecidability closes these loopholes, so that--accepting the statistical predictions of quantum mechanics--determinism is excluded full stop. The main point is that Bell's theorem does not exploit the full empirical content of quantum mechanics, which consists of long series of outcomes of repeated measurements (idealized as infinite binary sequences). It only extracts the long-run relative frequencies derived from such series, and hence merely asks hidden variable theories to reproduce certain single-case Born probabilities. For the full outcome sequences of a fair quantum coin flip, quantum mechanics predicts that these sequences (almost surely) have a typicality property called 1-randomness in logic, which is definable via computational incompressibility a la Kolmogorov and is much stronger than e.g. uncomputability. Chaitin's remarkable version of Godel's (first) incompleteness theorem implies that 1-randomness is unprovable (even in set theory). Combined with a change of emphasis from single-case Born probabilities to randomness properties of outcome sequences, this is the key to the above claim.


Plasma aldosterone concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay in 134 healthy newborns and children of both sexes from the first day to 14 years of life. The highest mean value of aldosterone level was found during the first 24 hours of life (79.5 ng/100 ml), with a mean elevation by a factor of 10 in comparison to the results of adults. An age dependent decrease towards the children in the age group 6-14 years was found. The aldosterone concentration of the age group 6-14 years did not differ significantly from the aldosterone level of adults. The question of the origin of the increased aldosterone levels found in newborns and infancy is discussed.


Depth estimation is a long-lasting yet important task in computer vision. Most of the previous works try to estimate depth from input images and assume images are all-in-focus (AiF), which is less common in real-world applications. On the other hand, a few works take defocus blur into account and consider it as another cue for depth estimation. In this paper, we propose a method to estimate not only a depth map but an AiF image from a set of images with different focus positions (known as a focal stack). We design a shared architecture to exploit the relationship between depth and AiF estimation. As a result, the proposed method can be trained either supervisedly with ground truth depth, or unsupervisedly with AiF images as supervisory signals. We show in various experiments that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods both quantitatively and qualitatively, and also has higher efficiency in inference time.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

First principles calculations based on structures obtained by X-ray crystallography analysis are applied to identifying the intrinsic ferromagnetic nano-particle compound. We have found that this organic based nano-particle compound (EI236) exhibits anti-cancer property and, more important, possesses a magnetic property as it was readily attached to a magnet. EI236 exhibited intrinsic ferromagnetic behaviors from -268 celcius degree to 37 celsius degree and inhibited melanoma expansion in mouse tails when delivered to the melanoma lesion using a commercially available magnet. The local accumulation of the compound, as induced by the magnet, was readily visualized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in mice. (n=4) Thus, EI236 acted as both an anti-cancer drug and an MRI contrast, and had pharmacological effects that could be delivered in a controlled manner. The identification of such compounds can overcome the long-standing problems of controlled drug delivery by magnetic force and may dramatically alter our concept of pharmacotherapy in the future, i.e., drug-targeting using a magnet and drug-dosing using MRI.

Citation Format: Haruki Eguchi, Kunio Hirata, Reiko Kurotani, Hidenobu Fukumura, David J. Singh, Masahiro Yamamoto, Itaru Sato, Masanori Umemura, Masaki Yamamoto, Yoji Nagashima, Yoshihiro Ishikawa. Targeted drug delivery system and magnetic resonance imaging with intrinsic ferromagnetic nano-particle compound. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5570. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5570


The paper considers the econometric modeling of technology adoption when crop choice is simultaneous. Bivariate probit is used to estimate a model of irrigation technology choice and land allocation using a unique field-level data set from California's Central Valley. Special attention is paid to the proper calculation of marginal effects in the bivariate probit model, which are often useful for policy purposes. Estimation results confirm that the choices of irrigation technology and land allocation are simultaneous. With regard to the influence of price incentives on agricultural water use, estimation results from the bivariate probit model indicate that the influence of water price on the adoption of precision irrigation technology is much larger than previously realized. A univariate model of technology choice that treats land allocation as exogenous underestimates the effect of water price on the adoption of precision technology by over 40 percent.


Using fathers' first-hand accounts from letters, journals, and personal interviews along with hospital records and medical literature, Judith Walzer Leavitt offers a new perspective on the changing role of expectant fathers from the 1940s to the 1980s. She shows how, as men moved first from the hospital waiting room to the labour room in the 1960s, and then on to the delivery and birthing rooms in the 1970s and 1980s, they became progressively more involved in the birth experience and their influence over events expanded. With careful attention to power and privilege, Leavitt charts not only the increasing involvement of fathers, but also medical inequalities, the impact of race and class, and the evolution of hospital policies. Illustrated with more than seventy images from TV, films, and magazines, this book provides important new insights into childbirth in modern America, even as it reminds readers of their own experiences.


A palaeolith found near Gloucester:•—Implements of Pleistocene date are peculiarly rare in Gloucestershire (Antiq. Journ., i, 234), and more are required to date the terraces of the Severn. The latest find at Upton Lane, Bamwood, is here described by permission of Mrs. Brookes Clifford. It is a diminutive hand-axe with white patina stained in places, thick at one angle of the base and more curved at the other. Both iaces are flaked,


Aim: The aim of the study was to compare selenium levels in plasma and aqueous humour in subjects with and without primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: Forty-seven POAG cases and 54 controls in this case–control study were recruited from surgery patients at the University Physician's Ophthalmology Clinic in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Aqueous humour and plasma selenium were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography ion channel plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC ICP-MS). Potential confounders were assessed via a questionnaire. Biological samples were collected and processed at surgery and analysed for selenium content after collection was complete. Outcome measures included the odds of glaucoma in relationship to plasma selenium, aqueous humour selenium, and the ratio of levels of aqueous humour selenium to plasma selenium. Results: Tertile of selenium and its relationship to POAG was examined. After adjustment for common glaucoma risk factors, the odds of glaucoma in the highest tertile of plasma selenium (OR = 11.3; p = 0.03) and the middle tertile of aqueous humour selenium (OR = 0.06; p = 0.02) was significantly associated with glaucoma. Conclusion: Although a causal pathway cannot be inferred from our analysis, our data, added to that of others, suggest that the pathology is selenium-related.


Gender dysphoria (GD) is when a person has a strong desire to act differently than their assigned gender, which causes significant distress and dysfunction. Western countries, especially those that legalise the third gender, employ affirmative therapy for people with GD. However, Islam and Malaysian law only recognise gender expression based on natal sex. This further put those with gender dysphoria in Malaysia at risk of developing anxiety, depression, self-harm behavior, and suicide. Apart from that, they are more likely to engage in risky behaviours such as unsafe sex, sex with same-sex, chemsex, substance misuse, drinking alcohol and smoking. This sexual behaviour, especially man sex with man (MSM), contributes to HIV/AIDS, sexual transmitted diseases, and anal cancer. Consequently, it increases the health burden. Thus, this presentation will discuss approaches to dealing with people with this gender dysphoria. There are also ethical dilemmas or conflicts among psychiatrists in giving the diagnosis of gender dysphoria, especially in children and adolescents. Once giving the diagnosis of gender dysphoria, what is the best approach that a Muslim psychiatrist needs to consider? Are we going to practise affirmative therapy or conversion therapy or what? Do Muslim healthcare providers have the right to enforce patients against their will? Still, this would make it harder for people to get help and make them less likely to go to healthcare providers, especially Muslims. In contrast, this will encourage people with GD to go to healthcare providers that can support or affirm their desire, which is against Islamic and Malaysian law. Muslim healthcare providers should take the opportunity to help people with GD manage their conflicts according to the Islamic way. International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Supplementary Issue: 2023 Page: S5


A wireless sensor network consists of tiny sensing devices, with limited energy and processing ability. Some time we have to distribute a database on sensor network, because of limited energy in sensors, load balanced distributing database can increase the lifetime of this networks. In this paper we propose Fuzzy based approach for Load balanced distributing database on sensor Network that prolonging the network lifetime. We use vertical partitioning algorithms for distributing database on sensors. First we clustering the network and then distribute partitions on clusters. A simulator was built and Results of various simulation runs are consistent with the hypothesis.


The authors investigate the feasibility of using modern interactive games to help improve the quality of life of the elderly whether they are living in their own homes or in aged care facilities. Ultimately the aim is to integrate such technologies into their prototype health monitoring system called ReMoteCare, a wireless sensor network based system. It is hoped that a series of interactive exercises will help to improve the physical and mental health outcomes of the elderly


Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum and other members of Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) causes the disease bacterial wilt in many crops of economic importance. The organism is known to form Viable But Non Culturable cells (VBNC). VBNCs resuscitate invitro during the "resuscitation window" period and are infectious Previous studies have identified nonresuscitatable VBNCs in various bacterial genus including RSSC, however their infectivity was not elucidated and described. In this work, VBNCs of two Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum strains were generated by exposing the microcosms to psychrophilic stress, UV-C radiation and 70% isopropanol. Both resuscitatable and nonresuscitatable VBNCs were observed in psychrophilic and UV-C stressed microcosms. The nonresuscitatable VBNCs generated at psychrophilic temperature were found infective. Based on resuscitation properties, nonresuscitatable VBNCs can be considered as a different VBNC type from resuscitatable VBNCs.


We describe operating principles and results obtained with a new detector element: the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM). Consisting of a thin composite sheet with two metal layers separated by a thin insulator, and pierced by a regular matrix of open channels, the GEM electrode, inserted on the path of electrons in a gas detector, allows the transfer of charge with an amplification factor approaching ten. Uniform response and high rate capability are demonstrated. Coupled to another device, multiwire or micro-strip chamber, the GEM electrode permits higher gains or less critical operation; separation of the sensitive (conversion) volume and the detection volume have other advantages: a built-in delay (useful for triggering purposes), and the possibility of applying high fields on the photo-cathode of ring imaging detectors to improve efficiency. Multiple GEM grids in the same gas volume allow large amplification factors to be achieved in a succession of steps, leading to the realization of an effective gas-filled photomultiplier.


This tutorial explores the most salient and stable specifications in each of the three major areas of the emerging Web services framework. They are the simple object access protocol, the Web Services Description Language and the Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration directory, which is a registry of Web services descriptions.


Ebola virus (EBOV) infection is a hemorrhagic and hazardous disease, which is among the most shocking threats to human health causing a large number of deaths. Currently, there are no approved curative therapies for the disease. In this study, a mathematical model for in-vivo Ebola virus transmission dynamics was analyzed. The analysis of the model mainly focused on the sensitivity of basic reproductive number,  pertaining to the model parameters. Particularly, the sensitivity indices of all parameters of  were computed by using the forward normalized sensitivity index method. The results showed that a slight change in the infection rate immensely influences  while the same change in the production rate of the virus has the least impact on . Thus, , being a determining factor  of the disease progression, deliberate control measures targeting the infection rate, the most positively sensitive parameter, are required. This implies that reducing infection rate will redirect the disease to extinction.
Keywords: Ebola virus infection, immune response, sensitivity index, mathematical model.


Many 3D in vitro models induce breast cancer spheroid formation; however, this alone does not recapitulate the complex in vivo phenotype. To effectively screen therapeutics, it is urgently needed to validate in vitro cancer spheroid models against the gold standard of xenografts. A new oxime‐crosslinked hyaluronan (HA) hydrogel is designed, manipulating gelation rate and mechanical properties to grow breast cancer spheroids in 3D. This HA‐oxime breast cancer model maintains the gene expression profile most similar to that of tumor xenografts based on a pan‐cancer gene expression profile (comprising 730 genes) of three different human breast cancer subtypes compared to Matrigel or conventional 2D culture. Differences in gene expression between breast cancer cultures in HA‐oxime versus Matrigel or 2D are confirmed for 12 canonical pathways by gene set variation analysis. Importantly, drug response is dependent on the culture method. Breast cancer cells respond better to the Rac inhibitor (EHT‐1864) and the PI3K inhibitor (AZD6482) when cultured in HA‐oxime versus Matrigel. This study demonstrates the superiority of an HA‐based hydrogel as a platform for in vitro breast cancer culture of both primary, patient‐derived cells and cell lines, and provides a hydrogel culture model that closely matches that in vivo.


In the rapid growing world living fashion of human beings are distorted a lot and will influence the healthiness situation of human beings. The World Health Organization (WHO) statistics provides information that the cardio vascular diseases have an immense deal of interest inmedical research owing to its impact on person healthiness. This research study is intended torecognize and analyze the human life style factors in forecasting the cardio vascular disease with data mining techniques. The data collected from the range of citizens living in Bangaloreregion and the data obtainable inside online data repository are the input to this research analysis. Classification techniques K-means clustering algorithm and the decision tree approaches are used in this study and the precision, recall, accuracy and the F-measures are the measures estimated to prove the results with the different error measures RMSE, MAE and Kappa statistic values. This early forecasting process is proved with an accuracy of 94.56 percentages in K-means and 93.37 percentages with decision tree techniques.


The breakup of confined droplets was studied systematically for systems with either interfacial or component viscoelasticity. The former was obtained by adding a compatibilizer, the latter by using a viscoelastic fluid as the droplet or as the matrix phase. The critical capillary numbers of Newtonian and compatibilized droplets showed a similar increase with increasing confinement ratio. However, a decrease in breakup length was observed in the compatibilized case, caused by the viscoelastic interface. Viscoelastic droplets experienced more stabilization by confinement compared to Newtonian droplets. Matrix viscoelasticity, on the other hand, induced a destabilization with a minimum in critical capillary number as a function of confinement ratio, resulting from a complex interplay of viscoelastic stresses.


This paper aims at evaluating the communication performance of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard in an industrial environment. We investigated the correlation between Packet Error Rate (PER) and Spectral Occupancy (SO) in the network environment. For this goal, we studied the impact on SO and PER resulting from the insertion of interference from other sources within the same range of the channels defined by the standard. The results show that an IEEE 802.15.4-based sensor network can suffer large drop in performance with the addition of new sources of interference. The information provided by the experiments can be used to guide the development of new spectrum-aware techniques and protocols to mitigate the interference in IEEE 802.15.4-based industrial wireless sensor networks.


To avoid the indiscriminating action of anticancer drugs, the cancer cell specific targeting of drug molecule becomes a preferred choice for the treatment. The successful screening of the drug molecules in 2D culture system requires further validation. The failure of target specific drug in animal model raises the issue of creating a platform in between the in vitro (2D) and in vivo animal testing. The metastatic breast cancer cells migrate and settle at different sites such as bone tissue. This work evaluates the in vitro 3D model of the breast cancer and bone cells to understand the cellular interactions in the presence of a targeted anticancer drug delivery system. The silk fibroin based cytocompatible 3D scaffold is used as in vitro 3D distribution model. Human breast adenocarcinoma and osteoblast like cells are cocultured to evaluate the efficiency of doxorubicin loaded folic acid conjugated silk fibroin nanoparticle as drug delivery system. Decreasing population of the cancer cells, which lower the levels of vascular endothelial growth factors, glucose consumption, and lactate production are observed in the drug treated coculture constructs. The drug treated constructs do not show any major impact on bone mineralization. The diminished expression of osteogenic markers such as osteocalcein and alkaline phosphatase are recorded. The result indicates that this type of silk based 3D in vitro coculture model may be utilized as a bridge between the traditional 2D and animal model system to evaluate the new drug molecule (s) or to reassay the known drug molecules or to develop target specific drug in cancer research.


A 45-year-old man complained of a palpable mass in his left abdomen. Computed tomography showed a horseshoe kidney with a Bosniak type II complicated cyst from a left segment. Three years after his initial examination, due to the growing cystic lesion and the compression imposed on the urinary collecting system and surrounding organs, we performed a left heminephrectomy. The diagnosis was mucinous cystadenoma of the kidney. No recurrence was observed 6 months after surgery. The histopathology was unique since the inner surface of the cyst was covered by a mucin-positive columnar epithelium connected to a urothelium, with continuous transition between the two. This suggests that the mucinous tumour may have originated from a sequestered segment of the renal pelvic epithelium in the renal parenchyma.


The aim of the analysis was to determine the presence of straight, concave and convex profiles of individuals, who have different skeletal jaw relationships. A particular profile type was determined in each person on the basis of facial angle proposed by G. Arnett and R. Bergman. The analysis of lateral cephalometric headfilm was done in 240 individuals 12-14 years old, with skeletal jaw relationship of Class I, II/1, II/2 and III according to the values of ANB angle (Steiner). Soft tissue profile in those persons where analysed according to Bergman's and Arnett's method. According to the obtained results, the majority of persons had convex profile (51.2%), straight profile was present in 32.5%, while concave profile was present in 16.3%. Convex profile is dominant in individuals with Class II/1 (83.3%), then in individuals with Class II/2 (64.5%) and Class I (55.9%), whereas the concave profile was mainly characteristic of individuals with Class III (59.3%). Straight profiles were equally present in individuals with skeletal jaw relationship of Class I and III (40.7%) and the least present in individuals with Class II/I (16.7%). The number of regular profiles was doubly greater in female individuals (66.7%) in comparison with male ones (33.3%). The presence of all 3 profile types in individuals with Class I and Class II/2, straight and convex profiles in individuals with Class II/1, and straight and concave profiles in individuals with Class III indicated that these profiles are the result of the effect of dentoskeletal jaw relationship as well as some other factors. Only the complete profile cephalometric analysis may provide an adequate treatment planing that leads to harmonization of occlusal relationships and good aesthetic result.


Abstract Given the cost of trade and availability of pharmaceuticals, the driving force for parallel trade is the price difference between the source (exporting) and the destination (importing) country. An increase in the price difference or in the availability of pharmaceuticals for parallel trade should increase price competition in the destination country. Using 2003–2007 data from Sweden we investigated whether EU enlargement in 2004, when new countries with low pharmaceutical prices joined the EU, increased competition from parallel imports. Drugs facing competition from parallel imports are found to have on average 19–22% lower prices than they would have had if they had never faced such competition. The EU enlargement is, however, not found to have increased this effect, which might be explained by derogations and changes in consumer perceptions of parallel imports.


In this paper, it is proposed to identify a damage law based upon kinematic fields. The equilibrium gap method is used to determine the parameters of an anisotropic damage model. The approach is applied to a practical biaxial test performed on a C/C composite.


This article discussed several issues associated with the intimate relationship between attachment apparatus and the restorative interface. First, it is essential that the restorative dentist have a clear understanding of crest position and its impact on the restorative outcome. Then, the restorative dentist must understand the importance of sequencing and timing when orthodontic therapy, tissue recontouring and restorative dentistry must be accomplished on the same patient.


Prion protein (PrP) mutations are linked to genetic prion diseases, a class of phenotypically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders with invariably fatal outcome. How mutant PrP triggers neurodegeneration is not known. Synaptic dysfunction precedes neuronal loss but it is not clear whether, and through which mechanisms, disruption of synaptic activity ultimately leads to neuronal death. Here we show that mutant PrP impairs the secretory trafficking of AMPA receptors (AMPARs). Specifically, intracellular retention of the GluA2 subunit results in synaptic exposure of GluA2-lacking, calcium-permeable AMPARs, leading to increased calcium permeability and enhanced sensitivity to excitotoxic cell death. Mutant PrPs linked to different genetic prion diseases affect AMPAR trafficking and function in different ways. Our findings identify AMPARs as pathogenic targets in genetic prion diseases, and support the involvement of excitotoxicity in neurodegeneration. They also suggest a mechanistic explanation for how different mutant PrPs may cause distinct disease phenotypes.


Synopsis

The Neenan Company is a construction firm based in Fort Collins, Colorado, known for their efforts in pioneering the advancement of the design/build approach to construction. With a history of industry leadership, innovative contracting methods, and ethical business practices, the company now faces management, customer relations, and financial challenges. Serious structural problems were discovered in a number of public schools and other buildings built by the company. Thrown into a whirlwind of shock, Randy Myers, President of the company, must consider how to respond to the crisis, and how to prevent these issues in the future. Written from his perspective, this case provides a platform for considering the challenges that can result from industry innovation, ethical decision-making, and crisis management.

Research methodology

For the development of this case, the authors interviewed the top management at the Neenan Company: Founder David Neenan, President Randy Myers, and Donna Smith, Vice President of Business Development. The authors also interviewed current employees, previous employees of Neenan, representatives of school buildings built by Neenan, stakeholders, other experts in the construction field and existing customers of the company. The company made internal documents available to the authors, including financial statements and quality control and assessment tools, which were provided by Ryan Dellos, Chief Financial Officer. The authors surveyed financial documents and business documents to analyze pertinent information and data relevant to the case. All the interviews were recorded, coded, and analyzed to include multiple perspectives. Extensive online research was conducted on the construction industry and The Neenan Company which included several news articles and interviews on David and Randy. Additionally, the authors carefully studied the news reports by The Denver Post and other related press materials. Experts from the construction field and financial field provided assistance with data analysis and interpretation. The authors used a variety of academic resources to draw connections between the issues faced by Neenan and concepts discussed in business courses.

Relevant courses and levels

This case has applications in entrepreneurship, small business management, business ethics, leadership, organizational structure/design, and new venture management courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It also contains critical areas of decision-making relevant to an advanced strategic management course. The case can be introduced at any stage of the term, and is specifically relevant to discussions focussing on innovation and growth, corporate social responsibility, ethical decision-making, stakeholder theory, entrepreneurial crisis management, and long-term venture success.


Phonon dynamics in nanostructures is critically important to thermoelectric and optoelectronic devices because it determines the transport and other crucial properties. However, accurately evaluating the phonon lifetimes is extremely difficult. This study reports on the development of a new semi-empirical method to estimate the full-spectrum phonon lifetimes in thin silicon films at room temperature based on the experimental data on the phonon mean-free-path spectrum in bulk silicon and a phenomenological consideration of phonon transport in thin films. The bulk of this work describes the theory and the validation; then, we discuss the trend of the phonon lifetimes in thin silicon films when their thicknesses decrease.


Long-term memory is ubiquitous in nature and has important consequences for the occurrence of natural hazards, but its detection often is complicated by the short length of the considered records and additive white noise in the data. Here we study synthetic Gaussian distributed records x_{i} of length N that consist of a long-term correlated component (1-a)y_{i} characterized by a correlation exponent gamma , 0<gamma<1 , and a white-noise component aeta_{i} , 0< or =a< or =1 . We show that the autocorrelation function C_{N}(s) has the general form C_{N}(s)=[C_{infinity}(s)-E_{a}]/(1-E_{a}) , where C_{infinity}(0)=1 , C_{infinity}(s>0)=B_{a}s;{-gamma} , and E_{a}={2B_{a}/[(2-gamma)(1-gamma)]}N;{-gamma}+O(N;{-1}) . The finite-size parameter E_{a} also occurs in related quantities, for example, in the variance Delta_{N};{2}(s) of the local mean in time windows of length s : Delta_{N};{2}(s)=[Delta_{infinity};{2}(s)-E_{a}]/(1-E_{a}) . For purely long-term correlated data B_{0} congruent with(2-gamma)(1-gamma)/2 yielding E_{0} congruent withN;{-gamma} , and thus C_{N}(s)=[(2-gamma)(1-gamma)/2s;{-gamma}-N;{-gamma}]/[1-N;{-gamma}] and Delta_{N};{2}(s)=[s;{-gamma}-N;{-gamma}]/[1-N;{-gamma}] . We show how to estimate E_{a} and C_{infinity}(s) from a given data set and thus how to obtain accurately the exponent gamma and the amount of white noise a .


Reducing fuel consumption on roadway networks can have a huge impact on the nation's economy and environment. Existing ad-hoc transportation planning efforts that allocate limited funding on need-based criteria are insufficient for providing a significant reduction in fuel consumption. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new research to analyze the impact of planning effort on fuel consumption to support transportation's decision making. This paper presents the development of a new model for estimating fuel consumption in transportation networks under budget constraints by taking into consideration the effect of pavement deterioration on fuel consumption. The model is composed of three main modules to (1) estimate vehicle fuel consumption of transportation networks; (2) allocate limited funding to competing highway rehabilitation projects; and (3) evaluate the impact of pavement roughness and deterioration on fuel consumption. An application example is analyzed to evaluate the developed model and illustrate capabilities of the model. The application result demonstrates the significant impact of highway rehabilitation planning on fuel consumption on roadway networks. This study should prove useful to planners and decision makers in evaluating the impact of highway rehabilitation efforts on fuel consumption.


As the United States adjusts to the necessity of ecological sustainability, buildings play an important role because of their use of resources—and because they are potent nonverbal symbols of new societal values. The David Brower Center in Berkeley, California, strives to be a model for sustainability. Environmental impact is often the focus of those concerned with sustainability, but here, additionally, the designers aim to raise public awareness of sustainability through the building. For this reason, this building became the site for a postoccupancy evaluation class exercise; architecture students analyzed the building and what it communicates about sustainability from the perspective of its users. Findings indicate that many people did not adequately read the building's green design characteristics: Social and symbolic communication could be improved by increasing signage and evolving clearer symbolism for "green."


According to reports, the incidence of adverse reactions due to the use of drugs depends on many factors: the quantitative growth and a wider variety of pharmacological market and patient population (age, sex, comorbidities, occupation, diet, etc.). Mortality from side reactions takes the 5th place in the world after cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, cancer, trauma. Risk of toxicodermatosis for most drugs is from 1 to 3%. Toxicodermatosis refers to a widespread and serious types of adverse reactions to drugs, it affects physicians of all specialties and medical facilities of any type. General principles of treatment of the tokxicodermatosis patient is to cancel all drugs except vital, the appointment of a absolute diet or a hypoallergenic diet, mandatory fixation of data on the development of drug allergy in the medical notes. Key words: toxicodermatosis , drug, adverse reaction, allergic reaction.


By means of an eyepiece-micrometer, cytomorphometric investigations have been carried out on paraffin sections from 20 patients with different types of primary gastric carcinomas and their lymphogeneous metastases.


Data on resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae was analyzed in cohorts of isolates from nasal carriers without respiratory tract infection, nose-throat swabs, and ear fluid specimens of children, from sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage of adults and central spinal fluid, blood, and pleural fluid of patients without a distinction of age group. Colonizing strains in infant carriers showed a higher resistance rate (47.5%) to penicillin than in other children (24.2%). Isolates of inpatients, predominantly infants with respiratory tract infection, presented a higher prevalence of resistance than outpatients in all age groups. Adults showed the lowest resistance rates. Resistance was rarer among S. pneumoniae isolates from patients with systemic infection. The few cases caused by resistant S. pneumoniae should raise concern. Resistance among strains from ear fluid was more prevalent in all investigated population groups than among isolates from throat-nose swabs. The similarity of resistance rates to erythromycin and penicillin was associated with frequent combined resistance. While the prevalent serotype among the resistant strains was 19A, no predominant serotype was found among the susceptible strains.


Place recognition plays a crucial role in relocalization and loop closure detection tasks for robots and vehicles. This paper seeks a well-defined global descriptor for LiDAR-based place recognition. Compared to local descriptors, global descriptors show remarkable performance in urban road scenes but are usually viewpoint-dependent. To this end, we propose a simple yet robust global descriptor dubbed FreSCo that decomposes the viewpoint difference during revisit and achieves both translation and rotation invariance by leveraging Fourier Transform and circular shift technique. Besides, a fast two-stage pose estimation method is proposed to estimate the relative pose after place retrieval by utilizing the compact 2D point clouds extracted from the original data. Experiments show that FreSCo exhibited superior performance than contemporaneous methods on sequences of different scenes from multiple datasets. Code will be publicly available at https://github.com/soytony/FreSCo.


A chromium-nickel thin-film thermocouple that is 50 nm thick is demonstrated on a semiconductor substrate as proof of concept for lithographically processed bimetallic on-chip temperature sensors. The Seebeck coefficient of the thin-film thermocouple is calibrated to be 10.37 μV/°C, reproducibly smaller than the bulk literature value by a factor of 3.98. The batch reproducibility of this thin-film Seebeck coefficient is demonstrated. The linear Seebeck response up to 90°C is calibrated with the help of a simple formula which accounts for the temperature variations of the reference thermocouple under large heat loads.


This paper studies the problem of the distributed compression of correlated sources with an action-dependent joint distribution. This class of problems is, in fact, an extension of the Slepian–Wolf model, but where cost-constrained actions taken by the encoder or the decoder affect the generation of one of the sources. The purpose of this paper is to study the impact of actions on the achievable rates. In particular, two cases where transmission occurs over a rate-limited link are studied; case A for actions taken at the decoder and case B where actions are taken at the encoder. A complete single-letter characterization of the set of achievable rates is given in both cases. Furthermore, a network coding setup for the case where actions are taken at the encoder is investigated. The sources are generated at different nodes of the network and are required at a set of terminal nodes, yet transmission occurs over a general, acyclic, directed network. For this setup, generalized cut-set bounds are derived, and a full characterization of the set of achievable rates using single-letter expressions is provided. For this scenario, random linear network coding is proved to be optimal, even though this is not a classical multicast problem. In addition, two binary examples are investigated and demonstrate how actions taken at different nodes of the system have a significant effect on the achievable rate region, when compared with a naive time-sharing strategy.


An exact solution is derived for the first time for the fields of a thin film head with an underlayer. The Fourier analysis is used to determine the distribution of the fringe field components around the head pole, and the accurate Fourier coefficients are evaluated for a range of head geometries. With an underlayer, it is found that the amplitude of vertical field is higher everywhere than that with no underlayer, and the amplitude of horizontal field is lower in the region above the gap and exhibits an enhanced negative lobe near the outer corner of the head pole. >


Laccases has been produced by white rot fungi are involved in lignin containing natural substrates wheat-straw, bagasse, saw-dust, corn cob and coir dust particle on the production of laccase enzyme in the aqueous cultivation medium of Gloephyllum stratum MTCC1117. The approach involved concentration of aqueous filtrate by ultrafiltration and anion exchange chromatography on DEAE (diethyl aminoethyl cellulose). From SDS-PAGE analysis the molecular mass of the purified enzyme is 57 kDa. The Km and kcat values of the laccase are found to be 18 μM and 0.34 s-1 using 2,6-dimethoxyphenol as the substrate, giving a kcat/Km value is 1.70 x 103 M-1 s-1. The pH and temperature optimum were 4.5 and 40 °C respectively. The purified enzyme has yellow colour and does not show absorption band around 610 nm found in blue laccases. Moreover the conversion of methylbenzene to benzaldehyde in the lack of mediator molecules, property exhibited by yellow laccases.


Reducing maternal mortality rates in Darfur remains one of the major challenges to the healthcare system in Darfur owing to the on-going conflict, displacement of large number of population, poor transportation networks, destruction of primary healthcare facilities and the lack of solid mechanism to train village midwives. Under these circumstances, the United Nations—African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) continues to invest in reducing the maternal and child mortality rates in Darfur by mobilizing the existing resources and advocating for availability of all services that are directed towards improving the maternal health in the region. The article highlights the positive changes and significant impact that these interventions have had on reducing the maternal mortality rates in Darfur and saving lives of children.


This study presents the background ionizing radiation (BIR) level of some populated motor parks in Enugu City. The parks are Holy Ghost, Old Park, Abakpa, New Market and Garriki. An In-situ measurement of BIR exposure rate in mR/h was done using a well calibrated portable Geiger Counter nuclear radiation detector (GQ GMC-320 Plus, manufactured by GQ Electronics LLC, USA). The exposure rates were used to evaluate the annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE) and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) within the parks. The mean exposure rates recorded within the areas in order of magnitude are 0.0143±0.0019 mR/h, 0.0135±0.002 mR/h, 0.0114±0.0025 mR/h, 0.0112±0.0014 mR/h and 0.0112±0.0024 mR/h respectively for Abakpa, Gariki, New market, Old Park and Holy Ghost. The mean exposure rate for Holy Ghost, Old Park and New Market are below the world recorded average value of 0.013 mR/h while that of Abakpa and Garriki are slightly greater than the world average value. The corresponding absorbed doses as a result of BIR exposure in the locations are far higher than UNSCEAR recommended safe limit. The estimated mean AEDE at Holy Ghost, Abakpa, Old Park, New Market and Garriki are 0.119±0.025 mSv/yr, 0.153±0.022 mSv/yr, 0.120±0.015 mSv/yr, 0.122±0.027 mSv/yr and 0.144±0.023 mSv/yr respectively with Abakpa having the maximum value and Holy Ghost having the minimum value. All the mean AEDE are lower than the ICRP recommended permissible limits of 1.00 mSv/yr for the general public. The estimated mean ELCR are (0.418±0.087)×10 -3 , (0.534±0.077)×10 -3 , (0.419±0.052)×10 -3 (0.426±0.094)×10 -3 and (0.504±0.079)×10 -3 respectively for Holy Ghost, Abakpa, Old Park, New Market and Garriki. These values are higher than the UNSCEAR reported world average value of 0.29×10 -3 . The study revealed that the BIR levels within the areas are due to the presence of natural radionuclides which are enhanced by the various human activities carried out in the areas and also due to exhaust emission of hydrocarbon combustion. The study also revealed that Abakpa Park is on higher BIR level than the other Parks. Generally, the radiation level within the areas does not constitute any immediate radiological health effect on the general public but there exist a probability of one developing cancer over a life time of exposure within the studied environments.


A temporal coherence sensor based on a Michelson interferometer is shown to produce high gains for the detection of laser signals in broad-band optical clutter. A system gain of 8.3*108 is achieved for laser/white light discrimination. The sensor is modified to incorporate imaging so that both the spatial and positional characteristics of the object signal may be accessed. By utilising analog circuitry, similar results to the non-imaging system should be attained.


Surface and buried layers of ternary silicide were fabricated by implantation of iron and cobalt into (100) silicon wafers. For the surface layers two sets of samples with different iron to cobalt ratios were prepared. In the first set, cobalt was implanted first followed by iron and the implant order was reversed in the second set. In all cases the total implanted dose (Fe+Co) was kept constant. For the buried ternary silicides two samples were prepared with equal doses of iron and cobalt. In the first sample, cobalt was again implanted first with the implant order being reversed for the second sample. The physical properties of the synthesized layers were investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and cross sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). The results indicate that the implantation order is critical to the subsequent development of the synthesized layer. The surface layers with iron implanted first were non-crystalline and showed no significant improvement of crystallinity with increasing anneal temperature. However, the surface layers with cobalt implanted first exhibited a large improvement of crystal quality with increasing anneal temperature. Segregation into separate iron- and cobalt-rich layers was also observed for surface layers where cobalt was implanted first for Co:Fe . The crystalline quality of the buried layers was also determined by the implant order, in a similar way to that for the surface layers.


A novel simple, sensitive, and rapid isocratic reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was developed for the quantitative determination of alosetron HCl, a 5-HT3 antagonist used in the treatment of severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in females. The optimized chromatographic separation was achieved using a stationary phase of Phenomenex® kromasil C-18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm; 5 μm particle size) column, and mobile phase of 0.025 M disodium hydrogen orthophosphate buffer, pH adjusted to 3.0 with orthophosphoric acid, and acetonitrile in the ratio of 65:35 (v/v) with a flow rate of 1 mL min−1. The UV detection was carried out at 217 nm. The developed method provided linear responses within the concentration range 100–2000 ng mL−1, and regression analysis showed a correlation coefficient value (r2) of 0.997. The HPLC method was validated as per International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines with respect to selectivity, precision, linearity, and robustness. Limit of detec...


Graphite intercalation compounds may provide an excellent material for the fabrication of electro-magnetic railgun armatures. As a pulse of power is fed into the armature the intercalate could be excited into the plasma state around the edges of the armature, while the bulk of the current would be carried through the graphite block. Such an armature would have the desirable characteristics of both diffuse plasma armatures and bulk conduction armatures. In addition, the highly anisotropic nature of these materials could enable the electrical and thermal conductivity to be tailored to meet the specific requirements of electromagnetic railgun armatures. Preliminary investigations were performed in an attempt to determine the feasibility of using graphite intercalation compounds as railgun armatures. Issues of fabrication, resistivity, stability, and electrical current spreading are addressed for the case of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.


The European continent was subject to two major migrations of peoples during the Holocene: the northwestward movement of Anatolian farmer populations during the Neolithic and the westward movement of Yamnaya steppe peoples during the Bronze Age. These movements changed the genetic composition of the continent's inhabitants, via admixture and population replacement processes. The Holocene was also characterized by major changes in vegetation composition, which altered the environment occupied by the original hunter-gatherer populations. Here, we use a combination of paleogenomics and geostatistical modelling to produce detailed maps of the movement of these populations over time and space, and to understand how these movements impacted the European vegetation landscape. We find that the dilution of hunter-gatherer ancestries and the Yamnaya steppe migration coincided with a reduction in the amount of broad-leaf forest and an increase in the amount of pasture lands in the continent. We also show that climate played a role in these vegetational changes. Additionally, we find that the spread of Neolithic farmer ancestry had a two-pronged wavefront, in agreement with similar findings based on patterns of the cultural spread of farming from radiocarbon-dated archaeological sites. With thousands of ancient genomes publicly available and in production, we foresee that the integration of ancient DNA with geostatistical techniques and large-scale archaeological datasets will revolutionize the study of ancient populations movements, and their effects on local fauna and flora.


To achieve the emission targets set by the German government for 2050, wind and PV are the main pillars of the energy system. These power production technologies are cost efficient with a high development potential and therefore can provide power not only for the conventional power sector, but also for the heat as well as the mobility sector. The presented project focusses on the requirements and challenges that need to be dealt with to efficiently couple both of these sectors. Therefore a simulation platform has been established to find cost-optimal technology solutions, for both energy production (wind and PV) as well as energy end use (e.g. for heating buildings), based on the differencing political targets and boundary conditions. A wide range of different technology is integrated via key performance indicators into this platform. In turn, this platform offers the possibility of assessing existing and also possible future technology based on the ability of offering a cost efficient solution in a particular future market situation. Only such cost efficient solutions will be capable of surviving in a market in the long run. This paper presents the outcome of the German nationally funded project "Interaction of renewable power, heat and mobility Analysis of the interaction between the power, heat/cold and mobility markets in Germany regarding increasing shares of fluctuating renewable energies and in consideration of European market development".


As a case-study of the history of Buddhism in Russia this paper
discuss the founding of a new form of Buddhism within the
traditional Buryat sangha. In the mid 1960s a small but
important, Buddhist community originated in Ulan-Ude. An
unofficial or clandestine micro-sangha formed around Bidia D.
Dandaron, a Buryat Buddhist scholar, which existed until 1972,
the year of Dandaron's imprisonment. Subsequently he was
sentenced to five years in the prison, where he died in 26th
October 1974. One of his first disciples was Alexandr I.
Zheleznov, who painted the Vajrabhairava mandala which was both
untraditional and innovative. This Dandaron Mandala may be
perceived as the visual part of the collective memory of one
particular group of Buddhists in Buryatia. This group includes
both the members of Dandaron's group who got acquainted with
the mandala shortly after its origination and its present
interpreters.


This paper explores scenarios for employment creation, with an emphasis on services. It considers whether the government's current policies for the formal services sector will achieve its 2014 target of halving unemployment. New employment has mainly been found in the formal and non-formal services, and future employment will probably come from such sectors as business services, trade, finance and tourism. As at 2004, about 480 000 new jobs were needed annually to halve unemployment from 26.2 per cent to 13 per cent by 2014. This would require at least twice the average annual job creation since 1994. Two scenarios are considered: the first under current conditions with similar rates of growth; the second with substantial improvements in policy, especially the promotion of trade in services. The first scenario leaves the economy with the same rate of unemployment in 2014. The second sees a reduction in unemployment of 20 per cent. 1Executive Director, Employment, Growth & Development Initiative, HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council).


Graphs are an effective way of displaying quantitative and statistical information. Unfortunately, only a few studies have systematically looked at presenting building energy data in forms which are both informative and easy to comprehend. Recent advancements in computing, including the development of sophisticated graphing packages and powerful desktop computers have made the concept of graphical indices more timely than ever before. In this paper, graphical indices are developed and used to analyze several years of hourly data (20,000 to 30,000 data points) collected from LoanSTAR [Loans to Save Taxes And Resources] sites. These indices are meant to be efficient displays that present data in specific graphic forms developed to highlight certain features. In a large program like LoanSTAR many aspects of a building`s energy consumption behavior need to be quickly and accurately viewed so that buildings can be compared with one another. The purpose of this paper is to show how graphical indices can be used to help a building energy analyst view large amounts of hourly building energy consumption data in order to quickly and efficiently analyze the data, check for errors, or establish time and temperature related trends over a large period of time. The objective is tomore » demonstrate the use and effectiveness of the graphical indices on the data collected from an Engineering Center.« less


Associations between compartmental distribution of radiographic changes of osteoarthritis (OA), individual features of OA (joint space loss, sclerosis, cyst, osteophyte; each scored 0-3), and presence of synovial fluid calcium particles (calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystals identified by polarised light microscopy and other calcium particles by alizarin red positivity (ARP) were sought in 300 osteoarthritic knees (178 patients; mean age 72, range 33-96 years). Patients whose knees were symptom free as well as those with symptoms were included. Osteoarthritis of two or three compartments but not unicompartmental OA was associated with the presence of CPPD or ARP. Involvement of any compartment (not just patellofemoral), and higher mean scores for both total and individual osteoarthritis changes (except cysts) was associated with CPPD and ARP; CPPD, but not ARP, was associated with symptoms: knees reported as having symptoms had higher mean total OA scores. Femoral cortical erosion, found more often in women, was associated with higher mean total OA score at the patellofemoral compartment but not with the presence of particles. Attrition, remodelling, and chondrocalcinosis (each scored as present or absent) occurred more often in knees with CPPD. Age did not correlate with any aspect of the OA score. This study confirms the association of calcium particles with the process of OA. Unlike previous studies confined to symptomatic knees, a radiographic pattern specific to CPPD ('pyrophosphate arthropathy') did not emerge.


A 68-year-old man underwent F-FDG PET/CT for the staging of esophageal carcinoma discovered by a medical checkup. Increased focal accumulation in some vertebrae, right humerus, and right femoral bone was noted on FDG-PET, whereas CT showed relatively high attenuation, and MRI showed hypointense lesions on T1- and T2-weighted imaging. A bone biopsy revealed mildly hypercellular bone marrow in the thoracic spine with FDG accumulation and markedly hypocellular bone marrow in the pelvic bone without an increased uptake. InCl scintigraphy showed a similar distribution and confirmed the diagnosis of bone marrow reconversion.


Electronic grade wafers of 6H SiC have been given a surface oxide layer on the carbon face by either conventional thermal oxidation or low-temperature plasma oxidation. Transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray and parallel electron energy loss, have been used to characterize the layer and its interface with the parent carbide. In both cases the oxide is close to Si2CO6 in composition but has a higher oxygen content at the surface. The plasma-grown oxide displays a higher proportion of p-bonded carbon than the SiC substrate does.


For a long time, the term function has been treated as a mandatory topic in mathematics curricula around the world. It aims to emphasize the importance of this topic of mathematics in higher education, at technical faculties. In addition to the classic way of learning blackboard and chalk, today all over the world a variety of interactive mathematical software is often used in the study of the topic functions. The software helps students to learn how to recognize functions, to examine their properties, and draw them accurately. In this paper, the importance of the mathematical term function in higher education at technical faculties is stated. It also lists the ambiguities that students face when mastering the topic of functions. Then, software for drawing graphs of functions (material that is taught in the subject Mathematics 1 at technical faculties) is listed to help students master that material more easily. Finally, a comparison is made in the results of the final exams in Mathematics 1, before students are recommended to use GeoGebra and after using the software. A conclusion is drawn from the results and the advantages of using the mathematical software are presented.


Background The increase of insulin resistance (IR) was signaled in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but its prevalence in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is not explored.The relationship between the inflammatory process, disease activity and demographic data have been poorly studied up till now. Objectives The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of IR and its relationships with markers of inflammation, disease activity and demographic parameters in patients (pts) with RA and AS. Methods 102 patients [60 with RA, 42 with AS] were studied. Average age of patient was 52 [35; 65] in RA and 38,8 [20; 61] years in AS group. Mean BMI – 25,8 [17,6; 36,7] and 24,3 [17,9; 34,9], mean WHR 0,85 [0,66; 1,14], and 0,88 [0,68; 1,1] in RA and AS group.Mean duration of disease - 12,2 [1,0; 36] and 7,8 [1,0; 35] years, respectively. Mean DAS28 - 4,19 [1,41; 7,07], mean BASDAI - 4,01 [0,6; 10].The Homoeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) and Insulin/Glucose index were used to measure insulin resistance and the Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) and Matsuda index to measure insulin sensitivity. The inflammatory disease activity was assessed using measurements of ESR, hs-CRP, IL-6, IL-6sR, SAA. Results The indices of IR were significantly higher in RA patients than in those in AS group. The mean values of HOMA-IR were 1,95±1,52 vs. 1,18±0,64 (p<0,01), and I/G 0,11±0,12 vs. 0,05±0,03 (p<0,001). The indices of insulin sensitivity were significantly lower in RA patients - mean QUICKI 0,36±0,03 vs. 0,38±0,03 (p<0,001), mean Matsuda 6,83±3,49 vs. 10,15±5,1 (p<0,001). All of these indices were significantly correlated with BMI and WHR in group RA and with BMI (with WHR only HOMA-IR and I/G) in group AS, however there was no significant difference in terms of WHR and BMI in both groups. In addition, HOMA-IR and QUICKI in group RA were correlated with hemoglobin (Hb) (r=0,33; r= -0,36, p<0,01) and uric acid levels (UA) (r=0,28; r= -0,30, p<0,05). Moreover, the negative correlation between IR and glucocorticoid (GCs) treatment (mean prednison dose 5,4 mg/d) in patients of RA for HOMA-IR and Matsuda index has been shown. There weren't any associations between the studied parameters and disease activity (DAS28, BASDAI),disease duration, age and acute phase parameters: ESR, hs-CRP,IL-6, IL-6 sR, SAA. Of these parameters hs-CRP and SAA showed a strong correlation with disease activity in RA patients (r=0,59; r=0,63, p<0,001) but not in those with AS. Conclusions Insulin resistance occurs more frequently in patients with RA than AS. It was dependent on body weight indices in both cases, whereas not on disease activity as well as markers of inflammation. Acute phase parameters: hs-CRP and SAA strongly correlated with the disease activity in patients with RA. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Background: Hereditary disposition accounts for 10-15% in breast cancers and 20-25% in ovarian cancers, in which 5-10% of women have genomic alteration in breast cancer predisposition genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, while the rest are likely due to less penetrant genes. In specific ethnicities such as Ashkenazi Jewish, three founder mutations have been identified which covers 95 % of all the BRCA mutations identified in this race. These genes are screened prior to the gold standard Sanger Sequencing in order to reduce cost. Sanger Sequencing, however, still has the limitation on the necessity of laborious processing and results interpretation. Moreover, it limits the number of genes that can be analyzed in one setting. With the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS), identification of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome associated genes, other than BRCA, can be sequenced at the same time but yet a faster turnover time. This allows more timely targeted risk-reducing strategies and interventions to be implemented for mutation positive carriers and their family members. Methods: In this study cohort, 948 high-risk breast/ovarian patients who met the HBOC selection criteria were recruited for mutation screening by our NGS pipeline. With the inclusion of 90 Sanger-validated known mutation cases, the performance of the NGS pipeline were proven to be comparable to Sanger sequencing. PTEN and TP53, other than BRCA1 and BRCA2, a 4 gene sequencing panel were included in the mutation screening for high-risk patients. Results: The prevalence of BRCA1/BRCA2 germline mutations was 7.28% in our Chinese cohort and 47.8% of the mutation were recurrent mutations. Based on this finding, we further adopted a new workflow by screening the recurrent mutations including founder mutations from Chinese cohort prior to NGS for those who tested negative. In a testing cohort of 343 cases, the recurrent mutation pick-up rate was 3.5%, this implicated a more cost-effective method for mutation screening in the clinical setting. Moreover, the frequencies of PTEN and TP53 were 0.21% and 0.53% respectively in our population with breast and ovarian cases. Conclusion: Taken together, our data demonstrated a strategic upfront screening for recurrent mutations in Chinese population which is highly applicable in most of the diagnostic laboratories. Multi-gene sequencing using the NGS technology will be the upcoming strategies for mutation screening for HBOC patients. Citation Format: Kwong A, Shin VY, Au CH, Law FB, Ho DN, Ip BK, Wong AT, Lau SS, To RM, Choy G, Ford JM, Ma ES, Chan TL. Evaluation on the mutation screening by next-generation sequencing in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer: Implementation of recurrent mutation panel. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-09-20.


Cold atomic hydrogen clouds are the precursors of molecular clouds. Due to self-absorption, the opacity of cold atomic hydrogen may be high, and this gas may constitute an important mass component of the interstellar medium. Atomic hydrogen gas can be cooled to temperatures much lower than found in the cold neutral medium through collisions with molecular hydrogen. In this paper, we search for H i narrow self-absorption (HINSA) features in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) as an indicator of such cold H i clouds, and use the results to quantify atomic masses and atomic-to-molecular gas ratio. Our search for HINSA features was conducted toward molecular clouds in the LMC using the ATCA+Parkes H i survey and the MAGMA CO survey. HINSA features are prevalent in the surveyed sightlines. This is the first detection of HINSA in an external galaxy. The HINSA-H i/ ratio in the LMC varies from 0.5 × 10−3 to 3.4 × 10−3 (68% interval), with a mean value of (1.31 ± 0.03) × 10−3, after correcting for the effect of foreground H i gas. This is similar to the Milky Way value and indicates that similar fractions of cold gas exist in the LMC and the Milky Way, despite their differing metallicities, dust content and radiation fields. The low ratio also confirms that, as with the Milky Way, the formation timescale of molecular clouds is short. The ratio shows no radial gradient, unlike the case for stellar metallicity. No correlation is found between our results and those from previous H i absorption studies of the LMC.


According to forty years worth of research, dissent always increases repression whereas state coercive behavior has a range of different influences on dissident activity. If the outcome of government action is uncertain, why do authorities continue to apply repression? We explore this "puzzle of repressive persistence" using official records of U.S. government activities against the Republic of New Africa, a Black Nationalist organization active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In particular, we investigate three proposed answers to the puzzle: repression is effective but in a way not currently considered; repression functions by mechanisms not hitherto considered by quantitative researchers; or those who use repression are not actually interested in eliminating dissent. We find that persistence in this case can be attributed to: 1) a long-term plan to eliminate challengers deemed threatening to the U.S. political-economy and 2) the influence of particular agents of repression engaged in a crusade against Black radicals. Both factors increased the likelihood of continued coercion despite short-term failure; indeed such an outcome actually called for additional repressive action. These insights open up a new area of research for conflict scholars interested in occurrence, persistence and escalation.


Abstract The Magellan SAR images show that volcanic domes occur on the surface of Venus. Edifices with scalloped margins are similar to volcanic domes and fall within a spectrum ranging from unmodified to remnant forms. Over 320 domes have been located of which more than 80% have modified morphologies. Broadly, the modified domes can be described by five sub-categories which are related to three unmodified dome sub-categories. Many modified domes have deposits associated with them that possess characteristics indicative of their having been formed from mass movements. Evidence for slope failure is not seen on volcanic shields on Venus due to them having shallow flanks. Several steep-sided cones show some evidence of slope failure but on a much smaller scale than failures associated with domes. Slope failures on venusian domes appear to have been triggered by non-explosive and explosive events. Collapse on the edges of domes, either as a result of explosive events of oversteepening, is common on Earth but the collapses on Venus are on a scale that is more in common with major sector collapses of volcanoes on Earth. Four morphological sub-groups of debris deposit have been recognized. The deposits in groups one and two are analogous to terrestrial volcanic debris avalanche deposits and the deposits in group three are analogous to pyroclastic flows on Earth. The characteristics of the fourth group of deposits are similar to those resulting from deep-seated slides on Earth.


We have studied fibrinolytic activity of 12 cases of infiltrating duct carcinoma of breast (7 metastatic and 5 non-metastatic) and ten cases of adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal tract (5 each of metastatic and nonmetastatic), and compared with some of their normal tissue counterparts. Both metastatic and non-metastatic tumors of breast and gastrointestinal tract had significantly higher levels of fibrinolytic activity as compared to normal tissues. Though mean fibrinolytic activity (expressed as ug/ml of urokinase activity) of metastatic tumors of breast and gut had higher values as compared to non-metastatic counterparts, however it did not reach statistical significance.


This paper analyzes the value of flexibility in quality choice using a dynamic real-option framework. Firms decide about quality of their products when they enter the market upon incurring a sunk cost. Flexibility in quality choice induces (ceteris paribus) earlier investment, and the value of flexible quality increases with demand uncertainty. We find that a possibility of competitive entry more than doubles the relative value of flexibility. Moreover, we show that flexible quality serves as an entry deterrent control, while it can still be set at the optimal monopoly level. Furthermore, we extend the theory of strategic real options from which it is known that the follower's investment timing is irrelevant for the decision of the leader. The addition of a second control (quality) results in the leader's investment timing being influenced by the follower's entry. It also holds that introducing the second control variable in combination with strategic interaction results in the option value of the leader decreasing in uncertainty. Finally, we show that the follower can be driven out of the market due to "aggressive" quality choice of the leader in high states of demand.


Circulating levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and NH(2)-terminal-proBNP (NT-proBNP) increase in response to volume overload and help in the differential diagnosis of acute heart failure. Elevated plasma BNP levels are observed also in sepsis and do not always correspond to left ventricular dysfunction. Here, we investigated plasma NT-proBNP fluctuations in response to human bacterial endotoxinemia, an experimental model of systemic infection and inflammation. Escherichia coli endotoxin (LPS) (2 ng/kg) was administered to 10 healthy volunteers in a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Plasma NT-proBNP, C-reactive protein (CRP), COOH terminal pro-endothelin-1 (CT-proET-1), and midregional-pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) were measured at hourly intervals for 6 h. LPS administration induced a continuous increase in plasma NT-proBNP that reached peak values after 6 h (40.7 +/- 7.9 vs. 16.1 +/- 3.2 pg/ml in placebo days, mean +/- SE; P = 0.023). The profile of changes in NT-proBNP correlated to changes in body temperature (P < 0.001), heart rate (P = 0.005), CRP (P < 0.001), and CT-proET-1 (P = 0.008), but not to blood pressure values. Our results demonstrate that plasma NT-proBNP increases in a model of systemic infection/inflammation in healthy men with normal heart function. This finding emphasizes the necessity to consider concomitant infections when interpreting elevated circulating NT-proBNP concentrations.


Plasma-based Al2O3 atomic layer etching (pALE) has a reaction mechanism similar to thermal Al2O3 ALE (tALE). The main difference between the two methods is that pALE uses plasma instead of HF in tALE to fluorinate Al2O3 to AlF3. In this study, the CF4 plasma source commonly used for dry etching is combined with a self-developed low-ion-bombardment remote Al2O3 plasma-based ALE system to obtain Al2O3 plasma fluorination conditions, and then the AlCl(CH3)2 (dimethylaluminum chloride) precursor is used to develop the pALE Al2O3 process. In addition to using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate ideal fluorination conditions of CF4 plasma for Al2O3 films and establishing the linear etching rate curves of pALE at different process temperatures (250–400 °C), we used atomic force microscopy to analyze the surface morphology of the Al2O3 films after dry etching and pALE. We showed that pALE can smooth Al2O3 films with a root mean square surface roughness of 1.396–0.655 nm and used anodic aluminum oxide substrates with nanotrench structures to demonstrate that pALE can improve the surface roughness of nonplanar structures.


It is well-known that the weighted averages of two competing forecasts may reduce mean squared prediction errors (MSPE) and may also introduce certain inefficiencies. In this paper, we take an in-depth view of one particular type of inefficiency stemming from simple combination schemes: Mincer and Zarnowitz inefficiency or auto-inefficiency for short. Under mild assumptions, we show that linear convex forecast combinations are almost always auto-inefficient, and, therefore, greater reductions in MSPE are almost always possible. In particular, we show that the process of taking averages of forecasts may induce inefficiencies in the combination, even when individual forecasts are efficient. Furthermore, we show that the so-called "optimal weighted average" traditionally presented in the literature may indeed be inefficient as well. Finally, we illustrate our findings with simulations and an empirical application in the context of the combination of headline inflation forecasts for eight European economies. Overall, our results indicate that in situations in which a number of different forecasts are available, the combination of all of them should not be the last step taken in the search of forecast accuracy. Attempts to take advantage of potential inefficiencies stemming from the combination process should also be considered.


Introduction Cardiac output (CO) is an important indicator of overall cardiac function and intravascular volume status. Present methods of assessing CO at the bedside in older children and adults are invasive and technically unfeasible in the neonate. In recent years, a novel method of measuring cardiac output using a lithium dilution technique and existing vascular access has been developed. The LiDCO/PulseCO system (LiDCO Ltd, Cambridge, UK) of cardiac output monitoring uses an arterial pressure waveform to measure CO on a continuous basis after lithium dilution calibration (LDC). Objective To assess (1) the feasibility of performing LDC using the LiDCO system and (2) the clinical utility of this system and its associated PulseCO software in measuring continuous CO compared to pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) in an extremely preterm animal model. Methods This study used a model of premature infant chronic lung disease as simulated at the SFBR in a 125-day gestation (approximate 25-week human equivalent) baboon model. A total of 10 animals were studied. Each animal had an existing umbilical artery catheter that was connected to the LiDCO system. Initial CO measured using PDE was recorded on all study animals within the first 24 hours of life. Each animal subsequently had an attempt made at LDC according to an established protocol. For those animals in which LDC was unsuccessful, calibration was performed using echocardiography, and CO measurements were serially collected over time and compared to those values obtained using standard PDE. Results LDC/PDE value pairs were successfully obtained in 5 animals. From those animals, 40 PDE/PulseCOvalue pairs were also obtained. There was poor agreement between LDC/PDE pairs and PDE/PulseCOpairs. Lack of agreement between measurements seemed secondary to factors including recirculation of lithium indicator solution from patent ductus arteriosus, variations in flow properties of individual arterial catheters, and variations in the degree of illness of animals. Conclusions Use of LDC and the LiDCO system including continuous cardiac output monitoring is feasible in a premature neonate model. The system was not clinically useful because of a lack of agreement between LDC and PDE measurements, but this may be due to technical factors that can be overcome with more experience. This system may still be a useful tool in neonates if a lack of significant drift over time can be demonstrated after calibration with PDE.


The aim of this article is to present ways of analyzing protocols for problem situations with Tangram game and propose procedures of observation and interpretation. The protocols collected in the context of games workshops, were produced by 40 participants, aged between nine and eleven, and analyzed in three perspectives: (a) classification of right and wrong; (B) study of solution methods and types of errors produced; (C) look for evidence of the procedures adopted by the children. The results indicated that construct parts without putting figures on the basis of instructions to perform and read assembly are a significant challenge and errors have the highest percentage (85% and 75% in buildings, 53% of the reading). These analyzes can serve as a reference to assess and to step in, contributing to broaden their professional forms of observation records in favor of achieving interventions that favor overcoming mistakes.


A science is a series of 'conjectures and refutations'. The most powerful conjectures are those that are formulated in such a way that they may be easily refuted by observation. On this account, Universal Grammar is an extremely weak hypothesis. This is because (i) there are very few precise formulations of exactly what is in UG (Wunderlich's list on pp.620–623 being an admirable exception), and (ii) there are very few suggestions for how one might go about testing any precise conjectures that are put forward. Although the most common practice is to invoke UG without specifying precisely what is intended, there are some specific (thoughmostly non-exhaustive) proposals. The problem is that these proposals assume UG to be very different things. For example:


Biologically active agents were proposed like inciter of animals growing and alternative оf feed antibiotics and hormonal products. Prebiotic compounds are the most effective, because they have a positive effect on productivity, safety, immunity status, suppression of pathogenic microflora. Prebiotic doesn't have negative consequences. One of the most common prebiotic in Ukraine is Actigen. It is a highly purified, concentrate and specific controlled carbohydrate fraction, which was obtained from the cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Actigen adding to broiler combined feed was learned in the poultry farm`s conditions. We learned product influence on slaughter quality of broilers. We recommended adding a preparation in large quantity based on the previous research of grain feed quality in the Ukrainian market. Company-developer proposed to use Actigen in quantity 400 g/T during all growing process. We proposed to use following quantity of Actigen in combine feed: starter – 800 g/T, growth 1–600 g/T, growth 2–400 g/T, finish 1–400 g/T, finish 2–300 g/T. According to the results of chicken broilers growing up to 42-day and holding a control, slaughter were receive increasing of preslaughter weight on 183.4 g, or 7.38% (P ≤0.05). Analysis of proceeding broiler chicken meat had shown the most changing of ratio different part the carcass. Received data showed that using of Actigen in proposed quantity for chicken broilers growing more expediency than recommended dosage.


Importance
Microvascular abnormalities in amblyopia are becoming evident with high-resolution imaging, such as optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A); however, to our knowledge, the clinical significance and use of these findings are unknown.

Objective
To assess changes in quantitative OCT-A metrics in amblyopic eyes and explore their association with visual acuity in children.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This population-based nested case-control study included children aged 6 to 8 years who were consecutively recruited between January 2016 and July 2017 from the population-based Hong Kong Children Eye Study (HKCES) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Eye Centre. All participants underwent OCT-A with a swept-source OCT and detailed ophthalmic investigations. Macular microvasculature of the superficial capillary plexus was quantified by a customized automated image analysis program. A multivariable linear regression was conducted to evaluate the differences in OCT-A metrics between amblyopic and nonamblyopic eyes after adjustment for all known confounders. Data analysis was conducted from September to November 2018.

Main Outcomes and Measures
Differences in OCT-A metric (foveal avascular zone [FAZ]) area, FAZ circularity, vessel density, vessel diameter index, and fractal dimension between amblyopic and nonamblyopic eyes.

Results
There were 30 participants with amblyopia (mean [SD] age, 7.57 [1.2] years; 16 girls [53.3%]) and 1045 controls (mean [SD] age, 7.65 [1.0] years; 580 girls [55.5%]) in this cohort. Compared with control eyes, amblyopic eyes had decreased FAZ circularity (-0.058; 95% CI, -0.096 to -0.021, P = .002), decreased fractal dimension (-0.014; 95% CI, -0.024 to -0.003; P = .01), and increased vessel diameter index (0.002; 95% CI, 0.002 to 0.003; P < .001). A difference was not identified between FAZ area and vessel density. LogMAR visual acuity was associated with FAZ circularity (sβ, -0.133; P < .001) and vessel diameter index (sβ, 0.097; P = .001) but not with vessel density nor FAZ area.

Conclusions and Relevance
The results of this population-based study in children supports the presence of macular microvascular abnormalities in amblyopic eyes. Such changes as measured by OCT-A metrics are associated with visual acuity, inferring retinal involvement in the development of amblyopia and suggesting a potential role of quantitative OCT-A metrics in the diagnosis and recognition of amblyopia.


This paper mainly focuses on economic power management of a grid interactive microgrid with BESS. The declining battery price at a rapid rate has laid a milestone for this paper. The colocating solar generation with BESS is a concept garnering much attention lately. This paper highlights how batteries can be cast-off for demand-charge management thereby contributing to savings in electricity bills. In this context, a generalized rule-based EPMA is proposed, which is capable of making decisions considering all the conditions that prevail throughout the year. For instance, at the time of non-conventional load hours like peak load hours, monsoons, power blackouts. Furthermore, the algorithm ensures sustained power supply for the critical industrial load by retaining battery Soc's within limits. Hence, we can extract maximum advantages from BESS, which in turn helps power customers to reduce their electricity bills and increase their incentives.


This paper focus on how children communicate the connections between self and place through the use of photography. It has been argued that there are structural similarities between place and self, and that this is the reason for the intense relationships people develop with place. The paper explores why the nature of photography facilitates communication of the relationships between self and place. It draws on experiences of a project focusing on how children communicate place experience through different qualitative methods. It is showed that photography results in narratives regarding connections between self and place, and that it is the non-visual aspects of place that most clearly are communicated through the visual method of photography. The photographs are not reproductions of the visual impression of place, but rather virtual places which triggers memories and senses almost as effectively as 'real' place. It is the meeting between self and place, rather than the physical and visual aspects of place that is photographed. The camera functions as a mediator between place and self, and the diverse relations that exists between these two.


Summary: We studied the effect of varying potassium (K+) concentrations on spontaneous and pentylenetetrazol(PTZ)‐induced population burst discharges in mouse hippocampal slices. Standard techniques were used to obtain extracellular recordings in the CA3 region of hippocampal slices from Swiss‐Webster mice (21–28 days old). No spontaneous burst discharges occurred at 3.25 mM K+, but population bursts were observed in 20 and 90% of the slices at 6.25 and 9.25 mM K+, respectively. In the presence of 3.25 mM K+, PTZ produced bursts in 12% of the slices at a concentration of 200 μg/ml, in 36% at 300 μg/ml, and in 40% at 400 mug/ml. Slices exhibiting no burst discharges in the presence of 6.25 mM K+ could be induced to do so with the addition of PTZ;bursts were produced in 11% of these slices at a PTZ concentration of 100 μg/ml, in 65% at 150 μg/ml, and in 87% at 200 μg/ml. The PTZ‐induced bursting activity was reversible. Clonazepam abolished the bursting elicited with 200 μg/ml PTZ at 6.25 mM K+, and phenytoin reduced, but did not stop, bursting activity. Ethosuximide (ETH) was ineffective in stopping or reducing the burst discharges at a concentration of 125 μg/ml and was variably effective at 250 μg/ml. Only at 400 μg/ml ETH was there a onsistent reduction in the frequency of population bursts. The induction of PTZ discharges in the hippocampal in vitro preparation offers the advantage of a simplified model for studying the pharmacology of antiepileptic drugs.


In practice the "metanational model" - whereby firms explore, acquire and leverage new sources of innovation worldwide to build up competitive advantages on a global scale rather than being complacent with strategies solely depending on the advantages of the home country - has only been implemented to date by a handful of leading firms. The adoption of the metanational model is especially difficult for Japanese firms, with their strong home-country orientation. In recent years, however, metanational developments have been emerging here and there in the R&D activities of Japanese firms, the very area which appears at first glance to be the most ethnocentric. This paper focuses on some of the leading trials in such global R&D management to seek out the key to the success in adopting the metanational approach, and examines the issues for promoting global innovation that remain deeply rooted at many Japanese firms. The paper clarifies three issues, namely the challenges of overcoming excessive focus on the home market, excessive insistence on acting alone (rather than through business alliances) and excessive emphasis on industrialized nations, and presents some suggestions for global innovation in Japan.


We studied magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) with a MgO(001) barrier and metastable bcc Co3Mn(001) disordered alloy electrodes. A tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio was approximately 200%–250% observed at room temperature. We successfully observed the TMR ratio greater than 600% at 10 K which was higher than the past reported value of MgO-based MTJs with ultrathin bcc Co(001) electrodes. However, our experimental value was still much lower than the past theoretical prediction in bcc Co/MgO/Co(001) MTJs. We discuss some differences in the bulk band structure affecting the TMR effect for bcc Co and bcc Co3Mn.


PURPOSE
To describe and explore the relationship between baseline anxiety, depression and symptom experience in children and youth assessed at a concussion clinic.

DESIGN AND METHODS
A retrospective chart review of concussed children and youth referred to a pediatric teaching hospital concussion clinic over a 15-month period was completed. Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KAD-6), General Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI) scores were extracted.

RESULTS
A total of 155 patients were included. The most common symptoms (PCSI) at baseline were headache, fatigue, and feelings of head pressure. Symptoms were rated as mild to moderate in intensity. Overall, mean depression and anxiety scores were low. The mean anxiety scores, as measured by the GAD-7 (n = 108), was 7.4 (range, 0-24). The mean depression score, as measured by the KAD-6 (n = 94), was 4.7 (range, 0-18). A statistically significant, moderate positive correlation between PCSI scores with KAD-6 scores for male (r = .64, p < .001) and female (r = .61, p < .001) participants was identified. Similarly, a statistically significant, moderate positive correlation between PCSI scores with GAD-7 scores for male (r = .68, p < .001) and female (r = .60, p < .001) participants was identified.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
Concussed children may experience a wide array of symptoms, including emotional challenges such as anxiety and depression. Feelings of anxiety and depression may contribute to overall post concussive symptoms in concussed children. The electronic health record can be leveraged to provide important patient data. Clinicians should systematically assess symptoms at each visit in concussed children and youth so that appropriate interventions can be implemented and monitored.


The myenteric plexus shows morphologic and quantitative variability in the alimentary canals of different species of animals. We have quantified and analyzed the morphology of the myenteric plexus of ten adult Cyprinus carpio intestinal bulbs, by means of histological cross sections stained with HE and Van Gieson methods, as well as Giemsa- stained whole mount preparations. The myenteric plexus, located between the longitudinal and circular layers of the muscular tunic, is formed by isolated neurons and ganglia. Percentages of small, medium and large neurons were 21%, 63.4% and 15.6%, respectively, with a prevalence of intermediary cytoplasmic basophily and peripheral nuclei. Neuronal density in 6.92mm 2 of intestinal bulb was of 2,040 neurons.


The results are presented from a survey of national legislation and strategies to mitigate climate change covering almost all United Nations member states between 2007 and 2012. This data set is distinguished from the existing literature in its breadth of coverage, its focus on national policies (rather than international pledges), and on the use of objective metrics rather than normative criteria. The focus of the data is limited to national climate legislation and strategies and does not cover subnational or sectoral measures. Climate legislation and strategies are important because they can: enhance incentives for climate mitigation; provide mechanisms for mainstreaming; and provide a focal point for actors. Three broad findings emerge. First, there has been a substantial increase in climate legislation and strategies between 2007 and 2012: 67% of global GHG emissions are now under national climate legislation or strategy compared to 45% in 2007. Second, there are substantial regional effects to the patterns, with most increases in non-Annex I countries, particularly in Asia and Latin America. Third, many more countries have adopted climate strategies than have adopted climate legislation between 2007 and 2012. The article concludes with recommendations for future research. Policy relevance The increase in climate legislation and strategy is significant. This spread suggests that, at the national level, there is some movement in reshaping climate governance despite the relatively slow pace of global negotiations, although the exact implications of this spread require further research on stringency of actions and their implementation. Asia and Latin America represent the biggest improvements, while OECD countries, which start from a high base, remain relatively stagnant. Implications of regional patterns are further refined by an analysis by emissions, which shows that some areas of low levels of legislation and strategy are also areas of relatively low emissions. A broad trend toward an emphasis on strategies rather than legislation, with the significant exception of China, calls for enhanced research into the practical impact of national non-binding climate strategies versus binding legislation on countries' actual emissions over time.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of mouse pregnancy immunological tolerance induced by oral administration of antigens and investigate oral tolerance (OT) therapy of unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion.

METHODS
The mouse models of spontaneous abortion CBA/J x DBA/2 were established, then we administrated the models by oral proper dosage antigens ovum albumin (OVA), trophoblast menbrane antigens trophoblast membrane antigen (TMA)1, TMA2 and observed the changes of embryo loss rate (ELR) as compared with the control groups: group without immunization, group of active immunization by injecting intraperitoneally spleenocytes and blank control by feeding normal saline (NS).

RESULTS
(1) The results showed that the ELR of group without immunization, group of active immunization and control blank were 29%, 8% and 28%, respectively. (2) Expect the groups of low dosage single-fed, the ELR can be decreased significantly by oral administration of suitable dosage of antigen OVA and TMA2 as compared with group without immunization and blank control (P < 0.05) and no changes was found as compared with group of active immunization (P > 0.05), the ELR of group OVA 2 mg x 5-fed (4%) and TMA2 2 mg x 5-fed (3%) was the lowest of all. (3) The ELR had not been decreased after administration of TMA1 groups as compared with group without immunization and group blank (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION
The results suggested that pregnancy immunological tolerance can be induced efficiently and the ELR can be decreased significantly by oral administration of proper dosage antigens of OVA and TMA2.