The issue of sustainability of salmonid culture has been the focus of considerable media coverage and debate between environmental activists and aquaculture industry stakeholders, particularly regarding the use of ingredients derived from wild fisheries (fishmeal and fish oil) in salmonid feeds. This study attempts to summarize recent data and to calculate the conversion efficiency of feed resources by Canadian farmed salmon in order objectively to assess the sustainability of this industry in this regard. Using updated information regarding domestic aquafeeds this review reports advances that have been made in diet formulation, fish in-fish out (FIFO) and feed conversion ratios (FCR) and demonstrates that production efficiency of farmed salmonids has significantly improved over time due to continued innovations in the aquafeed sector. The results suggest that the Canadian salmon aquaculture industry efficiently converts wild fish resources into high-value fish products.


Superconducting magnets have achieved preeminence in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) industry. Further growth in this market will depend on reducing system costs, extending medical applications, and easing the present siting problem. Novel magnet designs are described that address these issues. Compact magnets are economical to build and operate. Two 4-T whole-body magnets for research in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) are now in operation. Active-shield magnets, by greatly reducing the magnetic fringe fields, will allow MRI systems with superconducting magnets to be located in previously inaccessible sites. >


Abstract From the late 19th to the late 20th century, the cities and industries of the world became increasingly reliant on fireproof materials made from asbestos. In focusing on the town of Asbestos, Canada, this paper will show how this process of market boom and bust shaped a fierce local culture rooted in working and living on a rapidly changing environment. By analyzing the successive expansions of the giant mine located in the centre of Asbestos, this paper will highlight how unique understandings of self and place develop in mining communities and form a complex culture rooted in a constantly changing environment.


Research which addresses gender issues in a virtual environment is an emerging area. In the area of small group research, it has been found that perceived gender differences will enter into group's interactions and impact the group's processes and outcomes. A framework for evaluating gender differences in a text-based virtual environment was formed and underpinned by Essentialism theory, Similarity-attraction paradigm and Individual Difference theory, and further validated by an experiment which was engaged in a text-based discussion system "Blackboard". The results revealed that females perceived higher extent of relationship building, commitment and satisfaction than males but perceived no significant differences in communication, trust, collaboration and performance. It was also found that there was difference between males and females in their behavioral patterns. Females presented more adaptive and enjoyable attitude in working in a virtual environment than males because of the equality and fairness created by CMC (Computer-Mediated Communication). Females also regarded CMC as a tool to reduce conflict. The managerial application is provided for managers to retrieve a better performance while they are managing virtual teams.


This paper presents an overview of several integral equation (IE) formulations where the use of Legendre basis functions is beneficial. Specifically, we introduce the basis functions and deal with formulations for surface IE, volume IE, volume-surface IE, and layered media, respectively. In some cases, the high complexity of a problem arises due its large size in terms of wavelengths which can be handled with the MoM-PO approach described. Finally, we present a numerical example solved with two different formulations.


Background: Risk of nerve injury is well-documented in lateral approach spine surgery. Advanced intraoperative neuromonitoring techniques may improve false positive and false negative rates of traditional methods to decrease complications. Objective: Determine the safety, sensitivity, and methodological validity of transabdominal motor action potentials (TaMAP) recordings in lateral access spine surgery. Methods: Institutional Review Board approval was obtained for the prospective collection of patient data. Cathode and anode leads were placed on the posterior and anterior surfaces of back and abdomen, and motor responses were recorded by subdermal needle electrodes in 6 target muscles. Voltage and stimulation amplitude were measured at preoperative baseline, postoperative, and new baseline time points, and compared for muscle groups relevant to symptoms and operative approach. Results: In a total of 51 cases of lateral approach surgery, stimulation sensitivity was 100% for vastus medialis, anterior tibialis, and adductor magnus, followed by 98% in biceps femoris, 95% in gastrocnemius, and 33% for vastus lateralis measures. Decompression at L5/S1 resulted in a decrease in voltage in right gastrocnemius in 80% of cases, 80% of right vastus medialis (L3/L4), and in 58% of right anterior tibialis recordings (L4/5). No postoperative neurological complications were observed. Conclusions: TaMAP intraoperative monitoring is a safe, reliable, and sensitive MEP measure with ease-of-use that may serve as an alternative resource in neuromonitoring for spinal surgery. Sensitivity was observed to be as high as 100% for 3/6 muscle groups tested and with robust efficacy of decompression across a variety of procedures and pathologies, including degenerative spine disease and spinal tumor.


The preparation, characteristics and electrochemical performances of the sulfur-based cathode materials in lithium/sulfur batteries are reviewed in this paper. The elemental sulfur cathode material is briefly introduced. The structural designs, preparation processes, reaction mechanisms, and charge/discharge properties of organic sulfide, sulfur-porous carbon and sulfur-polymer composites as cathode materials are systematically discussed and problems associated with these materials are also analyzed. In addition, the research and application of lithium sulfides as cathode materials are also outlined. Finally, the further development of sulfur-based cathode materials and the commercialization of lithium/sulfur batteries are discussed.


OBJECTIVE
The goal of surgical treatment for Cushing's disease is "endocrinological cure." The purpose of this study was to determine predictors for postoperative endocrinological cure in Cushing's disease.

METHODS
Postoperative endocrinological studies were evaluated in 18 patients with Cushing's disease who underwent transsphenoidal surgery for selective adenomectomy. Serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels were measured by radioimmunoassay during the first week after surgery. One week after surgery, a test using corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) was performed on each patient to check the reserve function of normal ACTH-secreting cells.

RESULTS
In eight patients, postoperative ACTH levels were below the measurable level for 1 week, and ACTH showed no response to the CRH test. In these patients, serum ACTH and cortisol levels were kept in the normal range with a normal diurnal variation during long-term follow-up. These patients can be defined as endocrinologically cured. In seven patients, the ACTH level returned to within normal range on the day after surgery, but ACTH was provoked by the CRH test. Five of these seven patients showed subsequent re-elevation of ACTH above the normal range. ACTH levels were never normalized in the remaining three patients, and medical treatments were unavoidable.

CONCLUSION
The most reliable indicators for predicting endocrinological cure in Cushing's disease are no response of ACTH to the CRH test in the early postoperative stage and an unmeasurably low ACTH level in the week after surgery. Obtaining a normal range of ACTH level postoperatively is insufficient to define endocrinological cure.


Based on 87Sr/86Sr data of the Primary Lower Gypsum (PLG) deposits in the Vena del Gesso basin—a marginal basin of the Mediterranean during the Messinian Salinity Crisis—a correlation between 87Sr/86Sr values and precessional forcing has recently been proposed but not yet confirmed. In this study, a box model is set up to represent the Miocene Mediterranean deep basin and a connected marginal basin. Measurements of 87Sr/86Sr in the Vena del Gesso and estimated salinity extrema are used to constrain model results. In an extensive analysis with this model, we assess whether coeval 87Sr/86Sr and salinity fluctuations could have been forced by precession‐driven changes in the fresh water budget. A comprehensive set of the controlling parameters is examined to assess the conditions under which precession‐driven 87Sr/86Sr variations occur and to determine the most likely setting for PLG formation. Model results show that precession‐driven 87Sr/86Sr and salinity fluctuations in marginal basins are produced in settings within a large range of marginal basin sizes, riverine strontium characteristics, amplitudes of precessional fresh water budget variation, and average fresh water budgets of both the marginal and deep basin. PLG deposition most likely occurred when the Atlantic‐Mediterranean connection was restricted, and the average fresh water budget in the Mediterranean was significantly less negative than at present day. Considering the large range of settings in which salinities and 87Sr/86Sr fluctuate on a precessional timescale, 87Sr/86Sr variations are expected to be a common feature in PLG deposits in marginal basins of the Mediterranean.


Creative Writing (CW) is an important skill that helps students achieve progress in learning English as a Foreign Language (FL). It also helps them improve fluency, motivation, confidence, and creativity. However, most English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses focus on technical English, and CW is under-utilized as a skill to practise. As a result, this study examines university students' perceptions of ESP CW to improve the learning process and enhance its quality. This study used a qualitative research method and interviewed twenty engineering students from Abu Dhabi. The findings demonstrated that creativity needs to be developed in ESP courses by reading and writing, while extracurricular linguistic activities should also be considered to promote CW. In addition, students also need to be well motivated and should think in a FL when they practice the writing process. They need to be encouraged to think creatively in a logical way rather than relying on memorization. Finally, this study recommends developing CW activities in ESP courses and encouraging students to practise CW inside and outside the classroom to improve the quality of FL learning and creativity for lifelong academic and employment purposes.


One natural question when testing performance of global optimization algorithm is: how performances compare to a restart local search algorithm. One purpose of this paper is to provide results for such comparisons. To this end, the performances of a restart (advanced) local-search strategy, the CMA-ES with small initial step-size, are investigated on the 25 functions of the CEC 2005 real-parameter optimization test suit. The second aim is to clarify the theoretical background of the performance criterion proposed to quantitatively compare the search algorithms. The theoretical analysis allows us to generalize the criterion proposed and to define a new criterion that can be applied more appropriate in a different context.


These notes are arranged in the following manner. In the introduction section, we use several examples to illustrate some of the issues that must be addressed when we model hypersonic flows. This leads to a discussion of what types of computational fluid dynamics methods are suitable for these flows. Then the conservation equations for a mixture of chemically reacting and weakly ionized gases is developed. We discuss the thermochemistry models and the relevant boundary conditions for these flows. Then in the third section, computational fluid dynamics methods for these flows are discussed. We analyze the conservation equations, and discuss an upwind method. Then, the integration of the source terms is discussed. In the fourth section we discuss several advanced topics in the modeling of hypersonic flows.


The effects of ruthenium red (RR) on the cellular functions (intracellular Ca2+ handling and contraction) and permeation of the dye through the cell membrane were investigated in intact ferret papillary muscles. The intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), measured using aequorin, was simultaneously recorded with tension. The permeation of the dye through the cell membrane was studied with electronmicroscopy. The preparation was continuously stimulated at 0.2 Hz and treated with 50 microM RR at 30 degrees C. [Ca2+]i was increased by electrical stimulation (0.07 and 2 Hz) and rapid cooling (from 30 to 4 degrees C) (RC). In electrical stimulation, RR time-dependently decreased the peak light of aequorin without a significant change in the time course at 30 degrees C. However, in RC, treatment with RR for about 100 min significantly prolonged the decay time of the light signal and increased the peak light. The peak tension in RC was decreased after treatment with RR for a longer time. The pCa-tension relation of skinned preparations was significantly shifted to the right by 50 microM RR. In the RR (50 microM)-treated specimens, mitochondrial outer membranes were darkly stained if OsO4 was used for fixation. Even though the specimen treated with 500 microM RR was fixed without OsO4 and electron staining, the matrices of mitochondria became electron dense. We concluded that RR could penetrate into intact mammalian cardiac myocytes, and that RR inhibits the release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in electrical stimulation, inhibits mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, and decreases the Ca2+ sensitivity of the myofilaments.


Vredenburgh and colleagues conducted the first phase II study of bevacizumab plus irinotecan in recurrent malignant glioma, confirming the safety and efficacy of bevacizumab. This study, which was published in the February 15, 2007, issue of Clinical Cancer Research, was a stepping stone for subsequent research, leading to regulatory approval of bevacizumab for recurrent glioblastoma. Clin Cancer Res; 21(19); 4248–50. 2015 AACR. See related article by Vredenburgh et al., Clin Cancer Res 2007; 13(4) February 15, 2007;1253–9


The AMANDA neutrino telescope at the South Pole has been taking data successfully since 1997. This detector opened a new window on a wide range of physics including atmospheric neutrinos, indirect searches for WIMP dark matter and possible astrophysical sources of high energy neutrinos such as Gamma Ray Bursts and Active galactic Nuclei. With the detection of several thousand atmospheric neutrinos it has proved the feasibility of using the South Pole icecap as a Cherenkov medium for the detection of high energy neutrinos, and provided much useful technical information for its successor experiment IceCube of which it is now the low energy extension. We present here a selection of the various searches performed and the increasingly stringent limits obtained over many years of operation.


This study analyses the comparative effects between E-WOM on online shopping platforms and social networking platforms on consumers' purchase intention of smartphones in India. The E-WOM effect on buying intention has become an important context for many researchers due to its increasing importance in today's world of digitalization. This study aims to assess the influence of E-WOM factors on these two platforms, including E-WOM credibility, E-WOM attitude, E-WOM quantity, and E-WOM format, on purchase decisions of smartphones. The data were collected using a questionnaire from 361 respondents in Uttar Pradesh, India. Multiple regression has been applied to empirically measure the influence of independent factors (E-WOM credibility, E-WOM attitude, E-WOM quantity, and E-WOM format) on the dependent factor (consumers' purchase intention). The result indicates that E-WOM credibility, E-WOM quantity, and E-WOM format on online shopping platforms have more impact than E-WOM on social media on the purchase intention of smartphones. This study aids online companies in understanding the purchase patterns of consumers, and E-WOM on online shopping platforms is more effective in terms of credibility, quantity, and format as compared to E-WOM on social networking platforms toward buying intention of smartphones.


AIM
Non-cell corynebacterium parvum product (NCPP) is a new preparation of corynebacterium parvum (CP), an immunomodulator that displays anticancer activities. It is prepared by nanotechnology and is intended to minimize the side effects of CP. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the immunogenicity and systemic toxicity of NCPP compared with CP in animals.

METHODS
30 monkeys were randomly divided into 5 groups and given CP (3 mg/monkey), three doses of NCPP (9, 3, 1 mg/monkey) and 0.9% normal saline (NS, 4 ml/monkey) individually by intramuscular injection twice a week for 13 weeks. The immunogenicity and systemic toxicity of NCPP and CP were compared.

RESULTS
NCCP and CP caused histopathological changes in the liver, spleen and kidney, but pathologic changes in NCCP-treated groups were slighter than that in the CP group. Only 9 mg/monkey of NCPP caused the similar damage as the CP in intensity. Deposition of immune complexes in the glomerular basement membrane was observed only in the CP group. ELISA detection showed that the anti-CP antibody was at a high level, while the anti-NCPP antibody was at low level and disappeared during the recovery period.

CONCLUSION
Our study has led to the view that NCPP is safer than CP.


The properties of forest nursery waste from the viewpoint of composting are not well known. The objective of the study was to clarify the properties of the forest nursery waste in order to get the thermophilic composting process going on. The composting process and nutrient leaching during composting was also studied. Forest nursery waste including tree seedlings and their growing media (Sphagnum peat), weeds, fallen leaves and grass clippings was composted in 300litre experimental bins for three months. In the first summer, forest nursery waste was composted with and without horse manure, and during the second summer with and without urea or methylene urea fertilizer. T emperature, volume reduction, pH, water and the organic matter content, nutrient concentrations, water percolation and nutrient leaching were monitored during the composting. Horse manure was the only additive material, which ensured the thermophilic composting process. All additives increased the nitrogen leaching, and horse manure also increased the phosphorus leaching. The results suggest that additive material, such as horse manure, is needed to improve the heating process in forest nursery waste composting. However, the nutrient rich additive material may pose risk for the environment.


Adrenergic drugs for growth promotion have been outlawed in European meat production; however, molecules such as Ractopamine and Zilpaterol are licensed for feeding swine and cattle in the United States, Mexico, and South Africa. Analysis of bovine retinal extracts has recently shown considerable extension in the detection period following withdrawal. Previous studies demonstrated that residual concentrations of Clenbuterol and related substances in retinal tissue were > 100 ng/g at day 50 of withdrawal. A method was developed to identify and simultaneously quantify Clenbuterol-like substances with anilinic moieties and drugs with phenolic and catecholic moieties, such as Ractopamine and Zilpaterol, in retinal tissue. The method was validated according to SANCO/1805/2000. After extraction in 0.1 N HCl, samples were cleaned up on C18 non-endcapped solid-phase extraction columns and analyzed as trimethylchlorosilane derivatives by gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, electron impact mode. At concentrations of agonists between 62.5 and 250.0 ng/g in bovine retina, mean recoveries ranged from 85.3 to 94.8%, repeatability was < 9.6%, and within-laboratory reproducibility was < 10.5%. The decision limits (CCalpha) were within the range of 66.3-70.4 ng/g, and the detection capability (CCbeta) varied from 73.9 to 79.8 ng/g. Results are discussed in terms of a multiresidue approach to improve reliability of the monitoring strategy.


does little to mitigate such a scandal.2 More alarming still is the current tendency of some key donor governments to provide only sufficient cereals for the general ration while supplying oil and legumes on a seemingly ad hoc basis. Emergency general rations, already deficient in key micronutrients, are thus becoming increasingly unpalatable for young children, whose small stomachs require energy dense foods, such as oil, rather than bulk to satisfy energy requirements.34 The reasons why this is occurring remain unclear but probably relate to what surpluses are available and costs. Relief agencies therefore have to operate in emergencies where there is an inadequate general ration. Some agencies respond by implementing supplementary feeding programmes with the limited quantities of oil and legumes made available by donors. Many small agencies, incapable of handling the logistics of a large general feeding programme, automatically opt in a crisis for a supplementary feeding programme because they feel they must "do something." Yet experienced practitioners have long recognised the inadvisability of supplementary feeding programmes during food emergencies without an adequate general ration. In effect, it is an attempt to impose a system of targeting within a household when the entire household is in dire need of those same commodities. Agencies are beginning to rediscover the costs and wastage of trying to monitor and enforce such an approach. Implementing wet supplementary feeding programmes in rural food emergencies is also open to criticism. They have no overall advantages over dry feeding programmes5 6; in emergencies the time and resources required by aid agencies to establish and operate wet programmes, compared with dry take home feeding, should automatically disqualify them except in exceptional circumstances. Furthermore, in food emergencies the already excessive demands placed on mothers increase enormously as obtaining fuel and water gets harder and foraging for wild foods and petty trading become essential for survival. Having to accompany a malnourished child at a feeding centre for most of the day therefore makes life even harder for the mother-often resulting in poor attendance and consequently poor weight gain in her child. Despite the many previous "bad" experiences such programmes continue to be set up.7 This has as much to do with their high profile-which helps voluntary aid agencies to compete for scarce domestic resources-as with lack of institutional memory and guidelines for agencies. Finally, agencies' practice of automatically implementing supplementary feeding programmes in food emergencies induced by drought, on the grounds that such programmes will lead to the minimum loss of life given available resources, needs questioning. Supplementary feeding programmes can consume considerable agency resources yet provide as little as one tenth of a household's energy needs.8 The same resources devoted to improving sources of fresh water or providing basic health care may prevent far more deaths.9 Clearly, emergencies vary enormously, and what is desirable may not always be possible. But given the substantial experience now available, automatic and often inappropriate responses are no longer acceptable.


Gravity and magnetic methods are potential field methods and used for a wide range of applications and scales in geosciences. Traditionally, they have been used for regional, large scale investigation of geological structure, such as basement relief and fault structure delineation. Despite the initial contribution of gravity methods to oil/petroleum exploration by detection and mapping of salt domes, "gravity data" is viewed primarily as a "reconnaissance tool in oil exploration" and "to provide constraints in seismic interpretation." (quotes from Telford et al., 1990) A familiar, smaller-scale (higher resolution) application of the gravity and magnetic methods is for ore body detection and mapping. The key geological factor required for application of the gravity and magnetic methods is lateral variation in physical properties of subsurface materials. If the only variation in physical properties is in the vertical direction, such as is the case for horizontally layered, homogeneous strata, the gravity and magnetic methods are applicable only for confirmation of the uniformity and lack of anomalous conditions. Engineering and environmental (near-surface) applications of the gravity and magnetic methods were limited prior to the 1960's. Equipment developments and the emergence of new classes of high priority applications have brought about a resurgence of interest in the potential field methods of geophysics and the development of high-resolution, high-accuracy field procedures. The new classes of applications can be summarized as environmental (hazardous and toxic waste site assessments), archaeological, abandoned mine lands reclamation, cavity and tunnel detection and mapping, site investigations in karst areas, seismotectonic investigations, and other specialized problems. The gravity and magnetic methods are noted for two facts, one positive and the other somewhat negative: (1) the methods, which rely on measurement of variation in a naturally occurring potential fields, are fundamentally non-invasive and nondisturbing; (2) the interpretation of survey results is complicated by the fundamental, inherent nonuniqueness or ambiguity of source determination. The inherent ambiguity of gravity and magnetic interpretation often requires the exercise of more geological insight and constraining direct information, such as from boreholes, for quantitative interpretation than required by many of the other geophysical methods (although in fact interpretation of all geophysical survey results involves varying degrees of nonuniqueness and ambiguity). For purely qualitative, anomaly mapping applications, the gravity and magnetic methods often can be used when other geotechnical methods are not effective. And, with apologies for not including other near-surface geophysical methods that are legitimately potential field methods, e.g., direct current resistivity and self-potential, this paper only addresses gravity and magnetic methods and their engineering and environmental applications.


This paper presents the concept of three-phase module-integrated converters (MICs) incorporated in grid-tied large-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems. The current-source converter with dc voltage boost capability, namely the single-stage power conversion system, is proposed for the three-phase PV MIC system. A model predictive scheme with low switching frequency is designed to control the proposed topology in such a way that provides a certain amount of active and reactive power in steady-state operation and also provides a proper ratio of reactive power under transient conditions to meet the low-voltage ride through regulations. To predict the future behavior of current control values and switching states, a discrete-time model of the MIC is developed in the synchronous reference frame. It is demonstrated that the injected active and reactive power can be controlled by minimizing the cost function introduced in the predictive switching algorithm. The proposed structure is simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK software. An experimental verification is provided to justify the performance of the proposed control method through a 300-VA laboratory prototype. The results verify the desired performance of the proposed control scheme for exchanging both active and reactive powers between the PV MIC and the grid within different operating conditions.


The Internet of Things (IoT) envisions a multitude of heterogeneous objects and interactions with the physical environment and in the same time requires software architectures that are able to deal with a large amount of information, queries and computation. This paper presents a semantic modelling approach for addressing the functionalities provided by these objects in an IoT framework. In particular, the paper focuses on RFID networks integration by using dedicated association mechanisms, and proposes solutions for solving important issues such as enabling high level semantic interoperability, developing RFID middleware for providing identification, authentication, validation, monitoring of IoT devices and of encapsulated "real-world services, ensuring compatibility with standards and managing specific applications. As a novelty, the paper brings in a framework for developing solutions for lifecycle management of assets, which includes a three-tier architecture using algorithms of artificial intelligence to facilitate the association of context-aware systems with intelligent IoT devices.


Aurora kinases (A, B, and C) are essential for spindle assembly, centrosome maturation, chromosomal segregation, and cytokinesis. Aurora kinases A and B are overexpressed in many cancers, including non-small-cell lung cancer and mesothelioma. Small-molecule inhibitors selective for aurora kinases have shown promising activity in preclinical tumor models. To date, phase I studies with aurora kinase inhibitors have shown that myelosuppression is the dose-limiting toxicity, and disease stabilization was achieved in a number of tumor types, including non-small-cell lung cancer. Phase II trials are under way in selected tumor types. This article reviews the biology of aurora kinases, their potential role in the treatment of lung cancer, and challenges in the clinical development of this unique class of antineoplastic agents.


Foreign relations of Pakistan (Pak) with the United State of America (US) have a very long history of Ups and Downs and remain central to the politics of Pakistan. Pak-US relations also remain part of political and public discourse during elections and during the tenures of different political parties in the Government. Political parties in power or in the opposition are discussed with reference to their approach to foreign policy towards the US. The current study aims at examining how Pak-USA Relations were seen through the lens of media coverage, during PTI Government, taking into account the issues of Military Cooperation; Afghanistan Situation; Regional Disputes; War on Terror; and CPEC. The study is based on the news coverage of Pak-US relations in primetime TV news bulletins of two eminent Pakistani news channels GEO and ARY. The Descriptive Content Analysis method is used as a tool of analysis. Data was collected by watching the news bulletin of GEO and ARY news from August 18th, 2018 to January 18th, 2018. Agenda Setting and Framing approaches have been employed to analyze the news bulletins. All hypotheses are proven statistically by using the "t" test. The finding of this study is that both news channels Geo and ARY give positive coverage related to Pak-USA relations. These news channels have almost the same frames used regarding Pakistan and USA relationships in their 9 pm news bulletin headlines. In these frames, GEO and ARY news channels show that the relationships between Pakistan and the USA were very good during PTI's regime. Both countries were working bilaterally during this selecting time period. Keywords: Framing, PAK-USA Relations, News Channels, PTI, GEO, ARY


Hemodynamic and pulmonary gas exchange values were investigated during 24-hour extracorporeal membrane oxygenation performed on 7 anesthetized dogs subjected to alveolar hypoxia. The chief effects of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were demonstrated. The duration of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was associated with a progressive decline in the systemic arterial pressure and heart rate and a progressive increase in the pulmonary blood flow rate. Left-ventricular stroke work remained constant. The sum of the pulmonary and extracorporeal oxygen uptakes showed no change in spite of large variations in pulmonary flow rate.


On 24th November 2020, the European Commission delivered on one of the items mentioned in the mission letter of Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety. The new Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe forms an essential building block for the European Health Union that was announced earlier this month. The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) and its members welcome the publication of the Pharmaceutical Strategy and its all-encompassing nature focusing on the whole life cycle of a medicine stretching from research and authorisation over its supply to the safe distribution to patients.

EAHP President Petr Horak highlighted that "Patient-centredness, which lies at the heart of all representations made by hospital pharmacists, is a key element for the delivery of high-quality, effective and safe care. Also, cooperation and communication via a structural dialogue can contribute immensely to the improvement of health and care in Europe. Since many patients are still without access to the essential medicines they need and since the COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered several problems in our system, EAHP is committed to working together with the European institutions and other stakeholders to build the European Health Union that our patients deserve."

The new Pharmaceutical Strategy puts forward suggestions for legislative and non-legislative changes in four areas, namely:

1. Ensuring access to affordable medicines for patients and addressing unmet medical needs;

2. Supporting competitiveness, innovation and sustainability of the EU's pharmaceutical industry and the development of high quality, safe, effective and greener medicines;

3. Enhancing crisis preparedness and response mechanisms, diversified and secure supply chains as well as addressing medicines shortages; and

4. Ensuring a strong EU voice in the world, by promoting a high level of quality, efficacy and safety standards.

Commenting on the third pillar of the Strategy, Aida Batista (EAHP Vice President and Board member working on the topic of …


Immunotherapies targeting PD1/PDL1 have shown unprecedented rates of durable clinical responses in patients with melanoma and lung cancer. However, there is a substantial portion of patients who do not respond to these therapies. The goal of this study is to generate an anti-PD1-resistant tumor line and identify mechanisms of resistance, which should provide novel insights to extend the benefit of immunotherapies. A preclinical lung cancer model was generated by inoculation of a murine lung cancer cell line 344SQ (containing p53 and kras mutations) into syngeneic 129SV/ev mice. Anti-mouse PD1 antibodies were administrated at day 4 post tumor inoculation for a total of 5 doses. The anti-PD1 resistant line was successfully generated after sequential in vivo passaging of a nonresponsive tumor followed by anti-PD1 treatment. Upon the anti-PD1 treatment, the parental line showed 70% tumor reduction, whereas the resistant line showed only 12% tumor reduction. PDL1 expression did not alter in the resistant line. Instead, anti-PD1 treatment remarkably increased MHC I expression in the parental line, whereas the resistant line showed significantly lower MHC I and II expression and failed to upregulate MHC I upon anti-PD1 treatment. The parental and resistant lines showed distinct profiles of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and costimulatory molecule expression in vivo. Next we will study if inducing MHC expression through radiation or HDAC inhibitors will overcome anti-PD1 resistance.


David Hume is known for being a sceptical philosopher, but his remarks about the different forms of scepticism and the basis of his own philosophical system are not oftenly studied together. The "careless manner" in which Hume wrote most of his works seem to be contagious among his interpreters, who associate cursorily his claims on scepticism with his common sense philosophy. I explain how Hume's ideal of a scientific philosophy lays in a secondary level because of the sceptical basis of his whole system, especially fictionalism and atomism regarding mental contents. It is only the inexplicable nature of our mind that completes through imagination the insufficiency of the experience data. His elucidations on scepticism fitt better with his common sense mentality, where Nature again has a decisive role, than with the deep problems of the relation between mind and external objects. Juan Andres Mercado


Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) of HIV-infected individuals usually leads to clinical improvement, but some individuals develop a worsening of symptoms following ART, referred to as Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS). CD4 T cells are thought to be a primary mediator of this paradoxical disease and recent work in patients has correlated activated monocytes with the development of IRIS. Here we use a mouse model of Mycobacterium avium associated IRIS to examine myeloid cell responses in IRIS. We find that CD4 T cell reconstitution of chronically infected TCRaKO mice leads to large increases in neutrophils and Ly6C+ CCR2+ monocytes. Prior to CD4 T cell transfer, myeloid cells in chronically infected TCRaKO mice expressed less iNOS but higher TNF compared to WT mice. Within ~12 days after CD4 T cell reconstitution, multiple myeloid cell subsets dramatically upregulated iNOS and TNF reaching levels far above what is ever observed in WT mice at any time during infection. Transfer of IFNgKO CD4 T cells into chronically infected TCRaKO mice failed to drive myeloid cell expansion or increased function, and mice displayed greatly reduced signs of illness. These data indicate that progression of a chronic mycobacterial infection in the absence of CD4 T cell help predisposes myeloid cells to over respond to T cell stimulation when CD4 T cells are later introduced, indicating myeloid cell hyper responsiveness may underly the immunopathogenesis of IRIS.


The study focuses on the question, how a seamount in the oligotrophic eastern Mediterranean affects the zooplankton community, as compared to the open water. Zooplankton samples were taken with 333 µm nets at two sites, the Rhodes Basin and the Anaximenes Mountain, in December 2006. The samples were sieved into size fractions, and the composition, biomass, abundance and stable isotope signatures were analysed. In general, biomass and abundance of zooplankton were low, reflecting the oligotrophic character of the eastern Mediterranean, but zooplankton standing stocks were higher at the Rhodes Basin than at the Anaximenes Mountain. Stable isotope signatures showed, at a generally low level, enrichment in zooplankton taxa along the food chain within the different pelagic zones and from the surface to the deep-sea, but no significant differences between Rhodes Basin and the seamount were evident in the food web structure. The zooplankton community in the Anaximenes Mountain region in the northern Levantine Basin seems not to be influenced by a local seamount effect, despite the difference in standing stocks between the seamount and the Rhodes Basin. This seems to be driven by larger-scale upwelling and downwelling structures of cyclones and anticyclones, dominating the circulation in the area.


Radiodense structures resembling ossicles at the acetabular rim have received multiple names including "Os acetabuli, Os supertilii, Os marginale superius acetabuli, and Os coxae quartum". Various theories regarding their origin have been postulated. These structures commonly are observed in dysplastic hips and hips suffering from femoro-acetabular impingement and represent fractures of the acetabular rim. In our series we observed acetabular rim fragments in 4.9% of the dysplastic hips and in 6.4% of the hips with femoro-acetabular impingement. Two different pathomechanics are responsible for the occurrence of these rim fragments. In dysplasia the short acetabular roof reduces the amount of available loading surface which leads to an overload on the lateral margin of the acetabulum, propagating the development of a fatigue fracture. However, as in all hips additional cysts were visible, it must be postulated, that cysts have to be present additionally and act as stress risers through which the rim bone eventually will fail. In hips with femoro-acetabular impingement the mode of failure is different. The relative anterior overcover in retroverted hips is subjected to stress during flexion of the hip, which is further increased by the frequent presence of an non-spheric extension of the femoral head as seen in cam impingement. The nonspheric femoral head-neck junction is jammed into the rim area. By repetitive traumatization the anterior rim eventually will fracture. The clinical importance of acetabular rim fractures in the dysplastic hip is readily understood even by an unexperienced observer. However, it has to be considered as a sign that the hip has decompensated and it usually goes with significant articular cartilage damage. Because the radiographic appearance of the hip with femoro-acetabular impingement seems normal at first sight, the mechanism leading to anterior rim fracture may be overlooked. However, recognition and adequate treatment is important to prevent further degeneration of the hip.


A miniaturized single fiber in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometer is proposed for high-temperature sensing. The interferometer has a microcavity in one of its arms, formed by removing part of the fiber core and cladding, while the other arm remains in the fiber core. Because the fiber core exhibits a temperature coefficient of refractive index which is different from that of air, the interferometer is sensitive to temperature variation. The microcavity structured interferometer also has excellent sustainability to high temperatures up to 1100°C . The system is compact, reliable and can detect the temperature at precise location.


To evaluate the behaviour of Pharmacy College students as a representative sample of undergraduate students in terms of the use of antibiotics in Mosul city, Iraq. A questionnaire was adopted from previous studies with minor modi ications to suit the current study sample and distributed to undergraduate students from all stages of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Mosul, in Nineveh province, north of Iraq. The study sample included 429 students. The results were statistically analyzed using GraphPad prism 7 and Excel 2013. the study showed that 51.28 % (n=220) of the participants practiced self-medication with antibiotics over the past 6 months. Retail pharmacies were the most common source for obtaining the antibiotics (87.4%), followed by the nurse clinics (7.9%), and lastly from the leftovers (4.7%). The main reasons for self-medication with antibiotics were the belief of having good knowledge about antibiotic use, followed by assuming that practicing self-medication with antibiotics would save time and money or due to inadequate improvement following proper medical consultation and lack of the nearby health care providers. The major diseases being treated was URTIs. The most used antibiotic for self-medication was Amoxicillin and to a lesser extent Azithromycin Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid and Ce ixime. Undergraduate students included in this survey had inadequate knowledge concerning antibiotics and a high rate of self-medication. This study calls attention to the need for focused educational intervention and rigorous authoritarian and governmental ruling regarding the issue of inappropriate antibiotic use and sale in community pharmacies.


Philosophy in Schools: An introduction for philosophers and teachers edited by Sara Goering, Nicholas J Shudak and Thomas E Wartenberg (2013). (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy) Taylor & Francis, New York, NY. ISBN: 9780415640633. The edited collection Philosophy in Schools: An introduction for philosophers and teachers is exactly that; an introduction to the central ideas of the Philosophy in Schools movement, with tips and strategies as to how to implement Philosophy for Children (P4C) in your classroom or educational space. With 25 chapters, this handy edition includes the writings of 31 academics and well known practitioners of P4C worldwide. While all the voices contributing to this volume are positive and optimistic as they exalt the benefits of P4C, the diversity comes in the form of the various ways in which the numerous authors have practiced philosophy with participants of different ages, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. There is a mix of theory and pedagogy, with a focus on the pragmatic reality of doing philosophy with young people.


With the exception of the Northern Territory, land tax is a core measure used by states and territories to raise
revenue. In all jurisdictions that levy the tax, the principle place of residence of the owner is exempt from imposition.
In this article, we consider this exemption and whether that exemption is lost when a person lets part of their house
on AirBNB. As will be shown, the states and territories differ in their approach, and it is our view that these
differences cannot be justified. At the very least, a national solution should encompass a collective view as to when
the exemption should apply. It should also embody this view in legislation, rather than in the policy rulings of
revenue offices.


When a laser beam is transmitted from an airborne platform, it must first pass through a relatively thin region of the turbulent flow in the immediate vicinity of the airplane. Unsteady density variations present in the turbulent flow will imprint spatial/temporal variations on the otherwise planar outgoing wavefronts. These variations in wavefronts will force the beam to move, change its shape and even break into several spots on a distant target. These aero-optical effects [1,2], even in the absence of any atmospheric optical distortions, might significantly degrade a performance of any free-space, laser-based airborne systems at subsonic, transonic or supersonic speeds.


Abstract Univariate and multivariate statistical methods were used to examine geographic variation in skull and horn characters of 694 bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) specimens from the Great Basin north to British Columbia and Alberta to test previous taxonomic hypotheses. Substantially more morphometric variation in skull and horn size and shape was found west of the Rocky Mountains than within the Rocky Mountains. Our results did not support the recognition of Audubon's bighorn sheep (O. c. auduboni) as a subspecies separate from Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (O. c. canadensis). California bighorn sheep (O. c. californiana) from Washington and British Columbia were not distinguishable from Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep but differed notably from populations in the Sierra Nevada considered part of that subspecies. Extirpated native populations from northeastern California, Oregon, and southwestern Idaho, also considered to be O. c. californiana, shared with Nelson bighorn sheep (O. c. nelsoni) from the Great Basin desert a horn-related character that distinguished them from Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Bighorn sheep from the Sierra Nevada were found to be distinguishable from those of the adjacent Great Basin region. Our morphometric results were concordant in geographic patterns with mtDNA data. We synonymize O. c. auduboni with O. c. canadensis. We also assign extant and extinct native populations of O. c. californiana from British Columbia and Washington to O. c. canadensis. Finally, we assign the extinct native populations of O. c. californiana from Oregon, southwestern Idaho, northern Nevada, and northeastern California to the Great Basin Desert form of O. c. nelsoni, recognizing that some transition to Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep probably occurred along that northern boundary. With these taxonomic revisions, the range of O. c. californiana includes only the central and southern Sierra Nevada.


The requirement for safety testing of clinical laboratory medical equipment is regarded as essential to ensure that apparatus does not pose a user or patient hazard. John Backes, sales and product manager, Rigel Medical, considers the implications of the new IEC standard for the in-service and post-repair testing of electromedical devices.


We studied the rates of and factors associated with self-reported prior human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in adult patients visiting an emergency department (ED) in the Bronx, New York City. A total of 1,744 consecutive noncritical adult medical emergency patients responded to a standardized interview administered by ED physicians. The interview included questions pertaining to demographic characteristics, prior HIV testing, and HIV risk behaviors. On multivariate analysis, female gender, younger age, history of weight loss, injecting drug use (IDU), syphilis, and genital herpes were all associated with increased reported prior testing rates. Race (i.e., black race) was an independent predictor of increased rates among male subjects; comparatively low rates were reported by patients with a first language other than English, patients lacking medical insurance, and highly sexually active, nonblack men. Increased HIV testing rates were reported by subjects with recognized HIV risk behaviors in a New York City ED population; however, substantial proportions of subjects at risk had not been tested. Programs of HIV testing and counseling need to include older, uninsured, and non-English-speaking segments of the population who engage in high-risk behaviors.


The battles to protect ancient forests and spotted owls in the Northwest regularly splashed across the evening news in the 1980s and early 1990s. Empire of Timber re-examines this history to demonstrate that workers used their unions to fight for a healthy workplace environment and sustainable logging practices that would allow themselves and future generations the chance to both work and play in the forests. Examining labor organizations from the Industrial Workers of the World in the 1910s to unions in the 1980s, this study shows that conventional narratives of workers opposing environmental protection are far too simplistic and often ignore the long histories of natural resource industry workers attempting to protect their health and their futures from the impact of industrial logging. Today, when workers fear that environmental restrictions threaten their jobs, learning the history of alliances between unions and environmentalists can build those conversations in the present.


We study the motion of a model equipped with flapping wings under the influence of gravity (external force). This model moves in a two-dimensional fluid according to the hydrodynamic force generated by vortices separated from its wings. As a result of the interaction between the vortices and the wings, the model moves steadily in a direction against the gravity. Moreover, hovering, i.e., a steady flight staying in a particular position, can be achieved here by the effective use of vortex structures enhancing the hydrodynamic force that supports the model against gravity. The system exhibits a transition from the state with hovering to a state where hovering is impossible, as the model parameters are changed.


Abstract Karol Frenkel was one of Kazimierz Twardowski's first disciples to undertake an attempt to develop their own concept of ethics. In his case, the process of developing his own ethical concept involved questioning the tradition in which he had been educated. Accordingly, he was able to formulate an original concept of independent ethics. In his doctoral dissertation, Frenkel analyzed two ethical systems, formulated by David Hume and Arthur Schopenhauer respectively which sought ethical determinants in the affective sphere. For Frenkel, these proposals turned out to be unsatisfactory, and thus he proposed his own solution derived from the accepted concept of morality. From today's perspective, it was the first reflection in Poland referring to scientific ethics, which – chronologically speaking – in many respects preceded the analogous solutions proposed later by British analytical philosophers.


Bauhinia variegata (Leguminosae) commonly known as Kachnar, is widely used in Ayurveda as tonic to the liver. The present work was carried out to assess the potential of Bauhinia variegata bark as hepatoprotective agent. The hepatoprotective activity was investigated in carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) intoxicated Sprague-Dawley rats. Bauhinia variegata alcoholic Stem Bark Extract (SBE) at different doses (100 and 200 mg/kg) were administered orally to male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 100-120 g. The effect of SBE on the serum marker enzymes, viz., AST, ALT, ALP and GGT and liver protein and lipids were assessed. The extract exhibited significant hepatoprotective activity. Hence, B. variegata appears to be a promising hepatoprotective agent.


Introduction Rwanda healthcare insurance coverage aims to help  Rwandans with access to healthcare. However, some individuals face  difficulties with obtaining healthcare insurance. This paper provides a critical analysis of policy factors hindering the attainment of total coverage. Methods A critical policy analysis framework devised from discourse theories by Taylor informed this paper. Results This paper illustrates the context and antecedents associated with  the issue of uninsuredindividuals. The paper highlighted competing factors and discourses contributing to persistent  gap in healthcare insurance coverage in Rwanda. An example of factors is a limited income of individuals assigned to the second Ubudehe category. It further identifies the nature of the issue and corresponding economic and social  consequences, along with priority action steps required to attain total  healthcare coverage. Conclusion To address the issue of uninsured individuals, the Government of Rwanda should target segments of population with the lowest rates of coverage, regardless of their income. ________________________________________________________________________ Keywords : Rwanda, Healthcare coverage, uninsured, Ubudehe category


This paper explores the implications of Unified Growth Theory for the origins of existing differences in income per capita across countries. The theory sheds light on three fundamental layers of comparative development. It identifies the factors that have governed the pace of the transition from stagnation to growth and have thus contributed to contemporary variation in economic development. It uncovers the forces that have sparked the emergence of multiple growth regimes and convergence clubs, and it underlines the persistent effects that variations in pre-historical biogeographical conditions have generated on the composition of human capital and economic development across the globe.


An integration method for step-scanned single-crystal intensity data based upon fitting of the individual diffraction profiles by a pseudo-Voigt function is presented. Algorithms for both the recovery of weak intensities from data sets and the rejection of aberrant peak profiles are discussed. The ideas presented in this paper have been implemented in a software package for Microsoft Windows, WinIntegrStp, which is available at http://www.crystal.vt.edu/.


This work deals with how Mula Mustafa Baseskija marked the time in his notes about events in Bosnia in the second half of the 18th century. The inspiration for this work was found in the introductory sentence in which the author states his intention to "to record events and their times in his medžmua".
Mula Mustafa marked the time by using precise dates. But dates were not standardized but shaped according to different calendars of methods of measuring time. The author focused on the Islamic lunar calendar and Ottoman lunisolar calendar, according to the movement of the sun in relation to 12 stars and according to natural yearly cyles, then according to Muslim and Christian holidays. Finally, the author occassionally used local terms for the months of the year. These diverse ways of marking time reflected the culture which was symbolized by diversity.


Background: Academic burnout is one of the challenges in nursing education that is particularly important due to the stressful nature of the field. The experience of this phenomenon over the course of the students' education and its persisting effects after graduation lead to poor academic performance, job dissatisfaction, reduced quality of nursing services and even leaving the profession. Objectives: This study aims to determine the level of academic burnout and examine its contributing factors in nursing students at Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Materials and Methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 180 undergraduate nursing students selected through the census method. Data were collected using a personal demographic information form and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS), and the content validity and internal consistency of the tool were confirmed. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics in SPSS-16. The level of statistical significance was set at P<0.05. Results: The total academic burnout score obtained was 39.2±14.4, which suggests moderate levels of academic burnout in the students. A total of 67.7% of the students received a moderate academic burnout score. Of all the dimensions of academic burnout, academic inefficacy had the highest mean (16.5±5.91). The academic burnout score had a significant inverse correlation with the variable of GPA (r=-0.3, P<0.001) and a significant relationship with the type of residence (P=0.001). Conclusion: Moderate and high levels of academic burnout in nursing students contribute to a diminishing performance, especially in terms of learning clinical skills. A greater understanding of the factors causing an increase or reduction in academic burnout can therefore help prevent or minimize the occurrence of this phenomenon. Moreover, nursing education planners should take special account of factors such as academic performance, type of residence and level of interest in the discipline.


This study took place in the Tapajos National Forest, Para State, and evaluated the effects of four different cutting methods of lianas/vines on conducting forest management, aiming at the production of  logs for wood production. Each method comprised an area of 96 ha and method M1 – consisted of cutting of the lianas around all existing commercial and potentially commercial trees; according to method M2 – the lianas were cut only in the area of occurrence of commercial and potentially commercial trees; ind method M3 – the lianas around all commercial and potentially commercial trees and in their falling direction and method M4 – the lianas were cut only around those commercial trees chosen for the first harvest. The area affected by the felling of the selected tree was assessed by the degree of damage on remnant individuals; quantity of lost individuals per each felled tree; reduction of the basal forest area caused by trees destroyed due to the falling of the selected tree; and the cost to accomplish the cutting of lianas/vines according to each cutting method. No significant different les were found for the variables in all analysed methods, except costs. Method M4, was the least expensive and showed reasonable absolute values for the other variables, may be considered the best of this study. In this method, the lianas population is better preserved than the other cutting methods analysed, maintaining their important ecological function in the forest.


A 62-year-old female with supraventricular tachycardia underwent a contrast echocardiogram to assess left ventricular structure and function due to sub-optimal images on conventional imaging. Multi-pulse, phase inversion, low mechanical index imaging was used (left ventricular opacification), combined with bolus dosing of a perflutren microsphere (Definity). In the parasternal short-axis view, during contrast imaging, flow within a septal coronary artery could be directly visualized. The corresponding coronary angiogram demonstrated prominent septal perforators arising from the LAD artery. By exploiting the non-linear oscillation properties of microbubbles and the linear oscillation properties of tissue, at low MI, contrast-specific imaging has the ability to enhance the contrast signal while suppressing the myocardial signal. This form of contrast imaging has high temporal and spatial resolution, enabling visualization of relatively small structures in real time. Clinical relevance of this finding includes the ability to enhance coronary blood flow evaluation, which would have utility in those studies where spectral Doppler is being used to evaluate coronary blood flow and coronary flow reserve and it may be beneficial in the identification of septal perforator arteries that should be injected with alcohol during percutaneous septal ablation for the management of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.


Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is an essential part of public health programmes. Since M&E is the backbone of public health programmes, ethical considerations are important in their conduct. Some of the key ethical considerations are avoiding conflicts of interest, maintaining independence of judgement, maintaining fairness, transparency, full disclosure, privacy and confidentiality, respect, responsibility, accountability, empowerment and sustainability. There are several ethical frameworks in public health, but none focusing on the monitoring and evaluation process. There is a need to institutionalise the ethical review of M&E proposals. A theoretical framework for ethical considerations is proposed in this paper. This proposed theoretical framework can act as the blueprint for building the capacity of ethics committees to review M&E proposals. A case study is discussed in this context. After thorough field testing, this practical and field-based ethical framework can be widely used by donor agencies, M&E teams, institutional review boards and ethics committees.


Phytosociological analysis performed over 2005 to 2009 revealed that Cassia occidentalis L. is a dominant species at 3 of 4 sites in Agra district, India, that were previously observed to be dominated by heavy populations of Parthenium hysterophorus L. In order to determine the role of biomolecular interaction, i.e. the allelopathic effect, if any, on this shift of floral pattern effects, aqueous shoot and root cold leachates were determined on seed germination, shoot cut bioassay, seedling bioassay, chlorophyll, nitrogen, and protein content of P. hysterophorus. A significant reduction in germination percentage, shoot cut bioassay, seedling bioassay, and chlorophyll of P. hysterophorus was noticed at higher concentration of shoot leachates. Root leachates of 100% concentration of C. occidentalis obtained after 9 days were responsible for the maximum inhibition of nitrogen percentage and protein content of Parthenium, indicating that biomolecular interaction plays a significant role in curbing the population dynamics of this obnoxious weed with enormous seed production potential.


In the manuscript, we have developed a novel yet simple and innovative approach to improving the cultivability of natural microorganisms without sophisticated instrumentation. The method used gradient centrifugation combined with serial dilution (two-dimensional cell separation) to improve taxum recovery from samples. ABSTRACT Culture-independent sequence data from various environmental samples have revealed an immense microbial diversity of environmental, clinical, and industrial importance that has not yet been cultured. Cultivation is imperative to validate findings emerging from cultivation-independent molecular data and exploit the isolated organisms for biotechnological purposes. Efforts have been made to boost the cultivability of microbes from environmental samples by use of a range of techniques and instrumentation. The manuscript presents a novel yet simple and innovative approach to improving the cultivability of natural microorganisms without sophisticated instrumentation. By employing gradient centrifugation combined with serial dilution ("two-dimensional cell separation"), significantly higher numbers of genera (>2-fold higher) and species (>3-fold higher) were isolated from environmental samples, including soil, anaerobic sludge, and landfill leachate, than from using serial dilution alone. This simple and robust protocol can be modified for any environment and culture medium and provides access to untapped microbial diversity. IMPORTANCE In the manuscript, we have developed a novel yet simple and innovative approach to improving the cultivability of natural microorganisms without sophisticated instrumentation. The method used gradient centrifugation combined with serial dilution (two-dimensional cell separation) to improve taxum recovery from samples. This simple and robust protocol can be modified for any environment and culture medium and provides access to untapped microbial diversity. This approach can be incorporated with less labor and complexity in laboratories with minimal instrumentation. As cultivation is a workflow that is well suited to lower-resource microbiology labs, we believe improvements in cultivability can increase opportunities for scientific collaborations between low-resource labs and groups focused on high-resource cultivation-independent methodologies.


This thesis deals with the application of the so-called Essential Facilities Doctrine in Community law against the background of the special characteristics and needs of the biotechnology industry. The Essential Facilities Doctrine obliges under competition law the dominant owner of an essential facility to grant access to third parties on non-discriminatory terms. When obliged to grant access the dominant undertaking has in turn to be given adequate compensation. The Doctrine is applicable to both private and state-owned companies. It can be applied in any industry, but has typically been applied when the essential facilities result from a (previous) legal monopoly or geographical particularities in the individual case. The precise substance of the Doctrine varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and from one commentator to another. In EC law the Doctrine is a sub-category to the principle obliging dominant undertakings to supply, a principle emanating from Article 82 of the EC Treaty. According to the Doctrine a refusal to grant access to an essential facility constitutes an abuse of dominant position provided that the refusal would have a serious effect on Community competition. The major difference between the more general duty to supply and the Doctrine is that the first mentioned applies only to existing customers. A legal doctrine mandating access to private property is very controversial from both a legal and an economic point of view. Its application can therefore be justified only in very special circumstances. The facility, which can be an infrastructure, a raw material, a product, a service, an intellectual property right, etc., needs to be ''essential''. That is there has to be an insuperable barrier to enter a market, which is usually situated downstream from the market where the facility exists. Without the facility the third party must not be able to compete in the concerned market. The definition of the ''relevant market'' will influence the assessment of whether a particular facility is ''essential''. The narrower the market the more likely is the facility to be declared essential. The rationale of the Doctrine is the belief that access will result in increased or developed competition, which will benefit consumers in term of more price worthy and qualitative products/services but also in term of entirely new products/services. The Doctrine has been criticized for not taken into consideration the long-term effects of its application. The effects are said to be disincentives to invest and innovate. Such effects would have a particular harmful impact on the high technology industries. These industries are characterized by heavy investments in research and development and short product cycles resulting in first mover advantages. Intellectual property protection is in these industries crucial to protect the firms' investments and preserve their incentives to innovate. In the biotechnology industry the phase of research and development of products is particularly long. Furthermore the outcome of the ventures is often uncertain due to the high failure rate and the need of regulatory approval. The process of putting products on the market is therefore extremely expensive. The attraction of risk capital is thus vital to the survival of the industry. Unfortunately investors' approach to the industry has traditionally been hesitant. The application of the Doctrine to products/services provided by the biotechnology industry might further strengthen investors' disapproving investment policy. Potential useful products/services would never reach the market and the victim would not only be the industry itself but also, and more importantly, the individual consumer. The ECJ has applied the Doctrine to essential facilities enjoying intellectual property protection. The circumstances were however extraordinary&semic the intellectual property right prevented the emergence of a new product for which there was potential consumer demand and thus conferred on the dominant undertaking a monopoly over a secondary related market. The Doctrine does not generally apply to intellectual property rights. To conclude, in theory nothing prevents the Doctrine from being applied to products in the biotechnology industry. The potential harmful effect of its application on the industry could be reduced through the introduction of more predictable criteria, which at least would prevent companies from cutting back on research and development expenses out of fear from a possible application in the future. It is vital that when assessing the impact on competition of a refusal to grant access the long-term effects are taken into consideration.


Stimulated fluid flow in geothermal reservoirs can produce surface Self‐Potential (SP) anomalies of several mV. A commonly accepted interpretation involves the activation of electrokinetic processes. However we can not rule out electrochemical or electrothermal processes generated by the differences in chemical composition and temperature between the in‐situ and injected fluids. We analyzed the relative contribution of electrokinetic, electrochemical and electrothermal potentials to the SP anomalies observed above the Soultz‐sous‐Forêts geothermal reservoir while injecting cold fresh water. We found that electrokinetic effects were dominant during the stimulation phase (injection rates larger than 30 kg s−1) and that electrochemical and electrothermal effects became significant at small injection rates (less than 10 kg s−1) and after shut‐in.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of ligustrazine on the expression of Bcl-2 protein and apoptosis in rabbit articular chondrocytes in monolayer culture.

METHODS
We separated chondrocytes from the rabbit articular cartilage and cultured them in vitro. We divided them into 2 groups. One group was added the injective ligustrazine hydrochloride(LH), and the other was added the same quantity of culture medium as the comparison. The expression of Bcl-2 in every group was examined with immunohistocytochemistry technique, and the apoptosis was observed with TUNEL.

RESULTS
The two groups both expressed Bcl-2 protein, but the expression in the LH group was significantly higher than that in the comparison group (P < 0.01). The two groups both had apoptosis, the rate of which in the LH group was significantly lower than that in the comparison group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION
Ligustrazine may repair the cartilaginous lesion.


An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft without a human pilot and a type of unmanned vehicle. UAVs controlled with the help of remote controller. Due to increasing demand of UAVs the various researchers developed the new technologies in wireless communication system. This paper majorly concerns over the Analysis and comparison of MANET Routing protocols for UAV communication. UAVs are playing vital roles in mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). Routing is most important task when we are conducting the wireless communication among UAVs. In this paper we analyse the performance of different type of mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) protocols for the communication of UAVs. Various research papers over MANET Routing protocols for UAV communication are discussed in this review paper.


DNA methylation is a complex event in epigenetic studies because of both the large CpG islands present upstream of the promoter region and the different distribution of DNA methylation despite similar methylation levels. For this reason, we proposed a fast, cost‐effective method for the screening of DNA methylation based on SSCP and CE‐LIF. In this study, the PCR products that were amplified from bisulfite‐treated genomic DNA were denatured at 94°C, followed by immediate chilling in ice water to form the ssDNA. The ssDNA were separated by 1.5% poly(ethylene oxide) (Mavg 8 000 000 Da) in the presence of EOF according to the different conformations represented by their unique methylation states. This result demonstrated that four hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines represented a different heterogeneity of DNA methylation and could be distinguished by SSCP‐CE. The results obtained from SSCP‐CE also corresponded with those obtained from combined bisulfide restriction analysis and methylation‐sensitive high‐resolution melting analysis. Therefore, the proposed SSCP‐CE method may potentially be used for rapid screening for determination of the heterogeneity of DNA methylation in further epigenetic studies and clinical diagnosis.


MOTIVATION
The development of microscopic imaging techniques enables us to study protein subcellular locations from the tissue level down to the cell level, contributing to the rapid development of image-based protein subcellular location prediction approaches. However, existing methods suffer from intrinsic limitations, such as poor feature representation ability, data imbalanced issue, and multi-label classification problem, greatly impacting the model performance and generalization.

RESULTS
In this study, we propose MSTLoc, a novel multi-scale end-to-end deep learning model to identify protein subcellular locations in the imbalanced multi-label immunohistochemistry (IHC) images dataset. In our MSTLoc, we deploy a deep convolution neural network to extract multi-scale features from the IHC images, aggregate the high-level features and low-level features via feature fusion to sufficiently exploit the dependencies amongst various subcellular locations, and utilize Vision Transformer (ViT) to model the relationship amongst the features and enhance the feature representation ability. We demonstrate that the proposed MSTLoc achieves better performance than current state-of-the-art models in multi-label subcellular location prediction. Through feature visualization and interpretation analysis, we demonstrate that as compared with the hand-crafted features, the multi-scale deep features learnt from our model exhibit better ability in capturing discriminative patterns underlying protein subcellular locations, and the features from different scales are complementary for the improvement in performance. Finally, case study results indicate that our MSTLoc can successfully identify some biomarkers from proteins that are closely involved with cancer development. For the convenient use of our method, we establish a user-friendly webserver available at http://server.wei-group.net/ MSTLoc.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION
http://server.wei-group.net/ MSTLoc.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Purpose: As proton therapy machines become widespread the need for a quick simple routine daily QA like that for linear accelerators becomes more important. Willis-Knighton has developed an accurate and efficient daily QA that can be performed in 15 minutes. Methods: A holder for a 2D ionization chamber array (MatriXX PT) was created that is indexed to the couch to allow for quick setup, lasers accuracy with respect to beam isocenter, and couch reproducibility. Image position/reposition was performed to check Isocentricity accuracy by placing BBs on the MatriXX. The couch coordinates are compared to that of commissioning. Laser positions were confirmed with the MatriXX isocenter. After IGRT, three beams were separately delivered according to setup. For the first beam, range shifter was inserted and dose at R90, field size, flatness and symmetry in X and Y direction was measured. R90 was used so any minor changes in the range shifter can be detected. For the open beam, dose at center of SOBP, flatness and symmetry in X and Y direction was measured. Field size was measured in ±X and ±Y direction at FWHM. This is measured so any variation in spot size will be detected. For the third beam additional solid water was added and dose at R50 was measured so that any variation in beam energy will be detected. Basic mechanical and safety checks were also performed. Results: Medical physicists were able to complete the daily QA and reduce the time by half to two-third from initial daily QA procedure. All the values measured were within tolerance of that of the baseline which was established from water tank and initial MatriXX measurements. Conclusion: The change in daily QA procedure resulted in quick and easy setup and was able to measure all the basic functionality of the proton therapy PBS.


From 19 to 24 September, 1999, the First European Conference Atomic Physics at Accelerators: Laser Spectroscopy and Applications (APAC'99) was held at University of Mainz and Schloss Waldhausen (Budenheim, Germany) under the chairmanship of H Backe and G Huber. The idea of this up-to-date conference was associated with the 65th anniversary of Professor Ernst Otten (University of Mainz) who, together with H Kluge, contributed much to the development of this work at CERN, University of Mainz, and Darmstadt.


Effects of intrathecal cytostatic chemotherapy on the clinical symptoms and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings are being demonstrated in a case of metastatic carcinoma of the breast with sighns of meningeal irritation and cranial nerve involvement. Clinical symptoms disappeared after repeated intrathecal applications of methotrexate. CSF cell counts were reverted to normal but tumor cells were found to be persistant in CSF over a period of 19 months. Risks of combined intrathecal and systemic cytostatic therapy and possible effects of parenteral citrovorum factor applications are being discussed. The importance of continued intrathecal chemotherapy and of regular and thorough examination of CSF cells in meningitis carcinomatosa is emphasized. Cytological methods included investigations on viable CSF cells.


Cytochrome P4501A–induced activity of 20 selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was evaluated by measuring ethoxyresorufin‐O‐deethylase and methoxyresorufin‐O‐demethylase activities induced in the hepatocytes of cynomolgus monkeys, male castrated pigs, and chicken embryos. Quantitative structure‐activity relationships have been established, including 52 physi‐cochemical parameters and different measures of the dose‐response curves. Relative effect potencies are predicted for the 154 tetra‐to hepta‐PCBs and reported for the most potent congeners according to both EC50 and maximal response values. Important physicochemical parameters of the PCBs as related to the modeled activity are parts of their ultraviolet absorption spectra, the Henry's law constant, the ionization potential, and the octanol‐water partition coefficient. Interspecies differences were found in terms of varied sensitivity to different structural subgroups of the compounds. The chicken hepatocyte assay showed the most specific structure‐activity relationship, with high activity for the non‐ortho PCBs, whereas the pig hepatocytes responded even for some di‐ to tetra‐ortho PCBs. An interspecies response, the principal induction potency, is presented for the 41 most potent PCBs. These responses showed strong correlation with the toxic equivalency factors and are likely to be useful in risk assessment of the compounds.


The structural transition of AIN nanocrystals and nanowires were investigated simultaneously under pressures up to 37.2 GPa by in situ angle dispersive high-pressure x-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation source and a single diamond anvil cell. The size of hexagonal AIN nanocrystals and the diameter of nanowires are 45 nm on average. A pressure-induced wurtzite to rocksalt phase transition starts at 21.5 GPa and completes at 27.8 GPa for the nanocrystals and nanowires, respectively. The high-pressure behaviors of AlN nanocrystals the same as the AIN nanowires might arise from the similar size and diameter in nanocrystals and nanowires. Hexagonal AIN nanocrystals (45 nm) display an apparent volumetric contraction as compared to the AlN nanocrystals (10 nm) which might induce the difference of transition pressure.


ABSTRACT Examining differences among recently diverged populations can provide insight into the traits and evolutionary mechanisms that drive or maintain divergence. The genus Sturnella includes 2 recently diverged species, Sturnella magna (Eastern Meadowlark) and S. neglecta (Western Meadowlark), the former of which has a complex of subspecies distributed across the Americas. Of the S. magna subspecies that occur in the United States, S. m. lilianae is the only one with a disjunct range, occurring in the southwestern United States and central Mexico. It also has markedly different song patterns than all other S. magna subspecies. In order to assess population differentiation, we performed whole-genome sequencing of 35 birds and analyzed song characteristics from 85 birds. Songs from each species and S. m. lilianae were diagnosable using linear discriminant function analysis and support divergence in song between all taxa. Phylogenetic analysis and admixture proportions support 3 distinct clades within North American meadowlarks, and tests of introgression failed to detect a significant signal. Overall, our results indicate that S. m. lilianae exhibits high levels of genetic and vocal differentiation from both S. magna and S. neglecta, with no evidence of introgression between any group, and forms a distinct evolutionary lineage. We thus recommend the elevation of S. m. lilianae to species status. LAY SUMMARY • Understanding species boundaries helps inform policy. • Meadowlarks are currently classified as two species, but recent research suggests they may be three species. • A population of Eastern Meadowlarks in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico called Lilian's Meadowlark have lighter plumage color and sing different songs than the rest of Eastern Meadowlarks. • Using DNA and birdsong, we compared populations of Eastern, Western, and Lilian's meadowlarks to find how they were related to one another. • Eastern, Western, and Lilian's meadowlarks all have moderate but equal amounts of differentiation from one another, suggesting Lilian's Meadowlarks is a full species.


The promulgation of the Chinese Compulsory Education Curriculum Standards (2022 Edition) has defined the new teaching pattern of core literacy orientation. The core of the smart classroom is to enable learning to take place in the classroom and nourish literacy. In the context of learning science, the design of intelligent classroom teaching problems is of great significance. Question-oriented teaching is the concrete manifestation of the smart classroom, and its significance lies in the following aspects. Firstly, it provides contextuality. Context problems, known as driving problems, will drive students' desire to explore. Secondly, it provides a sense of meaning. Problems will make students connect with the real world, thus starting their own learning system. Thirdly, it provides integrity. Lecture-based teaching based on knowledge points often leads to the phenomenon of "seeing only the part but not the whole". The concept-based problem will form a systematic integration of scattered knowledge. The design of smart classroom teaching problems needs to be based on learning science, in-depth analysis of learners' characteristics and habits, comprehensive use of learning science research results, technical means and new technologies, and design reasonable teaching programs to meet learners' needs to the maximum extent, so as to make smart classroom teaching more scientific and effective.


Adult Cotugnia polycantha was recovered from the intestine of infected Streptopelia senegalensis. The fine structure of the ovary, oogenesis and fertilization process are described. The oocytes undergo characteristic cytological changes, that lead to oocyte maturation. Early stages of mature oocytes showed synaptonemal complexes in the nucleus. Lipid droplets appeared in late stages of mature oocyte. Mature oocytes are filled with clusters of cortical granules adjacent to the oocyte plasma membrane. Syncytial interstitial tissue and a number of myelin-like bodies are observed in the ovarian cytoplasm and they fill the cytoplasmic spaces. Oocapt is well-developed, with closely packed musculature beneath the epithelial layer. Wall of the distal oviduct (fertilization canal) bears cilia and lamellae. The fertilization process of C. polycantha and different stages of a fertilized oocyte showing vitellocytes with heterogeneous shell-globule clusters are recorded for the first time.

 Key words: Ultrastructure, oogenesis, davaineidae, ovary, cotugnia polycantha, streptopelia senegalensis.


RuPay card is India's answer to the two most dominant market transaction processing players in the world. India is now the sixth country in the world to have domestic payment gateway system. Other five countries are US, Japan, China, Singapore and Brazil. Having our own domestic card payment network which helps in electronic money transfers will help both banks (between 200-250 member banks) and consumers. It should be a matter of pride in using an Indian card. By using this card, you contribute to revenue maximization of India by every transaction and help in prevention of draining out of Indian money abroad. Thus every user is also contributing in helping balance of trade.


Schmid. Caer-ulein-induced NF- k B/Rel activation requires both Ca 2 1 and protein kinase C as messengers. Am. J. Physiol. 277 ( Gastro-intest. Liver Physiol. 40): G678–G686, 1999.—The eukaryotic transcription factor NF- k B/Rel is activated by a large variety of stimuli. We have recently shown that NF- k B/Rel is induced during the course of caerulein pancreatitis. Here, we show that activation of NF- k B/Rel by caerulein, a CCK analog, requires increasing intracellular Ca 2 1 levels and protein kinase C activation. Caerulein induces a dose-dependent increase of nuclear NF- k B/Rel binding activity in pancreatic lobules, which is paralleled by degradation of I k B a . I k B b was only slightly affected by caerulein treatment. Consistent with an involvement of Ca 2 1 , the endoplasmic reticulum-resident Ca 2 1 -ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin activated NF- k B/Rel in pancreatic lobules. The intracellular Ca 2 1 chelator TMB-8 prevented I k B a degradation and subsequent nuclear translocation of NF- k B/Rel induced by caerulein. BAPTA-AM was less effective. Cyclosporin A, a Ca 2 1 /calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase (PP2B) inhibitor, decreased caerulein-induced NF- k B/Rel activation and I k B a degradation. The inhibitory effect of bisindolylmaleimide suggests that protein kinase C activity is also required for caerulein-induced NF- k B/ Rel activation. These data suggest that Ca 2 1 - as well as protein kinase C-dependent mechanisms are required for caerulein-induced NF- k B/Rel activation.


We report on coherent charge transport studies in periodic Poly(dG)-Poly(dC) and aperiodic lambda-phage DNA sequences. The extent and efficiency of charge transfer is discussed as a function of sequence dependent energetics, of temperature dependent base-base couplings, and in relation with experiments.


Research Summary:
The primary goal of this study is to understand the factors that best explain recidivism among a sample of 322 young men aged 17 to 24 years released from prison in a Midwestern state. Specific attention is paid to the predictive validity of gang membership, gun use, and drug dependence on the timing of reconviction and the current research on desistance frames the analyses. Results from a series of proportional hazard models indicate that race, gang membership, drug dependence, and institutional behavior are critical factors in predicting the timing of reconviction. Contrary to expectations, gun use was not related to postrelease involvement in the criminal justice system.

Policy Implications:
Much of current violence policy has focused on the identification and enhanced prosecution of individuals deemed to be serious and chronic offenders; particular emphasis has been placed on gun offenders. The findings presented here indicate that preprison weapon involvement is not significantly associated with recidivism, likely because gun use is prevalent among young, serious offenders. Although policies aimed at the incapacitation of young, violent offenders may reduce community levels of crime in the short term, the chances for recidivism are likely to increase in the long term if factors like gang membership and drug use, and the deficits that these behaviors engender for social and emotional capital, are not addressed. More broadly, the strong, significant effect of the institutional misconduct measure signals the salience of accounting for institutional behavior when making release decisions. Institutional misconduct may be an important marker of sustained gang membership, making institutional programming and appropriate aftercare services a priority for this group of offenders.


Abstract : Performance of an individual within a job setting can be conceived as an interaction between organizational, non-organizational, and individual characteristics which affect one's productivity. One of the potential effects of these factors is that of distress by the individual which affects his or her performance. Generally, if an individual's stress is continually increased, a point will be reached where performance decreases as stress level increases. Along with this decreased performance for the individual is the likelihood that group performance will also decrease due to the individual's reaction. The individual may not have time to interact properly with group members. This behavior may take the form of developing a short temper or hoarding information needed for task accomplishment. In addition, the individual may develop physical problems which decrease his or her effectiveness on the job, or if severe enough may require hospitalization. The problems of ulcers, high blood pressure, allergies, and coronary heart disease are believed to be in part precipitated by stress.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Melanoma is a cancer still escalating in incidence and despite advances in understanding the molecular nature of melanoma, few treatment options are available for metastatic melanoma. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α (HIF-1α), a transcriptional regulator of the hypoxic response has been associated with melanomas. Here we investigated the influence of hypoxia on the treatment with vemurafenib in a panel of BRAF V600E mutant melanoma cell lines, the mechanisms responsible for the prometastatic effects of HIF-1α and the influence of hypoxia on the expression of proteins involved in downstream kinase pathways. Melanoma cell lines M14, 518A2 and A375 were grown in normoxia (21% pO2) and hypoxia (2% pO2) with and without 1mM vemurafenib. Antiproliferative effects were evaluated in a real-time setting in the impedance-based x-CELLigence® system. Western blot analyses of HIF-1α and proteins involved in PI3K, JAK-STAT and MAPK pathways were performed. To evaluate the effects of hypoxia and vemurafenib on cell motility 2D migration and Matrigel® invasion assays were performed. Under hypoxic conditions M14 and A375 cells showed a reduced proliferation rate (-20% for M14 cells and -60% for A375 cells) compared to normoxic conditions. In contrast, 518A2 cells were not susceptible to hypoxic conditions and the proliferation rate did not change. After addition of vemurafenib, hypoxic M14 and 518A2 cells reduced cell growth by additional 20% and 38% compared to normoxic, vemurafenib-treated M14 and 518A2 cells, respectively. Surprisingly, hypoxic vemurafenib-treated A375 cells showed an enhanced cell proliferation rate (+34%) when compared to normoxic, vemurafenib-treated A375 melanoma cells. In Western blot analyses the expression of HIF-1α was reduced in vemurafenib-treated M14 and 518A2 cells but not in A375 cells, reflecting the data obtained by proliferation assays. The expression of pFAK, pERK and pAKT was down-regulated in normoxic and hypoxic, vemurafenib-treated M14 and A375 cells. In contrast, the expression of pERK was up-regulated in normoxic, vemurafenib-treated 518A2 cells, whereas PKCα and pAKT expression levels were up-regulated in hypoxic, vemurafenib-treated and untreated 518A2 cells and the expression of pSTAT3 was up-regulated in normoxic, vemurafenib-treated A375 cells only, showing the cell-type specific response to both, vemurafenib and hypoxia. Motility of hypoxic, vemurafenib-treated A375 cells was enhanced (+45%) when compared to normoxic, vemurafenib-treated A375 cells, whereas the invasion capacity of hypoxic, vemurafenib-treated 518A2 cells was enhanced (+22%) when compared to normoxic, vemurafenib-treated 518A2 cells. Our data indicate that the changes induced by a hypoxic microenvironment can give rise to a subpopulation of highly invasive, therapy resistant melanoma cells and furthermore can affect the response to Vemurafenib in melanoma cells in a cell-type specific manner.

Citation Format: Daniela Pucciarelli, Martina Takacova, Lucia Csaderova, Filippo Juliano, Nina Lengger, Heimo Breiteneder, Silvia Pastorekova, Christine Hafner. Hypoxia influences the response to vemurafenib in V600E mutant melanoma cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 508. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-508


We have performed an experiment to measure accurately the Landau‐Pomeranchuk‐Migdal (LPM) effect in the production of 5 to 500 MeV photons due to bremsstrahlung of 8 and 25 Gev electron beams traversing thin (2 to 6% X0) targets of varying densities. Our measurements confirm that the LPM effect exists and that the Migdal calculations are accurate. We see that, for thin targets, LPM suppression disappears leaving a Bethe‐Heitler spectrum, as predicted by theory. For intermediate target thicknesses, we lack an acceptable theory, but have measured energy spectra for targets of differing thickness.We have also measured the production rate of 500 keV to 5 MeV photons at the same electron energies, to study dielectric suppression. We see qualitative agreement with the theory of Ter‐Mikaelian; more work is needed before we can make quantitative comparisons.


There is a general lack of information about the potential effects of 1.5, 2 or more degrees of global warming on the regional climates within Africa, and most studies that address this use data from coarse resolution global models. Using a large ensemble of CORDEX Africa simulations, we present a pan-African overview of the effects of 1.5 and 2 °C global warming levels (GWLs) on the African climate. The CORDEX simulations, consistent with their driving global models, show a robust regional warming exceeding the mean global one over most of Africa. The highest increase in annual mean temperature is found over the subtropics and the smallest one over many coastal regions. Projected changes in annual mean precipitation have a tendency to wetter conditions in some parts of Africa (e.g. central/eastern Sahel and eastern Africa) at both GWLs, but models' agreement on the sign of change is low. In contrast to mean precipitation, there is a consistent increase in daily precipitation intensity of wet days over a large fraction of tropical Africa emerging already at 1.5 °C GWL and strengthening at 2 °C. A consistent difference between 2 °C and 1.5 °C warmings is also found for projected changes in annual mean temperature and daily precipitation intensity. Our study indicates that a 0.5 °C further warming (from 1.5 °C–2 °C) can indeed produce a robust change in some aspects of the African climate and its extremes.