Timing derating is one of the key factors to compute the soft error rate of a sequential circuit. We present a very fast and accurate approach based on enhanced static timing analysis and signal probability to estimate the probability of latching an incorrect value in the system bistables (timing derating). Experimental results and comparison with Monte-Carlo simulations show that the accuracy of our approach is within 2% of the simulation-based method while orders of magnitude faster.


Regional multi‐model ensembles are used to both increase the spatial resolution of the global simulations and to palliate uncertainties arising from different parameterizations and dynamical cores. Here, we present the simulated current (1960–1990) and future (2070–2100) precipitation climatologies using eight Regional Climate Models (RCM) over Europe for an increased greenhouse gases scenario. Analysis of the current climate simulations in terms of the Probability Distribution Functions (PDF) shows noticeable regional differences in the type of precipitation which are in agreement with known precipitation climatologies. For future climate we observe an overall decrease of mean precipitation in most of the Mediterranean regions. A rise in high monthly precipitation amounts appear for all the regions, except for the Iberian peninsula and the Alps. As our analysis embed both spatial and temporal uncertainties in the modeling, our results provide further evidence of a variety of regional patterns within Europe under an increased greenhouse emissions scenario.


The switching behavior and the magnetization states of non-interacting Supermalloy (Ni79Fe16Mo5) nanomagnet arrays were studied by magnetic measurements and micromagnetic simulations. The switching-field distribution of the easy-axis hysteresis loop of the nanomagnets was broadened due to lithographic shape variations and thermal fluctuations. When cooled to a low temperature (100 K), the switching-field distribution of the loop was reduced and its squareness ratio became higher. We found strong remanent magnetization along the hard axes of the nanomagnets, indicating the presence of metastable states and end-domain states. An oscillating field with amplitude of 30 Oe was sufficient to destabilize these metastable states; however, a high oscillating field (amplitude > 250 Oe) is required to reduce the remanence to zero.


ABSTRACT Purpose: Physical exercises on unstable surfaces have been largely applied for clinical practice as well as in sports training. Although the unsteadiness can lead to physiological and psychological adaptations, little is known about the autonomic and emotional acute responses during the practice of balance exercises. This study aimed to evaluate both cardiorespiratory and emotional responses while standing on different unstable surfaces. Methods: Eighty-eight healthy participants performed postural balance tasks in three experimental conditions: (1) a rigid surface (control); (2) balance pad; and (3) the Both Sides Up (BOSU) ball. Respiratory activity was recorded through the thoracic movement and the heart rate variability by the electrocardiographic signal during the balance tasks. After the participants evaluated the level of perceived stability and emotional aspects related to each experimental condition. Results: The main results showed that BOSU condition was perceived as more unstable, unpleasant, with higher arousal and lower dominance levels (p < .05). Accordingly, participants had also an increase in the mean respiratory frequency and heart rate (p < .05). Conclusion: These results showed that the postural task with greater instability prompted congruent physiological adjustments to ensure the homeostasis in the more challenging condition. Therefore, the cardiorespiratory and emotional responses should be considered to ensure the safety and benefits in rehabilitation programs in which the exercise progression is based on unstable surfaces.


The year 2022 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of Helen P. Bruder's William Blake and the Daughters of Albion (Macmillan, 1997) (hereafter WBDA), the first book that brought feminist criticism to bear on Blake studies. Bruder's WBDA wrestles with Blake's complex representations of gender and sexuality. While earlier essays brought much-needed critical focus to Blake's representations of women (see Susan Fox and Anne Mellor), Bruder's book-length study argued for a radical feminist spirit in his works. This strident call to arms would advance Blake scholarship in exciting new directions, and WBDA has been widely cited ever since. Bruder is also the editor of Women Reading William Blake (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) and prolific co-editor with Tristanne Connolly of four collections: Queer Blake (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), Blake, Gender and Culture (Pickering & Chatto, 2012), Sexy Blake (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), and Beastly Blake (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Currently, she is an independent scholar living in Oxfordshire. I met with her on 3 October 2022 at St. James's Church, Piccadilly, in London, where we talked in the vestibule near the font where Blake was baptized in 1757. In the interview that follows, Bruder reflects on WBDA and what has changed in Blake scholarship since then.


abstract:This article engages in an overview of existing studies on local institutions, particularly mainstream media and communication systems, in polarized, faction-ridden, and military-induced transition contexts. Using Zimbabwe as a case study, the article suggests ways of strengthening and building the resilience of local media institutions in the country as a step toward their transformation. It problematizes the institutional production practices, regulatory mechanisms, and journalism training cultures within a conflict-prone context. Also, it identifies media development strategies and practices for protecting the fourth estate from arbitrary manipulation by political and economic actors. Beyond the need to transcend factional or template journalism, the article suggests ways in which the media in Zimbabwe can be transformed, rather than remain complicit in party political factional battles that merely reproduce the status quo.


The extreme polymorphism of antigen-presenting genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has spurred intense research unparalleled for any other gene family. This applies also to teleosts where sequence information is available for 3559 MHC class I and class II allelic variants from 137 species. This review summarizes current knowledge on the origin and maintenance of diversity at classical MHC loci. Most studies identified positive selection (i.e. elevated rates of non-synonymous over synonymous substitutions, dN/dS) as a sign of balancing selection. A meta-analysis on nine species with sufficient numbers of class I and class II sequences revealed that recombination rate and intensity of positive selection were positively correlated, suggesting that recombination and gene conversion played a significant role in shaping the allelic repertoire. Processes that create diversity over long timescales need to be complemented by contemporary balancing selection, either through overdominance or frequency-dependent selection, in order to explain the high allelic diversity observed today. While some evidence for overdominance exists for a few taxa (mainly salmonids) by correlating parasite infection data or survival to MHC genotypes, field or experimental data on negative frequency-dependent selection are lacking altogether, even though some fish species are particularly suitable as model systems. Theoretical predictions suggest that negative frequency-dependent selection is necessary to maintain the existing polymorphism. Hence, future empirical studies should focus on detecting signals that differentiate between mechanisms of contemporary selection rather than repeatedly showing historical selection events.


There is controversy regarding the impact of infection on long-term prognosis in osteosarcoma patients. Clinical trials and experiments relating to this field could bring reconsideration of immunotherapy for osteosarcoma. The clinical records were reviewed of 125 osteosarcoma patients with a mean follow-up of 5.1±3.9 years (range, 0.5-19.8 years), and a review of the literature was also carried out. Chronic localized infections (but not systemic infection) were determined in 6 patients (4.8%). Similar chemotherapeutic regimens (P=1.00) and histological reactions (P=0.65) were observed in patients with or without infection. Tumor location of proximal tibia (P=0.04) was more common in infected patients. More amputations (P<0.001) were necessitated in infected patients due to uncontrolled infection. The 5-year overall survival rate and event-free survival rate in infected patients were 100%, which were significantly higher than that of the non-infected patients, of whom the rates were 54 and 43% respectively (log-rank test: total survival, P=0.01; tumor-free survival, P=0.01). Distant metastasis was an independent risk factor for survival determined by Cox regression analysis (P<0.001, 95 confidence interval, 1.59-3.98). These findings suggested infection was likely to have positive effects on survival in osteosarcoma patients, however, underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Reconsideration of the association of infection and survival in osteosarcoma patients will help to explore novel therapeutic routes and targets in these patients.


The Penglai 19-3 (PL19-3) oil field, the largest offshore oil field in China, was found in shallow reservoirs (700–1700 m, 2297–5577 ft) within the most active fault zone in east China. The PL19-3 anticline was not finally formed until about 2.0 Ma and is cut by densely distributed faults. Source rock and crude oil samples from the PL19-3 field were analyzed to determine the origin and formation mechanisms of this large oil field. Three organic-rich, oil-prone source rock intervals exist in the Bozhong subbasin, each of which has a distinct biomarker assemblage. Oil samples from different wells have different biomarker associations, and three source-related oil classes were identified within the PL19-3 field based on biomarker compositions and multivariate analysis of the data. The PL19-3 field displays considerable compositional heterogeneity. The compositional heterogeneity within the field and comparison between oil samples from the PL19-3 field and those from nearby structures suggest three field-filling directions, which is consistent with the results of migration pathway modeling. The PL19-3 field was charged in the north by oil generated from Dongying Formation source rocks in the eastern Bozhong depression and Bodong depression, in the southeast by oil generated from Shahejie Formation source rocks in the Miaoxi depression, and in the northwest by oil generated from Shahejie Formation source rocks in the central Bozhong depression. Oil charge from multiple source rock intervals and multiple generative kitchens and focusing of oil originating from a large area of the Bozhong depression into the same trap resulted in rapid oil accumulation in the PL19-3 structure and the formation of this large oil field in a very young trap within an active fault zone.


A lightweight and low-cost sediment profile camera system for remote acquisition of vertical sediment-profile pictures was proposed, designed, built, and used to remotely take pictures of vertical sediment profiles in the newly formed marsh at the Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center (CACC) in Milford, CT. The new style of SPI camera and methods for analyzing SPI images were given the name Benthic Profiling System (BPS). SPI imaging technology is routinely employed by environmental agencies, companies, and universities to rapidly obtain information about benthic communities and environments. High-tech and low-cost hardware was bundled into a lightweight sediment-profile camera which captured digital raster images of vertical sediment profiles measuring 5 cm by 7 cm.Empirically the experiments and development of a SPI camera or BPS proved to be too much work to complete in one season. Instead, sampling began in the fall of 2003 and ended in the spring of 2004. Timing and lack of enough samples impaired comparison of traditional ecological methods to the new BPS.


Using a choice experiment conducted among more than a thousand Swiss consumers, we analyze the individual demand for voluntary carbon offsets in different contexts. The analysis is used to identify the consumers' underlying motives for offsetting emissions, the context effects on their willingness to pay and the influence of the offsetting project characteristics on their propensity for contribution. Furthermore, the characteristics of potential buyers as well as the possibilities of behavioral rebound are explored. To support our results, we assess whether the hypothetical preferences are consistent with the revealed behavior. The adopted latent class model accounts for heterogeneity of preferences with respect to offset products offered in the market. The results provide a quantitative assessment of consumers' marginal valuation of carbon offsets and a better understanding of individual preferences. The results also point to strong heterogeneity among individuals favoring targeted policy measures to induce voluntary contribution.


Abstract Introduction Protective effect of royal jelly (RJ) on fluoride-induced nephrotoxicity was investigated in this study. Methods 42 healthy male Wistar rats (n = 42, 8 weeks of age) were divided equally into 6 groups with 7 rats in each; (1) Group-1: Controls fed with standard diet; (2) Group-2: RJ [100 mg/kg] bw (body weight), by oral gavage; (3) Group-3: Fluoride [50 mg/kg] bw, in drinking water; (4) Group-4: Fluoride [100 mg/kg] bw, in drinking water; (5) Group-5: RJ [100 mg/kg] bw, by oral gavage + Fluoride [50 mg/kg] bw, in drinking water; (6) Group-6: RJ [100 mg/kg] bw, by oral gavage + Fluoride [100 mg/kg] bw, in drinking water. After 8 weeks, all rats were decapitated and their kidney tissues were removed for further analysis. The protein expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-6, caspase-9, Bcl-2, Bax, VEGF, GSK-3, BDNF, COX-2 and TNF-α proteins in kidney tissue were analysed by western blotting technique Results RJ increased Bcl-2, COX-2, GSK-3, TNF-α and VEGF protein levels and a decreased caspase-3, caspase −6, caspase-9, Bax and BDNF protein levels in fluoride-treated rats. Conclusion RJ application may have a promising therapeutical potential in the treatment of many diseases in the future by reducing kidney damage.


Exploring biological systems from highly complex datasets is an important task for systems biology. The present study examined co-expression dynamics of mouse heart transcriptome by spectral graph clustering (SGC) to identify a heart transcriptomic network. SGC of microarray data produced 17 classified biological conditions (called condition spectrum, CS) and co-expression patterns by generating bi-clusters. The results showed dynamic co-expression patterns with a modular structure enriched in heart-related CS (CS-1 and -13) containing abundant heart-related microarray data. Consequently, a mouse heart transcriptomic network was constructed by clique analysis from the gene clusters exclusively present in the heart-related CS; 31 cliques were used for constructing the network. The participating genes in the network were closely associated with important cardiac functions (e. g., development, lipid and glycogen metabolisms). Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database indicates that mutations of the genes in the network induced serious heart diseases. Many of the tested genes in the network showed significantly altered gene expression in an animal model of hypertrophy. The results suggest that the present approach is critical for constructing a heart-related transcriptomic network and for deducing important genes involved in the pathogenesis of various heart diseases.


Abstract Background: There has been tremendous pressure on Canada's healthcare system to respond to the increasingly complex health needs of the population despite worsening constraints in financial and human resources. Interprofessional collaborative practice has been seen as an enabler for improving patient care and meeting the current demands on the healthcare system. Methods: The South Eastern Interprofessional Collaborative Learning Environment (SEIPCLE) project, funded by HealthForceOntario, focused on the development and evaluation of the collaborative practice care model in three clinical settings in Southeastern Ontario, Canada. The project was exploratory in nature and used a quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-tests matched with non-equivalent control groups. Several different measures were used, including the Collaborative Practice Assessment Tool (CPAT), an Interprofessional Clinical Education Survey, and a Patient Participation Survey. Quantitative outcome measures were derived from these instruments using factor analysis, and analyzed using regression modelling with co-variates. Focus groups, interviews, and questionnaires provided qualitative data that was coded conceptually and used to complement the results of analyses using quantitative measures. Intervention teams participated in educational components that addressed identified weaknesses in their collaborative practice. Educational components included online modules, workshops, and real-time activities. Findings: Implementation of educational components in the clinical setting posed a number of challenges to reducing the exposure time for some of the intervention teams. Barriers to and enablers of the development of collaborative practice in the healthcare system were identified. Conclusion: Overall, all three intervention teams demonstrated an increase in perceived levels of collaborative practice. Although the results were not statistically significant, the effect, size, and magnitude of change were considered substantial.


Since, the available informational and technological resources constitute a source of prosperity and differentiation for the organizations, the role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is becoming more crucial and vital. The thirty years of the CIO's existence have shown a path of changes and difficulties on defining and establishing the particular role within the organizational context. The present study examines the CIO role evolution over the last thirty years. The examination of the evolution of the CIO role identifies four main areas of interest that can be used as a conceptual framework for the CIO role research. These areas relate to business strategy, innovation and competitive advantage, relationships building and external environment. The analysis provides insights about the responsibilities of the CIOs, and how those are affected by the key disruptive technologies in the last thirty years.


Dust particles in the solar system are produced from the small bodies: asteroids, comets, meteoroids and Kuiper belt objects. A further source of dust is provided by the warm interstellar medium that the Sun is currently embedded in and that streams into the solar system. We review the physical properties of solar system dust and trace back its interrelation with the small solar system bodies. Comets contain relatively pristine material that they transport to the inner solar system. The alteration of dust in the vicinity of comets is complex and connected to the gas evolution, but a significant part of the organic dust material survives these alterations. The optical properties of cometary dust are best described with a mixture of silicate and carbon bearing materials. As far as the darkness of the cometary material is concerned, according to recent models, this is not a result of the porosity, but rather of the darkness of the carbon bearing component. This does not contradict the observation of silicate features in the thermal emission brightness of cometary dust, since porous mixtures of silicate and carbon bearing dust can produce the observed polarization and albedo characteristics, as well as the silicate features. The carbon-bearing component is most likely an organic refactory component. The relative contributions of different sources change within the solar system dust cloud and depend as well on the measurement technique considered. In particular, the dust from asteroids, which provides a large component of the dust near Earth orbit, is also preferably seen with most of the detection methods. The majority of dust inward from 1 AU is produced from cometary dust and meteoroids. Dust material evaporation induced by collisions inward from 1 AU produces a minor heavy ion component in the solar wind plasma known as inner source pick-up ions.


Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency used worldwide. It provides pseudonymity to its users by establishing identity using public keys as transaction end-points. These transactions are recorded on an immutable public ledger called Blockchain which is an append-only data structure. The popularity of Bitcoin has increased unreasonably. The general trend shows a positive response from the common masses indicating an increase in trust and privacy concerns which makes an interesting use case from the analysis point of view. Moreover, since the blockchain is publicly available and up-to-date, any analysis would provide a live insight into the usage patterns which ultimately would be useful for making a number of inferences by law-enforcement agencies, economists, tech-enthusiasts, etc. In this paper, we study various applications and techniques of performing data analytics over Bitcoin blockchain from a graph theoretic perspective. We also propose a framework for performing such data analytics and explored a couple of use cases using the proposed framework.


SUMMARY Biotic factors such as body size and shape have long been known to influence kinematics in vertebrates. Movement in aquatic organisms can also be strongly affected by abiotic factors such as the viscosity of the medium. We examined the effects of both biotic factors and abiotic factors on buccal pumping kinematics in Xenopus tadpoles using high-speed imaging of an ontogenetic series of tadpoles combined with experimental manipulation of the medium over a 10-fold range of viscosity. We found influences of both biotic and abiotic factors on tadpole movements; absolute velocities and excursions of the jaws and hyoid were greater in higher viscosity fluid but durations of movements were unaffected. Smaller tadpoles have relatively wider heads and more robust hyoid muscles used in buccal expansion and compression. Lever arm ratios were found to be constant at all sizes; therefore, smaller tadpoles have relatively higher resolved muscle forces and, like tadpoles in more viscous medium, displayed higher absolute velocities of jaw and hyoid movements. Nonetheless, small tadpoles drew in water at lower Reynolds numbers (Re) than predicted by kinematics, due to negative allometry of the buccal pump. Finally, tadpoles transitioned from a flow regime dominated by viscous forces (Re=2) to an intermediate regime (Re=106).


Background:Bronchial occlusion therapy using silicon spigots is effective for intractable pneumothorax. However, sometimes the pneumothorax is refractory to bronchial occlusion because of collateral ventilation. For such difficult pneumothoraces, we attempted an intrabronchial infusion of autologous blood plus thrombin to control collateral ventilation and stop air leaks. Methods:We performed bronchial occlusions using silicon spigots in patients with spontaneous pneumothorax secondary to emphysema and refractory to chest drainage, but which was inoperable owing to each patient's poor surgical candidacy and poor overall health condition. When bronchial occlusion proved ineffective, we undertook intrabronchial infusion of autologous blood plus thrombin, 2 to 4 days after bronchial occlusion. A catheter was inserted into the subpleural area, through a gap between the silicon spigot and the bronchial wall, using a flexible bronchoscope under fluoroscopic guidance. Autologous blood, followed by a thrombin solution, was infused using the catheter. We repeated the same infusion a total of 4 to 6 times while changing the target bronchi. All interventions were performed under local anesthesia. Results:The subjects were 9 men, aged from 61 to 88 years, with smoking histories. Three patients also had interstitial pneumonia, and 6 patients had undergone pleurodesis in vain before bronchial occlusion. For 4of the 9 patients, autologous blood plus thrombin infusions successfully stopped air leaks, and in 3 patients, intrabronchial infusions and pleurodesis halted leaks altogether. Conclusion:Intrabronchial infusion of autologous blood plus thrombin was effective for intractable pneumothoraces that could not be clinically managed, even by bronchial occlusion using silicon spigots.


Variant lox sites having an altered spacer region (heterospecific lox sites) are not proficient for Cre-mediated recombination with the canonical 34 bp loxP site, but can recombine with each other. By placing different heterospecific lox sites at different genomic locations, Cre can catalyze independent DNA recombination events at multiple loci in the same cell without concern that unwanted inter-locus recombination events will be generated. Such heterospecific lox sites also allow Cre to specifically target efficient integration of exogenous DNA to endogenous lox-like sequences that naturally occur in the genome. Specific targeting occurs only with a DNA vector carrying a heterospecific lox site in which the spacer region has been redesigned to match the 'spacer' region of the targeted chromosomal element. Moreover, in cells expressing a catalytically active Cre recombinase, naturally occurring lox-like sequences can exhibit almost 20% mitotic recombination. Thus, in the same cell, heterospecific lox sites can be used independently at multiple loci for integration, for deletion and for enhanced mitotic recombination, thereby increasing the repertoire of genomic manipulations catalyzed by the Cre recombinase.


CNS infiltration of neoplastic B-cell lymphocytes both in acute leukemia as well as in lymphoma, carry very bad prognosis. There are no universal guidelines for the prophylaxis of such CNS relapse in these patients. Current prophylactic regimes have early and late side effects, sometimes with severe toxicities. Although rituximab has improved treatment results in lymphoproliferative diseases, it cannot reach the CNS when administered systemically (Feugier, Ann Oncol 2004, Rubenstein, Blood 2004). Schulz (Haematologica 2004) used this drug in the treatment of relapse of primary brain lymphomas with positive results using a dose of 10 to 40mg, and estimated 25mg to be a good standardized dose. After approval from our ethics committee and obtaining the informed consent signature, patients received 25 mg of intrathecal rituximab (IT-R) according to the standard intrathecal regimen, plus the standard systemic chemotherapy protocol in our department. Side effects were evaluated according to the NIC toxicity scale. Nine patients have been enrolled in the protocol so far: 8 were male and 1 female, median of age was 49 years (range 14–72). A total of 57 IT-R were administered to our patients (median: 6, range 3–15). They had the following diagnosis: Two with large diffuse B cell lymphoma (LDBCL); two with mantle cell lymphoma (one of them blastic type), three with acute lymphoblastic leukemia; one with Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) and one with anaplastic lymphoma. Two patents had initial CNS infiltration; the blastic type Mantle Cell Lymphoma (patient 2) and the anaplastic Lymphoma (patient 9); these patients received IT-R three times per week, plus two extra doses after complete remission in CNS. Median follow-up was 9 months (range: 3–15 months). All patients had risk factors that warranted prophylaxis (see table). Toxicity included headache in 35% of administrations (Grade I/II), temporal paresthesias in 24.5% of administrations (lasting a median of 5 minutes, range 2–15), neuropathic pain and vomit in 12.3% of administrations (grade I/II), fever and chills in 7% of administrations (Grade I/II). All side effects were temporary and no patient has shown neurological or other late toxicities. The patient with mantle cell lymphoma infiltrated to CNS achieved complete remission after 5 doses of IT-R which continues after autologous stem cell transplantation. The use of rituximab as IT-R is safe and effective. We are starting a phase II study using IT rituximab as prophylaxis and treatment, in a larger group of patients.


Abstract This paper reports on case study research in the UK analysing the participation of early years staff in interprofessional practice to provide effective care and education for children, primarily those with special educational needs. Even though case study staff in different 'outstanding' settings had equivalent qualifications and similar years of experience, the ease with which they were able to marshal and deliver effective provision for children requiring input from other services varied depending on a complex set of factors. Social Practice Theory (Holland and Lave 2009) and the concepts of personal action potency in trajectories of participation (Dreier 2002, 2008) shed light on how and why this was the case. The findings indicate that structural arrangements, interpersonal relationships, history and contentions influenced the practitioners' participation in interprofessional practice, but were not entirely deterministic. Contributing to theoretical development, the paper argues that the potential for interprofessional practice is a shared rather than individual capacity in settings. There is scope for enhancing this capacity through attention to the features identified in the analysis.


El Fin del Mundo is an archaeological site in Sonora, northwest Mexico, that contains a buried Clovis megafauna kill in a lowland area and concentrations of Clovis and later lithic materials scattered on the deflated surface of the surrounding uplands. The Clovis lithic assemblage from the site, identified by its technological and typological features, has been classified into three modes: bifaces, unifaces, and blades. The kill locality only contains Clovis points, whereas the assemblage from the uplands includes multiple bifaces reflecting diverse stages of the manufacture process from blank production to finished, highly reduced, and discarded broken Clovis points, numerous end scrapers, and blades and blade manufacture byproducts. This assemblage is indicative of a campsite where stone tool production and possibly other domestic tasks took place. In addition, a rhyolite outcrop near both the campsite and the kill was intensively exploited, as reflected in the high proportion of this raw material in the Clovis assemblage. Unequivocal association of the kill locality and the campsite is not confirmed; however, the configuration of the site indicates that the campsite was established in uplands near locations with water, game, and lithic resources.


This study explored the role of the Mediation Board as a mediator in resolving minor disputes. According to the Ministry of Justice, many Mediation Board activities have been performed in the past few years in Sri Lanka. Even though there are several mediation boards in the country, most Sri Lankans are still waiting in the judiciary process to get immediate solutions to their issues. Thus, the study addressed the main research questions: What are the processes employed by the mediation board to solve disputes? What kind of improvement should be suggested for an effective mediation process? The general objective is to identify the role and process of the mediation board, identify the problems faced by the mediation board, and make suggestions to improve the mediation board(s) for a better mediation process. The research was based on the Colombo district: The Purposive Sampling Method was utilized to select the research areas from urban, suburban, and rural. The data were obtained from interviews and observations as primary sources and journal articles and related books as secondary sources. Data analysis was carried out using MS Excel for quantitative data and manual data entry for qualitative data. According to the findings, it was revealed that the contribution of the Mediation Board in the rural category was higher than in the suburban and urban areas. It can be concluded that more than 50% of the disputes presented to the Mediation Board (Hanwella, Kaduwela, and Maharagama) are resolved efficiently in a very short period of time. The same procedure has been practiced by all three mediation boards. There are several shortages of both human and physical resources. Appointing experienced young and responsible middle-aged personnel for the mediation boards will help to enhance the efficiency of the service. Furthermore, it is also crucial to provide knowledge concerning the process of mediation and Mediation Boards at the community level and school level.


Speech communication in a restaurant can be a difficult matter. Conversations at the tables becomes difficult due to high noise levels; on the other hand, speech privacy is not ensured for low noise. The major cause of noise in a dining room is due to the talking of customers rather than external sources, and the problem consists of the intelligibility of speech in a background of competing speech, which is commonly called the "cocktail party problem" [1]. In this work the quality of speech communication was evaluated in four pizzeria-restaurants located in the centre of Turin (Italy) by means of questionnaire and measurements.


BACKGROUND
Dyschromias are becoming a more common concern among patients, particularly among persons of color. There are a variety of treatments, including more novel agents for dyschromias. Evaluating common agents prescribed among various races may prompt efforts to enhance care for dyschromias in patients of color.

OBJECTIVE
To determine whether racial or ethnic groups are treated differently for dyschromia. The secondary objective is to discover the main treatments used and determine trends over time in demographics.

METHODS
We searched the 1993-2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) for visits associated with a diagnosis of dyschromia (ICD-9 codes 709.00 or 709.09). The demographics and leading treatments were tabulated, and trends over time were assessed by linear regression.

RESULTS
There were about 24.7 million visits for dyschromia over the 18-year period. Among 5,531,000 patients with the sole diagnosis of dyschromia, there were 2,800 visits from females and 1,200 visits from males per 100,000 population. Females were more likely to receive prescription combination therapy for dyschromia than males by a ratio of 10 to 1. Leading treatments overall prescribed by dermatologists included hydroquinone, topical corticosteroids, and retinoids. Asians were 27% more likely to receive a combination therapy than non-Asians. African Americans and Hispanics were less likely to have a procedure performed for dyschromia.

LIMITATIONS
Data are based on a number of ambulatory care visits, which does not allow direct estimation of prevalence.

CONCLUSIONS
Dyschromia is a significant concern for many patients, and this is especially true among patients of color. Treatment for dyschromia is influenced by skin type, and thus ethnic or racial groups are treated differently. Studies have shown that combination therapy may offer better results than a single medication for hyperpigmentation disorders. Combination agents may be underutilized in African Americans and Hispanics for dyschromia.


Some of Shakespeare's most memorable male characters, such as Hamlet, Prince Hal, and Edgar, are defined by their relationships with their fathers. In Fathers and Sons in Shakespeare, Fred B. Tromly demonstrates that these relationships are far more complicated than most critics have assumed. While Shakespearean sons often act as their fathers' steadfast defenders, they simultaneously resist paternal encroachment on their autonomy, tempering vigorous loyalty with subtle hostility. Tromly's introductory chapters draw on both Freudian psychology and Elizabethan family history to frame the issue of filial ambivalence in Shakespeare. The following analytical chapters mine the father-son relationships in plays that span Shakespeare's entire career. The conclusion explores Shakespeare's relationship with his own father and its effect on his fictional depictions of life as a son. Through careful scrutiny of word and deed, the scholarship in Fathers and Sons in Shakespeare reveals the complex attitude Shakespeare's sons harbour towards their fathers.


Chemical warfare agents containing aromatic arsenicals (AAs) such as Clark I (diphenylchloroarsine) are well-known, as is the risk of leakage from such munitions into the environment. We investigated the uptake of AAs in agricultural soils by rice. Methylphenylarsinic acid (MPAA) was detected in brown rice grown in contaminated soil. Dimethylphenylarsine oxide (DMPAO) and methyldiphenylarsine oxide (MDPAO) were detected in the straw but not in the grains grown in the contaminated soil. Inthe contaminated soil, phenylarsonic acid (PAA) and MPAA concentrations decreased and DMPAO concentration increased under the flooded conditions; however, their concentrations remained unchanged underthe upland conditions. DMPAO was detected in the straw of the rice grown in PAA- or MPAA-amended soil but was not detected in that grown in a PAA- or MPAA-added solution culture. MDPAO was detected in the straw of the rice grown in diphenylarsinic acid (DPAA)-amended soil but was not detected in that grown in a DPAA-added solution culture. Thus, MPAA and DPAA were methylated not in the rice plant but in the soil under the flooded conditions. Dephenylated products were detected in the straw grown in AA-added solution cultures, but demethylated products were not detected. DMPAO and MDPAO absorbed by the shoots were retained, and MPAA and DPAA absorbed by the shoots were translocated to the grains more easily than other AAs.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on gastric motility, protooncogene c-fos and hippocampus N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunits in rats with functional dyspepsia (FD), and to discuss the molecular mechanism of hippocampal in EA at "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Weishu" (BL 21) for gastric motility.

METHODS
Eighty-four Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a Zhongwan group, a Weishu group, an acupoint combination group and a non-acupoint group, 14 rats in each one. Except for the normal group, FD model were established by moderate tail-clipping infuriation method and irregular feeding. The rats in the Zhongwan group, Weishu group, acupoint combination group and non-acupoint group were treated with EA at corresponding acupoints, 20 min per treatment, once a day for 7 days. The rats in the normal group and the model group received no treatment; grabbing and fixation were applied in the model group. The stress transducer was used to record gastric motion waveforms; immunohistochemistry method was used to detect the expression of c-fos in hippocampus; Western blot method was used to detect the expression of NMDA receptor subunits NR1, NR2A and NR2B in hippocampus.

RESULTS
Compared with the normal group, the gastric motility range was decreased (P<0.05), and the expression of hippocampus NR2A was reduced and the levels of NR1 and NR2B were increased in the model group (P<0.05), however, hippocampus c-fos expression was not significant different between the normal group and the model group (P>0.05). Compared with the model group, the gastric motility range was increased, the expression of hippocampus c-fos and expression of hippocampus NR2A was increased but expressions of NR1 and NR2B were reduced in the Weishu group, Zhongwan group and acupoint combination group (P<0.05). Besides, the differences of gastric motility range and expression of hippocampus c-fos, NR1, NR2A and NR2B between the model group and the non-acupoint were not significant (P>0.05). Compared with the Zhongwan group and the Weishu group, the gastric motility range was increased, the expression of hippocampus c-fos and NR2A was increased but the expression of NR1 and NR2B was reducedin the acupoint combination group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the frequency of gastric motility among the groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION
EA at "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Weishu" (BL 21) could increase gastric motility of FD rats, which is likely to be related with activating hippocampal neurons, upregulating the level of NR2A and downregulating NR1 and NR2B.


The authors sought to identify cancer-related disparities in Appalachia Ohio and better understand reasons for the disparities. Data from the Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System, among other sources, were used to examine potential cancer disparities among residents of Appalachia Ohio. Using Ohio census data, the authors examined contributions of household income, educational attainment and population density to disparities in cancer incidence. Results suggest the following disparities in Appalachia Ohio (compared to nonAppalachia Ohio): greater cancer incidence and mortality rates for cancers of the cervix, colon and rectum, lung and bronchus and melanoma of the skin; a later stage at diagnosis of melanoma of the skin; lower prevalence of cancer screening behaviors of mammography, Pap smears, and sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy; and less favorable cancer-related behaviors of obesity, physical activity, diet and especially tobacco smoking. Disparities in Appalachia Ohio may be associated with differences in household income, educational attainment and population density.


This article discusses the role and meaning of the application mind map in teaching history in primary schools in Vietnam. In doing so, this paper studies requirements, designing process and then proposes satisfactory methods to apply mind map in teaching history suitably in Vietnamese education environment. By doing so, the research partly improves the quality and effectiveness of historical lessons in primary schools (class 4 and 5) in to obtain a higher aim of developing students' abilities. In this paper, the author applies mixed researching methods including analyzing data, pedagogical viewing, surveying, and pedagogical experiment and then evaluating educational experience. The research's results support previous studies about the role and effectiveness of using mind map in teaching in general and in teaching history in particular. The author also suggests that in to promote the success of mind map in education, teachers need to mix several teaching methods and technics.


The following works are an exploration of the histories of colonization that the Mestizo experience in North America as well as how the settler colonial phenomenon continues to exist in the contemporary United States. The projects scrutinize the impact of racism, transphobia, classism, capitalism, and heteropatriarchy, as they affect the material realities of people whose lives are determined by their relationship to Western ideology and the gender construct. The use of sculpture, photography, and craft within the bodies of work help conceptualize the tension of Indigenous and Western narratives. Vick Quezada seeks to reconcile and intervene in Western "commonsense" notions by merging material culture by way of abstraction. Quezada is most compelled by the places where evidence of resistance and survival is made manifest. Through their work they desire to generate alternative empathies that open paths for a new consciousness.


cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA) regulates a variety of biological activities by phosphorylating a broad range of target proteins. Spatial and temporal specificity of PKA activity is, in turn, achieved by a family of scaffolding proteins called as the A‐kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs). One of these, dual‐specific AKAP 2 (D‐AKAP2) binds to both the Regulatory (R) isoforms (RI and RII) of PKA. Specifically, the dimerization and docking (D/D) domain at the N‐terminus of the R subunits forms a four‐helix bundle that provides an interface for AKAP binding.


This study explores children's understanding of television commercials that feature the same primary characters as those in the adjacent program content, a technique referred to as host selling. Responses of younger (4-5 years) and older (7-8 years) children to the same commercials presented in both a host-selling and normal viewing (non-host-selling) context are examined. Three dimensions of the processing of television advertising that could be affected by the practice of host selling are assessed: ability to discriminate commercial from program content; ability to attribute persuasive intent to a commercial; and attitudinal responses to commercial appeals. The results indicated that (a) both age groups were significantly less likely to discriminate commercial from program content when the host-selling format was viewed, and (b) the older children are more favorably influenced by the same commercial content when it is seen in a host-selling presentation than in a normal viewing situation. The relevance of this research to existing federal regulatory policy regarding children's television advertising is discussed.


This paper presents some generalizations of BCI algebras (the RM, tRM, *RM, RM**, *RM**, aRM**, *aRM**, BCH**, BZ, pre-BZ and pre-BCI algebras). We investigate the p-semisimple property for algebras mentioned above; give some examples and display various conditions equivalent to p-semisimplicity. Finally, we present a model of mereology without antisymmetry (NAM) which could represent a tRM algebra.


The popularity of distance education is on the rise in many countries, but distance education is also subjected to severe criticism. In Sweden, distance education has grown considerably during the last decade and about a fifth of all students are now studying on distance. In Sweden distance courses have been criticized for a lower throughput compared to campus courses and for lower productivity, which could be seen both as inferior quality and ineffective use of funds. In Quality Management what constitutes quality is decided by the customers. It could be discussed who the customers in the educational systems are – students, employers, state and others? Only when we have identified the customers and their needs can we compare how these are satisfied with campus education and distance education and form an opinion of the quality levels. With a broad customer definition we approach the idea of value for stakeholders, which would additionally include at least the management, the lecturers, the local community and the environment. Results indicate that what constitutes quality in education is not well defined. There is no indication of distance education having a lower quality, but rather the contrary, when using common quality definitions. An apparent area of improving the educational system in Sweden is defining and measuring quality better.


The adsorption of Cu2+ on microcrystalline gibbsite and boehmite from aqueous solutions having 2/1 and 5/1 glycine/Cu ratios has been studied using electron spin resonance (ESR). The presence of glycine inhibited metal adsorption on gibbsite above pH 5, apparently by reducing Cu hydrolysis. The preferred adsorbed species on gibbsite and boehmite, based upon the ESR parameters, were probably Cu(gly)+ and Cu(gly)20, respectively. In both experiments, rigidly-bound ternary complexes formed with Cu2+ simultaneously bonding to the surface and one or more ligands. A large excess of glycine destabilized the ternary complex and caused the desorption of Cu2+. The preferred orientation of the Cu complex on gibbsite suggests that the adsorption occurred at crystal steps and that the glycine molecule hydrogen bonded to hydroxyls of the (001) surface.


This article presents an critical review on various issue concerning to HRES like types, storage, trends for research and control strategies of HRES. Various interconnection techniques for HRES are presented. It has been made a short review of Mathematical model for renewable energy sources. Conclusion and result of control strategies work of HRES, Storage techniques of HRES for energy flow management is presented. Finally, it has been made a summary of the future analysis, challenges in techniques and improvements of HRES based power generation techniques for Isolated and grid connected applications.


This paper focuses on various concepts and studies associated with child labour, their socio-economic issues, the World and Indian scenario of child labour. It analyses the driving factors responsible for child labour in India and World. The various forms of child labour and health hazards they are faced. Various causes of child labour like the curse of poverty, lack of educational resources, Social and economic backwardness, Addiction, disease or disability, The lure of cheap labour, Family tradition, Discrimination between boys and girls. Consequences of Child Labour such as General child injuries and abuses like cuts, burns, and lacerations, fractures, tiredness and dizziness, excessive fears and nightmares. Sexual abuse, particularly sexual exploitation of girls by adults, rape, prostitution, early and unwanted pregnancy, abortion, Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and HIV/AIDS, drugs and alcoholism. Physical abuse involves corporal punishment, emotional maltreatment such as blaming, belittling, verbal attacks, and bad remarks. Emotional neglect such as deprivation of family love and affection, resulting in loneliness, and hopelessness. Physical neglect like lack of adequate provision of food, clothing, shelter and medical treatment. Lack of schooling results in missing educational qualifications and higher skills thus perpetuating their life in poverty. We suggest for a new approach that puts people and the work they do at the center of economic and social policy and business practice: a human-centered agenda for the future of work.


At the university level, the penetration of cross-cultural awareness is of great significance to talent training. This article uses empirical research to study the cross-cultural adaptability of international students, and on this basis, puts forward four suggestions for the penetration of cross-cultural awareness among university students. This is of great significance for strengthening the penetration of cross-cultural awareness during colleges and universities, cultivating and enhancing the cross-cultural communication skills of college students, and adapting to the trend of global international communication.


Health-related quality of life was studied in 35 episodic cluster headache (CH) patients during and after the cluster period, using a generic (SF-36) and a headache-specific (MSQ2.1) instrument. The results were compared with those of age-and sex-matched migraineurs (n = 53) and healthy persons (n = 62). During the cluster period patients had lower scores than controls in all SF-36 and MSQ2.1 domains. The difference was significant for most SF-36 and all MSQ2.1 domains. Although CH patients had lower scores than migraineurs on most scales, the difference was significant only on SF-36 scores measuring bodily pain and social functioning. There was a good correlation between the two instruments. After the termination of the cluster period the quality of life of patients was similar to that of headache-free controls. Generic and headache-specific QoL are severely impaired in CH and this impairment is at least as severe as in migraine.


Postoperative thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) shows clinical presentation similar to classical TTP, whereas exact pathophysiological contexts remain unexplained. In this study, we investigated intraoperative and postoperative changes in ADAMTS-13 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motifs, member 13), von Willebrand factor (VWF), large VWF multimers, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in vascular surgery patients. The objective was to compare the impact of endovascular, peripheral, and aortic surgery on target parameters which are supposed to play a role in surgery-associated TTP. A total of 93 vascular surgery patients were included and divided into 4 groups according to the specific type of intervention they underwent. Blood samples were taken preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively on days 2 and 4. The ADAMTS-13 activity decreased significantly in 3 of the 4 groups during surgery (from median 81% to 49%, P < .001, in the group undergoing aortoiliacal interventions), whereas the percentage of large VWF multimers increased in all groups of patients. von Willebrand factor antigen increased significantly in all groups on postoperative day 2 and IL-6 increased significantly in the intraoperative and early postoperative period. There was no significant correlation between the intraoperative decrease in ADAMTS-13 and the increase in VWF or IL-6. No patient in this study showed clinical picture of TTP; the precise cause and clinical significance of moderately reduced ADAMTS-13 activity in the perioperative setting have not yet been definitely determined.


It seems to me he states his basic thesis in the chapter, "The Christian and World Citizenship." "It appears that many of us have been so muddled in our thinking that we believe that our theological conservatism forces us to be conservative in all other areas of our lives. What is needed desperately in our world is an effective working synthesis of a basically conservative theology and a social liberalism." This is the perspective of the entire book. Findley B. Edge


We investigate quantum annealing (QA) via the transverse interaction with XY-type anisotropy to the ground state problems for a toy model system composed of 4 S=l/2 quantum spins interacting with anti-ferromagnetic interactions. By solving the Schrodinger equation for the toy model system, we find that the QA succeeds in deriving the ground state of the toy model system, if the target system does not have non-trivial degeneracy in the ground state. Then, we also And that the QA selectively obtains a desirable solution among the degenerate ground states by tuning the XY-type anisotropy appropriately, when the target system has non-trivial degeneracy in the ground state. Then, the spin wave theory also finds that the toy model indicates similar properties in an infinite-volume limit. Next, we find that the ground state of the target system can be obtained even if we start annealing procedure from states including excited states of the kinetic energy term, when we set the time interval to be large in solving the Schrodinger equation.


Background Syndecans includes a group of proteins from the cell-surface heparan-sulfate proteoglycan family, with a relevant role in chronic inflammation of synovial tissue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) participating in the cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions. Syndecans are differentially expressed in the synovial tissue: syndecan-1 (SDC-1) is expressed mainly in mononuclear cells, syndecan-3 (SDC-3) is mainly expressed by synovial endothelial cells and syndecan-4 (SDC-4) is expressed by B lymphocytes regulating B cell development and survival. Currently, there is strong evidence that antibodies directed to citrullinated protein antigens (ACPAs) are associated with a more severe disease in RA. Nevertheless, to date, there is a lack of information about the relation between serum syndecan levels and serum concentrations of rheumatoid factor (RF) and ACPAs. Objectives To evaluate the association between serum SDC-1, SDC-3 and SDC-4 levels with serum concentrations of RF and ACPAs. Methods Eighty-one, patients with RA were included. We assessed clinical characteristics including disease activity by DAS-28, functioning by HAQ-Di. Serum concentrations of RF were measured by nephelometry, two ACPAs were measured: anti-CCP2 and anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) antibodies using ELISA. Serum levels of SDC-1, SDC-3 (ng/mL) and SDC-4 (pg/mL) were measured by ELISA. We compared the serum levels of these syndecans in the ACPA+ group (group 1) versus ACPA- group (group 2) with Student t-test. A correlation analysis (Pearson tests) was performed to identify the strength of association between concentrations of syndecans with concentrations of ACPAs and other variables. Results Patients with RA had a mean age of 50±11 yrs, 75% were RF+ and 64% were ACPA+. In patients with ACPAs+ were observed higher serum concentrations of SDC-3 (p=0.003) and SDC-4 (p<0.001). SDC-1 correlated significantly with anti-MCV (r=0.53, p<0.001). Serum concentrations of SDC-3 correlated significantly with anti-CCP titres (r=0.53, p=0.003) and anti-MCV (r=0.46, p=0.02); whereas SDC-4 levels correlated significantly with anti-CCP titres (r=0.61, p<0.001) and RF (r=0.53, p=0.003). Additionally, serum SDC-1 levels correlated with decrement in response to treatment with synthetic DMARDs (r=-0.25, p=0.026). SDC-1 did not correlate with serum SDC-3 (p=0.8) and SDC-4 (p=0.8); whereas serum SDC-3 and SDC-4 had a strong correlation (r=0.8, p<0.001). Conclusions Serum SDC-3 and SDC-4 are increased in ACPA-positive RA patients. These data suggest that syndecans might be useful as serum biomarkers for discriminate a group of patients with RA and more severe disease. References Patterson AM, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2008 May;67(5):592–601. Endo T, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015 Sep;67(9):2512–22. Acknowledgements This project was supported by a grant from the Fondo de Investigacion en Salud del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social: FIS/IMSS/PROT/G15/1448. Disclosure of Interest N. Rodriguez-Jimenez: None declared, E. Cardona-Muñoz: None declared, J. Gamez-Nava: None declared, E. Perez-Guerrero: None declared, M. Ponce-Guarneros: None declared, E. Vera-Navarrete: None declared, A. Nava-Zavala: None declared, T. Garcia-Cobian: None declared, M. Salazar-Paramo: None declared, L. Gonzalez-Lopez Grant/research support from: Dr. L Gonzalez-Lopez is a recipient of a Fundacion IMSS Scholarship, Mexico.


Advances in information and communications technology have made possible collaborative activities in virtual settings. Virtual settings can significantly expand the knowledge resources available, yet they also create additional challenges to the already difficult activities of collaborating. The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of how collaborative activities in virtual settings enable the different parties to achieve their desired objectives by examining them from a knowledge management perspective. Three aspects of knowledge management-- knowledge transfer, knowledge discovery, and knowledge creation--are examined in the context of telemedicine projects. The findings indicate that an association exists between the types of collaborative activities engaged in virtual settings and the effects such projects are perceived as having. While this research focuses only on virtual collaborative activities in health care, it is likely that these findings are applicable to other industries engaged in such activities in virtual settings.


Background: Malaria diagnosis relies mainly on the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The majority of commercial RDTs used in Africa detect the Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (PfHRP2). pfhrp2/3 gene deletions can therefore lead to false-negative RDT results. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of PCR-confirmed, false-negative P. falciparum RDT results in Monrovia, Liberia.Methods: We used PfHRP2-based RDT (Paracheck Pf®) and microscopy results from 1038 individuals with fever or history of fever (n=951) and pregnant women at first antenatal care (ANC) visit (n=87) enrolled in the Saint Joseph Catholic Hospital (Monrovia) from March to July 2019 to assess the frequency of false-negative RDT results. True false negatives were confirmed by detecting the presence of P. falciparum DNA by quantitative PCR in samples from individuals with discrepant RDT and microscopy resultsResults: One hundred and eighty-six (19.6%) and 200 (21.0%) of the 951 febrile participants had a P. falciparum positive result by RDT and microscopy, respectively. Positivity rate increased with age and the reporting of joint pain, chills and shivers, vomiting and weakness, and increased with the presence of coughs and nausea. The positivity rate at first ANC visit was 5.7% (n=5) and 8% (n=7) by RDT and microscopy, respectively. Out of 207 Plasmodium infections detected by microscopy, 22 (11%) were negative by RDT. qPCR confirmed absence of P. falciparum DNA in the sixteen RDT-negative but microscopy-positive samples which were available for molecular testing. Conclusion: There is no qPCR-confirmed evidence of false-negative RDT results due to pfhrp2/pfhrp3 deletions in this study conducted in Monrovia (Liberia). This indicates the appropriate performance of PfHRP2-based RDTs for the diagnosis of malaria in Liberia. Nevertheless, active surveillance for the emergence of PfHRP2 deletions is required.


The new hybrid compound (C6H14N2)[Cu(H2O)(6)][Cu(SeO4)(2)(H2O)(4)](2) crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/n, with the unit cell parameters: a = 7.2469(2) angstrom, b = 9.5360(2) angstrom, c = 22.1919(5) angstrom, and beta = 95.789(2)degrees. The structure was solved by conventional direct methods. The R and wR values for 76142 measured reflections were 0.0337 and 0.0625, respectively. Within the structure of this new compound, the transition metal adopts two types of octahedral coordination. Indeed, Cu1 is coordinated by four water molecules and two selenate groups to form the tetraaquadiselenatocuprate(II) anion [Cu(SeO4)(2)(H2O)(4)](2-), whereas Cu2 adopts another octahedral environment formed by six water molecules, but three of them crystallographically independent. The Cu1 and Cu2 atoms display the socalled (4+1+1) and (4+2) type of coordination, respectively, that has often been observed in other compounds containing the same transition metal, which is consistent with a Jahn-Teller distortion. The crystal structure of the title complex consists of isolated metallic polyhedra and disordered dabcodiium cations linked together by two types of hydrogen bond, OW-H center dot center dot center dot O and N-H center dot center dot center dot O, only. The thermogravimetric analysis shows that the dehydration of the compound takes place in four steps. The decomposition leads to the copper oxide in the last stage.


Malfunction of metal-on-metal hip prostheses may produce visual, hearing, and motor deficits. These authors compared brain volumes, metal deposition, and gray matter attenuation in 2 groups of patients 8 years after surgery. Whole blood cobalt and chromium levels were higher in patients with metal-on-metal prostheses and associated with subtle structural changes in the visual pathways and basal ganglia. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hip prostheses that use a metal-on-metal articulation expose the brain to elevated metal concentrations that, in acute excess due to prosthesis malfunction, is associated with neurologic damage, including visual and hearing loss and motor deficits. Here, we examined whether chronic exposure to lower elevated metal levels, typical of well-functioning prostheses, also affects brain structure and function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared brain volumes, metal deposition, and gray matter attenuation by MR imaging and clinical neurologic function in patients 8 years after receiving a metal-on-metal hip resurfacing versus a matched group of patients with the same duration exposure to a conventional hip prosthesis. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (25 men; mean, age 59 ± 7 years) after metal-on-metal hip resurfacing and 29 patients (25 men; 59 ± 8 years) after total hip arthroplasty were compared. Whole blood cobalt and chromium concentrations were 5–10 times higher in the metal-on-metal hip resurfacing group (P < .0001). Occipital cortex gray matter attenuation tended to be lower (P < .005 uncorrected, P > .05 corrected), and the optic chiasm area tended to be lower (mean difference, −2.7 mm2; P = .076) in the metal-on-metal hip resurfacing group. Subgroup analyses in 34 patients (17 per group), after exclusion of primary ocular pathology, showed the same trend in gray matter attenuation in the occipital cortex and basal ganglia and a smaller optic chiasm in the metal-on-metal hip resurfacing group (mean difference, −3.9 mm2; P = .048). No other structural or functional differences were found between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic exposure to metal-on-metal hip resurfacing is associated with subtle structural change in the visual pathways and the basal ganglia in asymptomatic patients.


We present three patients with aortic atresia, normal left ventricle and ventricular septal defect by bidimensional echocardiography. In two patients the Norwood's procedure was performed, but they died in the immediate postoperative time. The different procedures for the correction of this kind of aortic atresia and the necessity of prompt surgical treatment are discussed here.


ABSTRACT Over the last 25 years, the quality of pressure ulcer (PrU) care has significantly changed because of sweeping public policy changes from the federal government. In fact, how clinicians think about PrU prevention and treatment can be traced back to several landmark changes made by the federal government that affect the continuum of healthcare. Moreover, the types of reimbursements for providers and institutions have dramatically changed in the last 25 years. The purpose of this article is to briefly review some of the major changes in long-term care, acute care, and home healthcare that have been impacted by public policy over the last 25 years.


Quantum creation of a universe with a nontrivial spatial topology is considered. Using the Euclidean functional integral prescription, we calculate the wave function of such a universe with cosmological constant and without matter. The minisuperspace path integral is calculated in the semiclassical approximation, and it is shown that in order to include the nontrivial topologies in the path integral approach to quantum cosmology, it is necessary to generalize the sum over compact and smooth 4‐manifolds to sum over finite‐volume compact 4‐orbifolds.


The purpose of this review on spectrin is to examine the functional properties of this ubiquitous family of membrane skeletal proteins. Major topics include spectrin-membrane linkages, spectrin-filament linkages, the subcellular localization of spectrins in various cell types and a discussion of major functional differences between erythroid and nonerythroid spectrins. This includes a summary of studies from our own laboratories on the functional and structural comparison of avian spectrin isoforms which are comprised of a common alpha subunit and a tissue-specific beta subunit. Consequently, the observed differences among these spectrins can be assigned to differences in the properties of the beta subunits.


Novel stimuli attract our attention, promote exploratory behavior, and facilitate learning. Atypical habituation and aberrant novelty exploration have been related with the severity of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) but the underlying neuronal circuits are unknown. Here, we report that dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) promote the behavioral responses to novel social stimuli, support preference for social novelty, and mediate the reinforcing properties of novel social interaction. Social novelty exploration is associated with the insertion of calcium-permeable GluA2-lacking AMPA-type glutamate receptors at excitatory synapses on VTA DA neurons. These novelty-dependent synaptic adaptations only persist upon repeated exposure to social stimuli and sustain social interaction. Global or DA neuron-specific inactivation of the ASD risk gene Neuroligin3 alters both social novelty exploration and the reinforcing properties of social stimuli. These behavioral deficits are accompanied by an aberrant expression of non-canonical GluA2-lacking AMPA-receptors at excitatory synapses on VTA DA neurons and an occlusion of novelty-induced synaptic plasticity. Altogether, these findings causally link impaired novelty exploration in an ASD mouse model to VTA DA circuit dysfunction.


Background Metabolic syndrome (MS) has been frequently associated to gout and, in fact, hyperinsulinemia enhances proximal tubular sodium reabsorption, leading to decreased renal uric acid excretion and hyperuricemia.No data regarding the prevalence of MS in gout subsets according to gout-associated clinical characteristics has been published to date. Objectives To determine the prevalence of MS in a large cohort of patients with gout followed at a single tertiary center, searching for related risk factors including metabolic profile, nephrolithiasis, reduced urate excretion and the presence of tophus. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 158 patients with gout diagnosed according to the ACR criteria. MS was definedaccording to the National Cholesterol Education Program ATP III (NCEP-ATP III) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria.Demographic, anthropometric (body mass index - BMI) and clinical data were collected. Fasting serum levels of uric acid, glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol fractions were analyzed by usual laboratory tests.Nephrolithiasis was demonstrated by routine ultrasonography and urate underexcretion was defined as a uric acid clearance lower than 7.5 ml/min. Fisher's exact, chi-square, student's T and Spearman's test were used for statistical analysis and P≤0.05 was considered significant. Results Mean age of patients was 62.7±12.2 yrs (33 – 90 yrs), and 90.5% were males. Mean BMI was 29.13±5.70 kg/m2 (19.0 – 55.1 kg/m2). Hypertension was observed in 84.5% of patients, current alcohol consumption in 22.8%, coronary artery disease in 21% and diabetes mellitus in 19%. Mean serum uric acid, fasting glucose, triglycerides, LDL, HDL levels were 6.84 mg/dL, 107.2 mg/dL, 198.7 mg/dL, 116.7 mg/dL, 47.2 mg/dL respectively. Of note, 31% had nephrolithiasis and 52.5% had tophi. Estimated creatinine clearance was 73.15±29.35 ml/min and 86.1% patients manifested urate underexcretion.Remarkably, more than 70% of gout patients had MS (73% and 71% according to NCEP ATPIII and IDF criteria respectively). This increased prevalence of MS was alike in patients with tophaceous and non tophaceous gout, and regardless of uric acid excretionstatus (p>0,05). In contrast, the prevalence of MS was significantly higher in patients with nephrolithiasis compared to those without this complication (84.7% vs. 65.2%; p=0.026). Conclusions The elevated prevalence of MS in Brazilian gout patients (almost ¾) is higher than previously reported overall rates of MS in gout worldwide (62.8%) and in control populations (25.4%), suggesting possible interference of, dietary, geographical and/or genetic background. Our demonstration, for the first time, of increasedMS prevalence in gout unrelated to the occurrence of tophus, but associated to nephrolithiasis may suggest shared underlying physiopathologic mechanisms, such as the effect of hyperinsulinemia on the kidneys.Further studies are urged to clarify this relationship and therefore allow improvement of multiprofessional management of gout patients, in order to reduce long-term complications and prevent associated comorbidities. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


The diagnostic accuracy of US and MRI in the subcutaneous rupture of the Achilles tendon has already been assessed. We used both techniques to study the Achilles tendon during the postoperative repair process after surgery according to Bosworth. The results were compared and discussed in relation to clinical recovery. Ten patients with complete subcutaneous rupture of the Achilles tendon were followed-up with physical examination and submitted to US and MR studies 40, 60 and 90 days postoperatively. Eighty patients recovered in the expected time, while 2 took longer. At 90 days, the US findings in 7 patients and the MR findings in 8 patients who recovered in the expected time could be considered normal. US poorly distinguished the tendon from the reinforcement flap because of gross tendon echostructure. The tendon and the reinforcement flap were not distinguishable at MRI because they were uniformly hypointense. Clinical recovery appeared as a hyperechoic structure and a gross fibrillar pattern at US and as a hypointense structure with some small hyperintense areas at MRI. US and MRI were in disagreement in one patient with a postoperative algodystrophic syndrome, where US showed some alterations which were considered false positives because of clinical recovery and negative MR findings. US and MR patterns were considered abnormal in the 2 patients with delayed recovery. US showed persistent hyperechoic areas within the tendon, while the MR signal was of intermediate intensity in the tendon and reinforcement flap. To conclude, we believe that US is an appropriate technique for the postoperative follow-up of complex subcutaneous ruptures of the Achilles tendon. Additional MRI should be performed in all the cases where US findings are in disagreement with clinics.


A strong modelling program has been started in support of the future JET-DT campaign with the aim of guiding experiments in deuterium (D) towards maximizing fusion energy production in Deuterium–Tritium (DT). Some of the key elements have been identified by using several of the most updated and sophisticated models for predicting heat and particle transport, pedestal pressure and heating sources in an integrated modelling framework. For the high beta and low gas operational regime, the density plays a critical role and a trend towards higher fusion power is obtained at lower densities. Additionally, turbulence stabilization by E  ×  B flow shear is shown to generate an isotope effect leading to higher confinement for DT than DD and therefore plasmas with high torque are suitable for maximizing fusion performance. Future JET campaigns will benefit from this modelling activity by defining clear priorities on their scientific program.


The purposes of this study were to (1) adapt an instrument 'The Conceptions of Learning Science (COLS) questionnaire' into Turkish, and (2) to determine Turkish science teacher candidates' COLS. Adapting the instrument four steps were followed. Firstly, COLS questionnaire was translated into Turkish. Secondly, COLS questionnaire was administered to science teacher candidates (n=382) from different universities in different regions of Turkey. After that, the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed with 160 participants. Finally, the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed with remaining 219 participants. At the end of the validation processes six factors were retained. It was concluded that the adapted version of COLS questionnaire could produce valid and reliable scores on Turkish science teacher candidates.


Molecular genetic detection of CALR gene somatic mutations is required for myeloproliferative neoplasms diagnosis and treatment according to the novel WHO clinical recommendations. CALR mutations are found in approximately 25–35 % cases of essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis and they are associated with benign clinical outcome. In this study we have compared sensitivity and selectivity of seve ral different options of CALR mutation molecular genetic detection in blood samples of 379 CMD patients and 17 healthy donors. Among methods compared in our study there have been conventional polymerase chain reaction with electrophoretic detection, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, direct Sanger sequencing of polymerase chain reaction fragments and polymerase chain reaction high resolution melting curve analysis. By means of melting curve analysis CALR mutations have been found in 97 (25.5 %) patients, whereas in the cases of Sanger sequencing and polymerase chain reaction there have been 87 (23.0 %) and 84 (22.1 %) CALR mutation positive patients respectively.


In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the impaired intestinal barrier is mainly characterized by changes in tight junction protein expression. The functional role of the tight junction-associated MARVEL protein MARVELD3 (MD3) in IBD is yet unknown. (i) In colon biopsies from IBD patients we analyzed MD3 expression and (ii) in human colon HT-29/B6 cells we studied the signaling pathways of different IBD-relevant cytokines. (iii) We generated a mouse model with intestinal overexpression of MD3 and investigated functional effects of MD3 upregulation. Colitis, graded by the disease activity index, was induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and the intestinal barrier was characterized electrophysiologically. MD3 was upregulated in human ulcerative colitis and MD3 expression could be increased in HT-29/B6 cells by IL-13 via the IL13Rα1/STAT pathway. In mice DSS colitis, MD3 overexpression had an ameliorating, protective effect. It was not based on direct enhancement of paracellular barrier properties, but rather on regulatory mechanisms not solved yet in detail. However, as MD3 is involved in regulatory functions such as proliferation and cell survival, we conclude that the protective effects are hardly targeting the intestinal barrier directly but are based on regulatory processes supporting stabilization of the intestinal barrier.


. Bangladesh and China have established robust bilateral cooperation based on mutual confidence and interests since the establishment of diplomatic ties. The Bangladesh-China relationship's most motivating attribute is its relative consistency and longevity. After the establishment of a formal diplomatic relationship in October 1975, Bangladesh and China have continued to be close friends and development partners. In a variety of fields, including politics, the economy, the military, and culture, good bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and China has been achieved. Many bilateral treaties, agreements, and memoranda of understanding on reciprocal economic cooperation, cultural sharing, infrastructure development, educational interaction, and military assistance have been signed over the years. Mutual reciprocity on the grounds of common values has largely led to keeping bilateral ties between Bangladesh and China sustainable over time. The goal of the present study is to provide a detailed approach to the bilateral ties between Bangladesh and China in the late 20 th - early 21 st century.


The IEEE 802.11 protocol family provides up to 54-Mbps data rate, whereas the industry is seeking higher data rates. This paper shows that a theoretical throughput upper limit and a theoretical delay lower limit exist for the IEEE 802.11 protocols. The existence of such limits indicates that by simply increasing the data rate without reducing overhead, the enhanced performance, in terms of throughput and delay, is bounded even when the data rate goes into infinitely high. Reducing overhead is vital for good performance.


Abstract Numerical model simulations and experiments have suggested that when migration of the main drainage divide occurs in a mountain belt, it can lead to the rearrangement of river catchments, rejuvenation of topography, and changes in erosion rates and sediment flux. We assess the progressive mobility of the drainage divide in three lithologically and structurally distinct groups of bedrock in the High Atlas (NW Africa). The geological age of bedrock and its associated tectonic architecture in the mountain belt increases from east to west in the study area, allowing us to track both variations in rock strength and structural configuration which influence drainage mobility during erosion through an exhuming mountain belt. Collection of field derived measurements of rock strength using a Schmidt hammer and computer based extraction of river channel steepness permit estimations of contrasts in fluvial erodibilities of rock types. The resulting difference in fluvial erodibility between the weakest and the strongest lithological unit is up to two orders of magnitude. Published evidence of geomorphic mobility of the drainage divide indicates that such a range in erodibilities in horizontal stratigraphy of the sedimentary cover may lead to changes in erosion rates as rivers erode through strata, leading to drainage divide migration. In contrast, we show that the faulted and folded metamorphic sedimentary rocks in the centre of the mountain belt coincide with a stable drainage divide. Finally, where the strong igneous rocks of the crystalline basement are exposed after erosion of the covering meta-sediments, there is a decrease in fluvial erodibility of up to a factor of three, where the drainage divide is mobile towards the centre of the exposed crystalline basement. The mobility of the drainage divide in response to erosion through rock-types and their structural configuration in a mountain belt has implications for the perception of autogenic dynamism of drainage networks and fluvial erosion in mountain belts, and the interpretation of the geomorphology and downstream stratigraphy.


I knew what each of them would say and they all knew what I was going to say, but I had to go. Why? Because I am an academic call-girl." "Foundations have to spend their funds, sponsors must find projects to sponsor. Programme directors must have programmes to direct. It is a perpetuum mobile which circulates hot air." From Arthur Koestler's tragicomedy, "The Call-Girls''.


Fifty-nine primary mathematics teachers of three intakes participated in in-service training in alternative assessment newly offered at a university in Singapore. A study, action research in nature, was undertaken to examine the effects of the in-service training and investigate relevant issues in promoting teachers' use of alternative assessment in classrooms. Data were mainly collected through questionnaire surveys, the participants' work on an authentic alternative assessment task, and field-notes of the training. The results indicate that systematic training in alternative assessment is highly needed for school teachers, and in- service training can be an effective way to promote their professional growth in this area, especially through their integrating authentic alternative assessment tasks into their actual classroom teaching as part of the training. In addition, the study reveals that the current school curriculum does not well reflect the new development of assessment and therefore there is a need to integrate the concept and content of alternative assessment into school curriculum to facilitate teachers' use of alternative assessment in classroom. Some other relevant issues, including advantages and disadvantages of in-service training, are also documented in the article. 1


We observed unexpectedly high particle backscattering and extinction in the free troposphere over Leipzig, Germany, in spring/summer 2003. Optical depth was about four times higher than in the respective months of 20002002. Satellite observations and Lagrangian particle dispersion simulations indicated that forest fires in Siberia were the source of this high aerosol load. The smoke of these fires was transported in two directions: One part of the plume travelled westward directly to central Europe, the other part of the plume travelled in easterly directions around the globe. We present a detailed measurement example of May 29, 2003. On this day we observed layers of both transport paths over Leipzig. The eastward travelling layer was observed over Tokyo, Japan, a few days before it arrived over Leipzig. The observations in the free troposphere over Leipzig and Tokyo were performed with Raman lidars which operate at 355 and 532 nm wavelength. This configuration allows a clear identification of aged smoke in terms of spectrally resolved backscatter coefficients, extinction coefficients, and lidar ratios as well as Angstrom exponent and depolarization ratio. The microphysical aerosol properties effective radius, volume and surface-area concentration, and single-scattering albedo were determined from the optical data measured over Leipzig and Tokyo by inversion with regularization.


Tens of millions are annually injured in Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) worldwide, while the estimated number of RTA fatalities amounted to 1.35 million in 2016. In Europe, car occupants hold the largest share (48%) of fatalities among all road users. The high fatality and injury numbers motivate the work of enhancing road traffic safety. A holistic safety assessment approach, considering both the pre-and the in-crash phase of a crash, has the potential to enhance real-world occupant protection evaluation, as well as facilitate the development of effective countermeasures. In standardized car occupant safety assessments, occupant surrogates of standardized anthropometries are employed in standardized postures, with the seat adjusted to a single predefined position. The vehicle is then subjected to predefined crash configurations with meticulously described impact points and angles. In contrast, real-world traffic crashes involve occupants of different shapes and sizes, who adjust the position of the seat and their posture on the seat differently, and the vehicles are subjected to diverse crash configurations (multiple impact locations, impact directions, and speed combinations). The overall aim of this thesis is to develop and apply methods, spanning from the pre-crash to the in-crash phase, capable of evaluating and enhancing the real-world occupant protection of future vehicles. The introduction of crash-avoidance systems has the potential to alter the crash configurations that future vehicles will be exposed to. A method for predicting crash configurations has been developed in this thesis and applied to highway driving, and urban intersection crashes. Performing counterfactual simulations of digitized real-world crashes, with and without the addition of a conceptual Automatic Emergency Braking system, provides a prediction of the remaining crashes. The use of a novel crash configuration definition, along with a purpose-designed clustering method, facilitates the reduction of the number of predicted crash configurations without sacrificing coverage of the diverse real-world situations. Three predicted crash configurations, representative of urban intersection crashes, were further analyzed during the in-crash phase. A Human Body Model was positioned in a wide range of occupant postures identified from the literature. The findings suggest that the lower extremity postures had the largest overall influence on the lower extremities, pelvis, and whole-body responses for all crash configurations. In the evaluated side-impacts, leaning the torso in the coronal plane affected the torso and head kinematics by changing the interaction with the vehicle's interior. Additionally, in far-side impacts supporting the occupant's arm on the center console resulted in increased torso excursions. Moreover, the upper extremity responses were consistently sensitive to posture variations of all body regions.


Damage control laparotomy (DCL) is a physiological approach to the management of selected critically injured patients where the surgical technique is directed at minimising the metabolic insult, rather than restoring anatomic integrity. DCL consists of an abbreviated initial laparotomy that is limited to control of haemorrhage and contamination, intra‐abdominal packing, and temporary closure. Secondary resuscitation continues in the intensive care unit for 24−48 h until normal physiology has been restored. The subsequent reoperation involves removal of the packing with definitive repair and closure. Using this approach 50% of civilian patients who would previously have died undergoing a definitive trauma laparotomy will survive. Doctrinal change in Australia has yet to enshrine a strong focus on restoration of key physiological variables as a major objective in treatment of all wartime casualties. Yet the philosophy of damage control is uniquely suited to the Australian military environment. However, transition of DCL to the military setting has to take account of operational constraints. The most important unresolved issue is how to provide adequate postoperative intensive care. An evacuation capability incorporating critical care transport teams needs to be present, as the patient must reach definitive care within 48 h.


Service rates in many real queueing systems, e.g., call centers and emergency departments, change with the system conditions. We investigate and model load-dependant service rates in this dissertation. First, we propose a general framework that explains different mechanisms that cause service rates to change in response to the system load. We use the framework to categorize and explain the results of published empirical papers that document dependence of service times on load. We employ the framework to analyze the effect of load on service times of an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system based on a data set for emergency calls received by the Calgary EMS system in 2009. Second, we propose a state-dependent queueing model in which servers speed up in response to the system "load," but eventually slow down as a result of "overwork," a situation where the system has been under a heavy load for an extended time period. We quantify load as the fraction of occupied servers and we operationalize overwork as the number of users served so far in the current high-load period. Our model is a quasi-birth-and-death process with a special structure that we exploit to develop efficient algorithms to compute system performance measures. We use the model and simulation to demonstrate how using models that ignore adaptive server behavior can result in inconsistencies between planned and realized performance and can lead to suboptimal, unstable, or oscillatory staffing decisions.


Abstracts: 10th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; September 8-9, 2014; Seattle, WA

Background: The lack of information on the molecular etiology associated with ovarian malignant transformation hinders the prevention of ovarian cancer (OVCA) as well as its early detection. Longstanding unresolved chronic inflammation has been suggested as a risk factor for carcinogenesis. Ovarian surface epithelium (site of ovulatory rupture) and fimbrial surface epithelium (site of receiving of ovulated ovum) are exposed to inflammatory agents due to ovulation as well as ovarian autoimmune conditions. Sustained exposure to chronic inflammation leads to the inactivation of PPAR-γ, a member of steroid receptor superfamily. PPAR-γ has been shown to be tumor suppressive in several malignancies. However, systematic studies on the role of PPAR-γ in OVCA development and progression have not been performed. Herbs are used in traditional medicine as anti-tumor agents. The herb Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera, ASH), has long been used as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant in traditional medicine. However, its role in prevention of OVCA-associated change in PPAR-γ function is not known.

Objective: The goals of this study were to determine (i) if PPAR-γ expression changes in association with OVCA development and progression and (ii) if dietary supplementation of ASH enhances PPAR-γ expression in laying hens, a preclinical model of spontaneous OVCA.

Materials and Methods: Changes in PPAR-γ expression in association with OVCA development and progression were determined in an exploratory study by immunohistochemistry (IHC), gene expression, and proteomic studies using normal ovaries (n=10) and ovaries with cancer at early (n=7) and late stages (n= 20) of OVCA. In the prospective study, hens with or without early stage OVCA were selected by ultrasound scanning and grouped into control (basal diet), 1% and 2% ASH root powder supplemented diet. 30 hens (25 healthy, 5 with early stage OVCA) were grouped in each dietary category. Hens were provided with feed and water ad libitum and maintained for 90 days. At the end of 90-days, hens were euthanized, normal and cancerous ovaries were processed for PPAR-γ expression as mentioned above.

Results: Compared with early stage OVCA, the expression of PPAR-γ was significantly lower in approximately 75% of OVCA cases at late stages. This decrease in tissue expression of PPAR-γ was associated with decreased in gene expression. Furthermore, decreased PPAR-γ expression was more pronounced in poorly differentiated tumors than well differentiated ones. In the prospective study, compared with control and 1%, OVCA incidences and tumor metastasis were reduced markedly in hens supplemented with 2% dietary ASH. Reduction in OVCA incidence and progression was associated with the increased expression of PPAR-γ in the tumor tissues. ASH treatment enhanced gene expression of PPAR-γ in hens supplemented with 2% ASH.

Conclusion: The expression of PPAR-γ was inversely associated with ovarian tumor development and progression. Dietary supplementation of ASH increased the expression of PPAR-γ significantly and reduced the incidence of OVCA as well as its metastasis. These results will form a foundation for a clinical study.

Support: Dept. of Defense award # W81XWH-12-1-0460.

Citation Format: Lauren E. Rosen, Animesh Barua, Janice M Bahr, Sanjib Basu, Sameer Sharma, Seby E Edassery, Alfred S Guirguis, Pincas Bitterman. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) prevents ovarian cancer progression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 10th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 8-9, 2014; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2015;21(16 Suppl):Abstract nr POSTER-BIOL-1343.


Effects of different ways of sample feed to the sensor, types of used membranes, extent of stretching the membrane pack by working electrode and timing of excitation voltage on performance of amperometric glucose biosensor with oxygen indicating electrode were investigated. In the sensors, enzymatic membranes containing immobilised glucose oxidase and some auxiliary membranes constituted an easily detachable laminated pack. In one of the tested sensors position of the membrane pack with respect to working electrode was adjustable. It was found that the above factors, except the timing of excitation voltage, have not essential influence on performance of O 2 - type glucose biosensor.


The magnitude and timing of the autumn and spring migrations of 35 species of medium-and large-sized raptors, White Pelicans Pelicanus onocrotalus and White Storks Ciconia ciconia were studied in Israel. Observations were carried out from the ground by a line of observers covering most of the width of Israel across the line of migration and by radar. There was a high correlation between the counts obtained by ground observers and by radar. On average, about half a million raptors (mainly Lesser Spotted Eagles Aquila po-marina, Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorus and Levant Sparrowhawks Accipiter brevipes), 250,000 White Storks and 70,000 White Pelicans passed during autumn, and about a million raptors (mainly Honey Buzzards, Steppe Buzzards Buteo vulpinus, Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis and Black Kites Milvus migrans) and 450,000 White Storks passed during spring. Peak numbers were higher–over a million raptors and half a million White Storks. There was high interyear variation in the number of migrants recorded during the study, probably caused by weather and counting efforts. For some species, the whole world (Lesser Spotted Eagle and Levant Sparrowhawk) or Palaearctic (White Pelican) population passes over Israel during migration, allowing an estimate of the world populations of these species. Mean dates of arrival of most raptors are highly predictable, with confidence limits ranging between 1.5 and 5.5 days. The migration periods of White Storks and White Pelicans are longer and their mean day of appearance is less predictable (confidence limits range from 4.2 to 13.8 days). During autumn, 90% of the migrating populations of nocking species, such as Levant Sparrowhawk, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Honey Buzzard and Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus, pass within 13, 15, 16 and 18 days, respectively, while nonflocking species, such as Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus and Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus, generally take twice as long to pass. Similar passage periods were recorded in spring. For most species, the autumn migration period was longer than the spring migration period, probably because in autumn adults move before the young birds. Three factors affected the timing and spread of the migration wave: age at first breeding, diet and size of the breeding area.


Recent phylogenetic studies using mtDNA and allozymes clarified the presence of multiple distinct genetic lineages in the Japanese clawed salamander, Onychodactylus japonicus, of which two from northern regions of the country have already been described as new species. Based on morphological analyses of the remaining genetic lineages, we describe the lineage from Shikoku Island and Chugoku Mountains of western Honshu, in western Japan, as a new species, Onychodactylus kinneburi sp. nov. It belongs to the O. japonicus complex and is morphologically similar to O. japonicus (sensu stricto), but is distinguishable from all the other members of the complex by sharply defined yellowish-orange dorsal stripe on black ground color, lack of dark marking on chest, whitish ventrum, comparatively large body size, and relatively narrow head, usually with 19 presacral vertebrae, 13 costal grooves, and relatively smaller number of vomerine tooth series. The new species occurs exclusively in Shikoku Island, but is sympatric with O. japonicus in Chugoku Mountains.


The density functional theory with a few number of parameters allows a very successful phenomenological description of ground state properties of nuclei all over the nuclear chart. The recent progress on the application of the covariant density functional theory (CDFT) for nuclear structure and astrophysics as well as its extensions by the group in Beijing is summarized. In particular, its application to magnetic moments is discussed in details.