One of six prioritized policies of forestry development in Indonesia is Revitalization of Forest Utilization and Forest Industry. The development of plantation, both industrial plantation and people plantation are a kind of way to satisfy the national wood industry needs. Hutan Tanaman Rakyat or HTR ( Hutan Tanaman Rakyat , in Indonesian, or Plantation Forest Folk) is a plantation developed by a group of people in regard to improve potencies and qualities of production forest by applying silviculture which assures the forest resource preservation. HTR policy is Governmental policy aiming at alleviating poverty (pro-poor), creating job vacancy (pro-job) and improving growth quality though proportional investment between economic agents (pro-growth). This study aims at exploring society empowerment and the productivity of production forest products in HTR . This study employs survey method. This study is located in area of HTR throughout Indonesia, distributed in 26 Provinces in Indonesia starting from Aceh to Papua. Population in this study is region/ Regency implementing HTR development in Indonesia. Total population is 127 regions/regencies. Analysis unit (respondent) is Head of Forestry Service and Head of Society Empowerment, Market, Cooperative, and SME (to be noted, each region has different office name). Data analysis technique used is Cluster Analysis, Chi Square Cross Tabulation, and Factor Analysis. The result show The result of cluster analysis by Non-Hierarchical Cluster with Euclidean Distance showing 68 regencies classified in low productivity, 28 regencies classified in moderate productivity, and 31 regencies classified in high productivity. There is a relation between society empowerment and forest productivity. If the regency is able to implement society empowerment program well, it can produce good forest productivity. In contrast, if the regency cannot implement society empowerment well, forest productivity surely cannot be produced well. Factual data based on the table above proves it. Based on the empowerment variable, indicator of authority is the most dominant one as success or failure measurement of society empowerment. The authority states that forest group/society is given authority to change attitude or spirit (work ethics) to be their own. Therefore, they think that the change performed is the result of product of their willingness to achieve better change. Keywords: Society Empowerment, Productivity, HTR


AIMS
Migration, urbanization, and change in socio-economic factors have potentially profound effects on heart disease in low-to-middle income countries.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa, provides health care to >1 million Africans. We systematically captured data from all de novo presentations of suspected heart disease (focusing on 'new' vs. historically prevalent forms) during 2006-2008. There were 3168 female (52 ± 18 years) vs. 2160 male (53 ± 17 years) cases. Overall, 999 (19%) presented with uncomplicated hypertension (n = 988) or type II diabetes, 1862 cases (35%) 'new' heart disease (1146 and 581 cases of hypertensive heart failure and coronary artery disease), and 2092 cases (39%) of historically prevalent heart disease (including 724 with primary valve disease and 502 idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathies). Level of education and non-communicable risk factors were important correlates of advanced disease. The rate of historically prevalent cases was higher in those aged 20-49 years (19-60 cases/100,000 population/annum) whilst being higher for "new" heart disease in those aged >50 years (155-343 cases/population/annum). Historically prevalent heart disease cases were younger [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.98, 95% 0.97-0.99 per year], more likely to be African (OR 4.59, 95% 2.76-7.60) while being less likely to originate from Soweto (OR 0.87, 95% 0.75-1.00) and be female (OR 0.67, 95% 0.49-0.92).

CONCLUSION
Dynamic socio-economic and lifestyle factors characteristic of epidemiological transition appear to have positioned the urban, mainly African community of Soweto at the crossroads between historically prevalent and 'new' forms of heart disease.


This paper presents case studies of additive manufacturing process chains including laser powder bed fusion and post-processes. The presented case studies are used to assess the maturity of the manufacturing process chains using a Modelling and Simulation Readiness Level Scale. The results from the assessment have shown that the maturity of the modelling and simulation of laser powder bed fusion process chains lies between the stage of applied research and development and the stage of being instrumental, with high reliance on modelling and simulation experts. This means that the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process chain modelling and simulation can support low-risk development, with high reliance on modelling and simulation experts, making them suitable for qualitative assessment, alternative design/solution ranking, defining the design structure, constraining the design space and replacing some experimental trials. This shows that further maturation is required before the modelling and simulation methods and codes are well recognised as best practice in the industry and are part of operational process control at any stage of the supply chain.


The most effective expression of the 4.0 Era is represented by cyber-physical systems (CPSs). Historically, measurement and monitoring systems (MMSs) have been an essential part of CPSs; however, by introducing the 4.0 enabling technologies into MMSs, a MMS can evolve into a cyber-physical measurement system (CPMS). Starting from this consideration, this work reports a preliminary case study of a CPMS, namely an innovative robotic platform to be used for measurement systems in confined and constrained remote environments. The innovative system is a soft growing robot composed of a robot base, to be placed outside the remote environments and a robot body that accesses the site through growth. A pneumatic actuation mechanism enables the controllable growth of the system through lengthening at its tip, as well as its controllable steering. The system can be endowed with sensors to enable remote measurement and monitoring tasks, or can be used to transport sensors in remote locations. A digital twin of the system is developed for simulation of a practical measurement scenario. The ultimate goal is to achieve a self-adapting, fully autonomous system for remote monitoring operations to be used reliably and safely for the inspection of unknown and/or constrained environments.


This paper presents a new transform domain to evaluate the goodness of fit of natural image data to the common Benford's Law. The evaluation is made by three statistical fitness criteria including Pearson's chi-square test statistic, normalized cross correlation and a distance measure based on symmetrized Kullback-Leibler divergence. It is shown that the serial combination of variance filtering and block 2-D discrete cosine transform reveals the best goodness of fit for the first significant digit. We also show that the proposed transform domain brings reasonable fit for the second, third and fourth significant digits. As an application, the proposed transform domain is utilized to detect image manipulation by distinguishing single compressed images from doubly compressed ones.


Quantifying abundance and determining the factors affecting it are critical to understanding and conserving small animal populations. The seasonal dynamics of a local population of butterflies Pseudophilotes sinaicus (Lycaenidae) occupying a discrete patch of habitat were investigated using data from a capture-recapture study that sampled the local population every day during the adult flight season in 2002 and 2003. Throughout the study (re)capture rates were extremely high, meaning that intra-seasonal changes in demographic parameters could be accurately assessed. 'Survival' rates were not related to the age of adult butterflies, but were lower early in the season compared with later on. This is probably due to emigration of butterflies early in the season, rather than within-patch mortality. Lower survival rates in females compared with males were probablybecause females have both higher within-patch mortality and a higher  emigration rate. This confirms results from another study (see James 2007d) that suggested migration in the Sinai Baton Blue was linked to the phenology of its hostplant, Thymus decussatus. Daily variation in the sex ratio is a consequence of between-sex differences in daily recruitment and within-patch survival rates. Males were most abundant relative to females early in the season, indicating protandry. Total adult population size was small and showed dramatic variation between the two years, indicating how vulnerable the local population is to demographic extinction.


Background/Aim: Hypoxia offers resistance to therapy in human solid tumors. The aim of the study was to investigate whether SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan, acts as a radiosensitizer through inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α in the human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Materials and Methods: HT29 and SW480 cells were cultured with SN-38 (0-4 μM) immediately after irradiation (0-8 Gy). HIF-1α expression was assessed using flow-cytometry and western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was evaluated by the calcein assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle were determined by flow-cytometry. Results: Radiation up-regulated HIF-1α, and SN-38 inhibited the radiation-induced HIF-1α. The combination of radiation and SN-38 inhibited cell proliferation more than radiation alone; treatment with SN-38 after radiation exposure did not increase the number of apoptotic cells, whereas, it enhanced the S and G2/M cell-cycle arrest and decreased the population of cells in G1. Conclusion: SN-38 inhibits the radiation-induced up-regulation of HIF-1α and acts as a radiosensitizer by inducing cell-cycle arrest in CRC cells.


People with mental disabilities (mental disorders, mild brain dysfunction) face barriers to employment, leading to higher unemployment rates and economic inactivity. Incorporating a workplace technology system may help create a disability-inclusive environment. The paper presents an ICT solution for social enterprises, focusing primarily on cafés or restaurants. It is designed to help reduce the need for supervision of employees with mental disabilities in order to increase their autonomy. The proposed system records activities and provides an employee with information on which action to perform and how. The primary goal of the proposal is the monitoring of activities and the interactive transmission of instructions. The presented system is based on the Internet of Things (IoT) and includes advanced information technologies – cloud messaging, mobile applications, web applications. The employee with a disability will be equipped with a smartphone using a specially designed application. By a notification sent to the mobile phone, the employee will be immediately informed about the task assigned. The mobile application will help an employee carry out the task visually (sequence of instructions expressed in text, pictograms). In order to confirm the completion of the task, a sensor is placed at the desk location, which, when the mobile device is attached, registers the employee's presence at the desk where the task is to be performed. The Unified Process (UP) methodology was used to design an information system. The context diagram describes the relationship between the proposed system and its environment, a data flow diagram shows the dynamics and control information. The system is designed to be universally applicable in other workplaces. It may be used to help people who cannot communicate with other employees due to a lack of knowledge of the local language at the workplace.


This paper studies discretionary charges, which I define to be fees and levies that are collected at the discretion of local officials, as firm output distortions. I document that there is an inverted-U relationship between size of firms and discretionary charges paid by firms in China. I build a model of heterogeneous firms with idiosyncratic endogenous output distortions. The model explains why discretionary charges fall most heavily on medium-sized firms and, consequently, reduce the number of medium-sized firms. Using the 2002 Chinese Income Tax Reform as a natural experiment, I find that a 1 percentage-point reduction in local tax revenue increased discretionary charges on firms by approximately 2 percent on average, with medium-sized firms experiencing the largest increase of 4.7 percent. In addition, a 1 percentage-point reduction in local tax revenue resulted in a 1.2 percent decline in the number of medium-sized firms as a share of total firms. This decline was most likely driven by slower growth rates of existing small firms. These results suggest that low tax revenues and lack of legal protection on firms may help explain why there are relatively fewer medium-sized firms and why there is larger firm productivity dispersion in low-income countries.


Light emitting diode antifuses have been integrated into a microfluidic device that is realized with extended standard IC-compatible technological steps. The device comprises a microchannel sandwiched between a photodiode detector and a nanometre-scale diode antifuse light emitter. In this paper, the device fabrication process, working principle and properties and possible applications will be discussed. Changes in the interference fringe of the antifuse spectra due to the filling of the channel have been measured. Potential applications are electro-osmotic flow speed measurement, detection of absorptivity of liquids in the channel, detection of changes of the refractive index of the medium in the channel, e.g. air bubbles, particles in the liquid.


Systems to produce replacement heifers to calve initially at 2 yr of age and at 12-mo intervals thereafter require integrated forage-animal management plans. The process of developing heifers as replacements must begin during the cow-calf production phase. Age and weight at puberty are affected by several factors, including breed of livestock. Generally, breeds of a larger size at maturity are older and heavier when reaching puberty. Heifers that are kept as replacements must be weaned at relatively heavy weights in comparison to their expected mature body size without becoming obese. Excessive adipose tissue in heifers during the preweaning phase may result in reduced subsequent performance of these animals. Several management techniques were reviewed that can be used both pre- and postweaning, including using anthelmintics, anabolic growth implants, and ionophores. Anabolic growth implants can increase heifer rates of gain and increase pelvic size. In addition, there are indications that these implants may alter mammary gland development, which may subsequently increase milk production. Ionophores were shown to increase growth rates, particularly in grazing heifers but more importantly to decrease age at puberty. Age and weight at puberty have been shown to be affected by level of nutrition. It is preferable for heifers to reach puberty one or two estrous cycles before the breeding season, and the breeding season for heifers should begin > or = 21 d before the breeding season of the mature cow herd. This time difference allows for the generally longer postpartum interval for primiparous cows than for multiparous cows. Because of the limited opportunities (every 12 mo) for cows to calve, optimum efficiency must be pursued.


We have developed a hydrodynamic levitation centrifugal blood pump with a semi-open impeller for a mechanically circulatory assist. The impeller levitated with original hydrodynamic bearings without any complicated control and sensors. However, narrow bearing gap has the potential for causing hemolysis. The purpose of the study is to investigate the geometric configuration of the hydrodynamic step bearing to minimize hemolysis by expansion of the bearing gap. Firstly, we performed the numerical analysis of the step bearing based on Reynolds equation, and measured the actual hydrodynamic force of the step bearing. Secondly, the bearing gap measurement test and the hemolysis test were performed to the blood pumps, whose step length were 0 %, 33 % and 67 % of the vane length respectively. As a result, in the numerical analysis, the hydrodynamic force was the largest, when the step bearing was around 70 %. In the actual evaluation tests, the blood pump having step 67 % obtained the maximum bearing gap, and was able to improve the hemolysis, compared to those having step 0% and 33%. We confirmed that the numerical analysis of the step bearing worked effectively, and the blood pump having step 67 % was suitable configuration to minimize hemolysis, because it realized the largest bearing gap.


Fergusonite-type monoclinic BiVO4 (fm-BiVO4) is an important semiconductor photocatalyst as an alternative to TiO2 for solar energy conversion and environmental protection. Based upon density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we report the results of a comprehensive study of the surface properties of fm-BiVO4, including surface geometric/electronic structures, surface energy, work function, Bader charge, and oxygen-vacancy formation energy on the (100), (010), (001), (101), (011), (110) and (111) surfaces. The low-index surfaces of fm-BiVO4 are characterized by surface geometric structures terminated with Bi atoms and VO4 groups. There are strongly localized band-gap states at the (110) and (111) surfaces. The calculated surface energies of fm-BiVO4 indicate a surface stability order of {001} > {011} {101} > {111} > {110} > {010} {100}. The equilibrium morphology of fm-BiVO4 is predicted as a corner-cut truncated bipyramid with {001}, {101}, {011} and {111} facets exposed, in good agreement with experiments. The dramatic difference in work function may act as the driving force for photogenerated charge separation between {101}/{011} and {001} as observed in experiments. Based on our results, we provide a clue to morphology design for further enhancing the efficiency of charge separation in fm-BiVO4.


The Gal4, Gal80, and Gal3 proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae constitute a galactose-responsive regulatory switch for GAL gene promoters. The low cellular levels of these proteins have hampered mechanistic studies and limit the utility of the GAL gene promoters for high-yield production of endogenous and exogenous proteins. We have constructed two new vectors, pMEGA2 and pMEGA2-DeltaURA3, that increase the level of the Gal4p-Gal80p-Gal3p switch proteins under conditions that preserve the Gal3p-Gal80p-Gal4p stoichiometries required for normal switch function. Cells carrying pMEGA2 show 15- to 20-fold more Gal4p and 30- to 40-fold more Gal3p and Gal80p than cells lacking pMEGA2. These high levels of Gal4p, Gal80p, and Gal3p do not perturb the integrity of galactose-inducible regulation. Cells that carry pMEGA2 exhibit normal galactose-induction kinetics for the chromosomal MEL1 gene expression and normal, albeit slower, log-phase growth. Insertion of the MEL1 gene into pMEGA2 provides a 24- to 30-fold increase in the Mel1 protein. Cells carrying a 2-microm-based URA3-selectable plasmid containing a GAL1pro:lacZ reporter gene and a second plasmid, pMEGA2-DeltaURA3, produce 12-fold more beta-galactosidase than cells carrying only the GAL1pro:lacZ reporter plasmid. The performance of the MEGA plasmids in providing amplified production of the Gal3, Gal80, and Gal4 proteins should prove useful in investigations of the mechanistic aspects of these transcription switch proteins and in work aimed at achieving high-level, galactose-regulatable production of proteins in yeast.


Neuronal cells communicate with each other by producing electrical signals or action potentials (APs). Different ion channels, including Na+, K+ and Ca2+ channels, are involved in generation of AP. Once an AP is generated in the soma, it travels down entire the axon length toward its terminal in a self-generating fashion that ultimately conveys information between neurons in the neural circuit. Depending on the neurotransmitter, each neuron inhibits or excites other neurons in a certain network. For instance, glutamate released from glutamatergic neurons, opens AMPA and NMDA channels permitting influx of Na+/Ca2+, which leads to postsynaptic depolarization. On the other hand, GABA released from GABAergic neurons results in Cl- influx and postsynaptic hyperpolarization. One of the major challenges in neuroscience is how actions of individual cells in the brain could underlie a certain behavior such as attention, food consumption, aggression, cognition, and movement...


Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are haematological disorders characterized by an overproduction of mature myeloid cells with a tendency to transform to acute myeloid leukaemia. Clonal proliferation of myeloid progenitor cells is driven by somatically acquired mutations, most notably JAK2 V617F, but there are important features relating to pathogenesis and phenotypic diversity that cannot be explained by acquired mutations alone. In this review we consider what is currently known about the role that inherited factors play in the development and biology of both sporadic and familial forms of MPN. Although most MPN cases appear to be sporadic, familial predisposition has been recognized for many years in a subset of cases and epidemiological studies have indicated the presence of common susceptibility alleles. Currently the JAK2 46/1 haplotype (also referred to as 'GGCC') is the strongest known predisposition factor for sporadic MPNs carrying a JAK2 V617F mutation, explaining a large proportion of the heritability of this disorder. Less is known about what genetic variants predispose to MPNs that lack JAK2 V617F, but there have been recent reports of interesting associations in biologically plausible candidates, and more loci are set to emerge with the application of systematic genome-wide association methodologies. Several highly penetrant predisposition variants that affect erythropoietin signalling, thrombopoietin signalling or oxygen sensing have been characterized in families with nonclonal hereditary erythrocytosis or thrombocytosis, but much less is known about familial predisposition to true clonal MPN. The heterogeneous pattern of inheritance and presumed genetic heterogeneity in these families makes analysis difficult, but whole exome or genome sequencing should provide novel insights into these elusive disorders.


The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary corticosterone on egg quality. For 2 weeks hens received either control or experimental diet containing corticosterone at 30 mg/kg diet. Feed intake and egg production were monitored daily, and body weight measured weekly. Egg weights and egg quality were measured daily. Corticosterone treatment resulted in a remarkable increase in feed intake and sharp decrease in egg production compared with control (p<0.05) whereas body weight remained unchanged. Decreased albumen height, but no changes in egg weight, led to decreased Haugh unit (p<0.05). Corticosterone caused elevated eggshell thickness (p<0.05) without altering weight and strength, suggesting possible changes in shell structure. Yolk color and redness were increased by corticosterone (p<0.05) but lightness and yellowness were either not changed or inconsistent over the time period of measurements. Increased concentrations in plasma were also found for corticosterone, glucose, cholesterol, creatinine, uric acid, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, total protein, and amylase (p<0.05), suggesting that corticosterone increased protein breakdown, renal dysfunctions and pancreatitis. Together, the current results imply that dietary corticosterone affects egg quality such as yolk colors and shell thickness, in addition to its effects on feed intake and egg production.


Background: Hypomethylating agents, especially AZA, have become the reference first line treatment of high-risk MDS. Myelosupression, although less important than with chemotherapy, is however observed, leading to potentially life threatening infections. A retrospective study found unfavorable (unfav) cytogenetics and low platelet counts to be predictive factors of infections in high risk MDS and AML patients (pts) receiving AZA (Merkel and al, Am j Hemat 2012). However, prognostic factors of infections, and whether infection prophylaxis would be useful in this situation, has not been prospectively evaluated. Methods: Between June 2011 and March 2013, 120 high-risk MDS pts were included in a randomized phase II trial seeking the most promising drug association with AZA by comparison with AZA alone in higher risk MDS (including AML with 20 to 30% marrow blasts and CMML with > 10% marrow blasts) (NCT01342692). Pts received AZA (75mg/m²/dx7d every 4 weeks) alone (N=40), with Valproic acid (N=40) or with Lenalidomide (N=40) (10mg/dx14d every 4 weeks). G-CSF was not used. Infectious events (IE) (diagnosed as such by the treating physician), hospitalizations for sepsis and pts receiving antimicrobial prophylaxis were reported at each cycle. Predictive factors of the occurrence of IE were analyzed. Results: 75 (62.5%) pts developed 259 IE, including 61 requiring hospitalization in 46 pts (61.3% of infected patients). The number of IE and of infected patients were similar in the 3 study arms. 39 pts died during the study, 12 of them because of infection, none of whom had responded to AZA (4 progressions, 4 failures and 4 deaths before evaluation). IE were more common during the first two cycles of therapy, with 86 (31.3%), 52 (23.5%) 45 (18.9%), 26 (15%), 15(19.2%) and 24 (19.7%) IE during cycles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. Fever of unknown origin (FUO) (39.6%) and pneumonia (28.8%) were the most common type of infections followed by ENT (9.9%), urinary tract (8.1%), skin (5.4%), dental (4.5%) and intra-abdominal (3.6%). 6,3% were bacteriemia. Among the 26 microbiologically documented IE, 13 were CG+ (4 staph aureus, 4 enteroccus species, 4 coag neg staph and 1 other), 9 were BG- (6 E Coli, 1 pseudomonas and 2 others) and 3 were viral (HSV1, influenza B, Hepatitis E) and only one patient had documented invasive fungal infection (asp fumigatus). Overall, 23 (19%), 22 (18%), 10(8%) pts received bacterial (Levofloxacine), fungal (posaconazole) and viral (Valaciclovir) prophylaxis resp. Predictive factors of IE were unfav karyotype (79.5% infections vs. 50.8% in pts with fav or int karyotype; p=0.005) and platelets (PLT) 20 G/L; p=0.03). In multivariate analysis, only unfav karyotype was predictive of IE (p=0.01). Other baseline parameters (including ANC, IPSS, age, sex, Hb level, and BM blast %) and bacterial, fungal or viral prophylaxis had no significant predictive value on the occurrence of IE. In multivariate analysis, predictive factors of pulmonary infection were anemia at baseline (p=0.04) and unfav karyotype (p Conclusion: 62.5% of the 120 pts developed infections during AZA treatment, mainly during the first 2 cycles, and 10% of the pts died from infection. Only one invasive fungal infection was documented. Unfav karyotype was strongly predictive of IE, hospitalization for infection and fatal infections. Other significant predictive factors were baseline anemia for pulmonary infection and fatal infection, and thrombocytopenia for hospitalization for infection, while ANC was not a significant factor. Moreover, prophylaxis was not associated with a decrease of IE in our study, but the small number of pts who received it precludes any conclusion. Disclosures Ades:celgene: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Fenaux:Novartis: Research Funding; celgene: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding.


This paper presents a study of UWB disc monopole antennas with an emphasis on their time domain characteristics. Two circular disc monopole antennas with different feeding structures are exemplified. The transfer functions and the received signal waveforms of the disc monopole antennas are investigated experimentally


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges to urban cultural heritage management conservation in the historical city of Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan-Iraq. The paper focusses on the roles and interactions of stakeholders and the issues that confront the decision-making processes that underpin the management of historic city towns.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study methodology is utilised for this research. It involves documentary analysis and interviews with stakeholders who are part of the management of the historic city centre of Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan-Iraq. The findings from this case study are analysed in a systematic way before being discussed in the context of the literature on urban cultural heritage management.

Findings

The research shows that although there is a shared vision of the need to preserve and conserve urban cultural heritage, the management process is a contentious one. Stakeholders have different ideas as to how to achieve conservation goals which leads to increasing conflicts among stakeholders. This situation is compounded by the limited financial resources available to local government agencies, political interference in the work of implementation agencies and the lack of capacity in local government to enforce rules and carry out conservation projects. There are also significant power differentials among stakeholders in the decision-making process which often means that local residents are excluded from the process of conserving their built urban heritage.

Practical implications

This research can help practitioners who are in charge of urban cultural heritage management in dealing with stakeholder conflicts. The paper offers insight into a number of sources of stakeholder conflicts and on ways to overcome these in the planning process.

Originality/value

The originality of research lies in the novelty of the case study area. This research highlights the issues of built heritage conservation management and planning practices in an area – Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan-Iraq – that is geographically less represented in the extant literature. The research also identifies some of the key sources of conflict in urban heritage conservation projects and provides an insight into the roles of stakeholders in the management of smaller locally-dependent historic city centres.


An apparatus is described which is suitable for measuring the flexural damping and dynamic Young's modulus of beam specimens at stress levels up to 200 MN m−2. Symmetric free-free flexural modes of vibration are excited by a coil/magnet pair, the coil being attached to the midpoint of the beam. Extraneous sources of damping have been reduced to a low level despite the difficulties of producing high-amplitude vibration. Low-damping specimens must be tested in vacuo (05 Torr was usually sufficient) if the effects of air damping are not to be significant. Specific damping capacities from 01 to 50% can be accurately measured over a frequency range of 100 to 800 Hz and a temperature range -50 to +200°C.


This article looks at the development of mountain areas in terms of the economy of enrichment (Boltanski & Esquerre, 2017). According to this theory, capitalism today is developing through the creation of value from the past, from heritage and more generally from culture. This economy therefore differs from the industrial economy, which pursues novelty (modernity). From a territorial point of view, by contrast with the industrial economy, sectoral competitiveness is not an imperative in the TEE: development through the territorial economy of enrichment (TEE) depends on relations between a variety of activities and actors without these necessarily achieving a particular critical mass. Peripheral regions are therefore able to benefit from the TEE, whereas they generally experience difficulty in developing through the industrial economy. For mountain areas, the article examines two "ideal-type" situations arising from 20thcentury pathways: areas that depend mainly on agriculture, crafts and mature industries (not specialising in a particular industrial branch), and areas that have specialised in the tourist industry.


ABSTRACT Urease in Cryptococcus neoformans plays an important role in fungal dissemination to the brain and causing meningoencephalitis. Although urea is not required for synthesis of apourease encoded by URE1, the available nitrogen source affected the expression of URE1 as well as the level of the enzyme activity. Activation of the apoenzyme requires three accessory proteins, Ure4, Ure6, and Ure7, which are homologs of the bacterial urease accessory proteins UreD, UreF, and UreG, respectively. A yeast two-hybrid assay showed positive interaction of Ure1 with the three accessory proteins encoded by URE4, URE6, and URE7. Metalloproteomic analysis of cryptococcal lysates using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and a biochemical assay of urease activity showed that, as in many other organisms, urease is a metallocentric enzyme that requires nickel transported by Nic1 for its catalytic activity. The Ure7 accessory protein (bacterial UreG homolog) binds nickel likely via its conserved histidine-rich domain and appears to be responsible for the incorporation of Ni2+ into the apourease. Although the cryptococcal genome lacks the bacterial UreE homolog, Ure7 appears to combine the functions of bacterial UreE and UreG, thus making this pathogen more similar to that seen with the plant system. Brain invasion by the ure1, ure7, and nic1 mutant strains that lack urease activity was significantly less effective in a mouse model. This indicated that an activated urease and not the Ure1 protein was responsible for enhancement of brain invasion and that the factors required for urease activation in C. neoformans resemble those of plants more than those of bacteria. IMPORTANCE Cryptococcus neoformans is the major fungal agent of meningoencephalitis in humans. Although urease is an important factor for cryptococcal brain invasion, the enzyme activation system has not been studied. We show that urease is a nickel-requiring enzyme whose activity level is influenced by the type of available nitrogen source. C. neoformans contains all the bacterial urease accessory protein homologs and nickel transporters except UreE, a nickel chaperone. Cryptococcal Ure7 (a homolog of UreG) apparently functions as both the bacterial UreG and UreE in activating the Ure1 apoenzyme. The cryptococcal urease accessory proteins Ure4, Ure6, and Ure7 interacted with Ure1 in a yeast two-hybrid assay, and deletion of any one of these not only inactivated the enzyme but also reduced the efficacy of brain invasion. This is the first study showing a holistic picture of urease in fungi, clarifying that urease activity, and not Ure1 protein, contributes to pathogenesis in C. neoformans Cryptococcus neoformans is the major fungal agent of meningoencephalitis in humans. Although urease is an important factor for cryptococcal brain invasion, the enzyme activation system has not been studied. We show that urease is a nickel-requiring enzyme whose activity level is influenced by the type of available nitrogen source. C. neoformans contains all the bacterial urease accessory protein homologs and nickel transporters except UreE, a nickel chaperone. Cryptococcal Ure7 (a homolog of UreG) apparently functions as both the bacterial UreG and UreE in activating the Ure1 apoenzyme. The cryptococcal urease accessory proteins Ure4, Ure6, and Ure7 interacted with Ure1 in a yeast two-hybrid assay, and deletion of any one of these not only inactivated the enzyme but also reduced the efficacy of brain invasion. This is the first study showing a holistic picture of urease in fungi, clarifying that urease activity, and not Ure1 protein, contributes to pathogenesis in C. neoformans


This paper has been motivated by a fleet optimization problem faced by one of the leading European cargo rail companies. The company operates a fleet of more than 100,000 rail cars and annually invests significant sums of money into new cars. Because the price tag of a new car is over 50,000 euros, planning such a fleet is an important activity at the company. In this paper, we develop and solve analytical models for fleet planning. We first describe the rental process and show how it can be modeled as a queuing loss system. We then develop a profit function and derive several structural results, such as the concavity of the profit function in the fleet size. Building on these structural results, we show how the fleet size can be optimized, how the fleet structure (i.e., the types of cars being used) can be optimized, and how a joint fleet of owned and leased cars can be optimized. Because some of the optimal methods are difficult to implement, we also develop and test an approximation that is easy to implement. To illustrate our findings and to validate our approach, we provide numerical results that are based on data of the company that motivated our research.


Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a Doppler technique that uses the esophagus as an acoustic window. In critically ill patients (particularly ventilated patients), TEE may be used to assess left ventricular function, valvular disease, endocarditis, and prosthetic valve dysfunction. It is also helpful in elucidating the cause of hypotension after cardiac surgery, and can detect chronic aortic dissection and transection, valve rupture, and myocardial contusion in trauma victims. TEE is superior to transthoracic echocardiography in evaluating a cardiac source of embolism. Contraindications to TEE include esophageal disorders and an uncorrected bleeding diathesis; a large hiatal hernia may cause suboptimal transgastric images.


Institutional support is an essential antecedent for lecturer's preparedness for e-learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of institutional support through appropriate training programs and budgetary allocation on lecturers' preparedness for e-learning at the University of Nairobi. A cross-sectional survey design was applied to source data from 212 lecturers and 96 administrative staff. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were applied to process, analyze, and interpret the data. Quantitative analysis yielded descriptive statistics as well as cross tabulations with Chi-square (x 2 ) statistic. The study found lack of significant relationship between lecturer's preparedness for e-learning and knowledge of the existence of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training program. The existing training program was still underdeveloped in terms of funding and strategies. Lecturers' preparedness for e-learning was also not significantly associated with perceived effectiveness of the existing training program; but was significantly related to training in software tools, as well as the source of funding for training. Although a team of ICT experts has been mandated to help academic staff prepare for e-learning, the team's functionality was constrained by under-funding and multiple roles. Lecturer's preparedness for e-learning also significantly associated with perceived adequacy of budgetary allocation for ICT program at the departmental level. Under-funding was a key factor constraining access to computers at the workplace, reliable internet connectivity and timely technical support, all of which significantly associated with lecturers' preparedness for e-learning. Universities in resource-poor settings should consider creating necessary partnerships to create avenues for information and resource sharing, revamp existing training programs with financial and human resources, create linkages with funding institutions, as well as improve budgetary allocation to ensure universal access to functional computers at the workplace, reliable internet connectivity and timely technical support.


SLP-76 and Vav, two hematopoietic cell specific molecules, are critical for T cell development and activation. Following T cell antigen receptor stimulation, SLP-76 and Vav both undergo tyrosine phosphorylation and associate with each other via the SH2 domain of Vav and phosphorylated tyrosines of SLP-76. Furthermore, SLP-76 and Vav have a synergistic effect on interleukin (IL)-2 promoter activity in T cells. In this report, we show that two tyrosines, Tyr-113 and Tyr-128, of SLP-76 are required for its binding to Vav, both in vitro and in intact cells. Surprisingly, we find also that the interaction between SLP-76 and Vav is not required for their cooperation in augmenting IL-2 promoter activity, as the two molecules appear to function in different signaling pathways upstream of IL-2 gene expression. Overexpression of SLP-76 in the Jurkat T cell line potentiates the activities of both nuclear factor of activated T cells and AP-1 transcription factors. In contrast, overexpression of Vav leads to enhanced nuclear factor of activated T cells activity without affecting AP-1. Additionally, overexpression of Vav, but not SLP-76, augments CD28-induced IL-2 promoter activity. These findings suggest that the synergy between SLP-76 and Vav in regulating IL-2 gene expression reflects the cooperation between different signaling pathways.


Background The study examined the association between HIV infection and individual and neighbourhood-level socioeconomic factors in Zambia. Methods We used multilevel mixed effects logistic regression to examine the association of individual and neighbourhood level variables on HIV prevalence based on data from the 2013–14 and 2018 Zambia Demographic and Health Surveys, population-based cross-sectional surveys. The analysis was restricted to young people (15–24 years) with HIV serostatus results (n = 11,751 and n = 10,154). HIV serostatus was the outcome variable and socioeconomic status was measured by wealth, education and employment. Results Overall, at individual level, education was associated with reduced odds of HIV infection among young women and men. Conversely, relative wealth was generally associated with increased odds of infection for both young women and men. Young, employed men were at reduced odds of HIV infection than the unemployed. Living in neighbourhoods with higher average level of education was associated with higher odds of HIV infection. In 2013–14, 13% and 11% of the variation in HIV infection among young men and women was attributed to neighbourhoods, while 20% and 11% variation was attributed to neighbourhoods in 2018. Inclusion of individual and neighbourhood variables in the full regression model accounted for 65.7% and 59.5% of explained variance in 2013–14 and 64.6% and 44.3% in 2018, for women and men, respectively. This reduced unexplained variance by an average of 56% in 2013–14 and 29% in 2018. Conclusion We found that HIV infection among young people in Zambia is more strongly associated with individual-level socioeconomic factors compared to neighbourhood factors. Individual-level education remains an important socioeconomic factor associated with reduced odds of HIV infection. This suggests that the HIV response in Zambia should still focus on individual level prevention strategies.


Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and its many relatives are thought to play key roles in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation. In particular, the ability of TGF-beta to induce growth arrest in epithelial cells has drawn considerable attention. The recent cloning of TGF-beta receptors, which are considered to be prototypes of a new class of cell-surface receptors, has provided a first insight into how TGF-beta signaling induces a variety of intracellular changes. Furthermore, recent advances in the characterization of the cell-cycle machinery have stimulated studies aimed at understanding how TGF-beta signaling leads to growth arrest in the late G1 phase of the cell cycle.


The effects of exercise on the metabolism of caffeine (CA) were studied 3h after administration of the drug to race horses which then underwent exercise sets (1000-m gallop). Analysis was made of pharmacokinetics of CA, changes in its plasma concentrations, its metabolites, i.e., theophylline (TP), theobromine (TB) and paraxanthine (PX), and the molar concentration ratios of CA to these metabolites. After exercise, AUC and t1/2 tended to decrease, and the concentration of CA decreased, while the concentrations of TP and TB significantly increased. The TP/CA ratio and TB/CA ratio significantly increased from 6 to 74h and from 25 to 50h after drug administration, respectively. This indicated promotion of metabolism of CA into TP and TB. The effects on PX were minimal.


In this paper we describe an approach for the verification of Web service compositions defined by sets of BPEL processes. The key aspect of such a verification is the model adopted for representing the communications among the services participating in the composition. Indeed, these communications are asynchronous and buffered in the existing execution frameworks, while most verification approaches assume a synchronous communication model for efficiency reasons. In our approach, we develop a parametric model for describing Web service compositions, which allows us to capture a hierarchy of communication models, ranging from synchronous communications to asynchronous communications with complex buffer structures. Moreover, we develop a technique to associate with a Web service composition the most adequate communication model, i.e., the simplest model that is sufficient to capture all the behaviors of the composition. This way, we can provide an accurate model of a wider class of service composition scenarios, while preserving as much as possible an efficient performance in verification.


. In a context of global warming and sea level rise acceleration, it is key to estimate the evolution of the atmospheric hydrological cycle and temperature in the polar regions, which directly influence the surface mass balance of the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets. Direct observations are available from satellite data for the last 40 years and a few weather data since the 50's in Antarctica. One of the best ways to access longer records is to use climate proxies in firn or ice cores. The water isotopic 5 composition in these cores is widely used to reconstruct past temperature variations. In order to progress in our understanding of the influence of the atmospheric hydrological cycle on the water isotopic composition, we first present a 2-year long time series of vapor and precipitation isotopic composition measurement at Dumont d'Urville station, in Adélie Land. We characterize diurnal variations of meteorological parameters (temperature, humidity and δ 18 O) for the different seasons and determine the evolution of key relationships ( δ 18 O versus temperature or humidity) along 10 the year: we found mean annual slopes of 0.5 and 0.4 ‰ ◦ C − 1 for the relationship of δ 18 O vs. temperature in the water vapor and in the precipitation respectively. Then, this data set is used to evaluate the Atmospheric General Circulation Model ECHAM6-wiso (model version with embedded water stable isotopes) in a region where local conditions are controlled by strong katabatic winds which directly impact the isotopic signal. We show that a combination of continental (79%) and oceanic (21%) grid cells leads model outputs (temperature, humidity and δ 18 O) to nicely fit the observations, even winter extreme 15 synoptic events are represented in the model. Therefore we demonstrate the added value of long-term water vapor isotopic composition records. Then, as a clear link is found between water vapor and precipitation isotopic composition, we evaluate how isotopic enabled models can help interpreting short firn cores


Diuretics and calcium blockers are particularly effective in the treatment of hypertension in Blacks, who, characteristically, have low-renin hypertension. The efficacy and tolerable of lacidipine (a calcium) blocker of the dihydropyridine class) and hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic) were compared in a 12 week double-blind randomised parallel group study of Nigerians with essential hypertension. Lacidipine was given at a starting dose of 4 mg daily by mouth and increased to 6 mg if there was no satisfactory response at 4 weeks, and hydrochlorothiazide was stared at 25 mg daily by mouth and increased to 50 mg if necessary. Twenty-four patients (8 male) in the lacidipine group and 17 (5 male) in the hydrochlorothiazide group were evaluable at the end of the trial. In the lacidipine group, SBP was significantly reduced from 157 +/- 14 mmHg to 146 +/- 24 mmHg (P < 0.00001) and DBP from 90 +/- 9 mmHG to 87 +/- 15 mmHg (P < 0.00001) with BP normalisation rates of 67% and 79% at 4 weeks and 12 weeks, respectively. In the hydrochlorothiazide group, SBP was significantly reduced from 16.4 +/- 19 mmHg to 141 +/- 17 mmHg (P < 0.00001) and DBP from 102 +/- 6 mmHG to 89 +/- 7 mmHg (P < 0.00001) with normalisation rates of 77% and 82% at 4 weeks and 12 weeks respectively. The groups did not differ in BP reduction nor normalisation rates. There were no reported side effects.


Fossil fuels and other conventional energy sources used to generate electricity are finite. Therefore, alternative energy sources should be pursued to meet present and future energy demands. The photovoltaic (PV) is a promising renewable energy source, especially for the remote areas. The PV is a DC power source that needs to be converted into usable AC power using an inverter. However, its nonlinearity and output fluctuation pose challenges in the design of PV based inverter. In this paper, a PV inverter controller system with the fundamentals of a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) and its applications and execution are reviewed. The different fuzzy controllers, inverter control algorithms, and switching techniques are studied. The findings indicate that the fuzzy logic controls have been gaining attention in the area of power control engineering, especially in inverter controller design for PV applications and generation. The FLC has a flexible and intelligent design, expedient user interface, easy computation and learning system, and combinations of different control algorithms. The FLC is also verifiable for completeness, redundancy, and consistency. However, finding the boundaries of membership functions and other rules of FLC requires manual tuning, long computation time, and considerable effort. This paper comprehensively reviews the FLC-based inverter control system to minimize PV output fluctuations, which cause inverter issues related to output harmonics, power factor, switching schemes, losses, and system implementation. The inverter system and its control strategy for future PV applications and generation require further research and development. Consequently, this review focuses on many factors and challenges and provides recommendations for designing capable and efficient inverter control systems for converting PV power to usable AC power. All the highlighted insights of this review will hopefully lead to increased efforts toward the development of the advanced inverter control systems for PV applications for AC loads and the utility grid.


The evolution of the Romantic sublime is well-ploughed ground; and Samuel H. Monk's 935 classic The Sublime: A Study of Critical Theories in XVIII-Century England recounts with admirable clarity the genesis of the new aesthetic concept in Boileau-Despréaux's 674 translation of Longinus' seminal treatise, Peri Hupsous (On the Sublime), and its mutation through John Dennis' awe-struck account of the ruggedness and geological asymmetry of the Alps in 688, Shaftesbury's evocation of the grandeur of high places and immensity of space in The Moralists, Addison's panegyric to "huge Heaps of Mountains, high Rocks and Precipices" in Spectator 42, Charles Leslie's distinction between the sublime and the beautiful in his Essay on Design and Beauty (Edinburgh, 739), Thomson's explicit linkage of the power of untamed nature with Romantic terror in The Seasons (London, 726 – 30), and finally Burke's integration of his predecessors' ideas into a clear and coherent whole in his Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (London, 757).1 Building upon Leslie's differentiation between two groups of aesthetic qualities, those conducive of the sublime and those conducive of the beautiful, Burke reinforced the


Background/aim: Contact lens cases contaminated with Acanthamoeba are a major risk factor for an infection of the eye. In this study the anti-Acanthamoeba activity of three different contact lens storage solutions was tested. Methods: A new multipurpose contact lens storage solution (Meni Care Plus) and a two step (Titmus H2O2) and one step (Oxysept Comfort) hydrogen peroxide system were tested for their effects on trophozoites and cysts of three different Acanthamoeba species: A castellanii, A hatchetti, and A lenticulata. Results: After a soaking time of 8 hours (overnight soaking of contact lenses) the Titmus H2O2 0.6% solution showed very good amoebicidal effects, while Oxysept Comfort 3% H2O2 could not effectively destroy the cysts of any of the three tested species. Viable cysts of the species A lenticulata and A hatchetti were still present after exposure to Meni Care Plus (0.0005% PHMB) for 8 hours. Conclusion: Not all of the three tested contact lens storage solutions have sufficient amoebicidal effects. The two step peroxide system Titmus H2O2 is a very effective disinfectant contact lens solution in order to avoid a possible Acanthamoeba infection of the eye.


Incorporation of wireless technology in Automation system has led to the development of remote monitoring and controlling of loads. It is essential to select and implement an appropriate technology according to the desired application area. This paper describes the various factors viz. network topology, network span and transmission time, which influence the performance of the system. It also illustrates ZigBee (over IEEE 802.15.4) based Home Automation system (HAS), for remote controlling and monitoring of loads/appliances. In order to estimate the total power consumption of the desired load, the designed HAS can be operated in either of the two modes viz. Energy measurement IC `CS5490' based mode and Current sensor IC `WCS 2705' based mode. It provides real time power monitoring with the help of a PC-based GUI application developed on Net Beans Java platform. Further, the paper emphasizes on performance evaluation of the system by analyzing the various performance metrics viz. the Latency, Round Trip Delay (RTD) time and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI).


Seller reputation is an important asset because buyers often chooses sellers on the basis of their reputation. This is particularly true when the quality of the good or service transacted are hard to measure and the parties cannot perfectly contract on the outcome of the transaction. As a consequence, the seller will be mindful of building and maintaining a good reputation through the information that buyers have about the seller, including previous transactions and the reports of other buyers. We introduce a unifying framework that embeds a number of different approaches to seller reputation, incorporating both hidden information and hidden action. We use this framework to stress that the way in which consumers learn affects both behavior and outcomes. In particular, the extent to which information is generated and socially aggregated determines the efficiency of markets. After reviewing these theoretical building blocks we discuss several applications and empirical concerns. We highlight that the environment in which a transaction is embedded can help determine whether the transaction will occur and how parties will behave. Institutions, ranging from the design of online markets to norms in a community, can be understood as ensuring that concerns for reputation lead to more efficient outcomes. Similarly, the desire to affect consumer beliefs regarding the firm's incentives can help us understand strategic firm decisions that seem unrelated to the particular transactions they wish to promote. We conclude by considering slightly different models of reputation that lie beyond the scope our framework, briefly reviewing the somewhat sparse empirical literature and highlighting and suggesting future directions for research. ∗We thank Adam Brandenburger, Luis Cabral, Theodosios Dimopoulos, Joe Harrington, Martin Peitz, and Giancarlo Spagnolo for comments and discussions. Victor Bennett provided excellent research assistance. Steven Tadelis is grateful to the National Science Foundation and to Yahoo! Research for financial support.


Most operators in industry use trial and error methodin determining the parameter in PID controller. This way isquite dangerous because it cannot predict what will happen inthe next process. For this, we need a method that can adjust thechanging of parameter in process, and simultaneously retune theparameter of controller automatically. Ziegler-Nichols method, amethod for setting parameter of PID controller, can be use foreliminating the oscillation and reducing overshoot curve in aprocess. This method is common yet, but it offers simpleprocedure but produce quick and accurate result. This methodanalyzes the curve of a process. It is done when oscillation andovershoot projected onto x-axis (time) occurred. The parametersresulted from this analysis among others are: critical gain (Kpu),time/period oscillation (Tosc), static gain (K), proportional gain(Kp), integral time Ti, and differential time Td. These parameterswill be tuned to PID controller using Ziegler-Nichols method.The overshoot (Mp) curve response of closed loop in thissimulation is 0 %. It will save energy and time beside that thestability of system can be maintained.


ABSTRACT Rural failure in English learning and the socioeconomics of ELT. Over 24 million children learn English as a second/foreign language in primary and secondary schools in Bangladesh. These children start learning the language as a required subject in Grade 1 and continue learning it (if they don't drop out) until Grade 12, and later at the tertiary level. Officially, they are taught English communicatively using Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) methodology, as it was envisaged that CLT would develop learners' 'communicative competence', and thereby strengthen the human resource development efforts of the Government of Bangladesh (NCTB, 2003). Nearly a decade has passed since CLT was first introduced in the national curriculum. It now seems appropriate to ask to what extent has it developed learners' competence and improved the declining standards of English in the country (Rahman, 1991).


X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study the electronic structure of bulk GdF3, Gd2In and Gd5Si4. The structure of the Gd photoemission core level multiplets was analysed and compared to that one obtained for Gd metal. The line-width and the intensity ratio of the component lines within the multiplets were found to be dependent on the compound. The observed effects have been related to the variation of the valence band structure and various hybrydization effects between the 4f electrons and conduction or valence ones. The most modified multiplet structure in relation to Gd metal was found in the ionic compound GdF3.


A specific red cell adhesion test was done in 243 patients with carcinoma of the cervix uteri and showed the presence of isoantigens in only 27.16% of the patients with infiltrating squamous cell carcinoma. There was a gradual loss of isoantigens during the development of carcinoma. The test can be usefully employed in studying the evolution of the disease. The negativity of the test was found to increase as clinical severity of the disease increases. Also, the highest percentage (57.57%) of retained isoantigen was found in large‐cell nonkeratinizing carcinoma, a well‐differentiated type for the cervix. Follow‐up studies suggest that the loss of antigen indicates probable metastasis and a poor prognosis.


The method of estimating coverage ellipses on epicenters is now often modified to try and allow for possible epicenter bias. Usually this is done by replacing the a priori variance of the measurement error used to calculate such ellipses by an a priori variance that is the sum of two variances, one for measurement error and the other for travel-time error. This procedure cannot work; the only statistical quantity in epicenter estimation is measurement error. All that a coverage ellipse can specify (for a given level of probability) is the precision of the estimate: that is the area within which the estimated epicenters of a series of earthquakes or explosions will lie, for a given source region, station network, and size of measurement error. Correcting for the bias turns the ellipse into a measure of accuracy, rather than precision, with the orientation and area unchanged. The differences between precision and accuracy are illustrated here with the epicenters estimated by Myers and Schultz. The results obtained suggest that the precision of the biased epicenters and the effectiveness of the bias corrections derived by Myers and Schultz are better than claimed in their article.


Summary The possible induction of new transfer RNA-methylating enzymes by the tumor-producing virus, Simian Virus 40 (SV40), and by other DNA-containing animal viruses has been studied in connection with the aberrant methylation hypothesis of vital carcinogenesis. The tRNA methylase "activity" and the tRNA methylase "capacity" were measured after productive infection of African green monkey kidney (CV-1) cells by SV40, vaccinia, and herpes simplex viruses. The methylase "activity" and the methylase "capacity" were also studied after abortive infection of primary mouse kidney cultures by SV40. Methylase "activity" was assayed with limiting amounts of enzyme and with excess tRNA (yeast, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtillis , and rabbit liver). Methylase "capacity" was assayed in the presence of limiting amounts of tRNA but with excess enzyme. Neither the tRNA methylase "activity" nor the tRNA methylase "capacity" was enhanced by infecting cells with any of three DNA-containing viruses. However, control experiments with the same cell extracts confirmed the fact that all three viruses did induce thymidine kinase activity. Although the tRNA methylases were not enhanced in virus-infected cells, both the tRNA methylase "activity" and the tRNA methylase "capacity" were increased about 2- to 4-fold in various mouse kidney cell lines transformed by SV40. To learn whether the increases were dependent on the metabolic state of the transformed cells, we studied the tRNA methylases at various times after subculture of the cells. The changes in the tRNA methylase during growth were relatively small compared with changes in thymidine kinase activity. Unlike tRNA methylase, thymidine kinase increased markedly in activity during exponential cell growth and then declined sharply as the cells entered the stationary growth phase. Thus, tRNA methylase fluctuations during cell growth probably do not account for the high levels of tRNA methylase in SV40-transformed cells. The enhanced tRNA methylases of SV40-transformed cells have been interpreted as indicative of a generalized derepression of host cell functions related to growth rather than the induction of a new tRNA methylase controlled directly by SV40 genes.


Maduramicin is a toxic ionophore antibiotic that is isolated from Streptomyces, frequently occurring in an aquatic environment. To understand the potential role of maduramicin in crayfish consumption related Haff disease, a mouse model was established in this study. Two exposure routes of maduramicin in the abdominal muscle and the hepatopancreas tissue homogenates of crayfish were given intragastrically to mice in different doses for seven days. Action changes, clinical symptoms, feed consumption, body weight, blood biochemistry, and histopathology examination of mice were observed and analyzed. In the natural exposure group, relatively low concentration of maduramicin in crayfish muscle and hepatopancreas had no obvious effects on mental state, body weight, blood biochemical indexes, or histologic appearance. However, in the artificial exposure group, with increasing concentrations, maduramicin in crayfish muscle and hepatopancreas homogenates both induced mental sluggishness and weight loss of mice. Blood biochemical examination showed that 3.5 mg·kg−1 and 7 mg·kg−1 maduramicin in crayfish tissue homogenates significantly increased levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatine kinase (CK). Additionally, histopathological examination showed that multiple organs were damaged by maduramicin, including degeneration of liver cells, shedding of renal epithelial cells, and disturbance and partial lysis of myocardial and skeletal muscle filaments in the mice. In summary, maduramicin may not cause Haff disease through contamination of the aquatic environment under normal conditions. Maduramicin can be used as a potential toxin tool to establish a rhabdomyolysis disease animal model for drug development.


1. The hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) kinetic variables from chickens were studied in intact and disrupted microsomes using two substrates: glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P) and pyrophosphate (PPi). They were studied from embryonic life to 51 d of age. 2. The phosphohydrolase activity studied in the broiler chicken liver microsomes corresponds to a true glucose-6-phosphatase. 3. The enzyme V MAX with both substrates in intact and disrupted microsomes showed 2 maxima: one in 19-d-old embryos and the other in 9-d-old chickens. Pyrophosphatase (PPase) V MAX in intact microsomes was higher than that of the G-6-Pase at all ages studied, except in 12 d embryos and 3-dold chicks. In disrupted microsomes the V MAX of both enzymatic activities were similar. The G-6-Pase latency was high in the 19-d-old embryos and 51-d-old chickens. 4. The K M for PPi and G-6-Pase decreased when microsomes were disrupted. In intact microsomes the G-6-P K M was low in embryos and 3-d-old chicks and later increased. On the other hand, the PPi K M in intact microsomes showed little change during the animal's life and was lower than that of G6-P. In disrupted microsomes the K M for both substrates were similar. 5. These results suggest a sequential incorporation of the G-6-Pase system components in the endoplasmic reticulum.


It is now widely accepted that the experience of pain is subject to cognitive influences that may determine the severity of subjectively perceived pain. Many of these top-down factors rely on memory-based processes, which in turn are related to prior experience, learned beliefs and behaviours about pain. As such, memory for pain heavily contributes to the physical pain experience. We posit that pain memory is bidirectional in that following each painful event a trace is stored and that these traces in turn may modify future pain perception prospectively. The following body of work explores aspects of what we have termed a memory template for pain. The results of these chapters taken together, examine these bidirectional aspects of short-term memory for pain employing a recall pain task. Specifically, we explore how, after an acute pain event, a short-term mental representation of the initial event persists. We show that during this time, sensory re-experiencing of the painful event is possible. Furthermore, we investigate aspects of recalled pain, namely intensity and vividness. Data suggests that the intensity and the vividness of this mental representation are determined by the intensity of the initial stimulus, as well as the time-to-test delay. We identify regions that characterise short-term memory for pain. Following on from studies in motor and visual imagery, we explore how pain imagery in the form of recall may affect subsequent pain perception. Our results demonstrate that the inclusion of pain-related imagery preceding physical pain events reduces affective qualities of pain. Testing healthy, naive subjects, we replicate the effect observed in studies using attention management and imagery strategies, which normally require extensive training. Finally, in a cohort of neuropathic pain patients we show significant reductions in white matter connectivity between areas responsible for working and prospective memory. Collectively, these studies emphasise and elucidate the role of short-term memory of pain in physical pain perception. Acting both retrospectively and prospectively, cognitive reinforcement can increase or decrease the subjective feeling of pain, and therefore manipulating how pain is recalled may have therapeutic potential.


A simple procedure that allowed the extraction and partial purification of a component of 65,000 mol.wt. from the surface of Leishmania braziliensis promastigotes is described. Iodinated cell surface membrane fractions were solubilized using Triton X-100 followed by Nonidet P-40. The macromolecular components were then freed of the detergents by passage of the extracts through a column of DE52 cellulose. The component of 65,000 mol.wt. was eluted from the column with 1 m NaCl. This component in whole parasites was immunoprecipitated by sera from patients with cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis and kala-azar. None of the major surface determinants reacted with sera from normal individuals with antibovine rabbit serum. The relevance and the possible applications on the immunoprophylaxis of the disease are briefly discussed.


The design process and features of new CANDU (Canadian Deuterium Uranium) control centres are discussed. The design process incorporates the systematic consideration of human factors (HF) issues as part of the overall systems engineering activity. This design process has been based on international standards for control center design. CANDU control centers have evolved through three generations of designs with the current advanced designs representing the fourth generation. CANDU plants have always incorporated digital technologies. Video display units (VDUs) have been present in CANDU control centers since the late 1960s. Advanced designs, such as the CANDU 3, make use of a distributed control system feeding data to a plant-wide LAN. The operator interface system is based on a set of nodes on the plant-wide LAN which then feed various VDUs in the control centers. Large-scale wall displays are also used to present operators with a plant overview. Details of the HF aspects of the control center design process and the CANDU 3 control room are discussed.<<ETX>>


The concepts of radiation dose, dose equivalent, and related terms are defined and methods for measuring them are described. The various health effects of radiation-acute radiation sickness, cancer, genetic disease, and developmental deficiencies from in utero exposure-are discussed, and the risks are quantified. For perspective, risks from radiation are compared with common risks in our lives. It is concluded that radiation exposures of 1 rem per year or less represent only very minor increments in the multitude of risks faced by everyone. >


We report a case of complete congenital branchial fistula with an internal opening near the tonsillar fossa. Cysts, fistulas, and sinuses of the second branchial cleft are the most common developmental anomalies arising from the branchial apparatus. In our case, a 43-year-old man presented with a several-year history of a discharging sinus from the right side of his neck, consistent with a branchial fistula. He underwent various investigations and finally was treated with a one-stage complete surgical excision of the fistula tract. We describe the general clinical presentation, investigations, and surgical outcome of this case.


Rapid increase in internet users also brought new ways of privacy and security exploitation. Intrusion is one of such attacks in which an authorized user can access system resources and is major concern for cyber security community. Although AV and firewall companies work hard to cope with this kind of attacks and generate signatures for such exploits but still, they are lagging behind badly in this race. This research proposes an approach to ease the task of rules generationby making use of machine learning for this purpose. We used 17 network features to train a random forest classifier and this trained classifier is then translated into rules which can easily be integrated with most commonly used firewalls like snort and suricata etc. This work targets five kind of attacks: brute force, denial of service, HTTP DoS, infiltrate from inside and SSH brute force. Separate rules are generated for each kind of attack. As not every generated rule contributes toward detection that's why an evaluation mechanism is also used which selects the best rule on the basis of precision and f-measure values. Generated rules for some attacks have 100% precision with detection rate of more than 99% which represents effectiveness of this approach on traditional firewalls. As our proposed system translates trained classifier model into set of rules for firewalls so it is not only effective for rules generation but also give machine learning characteristics to traditional firewall to some extent.


In the province of Manabi, Ecuador, the Poverty Reduction and Local Rural Development Project (PROLOCAL) has partnered with a group of community based organizations to harness a community radio's potential to contribute to local development. The goals of the Radio Alfaro Initiative are: Facilitating dialogue on local development needs and renewing the sense of community identity. Strengthening local Community Based Organizations (CBO's) capacities to provide services and mobilize constituencies for change. Supporting Radio Alfaro's operational capabilities in order to promote the station's sustainability and further involvement in local development initiatives.


Cement is one of the important construction materials used for housing and infrastructure development. It is made from a mixture of clay and limestone that is calcined in kiln. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of cement dust on lung function of adult cement loaders in Benin City using a total of 60 apparently healthy male and female subjects divided into two groups (experimental and control) of thirty subjects each between the ages of 25-40 years after ethical clearance. Anthropometric and Spirometry measurements were carried out on all subjects and data appropriately documented. Results obtained show reduction in the forced vital capacity of the experimental group(3.0L and 1.0L) compared to the control(1.0L).The forced expiratory volume in one second was reduced for the experimental group compared to the control(3.2L/Second and 1.0L/second respectively).The peak expiratory flow rate of the experimental group were reduced well when compared to the control (5.0L and 0.5L respectively).The results were statistically significant (P<0.05), hence cement loaders are advised to wear protective gadgets. Keywords: Cement, Lung function, Spirometry, Peak Expiratory flow rate


Health Smart Homes are a promising part of digital personalized health care. However, engineering of the underlying residential assistance systems is a complex process that needs to be supported by computer-based design tools. This paper presents a formal definition for the engineering task and proposes a methodology for model-driven design process automation, that is implemented in a web-based pilot application. Using this approach for design support, the challenge to efficiently compose personalized assistance systems for patients can be coped with in the future, which reduces a major barrier for smart home assistance applications.


Although alcohol use continues to be a major problem, when high-risk users enter social services, they are not provided with empirically supported treatments (ESTs). This study investigates predictors of successful implementation in agencies not specializing in addiction services. Fifty-four frontline workers in six organizations were enrolled in the study. After completing self-administered surveys of organizational culture and climate and attitudes toward ESTs, workers were trained to implement a brief intervention. The results indicate that organizational factors and attitudes may not be related to implementation. Although high implementers had similar traits, further research is needed to characterize successful EST implementers.


The quadrature processing techniques used in spectral analysis, computer graphics, and digital communications constantly demand high-speed calculation of the magnitude of a complex number (vector V) given its real and imaginary parts. The aim of this work is designing a digital signal processor (DSP processor) for approximating magnitude and arctangent (phase) of vectors (and/or complex numbers). This work can be divided into three main stages. Firstly, a mathematical model is designed in Simulink, then using that model. Secondly, Verilog description code is generated. The code is used to perform logic synthesis (converting the description code into logic gates) using XT018 technology (180 nm BCD-on-SOI) from X-FAB. Lastly, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) is created from the logic gates. The inputs and outputs of the device are fixed-point numbers, their length is equal to 16 bits and the fraction length is 8 bits. The proposed system can calculate magnitude and phase with an error of less than 1 and 0.35 % respectively.


The events of February 1917, presented on the pages of the church periodicals of Western Siberia, is examined in the article. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that for the first time in Russian historiography the political upheavals of this period have been analyzed on the basis of materials from regional diocesan records. The authors note that the diocesan records are an important historical source. A detailed analysis of the content of articles of Omsk, Tobolsk, Tomsk periodicals ("Diocesan Gazette") on the presentation of the political events of February 1917 in them is carried out. The novelty of the research lies in identifying the attitude of the regional clergy to the revolutionary events in the period from February to April 1917. The presented results of the comparative analysis can be grouped according to the chronology and significance of the events that took place. The article concludes that it was during this period that one could hear the opinion of the Russian Orthodox Church on political changes in the country. It is noted that of particular interest were the issues of the relationship between the Church and the Provisional Government, this topic remained the most acute after the fall of the monarchy. It is shown that the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church wanted to restore historical justice and receive autonomous government and independence from the secular authorities.


In experiments using rabbits, the pupil on the side of irritative inner ear lesion showed dilatation, and that on the side of paretic lesion showed constriction. In the clinical observation of patients with unilateral inner ear diseases (134 cases), anisocoria was recognized in 54.5%. In 68.5% of these, anisocoria was induced after applying a drop of neosynephrine. The size of the pupil on the healthy side was smaller in 65.8% than the pupil on the healthy side. Anisocoria in inner ear lesions is believed to be due to vestibulo-sympathetic imbalance through the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion.


Measurement of the ground reaction force vector is important in clinical gait analysis and biomechanics research, for example to enable inverse dynamic calculations. Instrumented insoles allow biomechanical data to be collected outside of the motion analysis laboratory in many environments. However, current insole-based approaches typically measure only the vertical component of the reaction force and the plantar center of pressure. This work describes the development and evaluation of a silicone insole capable of measuring the complete three dimensional reaction force vector. The insole is optically based and low-cost with no complex manufacturing requirements. Accuracy over five nominal gait trails is shown to be on the order of 10% of the force range, with mean errors of 10.7 N in the shear directions and 68.1 N in normal. The insole can provide a simple mobile platform that allows kinetic gait data to be collected in many environments while minimally affecting the wearer's gait.


Recommender systems are increasingly successful in recommending personalized content to users. However, these systems often capitalize on popular content. There is also a continuous evolution of user interests that need to be captured, but there is no direct way to systematically explore users' interests. This also tends to affect the overall quality of the recommendation pipeline as training data is generated from the candidates presented to the user. In this paper, we present a framework for exploration in large-scale recommender systems to address these challenges. It consists of three parts, first the user-creator exploration which focuses on identifying the best creators that users are interested in, second the online exploration framework and third a feed composition mechanism that balances explore and exploit to ensure optimal prevalence of exploratory videos. Our methodology can be easily integrated into an existing large-scale recommender system with minimal modifications. We also analyze the value of exploration by defining relevant metrics around user-creator connections and understanding how this helps the overall recommendation pipeline with strong online gains in creator and ecosystem value. In contrast to the regression on user engagement metrics generally seen while exploring, our method is able to achieve significant improvements of 3.50% in strong creator connections and 0.85% increase in novel creator connections. Moreover, our work has been deployed in production on Facebook Watch, a popular video discovery and sharing platform serving billions of users.


Most readers, even the most ardent disciples of Stanley Hauerwas, should read this book from the back. This is because at the end of the book there is an extremely illuminating and lucid autobiographical essay, 'Connecting Some of the Dots, or an Attempt to Understand Myself', in which, often in dialogue with Sam Wells, Hauerwas reflects on his developing understanding of what it is to be a Christian theologian and preacher in the contemporary United States. This essay provides a vital key to the development of Hauerwas's theology, and how it relates to his life story. Readers of Hauerwas's sermons will not be surprised to learn that Hauerwas preaches frequently in churches of various denominations. In a real sense for him preaching is the heart of theological communication. What is abundantly evident is that Hauerwas's theology, like Karl Barth's, is essentially a Church theology, with the life and worship of the Church, and especially the Church's preaching, at its heart. 'I am convinced', he writes, 'that the recovery of the sermon as the context for theological reflection is crucial if Christians are to negotiate the world in which we find ourselves.' In a second essay at the end of the book, Hauerwas reflects fascinatingly on 'Preaching Repentance in Time of War'. The Church, he proclaims, is called today to quite specific repentance for the nation's involvement in war. There must be, on this point, he suggests no equivocation or hesitation. Hauerwas is, of course, a pacifist, but it is worth remembering that much, if not most, of the just war tradition refuses to see violence and war as more than very occasional and still sinful necessities. Hauerwas's cautions are well taken, empathy for 'heterodox' positions, the tone of the book ultimately reinforces current 'orthodoxy.' Despite this, Heretics for Armchair Theologians is an extremely useful and lively way in to early Christian theology.


Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has received much attention in the business press as a management process to enhance firm performance. This research highlights differences between groups of respondents who believe their firm's CRM program is performing at a high level, as compared to those not satisfied with the performance of their CRM initiative. Cluster analysis was used to develop a taxonomy of respondents based on their perceived CRM performance. The resulting clusters are then profiled on both demographic variables as well as a core set of activities/behaviors to better understand key differences in the CRM programs of agribusinesses.


Objective To determine normal values for 24 h ambulatory blood pressure in a Danish population and to study the relationship to casual blood pressure. Study population A random sample of 2656 Danish men and women participated in a population survey. The participants were selected in age groups and were aged 41–42, 51–52, 61–62 or 71–72 years during the survey. Methods Casual blood pressure (standard mercury sphygmomanometer) and 24 h ambulatory blood pressure (Takeda TM-2421) were measured successfully in 2082 subjects. All subjects under antihypertensive treatment (247) were excluded, restricting the study population to 1835 participants. Results Casual and 24 h ambulatory blood pressure were correlated (P < 0.0001) in all age and sex groups. Casual systolic/diastolic blood pressures were 129.6 ± 17.8/82.6 ± 10.3 for men and 125.1 ± 18.2/79.7 ± 9.9 mmHg for women. Twenty-four-hour average blood pressures were 130.8 ± 14.2/75.3 ± 8.6 for men and 122.4 ± 14.9/69.6 ± 8.3 mmHg for women. A multivariate linear logistic regression model confirmed that a high casual blood pressure (odds ratios 11/7 for systolic/diastolic blood pressure; P = 0.001) was the major determinant of a lower ambulatory than casual blood pressure; age and sex were less important. Conclusion The relationship between casual blood pressure on the one hand and the difference in casual and 24 h ambulatory blood pressure on the other hand suggests that ambulatory blood pressure represents a regression towards the mean compared to casual blood pressure. Any definition of an upper normal level of 24 h ambulatory blood pressure that is derived from a correlation between casual and ambulatory measurements will be inaccurate, and must await long-term studies of the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure and subsequent cardiovascular events.


Digital games for animals within Animal Computer Interaction are usually single-device oriented, however richer interactions could be delivered by considering multimodal environments and expanding the number of technological elements involved. In these playful ecosystems, animals could be either alone or accompanied by human beings, but in both cases the system should react properly to the interactions of all the players, creating more engaging and natural games. Technologically-mediated playful scenarios for animals will therefore require contextual information about the game participants, such as their location or body posture, in order to suitably adapt the system reactions. This paper presents a depth-based tracking system for cats capable of detecting their location, body posture and field of view. The proposed system could also be extended to locate and detect human gestures and track small robots, becoming a promising component in the creation of intelligent interspecies playful environments.


Education is basically a process to help humans develop their potential so that they are able to deal with any changes that occur. Through education can make people from a state of ignorance to become, smart, creative, responsible and productive. While children are still at play, it is necessary to provide game-based learning to reduce feelings of difficulty and fear, the researchers made learning media in the form of Dart Board. The use of Dart Board learning media Dart Board is one example of learning media for mathematics.
This research is a developmental research which aims to produce learning media in the form of a dartboard called Dart Board on the subject of flat shapes and the validity of Dart Board media for class VII SMP. This media development process uses the 4D development model, namely: Define, Design, Develop and Disseminate. However, this research is limited to the develop stage.
This research was conducted at SMP Shalahuddin Malang. This study resulted in an average expert validation of 3.83, this value is included in the very valid criteria. For trials of this learning media product, it has not been carried out because of the Covid-19 pandemic.


Nitrogen implantation of Mo gate was used to fabricate MOS capacitors and CMOS transistors. Initial studies demonstrate that the work function of Mo is sensitive to nitrogen implantation energy. Mo with (110) orientation exhibits a high work function, making it suitable for bulk p-MOSFET gate electrodes. Nitrogen implantation can be used to lower the Mo work function, making it suitable for n-MOSFET gate electrodes. A gate work function reduction of 0.42 eV was achieved for the n-FETs on CMOS wafers. With further optimization, this single metal gate technology may potentially replace conventional poly-Si gate technology for CMOS and can also be used for multiple-VTtechnologies.


Electrode location is of vital importance to diaphragm pacing devices using electrodes implanted on the diaphragm. Complete phrenic nerve recruitment with a single epimysial electrode implanted on the abdominal surface of the diaphragm required placement within 1 cm of the motor point. Recruitment could be increased further using multiple electrodes, provided the electrodes were implanted on opposite sides of the phrenic nerve motor point. The location of the implanted electrode relative to the phrenic nerve motor point also affected the relation between the stimulus interpulse interval (IPI) and the measured tidal volume. Specifically, we found that electrodes implanted lateral to the phrenic nerve motor point had different tidal volume--IPI relations than electrodes placed anterior or posterior to the motor point. We concluded that properly placed epimysial electrodes are required to obtain adequate phrenic nerve recruitment for full time ventilation and knowledge of the relative location of the electrode with respect to motor point is necessary to predict the tidal volume produced by a specific IPI.


Abstract Using geopotential height observations we analyze the fluctuations of the barotropic vorticity transfer from synoptic scale flow (zonal wavenumber m > 5) to planetary scales (m ≤ 5). We hypothesize that this transfer can be seen as a stochastic forcing of the planetary flow modes which is essentially independent of the state at planetary scales. The covariance of the transfer and the planetary flow is presented for selected planetary modes. In parallel, the linear barotropic vorticity equation is solved for these modes where the transfer is prescribed as stochastic forcing with the statistical characteristics of the observed transfer. The covariance of forcing and response is derived and compared to the observed covariance. It turns out that there is good agreement for retrograde and quasi-stationary modes. The agreement is less satisfactory for the largest atmospheric mode and for prograde modes with relatively large wavenumber. 11 is shown that the transfer cannot be seen as a diffusive process...


Until recently the immediate aftermath of the Hangenberg event of the Famennian Stage (Upper Devonian) was considered to have decimated sarcopterygian groups, including lungfish, with only two taxa, Occludus romeri and Sagenodus spp., being unequivocally recorded from rocks of Tournaisian age (Mississippian, Early Carboniferous). Recent discoveries of numerous morphologically diverse lungfish tooth plates from southern Scotland and northern England indicate that at least 10 dipnoan taxa existed during the earliest Carboniferous. Of these taxa, only two, Xylognathus and Ballgadus, preserve cranial and postcranial skeletal elements, which have yet to be described. Here we present a description of the skull of a new genus and species of lungfish, Limanichthys fraseri gen. et sp. nov., which hails from the very earliest Tournaisian in the Ballagan Formation of Burnmouth, southern Scotland. The new specimen represents the earliest definitive Tournaisian lungfish skull material, thus providing an invaluable insight into the response of this group – and, indeed, Sarcopterygii as a whole – immediately following the latest Devonian Hangenberg event. Phylogenetic analysis places Limanichthys fraseri within the Devonian 'phaneropleurid-fleurantiid' grade of lungfish and shows that the Carboniferous lungfish represent forms that have their origins deep in the Middle and Late Devonian as well as those from a unique Carboniferous radiation. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:101FFE43-42D5-4950-9169-A900113B6F1D


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between tumor size and curability of stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

METHODS
From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry 2003, we identified all primary non-small cell lung cancer cases that were diagnosed prior to autopsy. Among these cases, we narrowed the focus to those diagnosed in 1988 or later, and to 7,620 patients who had undergone curative surgical resection. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were obtained for these stage I malignancies for five tumor size categories (ie, 5 to 15 mm, 16 to 25 mm, 26 to 35 mm, 36 to 45 mm, and > 45 mm). The 12-year Kaplan-Meier estimator of survival was used as a measure of lung cancer cure rate.

RESULTS
Among 7,620 stage I cancers, cure rates decreased with increasing tumor size. The 12-year survival rates for patients with tumors 5 to 15 mm in diameter was 69% (95% confidence interval [CI], 64 to 74%), 63% for those with tumors 16 to 25 mm in diameter (95% CI, 60 to 67%), 58% for those with tumors 26 to 35 mm in diameter (95% CI, 54 to 61%), 53% for those with tumors 36 to 45 mm in diameter (95% CI, 48 to 57%), and 43% for those with tumors > 45 mm in diameter (95% CI, 39 to 48%). Cure rates were statistically significantly different for all tumor size categories (p < 0.05) except for the groups with tumors 26 to 35 mm and 36 to 45 mm in diameter (p = 0.10).

CONCLUSIONS
Smaller tumor size at diagnosis is associated with improved curability within stage I non-small cell lung cancers. These results suggest that further subclassification by size within stage I may be important.


It has been suggested that agmatine (decarboxylated arginine) is an endogenous clonidine-displacing substance (CDS) which recognizes alpha 2-adrenoceptor and non-adrenoceptor, imidazoline binding sites. We have examined the effect of agmatine at alpha 2-adrenoceptor binding sites and pre- and postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors. Agmatine produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of 1 nmol/l 3H-clonidine binding to both rat (pKi-5.10 +/- 0.05) and bovine (pKi-4.77 +/- 0.38) cerebral cortex membranes. However, agmatine (0.1-100 microM) failed to activate pre-junctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors regulating transmitter release in the guinea-pig isolated ileum and rat isolated vas deferens, nor did it activate postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors of the porcine isolated palmar lateral vein which mediate contraction or inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP formation. High concentrations of agmatine (10-30-fold the pKi at alpha 2-adrenoceptor binding sites) failed to influence alpha 2-adrenoceptor activation by either clonidine or UK-14304 (5-bromo-6-[2-imidazolin-2-ylamino]-quinoxaline bitartrate) in any of the peripheral preparations examined. Moreover, even in a preparation where an interaction with alpha 2-adrenoceptor binding sites on cell membranes can be demonstrated, the rat cerebral cortex, agmatine failed to inhibit forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP in the intact tissue or affect the inhibition produced by the selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist UK-14304. Agmatine was also devoid of agonist activity in two preparations, the rat isolated thoracic aorta and the rat isolated gastric fundus, in which CDS has been reported to produce non-adrenoceptor effects. Thus, we have confirmed that agmatine recognizes alpha 2-adrenoceptor binding sites and, therefore, is a CDS.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Basal body temperature (BBT) is defined as the lowest natural, non-pathologic body temperature recorded after a period of rest. Women have used charting average basal body temperatures over the length of a menstrual period has been a tool to determine if ovulation has occurred or not. Basal body temperature measurements have been used for decades to help women optimize the timing of intercourse during a fertile window. This unique methodology was also prevalent before the invent of oral contraception pills, as it aided women in an attempt to avoid fertilization during a fertile period. Still to this day, women use this seemingly simple tool for planning purposes.


A number of quality control and yield improvement techniques are used in the Hewlett Packard Fort Collins IC wafer fabrication line. Four of these are described, with examples of how each has improved quality and yield. Silicon wafer measurements obtained from the vendor or made at incoming inspection are correlated with device parameters and chip yield. Control charts on the manufacturing line are generated online from monitor wafer data entered by operators, giving immediate feedback. In addition, a daily summary report lists any chart out of control. In certain instances it is necessary to improve the process capability of an operation. A feedback technique is used to do this for operations which have predictable systematic drift. Individual wafer positions in critical operations are automatically recorded through the fabrication line. This greatly facilitates correlation of input to output parameters and pinpoints the root cause of physical, device parameter, or chip yield fluctuations. Rapid correlation of the data obtained throughout the fabrication and wafer test areas is done with a common database and tools which transform the raw data into an optimum form for analysis.<<ETX>>