The isolated perfused rabbit heart has the capacity to rapidly synthesize, release, and inactivate prostaglandins (PGs) which can readily modulate coronary resistance and cardiac performance. Prostaglandin synthetase converts arachidonic acid to prostaglandin-like substance in one passage across the heart. There is little evidence of functional prostaglandin dehydrogenase activity. Arachidonic acid and bradykinin produce a concentration-dependent decrease in coronary resistance directly associated with PG-like substance biosynthesis and release. An inhibitor of bradykinin destruction, the nonapeptide SQ-20881, markedly enhanced both the coronary vasodilation and PG-like substance release produced by cardiac injection of bradykinin. Indomethacin inhibited both the myocardial prostaglandin biosynthesis and the decrease in coronary resistance induced by bradykinin and arachidonic acid. In addition to direct effects on coronary vascular smooth muscle, prostaglandins produced in the heart apparently exert a modulating influence on efferent autonomic and on afferent cardiovascular and pain reflexes.


Early observations of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) provide essential clues for understanding the progenitor system that gave rise to the terminal thermonuclear explosion. We present exquisite observations of SN 2019yvq, the second observed SN Ia, after iPTF 14atg, to display an early flash of emission in the ultraviolet (UV) and optical. Our analysis finds that SN 2019yvq was unusual, even when ignoring the initial flash, in that it was moderately underluminous for an SN Ia ( mag at peak) yet featured very high absorption velocities ( km s−1 for Si ii λ6355 at peak). We find that many of the observational features of SN 2019yvq, aside from the flash, can be explained if the explosive yield of radioactive 56Ni is relatively low (we measure ) and it and other iron-group elements are concentrated in the innermost layers of the ejecta. To explain both the UV/optical flash and peak properties of SN 2019yvq we consider four different models: interaction between the SN ejecta and a nondegenerate companion, extended clumps of 56Ni in the outer ejecta, a double-detonation explosion, and the violent merger of two white dwarfs. Each of these models has shortcomings when compared to the observations; it is clear additional tuning is required to better match SN 2019yvq. In closing, we predict that the nebular spectra of SN 2019yvq will feature either H or He emission, if the ejecta collided with a companion, strong [Ca ii] emission, if it was a double detonation, or narrow [O i] emission, if it was due to a violent merger.


Abstract Patent ductus venosus (PDV) is an uncommon but important congenital portocaval shunt that can lead to numerous complications if untreated. This case describes the successful management of a 17-year-old male with symptomatic PDV. Doppler ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) confirmed a large communication between the left portal vein and the inferior vena cava. Angiography demonstrated a large and high flow PDV which precluded its therapeutic embolization. Based on these findings, laparoscopic closure of the PDV was elected and successfully performed. Perioperative indocyanine green (ICG) clearance was performed and marked improvement was observed following the occlusion of the PDV. The patient showed immediate resolution of symptoms post-operatively and remains asymptomatic 2 years after his surgery. Laparoscopic approach to the management of PDV is feasible. ICG clearance, for the first time, was demonstrated in this setting to be a useful and rapid bedside test for the real-time assessment of liver function.


8. Barbut E Meynard JL, Guiguet M, et al. Clostridium rf$icffe-associated diarrhea in HIV-infected patients: epidemiology and risk factors./ATOS 1997;16:176-181. 9. Reeves DS. The effect of quinolone antibacterials on the gastrointestinal flora compared with that of other antibacterials. J Antimicrob Chemother 1986;18:89-102. 10. Golledge CL, Carson CF, O'Neill GL, Bowman RA Riley TV. Ciprofloxacin and Clostridium rfiJ5?«7e-associated diarrhoea. / Antimicrob Chemother 1992;30:141-147. 11. Bates CJ, Wilcox MH, Spencer RC, Harris DM. Ciprofloxacin and Clostridium difficile infection, lancet 1990;336:1193. 12. Cain DB, O'Connor ME. Pseudomembranous colitis associated with ciprofloxacin. Lancet 1990:336:946. 13. Golledge CL, O'Neill GL, Carson CF, Bowman RA Riley TV. Ciprofloxacin and pseudomembranous colitis. Lancet 1990;336: 1509-1510. 14. McFarland LV, Bauwens JE, Melcher SA Surawicz CM, Greenberg RN, Elmer GW. Ciprofloxacin-associated Clostridium difficile disease. Lancet 1995;346:977-978.


INTRODUCTION
Central nervous system tuberculosis is a common chronic infection in developing countries, being the most frequent forms: tuberculous meningitis and intracranial tuberculosis. Extramedullary intradural tuberculosis is a rare entity with few cases described in the world literature, and is usually associated with a history of tuberculous meningitis or during antituberculosis treatment.

CASE REPORT
A 17 years-old male patient, without history of tuberculosis, with subacute onset and progressive course of compressive myelopathy. Spinal magnetic resonance imaging revealed an intradural extramedullary mass lesion between the C4 and T8 spinal levels. Surgical resection of tuberculoma was realized, followed by chemotherapy. The histopathological study confirmed the diagnostic.

CONCLUSIONS
Tuberculosis of the central nervous system is an entity of high incidence in developing countries, and intradural extramedullary tuberculoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of expansive spinal cord injuries, especially if the patient is young and there is a history of pulmonary tuberculosis or tuberculous meningitis. It is also important to take it into account as part of a paradoxical reaction after the initiation of specific treatment. Although surgical resection improves compressive medullary symptoms, medical therapy remains the mainstay in the treatment of tuberculomas.


Background: Breast cancer and cancer cervix contribute to high morbidity and mortality rates among women worldwide. Appropriate knowledge of both cancers can help in early detection and management. Aim: This study aimed to assess the effect of a hospital-based awareness program on the knowledge of patients attending some outpatient clinics in Sohag University Hospital regarding the 2 cancers. Subjects and Methods: The program was held in Sohag University Hospital on 150 female patients during the period between August and October 2018. The knowledge of the patients about the risk factors, symptoms, screening, and management of both cancers was first assessed using an interview questionnaire. Then, the awareness program included 4 sessions and every session discussed only 1 aspect of knowledge regarding both cancers. Later, patients were assessed again using the same questionnaire and the improvement was determined. Results: The mean age of the participating patients was 29.6 ± 6.7 years, 74.7% could read and write, and 85.3% were married. Only education was associated with better knowledge about breast cancer (p = 0.002) and cancer cervix (p = 0.007). Thanks to the program, the percent of patients with optimal knowledge of breast cancer improved from 14.7% to 50% (p < 0.001). This percent distributed as follows; risk factors 10% to 50% (p < 0.001), manifestations 20% to 60% (p < 0.001), screening 4% to 7% (р < 0.001), and management 24.8% to 63% (p < 0.001). Regarding cancer cervix, the improvement was as follows; total knowledge 13.3% to 46.2% (p < 0.001), risk factors 8% to 50% (p < 0.001), manifestations 12.2% to 50% (р < 0.001), screening 15% to 40% (р < 0.001), and management 18.2% to 44.8% (р < 0.001). Conclusion and Recommendations: Patients had suboptimal knowledge about breast cancer and cancer cervix. However, the program achieved remarkable successes in improving the knowledge of patients. Future programs on a wider scale and different populations should be considered.


Introduction Depression is a mood disorder that affects a significant proportion of the population worldwide. In Malaysia and Australia, the number of people diagnosed with depression is on the rise. It has been found that impairments in emotion processing and emotion regulation play a role in the development and maintenance of depression. This study is based on Matsumoto and Hwang's biocultural model of emotion and Triandis' Subjective Culture model. It aims to investigate the influence of culture on emotion processing among Malaysians and Australians with and without major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods and analysis This study will adopt a between-group design. Participants will include Malaysian Malays and Caucasian Australians with and without MDD (N=320). There will be four tasks involved in this study, namely: (1) the facial emotion recognition task, (2) the biological motion task, (3) the subjective experience task and (4) the emotion meaning task. It is hypothesised that there will be cultural differences in how participants with and without MDD respond to these emotion tasks and that, pan-culturally, MDD will influence accuracy rates in the facial emotion recognition task and the biological motion task. Ethics and dissemination This study is approved by the Universiti Putra Malaysia Research Ethics Committee (JKEUPM) and the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC). Permission to conduct the study has also been obtained from the National Medical Research Register (NMRR; NMRR-15-2314-26919). On completion of the study, data will be kept by Universiti Putra Malaysia for a specific period of time before they are destroyed. Data will be published in a collective manner in the form of journal articles with no reference to a specific individual.


This note focuses on two different ways of enhancing the use of gels in protein crystallization by applying oils to the trials. Using a five-channel motorized syringe setup, crystals were grown in gelled microbatch drops under oil and compared with those grown under similar conditions in standard microbatch drops. The advantage of this technique over existing gel techniques is that numerous trials can be dispensed automatically, while consuming very small quantities of protein. The application of oil to improve the gel acupuncture technique was also investigated; crystal growth in the presence of an oil barrier was slower than in its absence, giving rise in each case to a single large crystal with no precipitation nor smaller crystals in the capillary.


We present a scheme for monitoring activation patterns of multiple tasks in mixed-criticality real-time systems. Unlike previous approaches, which enforce a single pre-defined activation pattern bound per task, we propose a multi-mode approach, where monitors can dynamically switch between different configurations, depending on the observed activation pattern at other tasks. The required configurations are based on real-time interfaces which we determine through sensitivity analysis. In an evaluation we show, that switching between monitor configurations allows to dynamically reassign timing slack between tasks and thereby achieve better resource utilization and still provide the same timing guarantees.


Patients with Budd‐Chiari syndrome (BCS) may require treatment with portal decompressive surgery or liver transplantation. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) represents a new treatment alternative, but its long‐term effect on BCS outcome has not been evaluated. Twenty‐one patients with BCS consecutively admitted to our unit were evaluated. The mean follow‐up was 4 ± 3 years. Seven patients had nonprogressive forms and were successfully controlled with medical therapy; 1 case, with a short‐length hepatic vein stenosis was successfully treated by angioplasty. All 8 patients are alive and asymptomatic. The remaining 13 patients, had a TIPS because of clinical deterioration (in one of them, because early TIPS thrombosis a successful side‐to‐side portacaval shunt [SSPCS] was performed) followed by an improvement in clinical condition. However, a patient with fulminant liver failure before TIPS insertion, died 4 months later and another patient with cirrhosis at diagnosis had liver transplantation 2 years later. The remaining 11 patients are alive and free of ascites. In 3 of these patients TIPS is patent after 3, 6, and 12 months. The remaining 8 patients developed late TIPS dysfunction. In two of these cases, after angioplasty and restenting, TIPS is patent after a follow‐up of 9 and 80 months. In 5 other patients, recurring TIPS occlusion was not further corrected because no signs of portal hypertension were present. In conclusion, in patients with BCS uncontrolled with medical therapy, TIPS is a highly effective technique that is associated with long‐term survival.


Ovarian metastasis of childhood tumors is rare despite their aggressive nature. The childhood tumor that spreads to the ovary most frequently is the neuroblastoma. The clinical features and frequent bilaterality of ovarian metastatic tumors are helpful diagnostic features in many cases, but when the ovarian tumor is the presenting manifestation of the disease, differentiation from various primary ovarian tumors may be difficult. In this paper, a rare case of metastatic ovarian neuroblastoma is reported.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

LIV-1, also known as SLC39A6 or ZIP6, is a member of the zinc transporter family and was first identified as an estrogen-inducible gene in breast cancer derived cell lines. LIV-1, as a downstream target of STAT3, promotes the epithelial to mesenchymal transition that is important in the malignant progression to metastasis. Consistent with its role in cancer, we determined by immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis that LIV-1 is expressed in subtypes of metastatic breast cancers (ER+/HER2-, HER2+ and triple negative). In healthy human tissues, LIV-1 expression is limited to four hormonally-regulated organs. The broad expression of LIV-1 in metastatic breast cancer in combination with the limited expression in vital organs makes LIV-1 an excellent target for an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). SGN-LIV1A is an ADC consisting of a humanized anti-LIV-1 mAb conjugated to the microtubule-disrupting agent, monomethyl auristatin E, via a protease-cleavable linker. In vitro, SGN-LIV1A shows target specific internalization and cytotoxic activity against a breast cancer cell line. In vivo studies also demonstrate antitumor activity of SGN-LIV1A in preclinical xenograft models with significant delay of tumor growth compared to control groups. These findings support further evaluation and development of SGN-LIVA as a therapeutic for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Citation Format: Django Sussman, Leia M. Smith, Martha E. Anderson, Steve Duniho, Joshua H. Hunter, Heather Kostner, Jamie B. Miyamoto, Albina Nesterova, Lori Westendorf, Heather A. Van Epps, Nancy Whiting, Dennis R. Benjamin. SGN-LIV1A: a development stage antibody drug-conjugate targeting LIV-1 for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3962. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3962


This paper presents the results of a study conducted to determine the use of a centralized thermoelectric cooling system to provide cooling for military avionic equipment. The system considered is a recirculatory system capable of cooling an avionic equipment compartment or a number of avionic equipment components from the centralized cooler. The results of the study indicate that the system is competitive on a weight basis with respect to contemporary subsonic avionic cooling systems in the range of from 2 to 4 kilowatts cooling capacity and that the system presents many attractive features for avionic equipment cooling.


Color segmentation has been widely applied in many computer vision systems nowadays. In one example of computer vision systems, the real - time automatic road sign detection and recognition system has mostly applied the RGB (i.e. Red, Green and Blue) and HSI (i.e. Hue, Saturation and Intensity) color model to segment road signs from images that were captured by the censoring device. Thus this paper aims to review the background of the real - time road sign detection based on the color; show the performance of RGB and HSI in identifying color of the road signs under different lighting conditions in a real - time video images through the proposed experiments and finally studies the performance of both RGB and HSI from the experiments for application such as automatic road sign detection system.


Population counts of aquatic insects are a valuable tool for monitoring the water quality of rivers and streams. However, the handling of samples in the lab for species identification is time consuming and requires specially trained experts. An aquatic insect imaging system was designed as part of a system to automate aquatic insect classification and was tested using several species and size classes of stonefly (Plecoptera). The system uses ethanol to transport specimens via a transparent rectangular tube to a digital camera. A small jet is used to position and reorient the specimens so that sufficient pictures can be taken to classify them with pattern recognition. A mirror system is used to provide a split set of images 90° apart. The system is evaluated with respect to engineering requirements developed during the research, including image quality, specimen handling, and system usability.


The emerging field of lead-based hybrid organic–inorganic perovskite (HOIP) photovoltaic devices has attracted a great deal of attention due to their very high conversion efficiencies and straightforward fabrication methods. Unfortunately, a major obstacle to commercialization remains the high toxicity of lead. Whilst to date the focus has been on understanding and improving device performance, there has been no reported effort to develop methods to recover and recycle the lead from these materials. In this work we demonstrate a simple, low-cost and environmentally friendly method of recycling lead from HOIP photovoltaics by dissolution and selective electrodeposition using a deep eutectic solvent. We demonstrate that up to 99.8% of the lead is removed from the solvent. The results presented here provide a viable solution to lead-based HOIP photovoltaic recycling, and also open the possibility for providing an alternative method to conventional smelting in the recovery and recycling of different lead-based energy materials.


When selfish users share a road network and minimize their individual travel costs, the equilibrium they reach can be worse than the socially optimal routing. Tolls are often used to mitigate this effect in traditional congestion games, where all vehicles contribute identically to congestion. However, with the proliferation of autonomous vehicles and driver-assistance technology, vehicles become heterogeneous in how they contribute to road latency. This magnifies the potential inefficiencies due to selfish routing and invalidates traditional tolling methods. To address this, we consider a network of parallel roads where the latency on each road is an affine function of the quantity of flow of each vehicle type. We provide tolls (which differentiate between vehicle types) which are guaranteed to minimize social cost at equilibrium. The tolls are a function of a calculated optimal routing; to enable this tolling, we prove that some element in the set of optimal routings has a lack of cycles in a graph representing the way vehicles types share roads. We then show that unless a planner can differentiate between vehicle types in the tolls given, the resulting equilibrium can be unboundedly worse than the optimal routing, and that marginal cost tolling fails in our setting.


Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein that stimulates the production of red blood cells. Recent studies have shown the nonerythroid effect of EPO involved in metabolic regulation. EPO treatment attenuated body weight gain in male mice on normal chow, high fat diet induced obese mice and ob/ob mice. EPO regulation of body weight is concomitant with reduction in fat mass. EPO improved glycemic control in both male and female obese mouse models. However, the metabolic response to EPO to reduce weight gain primarily via reduced fat mass appears to be gender specific. Although EPO reduced weight gain in 6 month old female mice on high fat diet, regulation of body weight was not observed in young female mice on high fat diet. In contrast, young ovariectomized female mice on high fat diet showed EPO reduction in weight gain. This sex-specific reduction in weight gain is associated with female hormones as the decreased weight gain with EPO treatment in ovariectomized female mice on high fat diet is abrogated with estrogen supplementation. To determine specific in vivo consequences of potential gender differential response of white adipose tissue with EPO treatment, we examined signal transduction in diet induced obese mice following acute EPO treatment. Analyzing white adipose tissue harvested at 0, 30 min and 60 min following single dose administration of EPO (3000 U/kg), we found that EPO activated Erk signaling in white adipose tissue of male mice. In contrast, there was no evidence of acute Erk response in white adipose tissue of female mice following EPO treatment. Erk is known for its involvement in adipocyte differentiation, adiposity, and high-fat diet induced obesity. These data suggest that estrogen is a key modifier in the metabolic response to EPO, in part via EPO regulation of Erk signaling with gender specificity. Together, these results elucidate a potential mechanism for cross talk between EPO and estrogen, and provide a novel insight about gender specific EPO action to control adipose tissue development. Disclosure J. Lee: None. C.T. Noguchi: None.


Humoral responses are tailored to respond most effectively to the invading pathogen. To achieve this, long lasting, protective antibodies of an affinity and isotype appropriate for the immunising antigen or infecting pathogen are produced mainly within germinal centres (GC). Here, we detail the critical, interdependent roles of the transcription factors c-Myb and T-bet in regulating GC egress and plasma cell differentiation. Deletion of c-Myb in mature B cells led to aberrant up-regulation of plasma cell transcription factors within the GC. Indeed, a subset of cycling cells within the GC secreted antibody and were CD138+ Blimp-1-GFP+. T-bet-regulated genes were also modulated, resulting in significantly elevated serum IgG2c and CXCR3 expression on plasma cells despite a Th2-biased immunization with NP-KLH in alum. These aberrant plasma cells within the GC were no longer evident upon deletion of T-bet in c-Myb-deficient mice. Surprisingly, this interplay between transcription factor networks also occurred during a response to influenza infection, in which T-bet expression is a normal component of B cell responses in wild-type mice. Chromatin accessibility studies of the T-bet promoter revealed that wild-type GC B cells from flu-infected mice had an increase in accessibility in comparison to naïve B cells, as expected. In line with the cellular data, however, there was an even further increase in chromatin accessibility in c-Myb-deficient GC B cells. Therefore, c-Myb establishes a transcription factor network during an immune response that can modulate the transcriptional network of T-bet and subsequent coordination of GC egress with plasma cell differentiation.


The relation between one-to-one correspondent orthonormal eigenstates of H-0 and H(lambda) = H-0 + lambdaV is carefully studied with general perturbation theory. Attention is particularly paid to the analyticity and its local destruction due to nonlinear resonance. Numerical results are given to show such possibility with a special Jacobi diagonalization method. The conclusions show that for the system H(lambda) belonging to the same class as H-0, the relation between one-to-one correspondent orthonormal eigenstates \phi (i)(lambda)] and \phi (0)(m(i))] can be expressed as an analytical unitary matrix which can be identified to the relevant quantum canonical transformation. But for the system H(lambda) violated dynamical symmetry, the relation between one-to-one correspondent orthonormal eigenstates cannot be expressed as an analytical unitary matrix. Such a kind of unitary matrix cannot be taken as a quantum canonical transformation to define quantum mechanical quantities. This is a key point for studying the quantum chaos with the help of dynamical symmetry theory.


Monthly random samplings (n = 25) were taken from May 1995 to April 1996 in Matarani port, Arequipa (10°59'40" South and 72° 06'13" West). They were shown to be gonochoric and to have sexual dimorphism (the male has an arm for copulation). The sex proportion was 2,1:1,0 (male: female); eight stages of the oocyte development were also found during oogenesis. According to their reproductive behavior, the following maturity gonadic scale was established: a) undifferentiated, b) immature, c) maturation beginning, d) developing, e) mature, f) copula, g) postcopula, autofecundation and evacuation, h) postevacuation. Mature females were preferentially found in spring and summer; mature males at the end of the spring and summer; copulation occurred during summer; autofecundation and evacuationof the eggs were evident in August (50%), October (50%), November (71,4%), December (33%) and January (33%). The first maturity in males was found at 9,5 cm and in the females at 12,5 cm of dorsal length of the body. Some females showed oocytes in lysis and with advanced oogenesis beginning of a new cycle, which demonstrates that not all female die after taking care of the eggs until the final hatching.


Non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) are plant storage compounds used for metabolism, transport, osmoregulation and regrowth following the loss of plant tissue. Even in conditions suitable for optimal growth, plants continue to store NSCs. This storage may be due to passive accumulation from sink-inhibited growth or active reserves that come at the expense of growth. The former pathway implies that NSCs may be a by-product of sink limitation, while the latter suggests a functional role of NSCs for use during poor conditions.

 Using 13C pulse labelling, we traced the source of soluble sugars in stem and root organs during drought and everwet conditions for seedlings of two tropical tree species that differ in drought tolerance to estimate the relative allocation of NSCs stored prior to drought versus NSCs assimilated during drought. We monitored growth, stomatal conductance, stem water potential and NSC storage to assess a broad carbon response to drought.

 We found that the drought-sensitive species had reduced growth, conserved NSC concentrations in leaf, stem and root organs and had a larger proportion of soluble sugars in stem and root organs that originated from pre-drought storage relative to seedlings in control conditions. In contrast, the drought-tolerant species maintained growth and stem and root NSC concentrations but had reduced leaf NSCs concentrations with a larger proportion of stem and root soluble sugars originated from freshly assimilated photosynthates relative to control seedlings. These results suggest the drought-sensitive species passively accumulated NSCs during water deficit due to growth inhibition, while the drought-tolerant species actively responded to water deficit by allocating NSCs to stem and root organs. These strategies seem correlated with baseline maximum growth rates, which supports previous research suggesting a trade-off between growth and drought tolerance while providing new evidence for the importance of plasticity in NSC allocation during drought.


Abstract This article discusses the evolution of government-nonprofit relations at the regional level in Russia against the background of national-level restrictions on NGOs. Russia recently also introduced supportive policies and the article aims to trace the regional administrations' reactions to the dual realities of the federal government's posture towards nonprofits. Considerable variation was found in regional government-nonprofit relationships as well as deviation from national policy stances. Using a subnational comparative framework, this article addresses a gap in the literature and lays the groundwork for future cross-national comparisons of subnational variations of government-nonprofit relations in other authoritarian and hybrid political regimes.


Fruit and vegetables contain abundant nutrients, as well as dietary and health benefits, and economic value, but suffer from shorter shelf life, declining quality, and rapid deterioration after harvest [...].


Cystatins regulate tumour-associated cysteine proteases, however, their role in tumour progression is not clear yet. To assess their relevance in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) the protein level, cysteine protease activity (CPI) and localization of type I (stefins A and B) and type II (C, E/M and F) cystatins were defined in tumours and control lung counterparts from 165 patients. The medians of CPI activity, stefins A and B were significantly greater in tumour than in lung tissue (2.1-fold, 1.7-fold, 1.2-fold, respectively, all p<0.001). The median levels of cystatin C and cystatin E/M were lower in tumour tissue (0.9-fold, p=0.06; 0.6-fold, p<0.01). In all the samples the levels of cystatin F were below the detection limit. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed the presence of all cystatins in tumour cells and infiltrated inflammatory cells such as macrophages and neutrophils. In univariate survival analysis patients with high levels of stefin A, stefin B and CPI activity exhibited a better survival probability (p=0.05, p=0.05, p<0.01, respectively). In contrast, cystatins C and E/M provided no prognostic information. In multivariate analysis the most powerful predictor of survival was the pTNM stage (p<0.0001; RR 3.5), followed by stefin A, stefin B and CPI activity (all p=0.03; RR 1.5). Our results suggest that only stefins A and B, i.e. type I cystatins, are up-regulated in lung tumours and thus able to counteract harmful tumour-associated proteolytic activity. As biological markers they may add independent prognostic information for better assessment of low- and high-risk patients with NSCLC.


Drawing upon cross-country panel data for developing countries, the present study examines the role of agricultural growth in reducing inequality and poverty by modelling the dynamic linkage between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. For this purpose, we have compared the role of agricultural growth and that of non-agricultural growth and have found that agricultural growth is more important in reducing poverty, while the negative effect of agricultural growth on inequality is found in a few models where specific definitions of inequality are adopted. The role of agricultural growth in reducing inequality is, however, undermined by ethnic fractionalisation which tends to make inequality more persistent. Our analysis generally reinforces the case for revival of agriculture in the post-2015 discourse, contrary to the much emphasised roles of rural-urban migration and urbanisation as main drivers of growth and elimination of extreme poverty.


Mono and dinuclear phosphine complexes of beryllium halides [(PMe3)2BeX2], [(PMe3)BeX2]2 and [(PCy3)BeX2]2 (X = Cl, Br, I) were synthesised and characterised via NMR and IR spectroscopy as well as single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments. Dissociation and ligand exchange processes at these complexes were investigated through variable temperature NMR experiments in combination with line shape analysis and complemented by quantum chemical calculations. The PMe3 dissociation energy is smallest in [(PMe3)2BeCl2], while PMe3 exchange is similar in energy in all mononuclear [(PMe3)2BeX2] complexes and follows an interchange mechanism. While [(PMe3)BeX2]2 dissociates homolytically, [(PCy3)BeX2]2 cleaves one phosphine ligand. These distinctive dissociation processes account for the different chemical behaviour of these complexes.


The purpose of this project was to perform an interand intraagency survey of the use of plants as test systems for ecological risk assessment and remediation for the United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research Development (USEPA/ORD). Four broad classes of plant applications were identified: (1) bioassays; (2) bioindicators; (3) bioremediation; and (4) biotechnology. Improvement to research methodologies would include: (1) developing fluorescence bioassays for terrestrial and aquatic plants and algae and combining plant and animal tests to form regionally differentiated suites of bioassays; (2) development of "natural community" databases and small-scale maps for evaluation of changes in plant community structure to determine the "biotic integrity" of specific habitat types; (3) expand work to develop plants and fungi as biologic remediative tools; and (4) development of guidelines for field trials and eventual full-scale agricultural use of pesticide-producing genetically engineered plants (GEPs).


In various types of peer-to-peer (P2P) applications, peers have to efficiently and flexibly make an agreement on one value which satisfies an agreement condition. In traditional agreement protocols, each peer sends one value to the other peers at each round. If each peer could not make an agreement on the values, the peer sends another value to the other peers at next round. Depending on the order of values shown by each peer, the peers might not make an agreement even if there are values on which every peer can make an agreement but which are shown at different rounds. In order to efficiently make an agreement, we discuss a novel approach that each peer sends a package of multiple possible values to the other peers at each round. Then, each peer tries to find agreement values in the packages. Each peer can deliver values to the other peers at one round. Furthermore, each peer can find an agreement values with higher possibility. By taking into account the multi-value exchange scheme, we can reduce the overhead of the agreement protocol, therefore increase the efficiency of the protocol.


PURPOSE
To investigate if there is any difference in volume and drop weight of prostaglandin analogs when adopting drip angles of 45 masculine and 90 masculine, regarding a horizontal line.

METHODS
An experimental study was conducted using the follow ophthalmic solutions: latanoprost, travoprost and bimatoprost. In this study the ophthalmic solutions were dripped according to an angle of 45 masculine or 90 masculine. Prostaglandin analogs were chosen due to their common use in ophthalmology and their cost. The first drop and other ten drops were weighed, alternating the drip angle (45 masculine or 90 masculine). Statistical analysis was done with SPSS 12.0 (Microsoft), using quantitative comparisons with the ANOVA test. An odds value (P) below 0.001 was considered a statistical significant difference.

RESULTS
We verified differences in weight and size of the travoprost and bimatoprost drops instilled at 45 masculine and 90 masculine. The drip at 45 masculine produces a smaller drop of travoprost (P<0.001), and the inverse occurs for bimatoprost. There were no statistical significant differences in weight of latanoprost drops according to the instillation angle.

CONCLUSIONS
Once there was statistical difference in weight--which has direct relationship with size--of the drops of two kinds of prostaglandin analogs and in another one we did not observe this variation, we infer that cost and therapy duration estimates should be analyzed carefully, especially if this kind of drip measure is used.


As our understanding of Listeria monocytogenes transmission in retail and deli operations is limited, we conducted a cross-sectional study of L. monocytogenes contamination patterns in 121 retail establishments, using testing of food and environmental samples and subtype analysis (ribotyping) of L. monocytogenes isolates. Seventy-three (60%) establishments had at least one sample that tested positive for L. monocytogenes; 5 (2.7%) of the 183 food and 151 (13.0%) of the 1,161 environmental samples tested positive for L. monocytogenes, including 125 (16.7%) and 26 (6.3%) of non-food contact and food contact surface samples, respectively. Thirty-two EcoRI ribotypes were identified among the 156 L. monocytogenes isolated. Twenty-seven establishments had two or more L. monocytogenes with the same ribotype within a given establishment, including 9 establishments where isolates from 3 to 5 samples had the same ribotype. In 5 of 7 establishments where follow-up sampling was conducted 8 to 19 months after the initial sampling, isolates with the same ribotype were obtained in both samplings; persistence of a given strain was also confirmed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Our data indicate that (i) L. monocytogenes is regularly found in some retail environments; (ii) L. monocytogenes strains are often widely distributed in retail, indicating cross-contamination and dispersal; (iii) L. monocytogenes can persist in retail environments for more than 1 year; and (iv) a number of L. monocytogenes subtypes isolated at retail are common among human listeriosis cases. We also identified specific contamination patterns in retail establishments, providing critical information for the development of L. monocytogenes control strategies.


Oral contraceptive use has been associated with decreased menstrual blood losses; thus, can independently reduce the risk of anemia and iron deficiency in women. Manufacturers have recently started to include supplemental iron in the non-hormonal placebo tablets of some contraceptives. The aims of this narrative review are: (i) to describe the relationship between oral contraceptive use and both anemia and iron status in women; (ii) to describe the current formulations of iron-containing oral contraceptives (ICOC) available on the market; and (iii) to systematically review the existing literature on the effect of ICOC on biomarkers of anemia and iron status in women. We discovered 21 brands of ICOC, most commonly including 25 mg elemental iron as ferrous fumarate, for seven days, per monthly tablet package. Our search identified one randomized trial evaluating the effectiveness of ICOC use compared to two non-ICOC on increasing hemoglobin (Hb) and iron status biomarker concentrations in women; whereafter 12 months of contraception use, there were no significant differences in Hb concentration nor markers of iron status between the groups. ICOC has the potential to be a cost-effective solution to address both family planning needs and iron deficiency anemia. Yet, more rigorous trials evaluating the effectiveness of ICOC on improving markers of anemia and iron deficiency, as well as investigating the safety of its consumption among iron-replete populations, are warranted.


The ingestion of milk with drugs, particularly some antibiotics, is frequently recommended in order to decrease possible gastrointestinal discomfort. The objective of this study was to assess the interference of milk in the absorption and tissue levels of macrolide antibiotics (erythromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin and azithromycin). Forty female rats received surgicallyimplanted PVC sponges on their backs. One week later, granulomatous tissue was observed and the animals were divided into eight groups, which received erythromycin, clarithromycin, roxithromycin and azithromycin with and without milk. One hour after administration of antibiotic, the animals were sacrificed. The serum and tissue samples were submitted to microbiological assay with Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341, in order to determine drug concentration. Milk did not cause any reduction in the serum and tissue levels of azithromycin and clarithromycin ( p >0.05, t -test). However, ingestion of milk reduced by approximately 28.7% the roxithromycin ( p <0.0001, t -test) and by 34.1% the erythromycin ( p <0.0001, t test) serum concentrations. Similar effects were observed on tissue levels. Milk ingestion caused a reduction of approximately 20.8% in the roxithromycin ( p <0.0001, t -test) and 40% in the erythromycin ( p <0.0001, t -test) tissue levels. We concluded that erythromycin and roxithromycin should be not administered with milk.

Keywords: Pharmacokinetics, macrolides, milk, serum concentration


Dynamic Vision Sensors (DVS) output asynchronous log intensity change events. They have potential applications in high-speed robotics, autonomous cars and drones. The precise event timing, sparse output, and wide dynamic range of the events are well suited for optical flow, but conventional optical flow (OF) algorithms are not well matched to the event stream data. This paper proposes an event-driven OF algorithm called adaptive block-matching optical flow (ABMOF). ABMOF uses time slices of accumulated DVS events. The time slices are adaptively rotated based on the input events and OF results. Compared with other methods such as gradient-based OF, ABMOF can efficiently be implemented in compact logic circuits. We developed both ABMOF and Lucas-Kanade (LK) algorithms using our adapted slices. Results shows that ABMOF accuracy is comparable with LK accuracy on natural scene data including sparse and dense texture, high dynamic range, and fast motion exceeding 30,000 pixels per second.


OBJECTIVE
to assess and analyse a medication adaptation pathway for feeding tube administration followed by clinical pharmacists for patients at discharge, and to analyse the level of physician acceptance of the recommendations issued by pharmacists in pharmaceutical care reports to improve patient therapy.

METHODS
a multidisciplinary protocol for treatment adaptation to feeding tube administration at discharge was implemented in a 350-bed hospital during 2019, in which pharmacists prepared feeding tube medication-adaptation reports during pharmaceutical care visits. The number of recommendations related to adaptation of a drug to route of administration was recorded and classified as need for change of active substance or change of pharmaceutical form. Physician acceptance of pharmacist recommendations was analysed in a one-year retrospective observational study.

RESULTS
a total of 66 pharmaceutical care visits were recorded for 57 patients (1.2 visits per patient). In 47 of these 66 visits (71.2 %), at least one drug modification was required in a patient prescription, and the median number of drugs per patient needing to be modified was 2. Overall, 93 of the 489 prescribed drugs (19.0 %) required some changes to be suitable for administration via feeding tube: change of active substance in 52.7 % (49/93) of cases, and change of pharmaceutical form in 47.3 % (44/93) of cases. The physicians' level of acceptance of recommendations was 43.0 % (40/93), and change of pharmaceutical form was less accepted than change of active substance.

CONCLUSION
the inclusion of clinical pharmacists in multidisciplinary teams leads to an improvement in adapting medication to feeding tube administration, but also shows a lack of communication or understanding of pharmacist recommendations by physicians resulting in a low rate of prescription changes.


Sengon (Paraserianthes falcataria Linn) wood is widely used as a particular furniture and craft materials due to many supply and low cost. But Sengon wood has a color that tends to be white and has a low-grade durable IV-V. Mean while the bark of Rhizophora apiculata Blume mangrove was unutilized and made a huge waste, so its need optimal handling. Staining of sengon wood from mangrove bark extract is expected to provide new innovations in increasing the value of environmentally friendly wood decorative and can increase the value of wood sengon timber. Natural dye extract of mangrove bark waste using concentration of 2.5%, 5%, 7%, and 10% dye solution applied on Sengon wood. The results showed that the color endurance at concentrations of 2.5% to 5% was quite good compared to the concentrations of 7.5% and 10%. This is proved by evidence of the value color change before the test with the color of wood after testing using hot and cold water. The highest termite mortality value occurred at a concentration of 10% and the lowest weight loss of the colored test sample was found at a concentration of 10%. At concentration 5% has shown the optimal result in increasing the durability value of Sengon wood which initially with class durable IV-V become class durable II. Dye extract of mangrove bark waste Rhizophora apiculata Blume can be used as dye and increased the durability value of Sengon wood with optimum concentration for the purpose of staining and durability of wood is at concentration 5%. Keywords: C. curvignathus, Concentration, Natural Dye, Sengon, Waste Mangrove Bark


The synthesis of Vitamin B12 by five reference strains of species of mycobacteria, the influence of cobalt upton the synthesis and the correlation between the phase of growth and quantitative biosynthesis of Vitamin B12 were studied. Assays were performed on cell extracts and culture filtrates using Lactobacillus leichmannii ATCC7830 (tube method). All five species synthesized Vitamin B12, which could be deomonstrated both in cell extracts and in the culture filtrates. An optimum accumulation of Vitamin B12 by BCG and M. phlei could be observed on the 30th day of cultivation. Addition of cobalt did not influence the growth of BCG and M. phlei, but markedly enhanced the production of Vitamin B12. Cells contained much more Vitamin B12 than culture filtrates did. Vitamin B12 levels in M. smegmatis, M. fortuitum and M. asiaticum were lower than those in BCG and M. phlei.


Auritus is an extendable and open-source optimization toolkit designed to enhance and replicate earable applications. Auritus serves two primary functions. Firstly, Auritus handles data collection, pre-processing, and labeling tasks for creating customized earable datasets using graphical tools. The system includes an open-source dataset with 2.43 million inertial samples related to head and full-body movements, consisting of 34 head poses and 9 activities from 45 volunteers. Secondly, Auritus provides a tightly-integrated hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) optimizer and TinyML interface to develop lightweight and real-time machine-learning (ML) models for activity detection and filters for head-pose tracking. Auritus recognizes activities with 91% leave 1-out test accuracy (98% test accuracy) using real-time models as small as 6-13 kB. Our models are 98-740 × smaller and 3-6% more accurate over the state-of-the-art. We also estimate head pose with absolute errors as low as 5 degrees using 20kB filters, achieving up to 1.6 × precision improvement over existing techniques. Auritus is available at https://github.com/nesl/auritus.


Abstract. This paper introduces the idealised atmospheric circulation model Bedymo, which combines the quasi-geostrophic approximation and the hydrostatic primitive equations in one modelling framework. The model is designed such that the two systems of equations are solved as similarly as possible, such that differences can be unambiguously attributed to the different approximations, rather than the model formulation or the numerics. As a consequence, but in contrast to most other quasi-geostrophic models, Bedymo is using sigma-coordinates in the vertical. In addition to the atmospheric core, Bedymo also includes a slab ocean model and passive tracer module that will provide the basis for future idealised parametrisation of moisture and latent heat release. Further, Bedymo has a graphical user interface, making it particularly useful for teaching. Bedymo is evaluated for three atmosphere-only test cases and one coupled test case including the slab ocean component. The atmosphere-only test cases comprise the growth of a cyclonic disturbance in a baroclinic environment and the excitation of Rossby waves by isolated orography, both in a mid-latitude channel, as well as the simulation of a mid-latitude storm track. The atmosphere-ocean coupled test case is based on an equatorial channel and evaluates the coupled response to an isolated equatorial temperature anomaly in the ocean mixed layer. For all test cases, results agree well with expectations from theory and results obtained with more complex models.


A study of 6 states found a low availability of clinics offering extragenital chlamydia and gonorrhea testing and moderate accessibility, with additional barriers present when extragenital testing was available. Background Extragenital testing (rectal and oropharyngeal) of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) increases the detection of CT/NG infections, compared with genital testing alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual extragenital CT/NG screening for men who have sex with men, and additional screenings for women and transgender or gender-diverse individuals if certain sexual behaviors and exposures are reported. Methods Prospective computer-assisted telephonic interviews were conducted with 873 clinics between June 2022 and September 2022. The computer-assisted telephonic interview followed a semistructured questionnaire that included closed-ended questions on the availability and accessibility of CT/NG testing. Results Of the 873 clinics, CT/NG testing was offered in 751 clinics (86.0%), and extragenital testing was offered in only 432 clinics (57.5%). Most clinics (74.5%) with extragenital testing do not offer tests unless patients request them and/or report symptoms. Additional barriers to accessing information on available CT/NG testing include clinics not picking up the telephone, disconnecting the call, and unwillingness or inability to answer questions. Conclusions Despite evidence-based recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the availability of extragenital CT/NG testing is moderate. Patients seeking extragenital testing may encounter barriers such as fulfilling specific criteria or being unable to access information on testing availability.


Context: Although cervical cancer is an unusual cause of death among women 65 and older, most elderly women in the US report continuing to undergo periodic Pap smear screening. Objective: To describe the incidence of Pap smears and downstream testing among elderly women. Setting: Claims-based analysis of female Medicare enrollees age 65 and older. Methods: Using three years of Medicare Part B 5% Files (1995-1997), we differentiated between women undergoing screening Pap smears and those undergoing Pap smears for surveillance of previous abnormalities or Pap smear follow-up. We determined the proportion of elderly women undergoing Pap smear testing and rates of downstream testing and procedures after an initial Pap smear. Results: Four million female Medicare beneficiaries over 65 years underwent Pap smear testing between 1995 and 1997, representing 25% of the eligible population. After adjusting for underbilling for Pap smears under Medicare, 43% of women over 65 are estimated to have undergone Pap smear testing during the 3-year period. The large majority (90%) of Pap smears were for screening, while 10% were done for surveillance or follow-up. For every 1000 women with a screening Pap smear, 39 had at least one downstream intervention within eight months of the initial Pap smear, including seven women who underwent colposcopy and two women who had other surgical procedures. Rates of downstream interventions were considerably higher for women undergoing Pap smear follow-up (302 per 1000 with at least one downstream intervention), and surveillance of previous abnormalities (209 per 1000 with a downstream intervention). Conclusion: Cervical cancer screening is widespread among elderly American women, and follow-up testing is not uncommon, particularly among the ten percent of women who appear to be in a cycle of repeated testing. This substantial volume of testing occurs despite the rarity of cervical cancer deaths and unknown benefits of screening in this age group.


A 14-month-old Arabian colt was admitted for treatment of an articular fracture of the supraglenoid tubercle of the right forelimb. Successful repair was achieved by use of three 5.5-mm cortical screws placed in lag fashion across the fracture line. In other reports of supraglenoid tubercle fractures in horses, investigators have preferred conservative management or surgical removal of the fragment, because of limited success with internal fixation. Use of three 5.5-mm screws placed in lag fashion may offer an alternative method of treatment in selected cases of supraglenoid tubercle fractures.


The surface of ice and snow is slippery. This slipperiness property of ice surface has been usually explained by a lubricating layer of water film, which exists in the surface. Ice crystal has a melting layer on the surface even at low temperatures below the bulk melting point. The properties of ice surface have attracted scientific interests for more than a century, ever since 1859 when Faraday predicted the existence of a melting layer on ice surface. This paper reviews the dynamics of ice surface and the effects of the dynamics on the formation process of the melting layer in ice surface.


The relation between galaxy luminosity L and halo virial velocity vvir required to fit the galaxy luminosity function differs from the observed Tully–Fisher relation between L and disk speed vrot. Because of this, the problem of reproducing the galaxy luminosity function and the Tully–Fisher relation simultaneously has plagued semianalytic models since their inception. Here we study the relation between vrot and vvir by fitting observational average rotation curves of disk galaxies binned in luminosity. We show that the vrot–vvir relation that we obtain in this way can fully account for this seeming inconsistency. Therefore, the reconciliation of the luminosity function with the Tully–Fisher relation rests on the complex dependence of vrot on vvir, which arises because the ratio of stellar mass to dark matter mass is a strong function of halo mass.


The complete division of the atrial cavity by a septum, resulting in a left and right atrium, is found in many amphibians and all amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals). Surprisingly, it is only in eutherian, or placental, mammals that full atrial septation necessitates addition from a second septum. The high incidence of incomplete closure of the atrial septum in human, so‐called probe patency, suggests this manner of closure is inefficient. We review the evolution and development of the atrial septum to understand the peculiar means of forming the atrial septum in eutherian mammals. The most primitive atrial septum is found in lungfishes and comprises a myocardial component with a mesenchymal cap on its leading edge, reminiscent to the primary atrial septum of embryonic mammals before closure of the primary foramen. In reptiles, birds, and mammals, the primary foramen is closed by the mesenchymal tissues of the atrioventricular cushions, the dorsal mesenchymal protrusion, and the mesenchymal cap. These tissues are also found in lungfishes. The closure of the primary foramen is preceded by the development of secondary perforations in the septal myocardium. In all amniotes, with the exception of eutherian mammals, the secondary perforations do not coalesce to a secondary foramen. Instead, the secondary perforations persist and are sealed by myocardial and endocardial growth after birth or hatching. We suggest that the error‐prone secondary foramen allows large volumes of oxygen‐rich blood to reach the cardiac left side, needed to sustain the growth of the extraordinary large offspring that characterizes eutherian mammals. Anat Rec, 302:32–48, 2019. © 2018 The Authors. The Anatomical Record published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Anatomists.


Enhanced secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) has been linked with increased risk of thyroid carcinoma. Diet can increase TSH secretion in various ways: 1) low iodine intake, 2) high goitrogen intake, especially in subjects living in iodine-deficiency areas and 3) direct stimulation of anterior pituitary gland. Excessive iodine intake, however, has also been shown to increase risk of goitre and, perhaps, also thyroid carcinoma. Epidemiological evidence on the role of diet in the etiology of thyroid carcinoma is reviewed here. Ad hoc studies in affluent countries are few and often conflicting. A case-control study conducted in the North of Italy suggests that perhaps dietary aspects other than iodine or goitrogens (i.e. fresh fruit and vegetables and animal fat) may be involved.


The X-linked disease retinoschisis is caused by mutations in the RS1 gene encoding retinoschisin, most commonly missense mutations leading to a lack of secretion of functional protein. One potential approach to treat this disease would be the introduction of the wild-type protein by gene therapy in affected individuals. Retinoschisin normally forms homo-octamers, so co-expression of the wild-type protein with the mutant could result in their co-assembly. In the present study, we show that retinoschisin assembles into an octamer before transport from the endoplasmic reticulum and that co-assembly of wild-type and mutant protein can occur when they are co-expressed in the same cell. This co-assembly results in the retention of some, but not all, expressed wild-type retinoschisin. Moreover, when the wild-type protein is expressed with a missense mutant that is normally secreted, co-assembly occurs resulting in the secretion of a heterogeneous mixture of oligomers. Missense mutations of retinoschisin which cause intracellular retention also lead to an unfolded protein response. However, this is not sufficient to decrease cell viability suggesting that the pathology of the disease is not likely to be linked to programmed cell death.


Ruffini's corpuscles are present as long fusiform encapsulated sensory structures in different tissues including the skin. Although physiological analyses strongly suggest their existence in glabrous digital skin, such localisation remains unconfirmed. Here, we have investigated the occurrence of typical Ruffini's corpuscles in 372 sections of human digital skin obtained from 186 subjects of both sexes and different ages (19–92 years). S100 protein, neuron‐specific enolase and neurofilament proteins were detected, and the basic immunohistochemical profile of these corpuscles was analysed. Fewer than 0.3 Ruffini's corpuscles/mm2 were detected, with density distribution across the fingers being F4 > F3 > F2 > F1 > F5 and absolute values being F2 > F1 > F3 > F4 > F5. Axons displayed neuron‐specific enolase immunoreactivity, glial cells forming the core contained S100 protein, and the capsule was positive for CD34 but not Glut1, demonstrating an endoneurial origin. Present results demonstrate the existence of Ruffini's corpuscles in human glabrous digital skin at very low densities. Moreover, the identified Ruffini's corpuscles share the basic immunohistochemical characteristics of other dermal sensory corpuscles.


Acoustic processing requires integration over time. We have used in vivo intracellular recording to measure neuronal integration times in anesthetized rats. Using natural sounds and other stimuli, we found that synaptic inputs to auditory cortical neurons showed a rather long context dependence, up to > or =4 s (tau approximately 1 s), even though sound-evoked excitatory and inhibitory conductances per se rarely lasted greater, similar 100 ms. Thalamic neurons showed only a much faster form of adaptation with a decay constant tau <100 ms, indicating that the long-lasting form originated from presynaptic mechanisms in the cortex, such as synaptic depression. Restricting knowledge of the stimulus history to only a few hundred milliseconds reduced the predictable response component to about half that of the optimal infinite-history model. Our results demonstrate the importance of long-range temporal effects in auditory cortex and suggest a potential neural substrate for auditory processing that requires integration over timescales of seconds or longer, such as stream segregation.


Two studied stations were involved in this study included Sharq–Dijla and Al-Karamah water purification stations. Water samples collected from four sites with three replicates for each sample of each site of the river and the station: before, after, inside the stations and at the pipe. The study started in October 2012 to September 2013.
Results showed that the minimum level of water temperature was 11oC during (December-January) at Sharq –Dijla.While the maximum level was 30oC during (August-September) at both AL-Karamah and Sharq –Dijla stations. pH results revealed that the highest level of pH was 8.63 during (October-November) at AL-Karamah station followed by the lowest level was 6.73 in(February- March) at Sharq –Dijla station. The highest level of EC was 1068 µS/cm during (April-May) at Sharq-Dijla station, while the lowest level was 693 µS/cm during (August- September) at the same station.
The results of DO showed that the highest level was 11.51 ppm during (December-January) at Sharq- Dijla station, while the lowest level was 4.25 ppm during (August- September) at AL- Karamah station.The BOD results recorded the highest level of BOD5 was 4.49 ppm during (August- September), and the lowest level was 0.67 ppm during (December-January) both results at Sharq-Dijla station.
Total hardness showed that the highest level was about 404 ppm during (December-January) at AL-Karamah station, and the lowest level 162 ppm during (August- September) at the same station. Free chlorine measurements found with Iraqi limits and WHO for these two stations. The highest value of Iron concentration was 3.30ppm in (December-January) at Al-Karamah station, while the lowest value was1.63ppm in (August- September) at Sharq–Dijla station.


Nutrient resorption is an important strategy for plants to retain critical nutrients from senesced leaves and plays important roles in nutrient cycling and ecosystem productivity. As a main economic crop and soil and water conservation species, Wuyi Rock tea has been widely planted in Fujian Province, China. However, foliar nutrient resorptions of Wuyi Rock tea cultivars have not been well quantified. In this study, three Wuyi Rock tea cultivars (Wuyi Jingui, Wuyi Rougui, and Wuyi Shuixian) were selected in the Wuyishan National Soil and Water Conservation, Science and Technology Demonstration Park. Resorption efficiencies of nitrogen (NRE), phosphorus (PRE), and potassium (KRE) along with their stoichiometric characteristics were determined. PRE of the three tea cultivars was significantly higher than KRE and NRE, indicating that tea cultivars were P limited due to low P availability for the tea growth. With the exception of Wuyi Rougui, leaf N and P contents of the other two cultivars (Wuyi Jingui and Wuyi Shuixian) had strong homeostasis under the changing soil environments. Leaf thickness and specific leaf area were positively and significantly correlated with KRE, and total chlorophyll concentration was positively correlated with NRE, indicating that leaf functional traits can be used as indicators for nutrient resorption status. Wuyi Rock tea cultivars had strong adaptabilities to the environments and had high carbon sequestration capabilities; thus, they and could be introduced into nutrient-poor mountainous areas for both economic benefits and soil and water conservation.


As is the case in normal organogenesis, it is increasingly recognized that tumor growth is regulated by cross-talk between epithelial and stromal cells. Whereas the ability of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to stimulate tumor cell growth has been extensively studied, it is not clear whether CAFs are reciprocally controlled by developmental programs that are activated in tumor cells. Epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs) frequently colonize peritoneal surfaces that overlie connective and adipose tissues. We found that expression of HOXA9, a homeobox gene that is normally expressed in the developing female reproductive tract, is strongly associated with poor outcomes in EOC patients and in mouse xenograft models of EOC. Whereas HOXA9 promoted EOC growth in vivo, HOXA9 did not stimulate autonomous tumor cell growth in vitro. Expression of HOXA9 in EOC cells induced normal peritoneal fibroblasts and adipose mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to express CAF markers and to stimulate growth of EOC and endothelial cells. These effects of HOXA9 were due in substantial part to its transcriptional activation of the gene encoding TGF-β2 that acted in a paracrine manner on peritoneal fibroblasts and adipose MSCs to induce CXCL12, IL-6 and VEGF-A expression. These results indicate that HOXA9 expression in EOC cells promotes a microenvironment that is permissive for tumor growth. Citation Format: Song Yi Ko, Nicolas Barengo, Andras Ladanyi, Ju-Seog Lee, Frank Marini, Ernst Lengyel, Honami Naora. The developmental patterning gene HOXA9 promotes ovarian cancer growth via paracrine effects on mesenchymal stem cells and peritoneal fibroblasts. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2611. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2611


Wear behaviors of gas atomized and extruded Al-Si alloys were investigated using the dry sliding wear apparatus. The wear tests were conducted on Al-Si alloy discs against cast iron pins and vice versa at constant load of 10N with different sliding speed of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5m/s. In the case of Al-Si alloy discs slid against the cast iron pins, the wear rate slightly increased with increasing the sliding speed due to the abrasive wear occurred between Al-Si alloy discs and cast iron pins. Conversely, in the case of cast iron discs against Al-Si alloy pins, the wear rate decreased with increasing the sliding speed up to 0.3m/s. However, the wear rate increased with increasing the sliding speed from 0.3m/s to 0.5m/s. It could be due to adhesive wear behavior and abrasive wear behavior_between cast iron discs and Al-Si alloy pins.


A session-level network monitor that collects network application and user information is described. Such information can potentially be used for various network-management functions, including performance, configuration, accounting, and security management. The design of a prototype monitor for the DECnet environment is reviewed. The use of the monitor is illustrated by applying it to monitor a site in the DECnet corporate network. The popular applications in use at the site are grouped into four types, user communication (information sharing), distributed systems services (resource sharing), network management, and virtual terminal, and reviewed. Various characteristics of these applications obtained from the monitor are summarized.<<ETX>>


We report an on-chip nanosensor based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) property of gold nanorings. The fabricated nanorings using nanosphere lithography showed highly tunable optical properties and were optimized to boost LSPR-based biosensing. The LSPR extinction spectra of the nanosensor agreed well with the theoretical calculations using a finite-difference time-domain model. Such an on-chip nanoring-based biosensor showed a refractive index sensitivity of 350 nm/refractive index unit with a figure of merit of 3.1 and was utilized to detect DNA in a real-time and label-free manner.


The seeds and buds of Chinese tulip tree as explants were cultured to research the optimal media for mass propagation. The appropriate treatments for buds and seeds were WPA+(0.2~2.0)mg/L BAP or MS + 0.05 mg/L BAP. The suitable media for subculture was MS + 0.2 mg/L BAP + 0.05 mg/L NAA or WPM + 0.2 mg/L BAP, and the appropriate media for rooting inducement was WPM(1/2WPM) + (1.0~2.0)mg/L NAA or 1/2MS + 0.2mg/L IBA + 0.1 mg/L NAA + 0.1 mg/L ABT. Vermiculite was the preferable material for plantlet growth.


Genetic variability related to the host immune system has been proposed as one of the most influential factors in the development of diseases caused by HPV.

CLINICAL CASE
We report the case of a 5-year-old child in whom chronic laryngeal papillomatosis, probably acquired vertically during labor, was detected. The diagnosis of laryngeal papillomatosis was confirmed with a biopsy after a first surgery to remove the papillomas. The Derkay classification system was used to assess the severity of papillomatosis. Biopsy genotyping was performed by demonstrating HPV-6. Later, HLA-DQA1 * 0505, -DQB1 * 0301, -DRB1 * 1101 alleles were homozygous for HLA allele typing.

CONCLUSIONS
Further studies are needed to identify the most prevalent HLA alleles in the Latino population and their potential association with genetic susceptibility in Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis.


In this paper, we propose a security management middleware in ubiquitous computing environments. This security management should be applicationoriented security and provides user-centric security. This middleware provides the services for user or administrator to define security policies which can reflect dynamic context and trust management. We define a new security specification policy language for policy management. It also provides management services which can monitor and control the managed objects and sensors for the domain security management.


The K3Ta3B2O12 photocatalytic material for water splitting was prepared by an aqueous solution-based process using a novel water soluble Ta-peroxolactate complex. Use of water as a processing solvent is essential to prevent formation of volatile boron compounds and to synthesize the stoichiometric single phase material by a solution technique. Photocatalytic activity of K3Ta3B2O12 for water splitting was the highest when a stoichiometric amount of lactic acid (LA) with Ta:La = 1:2 was used for preparation of the Ta-peroxo lactate complex. Additionally, activities of K3Ta3B2O12 in the photocatalytic water splitting have been improved when NiO was used as a co-catalyst. The highest photocatalytic hydrogen and oxygen evolution rates exhibited by the materials prepared in this work were H2: 392 μmol/h and O2: 192 μmol/h.


The aim of this paper is, in accordance with efficient web search service operation objectives, to propose enhancements to the sophistication of the functionality that can be offered by search engine services. A meta-search third-party result ranking mechanism is proposed, which is capable of adapting over the continuous changes that occur on the web, providing in parallel personalized information acquisition considering the user's navigation behaviour. Transparency is achieved for both personalization and web evolution adaptation mechanisms, requiring virtually none effort from the user's part. In essence, the proposed meta search engine rates, re-organises and combines the results acquired from search services for a specific user information resource request in accordance with a weighted combination of a performance related factor (tightly related to the ranking of the web result as given by the search engine service) and a reliability related factor (corresponding to the user satisfaction stemming from the specific web result that he/she browses), while the performance of each search engine with respect to adequately adapting to the web evolution is taken into account. For the evaluation of the web results reliability, a collaborative reputation mechanism is utilized, which helps estimating their quality and predicting their future usability, taking into account their past performance in consistently satisfying user expectations. A set of results indicative of the efficiency of our proposed scheme is provided. The Internet search services used were Google, MSN and Yahoo!


Brazilian legislation allows the manufacture of raw milk cheese with a maturation exceeding 60 days at room temperature above 5°C, but there is a lack of solid scientific evidence on the efficacy of this maturation process in inactivating important pathogens that may be present in milk, such as Mycobacterium bovis and Brucella abortus. Thus, the objectives of this study were to produce parmesan-type cheese experimentally contaminated with M. bovis and B. abortus and evaluate the survival of these pathogens along 2-month maturation. Parmesan-type cheese was manufactured in the laboratory using whole pasteurized milk with or without inoculation with M. bovis (SB1033) or B. abortus (1119-3) and matured at 18°C for up to 63 days. M. bovis was inoculated in Stonebrink-Leslie medium supplemented with antibiotics and incubated at 37°C for 45 days, and B. abortus was incubated in Farrel medium at 36°C for 3 days. The average D18°C value, weighted by variance, was 37.5 ± 5.3 days for M. bovis and 5.9 ± 0.7 days for B. abortus. The average physicochemical parameters in the cheese at the end of the study were as follows: pH = 4.89, water activity = 0.976, and moisture percentage = 43.1%. The pH might have contributed to the reduction in the population of B. abortus but seems not to have influenced the population of M. bovis. We conclude that the duration of the maturation process influences the size of the surviving populations of M. bovis and B. abortus, and that the shortening of the maturation duration might not ensure a decline in pathogen levels to safe levels. Thus, complementary studies considering the effect of several other technological aspects on the survival of these pathogens are required, including the effect of the lactic acid bacterial population, salt content, and temperature of maturation.


The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of kamebakaurin (KA) and 1O, 20O-diacetyl kamebakaurin (Ac2KA) on acetaminophen (APAP)-induced hepatotoxicity and compare the hepatoprotective mechanisms of the two chemicals. Seven-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were orally administered KA, Ac2KA, or an ethanol/olive oil emulsion once per day for 7-days. Twenty-four hours after the final administration, the mice were fasted and then intraperitoneally injected with 450 mg/kg APAP or saline. At 16 h after injection, the mice were euthanized and blood samples were collected for plasma analysis. Pretreatment with KA and Ac2KA significantly attenuated APAP-induced hepatic injury. The protective effect of Ac2KA was stronger than that of KA. These two chemicals attenuated oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokine production, c-jun N-terminal kinase activation, and receptor-interacting protein (RIP)-3 activation. Ac2KA also decreased APAP-induced RIP-1 activation and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 translocation. Moreover, Ac2KA repressed mRNA expression of Cyp1a2/2e1 in the liver. Our results showed that KA and Ac2KA exerted protective effects against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. The responsible mechanisms may be related to the chemicals' antioxidant activity and the inhibition of c-jun N-terminal kinase activation and RIP-3 activation. The effects of Ac2KA included those of KA, as well as RIP-1 inactivation, NF-κB inhibition, and Cyp inhibition.


A broadband single layer vertical transition from CPW to microstrip has been developed for multilayer millimeter-wave circuits. The transition has exceptionally wide bandwidth and presents low insertion and return losses. A transition has been fabricated on a 100 /spl mu/m silicon wafer that shows approximately 0.3 dB of insertion loss and better than 10 dB return loss over 75-110 GHz. This transition can be used for the vertical integration of multi-layer millimeter wave circuits and packaging.


INTRODUCTION
Suicide is a great economical, social and public health problem. It is prevalent worldwide and has a lot of negative effects on individuals, families and society. Depression is often prelude to Suicide. An important part of the treatment of the mentally ill patients is spiritual-religious psychotherapy which should be done after physical treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of spiritual and religious group psychotherapy on suicidal ideation in depressed patients.

METHODS
51 depressed patients with suicidal ideation from Razi hospital (Tabriz, Iran) participated in this clinical trial. To collect Data questionnaire was used which included demographic and Beck Suicide Scale Ideation. Experimental group participated in 10 sessions of group psychotherapy. Each section lasted 1 hour. Two weeks after the last section post test was done. Statistical software SPSS ver 13 was used for data analysis.

RESULTS
RESULTS of independent t-test revealed no difference between two groups in terms of suicidal ideation before intervention but after study there is a statistical difference. Also the results of ANCOVA test showed a significant relationship between spiritual group therapy and decrease in suicidal ideation, so that this intervention can make 57% of variance in suicidal ideation of experimental group.

CONCLUSION
Regarding positive effect of spiritual and religious group psychotherapy on decreasing suicidal ideation of depressed patients, we suggest this intervention to be held in Psychiatric Wards and also more study on depression and other psychiatric patients with greater sample size would be helpful.


A two-color two-photon laser scanning microscope (2c2pLSM) has been developed for fluorescence imaging in tissues through the nondegenerate two-photon excitation of fluorescent proteins. However, fluorescent probes have not been widely designed and applied to 2c2pLSM. Here, we have synthesized a new carbazole derivative 3,6-bis(pyridin-4-ylethynyl)-9-methyl-carbazole (BEMC), and investigated its nondegenerate two-photon absorption (ND-TPA) properties. Nondegenerate two-photon excited fluorescence (ND-TPEF) and ND-TPA cross-sections excited by a constant pump wavelength of 800 nm and several probe wavelengths from 485 nm to 650 nm were studied based on the femtosecond pump–probe technique. The fluorescence intensity is linearly dependent on each laser intensity of the two beams, and the dependence of ND-TPEF intensity on time delay between the two lasers is in good agreement with the cross-correlation of the pulse widths of the two lasers. Compared with the corresponding degenerate two-photon absorption (D-TPA) cross-sections for transition to the same excited state via the D-TPA pathway, the ND-TPA cross-sections exhibit at least twofold larger values than the D-TPA case, which is attributed to the effect of intermediate state resonance enhancement (ISRE). This study indicates that the newly synthesized carbazole derivative would serve as a promising fluorescent probe in a two-color two-photon laser scanning microscope (2c2pLSM).


First-principles electronic structure calculations have been performed for the intermetallic compound YCo5. This compound is known to have unusually large cobalt orbital magnetic moments and one of the largest magnetocrystalline anisotropies among itinerant ferromagnets. By including spin-orbit coupling and orbital polarization in the theoretical treatment the orbital magnetic moments and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy were calculated. It was found that in order to obtain reasonable agreement with experiments the inclusions of orbital correlation (here in the form of orbital polarization) is essential. The different contributions from the two inequivalent cobalt sites to the orbital magnetization and the anisotropy are discussed.


Dietary deoxynivalenol (DON) impairs the intestinal immune system and digestive functions of broiler chickens. However, little is known whether increasing doses of DON similarly affect the intestinal functions in different segments of the small intestine in chickens and whether a second oral challenge may potentiate those effects. The present objective was to investigate the effect of increasing dietary DON concentrations on the relative expression of genes for tight junction proteins, mucins, toll-like receptors (TLR), and cytokines in duodenum and jejunum, jejunal mucosal permeability, as well as on α-1-acid glycoprotein and IgA in serum with or without an additional oral lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Eighty 1-d-old chickens were fed diets with increasing DON concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg DON/kg diet) for 5 wk. One day before sampling, half of the chickens received an oral challenge with 1-mg Escherichia coli O55:B5 LPS/kg BW. Ussing chambers were used to measure the jejunal permeability in birds receiving 10-mg DON/kg feed with or without LPS challenge and 0-mg DON/kg feed without LPS. Increasing DON concentrations of up to 5-mg DON/kg increased (P < 0.05) the duodenal expression of TLR2, IL6, and Claudin 1 (CLDN1) by up to 84%, 88%, and 48%, respectively, compared with the noncontaminated diet. Likewise, jejunal CLDN1 expression increased up to 23% in the chickens fed DON concentrations of up to 5-mg DON/kg diet (P < 0.05). Moreover, increasing DON concentrations linearly and quadratically decreased (P < 0.05) the jejunal expression of TLR2 and transforming growth factor-β 1, respectively. The additional LPS challenge increased (P < 0.040) duodenal occludin expression by 10% as well as the jejunal tissue conductance in chickens of the 10 DON group (P = 0.050). In conclusion, dietary DON differently affected the duodenal and jejunal expression of genes for tight-junction proteins and proinflammatory signaling pathways. The additional LPS challenge did not potentiate the DON effect but it seemed to induce a certain up-regulation of the proinflammatory response in the duodenum and enhanced the mucosal permeability in the jejunum.


. This research tries to synthesize the urban development of Tirana, especially in the historical part of it, at different times. The evolution of the city of Tirana is a typical evolution for Albanian cities with an urban structure, which was born in the Ottoman period. The chaotic urban structure shaped spontaneously in recent centuries , in Bosios plan during 1940, was thought to be treated as a "garden city", well integrated with the new form of the city, preserving at the same time his physiognomy. Unfortunately this project has not been taken into consideration during the years of socialist realism, while in urban level there was no clear space developments in these parts. The situation in our time appears tragic with the destruction of the old urban structure but not in favor of a clear urban regulation for the city. The result of this paper is to identify and to dismantle the aggravated problems of urban structure in the capital and show effectively intervenes in special cases.


This study assesses the main hunting activities in four Waorani communities located at different levels of access from Puerto Francisco de Orellana (El Coca) within the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve (Napo, Pastaza, and Orellana, Ecuador). More specifically, the removal of animal biomass, type of species, use of weapons, and preferred animal are discussed. This study describes the frequency of consumption of animal protein acquired in and out of the observed communities, and their relation to the levels of access. For two months, I interviewed the heads (hunters) of 44 families and observed their hunting activities. Results show that hunting practices vary in relation to the level of access to El Coca. Furthermore, bushmeat is consumed more in the isolated community (Bameno) than in the others, possibly due to a lower percentage of wage labor. The frequency of consumption of wild fish in all communities is constant, and is consumed 2 to 3 days per week. Canned fish (tuna, sardines) is consumed mostly in communities with a high percentage of wage labor, independently of level of access. Fresh purchased chicken and fish are consumed 1 to 2 days per week in communities that are close to El Coca.


Background Until recently, almost all of these studies have identified multiple risk factors but did not offer practical instruments for routine use in predicting individualized survival in human H7N9 infection cases. The objective of this study is to create a practical instrument for use in predicting an individualized survival probability of H7N9 patients. Methods A matched case–control study (1:2 ratios) was performed in Zhejiang Province between 2013 and 2019. We reviewed specific factors and outcomes regarding patients with H7N9 virus infection (VI) to determine relationships and developed a nomogram to calculate individualized survival probability. This tool was used to predict each individual patient's probability of survival based on results obtained from the multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. Results We examined 227 patients with H7N9 VI enrolled in our study. Stepwise selection was applied to the data, which resulted in a final model with 8 independent predictors [including initial PaO2/FiO2 ratio ≤300 mmHg, age ≥60 years, chronic diseases, poor hand hygiene, time from illness onset to the first medical visit, incubation period ≤5 days, peak C-reactive protein ≥120 mg/L], and initial bilateral lung infection. The concordance index of this nomogram was 0.802 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.694–0.901] and 0.793 (95% CI: 0.611–0.952) for the training and validation sets, respectively, which indicates adequate discriminatory power. The calibration curves for the survival showed optimal agreement between nomogram prediction and actual observation in the training and validation sets, respectively. Conclusion We established and validated a novel nomogram that can accurately predict the survival probability of patients with H7N9 VI. This nomogram can serve an important role in counseling patients with H7N9 VI and guide treatment decisions.


The purpose of this research is to identify the reasons why some students of the English Department are not engaged in the learning process and provide suitable recommendations for the instructors of this department to persuade students to be more engaged in learning. To conduct the study, a number of 12 teachers of the English Department were interviewed to find out the main reasons for lack of students' engagement in the class. Based on the problems described in finding, some recommendations were suggested by instructors of the English Department and some scholars from other universities of the world.


Preventing invasion by exotic species is one of the key goals of restoration, and community assembly theory provides testable predictions about native community attributes that will best resist invasion. For instance, resource availability and biotic interactions may represent "filters" that limit the success of potential invaders. Communities are predicted to resist invasion when they contain native species that are functionally similar to potential invaders; where phenology may be a key functional trait. Nutrient reduction is another common strategy for reducing invasion following native species restoration, because soil nitrogen (N) enrichment often facilitates invasion. Here, we focus on restoring the herbaceous community associated with coastal sage scrub vegetation in Southern California; these communities are often highly invaded, especially by exotic annual grasses that are notoriously challenging for restoration. We created experimental plant communities composed of the same 20 native species, but manipulated functional group abundance (according to growth form, phenology, and N‐fixation capacity) and soil N availability. We fertilized to increase N, and added carbon to reduce N via microbial N immobilization. We found that N reduction decreased exotic cover, and the most successful seed mix for reducing exotic abundance varied depending on the invader functional type. For instance, exotic annual grasses were least abundant when the native community was dominated by early active forbs, which matched the phenology of the exotic annual grasses. Our findings show that nutrient availability and the timing of biotic interactions are key filters that can be manipulated in restoration to prevent invasion and maximize native species recovery.


Accurate diagnosis of malaria infections continues to be challenging and elusive, especially in the detection of submicroscopic infections. Developing new malaria diagnostic tools that are sensitive enough to detect low-level infections, user friendly, cost effective and capable of performing large scale diagnosis, remains critical. We have designed novel self-quenching photo-induced electron transfer (PET) fluorogenic primers for the detection of P. ovale by real-time PCR. In our study, a total of 173 clinical samples, consisting of different malaria species, were utilized to test this novel PET-PCR primer. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated using nested-PCR as the reference test. The novel primer set demonstrated a sensitivity of 97.5% and a specificity of 99.2% (95% CI 85.2–99.8% and 95.2–99.9% respectively). Furthermore, the limit of detection for P. ovale was found to be 1 parasite/μl. The PET-PCR assay is a new molecular diagnostic tool with comparable performance to other commonly used PCR methods. It is relatively easy to perform, and amiable to large scale malaria surveillance studies and malaria control and elimination programs. Further field validation of this novel primer will be helpful to ascertain the utility for large scale malaria screening programs.


Influence of Ovarian Hormones on the Regulation of Luteinizing Hormone and Prolactin Release by Angiotensin II (M.K. Steele, L.S. Myers, C.F. Deschepper, W.F. Ganong, K.N. Stephenson, and R.L. Shackelford). Renin-Angiotensin System in Female Reproductive Organs (Robert C. Speth, Kevin L. Grove, and Cesario S. Zamora). Renin-Angiotensin System in Male Reproductive Organs (Kevin L. Grove, Robert C. Speth, and Cesario S. Zamora). Neurohypophyseal Hormones and Reproductive Hormone Secretion (C. Johnston). Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide: A Neural Modulator of Endocrine Function (Willis K. Samson and Marc E. Freeman). Reproductive Neuroendocrine Effects of Neuropeptide Y and Related Peptides (John K. McDonald, Ph.D.). Opioids and Induction of Ovulation: Mediation by Neuropeptide Y (S.P. Kalra, L.G. Allen, A. Sahu, and W.R. Crowley). The Role of Neurotensin in Control of Anterior Pituitary Hormone Secretion (S.M. McCann and E. Vijayan). Galanin: A Potentially Significant Neuroendocrine Modulator (J.I. Koenig, S.M. Gabriel, and L.M. Kaplan). Cholecystokinin and Neuroendocrine Secretion (Joseph G. Verbalis and Edward M. Stricker). Motilin and Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide (GIP) (C.H.S. McIntosh). Index. c. 304 pp., due September 1991, ISBN 0-8493-8848-1.


Manganese-doped cadmium sulfide (CdS:Mn) nanoparticles were prepared by chemical synthesis using sodium-alginate as template. The preparation of the nanocomposites involved ionic crosslinking of the biopolymer by dimerization of its α-L-guluronic monomers with Cd2+ and subsequent formation of the semiconductor nanoparticles upon addition of sulfide ions in the presence of Mn2+. The crystalline phase of CdS in the material was confirmed by XRD. The surface morphology of the nanocomposites was investigated by SEM. The observation by TEM showed that the CdS:Mn particles were spherical in shape with diameters of approximately 4 nm. EPR measurements of the CdS:Mn-alginate nanocomposite showed that the Mn2+ ions were incorporated in cationic sites of CdS with lower symmetry. Due to a distorted crystal field induced by the Mn2+ ions, photoluminescence spectra of the CdS:Mn-alginate showed red fluorescence between 650 nm and 750 nm falling into the optical window for bioimaging in which the light has its maximum tissue penetration depth. It was demonstrated that the interaction between the nanoparticles and the matrix prevents release of CdS into the environment, leading to low acute toxicity of the nanocomposites.


This work investigates a stabilizing control law for a plant with not necessarily known nonlinearities under the assumption that the dynamics of the system are slow relative to the sample period. We treat the coefficients of an affine model of the dynamics as unknown parameters. It is shown that it is feasible to construct an adaptive control law provided that the plant is pointwise stabilizable. We investigate the general applicability of this technique by quantifying the restrictions required for closed loop stability of the adaptive system.


As one of the most challenging aspects of streaming video over lossy networks, the technology for controlling packet losses has attracted more and more attention. Erasure coding is one of the ideal choices to deal with this problem. In most cases, the researchers need an effective method or tool to validate the erasure codes used for dealing with different packet loss patterns. Although some previous work has been done on employing erasure codes in video streaming system, few actual buildups and experiments which involve implementation of erasure codes against real packet loss in streaming systems have been reported. In this paper, we focus on constructing a testbed that integrates loss pattern generation and erasure coding implementation into video streaming services over lossy networks. With this approach, we are able to assess the capability of erasure coding in packet loss control and compare the performances of the video streaming systems with and without erasure coding. As an example, we have implemented the Reed-Solomon (7, 5) code for protecting MPEG streaming data under random packet losses. Experiment results show that the replay quality can be improved significantly by using erasure coding in video streaming systems, and that the testbed can suggest appropriate erasure code parameters for different loss environments.


Scheduling parallel applications on computational grids is a difficult task. In order to map the parallel application's tasks onto resources in a efficient way, grid schedulers apply scheduling heuristics. The existing scheduling heuristics can be broadly classified in two approaches: i) bin-packing schedulers, and ii) replication schedulers. The first approach requires complete and accurate information about the applications and the grid environment. The second approach does not use any information but, instead, applies the principle of task replication to achieve good performance. Each of these approaches have drawbacks; attaining accurate and complete information about resources and applications is not always possible in a grid environment, while the redundancy of replication schedulers yield an extra consumption of resources. In this work, we investigate the trade-off between these two approaches. We propose scheduling heuristics that use any available information to perform efficient scheduling of bag-of-tasks applications, a subclass of parallel applications. Our results show that judicious use of whatever information is available leads to a reduction on resource consumption, without compromising the application's performance.


Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) are at high risk of developing arterial or venous thromboembolism and a state of systemic hypercoagulability. Libman-Sacks endocarditis (LSE) is a type of non-bacterial endocarditis usually seen in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. These vegetations dislodge easily and can cause profound neurological and systemic complications in the form of emboli. We describe one such case of a young woman with known SLE who presented with an acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke and was found to have APS with extensive mitral valve vegetation, indicating Libman-Sacks endocarditis on echocardiography. Recognizing the increasing frequency of both APS and LSE in patients with SLE and screening patients, especially the younger population with SLE, for APS is vital. Furthermore, in those patients presenting with embolic events, echocardiography plays a key role as it can help expedite the diagnosis of LSE. Our case report also reiterates that warfarin, when compared to direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), is superior in decreasing future embolic events.


Incremental ischemic injury was induced in rabbits by transient occlusion of the renal artery. Renal localization of 99mTc-HEDP was quantitated in ischemic and normal kidneys at fixed intervals following restoration of blood flow. Creatinine clearance and microscopic evaluation of renal structure were determined concurrently with scintigraphic studies. There was a sequential reduction in creatinine clearance and an increase in tubular necrosis with prolongation of the ischemic period. 99mTc-HEDP localization in ischemic renal tissue was dependent on the degree of renal injury, ranging from twice normal with minor injury to a nine-fold increase with the most severe ischemic changes. The increased accumulation was demonstrable for longer periods with increasing ischemic injury. Considerable recovery of renal function was apparent in all groups by one week. 99mTc-HEDP may be useful in evaluation of renal failure secondary to ischemic injury.