Introduction The function of pancreatic somatostatin in insulin secretion is controversial, and the receptor(s) mediating such event has not been exclusively investigated. Aim and Methodology To differentiate the specific role of SSTR5 in the mouse pancreas, we generated a mouse SSTR5 gene ablation model. Mice homozygous for the deletion (SSTR5−/−) and wild type (WT) littermate controls underwent whole pancreas perfusion to determine the effect of SSTR5 gene ablation on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The perfusion was done with and without octreotide added to the infusion buffer. Furthermore, pancreatic somatostatin was immunoneutralized by using a potent somatostatin monoclonal antibody to determine whether pancreatic somatostatin regulates insulin secretion in these mice. Results Results showed that at 3 months of age, there were no alterations in insulin secretion compared with WT controls. However, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was significantly enhanced in 12-month-old SSTR5−/− mice compared with WT controls. The addition of octreotide to the perfusion significantly suppressed insulin secretion in WT controls, while it had no effect on SSTR5−/− mice. Immunoneutralization of pancreatic somatostatin resulted in enhanced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in WT controls, but decreased levels of insulin secretion in SSTR5−/− mice. Conclusion These results suggest that, in the mouse, pancreatic somatostatin regulates insulin secretion through SSTR5, and that the effect is age-specific.


The approach to scaling up innovations in development is broken due to insufficient skills and funding for intermediation. Intermediation involves the essential technical assistance required by organizations and projects to achieve scale, such as strategic planning, convening, and coordinating stakeholders, and investment packaging. This report derives lessons on how to effectively scale innovations in development through an analysis of 39 IDB Lab projects and approximately 100 interviews. It proposes adhering to four principles for enhancement: establishing a consistent and systematic definition of scale, measuring success based on the maturity of the solution, acknowledging, and fostering the intermediation function, and investing in agile tracking while learning from errors. By implementing these strategies, development organizations can seamlessly incorporate scaling up innovation into their operations.


Melt ponds are pools of open water that form during summer on sea ice surface, playing a key role in the Arctic climate and sea ice energy budget. Due to their lower albedo, melt ponds absorb more radiation than un-ponded ice, spurring further ice melt and enhancing the positive ice-albedo feedback. This feedback is expected to increase as the Arctic ice cover is moving towards a regime where multiyear ice (MYI) is being replaced by first-year ice (FYI), which presents wider melt 10 pond coverage as well as more energy absorption with profound consequences from an energy balance perspective. Nevertheless, the lack of knowledge or inclusion of melt pond fraction (MPF) on global climate and sea ice models, is pointed as their main source of uncertainty and disparity of predictions results. This, along with the recent conclusions on the potential of MPF for enhancing the forecasting ability of summer sea ice extent, underscores the importance of accurately obtaining large and spatiotemporal scale of MPF, across the Arctic. However, observations of melt ponds are far from adequate for the 15 Arctic ocean and for both MYI and FYI, and on a large scale this is only possible through satellite-based Earth observations (EO). This paper provides an overview of efforts in EO remote sensing studies of melt ponds, for both optical sensors and radar-based approaches. The main algorithms used for melt pond identification and the different methods for MPF retrievals are outlined, ranging from the early traditional techniques to the increasingly prevalent use of Artificial intelligence (AI), namely machine and deep learning. The current large-scale optical-based pan-Arctic MPF datasets are intercompared along 20 with the main advantages and disadvantages of various optical and radar data-based methods for MPF retrievals. The potential of radar, namely Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technical abilities to the enhancement of reliability is analysed, since optical approaches, despite being more used, are hampered by cloud cover, spectral representativeness and resolution. Finally, current gaps in melt pond knowledge and MPF retrievals are discussed and summarised leading to the outline of further directions of research development. 25


Public transport (PT) is not famed for its dependability, yet current PT accessibility models presume that the schedule is an adequate reflection of reality. Consequently, it is implicit that PT vehicles always operate according to their schedule, and that all passengers arrive at random rather than plan their arrival. In reality, such assumptions do not always hold. The sensitivity of model results to such assumptions is largely untested.
This thesis seeks to determine to what extent PT accessibility models based on the schedule are robust to substitution by automatic vehicle location (AVL) data on the real arrival times of PT vehicles. The inclusion of this high resolution data on punctuality enables the relaxation of assumptions about the random arrival of passengers, and the enumeration of expected waiting time in the presence of uncertain PT arrival time.
Using an open standard for the publication of public transit information (the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS)), this thesis develops a number of models ofWellington's transit system, assuming that passengers arrive at random, and vehicles arrive punctually. Equivalent models are then built with AVL data from the Greater Wellington Regional Council's real-time information (RTI) system. This information is used to determine actual service headways, headway variability, probability of service arrival over an interval, and realistic vehicle travel times.
Results of pairwise comparisons of accessibility model outcomes indicate that for every definition of accessibility model considered, GTFS and AVL sources of information do not predict similar travel times. The magnitude and the direction of differences varied between model types, but in all cases were highly statistically significant.
The results of the research are of use to transportation and accessibility modellers, who previously could not estimate travel time error associated with making assumptions about PT reliability and passenger arrival behaviour (implied by the use of PT schedules in models).


Background: Few published reports exist regarding the control of the human/prosthesis interface in persons with unilateral transtibial amputation. Objective: To investigate strategies employed by prosthetic users in controlling the human/prosthesis interface to highlight challenges associated with either the amputation or the design of the prosthesis. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Cycling was used as the locomotor task to allow for better control of task mechanics compared to walking. A group of nine cyclists with intact limbs were compared to eight cyclists with transtibial amputation (CTA) during a simulated cycling time trial. The CTA group pedaled with a stiff and flexible prosthetic foot. Reaction forces between the foot and the pedal were measured using an instrumented pedal system. The force effectiveness (FE) ratio was used as the measure of task performance. The FE ratio is the force component normal to the bicycle crank arm divided by the resultant force for both limbs and is commonly used to analyze pedaling technique. Results: The CTA group was equally as effective at applying forces as the intact group. Conclusions: These data suggest that individuals with lower limb loss are able to compensate for their amputation to utilize a similar pedaling technique for locomotor performance. As global strategies, e.g. force effectiveness, appear similar between groups future research should focus on local strategies, e.g. individual joint kinematics and kinetics.


Significance A central aim of neuroscience studies is to locate physical substrates of memory, namely neurons and molecules encoding memory. Achieving this goal requires cell-specific interrogations of neural circuitry. However, it has remained difficult to rapidly and accurately quantify the memory of animals expressing a transgene in a cell-specific manner. Our study presents a powerful optical system to perform cell-specific behavioral genetic analysis in a high-throughput manner, and demonstrates its utility by identifying two interneurons as the neural substrates of mechanosensory memory in C. elegans. We propose that our identified interneurons can be novel targets for cell-specific exploration of the molecular substrates of memory. A major goal of neuroscience studies is to identify the neurons and molecules responsible for memory. Mechanosensory habituation in Caenorhabditis elegans is a simple form of learning and memory, in which a circuit of several sensory neurons and interneurons governs behavior. However, despite the usefulness of this paradigm, there are hardly any systems for rapid and accurate behavioral genetic analysis. Here, we developed a multiplexed optical system to genetically analyze C. elegans mechanosensory habituation, and identified two interneurons involved in memory formation. The system automatically trains large populations of animals and simultaneously quantifies the behaviors of various strains by optically discriminating between transgenic and nontransgenic animals. Biochemical and cell-specific behavioral analyses indicated that phosphorylation of cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB), a factor known to regulate memory allocation, was facilitated during training and this phosphorylation in AVA and AVD interneurons was required for habituation. These interneurons are a potential target for cell-specific exploration of the molecular substrates of memory.


Cassia fistula Linn. (Family Leguminosae, Sub – family Caesalpinea), a very common Indian plant is known for its medicinal properties. This plant is also known as Indian Laburnum, Yellow shower because of its characteristic yellow flowers in pendulous raceme and with typical branches. It is a native of Tropical Asia. It is widely cultivated in South Africa, Mexico, East Africa and Brazil. This plant is used in folk medicine for tumors of the abdomen, glands, liver and throat cancer. It is also used to cure burns, constipation, convulsions, diarrhea, dysuria and epilepsy. Ayurvedic medicines recognizes as carminative and laxative. It is also used to cure leprosy, skin dieseases and syphilis. Phytochemical investigations prove its importance as an important valuable medicinal plant. C. fistula is known to be an important source of secondary metabolites notably phenolic compounds. It is known as rich source of tannins, flavonoids and glycosides. Pharmacological activities include antibacterial, antidiabetic, antifertility, anti-inflammatory antioxidant, hypatoprotective, antitumor, antifungal activities. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review on morphology, traditional uses, phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities.


Given the importance of tourism to the Jamaican economy and hence policy, this paper estimates a demand function for Jamaica's tourist product. It also assesses the stage in the product cycle of the industry. An error correction model (ECM), structural time model (STM) and an autoregressive moving average (ARIMA) model were employed. The ECM was more robust than the ARIMA and STM models in predicting tourism demand. The ECM and ARIMA models captured the major turning points in the series well and provided reasonably good forecasts. In contrast to the findings of Henry and Longmore (2002), the results indicate that source country income is significant. The explanatory power of the ECM improved with the inclusion of the tourism density ratio, implying that researchers should include inter-action factors in tourism demand models. The empirical analysis indicates that Jamaica has a mature tourism product. This implies that policy needs to focus on diversifying the product, promoting such diversity and targeting new markets.


The increasing attention directed towards nanobiological science requires high-resolution imaging tools for the liquid environment. We have been successful in recording molecular-resolution images of polydiacetylene in water with the frequency-modulation atomic force microscopy s FM-AFM d . With the oscillation amplitude of a force-sensing cantilever reduced to 0.20 nm, we were able to overcome the large frequency noise due to the low Q-factor of cantilever resonance in water. We have obtained vertical and lateral resolutions of 10 pm and 250 pm, respectively. This method enables nondestructive imaging of soft biological samples with a load force on the order of 1 pN. © 2005 American Institute of Physics . f DOI: 10.1063/1.1925780 g


The effects of high environmental temperature on the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio were determined for a comparison of the ability to tolerate heat between Thai indigenous chickens, crossbred Thai indigenous chickens and broilers. One kilogram of the representative males and females of each of the three breeds were maintained in an environmental temperature range of 26 +/- 2 and 38 +/- 2 degrees C. Heterophil/lymphocyte ratio was investigated on day 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 of the experimental period. The results revealed the following information: For those chickens maintained in an environmental temperature at 38 +/- 2 degrees C, the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio was higher than that of chickens at 26 +/- 2 degrees C. With the environmental temperature at 38 +/- 2 degrees C, the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio of the broilers was significantly higher than that of the Thai indigenous chicken crossbreds and Thai indigenous chickens (p < 0.05), respectively. The heterophil/lymphocyte ratio of the chickens for the environmental temperature of 38 +/- 2 degrees C was significantly increased on day 7 and then significantly decreased to day 14 and 21 of experimental period (p < 0.05). This finding indicated that when chickens were maintained in high environmental temperatures, they were under heat stress. Chickens could adapt to high environmental temperatures. Finally, Thai indigenous chickens and Thai indigenous chicken crossbreds tolerated higher environmental temperatures than the broilers.


Cycle prefix digraphs are a class of Cayley coset graphs with many remarkable properties such as symmetry, large number of nodes for a given degree and diameter, simple shortest path routing, Hamiltonicity, optimal connectivity, and others. In this paper we show that the cycle prefix digraphs, like the Kautz digraphs, contain cycles of all lengths l, with l between two and N, the order of the digraph, except for N 1.


Core photoelectron and Auger electron energies of alkali metal ions in solution have been measured and related to the corresponding energies in the gas phase. The magnitude of the electronic polarization contribution to the solvation energies of hard ions is discussed on the basis of measured solvation shifts of photo- and Auger electron lines. Through a combined use of the two types of shift an assessment can be made of the numerical value of the electronic solvation energy with Na+ and ions of the same radius as an example. The electronic polarization is found to be of major importance in the solvation of hard ions.


Despite its 'globalness', Internet use is considerably shaped by local laws and regulations. An example of this is Article 93 of the Public Official Election Act in South Korea. Introduced in 1993, this article states that no one may distribute or display any materials containing endorsement of or opposition to a candidate or a political party in the 180 days prior to Election Day. Conflicts arise as the National Election Commission applies this article to blog posts, viewer comments made at news sites and, most recently, user-generated content on Web 2.0 platforms. Enforcement is easy in the Korean context, given that Korean users are required to verify their identities by submitting their Resident Registration Numbers when they join major online services. This encouraged, if not compelled, Korean voters to move to the international domain during the presidential election in 2007 to further their discussion against candidate Lee Myung-Bak when a financial scandal involving him emerged. The discussion was triggered by the discovery of two video clips implicating him. One of the videos was uploaded to YouTube and the second was disclosed through the website of a domestic newspaper and later a portal site Daum. The present study investigated how the two video clips were shared and discussed among online users. We employed a combination of network analysis techniques: hyperlink analysis, interaction network analysis, and semantic network analysis. The analytical outcomes suggested that once users moved to the international domain, discussion of local political issues took unexpected turns due to different audience profiles.


We address the problem of nonparametric multi-modal image matching. We propose a generic framework which relies on a global variational formulation and show its versatility through three different multi-modal registration methods: supervised registration by joint intensity learning, maximization of the mutual information and maximization of the correlation ratio. Regularization is performed by using a functional borrowed from linear elasticity theory. We also consider a geometry-driven regularization method. Experiments on synthetic images and preliminary results on the realignment of MRI datasets are presented.


Background: The PI3K/mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways are frequently aberrated in tumors and interact to promote growth. This trial investigated simultaneous inhibition of these pathways using a combination of the selective uncompetitive MEK1/2 inhibitor pimasertib and the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor SAR245409 (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01390818). Materials and Methods: This phase Ib, dose-escalation trial (modified 3+3 design) included patients (pts) with solid tumors with frequent activation of these pathways, no approved therapy, and ECOG performance status ≤1. Expansion in selected indications, based on activity signals, was allowed after determination of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Pts received 21-day cycles of pimasertib (once-daily, qd) and SAR245409 (qd) at the following dose levels (DLs): DL1, 15/30; DL2a, 30/30; DL2b, 15/50; DL3, 30/50; DL4a, 60/50; DL4b, 30/70; DL5, 60/70; DL6a, 90/70 and DL6b 60/90. The MTD of the combination was the highest dose at which ≤1/6 pts had a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). Safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD) and tumor response were investigated. Results: Of 46 pts treated, 57% were male, the median age was 58.5 years (range 31-82) and 54% had an ECOG PS of 1. The most common primary tumor types were: colorectal (CRC, n=16), pancreatic and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC, n=7, each). Dose escalation was stopped at DL6b as 2/3 pts had DLTs; both had grade 3 nausea and/or vomiting, which resolved after supportive care and treatment interruption. The most frequent adverse events (AEs) (all grades) were: diarrhea (54%), fatigue (50%), nausea (41%) and vomiting and dermatitis acneiform (39% each). The median number of initiated cycles was 2 (range 1-16). There were 2 partial responses (KRAS mutated [mt] CRC with neuro-endocrine features and KRAS mt/PIK3CA mt low grade ovarian cancer and another pt with low grade ovarian cancer had 29% tumor shrinkage) and 7 other pts had stable disease lasting >12 weeks (CRC [n=2, 1 KRAS wild-type (wt) and 1 KRAS mt]; KRAS mt NSCLC [n=2]; and BRAF wt melanoma, KIT mt soft palate cancer and PIK3CA mt bladder cancer [n=1, each]). The MTD was DL6a (pimasertib 90 mg / SAR 245409 70 mg). DL5 (60/70) was the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) based on pimasertib tolerability after prolonged exposure in monotherapy program. Four disease-specific expansion cohorts (CRC, triple-negative breast cancer, NSCLC and melanoma, 18 pts each) are being treated at this dose. Dose escalation with twice-daily administration is ongoing. Preliminary PK and PD data showed no apparent drug-drug interaction. Conclusions: The combination of pimasertib and SAR245409 qd is feasible. The MTD and RP2D for the combination are within the range of the active doses of each drug as monotherapy. Early signals of activity have been observed. Citation Format: Jeffrey R. Infante, Leena Gandi, Geoffrey Shapiro, Naiyer Rizvi, Howard A. Burris, Johanna C. Bendell, Jose Baselga, Karl Hsu, Oliver von Richter, Giuseppe Locatelli, Ekaterine Asatiani, Rebecca S. Heist. Combination of the MEK inhibitor, pimasertib (MSC1936369B), and the PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, SAR245409, in patients with advanced solid tumors: Results of a phase Ib dose-escalation trial. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-147. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-147


5-HT(1A) receptor plays an important role in the delayed onset of antidepressant action of a class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Moreover, 5-HT(1A) receptor levels have been shown to be altered in patients suffering from major depression. In this work, hologram quantitative structure-activity relationship (HQSAR) studies were performed on a series of arylpiperazine compounds presenting affinity to the 5-HT(1A) receptor. The models were constructed with a training set of 70 compounds. The most significant HQSAR model (q(2) = 0.81, r(2) = 0.96) was generated using atoms, bonds, connections, chirality, and donor and acceptor as fragment distinction, with fragment size of 6-9. Predictions for an external test set containing 20 compounds are in good agreement with experimental results showing the robustness of the model. Additionally, useful information can be obtained from the 2D contribution maps.


Fruit flies (Bactrocera spp.) are regarded as serious insect pests of fruits and vegetables in the world. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of spinosad traps on Bactrocera spp. at different heights 0, 1, 2, and 3 m on jujube tree during 2020-2021. Flies' populations were counted weekly. The results revealed that the highest population of B. zonata (225.6 flies) were recorded at 2 m height on (22 October, 2020) and the lowest ones (21.6 flies) were recorded at the ground level (0 m height) during (4 February, 2021). However, the overall maximum catches were 158.95 at 2 m height and minimum was 68.72 at the ground level. Similarly, the maximum population of B. dorsalis was (50.5 flies) at 2 m height during (9 October, 2020), but the minimum (2.5 flies) was in the ground level during (4 February, 2021). The overall highest B. dorsalis catches were (43.50 flies) at 2 m height and the lowest was (3.55 flies) at ground level. The population of B. zonata correlated positively (r= 0.2939**) with temperature, but negatively (r= -0.0223NS) with relative humidity. However, B. dorsalis populations was positive correlated with both of the temperature and relative humidity (r= 0.0261** and r= 0.0091NS, respectively). Ultimately, pheromone traps (Spinosad+Methyl eugenol) at 2 m height are highly recommended to catches both fruit flies (B. zonata and B. dorsalis) in Jujube Orchards.


Bioencapsulation of food additives or functional ingredients aims to protect sensitive core materials during storage and consumption, transport them to designated positions in the gastrointestinal tract, and release them at appropriate rates to maximize bioavailability. Bioencapsulation systems need to be designed with GRAS (generally recognized as safe) materials, and the physicochemical processes involved in matrix formation are crucial for realizing expected functionality. From an engineering perspective, it is important to develop a processing method for obtaining products with desirable features. The author has previously reported that a freezing step represents an interesting processing tool for controlling the properties of an encapsulation system. During freezing, the growth of ice crystals in an aqueous solution results in a cryoconcentrated (freeze-concentrated) phase that is controlled by phase equilibrium. The author\s idea is to control matrix formation in the cryoconcentrated phase for optimizing encapsulation systems. This review summarizes this concept and future scope. (Accepted Dec. 14, 2016)


With the rapid development of E-commerce and the increase in the quantity of items, users are presented with more items hence their interests broaden. It is increasingly difficult to model user intentions with traditional methods, which model the user's preference for an item by combining a single user vector and an item vector. Recently, some methods are proposed to generate multiple user interest vectors and achieve better performance compared to traditional methods. However, empirical studies demonstrate that vectors generated from these multi-interests methods are sometimes homogeneous, which may lead to sub-optimal performance. In this paper, we propose a novel method of Diversity Regularized Interests Modeling (DRIM) for Recommender Systems. We apply a capsule network in a multi-interest extractor to generate multiple user interest vectors. Each interest of the user should have a certain degree of distinction, thus we introduce three strategies as the diversity regularized separator to separate multiple user interest vectors. Experimental results on public and industrial data sets demonstrate the ability of the model to capture different interests of a user and the superior performance of the proposed approach.


Soda-lime silicate (SLS) waste glass is a kind of solid waste that is produced in large quantities as container glass or flat glass. In this work, waste window glass is used to produce foam glass using limestone as a foaming agent. The pore structure of the foam glass and the optimization of its properties by adjusting the amount of glass and foaming agents were investigated in this work. The formation of foam glass was studied on samples prepared from blends of SLS waste glass with 0.5 wt% SiC and 2, 4, 6 wt% limestone by sintering at 800 °C. The foam glass with 2wt % limestone presented a homogeneous foam structure with low body density (0.26 g/cm3), apparent porosity (9 vol%) and thermal conductivity (0.04 W/m∙K). When the limestone content increases to 6 wt %, the density and thermal conductivity of the sample also increases to 0.92 g/cm3 and 0.13 W/m∙K, respectively.


The Painter and East Painter reservoir structures are located in the hanging wall of the Absaroka thrust in the Wyoming fold-thrust belt. Balanced cross sections and interpreted logs and dipmeter data from more than 50 wells have been integrated to develop a three-dimensional (3-D) structural model of the Painter reservoir structures. The structures are interpreted as a pair of asymmetric faulted detachment folds formed along the hanging-wall ramp in Triassic–Jurassic units in the Absaroka thrust sheet. The Painter reservoir structure verges to the southeast and has a gentle backlimb and a steeply dipping to overturned forelimb, whereas the East Painter structure displays steep dips on both limbs. The front limbs of both structures contain forelimb thrust faults with small displacements. A tight syncline separates the structures and contains several out-of-syncline thrusts in the Jurassic Twin Creek limestones. Cross sections through the structures are restored using line-length balancing for the Nugget formation and area balancing of the Ankareh-Thaynes-Woodside formations and the Twin Creek Formation. The structures are interpreted to have initiated as a pair of detachment folds cored by moderately ductile limestones and shales of Triassic age. Increasing shortening resulted in tightening of the structures, the development of out-of-syncline thrusts, and the propagation of thrust faults on the steep forelimbs. The tight geometry of the East Painter structure resulted from frictional resistance to fault slip along the hanging-wall ramp in the Triassic–Jurassic units. The balanced 3-D structural model ensures consistency of the geometry of all interpreted horizons and faults and can be used to construct improved structural maps of reservoir units in the Painter reservoir structures.


SUMMARY For Isospora (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) parasites of passerine birds, diurnal periodicity of oocyst output is a well-described phenomenon. From the temporal zone to the tropics, oocyst production is correlated with the light-dark cycle, peaking in the afternoon hours. However, nothing is known about the existence of diurnal periodicity of these parasites in the birds of High Arctic environments, under permanent light during summer. We sampled free-ranging Snow Bunting (Aves: Passeriformes), on Svalbard in summer and tested oocysts output of Isospora plectrophenaxia. Here we show that under the permanent light conditions of Arctic summer in the wild, Isospora plectrophenaxia, a parasite of the Snow Bunting, still keeps the 24-h rhythm of oocyst output with the peak in the post-meridiem hours, despite the absence of diurnal periodicity in host's activity. Our findings prove the ability of avian Isospora to invoke alternative cues for synchronizing the circadian rhythms. Possible cues and adaptive significance of diurnal periodicity of parasite output in High Arctic are discussed. The maintenance of synchronization and timing of the parasite life-cycle stages is under positive selection pressure even in permanent daylight in the Arctic.


We demonstrate that Mn doping in the layered sulfides Bi_4O_4S_3 leads to stable Bi_(4−x)Mn_x O_4S_3 compounds that exhibit both long-range ferromagnetism and enhanced superconductivity for 0.075 ≤ x ≤ 0.15, with a possible record superconducting transition temperature (T_c ) ∼15 K among all BiS_2-based superconductors. We conjecture that the coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism may be attributed to Mn doping in the spacer Bi_2O_2 layers away from the superconducting BiS_2 layers, whereas the enhancement of T_c may be due to excess electron transfer to BiS_2 from the Mn^(4+)/Mn^(3+) substitutions in Bi_2O_2. This notion is empirically corroborated by the increased electron-carrier densities upon Mn doping, and by further studies of the Bi_(4−x)A_xO_4S_3 compounds (A = Co, Ni; x=0.1 , 0.125), where the T_c values remain comparable to that of the undoped Bi_4O_4S_3 system (∼4.5 K) due to lack of 4+ valences in either Co or Ni ions for excess electron transfer to the BiS_2 layers. These findings therefore shed new light on feasible pathways to enhance the T_c values of BiS_2-based superconductors, although complete elucidation of the interplay between superconductivity and ferromagnetism in these anisotropic layered compounds awaits the development of single crystalline materials for further investigation.


This paper analyzes the streaming music services in order to understand how the conciliation of digital content's new consumption practices affects the development of music industry agents' business model. It is assumed that these new enterprises of the digital environment experience more intensely the conflicts between divergent interests, making it a privileged object of study on the current situation of the creative destruction of the music industry. By adopting a socioeconomic approach to communication and culture markets, we conducted an exploratory case study based on the description and subsequent analysis of user experience in these programs and the monetization strategies of musical consumption. Finally, it is considered that streaming services are under pressure from other music industry players to rethink their current business model, and we comment on the likely effects upon the organization of the music industry in the digital age.


RIPAI : "THE PRONUNCIATION OF AMERICAN STYLE T AND R BY
INDONESIAN STUDENTS"
In learning English, speak like native speaker is needed. It can be easier to
communicate with native speaker. American English, words are not pronounced one
by one. Usually, the end of one word attaches to the beginning of the next word. It
looks different with Indonesians when talking. They say word by word even they talk
fast. In pronouncing American T and R are needed so we can talk like American say
(native speaker).
Pronunciation is one of aspect of speaking which is very important; someone
who has good pronunciation will be easier to communicate so well for people who
hear it. The listener usually will find difficulty if someone who speaks does not have
a good pronunciation.
The aims of the research which are done by the writer are to describe the
pronunciation of American T and R by Indonesian student.
The techniques that are used by the writer in the research are observation, test
and interview. The writer uses the qualitative approach as a method of this research.
There are several steps in describing the pronunciation of American T and R by
Indonesian students. First of all the writer should read to the book of American style
and listen to some examples. After that, the writer has to take samples for test. The
next step is identifying the result of observation, test and interview. The last step is
describing American T and R pronounced by Indonesian students. In this research,
the writer conduct library research to find further and some theories related with
subject matter.
Finally, the conclusion of this thesis is that the result of the test is that the
pronunciation of American style T and R pronounced by Indonesian students is
difficult when they practice in real life to speak like native speaker, because the habit
between American and Indonesian in talking is different. American talks by wordconnection,
and Indonesian talks word by word.


The current study highlights a novel bio-sorbent design based on polyelectrolyte multi-layers (PEM) biopolymeric material. First layer was composed of sodium alginate and the second was constituted of citric acid and k-carrageenan. The PEM system was crosslinked to non-woven cellulosic textile material. Resulting materials were characterized using FT-IR, SEM, and thermal analysis (TGA and DTA). FT-IR analysis confirmed chemical interconnection of PEM bio-sorbent system. SEM features indicated that the microspaces between fibers were filled with layers of functionalizing polymers. PEM exhibited higher surface roughness compared to virgin sample. This modification of the surface morphology confirmed the stability and the effectiveness of the grafting method. Virgin cellulosic sample decomposed at 370 °C. However, PEM samples decomposed at 250 °C and 370 °C, which were attributed to the thermal decomposition of crosslinked sodium alginate and k-carrageenan and cellulose, respectively. The bio-sorbent performances were evaluated under different experimental conditions including pH, time, temperature, and initial dye concentration. The maximum adsorbed amounts of methylene blue are 124.4 mg/g and 522.4 mg/g for the untreated and grafted materials, respectively. The improvement in dye sorption evidenced the grafting of carboxylate and sulfonate groups onto cellulose surface. Adsorption process complied well with pseudo-first-order and Langmuir equations.


This cross sectional study design was conducted to assess occupational injury and associated factors among municipal solid waste management workers in G ondar town and Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia, 2012. Four hundred, eighty two workers were taken a s study subjects and data were collected by face to face interview. The overall annual prevalence rate of work related injury was 63.9 %.The one month per iod incidence, on another hand, was 11.7%. The severity of injury was also assessed by days lost due to injury: 110(35.7%) workers had non-serious accident which requires 1- 3 days' absence from work and 77(25%) workers had serious accident which requires more than 3 days' absence from work. In the study areas, high prevalence of work related injury (63.9 %) was reported. And old age, low educational statu s, engaged in two or more work categories, absence of health and safety training, Provision/utilization of personal protective equipments, sleeping disorder a nd alcohol consumption were identified as factors associated with work related injury.


Halofantrine (HF) hydrochloride is commercially available only as oral dosage forms. Limitations of oral dosing of the drug coupled with non-availability of the safe parenteral preparations prompted the need to develop and evaluate suppository HF formulations, which may serve as a practical alternative. The effects of type of suppository base and incorporation of non ionic surfactants on in vitro release characteristics of HF from suppositories were investigated. The release rates were determined using a modification of the continuous flow bead-bed dissolution apparatus for suppositories. The results showed that the drug release from water-soluble base (polyethylene glycol) was significantly greater than that from lipophilic bases (Shea butter and Witepsol H15) (P surfactants (Tweens 20 and 80, Spans 20 and 60) at different concentrations did not improve the in vitro availability of the drug from composite polyethylene glycol base (1500:4000, 80:20, w/w) suppositories. The extent of drug release was very low (maximum of 2.3%) It is suggested that further studies are required for development of modalities to enhance the release of halofantrine from polyethylene glycol suppositories so as to optimize this dosage formulation of the drug.


Web applications have brought with them new classes of network security vulnerabilities, such as SQL Injection Attack. SQL Injection Attack is a class of attacks that many of the Web-based systems are highly vulnerable to, and there is no know fool-proof defense against such attacks. Static analysis is one of the techniques in defense of SQL Injection. In this paper, we propose an improved technique eliminates the need to modify source code of application scripts. The improved Eliminating SQL Injection Attacks technique bases the regular expressions instead of using SQL Graph representation using SQL-FSM in static analysis.


Summary: Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. putida, P. acidovorans and P. cepacia were tested for growth on minimal salt media containing aliphatic amides. All strains of P. aeruginosa, P. acidovorans, P. cepacia and some strains of P. putida biotype A grew on acetamide; some strains of P. putida and P. acidovorans also grew on butyramide. The inducible aliphatic amidases had both hydrolase and transferase activities and were similar in substrate specificities. All species hydrolysed propionamide more rapidly than acetamide while acetamide was the best substrate for the transferase reaction. The rate of butyramide hydrolysis was 2 to 3% of the rate of acetamide hydrolysis for all species including those strains able to grow on butyramide. The amidases of P. putida
a87 and P. acidovorans 14 were inducible by butyramide. Cell-free extracts of P. aeruginosa strains induced with acetamide cross-reacted completely with antiserum prepared against purified P. aeruginosa amidase A. Partial cross-reactions occurred with P. putida and P. acidovorans amidases and a very weak cross-reaction with P. cepacia amidase.


We found the study by Lepre et al. to be very interesting. Lepre et al. concluded that 'active surveillance with a liberal use of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test and thoracic computed tomography scan is required in this setting, to rule out coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, in an effort to offer prompt treatment to infected patients and to protect other patients and health workers'. We agree that it is necessary to have a good preparedness for any surgery during the present COVID-19 outbreak. In our setting, Thailand, the second country in the timeline of COVID-19 pandemic, the surgeon's COVID-19 infection is already recorded by local Center of Disease Control. In addition, the asymptomatic COVID-19 patient who received the first diagnosis of disease after the surgical procedure was completed has already been reported. An interesting consideration is whether the present prevention is sufficient. Lepre et al. recommended the method based on the case with respiratory symptoms. Nevertheless, the asymptomatic COVID-19 patient might undergo surgery and can transmit the disease to the surgeon. How to manage the asymptomatic case is a challenge. It is questionable whether we have to use preoperational COVID-19 test for all patients. Nevertheless, a simple method according to universal precautions should be used in the clinical care of any patient in the present situation of COVID-19 outbreak.


As Erika Fischer-Lichte remarked, the great Polish theatre theorist Jerzy Grotowski redefined the notion of the body of the actor as an embodied mind, as a responsive and responding self. Conversely, law abjures the body, its interpreters – lawyers and scholars – inured in practices of rationality, reason and logic, or mindful disembodiment. Travelling through the Danish capital, encountering Danes real and fictitious to illustrate how much we function through our bodies, this essay suggests that we are better and more effective legal interpreters as embodied minds, rather than disembodied minds. But this is not mindless embodiment, a mere reflex or bodily outburst. The embodied mind is self-aware (physically, socially, intellectually) and possesses the same embodied virtuous morality held by Grotowski's actors. Reminiscent of Kierkegaard's uniting of the mind-body divide, this connected mind and body challenges the Augustinian negation of the body and associated interpretative assumptions inherited over centuries of legal thought.


This article is a reflection on the function of myth in the political theory of Nazism. Principal Nazi ideologue Alfred Rosenberg is the author of famous book The Myth of the Twentieth Century (1930). What is the role of myth in his concept? Why wasn't it titled The Ideology of Twentieth Century? In my opinion, myth has two main roles in Rosenberg's theory. Firstly, it's great proposition of meaning of history and its enemies counters the Marxist ideology of history as a grand process of emancipation concluding with the proletarian revolution. As Marx and Marxists speak about history from the point of view of class struggles, Rosenberg speaks from the point of racial struggles. The second aim stems from what Rosenberg perceived as a absence of an idea of nation-state in Germany. For Rosenberg, the Germans from many countries and states do not have the common consciousness inherent in (and imperative for) a national community. In such circumstances the Nazis must themselves create a myth of a common German race as an objective and scientific "fact." In the political ideas of Rosenberg, the Nordic race is the substitute of a normal nation and the idea of a nation-state.


The invention relates to a membrane module in order to filter media which are capable of flowing. Said module incorpo rates an integrated heat eXchanger. According to the invention, the membrane module has the following charac teristics: a plurality of rod-shaped, porous, ceramic filter elements (1) (ceramic rods); the ceramic rods (1) are pro vided with continuous bores (1.1) located parallel to an axis, the ceramic rods are arranged parallel to each other and a lid (3, 4) covers the end thereof: the ceramic rods (1) are sealed at their circumferences against the lid (3,4); a lid (3) located at one of the membrane modules is provided with an inlet (2.1) for the medium to be treated and a lid (4) located at the other end is provided with an outlet (2.2) in order to allow the media to flow out; each ceramic rod (1) is Surrounded by a sheath tube (5): an annular gap (6) is situated between the sheath tubes of each ceramic rod and the inner Surface of the corresponding sheath tubes: the annular gaps are conduct ingly connected to each; the lid (3, 4), ceramic rods and casing pipes (5) are Surrounded by a housing (2) which is Securely connected to the lid; the housing (2) comprises an inlet (2.3) for the introduction of permeate into the annular (6) gap and an outlet for draining off permeate from the annular gap. The housing also comprises an inlet (2.7) and an outlet (28) for directing a thermally conducting material through the intermediate chamber pertaining to each indi vidual sheath tubing (5) and the housing (2); each ceramic rod (1) is surrounded by an interrupted tube (8) which is located in the annular gap (6) and extends over a Substantial proportion of the length of Said gap.


My contribution to this discussion is an attempt to survey the clinical field of obesity in the light of recent knowledge. The underlying point of view is that appetite plays the fundamental part and that, although endocrine factors are capable of causing changes in weight based on internal rearrangements of protein and fat, the usual reason for gain of weight is an excess of calorie intake over expenditure.


Abstract In Spain, Title VI of the Constitution considers the Supreme Court the highest judicial body in all orders, except for the provisions concerning constitutional guarantees, while art. 1 of the Organic Law of the Constitutional Court considers the Constitutional Court as the supreme interpreter of the Constitution. ach court should act as "supreme court" in its respective field, the Constitutional Court in the field of interpretation of the Constitution and the Supreme Court as far as the interpretation of ordinary legality is concerned. This is a widely accepted approach, both by the doctrine and even by the Constitutional Court. But as it is well known, sometimes the boundaries between the Constitution and ordinary law are not easy to establish, and, in those cases, self-restraint by the supreme interpreter of the Constitution is in order. In fact, that our Constitutional Court does not annul many Supreme Court decisions may be true to say. Analyzing the number of resolutions of the Supreme Court, reviewed by the Constitutional Court between 2001 and 2011, in relation to the number of Supreme Court decisions that were overturned, we found a range between 0,31% and 1% -just one year- with an average of less than 0,5%. The year when most resolutions were canceled, 2001, 1710 resolutions were reviewed and 19 judgments were overturned.


STUDY AIM
The aim of this prospective study was to assess the outcome of laparoscopic colectomy for sigmoid diverticulitis in normal weighted, overweighted and obese patients.

PATIENTS AND METHOD
From January 1995 to December 2000, all patients (n = 77) undergoing an elective colectomy for sigmoid diverticulitis were included in the study. The patients were divided into three groups: group 1 (n = 29): normal weighted patients (BMI: 18-24.9); group 2 (n = 27): overweighted patients (BMI: 25.0-29.9); group 3 (n = 21): obese patients (BMI: 30.0-39.9). Comparison between these three groups was only made during the per and postoperative period.

RESULTS
There were no differences in the three groups with regard to age, sex and ASA classification. Duration of operation did not differ between group 1 and 2 (187 vs 210 min, P = 0.6) but was shorter in group 1 than in group 3 (187 vs 247 min, P = 0.003). Conversion rate did not differ and was respectively in group 1, 2 and 3: 13.8, 14.8 and 14.3%. The postoperative period during which parenteral analgesics were required was not different for group 1 and 2 but was longer in group 3 than in group 1 (8.5 vs 5.7 days, p = 0.03). Morbidity rate was similar in group 1, 2 and 3: 15, 14 and 17%. There was no perioperative mortality. Duration of hospital stay was similar in the three groups.

CONCLUSION
Data from the present study suggest that laparoscopic colectomy for sigmoid diverticulitis can be applied safely to overweighted and obese patients.


The cyclic nucleotide effect on junction was studied in C1-1D cells, a mouse cancer cell type that fails to make permeable junctions in ordinary confluent culture. Upon administration of cyclic AMP, dibutyryl cyclic AMP, dibutyryl cyclic AMP plus caffeine (db-cAMP-caffeine), or cholera toxin (an adenylate cyclase activator), the cells acquired permeable junctions; they became electrically coupled and transferred fluorescent tracer molecules among each other - a transfer exhibiting the molecular size limit of permeation of normal cell-to-cell channels. The effect took several hours to develop. With the db-cAMP-caffeine treatment, junctional permeability emerged within two hours in one-fifth of the cell population, and within the next few hours in the entire population. This development was not prevented by the cytokinesis inhibitor cytochalasin B. Permeable junctions formed also in two other conditions where the cell-endogenous cyclic AMP level may be expected to increase: serum starvation and low cell density. After three weeks of starving, the cells of serum, a junctional permeability arose in confluent cultures, which on feeding with serum disappeared within two to three days. At low cell density, namely below confluency, the cells made permeable junctions, unstarved. In cultures of rather uniform density, the frequency of permeable junctions was inversely related to the average density, over the subconfluent range; at densities of about 1 X 10(4) cells/cm2, where the cells had few mutual contacts, 80% of the pairs presumed to be in contact were electrically coupled. In cultures with adjoining territories of high (confluent) and low cell density, there was coupling only in the last, and in this low-density state the cells were also capable of coupling with other mammalian cell types (mouse 3T3-BalbC and human Lesch-Nyhan cells).


Exposure of ME180 and A431 carcinoma cells to Ukrain (NSC-631570), a semisynthetic compound consisting of alkaloids isolated from Chelidonium majus L. (Papaveracea), results in cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. Ukrain selectively inhibits growth of ME180 and A431 cells at a concentration range from 3.5 microM to 7.0 microM and induces apoptosis. In contrast, normal human keratinocytes showed no difference in the kinetics of progression through the cell cycle in response to this compound. We found that at a concentration of 7.0 microM of this drug Bcl-2 protein overexpression protected HaCaT cell line keratinocytes against apoptosis induced by Ukrain but did not prevent G2/M arrest. Following exposure of normal keratinocytes to Ukrain, we detected an increase in Bcl-2 protein levels and a significant change in protein modification as suggested by observation of its different isoform with shifted electrophoretic mobility. Bcl-2 protein expression and its isoform distribution did not change substantially in ME180 and A431 carcinoma cells. We also suggest that drug-induced mitotic arrest and apoptosis represent dual Ukrain action on cell cycle progression machinery and Bcl-2-involved program cell death in the cell.


The wastage effects of a sodium-water reaction resulting from a small leak in a liquid-metal fast breeder reactor steam generator were investigated. These experiments were conducted at low steam injection rates, ranging from 0.07 to 13.8 g/s, with the following test conditions: sodium temperature 480/sup 0/C, sodium velocity 0.24 m/s, and target material 2/sup 1///sub 4/ Cr--1 Mo steel. Employed were nozzle diameters (D) from 0.2 to 1.5 mm, nozzle-to-target distances (L) from 5 to 100 mm, and L/D ratios from 7.14 to 400. An empirical equation of wastage rate of 2/sup 1///sub 4/ Cr--1 Mo steel was obtained, including parameters of sodium temperature, steam injection rate, and nozzle-to-target distance. The depth curves and the widths of the area affected by wastage were examined. These test results were applied to the safety considerations for the prototype steam generators in Japan.


Periodontitis and chronic kidney disease are both chronic inflammatory diseases and share some common risk factors. This 3-month pilot study aimed to clarify whether non-surgical periodontal therapy is beneficial in clinical, biochemical, and microbiological conditions in patients with periodontitis and kidney failure. Kidney failure patients with moderate to severe periodontitis were recruited from two hospitals. Treatment group received non-surgical periodontal therapy, and control group received oral hygiene instruction only. Outcome assessments were conducted 1 and 3 months after treatment. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze the patient-level data. Periodontal site-level assessments were analyzed by Student t-test and paired t-test. Statistical significance was set at p-value < 0.05. A total of 11 subjects completed the study. There was no significant difference between groups in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, infection events, systemic parameters, and serum biomarkers. Comparing to control group, clinical periodontal parameters, gingival crevicular fluid interleukin-1β (IL-1β) level and periodontal pathogens showed significant improvement in the treatment group. Non-surgical periodontal treatment did not change systemic outcomes in kidney failure patients, but changed the local micro-environment.


A new DC technique, the drain current-conductance method (DCCM), has been developed to extract the gate bias dependent effective channel mobility (/spl mu//sub eff/), and source and drain series resistance (R/sub s/ and R/sub d/) of drain-engineered MOSFET's. The extraction of /spl mu//sub eff/, R/sub e/, and R/sub d/ by DCCM is based on the DC measurements of drain current and conductance of a single device. The negligible difference between the measured and modeled (using the extracted parameters) linear drain current showed that the DCCM is accurate and effective for devices with different graded junction structures and channel lengths. Asymmetry between R/sub s/ and R/sub d/ for LDD p-MOSFET's was found to be more significant than for LATID n-MOSFET's. This asymmetry has invalidated many methods which utilized the assumptions of R/sub d/=R/sub s/ for the extraction of device parameters. The DCCM was further applied to devices with nonuniform hot-carrier degradation. The /spl mu//sub eff/, R/sub s/, and R/sub d/ of LATID n-MOSFET's degraded under different hot-carrier stress conditions were extracted. The increase in R/sub d/ is found to dominate the initial phase of hot-carrier degradation while the decrease in /spl mu//sub eff/ intensifies as the stress duration increases. The extracted parameters have provided physical insight into the asymmetries of graded junctions and degradation mechanisms of hot-carrier stressed MOSFET's, The DCCM is especially useful for the extraction of SPICE parameters that are usable in circuit and reliability simulation.


ABSTRACT Jeon, H.S.; Hur, D.S.; Park, J.R.; Yoon, J.S.; Kim, I.H., and Lee, W.D., 2018. 3-D numerical investigation on effect of flow structure and water level on vegetation distribution in an open channel. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 71–75. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The in-stream vegetation is recognized to have significant ecological and aesthetic importance in managing floods and restoring rivers. However, it also disturbs the velocity of running fluid by increasing the resistance of flow, and raises the water level because of reduced discharge area at times of flood. Therefore, it is very important to study the hydraulic characteristics of vegetation distribution, and this study carried out a numeric simulation for quantitative and qualitative analysis. The simulation applied Navier-Stokes solver based on PBM (Porous Body Model), LES (Large Eddy Simulation) and VOF (Volume of Fluid), and the estimated drag coefficients of vegetation with Reynold's number. A comparison between the measured and calculated water depth and depth-averaged velocity found that conventional and new experiments were highly consistent. A numeric water tank was also used in this study to discuss the hydraulic characteristics of vegetation by measuring the velocity and water level depending on different vegetation zones and incidental conditions. The result showed that full vegetation in an open channel reduced velocity and raised water level because of the drag of vegetation, while half vegetation on one side or at certain part of the channel substantially reduced the hike of water level. Therefore, vegetation should be distributed appropriately when applying that in river management or restoration after an accurate analysis on the hydraulic characteristics of vegetation distribution.


The bioactivity of the venom from a locally available sea anemone, Anthopleura asiaticacollected from the Mumbai coast was studied. The crude venom from sixty sea anemones (Sixty numbers) was extracted in aqueous medium. The protein content of the crude venom was 4.3459±0.027 mg/ml. The crude venom was found to be lethal at 1ml when injected intra-peritoneal to kasuali strain male albino mice (20±2 g). The crude venom was partially purified by anion exchange chromatography using a step-wise gradient of 0.1-1.0M NaCl and 10 fractions each of 15 ml, F1 – F10 were collected. Fractions F8, F9 and F10 exhibited lethality to mice, upon envenomation. The symptoms of toxicity observed in the mice indicated that the venom affected the central nervous, cardiovascular and urinary systems. Histopathological study revealed accumulation of polymorphic nuclear cells with necrosis in brain, hemolysis in heart, occlusion with hemolysed blood in kidney and necrosis, vacuolation with pleomorphic nuclear material and hemolysis in liver.

 Key words: Sea anemone, venom, toxicity, histopathology.


Translationally relevant animal models are essential for the successful translation of basic science findings into clinical medicine. While rodent models are widely accessible, there are numerous limitations that prevent the extrapolation of findings to human medicine. One approach to overcome these limitations is to use animal models that are genetically diverse and naturally develop disease. For example, pet dogs spontaneously develop diseases that recapitulate the natural progression seen in humans and live in similar environments alongside humans. Thus, dogs represent a useful animal model for many areas of research. Despite the value of the canine model, species specific reagent limitations have hampered in depth characterization of canine immune cells, which constrains the conclusions that can be drawn from canine immunotherapy studies. To address this need, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to characterize the heterogeneity of circulating leukocytes in healthy dogs (n = 7) and osteosarcoma (OS) affected dogs (n = 10). We present a cellular atlas of leukocytes in healthy dogs, then employ the dataset to investigate the impact of primary OS tumors on the transcriptome of circulating leukocytes. We identified 36 unique cell populations amongst dog circulating leukocytes, with a remarkable amount of heterogeneity in CD4 T cell subtypes. In our comparison of healthy dogs and dogs with OS, we identified relative increases in the abundances of polymorphonuclear (PMN-) and monocytic (M-) myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), as well as aberrations in gene expression within myeloid cells. Overall, this study provides a detailed atlas of canine leukocytes and investigates how the presence of osteosarcoma alters the transcriptional profiles of circulating immune cells.


In order to clone novel and valuable genes from natural resources and develop genetic engineering drugs, total RNA was extracted from the venom gland of Agkistrodon acutus by one step method. The cDNAs for low molecular weight metalloproteinase were amplified by RT-PCR and cloned into the pGEMT vector. Their sequence were determined. One of the deduced amino acid sequences included a metalloproteinase and a disintegrin (acugrin) at the carboxyl terminus. This result further confirms that metalloproteinase and disintegrin are derived from the proenzyme of snake venom metalloproeinase. Acugrin exhibits a certain amino acid homology with other disintegrins from snake venoms. Acugrin has four disulfide bonds and a consensus motif RGD. The cDNA for the acugrin was cloned into the plasmid pT7ZZa and expressed in E.coli. ZZ-acugrin fusion protein could strongly inhibit aggregation of platelet induced by ADP and the IC(50) was about 4 nmol/L.


A 57-year-old man was admitted because of abdominal fullness. An abdominal ultrasonographic study disclosed multiple space-occupying lesions (SOL) in the liver. On blood examinationC the serum levels of CEA and CA19-9 were significantly high while those of AFP and SCC were within normal ranges. Endoscopically biopsied specimens of the lower esophagus histologically revealed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Pathohistologically similar findings were obtained from the needle biopsied specimen of the SOL in the liver. Thus the patient was diagnosed as having squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus with liver metastasis. On the 41st hospital day the patient died and an autopsy was performed. Although multiple metastases were recognized, cancer cells were limited within the submucosa of the esophagus. Immunostaining of CEA and CA19-9 was positive on the carcinoma cells both in the esophagus and the liver. Thus a relation between the biological malignancy of esophageal cancer and serum levels of CEA and CA19-9 was suggested.


This paper is the result of a study tour of the United States of America to investigate and report on concrete overlays of both rigid and flexible pavements, from the technical and practical points of view. This study tour was carried out by the author in April/May 1989. The three distinct classes of concrete overlays, unbonded concrete overlays, partially bonded concrete overlays, bonded concrete overlays, are investigated from basic design principles through to practical construction implications. Conclusions are reached that pavement engineers now have another option in rehabilitation and reconstruction procedures. At this point in time in Australia, with our ageing in-service pavement network, concrete overlay technology and construction is a viable option that should be considered by today's pavement engineers. (Author/TRRL)


This study examines a multi-item manufacturing problem with a single machine, an outsourcer, and random defective items. To cope with the increasing multi-product demands from global markets, modern manufacturing firms must make an efficient production plan to satisfy customer's needs with quality goods and smooth the in-house fabrication schedule and utilization. Outsourcing is an effective option to avoid machine overloads and smooth fabrication schedules. Further, the fabrication of random defective products is inevitable because of unanticipated factors in real manufacturing environments. These products must be identified, separated and discarded to retain the desired quality of the finished lot. To address the above-mentioned concerns, this study develops a mathematical model to represent a hybrid stock refilling system, employs mathematical derivations to find long-run average system expenses, and uses an optimization technique to derive a closed-form common rotation time for this hybrid system. The results of this study show the individual and combined impacts of variations in outsourcing percentages and scrap rates on optimal rotation time and diverse core system parameters (such as machine utilization, specific cost component, etc.) to facilitate planning, controlling, and decision making in such a particular hybrid fabrication system.


Two force reconstruction techniques were used to evaluate the slapdown response of a 1/3 scale model steel, spent fuel cask dropped 30 ft onto an unyielding target. The two techniques are: the sum of weighted acceleration technique (SWAT) and the deconvolution technique (DECON). A brief description and the calibration of the techniques as applied to the cask are presented. For the slapdown test, both techniques yielded very similar resultant forces and provided more accurate definition of the force-time history for the cask than is available from conventional data reduction methods. An applied moment, a measurement previously unobtainable from conventional cask accelerometer data reduction techniques, was determined with SWAT. The angular velocity calculated with SWAT was verified with photometric measurements.


Health disparities in cancer care persist, and in some cases are growing, despite decades of research aimed at achieving equal outcomes for all Americans. There is growing consensus that reducing disparities will require a shift from aiming to provide care that is equal, to aiming to provide care that is equitable. The current landscape of metrics and interventions that move beyond equality (i.e., care provided equally to all patients) and towards equity (i.e., care provided variably and justly such that patients achieve equal outcomes) have not been characterized. Thus, the aim of this scoping literature review was to identify cancer‐specific health equity metrics and interventions, and to explore current gaps in the field. Following PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Scopus were searched for studies published in English between 2012 and 2022 that implemented a metric to identify or an intervention to address cancer care inequities in the United States. The search returned 36,724 unique articles, of which 40 articles (1%) included an intervention to advance health equity. Metrics included timeliness of screening and treatment, receipt of goal‐concordant care, and survival. The vast majority of articles were cross‐sectional or cohort studies that described health disparities using one or more outcome metrics. Gaps identified included research on receipt of guideline‐concordant care, interventions addressing multiple levels of structural and social determinants of health, inclusion of children and families, and patient‐reported outcomes or other sources of data that could help inform interventions to advance equity.


The main objective is to predict the future degradation and maintenance budget for a suspension bridge system. Bayesian inference is applied to find the posterior probability density function of the source parameters (damage indices and serviceability), given ten years of maintenance data. The posterior distribution of the parameters is sampled using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The simulated risk prediction for decreased serviceability conditions are posterior distributions based on prior distribution and likelihood of data updated from annual maintenance tasks. Compared with conventional linear prediction model, the proposed quadratic model provides highly improved convergence and closeness to measured data in terms of serviceability, risky factors, and maintenance budget for bridge components, which allows forecasting a future performance and financial management of complex infrastructures based on the proposed quadratic stochastic regression model.


Plastids and mitochondria are organelles in plant cells, which are considered to have evolved from endosymbiotic associations of bacteria. These organelles have their own genomes descended from their ancestors, and the organelle DNA replications (ODR) of plant cells are coordinated with the nuclear DNA replication (NDR) as ODR precedes NDR during a cell cycle progression. However, the underlying mechanism for this coordination remains largely to be determined. Recently, we identified that a tetrapyrrole compound, Mg-Protoporphyrin IX (Mg-Proto), is a cell-cycle coordinator from organelle to NDR in plant cells.1 While Mg-Proto has been suggested to be a retrograde plastid signal to modulate transcription of nuclear genes for plastid proteins, our results indicated that nuclear transcriptional regulation is not involved in the NDR induction in C. merolae. Thus, our finding for the NDR control is likely to represent a novel signaling mechanism independent of the conventional plastid signal, which we named "parasitic signal", and suggests multiple Mg-Proto-involved pathways for the plastid-nucleus retrograde signaling.


The paper uses the distance and temperature of 47,111 hottest nearby space objects including stars, quasars, white dwarf, and carbon stars. We have used SIMBAD Astronomical Database and obtained this information from 930,000 records. The range of temperature of the hottest objects is between 6158 and 99,575 K. Also, the distance of the objects is between 231.7375 and 1 (mas). We report the correlation between the distance and temperature of these hot objects at the temperature upper than 6632 K is equal to 0.135063 and will be increased to 0.32001 at temperatures upper than 9860 K. Also, the correlation between the temperature and distance of objects hotter than 12,000 K is equal to 0.270218.


In the midst of the current opioid crisis, it has become critically important to properly manage opioid-prescribing patterns for the treatment of postoperative pain. There is currently a scarcity of literature specifying prescription and consumption patterns following orthopedic surgery and specifically foot and ankle surgery. Clinical guidelines for postoperative pain management are deficient.


We investigated the significance of assaying plasma glutamine and glutamate concentrations in various liver diseases. Comparison was made with an aminogram in non-alcoholic liver disease. In alcoholic liver diseases, the plasma glutamate concentration showed a statistically significant elevation compared to the value in non-alcoholic liver diseases. In contrast, the plasma glutamine concentration was elevated in non-alcoholic liver diseases but showed no elevation in alcoholic liver diseases. The glutamate (Glu)/glutamine (Gln) ratio and plasma gamma-GT level correlated well in patients of alcoholic liver diseases. The Glu/Gln ratio became normal after alcohol abstinence. The results suggest that measuring the plasma concentrations of glutamine and glutamate may be a useful method to estimate the pathophysiological state of patients with alcoholic liver diseases.


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the ETV Program is to further environmental protection by substantially accelerating the acceptance and use of improved and cost-effective technologies. ETV seeks to achieve this goal by providing high-quality, peer-reviewed data on technology performance to those involved in the design, distribution, financing, permitting, purchase, and use of environmental technologies. ETV works in partnership with recognized standards and testing organizations; with stakeholder groups that consist of buyers, vendor organizations, and permitters; and with the full participation of individual technology developers. The program evaluates the performance of innovative technologies by developing test plans that are responsive to the needs of stakeholders, conducting field or laboratory tests (as appropriate), collecting and analyzing data, and preparing peer-reviewed reports. All evaluations are conducted in accordance with rigorous quality assurance protocols to ensure that data of known and adequate quality are generated and that the results are defensible. The Advanced Monitoring Systems (AMS) Center, one of six technology centers under ETV, is operated by Battelle in cooperation with EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory. The AMS Center has recently evaluated the performance of continuous monitors used to measure fine particulate mass and species in ambient air. This verification statement provides a summary of the test results for the EcoChem Analytics Photoelectric Aerosol Sensor (PAS) 2000 particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) monitor.


Depression in the post-partum period affects a substantial number of mothers and can have serious consequences for quality of life and parenting. It is therefore imperative that the factors that can protect against and provide resilience to parental depression are identified. Exercise and physical activity has previously been found to be effective in decreasing symptoms of depression however the efficacy of exercise as an intervention is still unclear. Using a cross-sectional design and an opportunistic sample, this study sought to explore what exercise mothers choose to, or are able to, engage in and associations with depression and social support. Three-hundred and four mothers (mean age = 32.7 years) with young children (mean age = 14.2 months) completed an online questionnaire consisting of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPNDS), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and questions on their physical activity choices (what type, how often, etc). Mothers were divided into groups based on their self-reported exercise habits: No exercise (N-E), own exercise (O-E) and mother-baby exercise classes (M-B). The results found that mothers who engaged in mother-baby exercise classes had significantly less depression symptomology. Frequency of attending classes was associated with social support, with higher scores on the measure of depression related to lower levels of social support (in total and separately from family, friends, and significant others). Not participating in any exercise was reported to be related to lack of childcare and time. These results suggest that, outside of targeted interventions, mother who seek out group exercise classes gain in social support, which may be protective against depression. Assisting mothers with opportunities to engage with such classes should be a priority.


Constant-composition codes (CCCs) are a generalization of constant weight codes and permutation codes. The concept of group divisible codes, an analog of group divisible designs in combinatorial design theory, was first introduced by Chee et al. This new class of codes has been shown to be useful in recursive constructions of constant-weight codes and constant-composition codes. In this paper, we consider the problem of determining the maximal sizes of ternary constant-composition codes of weight four and distance five using group divisible codes as the main tools. We determine the exact values for these parameters. The previously known results are those with code length no greater than 10.


This study aims to find out and compare the effectiveness of two ways of teaching vocabulary to learners of English as a foreign language; through visual aids and using games, and through traditional methods; that is, giving dictionary definitions and studying through worksheets. In order to reach the aim, two groups were formed; one control group who were taught the target vocabulary via traditional activities such as giving definitions, translations and studying worksheets, and one experimental group in which flashcards and games were used to teach the target vocabulary. The participants of this study include 40 students in A1 level from a private high-school in Turkey. The level of proficiency was determined by the Oxford Online Placement Test. One vocabulary-in-isolation test was given to the students both before and after the study as a pre-test and a post-test. The results indicated that the experimental group scored higher eventually. The results of this study provide useful insights for practicing English language teachers about effective ways of teaching vocabulary.


Background: This study examined whether reductions in depression symptoms at different time points over the course of therapy predict remission for depressed adolescents treated with interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT‐A) or treatment as usual (TAU) delivered in school‐based health clinics. Methods: Participants were 63 adolescents (ages 12–18) drawn from a randomized controlled clinical trial examining the effectiveness of IPT‐A Mufson et al. [2004; Archives of General Psychiatry 61:577–584]. Adolescents were randomized to receive IPT‐A or TAU delivered by school‐based mental health clinicians. Assessments were completed at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 (or at early termination) and included the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD; Hamilton [1967; British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 6:278–2962]). Results: Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to identify the time point and degree of reduction in HRSD that best predicted remission (HRSD <7) at the end of the trial (week 16). Week 4 was the best time point for classifying adolescents as likely to remit or not likely to remit for both IPT‐A and TAU. A 16.2% reduction in HRSD from baseline represented the best combined sensitivity and specificity in predicting week 16 remission status for adolescents treated with IPT‐A. A 24.4% reduction in depressive symptoms represented the best combined sensitivity and specificity in predicting remission status for TAU. Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary evidence of one early marker of remission with IPT‐A. Replication with larger samples would suggest that depressed adolescents who have not demonstrated at least a 16.2% reduction in their depressive symptoms after 4 weeks of IPT‐A may benefit from a change in the treatment plan. Depression and Anxiety, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Explaining the generation and maintenance of biodiversity is a central aim of evolutionary biology. This requires the integration of studies focused on explaining within-population diversity through to the organization of biodiversity at the ecosystem level. The combination of such comparative studies in nature with those employing experimental evolution in the laboratory is also valuable: the former helps build and test predictions for what processes might be driving patterns of biodiversity, while the latter can confirm whether such processes are capable of doing so in the absence of other biotic and abiotic factors. The recent increase in experimental evolution studies focusing on microbial populations has offered a number of key insights into the evolutionary mechanisms of adaptation and diversification relating to microbial organisms specifically, as well as into those mechanisms that are likely to generalize to non-microbial species. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Animals can be induced to resist cochlear damage associated with acoustic trauma by exposure to a variety of "conditioning" stimuli, including restraint stress, moderate level sound, heat stress, hypoxia, and corticosteroids. Here we identify in mice a corticosteroid-responsive transcription factor, PLZF (promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein), which mediates conditioned protection of the cochlea from acoustic trauma. PLZF mRNA levels in the cochlea are increased following conditioning stimuli, including restraint stress, dexamethasone administration, and moderate-to-high level acoustic stimulation. Heterozygous mutant (luxoid.Zbtb16LU/J) mice deficient in PLZF have hearing and responses to acoustic trauma similar to their wild type littermates but are unable to generate conditioning-induced protection from acoustic trauma. PLZF immunoreactivity is present in the spiral ganglion, lateral wall of the cochlea, and organ of Corti, all targets for acoustic trauma. PLZF is also present in the brain and PLZF mRNA in brain is elevated following conditioning stimuli. The identification of a transcription factor that mediates conditioned protection from trauma provides a tool for understanding the protective action of corticosteroids, which are widely used in treating acute hearing loss, and has relevance to understanding the role of corticosteroids in trauma protection.


In this paper, we investigate the relationships between gesture and
sound by means of an elementary gesture sonification. This work
takes inspiration from Bauhaus' ideals and Paul Klee's
investigation into forms and pictorial representation. In line with
these ideas, the main aim of this work is to reduce gesture to a
combination of a small number of elementary components
(gestalts) used to control a corresponding small set of sounds. By
means of a demonstrative tool, we introduce here a line of
research that is at its initial stage. The envisaged goal of future
developments is a novel system that could be a
composing/improvising tool as well as an interface for interactive
dance and performance.


As yeast follows a growth cycle, the final part of grape must fermentation is conducted by cells in their decline phase where their metabolic activity has decreased. The completion of fermentation is under the control of "survival factors". In the mechanism of inhibition of the yeasts, sugar, and ethanol are involved, but also fatty acids and ethyl esters. Their elimination by yeast ghosts is a valuable method for the prevention of stuck fermentation. Concerning the malolactic fermentation capacity of wine, it is pointed out that the yeast strain involved in the main alcoholic fermentation has an influence. The possibility of stimulation of this fermentation by inoculation with a reactivated industrial biomass is described. Low levels of acetic acid bacteria remain in the wine, and can cause a significant increase of acetic acid after only a short exposure of the wine to air, even if the subsequent storage conditions are anaerobic.


One-year-old birch (Betula platyphylla) and larch (Larix olgensis) seedlings were respectively planted in pots with the soils taken from 35-year-old pure birch and larch plantations, and the seedlings growth, biomass increment, foliar nutrient content, and soil nutrient status were monitored, aimed to evaluate the fertility levels of the two soils and the possible interspecific interaction in mixed larch-birch forest. Birch soil had significantly higher contents of total N and available N than larch soil, while larch soil had significantly higher contents of total P, available P, and total K than birch soil (P < 0.05). In the first growth season, the height and collar diameter growth and the biomass accumulation of birch seedlings growing on birch soil were 69%, 52%, and 65% (P < 0.05) higher than those growing on larch soil, and the larch seedlings also had 12%, 8%, and 37% gains of the indices, respectively. The foliar N concentration of both larch and birch seedlings growing on birch soil was higher than that on larch soil, while the foliar P concentration was higher when the seedlings were growing on larch soil than on birch soil. The birch soil had higher content of available N because of the higher litterfall, while the larch soil had greater available P because of the higher P mobilizing effect. It was predicted that in mixed birch-larch forest, the complementary interaction of soil N and P could benefit the growth of the two tree species.


The solvent-free, catalyst-free condensation of pyrrole and aldehydes provides an extremely facile synthetic pathway to novel corroles [Eq. (1); Ar=C6 F5 , 2,6-F2 C6 H3 , 2,6-Cl2 C6 H3 ]. The product containing pentafluorophenyl groups is an excellent precursor of other derivatives, including an ionic, water-soluble corrole.


Objectives Amblyopia, strabismus and ocular motility disorders are common conditions with significant impact on visual function, appearance and quality of life. We aimed to establish a core set of outcomes for each of the three conditions for use in clinical trials and routine clinical practice. Design A comprehensive databank of outcomes was developed from a systematic review of the literature and a series of focus groups with healthcare professionals, researchers, patients and carers. The databank of outcomes was scored in a two-round Delphi Survey completed by two stakeholder groups: healthcare professionals/researchers and patients/carers. Results of the online Delphi were discussed at a face-to-face consensus meeting where the core outcome sets were finalised. Setting UK-wide consultation. Participants Researchers, clinicians, patients and carers. Outcome measures Core outcome sets. Results For amblyopia, strabismus and ocular motility, 40/42/33 participants contributed to both rounds of the Delphi; six/nine/seven members attended consensus meetings, respectively. Consensus was reached on ten core outcomes for both amblyopia and ocular motility and nine for strabismus. All three conditions shared the core outcomes: adverse events, cost, vision-related quality of life and ocular alignment. The strabismus and ocular motility disorder core sets included, in addition, measuring the deviation, binocular vision, ocular movement, patient satisfaction and symptoms. The amblyopia set, distinct from the sets for the other two conditions, included best corrected distance and near visual acuity, spherical and cylindrical refraction, compliance and treatment-related and functionality/long-term impacts. Conclusions The study used robust consensus methods to develop a core outcome set for three ophthalmic conditions. Implementation of these core outcome sets in clinical trials and routine clinical practice will ensure that the outcomes being measured and reported are relevant to all stakeholders. This will enhance the relevance of study findings and enable comparison of results from different studies.


To effectively cultivate microalgae it is necessary to understand nutrient requirements to maximize productivity while minimizing cost. One issue associated with large scale systems is optimizing the amount and form of nitrogen; hence the effects of nitrate and urea on microalgae growth, lipid yield, and fatty acids profile for microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana were investigated. In addition, the effects of high concentrations of urea and nitrate, similar to what may be found in agricultural run‐off, were studied. As others have demonstrated, the lipid yield decreases when there is excess nitrate in the medium. Replacing the nitrate with urea has a more significant negative effect on lipid productivity; however, combinations of urea and nitrate are more optimal indicating that agricultural wastewater may be a realistic nitrogen source. The lipid profile is not significantly different if nitrate or urea is the nitrogen source and the major fatty acids are palmitic acid (C16:0) and palmitoleic acid (C16:1), which are readily converted to biodiesel. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 33: 551–555, 2014


This paper presents a comprehensive framework for studying methods of pulse rate estimation relying on remote photoplethysmography (rPPG). There has been a remarkable development of rPPG techniques in recent years, and the publication of several surveys too, yet a sound assessment of their performance has been overlooked at best, whether not undeveloped. The methodological rationale behind the framework we propose is that in order to study, develop and compare new rPPG methods in a principled and reproducible way, the following conditions should be met: 1) a structured pipeline to monitor rPPG algorithms' input, output, and main control parameters; 2) the availability and the use of multiple datasets; and 3) a sound statistical assessment of methods' performance. The proposed framework is instantiated in the form of a Python package named pyVHR (short for Python tool for Virtual Heart Rate), which is made freely available on GitHub (github.com/phuselab/pyVHR). Here, to substantiate our approach, we evaluate eight well-known rPPG methods, through extensive experiments across five public video datasets, and subsequent nonparametric statistical analysis. Surprisingly, performances achieved by the four best methods, namely POS, CHROM, PCA and SSR, are not significantly different from a statistical standpoint higighting the importance of evaluate the different approaches with a statistical assessment.


Summary

This report details the assessment and intervention carried out with a couple, Paula* and Bob*, who both had a moderate learning disability. Paula was referred to the Psychology Service for some work focussing on difficulties in controlling her responses to anger. This report discusses the assessment and offers a formulation from a cognitive behavioural perspective, also drawing on ideas from psychodynamic and systemic theories. It was necessary to work within the system that supported Paula, which included some joint work with Paula and Bob and work with their carers. The assessment and intervention were not straightforward and flexibility was required throughout in order to gain an understanding of the situation and offer an appropriately focussed intervention. The outcome and reflections on the work are discussed.


OBJECTIVES
To investigate the incidence and increasing tendency of osteitis after BCG vaccination and, in addition, its clinical features, diagnostic methods and results of treatment.

SUBJECTS
22 cases of Japanese children who received BCG vaccination between 1998 and 2007 and developed osteitis, and were reported in medical journals or meetings.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Incidence was very low, 0.2 per 100,000 vaccinations, and an increasing tendency was not seen after 2005, when the vaccination in Japan was limited to below 6 months after birth. However, it might be necessary to follow for much longer period. About 73% of cases of osteitis were seen from 9 to 18 months after receiving the vaccination. The bones of the extremities were commonly affected. Radiography usually showed the defect and cavity formation of the affected bone and often abscess around the lesion. Definitive diagnosis was made by the detection of BCG from the pus or biopsied materials. Recently, multiplex PCR method have been utilized and proved to be a rapid and reliable diagnostic method. Tuberculin reaction was positive, but QFT was negative in all tested cases; QFT will be available for the differential diagnosis of BCG and tuberculous infection. Only 2 patients had multiple lesions, and they had partial interferon-gamma receptor 1 deficiency. Immunodeficiency might have some relationship to the development of osteitis after BCG vaccination. The treatment using INH and RFP was very effective and the outcome was favorable; most of the patients were cured after 6 to 12 months chemotherapy without any complications. However, there is the possibility of defects occurring in the bone and restriction of the articular movement when the diagnosis and treatment are delayed.

CONCLUSION
BCG osteitis, although rare, should be considered as a possible complication of the BCG vaccination, and early diagnosis and treatment of this complication is necessary.


Objective To evluate the therapeutic effect of PUMA gene mediated by radiation-inducible promoters in the treatment of xenograft of human tongue squamous carcinoma in nude mice. Methods The recombinant pcDNA3.1(+)/E-PUMA was constructed, and the model of transplanted Tca8113 cell line in naked mice was founded. The plasmids pcDNA(+)3.1/E-PUMA were transfected into tumors by lipofectamine. 24 h later, the tumors were treated by 3 Gy irradiations. Animals were monitored for volume of tumors at regular intervals. PUMA mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. PCNA and Apoptosis were detected by immuno-histiochemical method and in situ end-labeling respectively. The data was analyzed by SPSS 11.0 software package for chi-square test. Results The tumors were suppressed obviously by radiation-inducible promoters mediated PUMA gene. The 3 Gy radiation could up-regulated the PUMA expression in xenograft of human tongue squamous in naked mice. There was significant difference between the apoptosis proliferation index (PI) or index (AI) in tumors between therapy group and control groups (P 0.01). Conclusions The radiation-inducible promoters can be served as a molecular switch to upgrade PUMA expression in transplanted human tongue squamous carcinoma in naked mice, and low dose induction-radiation can significantly improve the therapeutic efficiency. It is possible to validate this strategy in the targeted treatment of tongue suqmous cell carcinoma.


Graph property prediction is drawing increasing attention in the recent years due to the fact that graphs are one of the most general data structures since they can contain an arbitrary number of nodes and connections between them, and it is the backbone for many different tasks like classification and regression on such kind of data (networks, molecules, knowledge bases, ...). We introduce a novel generalized global pooling layer to mitigate the information loss that typically occurs at the Readout phase in Message-Passing Neural Networks. This novel layer is parametrized by two values ($\beta$ and $p$) which can optionally be learned, and the transformation it performs can revert to several already popular readout functions (mean, max and sum) under certain settings, which can be specified. To showcase the superior expressiveness and performance of this novel technique, we test it in a popular graph property prediction task by taking the current best-performing architecture and using our readout layer as a drop-in replacement and we report new state of the art results. The code to reproduce the experiments can be accessed here: this https URL


The maintenance of the vitality of the cells of the periodontal ligament and cementum is essential for the long-term success of a transplant or replant. The tooth is surgically transferred from its initial position, without traumatizing the cells of the periodontal ligaments and cementum, into a new socket. An appropriate storage medium should maintain or improve the vitality of the cells during the extra-alveolar period; when the new socket is being prepared or the tooth being transported for replantation after an avulsion. Storage media proposed in the literature include Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS), patient's own serum, isotonic saline, tap water, saliva and pasteurized milk. The most favoured ones are HBSS, patient's own serum, Eagle's culture medium, pasteurized milk and isotonic saline.