Dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by an expansion of a cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat encoding a polyglutamine tract in the atrophin-1 protein. Unlike other CAG repeat diseases, sleep related problems have not been reported in patients with DRPLA. There was a 65-year-old man and his family with DRPLA. They suffered from seizure, gait disturbance, and cognitive decline. The patients commonly showed dream enacting sleep disorder, insomnia. The results from overnight polysomnography showed rapid eye movement (REM) without atonia in patients with DRPLA. The man died 2 years after diagnosis and was subjected for brain autopsy. We report REM sleep behavior disorders in patients with DRPLA confirmed with polysomnography with pathological description of the patient.


'Corporate Entrepreneurship, also known as Intrapreneurship is the process of profitably creating innovation within an organizational setting. Most companies are realizing the need for corporate entrepreneuring. This need has arisen as response to (1) the rapidly growing number of new sophisticated competitors, (2) a sense of distrust in th    e traditional methods of corporate management, and (3) an exodus of some of the best and brightest people form corporations to become small business entrepreneurs. Thus corporate entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship has been practiced in all industries, including the Tourism industry.In this article effort have been made to demonstrate the techniques of implementing intrapreneurship with examples from the tourism industry. Tourism, being the major factor of global economic development, needs to be nourished with constant innovations and new venture creations. Intrapreneurship has proved to provide these innovations and new ventures. A case of Southwest Airlines of USA, is presented to portray how the intrapreneurship principles are applied effectively


Over the breeding season, courtship feedings in pairs of common terns were estimated to range from 0 to over 150 and copulations from 0 to over 50 per pair, based on a daylength of 17 h. The numbers of both were negatively correlated with laying date, suggesting that late breeding was a consequence of poor-quality males unable to provision their females adequately. Although there was not usually a temporal link between courtship feedings and copulations, overall they were strongly correlated, suggesting that females copulate repeatedly with the same male to gain food. High food availability, as indicated by low tide, was associated with high levels of courtship feeding and few copulations, and vice versa, whereas we did not detect any pattern associated with the time of day. Three of 272 courtship feedings, and two of 76 copulation attempts, were extrapair. Only one of 34 broods contradicted the assumption that broods contained only true siblings, in accordance with the high levels of sexual fidelity observed.


The results of field studies for 2017 - 2019 are presented. yields of perennial grasses sown at different times of the growing season. Spring, summer, and winter sowing periods were compared. Alfalfa, clover, rump, and also their mixtures were sown in 2017 under the cover of barley. The value of the cover crop yield of spring and summer sowing periods did not differ significantly and amounted to 4-5 t / ha of absolutely dry matter. Winter barley crops have not formed. On average, over 2 years of use, the highest yields were observed in alfalfa-crust grass mixtures - 3.4 t / ha of absolutely dry matter. The lowest yield was obtained in the single-species seeding of the rump. Correspondingly, in the spring, summer and winter periods of sowing, the yield of rump was 1.6; 1.1 and 1.3 t / ha. With a late sowing period, the yield of perennial grasses is significantly lower compared to spring and summer. With winter sowing periods, the yield was the highest for grass stands of alfalfa and alfalfacrust grass mixture - 2.3 and 2.4 t / ha. It should be noted that in the second year of use, the yield by the sowing dates in single-species crops and grass mixtures is leveled. The winter crops of perennial grasses in the first year of use formed a low yield. Only in the second year (third year of life) the productivity of perennial grasses of winter sowing began to increase. Consequently, in the area under perennial grasses of the winter sowing period, during one growing season (the next year after sowing), the crop was not actually formed. Based on the data obtained, production can be recommended for spring and summer planting of perennial grasses under the cover of barley. The winter sowing period provides economically valuable crop yields only by the third year of life.


A 79-year-old gentleman presented with a 1-year history of many pruritic nodules on the trunk and extremities. Some blisters developed for several weeks before he visited our clinic. On physical examination, there were about 60 discrete, hyperkeratotic, brownish nodules on the trunk and four limbs (Fig. 1). Besides, there were several tense blisters right on some of the prurigo lesions and the normal skin (Fig. 2). No oral erosion or blister was found. Routine investigations including complete blood count, differential counts of white blood cells, renal function and liver function tests were all within normal limits. The biopsy specimen from the blister showed subepidermal vesicle with lymphocyte and eosinophil infiltration in the upper dermis. The other biopsy specimen from the prurigo lesion showed features of prurigo nodularis (Fig. 3). Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) studies of both the peri-blister and prurigo skin revealed linear IgG and C3 depositions at the basement membrane zone (BMZ) (Fig. 4). Indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) studies of his serum detected anti-BMZ autoantibodies. Besides, his serum autoantibodies bound to the epidermal side on salt-split normal human skin. Western blotting using human epidermal extract as substrate revealed the presence of serum autoantibodies against 230 kD antigen (BP230).


We develop a theory for a novel state of 4He films that possesses off-diagonal order (as in the superfluid state) as well as hexatic or bond orientational order. Within our description, both the hexatic and superfluid transitions are still on the Kosterlitz-Thouless type, but the superfluid stiffness is sensitive to the hexatic transition. We briefly discuss the possible relevance of this work to recent experiments on submonolayer helium films.


With the increasing prevalence of large scale cloud computing environment, researchers has draw more attention about how to provide software as a service through the internet. In this paper, a novel approach named vSaaS is proposed in iVIC platform, which is the virtual computing environment for HaaS and SaaS applications. The aim of this approach is to provide the software as a service from a cloud computing environment over the Internet; users are able to access different software transparently with no limitation on the client operation system or device capability. OS-level virtualization and remote display technologies are employed in the vSaaS system. Benefit from above technologies, massive exist legacy software could be easily adopted without any recompilation and redevelopment work. Software can be dynamic streaming deployed in the back-end resource pool in a dynamic streaming way. Finally, comprehensive experiments are conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and performance of the vSaaS implementation.


Abstract
Microbial contaminants transport to groundwater is a serious environmental problem that can result in large outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Some of bacteria can travel from vadose zone and cause contamination of groundwater resources. Thus, an accurate prediction of transport and fate of pathogenic microorganisms in unsaturated soil is needed to protect groundwater resources. The main objectives of this research were quantitative study of bacterial transport and deposition under unsaturated conditions in calcareous soils. A series of column leaching experiment with well-controlled suction and flow rate was conducted. Breakthrough curves (BTCs) of Pseudomonas fluorescens and Cl were measured. After the leaching experiment the bacteria was measured in difference layers of the soil columns. The HYDRUS-1D kinetic attachment-detachment model (AD) was used to evaluate the transport and deposition of bacteria in soil columns. The breakthrough curves in soils were described well by attachment-detachment model. Whereas the model fit underestimate the amount of bacteria retention in the soil columns. The detachment rate was less than 0.001 of the attachment rate, indicating irreversible attachment of bacteria. Most of the cells were retained close to the soil column inlet, and the rate of deposition decreased with depth. Microbial reduction rate for the soil was 10.18-13.34 log m-1. High reduction rate of bacteria was attributed to soil calcium carbonate that has favorable attachment site for bacteria.

Keywords: Bacteria transport, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Calcareous soil, Bacteria Attachment, Unsaturated flow, Bacteria Detachment


Abstract Research among expatriates eligible to vote in country of origin elections is sparse and tends to focus on legal and political considerations while ignoring psychological and sociological issues. This is surprising given recent research suggesting that of approximately 5.5 million UK citizens living abroad, only an estimated 13,000 registered to vote in the 2010 UK General Election. Drawing on social psychology, consumer behaviour and political marketing literature, this research provides insights into voting attitudes and behaviour of UK expatriates living in New Zealand. Adopting a qualitative research methodology incorporating diary completion and interviews, findings are reported in three key areas: contextual political and socio-economic influences on decisions to move abroad, levels of political connectivity, and finally levels of political engagement. Based on these findings, a segmentation tool and tentative engagement strategies are proposed to enhance the likelihood of expatriate participation in future elections.


OBJECTIVE
Determine the reasons for inappropriate prescription of antibiotics and identify opportunities to improve prescription of these drugs in pediatric patients hospitalized in intermediate and intensive care units.

METHODS
A prospective, descriptive longitudinal study was conducted of pediatric patients in intermediate and intensive care units who received parenteral administration of antibiotics, with the exception of newborns, burn unit patients, and surgical prophylaxis patients. A univariate analysis and multiple logistic regression were performed.

RESULTS
A total of 376 patients with a median of age of 50 months were studied (interquartile range [IQR] 14.5-127 months). Out of the total patients studied, 75% had one or more underlying conditions. A total of 40.6% of these patients had an oncologic pathology and 33.5% had neurological conditions. The remaining 25.9% had other underlying conditions. Antibiotic treatment was inappropriate in 35.6% of the patients studied (N = 134). In 73 (54.4%) of the 134 cases, inappropriate use was due to the type of antibiotic prescribed, the dose administered, or the treatment period. The 61 (45.5%) remaining cases did not require antibiotic treatment. In the multivariate analysis, the risk factors for inappropriate use of antibiotics were: administration of ceftriaxone OR 2 (95% CI, 1.3-3.7; P = 0.02); acute lower respiratory tract infection OR 1.8 (95% CI, 1.1-3.3; P < 0.04); onset of fever of unknown origin in hospital inpatients OR 5.55 (95% CI, 2.5-12; P < 0.0001); and febrile neutropenia OR 0.3 (95% CI, 0.1-0.7; P = 0.009).

CONCLUSIONS
Inappropriate use of antibiotics was less common in the clinical conditions that were well-characterized. Prescribing practices that could be improved were identified through the preparation and circulation of guidelines for antibiotic use in hospital inpatients.


We aim to cover a grid fully by deploying the necessary wireless sensors while maintaining connectivity between the deployed sensors and a base station (the sink). The problem is NP-Complete as it can be reduced to a 2-dimensional critical coverage problem, which is an NP-Complete problem. We develop a branch and bound (B&B) algorithm to solve the problem optimally. We verify by computational experiments that the proposed B&B algorithm is more efficient, in terms of computation time, than the integer linear programming model developed by Rebai et al. (2013), for the same problem.


Abstract Chitooligosaccharides (COS) are multi-functional foods and nutrients and environmentally friendly biological abiotic-resistance inducing agents for plants. In the current study, the effects and possible mechanisms of COS on improving the cold resistance of rice (II YOU 1259) seedlings were investigated. Compared with the control, a COS pre-soaking treatment enhanced photosynthesis, reduced oxidation damage and led to accumulation of more osmotic regulation substances under chilling treatment. In addition, a novel Deg/HtrA family serine endopeptidase (DegQ) gene, related to COS enhanced rice cold resistance, was identified. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that transcription of DegQ and psbA (D1 protein encoding gene) were up-regulated in a time-dependent manner by COS treatment under cold stress. With increasing expression of the D1 protein, chlorophyll b content was enhanced correspondingly. The current results suggest that COS could enhance cold stress tolerance of rice by repairing the photodamaged photosystem II, altering osmotic regulation and reducing oxidation damage.


Proper contrast used for elements within websites or applications is one of the key factors providing their visibility and ability to attract user attention. While usability guidelines and standards such as WCAG 1 assume the existence of minimal contrast for optimum user experience, maximal contrast for positive user experience has not been defined. Recent studies showed that too high a contrast can be harmful for user experience, while visibility is reduced if it is too low. In the present study, experiments were performed to examine the level of user-friendliness and visibility for selected color pairs. We calculated the color contrast according to the WCAG standard. As a result, it was possible to find color combinations not necessarily with a high contrast but delivering visibility and not diminishing user experience. Finally, a ColoUR Picker Tool was developed that supports designers in the design of effective visual communication, which is understood as searching for a balance between user-friendliness, visibility, and color contrast. Research expands current efforts towards effective web design and increased user experience.


Procedural delays or late start times in the bronchoscopy suite can impact operational efficiencies and potentially patient care. To date, little data have been published examining the potential causes of such delays or ways to prevent them in the bronchoscopy unit. In a quality assessment project at a major medical center, we surveyed members of the bronchoscopy team to determine perceptions of the existence of delays in the bronchoscopy suite and possible causes. For comparison, we prospectively observed procedures in the bronchoscopy suite and retrospectively reviewed the records of past procedures to identify delays in the delivery of care. A total of 31 procedures were prospectively observed, with delays (defined a priori as procedures beginning 15 minutes after the scheduled start time) occurring 80% of the time. Two hundred thirty-four procedures were retrospectively reviewed, with delays occurring 71% of the time. In both data sets, the largest portion of time the patient spent in the bronchoscopy suite was during the preprocedure period. Delays often occur in the bronchoscopy suite, with preprocedure activities identified as an area for potential improvement.


Dynamic reconfiguration is explored in the context of I/O abstraction, a new programming model that defines the communication structure of a distributed system in terms of connections among well-defined data interfaces of encapsulated modules. We present a new module migration mechanism that avoids the expense and complication of state extraction techniques, minimizes the amount of code required for migration and confines that code to a separate section of the program. The migration mechanism is designed to permit migration across heterogeneous hosts and to allow replacement of one implementation by another, even if the new implementation is written in another programming language. The properties of I/O abstraction, particularly the clear separation of computation from communication and the availability of a data interface, help simplify the reconfiguration strategy.


Artificial neural networks have been recently applied with success for protein secondary structure prediction. So far, one of the two main aspects on which neural net performance depends, the topology of the net, has been considered. The present work addresses the other main aspect, the building up of the learning set. The author presents a criterion to build up suitable learning sets based on the alpha -helix percentage. Starting from a set of several well known proteins, the author formed 7 groups of proteins with similar helix percentages and used them for the learning of the same neural net. The author found that the best secondary structure prediction for each of the tested proteins (not belonging to the initial set) was the one obtained using the learning set whose helix percentage was closest to that of the tested protein. The accuracy of correct prediction of the author's method on 3 types of secondary structure ( alpha -helix, beta -sheet and coil), has been compared with the accuracy of other secondary structure prediction methods.<<ETX>>


Most real estate portfolio optimisation models are directed at investment institutions and fund managers. Individuals face similar portfolio construction decisions but their portfolios are often dominated by their family home. This paper treats the family home as an investment asset around which the owner builds a suitable portfolio. Some of the reasons for ownership, rather than renting, and the characteristics of the investment (such as the lack of diversification, the high debt ratios, the illiquidity, the transfer costs and the favoured tax status) require a special approach to selecting weightings for the other investments in a portfolio that is dominated by the family home. This paper argues that the volatility of capital returns in different suburbs over at least 5 year holding periods is an appropriate measure of risk. Using data from the Australian city of Perth, the paper explores which investment assets would have offered the best protection against poor performance of the family home as an investment. Using this approach, the evidence suggests that the composition of private investment portfolios should reflect the type of suburb, the portion of investment wealth in the home, the owneris risk profile and investment horizon. Methods of measuring house prices over time in different suburbs have shortcomings which cast doubts over the reliability of these empirical results. However, the principal purpose of this paper is to consider an alternative method of constructing private investment portfolios that may be more useful to personal financial planners than conventional portfolio optimisation models.


Crash localization, an important step in debugging crashes, is challenging when dealing with an extremely large number of diverse applications and platforms and underlying root causes. Large-scale error reporting systems, e.g., Windows Error Reporting (WER), commonly rely on manually developed rules and heuristics to localize blamed frames causing the crashes. As new applications and features are routinely introduced and existing applications are run under new environments, developing new rules and maintaining existing ones become extremely challenging. We propose a data-driven solution to address the problem. We start with the first large-scale empirical study of 362K crashes and their blamed methods reported to WER by tens of thousands of applications running in the field. The analysis provides valuable insights on where and how the crashes happen and what methods to blame for the crashes. These insights enable us to develop DeepAnalyze, a novel multi-task sequence labeling approach for identifying blamed frames in stack traces. We evaluate our model with over a million real-world crashes from four popular Microsoft applications and show that DeepAnalyze, trained with crashes from one set of applications, not only accurately localizes crashes of the same applications, but also bootstrap crash localization for other applications with zero to very little additional training data.


Food processing operations have a major impact on the stability of the nutrients and generally damage antioxidants in fruit and vegetables, and their products. Domestic, conventional, industrial and even non-thermal processing is reported to degrade the level of phytochemicals in processed food products. Recent concerns in non-thermal technologies are not only to obtain high quality food with "fresh-like" properties, but also to provide food with better functionalities. However, some researchers reported that results obtained from non-thermal processes might not be different from the thermal treatments. The main focus of this review is to clarify the dependence of non-thermal technologies such as high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), pulsed electric field (PEF) and ultrasound (US) processing on key nutrients of fruits and vegetables.


Samples of the edible mushroom Laccaria amethystina, which is known to accumulate arsenic, were collected from two uncontaminated beech forests and an arsenic-contaminated one in Denmark. The total arsenic concentration was 23 and 77 μg  As g−1 (dry weight) in the two uncontaminated samples and 1420 μg As g−1 in the contaminated sample. The arsenic species were liberated from the samples using focused microwave-assisted extraction, and were separated and detected by anion- and cation-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer as arsenic-selective detector. Dimethylarsinic acid accounted for 68–74%, methylarsonic acid for 0.3–2.9%, trimethylarsine oxide for 0.6–2.0% and arsenic acid for 0.1–6.1% of the total arsenic. The unextractable fraction of arsenic ranged between 15 and 32%. The results also showed that when growing in the highly arsenate-contaminated soil (500–800 μg As g−1) the mushrooms or their associated bacteria were able to biosynthesize dimethylarsinic acid from arsinic acid in the soil. Furthermore, arsenobetaine and trimethylarsine oxide were detected for the first time in Laccaria amethystina. Additionally, unidentified arsenic species were detected in the mushroom. The finding of arsenobetaine and trimethylarsine oxide in low amounts in the mushrooms showed that synthesis of this arsenical in nature is not restricted to marine biota. In order to minimize the toxicological risk of arsenic to humans it is recommended not to consume Laccaria amethystina mushrooms collected from the highly contaminated soil, because of a genotoxic effect of dimethylarsinic acid observed at high doses in animal experiments. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

No Abstract.


Open Source Software (OSS) is being used extensively around the world with the emergence of its various advantages, but the researches on the violation of OSS licenses are focused on the areas of law, patent and economy, and it is rare to find a research paper on the violation of structural licenses that can occur in the actual development of software. We have analyzed cases of violation of licenses in GPL group, the typical OSS licenses, schematized it to develop a model based on which will be used to study architecture design strategies to avoid violation of copyright.


Biliary cystadenoma (BCA) and biliary cystadenocarcinoma (BCAC) are rare biliary duct neoplasms. This study investigated reasonable management strategies of cystic neoplasms in the liver. Charts of 39 BCA/BCAC patients (9 males, 30 female; median age 53.74 ± 14.50 years) who underwent surgery from January 1999 to December 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. Cyst fluid samples of 32 BCA/BCAC patients and 40 simple hepatic cyst patients were examined for the tumor markers carbohydrate associated antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The most frequent symptoms were abdominal pain (N = 10), abdominal mass (N = 7), abdominal distension (N = 4), jaundice (N = 2), and fever (N = 3); the remaining patients showed no clinical symptoms. Liver resection (N = 17) or enucleation (N = 22) was performed in the 39 patients. Ultimately, 35 patients were diagnosed with intrahepatic BCA and four patients were diagnosed with BCAC. The median CA19-9 level was significantly higher in BCA/BCAC patients than in simple hepatic cyst patients. The median CEA levels in BCA/BCAC patients and controls were 6.83 ± 2.43 and 4.21 ± 2.91 mg/L, respectively. All symptoms were resolved after surgery, and only one BCAC patient showed recurrence. The incidence of intrahepatic cystic lesions was 1.7%. Increased CA19-9 levels in the cyst fluid is a helpful marker for distinguishing BCA/BCAC from common simple cysts. The presence of coarse calcifications is suggestive of BCAC. Complete surgical removal of these lesions yielded satisfying long-term outcomes with a very low recurrence rate.


This article provides an overview of the first stereo audio source separation evaluation campaign, organized by the authors. Fifteen underdetermined stereo source separation algorithms have been applied to various audio data, including instantaneous, convolutive and real mixtures of speech or music sources. The data and the algorithms are presented and the estimated source signals are compared to reference signals using several objective performance criteria.


Recent studies have suggested that rare variants in MFSD8 contribute to risk for frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Considering the common underlying pathogenesis and the shared genetic risk between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and FTD, we screened the coding region of MFSD8 in 551 unrelated patients with ALS (510 unrelated sporadic ALS and 41 familial ALS probands) from mainland China by whole‐exome sequencing to assess its mutation frequency in patients with ALS and evaluate its association. Two rare deleterious variants, c.343G>A (p. V115M) and c.695T>C (p.L232P), were identified in this study. The variant c.695T>C (p.L232P) has not been previously reported and the carrier of this variant exhibits a relatively younger age of disease onset. Our studies provide some independent evidence showing that the rare variant p.L232P in MFSD8 might be a candidate risk factor for ALS. However, the relatively small sample size and the lack of patient‐derived cells limit the power of the genetic exploration of this study, further robust multicenter studies with larger sizes and biological experiments with patient‐derived cells are needed to elucidate the pathogenesis of the rare variant in MFSD8 in ALS.


Testicular tumours are the most common form of cancer in young men. Since the 1970s, metastatic germ cell tumours have become the curable cancer paradigm through the use of cisplatin-based chemotherapy and surgical remo- val of the residual mass. The prognosis for patients is defined using the International IGCCCG classification, which ena- bles the appropriate amount of chemotherapy therapy to be administered in order to achieve recovery. In the most serious forms, early adaptation of the chemotherapy regimen based on the decreasing levels of serum markers has been shown to be effective. Despite these treatments, approxima- tely 20% of patients relapse and require a second line treat- ment, either at a standard dose or at an intensified level with a stem cell transplant. Follow-up of patients in complete remission is important, not only for the early detection of any relapses, but also to screen for testicular cancer in the other side, associated with the potential desire to father a child, and favours the best possible social rehabilitation of the patient.


Values and moral judgment clearly seem somehow linked and cannot be studied with total independence. No research found, however, empirically or experimentally examined this relationship. It was hypothesized that, specific human values should have different rankings as a function of differing levels of moral development. Volunteers, 31 male and 37 female, were given Rest's Defining Issues Test (DIT), and Rokeach's Value Survey, Form D, to determine the moral development level and the values considered most and/or least important by each subject. The original hypothesis was not general l y supported. Only three values, Inner harmony, a sense of accomplishment, and Social recognition, were significantly correlated (Pearson r) with DIT P scores. Four values, a sense of accomplishment, Inner harmony, Cheerful, and Courageous, jointly, were able to predict DIT P scores (R = .53). The total group (N=64) ranked Honest, Loving, and Responsible of greatest importance (x = 1 through 5), with Imaginative, Social recognition, and Obedient of least importance (x = 14 through 18). Male and female subject's DIT P scores were not significantly different, although males ranked A world at peace, Freedom, Courageous, and Polite of greater importance than females, while females ranked Inner harmony, True friendship, and Loving of greater importance than males ([alpha]<= .05). Subjects at the principled level of moral development tend to rank Inner harmony, and a sense of accomplishment of great importance, with Social recognition being ranked of least importance. The opposite tends to be true for subjects at the preconventional level of moral development. This study has layed a foundation for continued research into the relationship of moral development and human values.


The molecular characterization of the seven taxa in the genus Lens Mill. with Vicia montbretii has not been performed, and species of the genera Vicia L., Lathyrus L., and Cicer L. using AFLP markers have not been elucidated so far. The objectives of the present study were the assessment of (i) genetic relationships among the genera Lens, Vicia, Lathyrus, and Cicer based on AFLP markers, (ii) relationships within the genus Lens including the accessions of L. lamottei Czefr., L. tomentosus Ladiz., and L. odemensis Ladiz., based on morphological and AFLP data, and (iii) position of the species Vicia montbretii (Fisch. and Mey.) Davis and Plitmann based on molecular markers. The genetic material consisted of seven Lens taxa comprising each three accessions of cultivated lentils (L. culinaris Medik.), L. orientalis (Boiss.) Ponert, L. tomentosus, L. odemensis, L. ervoides (Brign.) Grande, and L. nigricans (M.Bieb.) Godr., plus two L. lamottei accessions. Two Vicia montbretii accessions were also included to assess their relationship with the genus Lens Mill. As morphological markers the number of toothed stipules, stipule angle, aristae on peduncle, and pod pubescence were evaluated regarding lentil species. Of the 414 AFLP markers, 280 entailing the most informative and polymorphic were used for the molecular analysis. The genus Lens was genetically closer to the genera Vicia and Lathyrus than to the genus Cicer. V. montbretti was well separated from the genus Lens. The results indicated the following genetic relationship: Lens culinaris subsp. culinaris, Lens culinaris subsp. orientalis, Lens culinaris subsp. tomentosus, Lens culinaris subsp. odemensis, L. ervoides, L. lamottei, and L. nigricans.


I will describe my collaborators' and my own effort to compile large models of molecular pathways in complex human disorders.

The talk will address a number of interrelated questions:

How to extract facts from texts at a large scale?

How to assess the quality of the extracted facts?

How to identify sets of conflicting or unreliable facts and to generate an internally consistent model?

How to use the resulting pathway model for automated generation of biological hypotheses?


Further refinements are presented on a simple and fast way to cluster/segment hyperspectral imagery. In earlier work, it was shown that, starting with the first 2 principal component images, one could form a 2-dimensional histogram and cluster all pixels on the basis of the proximity to the peaks. Issues that we analyzed this year are the proper weighting of the different principal components as a function of the peak shape and automatic methods based on an entropy measure to control the number of clusters and the segmentation of the data to produce the most meaningful results. Examples from both visible and infrared hyperspectral data will be shown.


A novel IL-1 family member (nIL-1F) has been discovered in fish, adding a further member to this cytokine family. The unique gene organization of nIL-1F, together with its location in the genome and low homology to known family members, suggests that this molecule is not homologous to known IL-1F. Nevertheless, it contains a predicted C-terminal β-trefoil structure, an IL-1F signature region within the final exon, a potential IL-1 converting enzyme cut site, and its expression level is clearly increased following infection, or stimulation of macrophages with LPS or IL-1β. A thrombin cut site is also present and may have functional relevance. The C-terminal recombinant protein antagonized the effects of rainbow trout rIL-1β on inflammatory gene expression in a trout macrophage cell line, suggesting it is an IL-1β antagonist. Modeling studies confirmed that nIL-1F has the potential to bind to the trout IL-1RI receptor protein, and may be a novel IL-1 receptor antagonist.


The emergence of III-nitride technology and fabrication of high quality GaN based devices is possible due to the advances in the heteroepitaxial growth of III-N thin-films on lattice-mismatched substrates. Typically, the substrate of choice is either SiC or sapphire. We have adopted 100mm Si as our substrate of choice; uniform substrates of high quality are inexpensive and plentiful due to decades of use in the microelectronics industry. Growth of device quality GaN on Si is challenged by the ∼17% lattice mismatch and an additional thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) mismatch of ∼56%. In order to accommodate this strain and TEC mismatch between Si and GaN, a novel transition layer was designed, grown and successfully optimized, ® obviating the need for either a PENDEO based overgrowth process or a SiC interlayer-based process. This growth technique (SIGANTIC®) does not require any wafer conditioning prior to growth and thus reduces the process complexity and maintains the cost effectiveness of the GaN on Si strategy. We will report on this manufacturable 100mm MOCVD heteroepitaxial process that consistently produces device quality AlGaN/GaN heterostructures with two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) mobilities typically around 1400 cm 2 /Vs at room temperature. Structural and electrical properties as determined by optical reflectance, atomic force microscopy, capacitance-voltage and van der Pauw Hall measurements, which are measured across the 100mm wafer, will be presented. Device results will be mentioned to show continuous wave (CW) RF operation at 2 GHz with competitive power output, gain and power added efficiency (PAE).


The surface of the layered transition metal oxide cathode plays an important role in its function and degradation. Modification of the surface structure and chemistry is often necessary to overcome the debilitating effect of the native surface. Here, we employ a chemical reduction method using CaI2 to modify the native surface of single-crystalline layered transition metal oxide cathode particles. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy shows the formation of a conformal cubic phase at the particle surface, where the outmost layer is enriched with Ca. The modified surface significantly improves the long-term capacity retention at low rates of cycling, yet the rate capability is compromised by the impeded interfacial kinetics at high voltages. The lack of oxygen vacancy generation in the chemically induced surface phase transformation likely results in a dense surface layer that accounts for the improved electrochemical stability and impeded Li-ion diffusion. This work highlights the strong dependence of the electrode's (electro)chemical stability and intercalation kinetics on the surface structure and chemistry, which can be further tailored by the chemical reduction method.


Professor Edmond S. Phelps, the invited discussant, noted that, under the Coase theorem, when nations imposed costs on one another and found resource allocations non-optimal, they could enter contractual arrangements compensating one another so that marginal costs were made equal to marginal benefits. Typically, however, the prisoners' dilemma model was the one that applies. Countries did not reach a compatible agreement and, therefore, there were spillover costs. He agreed with the reasons posited by Professor Streeten as to why such agreements could not be reached and added one more to the list, the difficulties encountered in the implementation of contracts and agreements and in prosecuting defaulters. He continued, the problem in applying the Coase theory lay in the uncertainties and probabilities involved in estimating the marginal social benefits and the marginal social costs and in estimating the extent of the externalities that affect countries other than the ones directly involved. At best, these were subjective estimates. At worst, they were a lie. From the perspective of economic theory, the prisoners' dilemma model was the more relevant.


Background Multidisciplinary team (MDT) working is well established as the foundation for providing cancer services in the UK and elsewhere. A core activity is the weekly meeting (or case conference/tumor boards) where the treatment recommendations for individual patients are agreed. Evidence suggests that the quality of team working varies across cancer teams, and this may impact negatively on the decision-making process, and ultimately patient care. Feedback on performance by expert observers may improve performance, but can be resource-intensive to implement. This proof of concept study sought to: develop a structured observational assessment tool for use by peers (managers or clinicians from the local workforce) and explore its usability; assess the feasibility of the principle of observational assessment by peers; and explore the views of MDT members and observers about the utility of feedback from observational assessment. Methods For tool development, the content was informed by national clinical consensus recommendations for best practice in cancer MDTs and developed in collaboration with an expert steering group. It consisted of ten subdomains of team working observable in MDT meetings that were rated on a 10-point scale (very poor to very good). For observational assessment, a total of 19 peer observers used the tool (assessing performance in 20 cancer teams from four hospitals). For evaluation, telephone interviews with 64 team members and all peer observers were analyzed thematically. Results The tool was easy to use and areas for refinement were identified. Peer observers were identified and most indicated that undertaking observation was feasible. MDT members generally reported that observational assessment and feedback was useful, with the potential to facilitate improvements in team working. Conclusion This study suggests that observation and feedback by peers may provide a feasible and acceptable approach to enhance MDT performance. Further tool refinement and validation is required.


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred imaging modality for oropharyngeal cancers (OPCs), but it has difficulties distinguishing between small OPCs and unilateral tonsil hypertrophy. We hypothesized that surgeon-performed transoral ultrasound (US) could be used to accurately detect T-stage OPCs. We performed a single-center prospective diagnostic accuracy study including patients with suspected or biopsy-verified OPCs during outpatient appointments. All patients were offered transoral US and MRI. If transoral US could not be tolerated by the patient, transcervical US was performed. The primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy of detecting OPCs with US compared to MRI, using histopathology as the reference standard. The secondary outcome was comparing the primary tumor diameters between US and MRI blinded to each other. Out of the 26 patients included in the study, 21 (81%) had OPCs. Transoral US could be performed in 21/21 and 1/5 patients with suspected palatine and lingual tonsil OPCs, respectively. Overall, US diagnostic accuracy was 92%, compared to 81% with MRI (p = 0.37). US and MRI had a high correlation between tumor diameters in the anteroposterior diameter (R = 0.80, p < 0.001), corresponding to the depth axis on US. In conclusion, this small study showed the promise and feasibility of transoral US to improve the initial clinical evaluations of patients with suspected OPCs.


The establishment of a paradigm for mixing of fluids can substantially affect the development of various branches of physical sciences and technology. Mixing is intimately connected with turbulence, Earth and natural sciences, and various branches of engineering. However, in spite of its universality, there have been surprisingly few attempts to construct a general framework for analysis. An examination of any library index reveals that there are almost no works textbooks or monographs focusing on the fluid mechanics of mixing from a global perspective. In fact, there have been few articles published in these pages devoted exclusively to mixing since the first issue in 1969 [one possible exception is Hill's "Homogeneous Turbulent Mixing With Chemical Reaction" (1976), which is largely based on statistical theory]. However, mixing has been an important component in various other articles; a few of them are "Mixing-Controlled Supersonic Combustion" (Ferri 1973), "Turbulence and Mixing in Stably Stratified Waters" (Sherman et al. 1978), "Eddies, Waves, Circulation, and Mixing: Statistical Geofluid Mechanics" (Holloway 1986), and "Ocean Turbulence" (Gargett 1989). It is apparent that mixing appears in both industry and nature and the problems span an enormous range of time and length scales; the Reynolds number in problems where mixing is important varies by 40 orders of magnitude (see Figure 1). Virtually everyone agrees that mixing is complicated. However, there is no agreement as to the source of the complications; to a rhcologist, the constitutive equation is of paramount importance; to someone in turbu-


Understanding foot motion is pivotal to understanding lower extremity mechanics during gait. The aim of the second Foot and Ankle Research Retreat was to address the issues related to the measurement of foot motion. It was sponsored by the Foot and Ankle Special Interest Group and the Orthopaedic Section of the APTA, along with the Department of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California, and was held this past spring. A variety of different foot models were presented. Issues related to reliability and validity were discussed. New techniques, including the use of gait simulators and fast-PC MRI imaging, were presented. The description of this retreat, along with the abstracts of the presentations and the consensus statement from the participants are included in this issue. It is hoped that, as those interested in measuring foot motion read through these abstracts and the consensus statement, ideas for future research will be generated. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2004;34(9)...


Previous studies have suggested that optimal control is one suitable model for biological movement. In some cases, solutions to optimal control problems are known, such as the Linear Quadratic Gaussian setting. However, more general cost functionals and nonlinear stochastic systems lead to optimal control problems to which direct solutions are presently unknown but these solutions would theoretically model behavioral processes. Additionally, in active exploration-based control situations, uncertainty drives control actions and therefore the separation principle does not hold. Thus traditional approaches to control may not be applicable in many instances of biological systems. In low dimensional cases researchers would traditionally turn to discretization methods. However, biological systems tend to be high dimensional, even in simple cases. Function approximation is an approach which can yield globally optimal solutions in continuous time and space. In this paper, we first describe the problem. Then, two examples are explored demonstrating the effectiveness of this method. A higher dimensional case which involves active exploration to learn unobservable parameters and the numerical challenges which arise will be addressed. Throughout this paper, multiple pitfalls and how to avoid then are discussed. This will help researchers to avoid spending large amounts of time merely attempting to solve a problem because a parameter is mistuned.


Coronavirus infection disease-2019 (COVID-19) gained worldwide fame after deadly outbreak in China and its subsequent spread to many countries. So far, COVID-19 is not fully contained, and new cases are arising on daily bases in various countries. Due to zoonotic nature and human-to-human spread, COVID-19 is considered pandemic with more causalities in developing countries. Full genome analysis revealed its resemblance with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus with minor variation in non-structural proteins. Both viruses use the common angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE2) receptor to attach to the epithelial cells of the target organs. Currently, COVID-19 patients are treated with drugs that are used for lungs infections. However, ACE2 has high expression in other human organs such as kidney and testes. Thus, it is assumed that, like SARS, it may have adverse effects on other vital organs, which have dominant expression of ACE2. In testis, SARS affected patients displayed peritubular fibrosis, extensive germ cell disruption, damage of blood-testis barrier integrity and more frequent occurrence of apoptosis. Here, we critically discuss the possible adverse effects of COVID-19 on the testes of patients along with future precautions to overcome the complications of reproductive organs. Key Words: COVID-19; SARS; ACE2, Testes.


Abstract Cook's Petrel (Pterodroma cookii), a trans-equatorial migrant endemic to the New Zealand archipelago, is today endangered and restricted to island habitats at the northern and southern extents of its former range. To improve the limited knowledge of the breeding habitat of this species, we combined an island-wide survey, the mapping capabilities of geographic information systems, and logistic and autologistic analyses to examine burrow distribution and habitat use of the world's largest population of Cook's Petrel, on Little Barrier Island (Hauturu). Our results show that, on this island, Cook's Petrel breeds predominantly above 300 m above sea level, on steeper slopes, closer to ridge tops, and in unmodified forest habitats with low and open canopies and greater numbers of large stems compared to the available terrain and habitat. Within these habitats above 300 m, densities of burrows are 0.04 burrows m−2. Through comparisons with habitat data from two low-altitude colonies, we conclude that the current distribution of this population is a result of habitat selection and historical human-mediated impacts. We suggest that mature forest habitats, close proximity to ridge tops, and steep slopes are key habitat requirements for this species. A large amount of suitable habitat is available for Cook's Petrel on Little Barrier Island and the recent removal of introduced predators is expected to result in an expansion of this population. The results of the current study provide useful information to aid in the restoration of former colony sites on other islands and the New Zealand mainland.


This report summarizes four selected food stamp research studies made by analysts in the Economics, Statistics, and Cooperatives Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The studies focused on the Food Stamp Program's (FSP) effect on food prices, sales by region, size, and kind of participating store, and where and on which food items the stamps are used. The studies were chosen for review because of their potential interest to consumers and food retailers. A list of the studies follows this report.


We have recently found that remnant lipoproteins (RLPs) and their lipid fractions impair endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation (EDR). This study was aimed at clarifying mechanisms responsible for RLP-induced endothelial dysfunction in isolated rabbit aortas. RLPs were isolated from plasma in hyperlipidemic subjects by use of the immunoaffinity gel mixture of anti-ApoA1 and anti-ApoB100 monoclonal antibodies and ultracentrifugation. Organ chamber experiments showed that EDR impairment was restored by addition of reduced glutathione (GSH) or N-acetylcysteine, antioxidants, into the incubation buffer containing isolated rabbit aortas and RLPs (0.75 mg of triglyceride/mL). Furthermore, the incubation of isolated human red blood cells (RBCs) with RLP and its lipids converted the normal shape of RBCs to echinocytes, but coincubation with antioxidants suppressed the RLP-induced RBC transformation, suggesting that they exerted oxidative damage on RBC surface membranes. Studies with HPLC and the postcolumn chemiluminescence method showed that RLPs contain a substantial amount of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxides. Peroxidized phosphatidylcholine also impaired EDR and had echinocytogenic action, both of which were suppressed by N-acetylcysteine. RLPs isolated from the plasma of patients under treatment with alpha-tocopherol, an antioxidant, had a lower level of phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxides (15% of the amount in nontreated patients), which was associated with a lack of the inhibitory action on EDR and with lesser effect on RBC transformation. Oxidative damage caused by lipid components in RLPs, especially peroxidized phospholipids, deteriorates cell surface membrane and may be at least partly responsible for RLP-induced impairment of EDR.


Context. Point-of-care testing (POCT), diagnostic testing at or near the site of patient care, is inherently spatial, that is, performed at points of need, and also intrinsically temporal, because it produces fast actionable results. Outbreaks generate geospatial "hotspots." POC strategies help control hotspots, detect spread, and speed treatment of highly infectious diseases. Objectives. To stop outbreaks, accelerate detection, facilitate emergency response for epidemics, mobilize public health practitioners, enhance community resilience, and improve crisis standards of care. Data Sources. PubMed, WWW, newsprint, others were searched until COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the US, a national emergency, and Europe, the epicenter. Coverage comprised interviews in Asia, email to/from Wuhan, papers, articles, chapters, documents, maps, flowcharts, schematics, and geospatial-associated concepts. EndNote X9.1 (Clarivate Analytics) consolidated literature as abstracts, ULRs, and PDFs, recovering 136 hotspot articles. More than 500 geospatial science articles were assessed for relevance to point-of-care testing. Conclusions POCT can interrupt spirals of dysfunction and delay by enhancing disease detection, decision making, contagion containment, and safe spacing, thereby softening outbreak surges and diminishing risk before human, economic, and cultural losses mount. Point-of-care tests results identify where infected individuals spread COVID-19, when delays cause death, and how to deploy resources. Results in national cloud databases help optimize outbreak control, mitigation, emergency response, and community resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates unequivocally that governments must support POCT and multidisciplinary healthcare personnel must learn its principles, then adopt POC geospatial strategies, so that onsite diagnostic testing can ramp up to meet needs in times of crisis.


The vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) along with ion channels and transporters maintains vacuolar pH. V-ATPase ATP hydrolysis is coupled with proton transport and establishes an electrochemical gradient between the cytosol and vacuolar lumen for coupled transport of metabolites. Btn1p, the yeast homolog to human CLN3 that is defective in Batten disease, localizes to the vacuole. We previously reported that Btn1p is required for vacuolar pH maintenance and ATP-dependent vacuolar arginine transport. We report that extracellular pH alters both V-ATPase activity and proton transport into the vacuole of wild-type Saccharomyces cerevisiae. V-ATPase activity is modulated through the assembly and disassembly of the V0 and V1 V-ATPase subunits located in the vacuolar membrane and on the cytosolic side of the vacuolar membrane, respectively. V-ATPase assembly is increased in yeast cells grown in high extracellular pH. In addition, at elevated extracellular pH, S. cerevisiae lacking BTN1 (btn1-Δ), have decreased V-ATPase activity while proton transport into the vacuole remains similar to that for wild type. Thus, coupling of V-ATPase activity and proton transport in btn1-Δ is altered. We show that down-regulation of V-ATPase activity compensates the vacuolar pH imbalance for btn1-Δ at early growth phases. We therefore propose that Btn1p is required for tight regulation of vacuolar pH to maintain the vacuolar luminal content and optimal activity of this organelle and that disruption in Btn1p function leads to a modulation of V-ATPase activity to maintain cellular pH homeostasis and vacuolar luminal content.


This paper places the institution of bank deposit protection in the context of government paternalism. I apply the theories of deposit insurance, merit goods, patronized goods, government paternalism, and institutional change to the analysis of the Russian case. I rely on statistical data from Central Bank of Russia, Deposit Insurance Agency, and Rosstat. The findings are five-fold: (1) There is similarity between theoretical justification for government paternalism and intervention in household savings and the humanitarian sphere; (2) Deposit protection fits well the Russian institutional setup, due to its paternalistic nature; (3) The public choice-driven purpose of government intervention in household savings may change in the process. Patronage of small savers becomes camouflage for protection of private banks; (4) Deposit guarantee redistributes wealth from the public sector to the private one; (5) Deposit guarantee hinders the evolution of market discipline and responsibility while fostering opportunistic behavior patterns among depositors and banks. The research implication of the paper is that, in the absence of strict eligibility criteria for merit goods, one can identify goods and services that probably do not belong there but sneak into that category by means of a manipulated public choice and thus get similar treatment with traditional humanitarian sectors. The policy implication is that the authorities might wish to tackle opportunistic behavior at source, i.e. by amending the parameters of the deposit insurance scheme.


We report on two children who sustained blunt abdominal trauma with pancreatic duct rupture diagnosed by ERP (endoscopic retrograde pancreatography). Examinations were done with patients on the operating table anesthetized for laparotomy (on-table ERP). In both patients, duct laceration remained undiagnosed by computerized tomography and ultrasonography. Operative strategy depends on whether the pancreatic duct is lacerated or not. Findings during on-table ERP allow decisions on operative strategy in patients with pancreatic trauma.


Deep learning methods developed by the computer vision community are successfully being adapted for use in biomedical image analysis and synthesis applications with some delay. Also in cell image synthesis, we can observe significant improvements in the quality of generated results brought about by deep learning. The typical task is to generate isolated cell images based on training image examples with cropped, centered, and aligned individual cells. While the first trials to use generative adversarial networks (GANs) without any object detection or segmentation had limited capabilities, the recent article by Scalbert et al. (1) has shown that significant improvement can be obtained by splitting the task into (1) learning and generating object (cell and/or nuclei) shapes based on image segmentation, and (2) learning and generating the texture separately for each segment type including the background using so-called style transfer.


The electrical properties of interfaces in semiconductors and ionic conductors are immensely important in a wide range of applications. Electron holography is ideally suited for the direct measurement of the electrostatic potential of such interfaces. A key challenge with this approach is the contribution of the leakage field from the sample to the observed electron phase shift. This leakage field cannot be a priori independently determined and can cause an overestimation of the phase shift. In this work, we use finite element simulations to compute the three-dimensional electrostatic potential in the vicinity of an interface associated with a given interfacial charge density distribution. We then evaluate the predicted phase shift and demonstrate that the leakage field strongly affects the recovery of the projected interface potential. From the difference between the true potential and uncorrected, recovered potential, we propose a method to correct for this effect. We then demonstrate the application of this methodology to the analysis of experimental off-axis electron holography data acquired from the grain boundaries in lightly doped ceria.


ABSTRACT A high-ammonia-resistant strain was firstly isolated from activated sludge and applied to harvest a bioflocculant from a swine wastewater. Enhancement of swine wastewater treatment was investigated by a composite of the harvested bioflocculant and a zeolite modified by integrating calcinations with MgO at 400°C. Results have demonstrated that 71.8% of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), 54.5% of ammonia, and 81.2% of turbidity can be removed from the swine wastewater by the bioflocculant alone. Results have also demonstrated that 73.4% of ammonia could be removed from the swine wastewater by the modified zeolite alone, while almost no COD was removed. Thus, the bioflocculant and modified zeolite were used simultaneously to enhance swine wastewater treatment, and response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the treatment process. Under the optimal treatment conditions of bioflocculant of 12 mg/L, modified zeolite of 8 g/L, pH of 7.5, and agitation speed of 200 r/min, obtained by the RSM, 88.6% of COD, 85.8% of ammonia, and 95.5% of turbidity could be removed from swine wastewater, which were significantly improved compared with that by the bioflocculant or modified zeolite alone. The use of the composite exerted advantages of the bioflocculant and modified zeolite, and provided a feasible way to improve pollutants' removal from wastewaters.


This study focused on different parameters attached to the drought resistance of Thuya inoculated by an indigenous endomycorrhizal fungus. The mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal Thuya plants were exhibited to two stages of water: the level of water stress and an irrigation normal level. The results showed that controlled mycorrhization significantly improves plant tolerance to water dryness. Our finding showed that the inoculation with endomycorrhizal fungi had a negative effect on the content of photosynthetic pigments. On the other hand, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) inoculation had a positive impact on the soluble sugar content, which was higher in AMF plants (251.4 mg/g) than in non-AMF plants (222.53 mg/g). Furthermore, the build-up of proline was lower in mycorrhizal plants (89.95 mg/g) than in non-mycorrhizal plants (194.71 mg/g). Also, the total soluble protein content was higher in mycorrhizal plants (257.84 µg/g) than non-mycorrhizal plants (225.49 μg/g) under water stress. These data clearly show that inoculation with endomycorrhizal fungi has improved the drought tolerance of Tetraclinis articulata plants, which could be a very interesting solution to reduce the adverse effects caused by drought and subsequently determine the success of the programs regeneration in Thuya forests.


SUMMARY Many patients with an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) also receive antiarrhythmic drug therapy. Although an expanding number of patients are receiving ICD therapy, many will not have received previous antiarrhythmic treatment. For patients with an ICD, infrequent arrhythmias and a low probability of inappropriate device discharges, no antiarrhythmic therapy is required. However, for those patients who require an antiarrhythmic drug, amiodarone is a reasonable first choice because of safety in patients with poor LV function. It may be particularly useful for patients with high density ventricular arrhythmias. However, the interactions between ICDs and antiarrhythmic therapy requires close monitoring in order that patient benefit can be optimised, and this review focuses on those interactions.


To enhance the phase sensitivity of ultrasonic signals, phases of the multi-reference-wave are arranged around the maximum phase-sensitive region. The resolution of the phase detection is improved by magnifying the maximum sensitive phase detection outputs. A resolution of 40nm displacement (λ/200, 000) using 40kHz air-coupled ultrasonic waves has been achieved.


Phenylpropanoids, particularly flavonoids have been recently suggested as playing primary antioxidant functions in the responses of plants to a wide range of abiotic stresses. Furthermore, flavonoids are effective endogenous regulators of auxin movement, thus behaving as developmental regulators. Flavonoids are capable of controlling the development of individual organs and the whole-plant; and, hence, to contribute to stress-induced morphogenic responses of plants. The significance of flavonoids as scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in humans has been recently questioned, based on the observation that the flavonoid concentration in plasma and most tissues is too low to effectively reduce ROS. Instead, flavonoids may play key roles as signaling molecules in mammals, through their ability to interact with a wide range of protein kinases, including mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), that supersede key steps of cell growth and differentiation. Here we discuss about the relative significance of flavonoids as reducing agents and signaling molecules in plants and humans. We show that structural features conferring ROS-scavenger ability to flavonoids are also required to effectively control developmental processes in eukaryotic cells.


Alternative splicing (AS) represents a major resource for eukaryotic cells to expand the coding potential of their genomes and to finely regulate gene expression in response to both intra- and extracellular cues. Cancer cells exploit the flexible nature of the mechanisms controlling AS in order to increase the functional diversity of their proteome. By altering the balance of splice isoforms encoded by human genes or by promoting the expression of aberrant oncogenic splice variants, cancer cells enhance their ability to adapt to the adverse growth conditions of the tumoral microenvironment. Herein, we will review the most relevant cancer-related splicing events and the underlying regulatory mechanisms allowing tumour cells to rapidly adapt to the harsh conditions they may face during the occurrence and development of cancer.


This paper develops a new simulation technique to characterize single event effects on semiconductor devices. The technique used to calculate the single event effects is developed according to the physical interaction mechanism of a single event effect. An application of the first principles simulation technique is performed to predict the ground-test single event upset effect on field-programmable gate arrays based on 0.25 μm advanced complementary metal—oxide—semiconductor technology. The agreement between the single event upset cross section accessed from a broad-beam heavy ion experiment and simulation shows that the simulation technique could be used to characterize the single event effects induced by heavy ions on a semiconductor device.


Modeling the interaction of geomaterials with pore fluids is one of the key issues in numerical geomechanics. In 2004, many disasters caused by heavy rainfall and flooding occurred in various areas throughout Japan. These rain-related disasters were probably accompanied by geodisasters, e.g., flows of debris and slope failures in mountain areas and river dike breaks in plain areas. Although the disasters are of course very unfortunate, it is anticipated that data from them will contribute to geomechnics in terms of future geo-disaster prevention. Because most of these geo-disasters are related to the behavior of pore fluids in geomaterials, it is important to construct and use an appropriate model of the interaction of geomaterials with pore fluids.In the present paper, a newly developed evaluation method for the safety of river dike embankments during flooding is introduced first. This method consists of a deformation analysis that can simultaneously consider stability and unsaturated seepage flow. It is quite different, therefore, from the conventional evaluation method in which stability and seepage flow are considered separately. A soil skeleton-pore water coupled elasto-plastic finite element analysis is applied to the problem by incorporating the unsaturated seepage characteristics, and by assuming the pore air pressure in the unsaturated soil region to be atmospheric pressure. The deformation and the stability of a river dike embankment during a flood are investigated for various cases of initial saturation and permeability. The results of the analysis show that the existing evaluation criterion for the seepage failure of river dike embankments is not always on the safe side.Secondly, the problems to be solved are discussed. A multi-phase coupled analysis, which considers the interaction of geomaterials not only with pore water, but also with pore air, is shown. The present analysis has been applied to simulate the experimental results of triaxial tests on unsaturated silt under unexhausted and undrained conditions. This method is expected to be a useful numerical tool for predicting deformation and stability of unsaturated river dike embankments during floods in practical fields. However, more complex problems exist which are difficult to solve with the present numerical analysis method, which is based on continuum mechanics. Some examples of these unsolved problems are also introduced, namely, river dike breaks due to flooding and the progressive seepage failure of sandy deposits that include discrete air bubbles.


Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1), which is the antigen for the hepatocyte paraffin 1 antibody, exhibits focal immunoreactivity in adenocarcinoma from the gastrointestinal tract, but its expression profiles and roles in gastric cancer (GC) remain largely unknown. The present study aimed to determine the expression pattern and prognostic value of CPS1 in Correa's cascade using tissues from 32 patients with chronic atrophic gastritis with intestinal metaplasia (IM), 62 patients with low- or high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (IN) and 401 patients with GC. The expression of CPS1 was diffuse and strongly positive in 32 cases (100%) of IM of the glandular epithelium, and gradually downregulated in Correa's cascade, with a strongly positive ratio of 21 (70%) in low-grade IN and 4 (12.5%) in high-grade IN. The levels of CPS1 expression were significantly higher in diffuse-type GC, with 37 (26%) cases strongly positive for CPS1, compared with 14 (8%) in intestinal-type and 11 (13%) cases in mixed-type GC. In intestinal-type GC, CPS1 expression was completely lost in 107 (62%) of cases, which was associated with an advanced Tumor-Node-Metastasis stage (P=0.031) and depth of invasion (P=0.037). Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested that low CPS1 expression levels were independently associated with a short overall survival (OS) time in the three types of GC (P<0.001 in intestinal-type, P=0.003 in diffuse-type and P=0.018 in mixed-type GC). Furthermore, low levels of CPS1 mRNA and high methylation levels in the CPS1 promoter were associated with a short OS time in patients with GC. These results suggested that the expression of CPS1 was progressively downregulated in Correa's cascade, and that CPS1 may serve as a prognostic marker for patients with GC, regardless of tumor type.


The genetic diversity of Pinus ayacahuite from six stands at the Communal Forest of Totonicapan (Guatemala) was evaluated with chloroplast microsatellite markers. The analysis along an altitudinal cline showed a diverse pattern in both genetic diversity and genetic differentiation estimates. Three areas were established: 1) a lower area, located near human establishments that includes a forest nursery, is characterized by the highest genetic diversity (He: 0.7-0.8) and differentiation (D 2 : 0.22-0.44) detected. Human impacts are frequent and the introduction of foreign plant material could have caused alterations in the genetic composition, 2) an intermediate area is characterized by a moderate anthropogenic perturbation (familiar-small agricultural farms). It has experienced a recent reduction of their effective population size and exhibit a reduction of haplotype richness and 3) a higher area showed elevated genetic diversity and differentiation values. The latter, has been revealed as a genetic diversity reservoir thanks to a low human impact. This study shows several important data that can contribute to the management of this forest area in the future. The low-perturbated stands with high genetic diversity indexes are critical to ensure effective sampling with afforestation purposes.


The aim of this study was to investigate short-term 4 and 14 weeks after fundectomy) and long-term (at the age of 8 months) postoperative effects of 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyrate and/or alpha-ketoglutarate on selected serum biochemical markers in fundectomized pigs. Experimental fundectomy was performed in 30 castrated male pigs of the Puławska breed who received placebo or 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyrate and/or alpha-ketoglutarate up to the age of 8 months. Plasma amino acid concentrations and selected blood parameters were analyzed. Main vital organs were weighed. Our study showed that the supplementations with alpha-ketoglutarate and/or 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyrate to fundectomized pigs significantly prevented the reduction of stomach, liver and spleen weights. However, results of this study, either positive or negative, cannot categorically establish a beneficial effect of AKG and HMB nutritional support after fundectomy in pigs.


Abstract Cushing syndrome developed in two children following inappropriate dosage and duration of corticosteroids by parents. One was a 7-year-old boy who was prescribed prednisolone for treatment of neurocysticercosis. The other was a 1-year-old boy who was prescribed oral betamethasone for a respiratory infection.


Autonomous navigation requires an accurate model or map of the environment. While dramatic progress in the prior two decades has enabled large-scale simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), the majority of existing methods rely on non-linear optimization techniques to find the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) of the robot trajectory and surrounding environment. These methods are prone to local minima and are thus sensitive to initialization. Several recent papers have developed optimization algorithms for the Pose-Graph SLAM problem that can certify the optimality of a computed solution. Though this does not guarantee a priori that this approach generates an optimal solution, a recent extension has shown that when the noise lies within a critical threshold that the solution to the optimization algorithm is guaranteed to be optimal. To address the limitations of existing approaches, this paper illustrates that the Pose-Graph SLAM and Landmark SLAM can be formulated as polynomial optimization programs that are sum-of-squares (SOS) convex. This paper then describes how the Pose-Graph and Landmark SLAM problems can be solved to a global minimum without initialization regardless of noise level using the sparse bounded degree sum-of-squares (Sparse-BSOS) optimization method. Finally, the superior performance of the proposed approach when compared to existing SLAM methods is illustrated on graphs with several hundred nodes.


Although it has been indicated that proteins with chromophoric groups are not suitable for photo-chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) measurements, we have successfully obtained these spectra for a heme protein, cytochrome b5. The characteristics of the spectra differed in some points from those so far reported. The intensities of the signals in the aromatic region were very weak, while those of the beta-methylene protons of one histidine and one tryptophan were extremely strong in comparison with the aromatic protons. It was demonstrated, on the basis of the photo-CIDNP spectrum, that one of seven histidines, all three tyrosines and a single tryptophan of the rabbit soluble cytochrome b5 are exposed on the surface of the protein. The results of comparison of the photo-CIDNP spectra for the rabbit soluble and intact, and bovine intact, cytochrome b5 led us to the conclusion that the conformation of the hydrophilic, catalytic part of cytochrome b5 is quite similar among these three proteins. In the presence of Chaps micelles, bovine intact cytochrome b5 was in monomeric form and the histidine signals disappeared from its photo-CIDNP spectrum. When bovine intact cytochrome b5 was reconstituted into egg yolk phosphatidylcholine liposomes, although separate signals due to the protein part were observed in the normal 1H-NMR spectrum, no photo-CIDNP signal could be detected. The normal spectrum suggests that the conformation of the protein embedded in liposomes is similar to that of the oligomeric form without lipids or a detergent.


The paper describes the main features of a technical Recommendation first draft on Seismic Actions on Bridges, promoted by the Spanish Ministry of Public Works (MOPT). Although much more research is needed to clarify the seismic behaviour of the vast class of problems present in port structures the current state of the art allows at least a classificaton of subjects and the establishment of minimum requirements to guide the design. Also the use of more refined methods for specially dangerous situations needs some general guidelines that contribute to mantein the design under reasonable safety margins. The Recommendations of the Spanish MOPT are a first try in those directions.


This study investigated the effect of the story schema teaching model on Kenyan university undergraduate reader-response to Soyinka's The Interpreters (1965). Schema theory describes the interaction readers' background knowledge in reading tasks. Most researchers using schema theory have established that instruction of story grammar improves the reading comprehension of narratives, however, there is a dearth of studies that have investigated the effect of teaching strategy on the comprehension of psychological novels such as The Interpreters. A true experimental design which is the post-test only control group treatment with random assignment. The experimental group received experimental treatment: instruction on the story schema while the control did not. Three tests measured the dependent variable: a multiple-choice test story recall and story frame test of the selected passages from The Interpreters. One-way ANOVA tests show that the experimental groups were significantly better than the control group in all the three tests: story recall, the story-grammar, and multiple-choice questions. The story mapping theory can be adapted as a model for teaching narratives in order to enhance text comprehension by University undergraduate students.


An open phase 1 study comparing two daily doses of oral ribavirin (1200 and 1600 mg) for 12 weeks was conducted at a single site. Eight human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adult men with lymphadenopathy or early AIDS-related complex (ARC) symptoms were enrolled in each treatment group. No anti-HIV effect was observed as evaluated by coculture of patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells or by the level of serum p24 antigenemia. Neither enhancement of two functional lymphocyte markers (specific antigen-induced blastogenesis or interferon-gamma production) nor reduction in serum beta 2-microglobulins was noted. Mild clinical adverse reactions and anemia were observed in both treatment groups. Significant reductions in total lymphocytes, T lymphocytes (CD2 cells), and T lymphocyte subsets (CD4 and CD8 cells) were most notable in the 1600-mg group. Reduction in the lymphocyte populations was most likely due to a direct ribavirin lymphotoxic effect. These observations indicate that ribavirin had no demonstrable beneficial effect on virologic or immunologic HIV surrogate markers at daily doses associated with adverse reactions.


Oral anticancer drug formulations are considerably favorable not only for patient adherence, but also for ease of administration. The main objective of the present research was to develop extended-release capsule formulations containing doxorubicin hydrochloride-encapsulated albumin microspheres. Albumin-based polymeric microspheres were evaluated as a potential platform technology for providing extended-release of oral dosage formulations. Bovine serum albumin microspheres were prepared by spray drying and characterized for their physicochemical properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the size, surface morphology, and size distribution of the drug-loaded microspheres. Zeta potential measurements were carried out to assess the surface properties and stability of the microsphere formulations. Dissolution studies were conducted to analyze the release profiles of the microspheres and capsule-containing microsphere drug formulations. SEM analysis indicated that microspheres were less than 2-μm in size, which is considered to be optimal for uptake by the enterocytes. The average Zeta potential measurements were approximately -30 mV. Additionally, the data showed that microspheres, which contained 1% BSA and 0.1% glutaraldehyde, provided a drug release profile that is desirable for cancer therapy. Both microsphere and capsule-encapsulating microsphere formulations were shown to provide extended-release of the drug over 36 hours. Thus, capsules containing biodegradable microspheres show potential for effective delivery of oral drug formulations. Citation Format: Duc P. Do, Alexander Kar. Oral drug formulations containing microspheres. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4411. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4411


Abstract Organic cropping systems that utilize winter grown cereal–legume cover crop mixtures can increase plant available nitrogen (N) to a subsequent cash crop, but the rate of N release is uncertain due to variations in residue composition and environmental conditions. A study was conducted to evaluate N availability from rye (Secale cereale L.)–hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) cover crop mixtures and to measure the response of organically grown sweet corn (Zea mays L.) to N provided by cover crop mixtures. Nitrogen availability from pure rye, pure hairy vetch, and rye–vetch mixtures was estimated using laboratory incubation with controlled temperature and soil moisture. Sweet corn N response was determined in a 2-year field experiment in western Washington with three cover crop treatments as main plots (50:50 rye–vetch seed mixture planted mid September, planted early October, and none) and four feather meal N rates as subplots (0, 56, 112 and 168 kg available N ha−1). Pure hairy vetch and a 75% rye–25% hairy vetch biomass mixture (R75V25) released similar amounts of N over 70 days in the laboratory incubation. But, the initial release of N from the (R75V25) treatment was nearly 70% lower, which may result in N release that is better timed with crop uptake. Cover crops in the field were dominated by rye and contained 34–76 kg ha−1 total N with C:N ranging from 18 to 27. Although time of planting and management of cover crop quality improved N uptake in sweet corn, cover crops provided only supplemental plant available N in this system.


I have recently treated four cases of pulmonary hamartolymphangiomyomatosis (HAM), mainly with progesterone therapy and oophorectomy. In two of four cases (case 2 and case 4), more than five years had passed from the onset of symptoms until the initiation of therapy. In one patient (case 2), the lungs had already been extensively destroyed when the therapy was started. In spite of effective therapy, she died of respiratory failure triggered by pneumothorax. Three of four cases were treated effectively, while one (case 1) had poor results. Despite progesterone therapy, oophorectomy and tamoxifen administration, her condition worsened and she died four years after the onset of symptoms. It is necessary to devise new treatments for such patients.


Abstract. The major forces of food and predation shape fitness-enhancing decisions of birds at all stages of their life cycles. During the breeding season, birds can minimize nest loss due to predation by selecting sites with a lower probability of predation. To understand the environmental and social aspects and consequences of breedingsite selection in prairie birds, we explored variation in nest-survival patterns of the Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) in the shortgrass prairie region of North America. Over four breeding seasons, we documented the survival of 405 nests, conducted 60 surveys to estimate bird densities, and measured several vegetative features to describe habitat structure in 24 randomly selected study plots. Nest survival varied with the buntings' density as described by a quadratic polynomial, increasing with density below 1.5 birds ha-1 and decreasing with density between 1.5 and 3 birds ha-1, suggesting that an optimal range of densities favors reproductive success of the Lark Bunting, which nests semi-colonially. Nest survival also increased with increasing vegetation structure of study plots and varied with age of the nest, increasing during early incubation and late in the nestling stage and declining slightly from mid-incubation to the middle of the nestling period. The existence of an optimal range of densities in this semi-colonial species can be elucidated by the "commodity-selection hypothesis" at low densities and density dependence at high densities.


Globally, the labour market has been changing fundamentally since the 1980s. This change is linked to the rapid removal of barriers to trade, such as geographical distance and government regulations, in a bid to facilitate the diffusion of technology and the mobility of goods, labour and, more importantly, financial capital across borders. Among other factors, the transformation of the labour market in the form of re-organisation, re-engineering, intensification of work, multi-tasking, outsourcing, privatisation, increased use of temporary workers, and restructuring, has heightened the sense of job insecurity among workers. This study examines the transformation of the labour market in the context of neoliberal globalisation. The methodological approach adopted was desktop research in the form of conducting a literature survey within an interpretative research paradigm. The study argues that the transformation of the labour market has not only impacted on the workplace but has subsequently also had adverse effects on public health in the African continent. The study further demonstrates that women, compared to men, are disproportionately affected by the adverse health effects emanating from this transformation. The study concludes that the transformation of the labour market, within the context of the phenomenon of neoliberal globalisation, affects public health and exacerbates poverty and inequality in society in so far as health outcomes are concerned, given the insufficiency and absence of effective social protection mechanisms and efficient service delivery in Africa.


Plant protection is used to shoulder and slope of silt sand roadbed and it is an ecological, environmental, scientific economic new subject. From the general site of construction conditions, this paper puts forward several sophisticated methods on problem which encountered in the implementation process.


The semicircle again permits the 4-ft. ramp to the second storey. The third building is a paediatric block (Fig. 3). Here the interior arrangements were changed. On the ground floor nursing station, diet kitchen, four private wards, and isolation room are all peripheral with glass partitions so that duty nurses can see the whole floor. On the second floor a nursing station, intensive care unit, and 16 surgical cots are peripheral, the centre being a large playpen for occupational therapy and schooling. A separate playground with wheeled toys is provided on the terrace. Maximum movement of air is achieved in this building by eliminating ordinary movable windows and substituting glass louvres, translucent where the sun penetrates and plain elsewhere. Air can always circulate and the dome has an ornamental ventilator cap. The plan allows maximurm ventilation, which is highly desirable in a tropical climate. The advantages from an engineering point of view are that, especially in tropical areas, the roof can be economically provided by a dome which stands up to tropical rainfall; for the same floor space the wall area is a minimum, again reducing cost; intermediate floors can be made of umbrella fountain structures into a single column at the centre; as lobby and veranda space is reduced, the efficiency of planning is increased considerably ; and vertical transportation is cheap in twoor three-storey buildings with a ramp. In higher buildings lifts are essential.-We are, etc., H. W. G. WILLIAMS. L. SRINIVASAN. Catherine Booth Hospital, Madras State, India.


Social choice is the theory about collective decision towards social welfare starting from individual opinions, preferences, interests or welfare. The field of Computational Social Welfare is somewhat recent and it is gaining impact in the Artificial Intelligence Community. Classical literature makes the assumption of single-peaked preferences, i.e. there exist a order in the preferences and there is a global maximum in this order. This year some theoretical results were published about Two-stage Approval Voting Systems (TAVs), Multi-winner Selection Rules (MWSR) and Incomplete (IPs) and Circular Preferences (CPs). The purpose of this paper is three-fold: Firstly, I want to introduced Social Choice Optimisation as a generalisation of TAVs where there is a max stage and a min stage implementing thus a Minimax, well-known Artificial Intelligence decision-making rule to minimize hindering towards a (Social) Goal. Secondly, I want to introduce, following my Open Standardization and Open Integration Theory (in refinement process) put in practice in my dissertation, the Open Standardization of Social Inclusion, as a global social goal of Social Choice Optimization.


Acute ureteral obstruction caused by perinephric and pelvic lymphoceles developed after the transplantation of a cadaver kidney in a patient who had been on chronic hemodialysis for two years. The patient was readmitted two months after the transplantation and found to have three large cystic masses in the pelvic region, which were successfully drained. Early diagnosis and aggressive surgical treatment of post-transplantation lymphoceles are essential, if the function of the transplanted kidney is to be preserved.


We present a case of enteropathy associated T cell lymphoma mimicking an ACTH producing neuroendocrine tumour of the pancreas and duodenum on PET/CT because of symmetrical FDG avidity in the bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. Functional imaging with 18F-FDG PET depicts tumour metabolism, but may also visualise secondary endocrine hypersecretion. Therefore, as always, it is mandatory to perform a biopsy to ascertain the final diagnosis. The cause of FDG avidity in the adrenal hyperplasia was not found, but believed to be caused by a ''non-ACTH-mediated stimulant'' as reported earlier.


Summary The study and development of the historical-archaeological foundations have a significant impact on showing the depth of the history and civilization of Nimrud sub-district, in addition to its effective contribution to raising the level of per capita income and attracting national and foreign investment for these cultural foundations. The study of the historical-archaeological foundations and their development in the Nimrud district aims to reveal the cultural potential represented by the historical and archaeological sites enjoyed by the Nimrud sub-district in particular, and the methods of their development and sustainability. Therefore, the research focused on the question about the historical-archaeological foundations that represent one of the pillars of development in the region and how to plan and invest it as an economic and tourist resource for the region, and then reveal the most important obstacles and problems facing its development process in the study area, which represents the research problem. The research is based on the hypothesis that the historical-archaeological foundations that the study area enjoys, along with other foundations, are basic inputs and pillars in the spatial development process, and then the outputs appear as work functions and socio-economic returns for the population of the studied area. The focus was on the geographical distribution of historical and archaeological sites within the Nimrud sub-district in the Nineveh Governorate, which has an area of (474 km 2 ), to study it in a comprehensive and in-depth study and shed light on it, given that what this area has been subjected to in terms of vandalism and destruction is a crime against human heritage.


This paper briefly explores the origins and defining features of deterrence theory and examines two fundamental weaknesses associated with the contemporary Western conception of deterrence. Perceiving the role of deterrence as maintaining the status quo and labelling certain military capabilities as constituting 'a deterrent' are limiting and can provoke unintended consequences. Deterrence and escalation are inherently intertwined and any single attempt to deter can result in de-escalation or escalation. A new conceptual framework is proposed, which conceives deterrence as a strategic way to achieve a broad spectrum of political ends including de-escalation and escalation, through positive and negative means.


Purpose of reviewThe review is aimed at providing information about the role of nerve excitability studies in peripheral nerve disorders. It has been known for many years that the insight into peripheral nerve pathophysiology provided by conventional nerve conduction studies is limited. Nerve excitability studies are relatively novel but are acquiring an increasingly important role in the study of peripheral nerves. Recent findingsBy measuring responses in nerve that are related to nodal function (strength–duration time constant, rheobase and recovery cycle) and internodal function (threshold electrotonus, current–threshold (I/V) relationship) it is possible to assess the function of transient and persistent Na+, fast and slow K+ and HCN inward rectifying channels as well as ion pumps. This has allowed insight into normal axon physiology and normal fluctuations of electrolyte concentrations. Studies of different metabolic neuropathies have assessed the influence of uremia, diabetes and ischemia, and the use of these methods in toxic neuropathies has allowed pinpointing damaging factors. Various mutations in ion channels associated with central nervous system disorders have been shown to have counterparts in the peripheral nervous system, in some instances without peripheral nervous system symptoms. Both hereditary and acquired demyelinating neuropathies have been studied and the effects on nerve pathophysiology have been compared with degeneration and regeneration of axons. SummaryExcitability testing holds promise for further understanding of peripheral nerve pathophysiology but is as yet not universally available. Interpretation may be challenging as changes in parameters may have different explanations, and modeling has been helpful in the use of the methods in clinical neurophysiology.


The goal of this project was to address relatively low levels of career persistence by women in the Arab Gulf states, particularly national and expatriate women in Ras Al Khaimah and the northern emirates. One issue is that women have increasingly enrolled, studied, and achieved undergraduate and graduate degree success in the United Arab Emirates and the wider Middle East region (Blanc, 2016; Miller & Wai, 2015). However, despite the presence of these highly educated women in the labor force, their recruitment, retention, and promotion to middle and senior levels remains relatively low (Rong & Rounds, 2015). If these human resources are not managed effectively, then their talent is lost to an organization, their ability to support their families is decreased, the country loses their economic participation and human development status is reduced. In order to lower barriers to the recruitment and retention of women, more training opportunities and highlighting their achievements in the workplace are needed. We recommend an increase in organizational support through utilizing the multimedia resources at the Virtual Center for Women & Leadership (MENA)


This study investigates the association between "spiritual but not religious" (SBNR) identity and delinquency using a representative sample aged 16–20 years (N = 2,530) in the United States. The analyses extend prior research by examining SBNR effects across a broad range of delinquent behaviors (theft, fighting, marijuana use, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes) and by testing several theoretically salient mechanisms (religious attendance, peers, parental expectations, images of God, morality, and strain), which may account for the association between SBNR identity and delinquency. I estimate SBNR effects on delinquency using logistic and binomial regression and test mechanisms using the Karlson–Holm–Breen method. SBNR identity is positively associated with delinquency, with the strongest effects on substance use but a nonsignificant effect on theft. The hypothesized mechanisms explain between 54% and 69% of the association between SBNR identity and overall delinquency, depending on the "degree" of SBNR identity reported.


Introduction: There is preliminary evidence that viewing touch or pain can modulate the experience of tactile stimulation. The aim of this study was to develop an experimental paradigm to investigate whether the observation of needle pricks to another person's hand facilitates the detection of subtle somatic sensations. Furthermore, differences between control persons and persons reporting synaesthesia for pain (i.e., experiencing observed pain as if it is their own pain) will be examined. Method: Synaesthetes ( n = 15 ) and controls ( n = 20 ) were presented a series of videos showing left or right hands being pricked and control videos (e.g., a sponge being pricked), whilst receiving occasionally subtle threshold sensations themselves on the hand in the same spatial location (congruent trials) or in the opposite location (incongruent trials) as the visual stimuli. Participants were asked to detect the sensory stimulus. Signal detection theory was used to compare whether sensitivity was different for both groups and both categories of visual stimuli. Results: Overall, perceptual sensitivity (d′) was significantly higher when the visual stimuli involved a painful situation (e.g., needle pricking another's hand) compared to the control videos, and was significantly lower in synaesthetes compared to control participants. When no sensory stimulus was administered, participants reported significantly more illusory sensations when a painful situation was depicted compared to a non-painful situation. Discussion: This study suggests that the detection of somatic sensations can be facilitated or inhibited by observing visual stimuli. Synaesthetes were generally less sensitive, suggesting that they experience more difficulties in disentangling somatic and visual stimuli.