In modern cars a lot of effort is put on reducing the background noise level. Despite these efforts it is often difficult for persons in the rear seat(s) to hear the persons in the front seat. This is partly due to the background noise, but also geometry and acoustics properties of the passenger compartment. The aim of this thesis was to implement a speech enhancement system to increase the audibility between the driver and the rear passenger(s). The speech enhancement system should not affect the directivity of the speech or increase the background noise level. A speech enhancement system has been implemented on a DSP in a test car. A microphone was placed in front of the driver to collect his/her speech. The microphone signal was bandpass filtered to remove the main part of the background noise and to avoid aliasing. The signal was delayed before it was sent out in the rear loudspeaker. The delay made the speech from the driver reaching the rear passenger before the sound the rear loudspeakers. This delay was enough to get the right directivity of the sound, i.e. making speech sounding as if it came from the driver instead of the rear loudspeakers. In the thesis other methods to reduce background noise and get directivity of the sound were evaluated, but not implemented in the test car. The evaluations of the system showed that the audibility was increased. At the same time the background noise level was not noticeable increased. The work has been performed at A2 Acoustics AB in Linkoping, during spring 2003.


The relative effectiveness of two writing accommodations, word processing (WP) and speech-recognition (SR) technology, was examined relative to the writing skills of four boys with Asperger syndrome. The more effective accommodation was then combined with the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) writing intervention and compared with SRSD and handwriting (HW) combined to determine whether participants' writing skills would be further improved. Using a multiple-phase alternating-treatments design with a final treatment phase, outcomes indicated that the SR accommodation improved writing fluency and quality better than WP and HW. However, participants produced the most fluent and highest quality writing when SRSD intervention was combined with SR as compared with SRSD paired with HW, SR alone, and HW alone. Implications and future directions are discussed.


 Abstract — The shift towards decision making (DM) based on artificial intelligence (AI) techniques will change the way in which consumer markets and our societies function. Through AI, predictive analytics is being used by businesses to identify these patterns and major trends with the objective to improve the DM and influence future business outcomes. This paper proposes an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach to predict the success of telemarketing calls for selling bank long-term deposits. To validate the proposed model, we uses the bank marketing data of 41188 phone calls. The ANN attains 98.93% of accuracy which outperforms other conventional classifiers and confirms that it is credible and valuable approach for telemarketing campaign managers.


Properties of YBaCuO thin films are evaluated in two distinct frequency ranges using different patterns made during the same process on LaAlO/sub 3/ substrate. Microwave superconducting properties in the range 1-45 GHz are determined by S-parameters measurement of a superconducting coplanar waveguide in the range 53-95 K. We obtain a surface resistance of 0.4 m/spl Omega/ at 10.8 GHz and 77 K. Radio-frequency properties are obtained by measuring the Q-factor of a superconducting resonator (YBCO multiturn transmission lines separated by a sapphire sheet) dedicated to surface magnetic resonance imaging. At 52 MHz and 77 K we measure a Q-factor of 33180. The extraction of the radio-frequency surface resistance from Q-factor measurements in the 64-95 K range takes into account external loss mechanisms and nonuniform normal current distribution and leads to a 0.0093-/spl mu//spl Omega/ surface resistance at 52 MHz and 77 K, in good agreement with the value extrapolated from microwave measurements assuming an /spl omega//sup 2/ frequency dependence. The evaluation of /spl lambda//sub 0/ is carried out by using several models for X/sub L/(t). Least squares fits to data in the microwave and radio-frequency domain are performed using the Gorter-Casimir expression for X/sub L/(t) and give the same /spl lambda//sub 0/ value for both devices.


Suppose the entire social and commercial fabric supporting the creation of software is changing-changing by becoming completely a commons and thereby dropping dramatically in cost. How would the world change and how would we recognize the changes? Software would not be continually recreated by different organizations, so the global "efficiency" of software production would increase dramatically; therefore it would be possible to create value without waste, experimentation and risk-taking would become affordable-and probably necessary because firms could not charge for their duplication of infrastructure-, and the size and complexity of built systems would increase dramatically, perhaps beyond human comprehension. As important or more so, the activities of creating software would become the provenance of people, organizations, and disciplines who today are mostly considered consumers of software-there would, in a very real sense, be only a single software system in existence, continually growing; it would be an ecology husbanded along by economists, sociologists, governments, clubs, communities, and herds of disciplines. New business models would be developed, perhaps at an alarming rate. How should we design our research to observe and understand this change? There is some evidence the change is underway, as the result of the adoption of open source by companies who are not merely appreciative receivers of gifts from the evangelizers of open source, but who are clever thieves re-purposing the ideas and making up new ones of their own.


The new Coalition Government formed in May 2010 in the UK is to abolish Regional Development Agencies and, in the name of a 'new localism', is to replace them with Local Enterprise Partnerships, 'joint local authority-business bodies brought forward by local authorities to promote local economic development'. This article looks at the proposals for LEPs, in the light of theories of governance. It explores the case examples of the West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside, where there have been differing proposals for region-wide LEPs. It argues that far from localism, the move to set up LEPs is profoundly ant-regionalist and is re-centralisation in disguise, given that many economic development functions are being taken back to Whitehall. That problem of recentralisation, we suggest, risks being exacerbated by a fragmentation of LEPs into small territorial units, and a lack of resources.


Two different applications of PS layers in the solar cell technology were demonstrated. In the first case, microporous layers, which are formed on silicon surface after relatively long anodical etching, roughen surface and enhance the optical confinement in the wafer increasing quantum efficiency in the spectral region close to 1 μm. Such a light-trapping effect was verified by spectral transmittivity and photoresponse measurements. In the second case, thin nanoporous layers formed by a short anodical treatment on already manufactured solar cells were investigated. The increase of the short-circuit current and efficiency by nearly 30% has been observed. Such an improvement was explained by antireflective and surface passivating actions of the porous silicon layer.


Steam treatment is often applied to beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) to improve the stability and permeability of the wood, obtain a desirable color, and soften the wood. This paper evaluates the effect of steaming on the physical, mechanical, and chemical characteristics of beech steamed for 20, 50, 70, and 100 hours at 80°C. The results show that steaming decreases the strength and physical properties of the wood. Following 100 hours of steaming, compression strength and modulus of elasticity decreased 13.2 and 16.5 percent, respectively. Steaming had a slight effect on radial and tangential shrinkage, and reduced density about 2 percent. Hemicelluloses in steamed wood decreased only 7 to 9 percent, but wood solubility was greatly decreased. Acetyl content also decreased with steaming as hemicelluloses decreased. The lignin content of steamed wood was slightly higher than that of untreated wood.


We answer some long-standing questions concerning absolutely irreducible representations of compact Lie groups. Such representations provide the natural setting for steady-state equivariant bifurcation theory. We prove the existence of maximal isotropy subgroups for which there are no branches of equilibria or relative equilibria. Also, we obtain examples of complex and quaternionic maximal isotropy subgroups. A consequence of this is the existence of primary branches of nontrivial relative equilibria (rotating waves).


Knowledge of the location and timing of spawning events is critical for fisheries management. As is the case for many southern African fishes, the spotted grunter Pomadasys commersonnii was historically thought to reproduce in the coastal waters off KwaZulu-Natal Province (KZN), South Africa, with subsequent egg and larval dispersal towards the Eastern Cape (EC) and Western Cape (WC) provinces facilitated by the Agulhas Current. More recently, year-round residency within areas of the EC and the observation of reproductively mature individuals in certain WC estuaries has provided some support for spawning events southwest of KZN. This study reports empirical evidence of active spawning in the sheltered marine section of the Knysna estuarine bay, WC. Observations of spawning behaviour were noted during large aggregations of adult fish over shallow sandbanks in February 2017. A single male and female were collected, and their reproductive organs were macroscopically staged as 'spawning.' Gonad histological examination verified active spawning of the female via the presence of hydrated oocytes, migratory nucleus oocytes and post-ovulatory follicles. Future research should focus on the identification and conservation of critical spawning events and investigate the potential role of large marine-dominated estuarine systems in the life history of this and other marine estuarine-dependent species. Lastly, the results of this study contribute towards a knowledge base that challenges the traditional theory of northeastward spawning migrations as the sole life-history strategy for numerous South African fishery species.


Anemia affects approximately 25% of school-aged children (SAC—aged 5.00–14.99 years) globally. We determined in three countries the prevalence and determinants of anemia in SAC. Data on sociodemographics, inflammation and nutrition status were obtained from the 2006 Mexican National Nutrition Survey, the 2003-6 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, and the 2010 Encuesta Nacional de Nutrición Situación Colombia. In the US, vitamin A and iron deficiency (ID) were available only for girls aged 12.00–14.99 years to which our analysis was limited. Associations were evaluated by country using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for confounders and complex survey design. The prevalence of anemia and ID were: Mexico 12% (ID 18%), n = 3660; US 4% (ID 10%), n = 733; and Colombia 4% (ID 9%), n = 8573. The percentage of anemia associated with ID was 22.4% in Mexico, 38.9% in the US and 16.7% in Colombia. In Mexico, anemia was associated with ID (adjusted OR: 1.5, p = 0.02) and overweight (aOR 0.4, p = 0.007). In the US, anemia was associated with black race/ethnicity (aOR: 14.1, p < 0.0001) and ID (aOR: 8.0, p < 0.0001). In Colombia, anemia was associated with black race/ethnicity (aOR: 1.6, p = 0.005), lowest socio-economic status quintile (aOR: 1.8, p = 0.0005), ID (aOR: 2.7, p < 0.0001), and being stunted (aOR: 1.6, p = 0.02). While anemia was uniformly associated with iron deficiency in Mexico, Columbia, and the United States, other measured factors showed inconsistent associations with anemia. Additional data on anemia determinants in SAC are needed to guide interventions.


Geladas (Theropithecus gelada), endemic to Ethiopia, are listed as "rare" by the IUCN and have an Appendix II listing in CITES. The highest density of geladas, and the only place where they are officially protected, is found in the Simien Mountains National Park (SMNP). However, to date, no comprehensive census of geladas in the area has been carried out. Here, we use a direct count to census geladas living in and around the SMNP. We also examine the age and sex structure of the gelada groups surveyed. A total of 4264 geladas were counted in the area. From these results, we estimate that approximately 2460 geladas live within the current boundary of the SMNP. With respect to age-sex categories, we counted approximately 3 adult females to each adult male, and when bachelor groups were excluded, there were 4.2 females per adult male. The ratio of immatures and subadults to adults was 1.2 immatures per 1.0 adult. The actual size of the SMNP gelada population is significantly lower than expected from previous unpublished estimates. However, gelada populations appear to be healthy in the SMNP, despite a high amount of competition with grazing livestock. Key words/phrases: Census, gelada, population estimate, Simien Mountains National Park, Theropithecus


In response to abiotic stresses, plants mount comprehensive stress-specific responses which mediate signal transduction cascades, transcription of relevant responsive genes and the accumulation of numerous different stress-specific transcripts and metabolites, as well as coordinated stress-specific biochemical and physiological readjustments. These natural mechanisms employed by plants are however not always sufficient to ensure plant survival under abiotic stress conditions. Biostimulants such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) formulation are emerging as novel strategies for improving crop quality, yield and resilience against adverse environmental conditions. However, to successfully formulate these microbial-based biostimulants and design efficient application programs, the understanding of molecular and physiological mechanisms that govern biostimulant-plant interactions is imperatively required. Systems biology approaches, such as metabolomics, can unravel insights on the complex network of plant-PGPR interactions allowing for the identification of molecular targets responsible for improved growth and crop quality. Thus, this review highlights the current models on plant defence responses to abiotic stresses, from perception to the activation of cellular and molecular events. It further highlights the current knowledge on the application of microbial biostimulants and the use of epigenetics and metabolomics approaches to elucidate mechanisms of action of microbial biostimulants.


Mitesh Kumar Behera, ∗ Shivaramakrishna Singirala, † Subhasmita Mishra, ‡ and Rukmani Mohanta § School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad 500046, India Department of Physics, IIT Hyderabad, Kandi 502285, India Abstract Modular symmetries have been impeccable in neutrino and quark sectors. This motivated us, therefore, to propose a variant of scotogenic model based on modular A4 symmetry to realize the neutrino mass generation at one-loop level through radiative mechanism. Alongside, the lepton flavour violating process μ → eγ and the muon g − 2 anomaly are also addressed. The lightest Majorana fermions turn out to be potential dark matter candidates, made stable by suitable assignment of modular weights. The relic density of the same has been computed with annihilations mediated by inert scalars and new U(1) gauge boson.


It has been observed that adding a few long range edges to certain graph topologies can significantly increase the rate of convergence for consensus algorithms. A notable example is the class of ring-structured Watts-Strogatz small world graphs. Building on probabilistic methods for analyzing `small-world phenomena¿, developed in our earlier work, we provide here a probabilistic framework for analyzing this effect. We investigate what graph characteristics lead to such a significant improvement and develop bounds to analyze consensus problems on randomly varying graphs.


Environmental modelling depends on a great quantity of data; usually these data are converted to parameters and indicators for use as inputs to models. An important problem is the aggregation of these data. Usually this is done pragmatically and unsystematically and the aggregation procedure depends heavily on the opinion of individual experts. In this paper, we propose an approach called "multicriteria decision aid" (MCDA), originally developed in the field of decision theory, as a first step towards the development of a framework for the aggregation of environmental data. Its use is defended on the basis of considerations aimed at proving that a formal analogy between this kind of problem, and the problems where multicriteria decision methods are generally applied, exists. Particular attention is paid to the problem of qualitative information. As an illustrative example, an application to a problem of water quality is presented. This procedure may be easily extended from modelling to the aggregation of data for environmental indicators in general. It is by these methods that procedures of aggregation may become standardized and also transparent to users.


In this paper, we investigate the use of dynamic Bayesian networks (DBNs) to explicitly represent models of hidden features, such as articulatory or other phonological features, for automatic speech recognition. In previous work using the idea of hidden features, the representation has typically been implicit, relying on a single hidden state to represent a combination of features. We present a class of DBN-based hidden feature models, and show that such a representation can be not only more expressive but also more parsimonious. We also describe a way of representing the acoustic observation model with fewer distributions using a product of models, each corresponding to a subset of the features. Finally, we describe our recent experiments using hidden feature models on the Aurora 2.0 corpus.


In order for Standards-based foreign language (FL) instructional methods to be successfully implemented, teachers need to be confident in using them in their classrooms and capable of explaining Standards-based instruction to parents and community. The Nebraska Foreign Language Standards/Frameworks Project involved a substantial proportion of Nebraska's FL teachers in an intensive process of Standards development and dissemination, with more than half participating in one or more Frameworks activities. The study examined these FL teachers' beliefs about foreign language teaching and learning as they related to the processes of Standards development. Results indicated that increases in teaching efficacy, professional advocacy, and Standards-based conceptions of FL teaching were associated with Frameworks participation. Instruments developed for the assessment of efficacy beliefs and conceptions of teaching also are presented.


We characterize the restrictions imposed by the minimal I(2)-to-I(1) transformation that underlies much applied work, e.g. on money demand relationships or open-economy pricing relationships. The relationship between the parameters of the original I(2) vector autoregression, including the coefficients of polynomially cointegrating relationships, and the transformed I(1) model is characterized. We discuss estimation of the transformed model subject to restrictions as well as the more commonly used approach of unrestricted reduced rank regression. Only a minor loss of efficiency is incurred by ignoring the restrictions in the empirical example and a simulation study. A properly transformed vector autoregression thus provides a practical and effective means for inference on the parameters of the I(2) model.


This study aims to design a new kind of interactive drama, where the user interacts in depth with the course of the narrative, while the dramatic intensity is retained. Based on various theoretical sources on narrative and drama, a model is put forward. This model is used to build a computer system of interactive drama.


Transformations of land use from natural to anthropic type have been recognized as a significant trigger which degenerate the aquatic ecological quality seriously. However, there was still lack of enough evidence which the extent of changes in land use should be set as a biodiversity conservation target to protect aquatic ecosystem. To understand the corresponding variations of aquatic organisms to environmental gradients and set the conservation threshold values for land use, data of physicochemical parameters and macroinvertebrate communities were sampled in the Hun-Tai River Basin during 2009 and 2010. The main objectives of the present study were (i) to explore limiting factors that affect the distribution of macroinvertebrate communities with land use gradients, (ii) to estimate thresholds for the conservation of macroinvertebrate communities derived from generalized additive models (GAMs) and Threshold Indicator Taxa ANalysis (TITAN), respectively. The results indicated that macroinvertebrate communities' structure and integrity were strongly negative with nutrient, organic contaminants content, %CropArea and %ImperviousArea. Under a precaution perspective and given current levels of land use, this research might provide some useful strategies for appropriate land exploitation management and improving water quality and biodiversity conservation in river ecological restoration.


Managing and regulating the extractive industries can pose substantial challenges to minerals-rich countries. Aiming to overcome the "resource curse", some countries attempt to generate greater gains from their natural resources by using trade policy instruments such as export restrictions. Others look to create a balanced regulatory framework to maximise gains from sustainable extraction and minimise the negative spillover effects. Colombia and Peru have aimed to do the latter. This study examines their experiences as regards some aspects of the management of their extractive industries. In particular, it examines the design of the tax system as it applies to non-renewable resources, the reform of the distribution of revenues from the sector, and strategies for tackling illegal mining. These policy areas are important to ensure that the extraction of natural resources benefits the economies and societies of the two Andean nations.


It is estimated, that most employees eat one or more meals per day whilst they are at work, which is forming an important element of their overall diet. However, consumers struggle to make an informed dish decision due to a lack of information provided. Additionally, past food scares in Germany and the UK have created distrust and interest in food information. This study is identifying what is important to consumers, indicating their information needs and establishes the format that is most appropriate for the delivery of food information in workplace canteens in Germany and the UK. Providing consumers with enhanced food information can strengthen the relationship between consumer and canteen operator as well as establish trust in the food served. A mixed methodological, sequential approach was employed. Four focus groups were used to inform the design of a questionnaire (n=317), which tested criteria of importance and types of information provision that are relevant when making food choice in a workplace setting using Best-worst scaling. Through semi-structured interviews (n=10) canteen operators' views on meeting customer needs and establishing trust in the food served were identified. Informational criteria of importance have been identified whereby, Nutrition, Value for Money and Naturalness are key elements that consumers require to make a decision about dish selection. Consumers fall into different segments; Health Conscious, Socially Responsible and Value Driven and hence rate the importance of certain informational criteria differently impacting on dish selection. Traffic Light Labelling, Information Boxes and Quality Assurance have been shown to be the most favourable way of receiving food information. Consumers align to different segments; Tech-savvy, Heuristic Processors, Brand Orientated and Systematic Processors, hence various communication channels can be explored to most effectively target consumers. This study has provided an understanding of consumers' information requirements thus enabling canteen operators to be more competitive. The provision of food information that targets different consumer segments can demonstrate shared customers' values and consequently, evidence operators' commitment towards a relationship that is based on transparency and trust.


Abstract. Volcanic eruptions impact climate through the injection of sulfur
dioxide ( SO2 ), which is oxidized to form sulfuric acid
aerosol particles that can enhance the stratospheric aerosol optical
depth (SAOD). Besides large-magnitude eruptions, moderate-magnitude
eruptions such as Kasatochi in 2008 and Sarychev Peak in 2009 can
have a significant impact on stratospheric aerosol and hence
climate. However, uncertainties remain in quantifying the
atmospheric and climatic impacts of the 2009 Sarychev Peak eruption
due to limitations in previous model representations of volcanic
aerosol microphysics and particle size, whilst biases have been
identified in satellite estimates of post-eruption SAOD. In
addition, the 2009 Sarychev Peak eruption co-injected hydrogen
chloride ( HCl ) alongside SO2 , whose potential
stratospheric chemistry impacts have not been investigated to
date. We present a study of the stratospheric
 SO2 –particle– HCl processing and impacts following
Sarychev Peak eruption, using the Community Earth System Model version
1.0 (CESM1) Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) – Community
Aerosol and Radiation Model for Atmospheres (CARMA) sectional
aerosol microphysics model (with no a priori assumption on particle
size). The Sarychev Peak 2009 eruption injected 0.9  Tg of
 SO2 into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere
(UTLS), enhancing the aerosol load in the Northern Hemisphere. The
post-eruption evolution of the volcanic SO2 in space and
time are well reproduced by the model when compared to
Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) satellite
data. Co-injection of 27  Gg HCl causes a lengthening of the
 SO2 lifetime and a slight delay in the formation of
aerosols, and acts to enhance the destruction of stratospheric ozone
and mono-nitrogen oxides ( NOx ) compared to the simulation
with volcanic SO2 only. We therefore highlight the need to
account for volcanic halogen chemistry when simulating the impact of
eruptions such as Sarychev on stratospheric chemistry. The
model-simulated evolution of effective radius ( reff )
reflects new particle formation followed by particle growth that
enhances reff to reach up to 0.2  µm on zonal
average. Comparisons of the model-simulated particle number and
size distributions to balloon-borne in situ stratospheric
observations over Kiruna, Sweden, in August and September 2009, and
over Laramie, USA, in June and November 2009 show good agreement and
quantitatively confirm the post-eruption particle enhancement. We
show that the model-simulated SAOD is consistent with that derived
from the Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imager System (OSIRIS) when
both the saturation bias of OSIRIS and the fact that extinction
profiles may terminate well above the tropopause are taken into
account. Previous modelling studies (involving assumptions on
particle size) that reported agreement with (biased) post-eruption
estimates of SAOD derived from OSIRIS likely underestimated the
climate impact of the 2009 Sarychev Peak eruption.


Aim: The OPTIMIzE registry study evaluated real-world outcomes in patients with advanced melanoma receiving immuno-oncology therapies. Materials and methods: Data were collected for patients treated with anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) monotherapy (nivolumab or pembrolizumab; n = 147) or nivolumab plus ipilimumab (n = 81) from 2015-2017 and followed for ≥3 years. Results: Nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus anti-PD-1 monotherapy was associated with a nonsignificantly lower risk of death (adjusted HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.54-1.28; p = 0.41), higher disease control rate (72 vs 56%; p = 0.04), and stable quality of life, but more grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events (54 vs 26%; p < 0.0001). Conclusion: These results support the use of immuno-oncology therapy in advanced melanoma.


Objective: To find the post-operative pain in transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) hernia repair: Mesh fixation with tacks versus non fixation. Study Design: Comparative study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Surgery Unit B, Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan from 1st October 2019 to 30th September 2021. Methodology: One hundred participants who were admitted for inguinal hernia repair through laparoscopic surgical procedure were enrolled as study participants and divided into two groups. General anesthesia was administered to all patients and a carbon dioxide pressure of 14mmHg was used for keeping pneumo-peritoneum during the surgical procedure. An incision in peritoneum was made post identification of herniasac. Pain index was measured by Visual Analogue Scale at day 1, day 3, day 7 and day 14 followed by one and six months post-surgery. Results: The mean age of group A and group B patients in the present study were 51.2±9.5 and 52.1±9.7 years respectively with majority being males in both groups. Majority of patients in both group had unilateral herni. Group B had shorter surgery duration with lessen hospital stay however chances of recurrence as 12% and wound infection as 6% was higher in it respectively. The post operative pain was 65±9.3 and 66±9.1 in group A and B. Conclusion: Mesh fixation is a longer duration process requiring longer hospital stay, however it provides less chances of complications as wound infection and recurrence. There was no difference in post operative pain in both groups. Keywords: Hernia Repair, Fixation, Mesh, Surgical Method


ABSTRACT South African Sign Language (SASL) poetry is still exploring many forms of poetry genres. This article describes the recent development of a new 'genre' in sign language poetry: signed renga (group poetry). The article will outline the form – what it is, how it has developed and spread, and why it is an apparently successful poetic genre. A sketch of a workshop from Signing Hands Across the Water 2 (SHAW 2) will also be provided to illustrate how renga emerges out of group work. First we will briefly explain common features of signed renga, drawing on a body of signed renga in British, Irish and Swedish Sign Languages. The second half of the article is an in-depth analysis of one signed renga, titled South Africa, which emerged from the SHAW 2 festival, with a focus on transitions as collaborative performance using shared signing space and eye gaze direction.


Pathologic examination of axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) may miss micrometastases in 30 per cent of breast cancer patients. We have developed a multimarker reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based screening method that detects histopathologically positive ALNs with a 5 per cent false-negative rate. The purpose of this study was to compare this RT-PCR methodology with histopathology with regard to sensitivity and cost. Pathologically negative ALNs from 35 breast cancer patients were re-evaluated by a single pathologist in a blinded fashion using serial sectioning with immunohistochemical staining. Histopathologic results were then compared with those of RT-PCR. Cost analysis was performed based on standard charges for these methods. RT-PCR identified micrometastases in 14 of 35 pathologically negative nodes. Serial sectioning and immunohistochemical staining identified micrometastases in two cases, with RT-PCR positive for one of these. The charge per specimen for performing routine histopathologic examination was $380, serial sectioning and immunohistochemical staining $787, and RT-PCR $125. RT-PCR appears to be more sensitive at detecting ALN micrometastasis than histopathologic examination even with serial sectioning and immunohistochemical staining. If micrometastatic breast cancer detected by RT-PCR proves to be clinically relevant, it could be a more effective screening methodology with significant cost savings as compared to currently available pathologic examinations.


This paper examines two examples of archival visual information with potentially transgender and non-binary representation to interrogate the descriptive challenges latent within such materials. By using gender theory and queer historiography, this paper deploys a critical case study to consider the particularities of naming gender when contextual evidence provides little to no authoritative guidance. By talking through the way gender makes itself visible within visual information, the paper guides readers through the way transgender or non-binary identity might exist within both pieces of visual information. The paper then provides suggestions on how to provide respectful and inclusive descriptive records that attend to the complexities of a still-evolving queer history. By offering both a statement on the impossibility of naming identity within intersecting forms of queer embodiment alongside reference points for methods of discussing potential gendered identities, the paper offers practical approaches to describing transgender and non-binary identities for information professionals.


The success of deep learning has inspired recent interests in applying neural networks in statistical inference. In this paper, we investigate the use of deep neural networks for nonparametric regression with measurement errors. We propose an efficient neural network design for estimating measurement error models, in which we use a fully connected feed-forward neural network (FNN) to approximate the regression function $f(x)$, a normalizing flow to approximate the prior distribution of $X$, and an inference network to approximate the posterior distribution of $X$. Our method utilizes recent advances in variational inference for deep neural networks, such as the importance weight autoencoder, doubly reparametrized gradient estimator, and non-linear independent components estimation. We conduct an extensive numerical study to compare the neural network approach with classical nonparametric methods and observe that the neural network approach is more flexible in accommodating different classes of regression functions and performs superior or comparable to the best available method in nearly all settings.


Callas (Zantedeschia spp.), a plant native to south-central Africa, are an economically important export cut flower and tuber crop in New Zealand. Bacterial soft rot, caused by Erwinia carotovora (Ec), is the main disease of callas grown in New Zealand. Each year the disease causes substantial losses to plants in the field and to tubers in storage. Biochemical tests are currently the accepted standard for identification and taxonomy of soft rot erwinias, but on a routine level they are very time consuming and do not always provide a tentative identification. Pel genes encoding pectolytic enzymes are considered the main pathogenicity factors of soft rot erwinias. This study describes a rapid and sensitive PCR assay that is capable of specifically detecting pel genes present in Ec from healthy and diseased calla tubers.


INTRODUCTION
Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteraemia is associated with significant mortality rates worldwide. The purpose of this study is to identify risk factors for predicting mortality in patients with S. pneumoniae bacteraemia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective cohort study was carried out in a university-affiliated acute tertiary care hospital in Singapore. Thirty-eight patients with blood cultures positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae over a 2-year period from January 2000 to December 2001 were recruited for the study.

RESULTS
The records of patients admitted to hospital with blood cultures positive for S. pneumoniae between January 2000 and December 2001 were reviewed. Thirty-eight patients were found positive for S. pneumonia; this included 31 men (81.6%) and 7 women (18.4%) between the ages of 14 years and 90 years. Of this, 7 patients (18.4%) required admission to the intensive care unit, 5 of whom required mechanical ventilation. The factors that predicted mortality were the presence of septic shock (P <0.005), leukopenia or leukocytosis (P <0.005), the presence of an underlying malignancy (P = 0.008), anaemia (P = 0.025) and the presence of a high anion gap (P = 0.047) on admission.

CONCLUSION
Of all the risk factors observed, those that predicted mortality in patients on initial presentation of S. pneumoniae bacteraemia were the presence of septic shock, leukopenia or leukocytosis, anaemia, a raised anion gap and the presence of an underlying malignancy.


On 14 February 2011 Bahrainis took to the streets demanding political reform as part of a broader wave of protests that swept across the Arab world. In the months that followed, the ruling Al-Khalifa family deployed mechanisms of sovereign power in an effort to ensure the survival of the regime. This article explores counter-revolutionary efforts deployed by the Bahraini state in an effort to eviscerate protest movements born out of the Arab Uprisings. Drawing on Giorgio Agamben's ideas about sovereign power, I argue that the Al-Khalifa regime was able to deploy a range of different tools in pursuit of survival, framing Shi'a groups as nefarious fifth columnists operating within a broader regional struggle pitting Saudi Arabia and Iran against one another. The article argues that while sect-based difference is an important aspect of contemporary Bahraini politics – facilitated by securitisation processes led by the Al-Khalifa – counter-revolutionary efforts have their roots in a state building project that gave the ruling family the ability to ensure their survival. This approach created an "anti-revolutionary" environment which prevented the emergence of widespread protest, yet when faced with serious challenges, anti-revolutionary processes morphed into counter-revolutionary mechanisms.


A study was undertaken to determine the genotypic and phenotypic variation in 50 genotypes. The wide range of variability was observed in all the nine characters except for number of branches plant-1. Higher heritability coupled with genetic advance as percentage of mean was noticed in seed yield plant-1, number of capsules plant-1, seeds capsules-1 and 1000 seed weight indicating the presence of additive gene action and direct selection may be effective. The seed yield was positively and significantly correlated with all traits except 1000 seed weight and oil percent.


The hypocretins (hcrt1 and hcrt2) are expressed by a discrete population of hypothalamic neurons projecting to many regions of the CNS, including the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), where serotonin (5-HT) neurons are concentrated. In this study, we investigated responses to hcrts in 216 physiologically identified 5-HT and non-5-HT neurons of the DRN using intracellular and whole-cell recording in rat brain slices. Hcrt1 and hcrt2 induced similar amplitude and dose-dependent inward currents in most 5-HT neurons tested (EC50, ∼250 nm). This inward current was not blocked by the fast Na+ channel blocker TTX or in a Ca2+-free solution, indicating a direct postsynaptic action. The hcrt-induced inward current reversed near −18 mV and was primarily dependent on external Na+ but not on external or internal Ca2+, features typical of Na+/K+ nonselective cation channels. At higher concentrations, hcrts also increased spontaneous postsynaptic currents in 5-HT neurons (EC50, ∼450–600 nm), which were TTX-sensitive and mostly blocked by the GABAA antagonist bicuculline, indicating increased impulse flow in local GABA interneurons. Accordingly, hcrts were found to increase the basal firing of presumptive GABA interneurons. Immunolabeling showed that hcrt fibers projected to both 5-HT and GABA neurons in the DRN. We conclude that hcrts act directly to excite 5-HT neurons primarily via a TTX-insensitive, Na+/K+ nonselective cation current, and indirectly to activate local inhibitory GABA inputs to 5-HT cells. The greater potency of hcrts in direct excitation compared with indirect inhibition suggests a negative feedback function for the latter at higher levels of hcrt activity.


In this paper, we describe the Polaris distributed SQL query engine in Azure Synapse. It is the result of a multi-year project to rearchitect the query processing framework in the SQL DW parallel data warehouse service, and addresses two main goals: (i) converge data warehousing and big data workloads, and (ii) separate compute and state for cloud-native execution. From a customer perspective, these goals translate into many useful features, including the ability to resize live workloads, deliver predictable performance at scale, and to efficiently handle both relational and unstructured data. Achieving these goals required many innovations, including a novel "cell" data abstraction, and flexible, fine-grained, task monitoring and scheduling capable of handling partial query restarts and PB-scale execution. Most importantly, while we develop a completely new scale-out framework, it is fully compatible with T-SQL and leverages decades of investment in the SQL Server single-node runtime and query optimizer. The scalability of the system is highlighted by a 1PB scale run of all 22 TPC-H queries; to our knowledge, this is the first reported run with scale larger than 100TB. PVLDB Reference Format: Josep Aguilar-Saborit, Raghu Ramakrishnan et al. VLDB Conferences. PVLDB, 13(12): 3204 – 3216, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14778/3415478.3415545


Abstract Foliar analysis is an effective method to diagnose the nutritional status of plants. However, the mineral concentration in foliar tissue has traditionally been evaluated by assessing the activity of each element, without considering the interactions between them. To address this, dual interactions were calculated using the Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) to identify which crop nutrients are most influential in nutrient imbalances and which are the most limiting nutrients for the nutritional status of banana crops in Ecuador. To achieve this, a regional survey of the nutritional status and its productivity levels was conducted for 188 different sites during the crop season in 2017–2018, involving banana cultivars 'Vallery' and 'Williams', from the Cavendish subgroup. The DRIS calculation method was combined with Beaufils and Jones functions. From the initial 188 foliar samples, 83 samples (representing 44% of the population) were considered to represent the high-yield reference population, with yields of 38–60 t ha−1. The DRIS method defined the mean nutritional balance index, which was not found to be statistically correlated (p > 0.05) with productivity, revealing that there was no significant association with the nutritional status of the plants. Specific DRIS norms were obtained and indicated that deficiencies in K, N, Ca, and Fe, and excesses in Mn, B, Cl, Zn, S, Cu, and Mg were the most limiting nutrients for banana cultivars in the south of Ecuador.


Cléber da Costa Figueiredo1 Ilan Avrichir2 Raul Afonso Pommer Barbosa3 Abstract This research focuses on analyzing and comparing personality traits between mall store managers and entrepreneurs, using the scale from the Inventory of the Big Five Factors of the Big Five theory and evaluate the most evident skill of entrepreneurs and managers. In addition, we assess the sex role inside the entrepreneurial and managing behavior. In order to concluding, we utilize exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. For evaluating the hypotheses, a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed. The results showed that there is evidence of differences between managers and entrepreneurs. Besides, it emphasizes the masculinity behavior inside the entrepreneurial ability as well as the femininity behavior in the managing feature. This final paper contributes to the theory of personality traits in different organizational environments, showing characteristics that belong to these two groups studied. The main theoretical contribution is the acceptance of the hypotheses related to entrepreneurial and managing behavior. In practice, we can use this tool to vocational tests and for hiring in companies.


The article presents the results of numerous studies confirming the involvement of bacterial agents in the psoriatic process manifestation as triggering factors. The article discusses potential pathogenic mechanisms of the participation of bacterial superantigens in the initiation of a cascade of immunological reactions resulting in the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes. The expediency of using antibacterial agents as a part of a complex therapy of different forms of the disease is discussed.


The objective of the present paper is to provide a concept for a chemical sensor having a small size, a low power consumption and a high reliability for sensing CO2 under different humidity levels at atmospheric pressure, while maintaining a long term stability under working conditions. A high temperature regeneration process of the sensing layer is unneeded to ensure a long term stability of the sensing material. This objective is achieved by using a hybrid organic-inorganic nanomaterial, consisting of inorganic nanoparticles functionalized with an amine-based polymer.


We previously investigated the methanolic extract of Morus alba bark and characterized 11 compounds from the extract: kuwanon G (1), kuwanon E (2), kuwanon T (3), sanggenon A (4), sanggenon M (5), sanggenol A (6), mulberofuran B (7), mulberofuran G (8), moracin M (9), moracin O (10), and norartocarpanone (11). Herein, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of these compounds on microglial cells (BV2) and macrophages (RAW264.7). Among them, 3 and 4 markedly inhibited the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide in these cells, suggesting the anti-inflammatory properties of these two compounds. These compounds inhibited the production of prostaglandin E2, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 following LPS stimulation. Pretreatment with 3 and 4 inhibited the activation of the nuclear factor kappa B signaling pathway in both cell types. The compounds also induced the expression of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 through the activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2. Suppressing the activity of HO-1 reversed the anti-inflammatory effects caused by pretreatment with 3 and 4, suggesting that the anti-inflammatory effects were regulated by HO-1. Taken together, 3 and 4 are potential candidates for developing therapeutic and preventive agents for inflammatory diseases.


Multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) solar cells were developed by using a direct laser texturing method. Approximately 10-μm-deep and 10-μm-diameter cone-shaped grooves, with an aspect ratio (determined by the depth-to-diameter ratio) of one, were produced on the wafer's surface by using a 355-nm-wavelength ultraviolet (UV) laser process. After slag removal and chemical etching, V-shaped cross-sectional microstructures were regularly arranged in a honeycomb disposition on the surface. Compared to the mc-Si solar cell textured by using isotropic acidic etching, the surface reflectance was reduced to 3.3% and the short-circuit current increased to 0.8 mA/cm2 when the cell was treated with UV laser ablation. The solar cell values were achieved from the increased electron-hole pairs (EHPs) generated by the enhanced bouncing of incident light, which was aided by the V-shaped microstructures. The cell efficiency of a UV-laser-textured cell was improved to 16.1% compared to the 15.5% for an acidic-solution-textured cell.


Revelations about twins are abundant, but the information often is inaccessible. Therefore, The Twins Foundation, a multifaceted, international, nonprofit agency has been formed. Through development of a Research Library, Museum and Hall of Fame, it will provide archival and research support to the growing number of disciplines involved in twin studies; provide a central respository and clearing house of information about twins for the general public; enlist twin achievers to act as role models for adolescent twins; and collect information about the contributions twins have made to their societies in order to dispel still prevalent negative stereotypes about multiples.


Changing Chinese family patterns caused by immigration have contributed to the breakdown of traditional community and familial control in Chinese-American families. As a result, the Chinese-American elderly are faced with unique psychosocial problems that workers must consider when providing services to this population.


This paper introduces high-quality audio coding using psychoacoustic models. This technology is now abundant, with gadgets named after a standard (mp3 players) and the ability to play high-quality audio from literally billions of devices. The usual paradigm for these systems is based on filterbanks, followed by quantization and coding, controlled by a model of human hearing. The paper describes the basic technology, theoretical framework to apply to check for optimality, and the most prominent standards built on the basic ideas and newer work.


The uncontrolled use of organophosphate (OP) group of pesticides has led to their accumulation in food and vegetables, causing major health issues. Hence, the development of a reliable sensor is imperative for the detection of neurotoxic organophosphates (OP). In the present study, we have intertwined the interfaces of a Metal Organic Framework (MOF), MOF-directed rapid electrochemically grown gold nanorods (aAuNR), cysteamine (Cys) functionalization, and the neurotransmitter acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to fabricate a novel electrochemical bioprobe AChE/Cys/aAuNR/MOF/ITO for sensing OP pesticides with an ultra-low detection limit of 3 ng L-1 over a linear range of 30 to 600 ng L-1. Prior to sensing, in silico docking studies were employed for tracking the structural aspects of the molecular recognition of specific OP as potential inhibitors. The sensor can quantify residues of sprayed OP (chlorpyrifos, malathion, parathion, methyl parathion, ethion) in field vegetables (Abelmoschus esculentus, Solanum melongena, Capsicum annuum, Momordica charantia Linn) using a single calibration curve designed using chlorpyrifos, and the results were validated via gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) measurements. The inhibition rate kinetics of structurally different OP (chlorpyrifos, malathion, methyl parathion) were studied via the bioprobe and further validated using the standard Ellman method, confirming the practical applicability of the sensor for the detection of a specific group of OP. The bioprobe AChE/Cys/aAuNR/MOF/ITO offers good stability, specificity, and anti-interference properties for the detection of OP in real samples.


Sinkholes in Karapınar and their rapidly increasing occurrence rate are considered one of the main hazards that threaten arable lands and human life. The sudden occurrence and unavoidable characteristics of sinkholes make them more dangerous and challenging to avoid. More than 300 sinkholes have been recorded in the Karapınar region of Konya province in Turkey. There are intensive agricultural activities in the region, and therefore over 60,000 water wells are used to meet the demand. Thus, drought, the effects of climate change and decreasing precipitation rate reveal stress on sinkhole occurrence due to the geological structure of the region and its high tendency to sinkholes since ancient times due to its volcanic history. The primary purpose of this study is to predict possible sinkhole occurrence probabilities in Konya, Karapınar region based on historical occurrences and to report to the authorities to raise awareness about this problem. The Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model is applied for sinkhole susceptibility mapping by evaluating 17 variables affecting sinkhole occurrence in meteorological, topographic, environmental, and geological aspects. The results indicated that 458.52 km2 (2.48%) of the study area is highly susceptible to sinkholes. 100 sinkholes were assigned as sample data, and 45 sinkholes were set as test data for the MaxEnt model. The AUC values of training data with 0.978 and test data with 0.963 were calculated where a good correlation was provided. The variables Annual Mean Temperature, Precipitation Seasonality (Coefficient of Variation) Geology, and precipitation, which are mostly responsible for sinkhole formations, have been calculated.


In that article explore investment of students who returned from the front, and later became assistant associate professor, professor, head and deans. All the years of the Great Patriotic War of the Tomsk State University were called to the front more than 400 students and graduates. Many of the him died on warfare. Share front-line soldier are not returned in Tomsk, continue their education in other cities. However, those who about connected with the Tomsk their own lives or his wait for relatives and friends, arrived the city and continued his studies at home university. Have occasion to description material and technical base. During the war, the main building busy defense factory, to become worthless and was in need of major maintenance. Serious repairs required and other university buildings. Organization of educational and scientific process was to facilitate the provision of laboratory equipment, visual aids, chemicals, paper for publishing scientific production and so on. Along with this in a serious housing position were students at Tomsk University. They lived sometimes for 10–20 people on room. After endings university, many front-line soldier have become highly qualified people. Took participation to recovery of destroyed national economy contry. Many from him after endings TSU was recommended for post-graduate course, defended candidate's and doctor's dissertations, became professor's at Tomsk University.


In this study we present an econometric analysis of the number of arrivals in rural touristic pensions based on several indicators that we believe may affect in a positive or negative fluctuations of tourists. The analysis we perform for the period January 2006 - December 2013 with a quarterly frequency. We ordered and monthly values of most of the indicators selected, but we tried from start a reduction effect of seasonality.Given the emerging crisis in the second half of 2008, we expect basically after 2008 appear a decrease arrivals in rural touristic pensions, and after 2010, the year a slight recovery from the crisis appear improved this activity.For analysis we selected eight indicators: The average national unemployment; The average national inflation; The volume index of turnover for services provided to the population (hotels and restaurants); The volume index of turnover for services provided to the population (tourist assistance activities); Net use index of accommodation in rural guesthouses nationwide; Net use index of accommodation places in the region Crisana; Average gross salary at national level; GDP. So, in this study we have tried to analyze the influence of macroeconomic factors on rural touristic pensions arrivals in Romania Crisana region. This analysis will help owners of pensions in the management.In this paper we try to find the difficulties, limitations of rural tourism development in Crisana region from perspective of local government. In this paper we try to show as well the main factors of the emergence and development of rural tourism in order to establish priorities in the joint action of local people, entrepreneurs, tourists and local and national administrations. In many countries, the tourism industry fall within government priority. Tourism has been identified as one of the primary industries with potential to support local communities in developing economic diversity.


Thirty‐five patients over the age of 80 years underwent surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm between January 1985 and December 1990. Of these, 25 had surgery for ruptured aneurysm (mortality rate 56 per cent) and ten had surgery for symptomatic or asymptomatic aneurysm (mortality rate zero). The mortality rate for patients with rupture aged over 80 years was considerably greater than that for those under 80 years of age (56 versus 36 per cent). The mortality rate in the elderly population was zero for elective surgery but in those under 80 years it was 5 per cent. During the study period a prospective analysis of all referrals with aortic aneurysm was carried out, whether or not they underwent surgery and whether or not they were admitted to hospital. The ratio of patients accepted for operation to those not accepted for operation was 92:59 (1·56:1) in the under 80‐year‐old age group and 12:34 (0·35:1) in those aged over 80 years.


In the experiments on the superfused synaptosomes of the rat brain cortex it was shown that both typical and atypical neuroleptics in the micromolar range of concentrations decrease K(+)-stimulated 3H-D-aspartate release. Serotonin (10(-5) M) and dopamine (10(-7) M) do not affect D-aspartate release. Serotonin abolishes the action of all typical neuroleptics studied (haloperidol, chlorpromazine, fluphenazine) and of sulpiride and clozapine, but not of carbidine. Dopamine antagonizes only the effect of atypical neuroleptics.


Certain pragmatic criteria were compared with traditionally employed surface-oriented criteria for the diagnosis of language disorders in bilingual children. Subjects were 10 Spanish/English bilingual children between 6 and 8 years of age who had been referred by bilingual classroom teachers for a special education evaluation. Spontaneous language samples were obtained from each child in both languages. The samples were transcribed and then examined for normalcy according to surface-oriented criteria and pragmatic criteria. The surface elements examined in both languages included morphological and syntactic structures. The pragmatic criteria included nonfluencies, revisions, delays, specificity of referential terms, abrupt topic shifts, inappropriate responses, and the need for multiple repetition of prompts. As expected, it was possible to demonstrate that the two sets of criteria identified different subgroups as language disordered. To test the accuracy of the disparate diagnoses, academic achievement was tested both before and after an average of 7 months of mainstreaming in essentially monolingual English classroom settings. Teacher ratings of English language development and socialization were also examined before and after the 7-month period. Results revealed that the pragmatic criteria were superior predictors of both achievement and teacher ratings. Traditional diagnostic criteria appear to need supplementation by pragmatic criteria.


Two new species of Ischnomesidae, Haplomesus celticensis sp. nov. and Haplomesus hanseni sp. nov. are described from the southwest of Ireland and the Argentine Basin respectively. Both species lack the expression of pereopod VII, a characteristic that we argue is produced by progenesis, not neoteny as suggested by Brokeland & Brandt (2004). Haplomesus angustus Hansen, 1916 and Haplomesus tropicalis Menzies, 1962, also lack pereopod VII and are revised from the type material. The original description of Haplomesus angustus Hansen, 1916 describes the adult type specimen as a juvenile; the original description of Haplomesus tropicalis Menzies, 1962 fails to mention the lack of pereopod VII. Progenesis is discussed for the above species and within the family Ischnomesidae as a whole.


ABSTRACT
 A 2-yr study was conducted in South Carolina wheat fields to describe spatial and temporal dynamics of stink bugs sampled with sweep nets. In 2008, the main phytophagous species were Euschistus servus (Say) (35.8, 36.7%), Oebalus pugnax (F.) (35.0, 6.0%), Nezara viridula L., (15.2, 46.3%), and Thyanta custator (F.) (14.0, 10.5%) for adults and nymphs, respectively. In 2009, the main phytophagous species were O. pugnax (39.8, 37.8%), E. servus (38.4, 30.0%), N. viridula (14.6, 29.5%), and T. custator (6.8, 2.8%). &khgr;2 goodness-of-fit tests indicated that all species (both adults and nymphs) had observed distributions that did not match the Poisson distribution. Indices of dispersion (ID) across sampling dates were significantly >1 for all species and life stages, also suggesting a nonrandom distribution. Slopes of Taylor's power law were significantly greater (P < 0.05) than a value of 1 for only adult O. pugnax and nymph T. custator. Coefficients &bgr; of patchiness regressions were significantly >1 in all cases except for E. servus adults and T. custator nymphs. The inverted distance weighted interpolation method showed considerable levels of spatial variability in densities within fields. Sampling along the edge of fields showed a significant distance from field border effect (P < 0.05) on all adults in both years except for N. viridula. High densities in wheat adjacent to a susceptible crop such as corn suggests that localized control methods in wheat may be effective in mitigation of stink bugs and damage in corn.


The introduction and spread in Europe of gunpowder came in the context of a wave of technological innovations, which - especially initially - masked the potential of and changes that eventually resulted specifically from gunpowder. Since Michael Roberts identified the latter as "Military Revolution", historians have debated its dating, and whether it was an evolution and a revolution. But was gunpowder the cause of these changes, or itself one of a complex of interacting changes reflecting a change in mentality which embraced innovations and explored their potential? Significantly, this article shows that many contemporaries did not perceive gunpowder as the crucial or even the only cause of change. Many even denied that there was any progress at all, in keeping with an earlier and enduring mentality in which classical Antiquity was seen as an age superior to the present. Only gradually, symbolised by the "Quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns", did a new consensus emerge, acknowledging that the world had changed fundamentally since Antiquity, and that the changed instruments of war, as well as the state structures underpinning warfare, had become much mightier. Even then, technology was seen - and probably rightly so - as only one cause, not the only one.


Abstract After the fall of socialism in East Germany, a special organization known as the "Treuhandanstalt" organized the crisis-ridden transformation of about 8,000 formerly state-owned corporations from the planned to the market economy. Most of the time, this organization operated under much criticism and pressure from outside, but internal operations were also characterized by conflicts about "corporate identity". While some saw the "Treuhand" as a politically dependent state bureaucracy, others regarded it as an autonomous corporation. This article examines this conflict zone between internal as well as external perceptions of the "nature" of the Treuhandanstalt. It concludes that this was a state organization, set up in exceptional times, as an administration simulating a corporation.


The picolinoxy group was found to be an extremely powerful leaving group for allylic substitution with aryl nucleophiles derived from ArMgBr and CuBr*Me2S. The substitution proceeds with anti SN2' pathway and with high chirality transfer. The electron-withdrawing effect of the pyridyl group and chelation to MgBr2 are likely the origin of success. Results suggesting these effects were obtained.


Background The carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) acts as a receptor for adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) and its ileal expression is increased in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Given its contribution to the pathogenesis of CD, we aimed to investigate the role of genetic variants in the CEACAM6 region in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Methodology In this study, a total of 2,683 genomic DNA samples (including DNA from 858 CD patients, 475 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 1,350 healthy, unrelated controls) was analyzed for eight CEACAM6 SNPs (rs10415946, rs1805223 = p.Pro42Pro, rs4803507, rs4803508, rs11548735 = p.Gly239Val, rs7246116 = pHis260His, rs2701, rs10416839). In addition, a detailed haplotype analysis and genotype-phenotype analysis were performed. Overall, our genotype analysis did not reveal any significant association of the investigated CEACAM6 SNPs and haplotypes with CD or UC susceptibility, although certain CEACAM6 SNPs modulated CEACAM6 expression in intestinal epithelial cell lines. Despite its function as receptor of AIEC in ileal CD, we found no association of the CEACAM6 SNPs with ileal or ileocolonic CD. Moreover, there was no evidence of epistasis between the analyzed CEACAM6 variants and the main CD-associated NOD2, IL23R and ATG16L1 variants. Conclusions This study represents the first detailed analysis of CEACAM6 variants in IBD patients. Despite its important role in bacterial attachment in ileal CD, we could not demonstrate a role for CEACAM6 variants in IBD susceptibility or regarding an ileal CD phenotype. Further functional studies are required to analyze if these gene variants modulate ileal bacterial attachment.


Summary One hundred and twenty-seven accidentally poisoned children from the emergency room of the Islamic Girls College, Cairo, were compared with an equal number of controls. The highest age incidence for both sexes in poisoned children was 36 months. Males outnumbered females at a ratio of 3:2. Behavioural problems such as hyperactivity, temper tantrums, aggression, stubbornness, nocturnal enuresis and impulsiveness occurred more often in poisoned children than in controls and more often in those (24 patients) referred with accidental poisoning on more than one occasion. The families of poisoned children differed significantly from the controls in their large size, low level of education, disturbed home atmosphere and the accessibility to the child of the poisonous substance.


The acetyl low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor is expressed on macrophages and some endothelial cells and mediates macrophage-foam cell formation in culture. A 220-kDa acetyl LDL binding protein was partially purified from bovine liver membranes and was used to make a specific monoclonal antibody. The 220-kDa protein immunoprecipitated by this antibody retained binding activity, and the antibody was used to detect this protein in cells lining bovine liver sinusoids and on the surface of cultured bovine alveolar macrophages. In the human monocytic cell line THP-1, the expression of both acetyl LDL receptor activity and a 220-kDa acetyl LDL binding protein were dramatically induced in parallel after differentiation to a macrophage-like state induced by phorbol ester. The ligand specificity, tissue and cell-type specificity, and coinduction data indicated that this 220-kDa cell-surface binding protein is probably a receptor that mediates acetyl LDL endocytosis. The 220-kDa protein, which was purified 238,000-fold from bovine lung membranes to near homogeneity using monoclonal antibody affinity chromatography, is a trimer of 77-kDa subunits that contain asparagine-linked carbohydrate chains.


The Standard Machine Format (SMF)[1][2] is a structured description of accelerator lattices which supports both the hierarchy of beam lines and generic lattice objects as well as those deviations (field errors, alignment errors, etc.) associated with each component of the as-installed machine. In this paper we discuss the use of SMF to describe the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) as well as the ancillary data structures (such as field quality measurements) that are necessarily incorporated into the RHIC SMF model. Future applications of SMF are out-lined, including its use in the RHIC operational environment.


From the Publisher:
This volume includes papers presented at the Fourth Annual Computation and Neural Systems meeting ( CNS *95) held in Monterey California, July 11 - July 15, 1995. This collection includes 79 of the 124 papers presented at this year's meeting.Acceptance for meeting presentation was based on the peer review of preliminary papers by at least two referees. The papers in this volume, were submitted in final form after the meeting. As represented by this volume, CNS meeting continue to expand in quality, size and breadth of focus as increasing numbers of neuroscientists are taking a computational approach to understanding nervous system function.


Mendelian randomization uses genetic variants as instrumental variables to make causal inferences on the effect of an exposure on an outcome. Due to the recent abundance of high-powered genome-wide association studies, many putative causal exposures of interest have large numbers of independent genetic variants with which they associate, each representing a potential instrument for use in a Mendelian randomization analysis. Such polygenic analyses increase the power of the study design to detect causal effects, however they also increase the potential for bias due to instrument invalidity. Recent attention has been given to dealing with bias caused by correlated pleiotropy, which results from violation of the Instrument Strength independent of Direct Effect assumption. Although methods have been proposed which can account for this bias, a number of restrictive conditions remain in many commonly used techniques. In this paper, we propose a novel Bayesian framework for Mendelian randomization which provides valid causal inference under very general settings. We propose the methods MR-Horse and MVMR-Horse, which can be performed without access to individual-level data, using only summary statistics of the type commonly published by genome-wide association studies, and can account for both correlated and uncorrelated pleiotropy. In simulation studies, we show that the approach retains type I error rates below nominal levels even in high pleiotropy scenarios. We consider an applied example looking at the causal relationship between combinations of four exposures (LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose and birth weight) and three outcomes (coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes and asthma).


In conventional full-duplex communications, dedicated symbols are transmitted to estimate both the self-interference channel and the desired signal channel in order to perform self-interference cancellation (SIC) and to detect the desired signal. However, inaccurate channel estimation will produce residual self-interference and degrade the detection performance. In this paper, we exploit Gaussian mixture model (GMM) clustering to design a full-duplex transceiver (FDT), which is able to detect the desired signal without requiring digital domain channel estimations and SIC. The frame structure of the designed FDT contains two successive phases: labelling phase and data transmission phase. In particular, the designed FDT performs cluster labelling in the labelling phase and performs GMM clustering based on expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm in the data transmission phase. Furthermore, the labelling symbol design is optimized for the overhead reduction and clustering accuracy improving. Finally, simulation results show that, the bit error rate (BER) of the designed FDT is closed to the performance of the FDT with a maximum likelihood (ML) detector and perfect channel knowledge, meanwhile is superior to the BER performance of the FDT with a ML detector and a least square (LS) channel estimator.


Ever since the political doctrine of jurist rule, velayat-e faqih, was introduced at the end of the 1960s, there has been heated debate among Shi'ite jurists regarding its rooting in the judicial traditions of Shi'a Islam. The central question has been whether this political theory has any support in the Qur'an, the Tradition of the Prophet (Sunnah), and not least the sources dating from the era of the Twelve Shi'ite Imams. This debate intensified after the doctrine was translated into a dominant-party ideology in Iran in the wake of the 1979 Revolution.The critics have been especially sceptical regarding the role ascribed by this doctrine to the jurists during the time the Twelve Shi'ite Imams were awaiting the return of the Twelfth Shi'ite Imam, Muhammed ibn Hassan (b. 868), or al-Mahdi. The Twelver Imamites, believe that the last Shi'ite Imam, al-Mahdi, who went into hiding after a period of underground activity in the 880s, is still living in hiding today and will one day return to free the world from all evil and create a world of justice.The question discussed in connection with this very central notion has been the role or roles to be played by the jurists while awaiting the Hidden Imam's return. The discussion has been concerned primarily with the jurists' religious, judicial and worldly powers and their area of jurisdiction. Should they be seen as the representatives of the Hidden Imam or should their function be strictly one of interpreting judicial and religious issues? Should they play an active role in worldly affairs? Have they the right to intervene in all worldly affairs or is their area of worldly jurisdiction restricted to defined areas?


1. The present study was designed to characterize the genetic structure of brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations from the southern Balkans and to assess the spread of non-native strains and their introgression into native trout gene pools. We analysed polymorphism at nine microsatellite loci in seven supposedly non-admixed and three stocked brown trout populations. 2. The analyses confirmed the absence of immigration and extraordinarily strong genetic differentiation among the seven non-introgressed populations in parallel with low levels of intrapopulation genetic variability. In contrast, analyses of the stocked populations revealed that the genetic integrity of the local populations had been substantially changed, and the populations must be characterized as hybrid swarms. The pattern of population differentiation observed at microsatellites contrasted to that depicted previously by mtDNA variation. However, the close relationships between populations from the Danube and Axios river systems proposed solely by microsatellites could be explained by palaeogeographic events. 3. Our research showed that most of the populations examined represent unique gene pools, whose existence is critically compromised. Therefore, appropriate management and conservation strategies should be developed urgently in order to protect the subspecific biodiversity and to reverse currently negative trends.


The duodenal microflora was determined qualitatively and quantitatively in a group of infants early in the course of diarrheal disease. Abnormal bacterial overgrowth in the duodenal aspirate was demonstrated in 70%. Coliforms and bacteroides species were present in significant numbers in 53%. No differences were found in the duodenal microflora distinguishing infants whose diarrhea persisted after 7 days in the hospital from those whose diarrhea resolved earlier.


This paper reports the results of a search for first occurrences of square-free gaps using an algorithm based on the sieve of Eratosthenes. Using Qgap(L) to denote the starting number of the first gap having exactly the length L, the following values were found since August 1999: Qgap(10)=262315467, Qgap(12)=47255689915, Qgap(13)=82462576220, Qgap(14)=1043460553364, Qgap(15)=79180770078548, Qgap(16)=3215226335143218, Qgap(17)=23742453640900972 and Qgap(18)=125781000834058568. No gaps longer than 18 were found up to N=125870000000000000.


Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is essential for class-switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) of Ig genes. The AID C terminus is required for CSR, but not for S-region DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) during CSR, and it is not required for SHM. AID lacking the C terminus (ΔAID) is a dominant negative (DN) mutant, because human patients heterozygous for this mutant fail to undergo CSR. In agreement, we show that ΔAID is a DN mutant when expressed in AID-sufficient mouse splenic B cells. To have DN function, ΔAID must have deaminase activity, suggesting that its ability to induce DSBs is important for the DN function. Supporting this hypothesis, Msh2-Msh6 have been shown to contribute to DSB formation in S regions, and we find in this study that Msh2 is required for the DN activity, because ΔAID is not a DN mutant in msh2−/− cells. Our results suggest that the DNA DSBs induced by ΔAID are unable to participate in CSR and might interfere with the ability of full-length AID to participate in CSR. We propose that ΔAID is impaired in its ability to recruit nonhomologous end joining repair factors, resulting in accumulation of DSBs that undergo aberrant resection. Supporting this hypothesis, we find that the S–S junctions induced by ΔAID have longer microhomologies than do those induced by full-length AID. In addition, our data suggest that AID binds Sμ regions in vivo as a monomer.


Background: Fos-related antigen 1 (Fra-1) is an immediate early gene encoding a member of AP-1 family of transcription factors involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and other biological processes. A high level of Fra-1 expression is found in various tumors and tumorigenic cell lines, suggesting that Fra-1 may be involved in malignant progression. Objective: Evaluate the significance of Fra-1 expression in breast carcinogenesis and its possible help in sub typing and prognosis of breast carcinomas. Methods: Fra-1 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry in a Tissue Microarray composed by neoplastic breast tissue from 85 in situ breast carcinomas lesions and 769 invasive ductal carcinomas NOS (IDC), ranging from early stage T1 N0M0 to very aggressive metastatic disease (TxN1-3M1). Positive and negative controls were present in each reaction. Nuclear staining were considered positive. Correlations of Fra-1 expression with other indicators of breast carcinoma prognosis (ER, PR TNM, survival) were analyzed. Results: IDC showed 22.8 % of positivity while in situ lesions maintained a 42.2% of reactive cases. In IDC samples, Fra-1 expression correlated with markers of invasiveness, as Node status, histological grade ( P = 0.005 and 0.001, chi-square test) and marginally with presence of metastasis ( P = 0.07). Fra-1 was also associated to Cytokeratin (CK) 14 ( P = 0.043) and marginally to CK18 and her-2 status ( P =0.063 and 0.05), and indirectly to estrogen receptor ( P = 0.01). When we select basaloid (CK6 positive, ER negative) cases Fra-1 was associated to worse prognosis ( P = 0. 013 - Log Rank test). Conclusions: The data shown here suggest that Fra-1 expression is progressively lost during cancer progression from DCIS to IDC. Fra-1 expression in IDC basaloid tumors confers a worse prognosis. Supported by FAPESP no 04/04607-8. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 2129.


Isolated epithelial cells from chick, pig, monkey, rabbit, bovine, and human lenses contain K+ channels that often turn on with a delay after a voltage step and have a larger macroscopic conductance for outward currents than for inward currents even with the same K+ concentration on both sides of the membrane. These outward rectifiers are quite diverse between different lens types and more than one kind can be present even within a single lens species. The channels differ substantially in the voltage dependence of their opening, their deactivation time constants, and the time course of their inactivation. Most produce currents of the delayed rectifier type but others show similarities to A-type currents. Because these different channels open at different voltages, inactivate to different degrees and represent different fractions of the total conductance from one lens cell to another, their contribution to the resting voltage is not the same in all cells investigated. These currents are the most frequently occurring in bovine, pig, monkey, and human lens epithelium and also occur commonly in chick lens epithelium. They occur less frequently in rodents.


We theoretically and experimentally investigate the unique scattering properties of parity-time acoustic systems. We observe acoustic invisibility of airborne sound at audible frequencies in a parity-time symmetric meta-molecule made of perfectly balanced gain and loss subunits. This is achieved in a waveguide configuration using electro-acoustic resonators loaded with non-Foster elements, which are tailored to induce invisibility at the design frequency. This unidirectional reflectionless system is fully stable and self-sensing, allowing for robust implementation of parity-time acoustic metamaterials for loss compensation, non-invasive sensing and advanced acoustic signal manipulation.


Results from safeguards-related passive and active coded-aperture fast-neutron imaging measurements of plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU) material configurations performed at Idaho National Laboratory s Zero Power Physics Reactor facility are presented. The imaging measurements indicate that it is feasible to use fast neutron imaging in a variety of safeguards-related tasks, such as monitoring storage, evaluating holdup deposits in situ, or identifying individual leached hulls still containing fuel. The present work also presents the first demonstration of imaging of differential die away fast neutrons.


Abstract Dietary inclusion of the β-agonist, Salbutamol (3.3 ppm), to growing pigs (50–90 kg body weight, 44 days of treatment) significantly increased the weight of the longissimus dorsi muscle (17%). Histochemical identification of muscle sections from m. longissimus dorsi into slow-twitch (ST) and fast-twitch (FTa and FTb) fibres showed that Salbutamol significantly reduced the relative distribution of FTa fibres in both area and number, whereas the relative distribution in numbers of FTb fibres increased, indicating a conversion of FTa to FTb fibres. Results from the calculated volume contribution of each fibre type (weight of longissimus muscle x relative area of fibre type) indicate that the increased protein accretion in m. longissimus dorsi caused by Salbutamol was mainly associated with hypertrophy in FTb fibres or in histochemically identified non-oxidative fibres. The combined changes in protein accretion and fibre type distribution caused by Salbutamol may however result in a lower aerobic cap...


ABSTRACT This work illustrates what kinds of consumption emerge during a traumatic life event, theorising the interweaving of trauma and catharsis through the medium of art and craft consumption. The methodological context sits within a non-representational theory where the data are narrated through the purchases and findings, physical, emotional and cognitive engagement with art and craft materials, through to the eventual place, value and story of the made artefact itself. The work presents three main contributions: an empirical understanding of therapeutic art consumption within trauma; a methodological experiment in how using non-representational theory centred on creative processes can develop worthy modes of data collection, organisation, and analysis; and the theoretical development of a consumption framework towards a theory of cathartic consumption during trauma.


This article summarizes the BCN20000 dataset, composed of 19424 dermoscopic images of skin lesions captured from 2010 to 2016 in the facilities of the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona. With this dataset, we aim to study the problem of unconstrained classification of dermoscopic images of skin cancer, including lesions found in hard-to-diagnose locations (nails and mucosa), large lesions which do not fit in the aperture of the dermoscopy device, and hypo-pigmented lesions. The BCN20000 will be provided to the participants of the ISIC Challenge 2019 [8], where they will be asked to train algorithms to classify dermoscopic images of skin cancer automatically.


The limited availability of organs for liver transplantation, the ultimate curative treatment for end stage liver disease, has resulted in a growing and unmet need for alternative therapies. Mesenchymal stromal cells with their broad ranging anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties have therefore emerged as a promising therapeutic agent in treating inflammatory liver disease. Significant strides have been made in exploring their biological activity. Clinical application of MSC has shifted the paradigm from using their regenerative potential to one which harnesses their immunomodulatory properties. Reassuringly, MSCs have been extensively investigated for over 30 years with encouraging efficacy and safety data from translational and early phase clinical studies, but questions remain about their utility. Therefore, in this review we examine the translational and clinical studies using MSCs in various liver diseases and their impact on dampening immune-mediated liver damage. Our key observations include progress made thus far with use of MSCs for clinical use, inconsistency in the literature to allow meaningful comparison between different studies and need for standardised protocols for MSC manufacture and administration. In addition, the emerging role of MSC derived extracellular vesicles as an alternative to MSC has been reviewed. We have also highlighted some of the remaining clinical challenges that should be addressed before MSC can progress to be considered as therapy for patients with liver disease.


It is to be expected that the influx of preheater/precalciner technology will result in a general increase in portland cement alkali level. High-alkali cement is associated, in general, with rapid early strength development and disproportionately lower 28 day strength in mortar cubes in accordance with ASTM Compressive Strength of Hydraulic Cement Mortars (C 109). Too, alkali cements react more readily with reactive aggregates. While portland cements tend to be increasing in alkali content, sources of unreactive aggregates tend to be decreasing. The literature suggests that the use of fly ash can mollify the reaction of alkalies in both strength development and in alkali-aggregate reactivity. Usually it is necessary to add the fly ash in addition to portland cement to accomplish the task, to maintain adequate strength development. The use of finely ground water-granulated blast-furnace slag as a replacement for portland cement up to 65% can markedly reduce the alkali aggregate reaction and improve compressive strengths at the age of 28 days and beyond. To a significant degree, this procedure could help offset the quality problems often associated with cements of high-alkali content produced by energy efficient kiln systems. Finely ground water-granulated blast-furnace slag can be produced using only about one fifth the energy needed to produce an equal weight of portland cement.


Objective: To estimate the incidence, risk factors, severity and outcome after perinatal asphyxia in monochorionic (MC) versus dichorionic (DC) twins. Methods: We included all consecutive near-term MC and DC twins with perinatal asphyxia admitted to our neonatal ward between 2004 and 2013 and compared the perinatal characteristics and neonatal outcome between both groups. Results: The incidence of perinatal asphyxia in MC and DC twin infants was 4.0 (11/272) and 4.0% (8/200; p = 1.00). In contrast to DC twins, asphyxia in MC twins was strongly associated with acute exsanguination and anemia at birth; 64% (7/11) in MC twins and 0% (0/8) in DC twins (p < 0.01). Median hemoglobin level at birth in the MC and DC groups was 11.5 and 18.6 g/dl, respectively (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Perinatal asphyxia in MC twins is often associated with severe anemia at birth due to acute hemorrhage through the placental vascular anastomoses.


Currently in the Russian Federation there is planned the reconstruction and construction of new facilities tailored for the work with pathogenic biological agents of I-II pathogenicity groups, with bearing in mind the modern level of the development of equipment and technologies technological. However, in Russia there is no specialized institutions for the designing of such facilities. There were developed "Guidelines for the designing of objects of the Medical Sanitary Unit No164, tailored for the work with pathogenic biological agents of I-II pathogenicity groups", in which there were taken into account the requirements of modern Russian regulations in the field of biosafety air purification, fire safety.


AIM
To investigate the expression and clinical features of glima-associated oncogene 1(Gli1) and its correlation with the expression of sonic hedgehog(Shh), one of the ligands of hedgehog (Hh) signaling, and two epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, Vimentin and E-cadherin in human hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).

METHODS
Paired HCC and normal tumor-adjacent tissues were collected from 63 HCC patients. Gli1 expression at both the protein and mRNA level were examined by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. The protein expression of Shh, Vimentin and E-cadherin were evaluated by immunohistochemistry to identify correlations with Gli1.

RESULTS
The protein and mRNA expression of Gli1 were significantly up-regulated in the HCC tumor tissues compared to the normal tumor-adjacent tissues. Gli1 protein expression in HCC was closely correlated with intrahepatic metastases (x(2);=6.205, P<0.05), portal vein invasion (x(2);=4.014, P<0.05), high Edmonson-Steiner classification (x(2);=19.668, P<0.05) and advanced TNM stage (x(2);=7.091, P<0.05). Gli1 protein expression was positively correlated with Shh (r=0.574, P<0.05) and Vimentin(r=0.467, P<0.05), and negatively correlated with E-cadherin (r=-0.439, P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
Gli1 is up-regulated in HCC tissues and closely correlated with clinicopathological characteristics, the increased expression of Gli1 in HCC tissues may be attributed to Shh, and Gli1 may play an important role in HCC progression and metastasis by inducing EMT.


Mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) 3, 7, 8 and 9 initiate immune responses to infection by recognizing microbial nucleic acids; however, these responses come at the cost of potential autoimmunity due to inappropriate recognition of self nucleic acid. The localization of TLR9 and TLR7 to intracellular compartments appears to play a role in facilitating responses to viral nucleic acids while maintaining tolerance to self nucleic acid, yet the cell biology regulating the trafficking and localization of these receptors remains poorly understood. Here, we define the route by which TLR9 and TLR7 exit the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and traffic to endolysosomes. Surprisingly, the ectodomains of TLR9 and TLR7 are cleaved in the endolysosome, such that no full-length protein is detectable in the compartment where ligand is recognized. Remarkably, though both forms of TLR9 are capable of binding ligand, only theprocessed form of TLR9 recruits MyD88 upon activation, arguing that this truncated receptor, rather than the full-length form, is functional. TLR9 proteolysis is a multi-step process. The first step removes the majority of the ectodomain and can be carried out by asparagine endopeptidase or cathepsin family members. This initial cleavage event is followed by a trimming event that is solely cathepsin mediated but also required for optimal receptor signaling. The dual requirement for asparagine endopeptidase and cathepsins is observed in all cell types analyzed, including mouse macrophages and dendritic cells. Importantly, TLR7 and TLR3 are processed in an analogous manner, suggesting that proteolysis is a regulatory strategy that has been adopted along side the ability to recognize nucleic acids as ligands. Finally, conditions that prevent receptor proteolysis, including forced surface localization, render the receptor non-functional. We propose that ectodomain cleavage represents a strategy to restrict receptor activation to endolysosomal compartments and prevent TLRs from responding to self nucleic acid.


Abstract:This essay is part of a larger project in which I construct a new, historically informed, social justice–centered philosophy of dance, centered on four central phenomenological constructs, or "moves." This essay, in particular, is about the fourth move, "resilience." More specifically, I explore how Judith Butler engages with the etymological aspects of this word, suggesting that resilience involves a productive form of madness and a healthy form of compulsion, respectively. I then conclude by showing how "resilience" can be used in the analysis of various Wittgensteinian "families" of dance, which, in turn, could facilitate positive educational changes in philosophy, dance, and society, with particular efficacy on the axis of gender. In brief, by teaching a conception of strength as vulnerability (instead of machismo's view of strength as apathetic "toughness"), a pedagogy of dancing resilience provides additional support for feminists (including Anzaldúa, Haraway, Butler, and Concepción) who advocate a cautious openness toward seemingly unlikely resources and allies (including analytic methodologies, Machiavellian politics, and the discourses of the natural sciences).


A. M. LAWSON of antibodies, their heterogeneity when raised against particular haptens, and the nature of their active sites can all be investigated. Conformational studies on antibodies such as the distance between antigen binding sites in immunoglobulins, by the use of fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements, have been greatly assisted by available detailed chemical knowledge about immunoglobulins both in choosing suitable fluorescent probe molecules and in the interpretation of results. A similar situation exists in studies on other macromolecules covered in the book, including polynucleotides and proteins, in which the most positive understanding of fluorescence data concerning tertiary and quaternary structures obtains in cases where extensive molecular information exists. In one chapter, for example, glutamate dehydrogenase is discussed and proved to be a useful model in following both intrinsic and extrinsic fluorescence when studying the regulation of its structure and activity by small molecules. The point is made that, for fluorescence to be successful for this and other enzymes, a firm knowledge is necessary of parameters such as the nature and location of binding sites and the distances and orientations between probe and chromophores. Intrinsic protein fluorescence of tyrosine and tryptophan residues is considered in several chapters, including the perturbation of emission processes by free and bound species, the effects of metal ions on fluorescence, heterogeneity of emission spectra, conformations of polypeptide hormones, synthetic fluorescent substrate analogues, and the study of the redox mechanisms of flavins and flavoproteins. The study of fluorescence spectroscopy in drug interactions with proteins is well discussed and mention made of its value in measuring the binding of drugs to plasma proteins in addition to providing information on the micro-environment of the binding sites. Of considerable interest are two chapters on the use of fluorescent probes to obtain data on interface phenomena of membranes. Taken as a whole this is a very readable book, and the format of assigning individual chapters to leading experts in the many aspects of the field has resulted in an authoritative one. However, in most chapters references are current only to 1974, which although understandable is unfortunate in a field which is developing rapidly. Nevertheless, this problem is largely counteracted by informed speculation by the authors on the future direction of fluorescence research. JOHN R. HOBBS


A seven-year-old male cat developed a subcutaneous fibrosarcoma. The numerical cytogenetic evaluation of the tumour revealed the presence of 69.2% of cells in the near-triploid chromosome range between 51 and 64. The copy numbers of the different chromosomes were widely distributed from monosomies up to heptasomies. Two giant chromosomes were regularly present.


DNA-based materials have attracted interest due to the tunable structure and encoded biological functionality of nucleic acids. A simple and general approach to synthesize DNA-based materials with fine control over morphology and bioactivity is important to expand their applications. Here, we report the synthesis of DNA-based particles via the supramolecular assembly of tannic acid (TA) and DNA. Uniform particles with different morphologies are obtained using a variety of DNA building blocks. The particles enable the co-delivery of cytosine-guanine adjuvant sequences and the antigen ovalbumin in model cells. Intramuscular injection of the particles in mice induces antigen-specific antibody production and T cell responses with no apparent toxicity. Protein expression in cells is shown using capsules assembled from TA and plasmid DNA. This work highlights the potential of TA as a universal material for directing the supramolecular assembly of DNA into gene and vaccine delivery platforms.


: Sweet potato is sensitive to weeds and a chemical control is needed for high yield production. This work describes the evaluation of three sweet potato genotypes grown in pre-treated soil with clomazone, linuron, metribuzin mechanical weed control (MWC) and without weed control. Visual injury and yield of genotypes were examined, as well as production of branches and roots in fresh and dry biomass. Herbicide residues at root samples were determined by the LC-MS/MS method. The genotypes exhibited a different behaviour under clomazone, metribuzin and linuron applications. Metribuzin provided a yield decrease in all plants. Pre-treated soil with clomazone and mechanical control provided plants more productive. Linuron residues showed values of up to 0.327 ng g -1 in sweet potato roots.