In addition to quantification of viral load the graded cytopathogenicity of the human immunodeficiency virus may provide prognostic information for the course of HIV infection. However, the prognostic value of graded cytopathogenicity in addition to the CD4 count has not been evaluated in a large longitudinal study. Therefore a total of 216 HIV-seropositive hemophiliacs have been followed up from 1985 to 1998 (mean follow-up 70.4 +/- SD 26 months, median 72, range: 12 to 120 months). In vitro virulence was determined according to cytopathic effects on freshly isolated PBMC of healthy donors and graded from A (strongest cytopathogenic effect) to D (no cytopathic isolate effect). Survival was analyzed among patients with different virus isolates by Kaplan-Meier statistics (log rank) and factors independently associated with decreased survival were analyzed by Cox hazard regression analysis. - A virus isolate A was found in 22 (10.2%) patients, a virus isolate B was found in 21 (9.3%) patients, a virus isolate C was found in 9 (4.2%) and a virus isolate D was found in 10 (4.2%) patients. Mean survival times were 48 months (95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 36 - 60) in patients with isolate A, 72 months (CI = 36 - 108) with isolate B, 84 months (CI = 48-120) with isolate C, 72 months (60 - 96) with isolate D and 96 months (CI = 96 - 108) in patients with a negative virus culture (p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis indicated significant associations with outcome for young age (p <0.001), positive virus culture (p < 0.0001) and CD4 count (p < 0.0001) as independent predictors of survival. The presence of an isolate A revealed the strongest odds ratio (6.3, 95% CI 2.9-13.2). Our data indicate that the presence of a virus isolate A represents a strong risk factor for mortality in the course of HIV infection. Besides quantification of viral load and CD4 count, the graded cytopathogenicity may provide additional information for early and aggressive antiretroviral treatment, since the mean survival in patients with cytopathogenic virus isolates is reduced significantly.


Background: Health surveillance is a reactive process, with no real hindsight for dealing with signals and alerts. It may fail to detect more radical changes with a major medium-term or long-term impact on public health. To increase proactivity, the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance has opted for a prospective monitoring approach.Methods: Several steps were necessary: 1) Identification of public health determinants. 2) Identification of key variables based on a combination of determinants. Variables were classified into three groups (health event trigger factors, dissemination factors and response factors) and were submitted to future development assumptions. 3) Identification, in each of the three groups, of micro-scenarios derived from variable trends. 4) Identification of macro-scenarios, each built from the three micro-scenarios for each of the three groups. 5) Identification of issues for the future of public health.Results: The exercise identified 22 key variables, 17 micro-scenarios and 5 macro-scenarios. The topics retained relate to issues on social and territorial health inequalities, health burden, individual and collective responsibilities in terms of health, ethical aspects, emerging phenomena, 'Big data', data mining, new health technologies, interlocking of analysis scales.Conclusions: The approach presented here guides the programming of activities of a health safety agency, particularly for monitoring and surveillance. By describing possible future scenarios, health surveillance can help decision-makers to influence the context towards one or more favourable futures.


Estimation of the urobilinogen in the urine either by the Schlesinger test or by the Ehrlich aldehyde reaction is helpful in reaching a diagnosis. The results are interpreted on the concept that there is an entero-hepatic circulation for urobilinogen (actually three closely related compounds), which is formed by reduction of conjugated bilirubin by bacteria in the large bowel.' The recent studies of R. Lester, W. Schumer, and R. Schmid' have established that in man a small proportion of the urobilinogens formed undergoes reabsorption in the terminal ileum and colon and is then re-excreted in the bile; the exact form in which it appears in the bile has not, however, been elucidated. In health only minimal amounts of urobilinogen are present in the urine, but in cases of liver disease or partial biliary obstruction an increased amount of the reabsorbed urobilinogen may be diverted to the kidneys. Lester and colleagues postulated that in liver disease urobilinogen may also be reabsorbed from the small bowel, owing to invasion of it by bacteria from the colon. In haemolytic disease excessive catabolism of haem causes an increased production of bilirubin and thus in the amount of urobilinogen available for reabsorption and excretion in the urine; in this condition there may be some liver dysfunction which limits the excretion of urobilinogen in the bile, but this has still to be established. The investigations of Dr. E. Bourke, Professor M. D. Milne, and Dr. G. S. Stokes, published at page 1510 of the B.M.7. this week, draw our attention to a new aspect of the factors controlling the urinary excretion of urobilinogen. They show that, even in the healthy person, making the urine alkaline greatly increases the renal excretion of urobilinogen, while acidification diminishes it. The diurnal variation in urinary urobilinogen that has been noted may therefore be related to changes in urinary pH as well as to the concentration of urobilinogen in the plasma. The authors' recommendations that analysis of urobilinogen in urine should be performed on specimens collected between noon and 4 p.m. and that a correction for urinary pH should be made are therefore worth following if these determinations are to be used to assess haemolytic states or hepatic dysfunction. Our understanding of the mechanism of the excretion of urobilinogen is still limited by a lack of adequate techniques for estimating this substance, whose level in the blood is only about 5.3 jig. per 100 ml. The chromogen is more than 80% bound to plasma proteins, and it appears that the unbound pigment undergoes glomerular filtration. Tubular secretion may also occur,3 though further studies are needed to prove this point. Another mechanism, which is dependent on pH, seems to involve the distal part of the renal tubules.


This paper proposes a cartography investigation on diagnostics and prognostics techniques accomplished in order to setup the health management for complex vehicle systems in accordance with IVHM (Integrated Vehicle Health Management) principles. Relevant reviews and surveys of the existing approaches are generally realized as statements of the achievements in these fields; however they rarely tackle both diagnostics and prognostics. As classic criteria do not respond to current needs in IVHM, this paper has isolated several main features in order to formally prove the accordance and the effective choice between the system-of-interest, its maintenance system and diagnostics and prognostics algorithms. Thus, the proposed criteria are oriented on the target and on the maintenance systems. The investigated classification established through a multi-criteria selection reveals new orientations which should be considered in IVHM and it also enables further research on future pertinent methods for building a smart multi-model vehicle health assessment reasoner.


The LCRD will demonstrate optical communications relay services between a geosynchronous satellite and Earth over an extended period, and thereby gain the knowledge and experience base that will enable NASA to design, procure, and operate cost-effective future optical communications systems and relay networks. LCRD is the next step in NASA eventually providing an optical communications service on the Next Generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS). LCRD will demonstrate some optical communications technologies, concepts of operations, and advanced networking technologies applicable to Deep Space missions. In this paper we describe the integrated dual format (PPM/DPSK) modem testbed development and performance.


In class, we have proved the important fact that over any field k, a non-solvable connected reductive group containing a 1-dimensional split maximal k-torus is k-isomorphic to SL2 or PGL2. That proof relied on knowing that maximal tori remain maximal after a ground field extension to k, and so relies on Grothendieck's theorem. But for algebraically closed fields there is no content to Grothendieck's theorem, so for k = k this rank-1 classification is simpler to prove. The aim of this handout is to use the rank-1 classification (usually just over algebraically closed fields) to prove some important results on the behavior of unipotent radicals and the property of reductivity with respect to two ubiquitous operations on smooth connected affine groups over an arbitrary field k: the formation of quotient k-groups (modulo normal k-subgroup schemes) and the formation of centralizers of k-tori (which we have seen are always smooth and connected). Recall that it was proved in class by elementary means that reductivity is inherited by smooth connected normal k-subgroups. More specifically, we proved that if N ⊆ G is a smooth connected normal k-subgroup then Ru(Nk) ⊆ Ru(Gk) (so reductivity of G implies that of N). In fact, the inclusion Ru(Nk) ⊆ Nk∩Ru(Gk) of subgroup schemes of Gk (using scheme-theoretic intersection) is always an equality, but the proof rests on some non-trivial structural properties of reductive groups which have not yet been proved. (A proof is given in Proposition A.4.8 of "Pseudo-reductive groups", working over k there.) The main input is the non-obvious fact that the scheme-theoretic center of a connected reductive group is a subgroup scheme of a torus (see Corollary 2.2 below), and so has no nontrivial subgroup schemes which can arise as subgroup schemes of smooth unipotent groups (HW5, Exercise 1). Notation. In what follows, G always denotes a smooth connected affine group over an arbitrary field k, unless we indicate otherwise. Also, following tradition, we often denote characters and cocharacters of tori in additive notation, for instance writing −λ rather than λ−1 for the composition of a homomorphism λ : Gm → T with inversion and likewise writing 0 to denote the trivial character of T . The reason for doing this is that it is convenient to work with the Q-vector space X(T )Q and to view the collections of characters and cocharacters as Z-lattices.


Inaccessibility of medical equipment in low resource settings is a challenge and an obstacle to providing care. Some of the contributing factors to this problem are discussed in this paper based on the two-months volunteering experience of the author at two hospitals in Central America. This firsthand experience alludes to the shortage of functional equipment, impractical reliance on donated equipment, lack of equipment donation policy, inadequate healthcare technology management policies, and lack of technical resources. In order to have a sustainable impact on improving accessibility of medical equipment, the clinical engineering professionals need to focus their volunteering work on developing local resources in order to increase local ownership and participation.


Abstract. The focus of our research was to automatically generate the most adequate vegetation density maps for orienteering purpose. Application Karttapullatuin was used for automated generation of vegetation density maps, which requires LiDAR data to process an automatically generated map. A part of the orienteering map in the area of Kazlje-Tomaj was used to compare the graphical display of vegetation density. With different settings of parameters in the Karttapullautin application we changed the way how vegetation density of automatically generated map was presented, and tried to match it as much as possible with the orienteering map of Kazlje-Tomaj. Comparing more created maps of vegetation density the most suitable parameter settings to automatically generate maps on other areas were proposed, too.


In their model for the origin of the parent bodies of iron meteorites, Bottke et al. proposed differentiated planetesimals, formed in 1–2 AU during the first 1.5 Myr, as the parent bodies, and suggested that these objects and their fragments were scattered into the asteroid belt as a result of interactions with planetary embryos. Although viable, this model does not include the effect of a giant planet that might have existed or been growing in the outer regions. We present the results of a concept study where we have examined the effect of a planetary body in the orbit of Jupiter on the early scattering of planetesimals from the terrestrial region into the asteroid belt. We integrated the orbits of a large battery of planetesimals in a disk of planetary embryos and studied their evolutions for different values of the mass of the planet. Results indicate that when the mass of the planet is smaller than 10 M⊕, its effects on the interactions among planetesimals and planetary embryos are negligible. However, when the planet mass is between 10 and 50 M⊕, simulations point to a transitional regime with ∼50 M⊕ being the value for which the perturbing effect of the planet can no longer be ignored. Simulations also show that further increase of the mass of the planet strongly reduces the efficiency of the scattering of planetesimals from the terrestrial planet region into the asteroid belt. We present the results of our simulations and discuss their possible implications for the time of giant planet formation.


Abstract The title chroman is useful in synthesis and as a water‐soluble analog of γ‐tocopherol, a member of the vitamin E family. This new synthesis of γ‐trolox proceeds via selective aromatic demethylation of Trolox, the more easily available 2,5,7,8‐tetramethyl homolog compound. This route is shorter than the previous synthesis, avoids the use of cyanide and methoxybutadiene, and requires no chromatography.


The paper is focused on the presentation of decision - making model for stock markets. As well paper introduces grid computation idea and discusses the possibilities of grid technology application for the optimization of computational power related to the realization of the proposed model. The introduced decision - making model is based on the application of artificial intelligence tools: artificial neural networks (ANN) and particle swarmoptimization algorithm(PSO). While making computations with the proposed decision - making model the decision computation process takes quite a lot of time. Working with stock markets it is very important to make decisions fast. One of the possibilities to do that is to apply grid technologies for the distributed computing that involves coordinating and sharing computing, application, data, storage, or network resources across dynamic and geographically dispersed organizations.


Bacterial butyryl-CoA CoA-transferase activity plays a key role in butyrate formation in the human colon, but the enzyme and corresponding gene responsible for this activity have not previously been identified. A novel CoA-transferase gene is described from the colonic bacterium Roseburia sp. A2-183, with similarity to acetyl-CoA hydrolase as well as 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferase sequences. The gene product, overexpressed in an Escherichia coli lysate, showed activity with butyryl-CoA and to a lesser degree propionyl-CoA in the presence of acetate. Butyrate, propionate, isobutyrate and valerate competed with acetate as the co-substrate. Despite the sequence similarity to 4-hydroxybutyrate CoA-transferases, 4-hydroxybutyrate did not compete with acetate as the co-substrate. Thus the CoA-transferase preferentially uses butyryl-CoA as substrate. Similar genes were identified in other butyrate-producing human gut bacteria from clostridial clusters IV and XIVa, while other candidate CoA-transferases for butyrate formation could not be detected in Roseburia sp. A2-183. This suggests strongly that the newly identified group of CoA-transferases described here plays a key role in butyrate formation in the human colon.


Online social media allows individuals to cluster around common interests - including hate. We show that tight-knit social clusters interlink to form resilient 'global hate highways' that bridge independent social network platforms, countries, languages and ideologies, and can quickly self-repair and rewire. We provide a mathematical theory that reveals a hidden resilience in the global axis of hate; explains a likely ineffectiveness of current control methods; and offers improvements. Our results reveal new science for networks-of-networks driven by bipartite dynamics, and should apply more broadly to illicit networks.


Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by novel SARS-CoV-2. The disease has become a global pandemic since March 2020. Transmission of the disease is rapid and contagious through droplets and contaminated environments. Meanwhile, gastrointestinal endoscopy is a procedure that has a high risk of transmitting COVID-19. Proper strategies are needed to prevent transmission of the virus in the endoscopic unit. Some literature has published the guidelines for prevent COVID-19 in endoscopic units such as guidelines by AGA, APSDE, ESGE and ESGENA. These guidelines state that strategies for prevent the COVID-19 transmission in endoscopy unit must be done from before the procedure, during the procedure until after the procedure. These strategies must be followed by all patients and health care providers who working in endoscopy units.


This paper presents an architecture that utilizes spectrum sensing with a Weaver architecture receiver to ease the requirements on the RF front-end components. With the ability to sense the environment, large interferers that overwhelm small desired signals can be avoided. The learning and adapting capabilities are enabled by means of a flexible receiver architecture employing variable local oscillators (LOs) at RF and intermediate frequency (IF). Avoiding large interferers can reduce image rejection ratio (IRR) requirements for a given performance and results in a greater tolerance to the Q of filters and receiver mismatches. The design approach is applied to an IEEE 802.11a receiver and the results show that for a given performance level, the proposed design requires an IRR that is 40 dB less than that required for conventional Weaver receivers


intensive care unit (ICU). Anaesthesia 2000; 55: 396. 2 Hartley M, Vaughan RS. Problems associated with tracheal extubation. British Journal of Anaesthesia 1993; 71: 561–8. 3 Laver S, McKinstry C, Craft TM, Cook TM. Use of the ProSeal LMA in the ICU to facilitate weaning from controlled ventilation in patients with severe two episodic bronchospasm. European Journal of Anaesthesiology 2006; 32: 977–8. 4 Sharma R. Mask for stoma ventilation: rescue using a Rendell-Baker-Soucek mask after a dislodged tracheostomy tube. Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica 2008; 52: 1305–6. 5 PadleyA.Yet anotheruseof the laryngeal mask airway – ventilation of a patient with a tracheostomy stoma. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care 2001; 29: 78.


Abstract: Pregnancy is the most common cause of symptomatic haemorrhoids during the third trimester of pregnancy, due to exacerbation or recurrence of previous haemorrhoids. The question arises, should they be treated during pregnancy and if so, how should they be treated, because if left untreated they may result in unwanted complications. The prime objective of the drug therapy is to control the acute phase. Thus treatment is essential, but while treating haemorrhoids during pregnancy, safety of the mother, fetus and the new born is crucial. Hence selection and administration of a suitable therapeu-tic agent to relieve symptoms, prevent complications, relapses and to improve the quality of life of pregnant women becomes important. Diosmin being a potent phlebo-tonic agent, having significant beneficial effect on pain, bleeding and overall improve-ment in symptoms of haemorrhoids, appears to be a good option. Safety, efficacy and acceptability of diosmin in the treatment of haemorrhoids during pregnancy will be reviewed and discussed. Keywords: Bioflavonoids; Diosmin; Pregnancy; Haemorrhoids


Hepatocyte nuclear factors (HNFs) are upstream regulators of many liver-specific genes and are involved in many cellular functions in the body, but their existence, expression, and function in gonads are still poorly understood. Here we report on the first cloning of partial cDNAs of HNF-1alpha and -1beta and full HNF-3beta cDNA from a tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) liver cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequence of tilapia HNF-3beta has a 90 to 96% identity with those of other fishes (dwarf gourami, medaka, and zebrafish), 74% with mammals (human, rat, and mouse), and 82% with Xenopus. RT-PCR detected IGF-I and -II and HNF-1alpha, -1beta, and -3beta in both liver and gonads and the identity of the PCR fragments was confirmed by PCR hybridization. Immunoprecipitation and Western blotting also detected all three HNF proteins in both liver and gonads. Expression of HNFs in the gonads of the tilapia suggests that multi-HNFs may form a cascade to regulate gonadal physiology in the bony fish.


The reaction of chlorine atoms with propene in a solid para-hydrogen matrix has been studied using infrared spectroscopy. For the Cl atom addition reaction, we find that the only observed isomer of the chloropropyl radical is the 2-chloropropyl and not the 1-chloropropyl radical, indicating that the addition of the Cl atom to the carbon−carbon double bond of propene occurs primarily at the central carbon atom. This is in sharp contrast to the generally accepted mechanism in organic chemistry and in gas-phase reactions in which the addition to the terminal carbon atom is greatly favored. This unique selectivity is possibly due to steric effects in solid para-hydrogen, in which the complex of Cl2 and propene are positioned so that the reacting Cl atom is closer to the central versus the terminal carbon atom of propene. One might be able to make use of this unique property to perform selective chemistry.


Editors Note: This article is an outgrowth of years of breeding. exhibiting, and judging Border Canaries; and of years of encouraging and helping novice breeders and exhibitors to acquire and produce award winning canaries. Although some of Sig's ideas are controversial, his judging skills and the birds that he and his wife, Peg, raise are in constant demand. Specialty Canary Editor Ken Stubbart The ban on importation of canaries and other cage birds has changed the outlook of the serious breeder and exhibitor in the United States. No longer can we get all the breeding birds we want from overseas so we have to raise our own and also we must make plans for the future. Exhibition canaries do not just appear, they are the result of many years of selective breeding. Whether this breeding is done in England, Scotland or other European countries and the birds shipped to the United States or whether American breeders do the job themselves, selective breeding must be done to consistantly produce good show stock. Did you introduce more than two (2) birds into your breeding program for 1979? If you did you are probably doing random cross breeding as opposed to line (selective) breeding. You buy birds from several good breeders and cross the birds with the hope that the resultant offspring are good exhibition types. Since we only need one very good bird a year to be a winner this method has its advantages. The emphasis here is to spend the money and buy good birds from winning breeders. This presupposes that the buyer does know good exhibition canaries and that he can buy the better birds that the seller has. Using the random cross breeding technique there are bound to be hills and valleys as far as results are concerned. One year we have good luck and the pairings we make are genetically compatible. The next year good looking birds paired together result in poor looking offspring. If we want consistantly good results without extensive outlays of money for breeding stock then we should find a pair of birds that breed the type of offspring we want and start to develop a "line" of canaries from this one pair, keeping the blood lines going back to the two original birds. The second year we must breed brother to sister, son to mother, and father to daughter to test the line. We must make sure that there are no abnormal faults appearing that would prevent our line from being strong and a useful producer of exhibition canaries. The good features as well as the faults will especially be enhanced in brother to sister matings. If poor birds result here, disregard the line and start over. If the second year mating proves fruitful, the third year will give a much more varied breeding scheme with cousins of the original cock and hen being used. Emphasis can then be given toward the blood line of the cock if he proves to be the producer of the exceptional traits or to the hen if she is the best. One cock can be bred to three or four hens and the line developed from the pair that proves out the best the second year. Often two pairs of similar breeding can be found and two simultaneous lines started. If both pairs prove good the second year, bloodlines for both these lines will be similar and an experimental cross between the lines can be made. The third (cross over line) may prove to be the best in the long run. The emphasis on line breeding is to keep a strain of similar blood in both cock and hen so that the good characteristics can be strengthened and reproduced year after year. If the line has faults they will also be strengthened so any birds with serious faults must be culled ruthlessly in each generation. Stamina in line bred birds becomes a problem only if weak birds were used to start the line or if physically weak birds are bred to continue the line. Any serious physical or exhibition defect must be culled out each year. Show winners that are not strong should not be kept. After five or more generations the breeder will be amazed and disappointed to find that a fault appears in one or more of the young. These must be culled from the line and each generation should result in a more stable and similar appearing young. Minor faults can be corrected within the line itself but sometimes a serious condition ( weak back, poor heads, etc.) appears in many of the young. Then comes the time to provide an out cross to a strong cock bird with very strong desired characteristics. This cock mated to several hens of the old line will be a means of correcting a specific fault. If the line has been bred closely for several years the good characteristics are pretty well set and will show in the outcross offspring but it will also be hard to change contour of back or head since they are also set. Selective culling of the outcross offspring usually will result in improvement in the problem characteristic. Then, if the outcross offspring are bred back into the line, added vitality is provided and improvement in exhibition potential is hopefully achieved. We used to be able to buy breeding stock from the same breeder over seas as we needed new birds for breeding. If they bred true to type then we were probably benefitting from line breeding overseas. Our source of birds provided line breeding programs so they were not so important to us. Times have changed so we had best look forward to doing some of our own work in order to have a constant source of useable exhibition canaries. I purchased eight birds during the last three years and only two are being tentatively used in the two lines of Border Fancy Canaries that I maintain. One line started out variegated and one clear. Adding a self green and a self cinnamon to the variegated line is resulting in some dark birds of good conformation. Hopefully, in two years, a third line of dark birds will be achieved which incorporates the good features of the original two lines with a change in color. All three lines will then be useful for crossovers if needed since most of the birds will have three parts out of four of the original blood lines. It is nice to know what to expect from your birds and it is very interesting to watch them appear as predicted. When you line breed and come up with a good strain you can say you have accomplished something and have the proof in your aviary. Try it; you might like the results. Starting today you cannot expect much in the line of positive results for five years. If you are a dedicated canary breeder that should not be too long to wait.


In this article, we review the limited but growing body of
research on international skilled migrants and examine to
what extent knowledge generated in adjacent research
streams-specifically, work on assigned and self-initiated
expatriates-can be meaningfully applied to aid our under-
standing of the challenges, coping strategies, and acculturation dynamics of skilled migrants. We develop a framework
that explains how variables and processes at multiple levels
(individual, organisational, and societal) influence migrant
acculturation and coping and result in integration-related
outcomes in the domains of personal/family life and
workplace/career. We discuss directions for future research
and implications for practice.


Abstract Trilobites are important elements of the Devonian macrobenthos; some of them were collected in the Chefar el Ahmar Formation, from two sections located near Béni Abbès in the Saoura Valley (Ougarta Basin, Saharan Algeria). This formation is characterized by alternations of claystones and limestones, and it is considered to be late Emsian to early Frasnian in age. Only the lower part of this formation has yielded trilobites so far; their presence has been known for a long time. Phacopines clearly dominate the trilobite assemblages, with Austerops, Barrandeops, Chotecops and Phacops s.l. as the main genera. Two new species are described (Austerops salamandaroides sp. nov. and Phacops ouarouroutensis sp. nov.), while some other taxa are presented in open nomenclature. Comparisons are made with closely allied species. These new trilobite occurrences have been analysed in terms of their intra- and interspecific variability and biodiversity. The occurrence of Struveaspis maroccanica, previously known from the Saoura Valley, provides an early Eifelian age, which is also confirmed by the presence of trilobites Thysanopeltis and Koneprusites, and ostracods Bairdiocypris devonica and Bufina ?subovalis.


Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome that presents with bilateral progressive loss of vision. A 70-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of progressive, bilateral vision loss. The patient had bilateral, diffuse, shallow, subretinal fluid with patchy, reddish-brown lesions at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) that showed significant early hyperfluorescence on fluorescein angiography and a corresponding loss of autofluorescence. Optical coherence tomography of both eyes revealed complete RPE and inner segment/outer segment junction loss with adjacent areas of thickening at the level of the RPE. Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation was diagnosed based on these clinical findings, and a systemic evaluation for malignancy revealed metastatic endometrial adenocarcinoma. Both autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography demonstrated unique imaging characteristics that correlated with the reported histopathology of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation. These imaging modalities can contribute to the rapid and accurate diagnosis of bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation.


FMRFamide-activated sodium channels (FaNaCs) are similar to mammalian acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs). We analyzed the reaction of FaNaCs exposed to DRNFLRFamide (DF2) at the crayfish neuromuscular junction. We measured excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) after exposing crayfish extensor muscle cells first to DF2, then DF2 and amiloride, and finally, amiloride alone. Contrary to previous studies, DF2 inhibited synaptic transmission. Amiloride also inhibited synaptic transmission. Therefore, FaNaCs are similar to ASICs in regard to their response to amiloride. The results were inclusive in determining the interaction between amiloride and DF2.


Research has suggested that exposure to traumatic events can result in adverse health outcomes. However, the reasons for this are unclear. We examined psychobiologic factors associated with disease mortality among a community-based sample of 4462 male veterans 30 years after military service, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cell (WBC) count, and cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (cortisol/DHEA-s) ratio. In the study, 56% (n = 2490) were theater veterans who served in Vietnam and 44% (n = 1972) era veterans who served elsewhere. During baseline in 1985, 10.2% of theater and 3.4% of era veterans had current PTSD. At follow-up in 2000, 13.6% of men with current baseline PTSD were deceased, compared with 5% without PTSD. Analyses suggested that having PTSD, a high ESR, a high WBC count, and a high cortisol/DHEA-s ratio at baseline were associated with all-cause disease mortality at follow-up. With the exception of cortisol/DHEA-s ratio, these factors also predicted cardiovascular mortality. Depression was not consistently associated with mortality, once other factors were controlled. Noteworthy was that having PTSD had an impact on mortality nearly comparable to common indicators of disease in medicine, such as an ESR >65 mm/h and a WBC count >11,000 mm3. This study suggests that the morbidity associated with PTSD may be comparable to laboratory measures of disease pathology in common use and warrants further investigation and surveillance among at risk populations.


A planar, 1024-elements, Ku-band transmitter phased-array with embedded driver for low-earth-orbit (LEO) SATCOM application has been designed in this paper. The array elements are spaced λ/2 apart at 14.25 GHz in the x and y directions. This array consists of eight 128-element subarrays, each of which has 1 beamformer chip with 8 channels and 2 amplifier chips assembled on a printed circuit board (PCB). The output P1dB per channel is 28 dBm at 14 GHz. The phased array can scan to ± 53° in the azimuth plane with a 3-dB beamwidth of 2.9° and 39.2 dBW EIRP at broadside. The overall size of 68.2 × 20 cm2with high EIRP makes it suitable for integration with receiver end on Ku-band LEO satellite communication system.


Modelling ecosystem services (ES) has become a new standard for the quantification and assessment of various ES. Multiple ES model applications are available that spatially estimate ES supply on the basis of land-use/land-cover (LULC) input data. This paper assesses how different input LULC datasets affect the modelling and mapping of ES supply for a case study on Terceira Island, the Azores (Portugal), namely: (1) the EU-wide CORINE LULC, (2) the Azores Region official LULC map (COS.A 2018) and (3) a remote sensing-based LULC and vegetation map of Terceira Island using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. The InVEST model suite was applied, modelling altogether six ES (Recreation/Visitation, Pollination, Carbon Storage, Nutrient Delivery Ratio, Sediment Delivery Ratio and Seasonal Water Yield). Model outcomes of the three LULC datasets were compared in terms of similarity, performance and applicability for the user. For some InVEST modules, such as Pollination and Recreation, the differences in the LULC datasets had limited influence on the model results. For InVEST modules, based on more complex calculations and processes, such as Nutrient Delivery Ratio, the output ES maps showed a skewed distribution of ES supply. Yet, model results showed significant differences for differences in all modules and all LULCs. Understanding how differences arise between the LULC input datasets and the respective effect on model results is imperative when computing model-based ES maps. The choice for selecting appropriate LULC data should depend on: 1) the research or policy/decision-making question guiding the modelling study, 2) the ecosystems to be mapped, but also on 3) the spatial resolution of the mapping and 4) data availability at the local level. Communication and transparency on model input data are needed, especially if ES maps are used for supporting land use planning and decision-making.


In this paper, a feature-based robust digital image watermarking algorithm is proposed to achieve the goal of image authentication and protection simultaneously. The Hessian-Affine feature detector is at first adopted to extract characteristic regions of an image in the proposed watermark embedding scheme. Then the copyright watermark is embedded into these characteristic regions according to the local orientation of each pixel. Moreover, the remainder regions are applied for image authentication by using block-wise fragile watermarking method. Similarly, the proposed watermark detection scheme follows the above procedure to extract the copyright watermark and the authentic information independently and blindly from watermarked images. Various attacks are also applied to the watermarked images in order to examine the robustness of our algorithm. The experimental results in this paper show that the proposed watermarking algorithm can resist most removal and geometric attacks. Besides, changes or modifications of an image will be reflected in our hidden watermarks.


The compound Ba2ZnSb2 has been predicted to be a promising thermoelectric material, potentially achieving zT > 2 at 900 K due to its one-dimensional chains of edge-shared [ZnSb4/2]4- tetrahedra and interspersed Ba cations. However, the high air sensitivity of this material makes it difficult to measure its thermoelectric properties. In this work, isovalent substitution of Eu for Ba was carried out to make Ba2-xEuxZnSb2 in order to improve the stability of the material in air and to allow characterization of thermal and electronic properties of three different compositions (x = 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4). Polycrystalline samples were synthesized using binary precursors via ball milling and annealing, and their thermoelectric properties were measured. Samples showed low thermal conductivity (<0.8 W/m K), a high Seebeck coefficient (350-550 μV/K), and high charge carrier mobility (20-35 cm2/V) from 300 to 500 K, consistent with predictions of high thermoelectric efficiency. Evaluation of the thermoelectric quality factor suggests that a higher zT can be attained if the carrier concentration can be increased via doping.


The functional outcome in preschool severe wheezers with eosinophilic airway inflammation and increased reticular basement membrane (RBM) thickness is unknown. We investigated the relationship between airway pathology at age 2 yrs and lung function at age 4–6 yrs in previous severe wheezers. Severe wheezers previously investigated by endobronchial biopsy and healthy children aged 4–6 yrs were recruited. Lung clearance index (LCI), conducting zone ventilation inhomogeneity (Scond), acinar ventilation inhomogeneity by multiple-breath washout, plethysmographic-specific airway resistance and exhaled nitric oxide fraction (FeNO) were measured. Lung function was compared between wheezers and healthy controls, and in wheezers correlated with past RBM thickness and mucosal eosinophilia (EG2+ cells). 72 healthy controls and 28 previous severe wheezers were tested. Wheezers had significantly higher median LCI (6.8 versus 6.6; p=0.001) and Scond (0.046 versus 0.016; p<0.0005) than healthy controls. Past RBM thickness (r=0.474, p=0.047) and EG2+ cells (r=0.552, p=0.041) showed significant correlations with current FeNO, but no correlations were seen between past RBM thickness and current lung function. RBM thickness and EG2+ cells at age 2 yrs show a significant positive association with FeNO at age 5 yrs. Although lung function was abnormal at age 5 yrs in severe wheezers, this did not correlate with past RBM thickness.


A recent trend in semiconductor failure analysis involves combining the use of different tools and techniques in order to acquire more accurate data at a faster rate. This article describes a new workflow that combines FIB, GIS, and nanoprobing, all performed at the same FIB tilt position. It also provides two examples in which the workflow is used.


The authors report a case of macroamylasemia in which the diagnosis was made with some difficulty. A hyperamylasemia was discovered after the patient, an alcoholic, had been hospitalized for atypical abdominal pain and weight loss, and this was thought to be due to an acute episode of chronic pancreatitis. The absence of an incrase in amylasuria suggested the presence of a macroamylasemia, and both diagnoses were confirmed by suitable exploratory investigations. Alcoholic cirrhosis was also present. The two main known types of macroamylase and their iatrogenic variant are described as well as the incidence of this biological anomaly in the general population. Confirming the presence of this anomaly in the plasma is a delicate and complex procedure. Simultaneous study of amylase-creatinine clearance ratio was thought to be a decisive test, but this does not appear to be true.


Stochastic expansion-based methods of uncertainty quantification, such as polynomial chaos and separated representations, require basis functions orthogonal with respect to the density of random inputs. Many modern engineering problems employ stochastic circular quantities, which are defined on the unit circle in the complex plane and characterized by probability density functions on this periodic domain. Hence, stochastic expansions with circular data require corresponding orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle to allow for their use in uncertainty quantification. Rogers-Szego polynomials enable uncertainty quantification for random inputs described by the wrapped normal density. For the general case, this paper presents a framework for numerically generating orthogonal polynomials as a function of the distribution's characteristic function and demonstrates their use with the von Mises density. The resulting stochastic expansions allow for estimating statistics describing the posterior density using the expansion coefficients. Results demonstrate the exponential convergence of these stochastic expansions and apply the proposed methods to propagating orbit-state uncertainty with equinoctial elements. The astrodynamics application of the theory improves robustness and accuracy when compared to approximating angular quantities as variables on the real line.


Genetic analyses of complex traits in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) are facilitated by the availability of unique genetic tools such as chromosome substitution lines and recombinant inbred chromosome lines (RICLs) which allow the effects of genes on single chromosomes to be studied individually. Chromosome 3A of 'Wichita' is known to contain alleles at quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence variation in grain yield and agronomic performance traits relative to alleles of 'Cheyenne'. To determine the number, location, and environmental interactions of genes related to agronomic performance on chromosome 3A, QTL and QTL × environment analyses of 98 RICLs-3A were conducted in seven locations across Nebraska from 1999 through 2001. QTLs were detected for seven of eight agronomic traits measured and generally localized to three regions of chromosome 3A. QTL × environment interactions were detected for some QTLs and these interactions were caused by changes in magnitude and crossover interactions. Major QTLs for kernels per square meter and grain yield were associated within a 5-centimorgan (cM) interval and appeared to represent a single QTL with pleiotropic effects. This particular QTL displayed environmental interactions caused by changes in magnitude, wherein the positive effect of the Wichita QTL allele was larger in higher yielding environments.


This paper studies the effect of imported inputs on the relative demand for high-skill labor. To this purpose, it applies propensity score matching techniques to firm-level data for 27 transition countries. The results show that importing inputs induces skill upgrading. Specifically, it explains more than one-quarter of the unconditional difference between importers and non-importers in the employment share of high-skill workers. The paper explores possible mechanisms behind this result. In particular, it reports suggestive evidence that importing leads firms to engage in high-skill intensive activities, such as production of new goods, improvement of product quality and, to a lesser extent, R&D and technology adoption.


We develop a dynamic recursive model where political and economic decisions interact, to study how excessive debt-GDP ratios affect political sustainability of prudent fiscal policies. Rent seeking groups make political decisions – to cooperate (or not) – on the allocation of fiscal budgets (including rents) and issuance of sovereign debt. A classic commons problem triggers collective fiscal impatience and excessive debt issuing, leading to a vicious circle of high borrowing costs and sovereign default. We analytically characterize debt-GDP thresholds that foster cooperation among rent seeking groups and avoid default. Our analysis and application helps in understanding the politico-economic sustainability of sovereign rescues, emphasizing the need for fiscal targets and possible debt haircuts. We provide a calibrated example that quantifies the threshold debt-GDP ratio at 137%, remarkably close to the target set for private sector involvement in the case of Greece.


Graph theory has applications in many areas of computer science, including data mining, image segmentation, clustering and networking. Product on graphs has a wide range of application in networking system, automata theory, game theory and structural mechanics. In many cases, some aspects of a graph-theoretic problem may be uncertain. Intuitionistic fuzzy models provide more compatible to the system compared to the fuzzy models. An intuitionistic fuzzy graph can be derived from two given intuitionistic fuzzy graphs using max-product. In this paper, we studied the degree of vertex in intuitionistic fuzzy graph by the max-product of two given intuitionistic fuzzy graph. Also find the necessary and sufficient condition for max-product of two intuitionistic fuzzy graphs to be regular.


A comprehensive computer simulation of two thin-film CdTe PV module architectures has been created at Direct Solar using ANSYS Fluent software and experimentally validated using IR cameras. The developed model takes into account solar irradiation, surrounding radiation, convection, and photoelectric conversion to accurately portray the thermal performance of a working PV module. Using this type of analysis, the operating temperatures of future PV modules can be accurately predicted before installation.


Recent theories on natural and synthetic consciousness
overlook the geometric structure necessary for awareness of 3-dimensional
space, as strikingly illustrated by left-neglect disorder. Furthermore, awareness
of 3-dimensional space entails some surprisingly tenacious optical illusions,
as demonstrated by an experiment in the text. Awareness of linear time is also
crucial and complex. As a consequence, synthetic consciousness cannot be
realized by simply intercomnecting a large number of electronic circuits constructed
from ordinary chips and transistors. Since consciousness is a subjective
experience, there is no sufficient condition for consciousness that can be experimentally
confirmed. The most we can hope for is agreement on the necessary conditions
for consciousness. Toward that end, this paper reviews some relevant clinical
phenomena.


This paper presents a computerised system for the monitoring of integrated cervical screening, i.e. the integration of spontaneous Pap smear practice into organised screening. The general characteristics of the system are described, including background and rationale (integrated cervical screening in European countries, impact of integration on monitoring, decentralised organization of screening and levels of monitoring), general methods (definitions, sections, software description, and setting of application), and indicators of participation (distribution by time interval since previous Pap smear, distribution by screening sector--organised screening centres vs public and private clinical settings--, distribution by time interval between the last two Pap smears, and movement of women between the two screening sectors). Also, the paper reports the results of the application of these indicators in the general database of the Pathology Department of Imola Health District in northern Italy.


The importance of power-law distributions is attributed to the fact that most of the naturally occurring phenomenon exhibit this distribution. While exponential distributions can be derived by minimizing KL-divergence w.r.t some moment constraints, some power law distributions can be derived by minimizing some generalizations of KL-divergence (more specifically some special cases of Csisz\'ar f-divergences). Divergence minimization is very well studied in information theoretical approaches to statistics. In this work we study properties of minimization of Tsallis divergence, which is a special case of Csisz\'ar f-divergence. In line with the work by Shore and Johnson (IEEE Trans. IT, 1981), we examine the properties exhibited by these minimization methods including the Pythagorean property.


Market basket analysis is very important to everyday's business decision, because it seeks to find relationships between purchased items. Undoubtedly, these techniques can extract customer's purchase rules by discovering what items they are buying frequently and together. Therefore, to raise the probability of purchasing the corporate manager of a shop can place the associated items at the neighboring shelf. For these reasons, the ability to predict e-shopper's purchase rules basing on data mining has become a competitive advantage for the company. On the other hand, mining maximal frequent patterns are also a key issue to the recent market analysis since; a maximal frequent pattern for a particular customer reveals the purchase rules. Moreover, if the dataset is sparse due to the presence of null transactions, the mining performance degrades drastically in existing approaches. In this paper, first we remove null transactions from the original dataset then we apply the bottom-up row enumeration tree approach to generate the maximal frequent patterns; later on the modified version of the sequence close level is used for counting the distance between a pair of items for mining the customer's purchase rules in an online transactional database. Experimental results show that our proposed approach is superior to previous approaches and can predict more accurate customer's purchase rules in reasonable time.


The demonstration of metastatic involvement of neck nodes is a crucial step in the staging of patients with head and neck tumors. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of US in the detection of lymph node metastases were evaluated in 48 patients with this type of malignancy. The patients subsequently underwent surgical node dissection. Comparison of US, clinical and histological data demonstrated US to have 93.7% diagnostic accuracy, 100% sensitivity, and 84% specificity--the corresponding clinical values being 81%, 79%, and 84%, respectively. Among several US parameters, a substantial role in differentiating metastatic from tumor-free lymph nodes was played by the evaluation of roundness index (RI), and by the demonstration of an intranodal hyperechoic stria: RI value was always higher than 2 in tumor-free nodes and the hyperechoic stria was always absent in metastatic nodes. US approach never failed to demonstrate metastatic nodes while clinics missed them in 6 patients. Thus, US appears the most valuable diagnostic tool for staging head and neck tumors; its diagnostic accuracy can be increased by the combination with US-guided aspiration biopsy.


Abstract The Arakan forest turtle (Heosemys depressa) is a critically endangered, poorly known chelonian endemic to western Myanmar. Previously known only from the Rakhine ( = Arakan) Hills, we here report a significant northward range extension into the southern Chin Hills, verify the occurrence of H. depressa in Kyauk Pan Taung Wildlife Sanctuary, and present new information on elevational limits, natural history, and folk taxonomy of this enigmatic species.


Grounded and worded concept stresses that the intensity of regulating mechanisms must be taken into account in evaluating the difficulty and intensity of work, criteria of intensity are suggested. Growth of intensity index, centralized administration or considerable number of correlations (above the average on the whole industry) and more synchronized functions during the work improve the intensity of work by one step above the results of the simple physiological evaluation of work intensity.


MicroRNAs (miRNAs) compose a class of non-coding transcripts with a mean length of 22 nucleotides, and play critical roles in regulating gene expression in the process of development, proliferation and differentiation of neurons. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) find most of schizophrenia-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) locating in the non-coding regions, providing functional implications of miRNAs in the development of schizophrenia. In this review, we highlight the interplays between GWAS-SNPs and miRNAs in four perspectives: SNP in miRNA gene; miRNA located in the host gene; SNP located in the miRNA's seed sequence; SNP located in the miRNA's binding site. We also speculate on the future research on the role of miRNA in the development of schizophrenia.


In this paper, we describe the technical approach of and experiences gained in exposing a major share of the European building and construction materials market on the basis of the GoodRelations Web vocabulary for e-commerce. This allows for the fine-grained search for products, suppliers, and warehouses for any building-related sourcing needs. Because building materials show a very high item specificity, they are very interesting for new types of search. Also, transportation costs for building materials are very significant, which makes the distance from the warehouse to the point of consumption a critical dimension of search. Based on existing data sources, we were able to include a rich, machine-readable description of individual product features using the FreeClassOWL ontology, which allow for multi-dimensional search. The result is one of the largest and richest public datasets for a well-defined trade sector that is available on the Semantic Web.


Segmenting the environment surrounding an autonomous vehicle into coherently moving regions is a vital first step towards intelligent autonomous navigation. Without this temporal information, navigation becomes a simple obstacle avoidance scheme that is inappropriate in highly dynamic environments such as roadways and places where many people congregate. The book begins by looking at the problem of motion estimation from biological, algorithmic and digital perspectives. It goes on to describe an algorithm that fits with the motion processing model, and hardware and software constraints. This algorithm is based on the optical flow constraint equation and introduces range information to resolve the depth-velocity ambiguity, which is critical for autonomous navigation. Finally, implementation of the algorithm in digital hardware is described in detail, covering both the initial motion processing model and the chosen hardware platforms, and the global functional structure of the system.


Real-time digital data are becoming important assets in a growing number of organizations. This paper, applying the affordance theory, describes the development of a taxonomy for understanding real-time digital data initiatives. The proposed taxonomy is composed by two categories, the Technology affordance and the Affordance actualization, respectively gathering four and five dimensions. Specifically, the Technology affordances of the real-time digital initiatives are real-time sensing, real-time mass visibility, real-time experimentation and real-time coordination, while the Affordance actualizations are service, efficiency, analytics, aggregation and generation.


Data is an indispensable asset in today's society, but its production and sharing are subject to well-known market failures. Among these: neither economic nor academic markets efficiently reward costly data collection and quality assurance efforts; data providers cannot easily supervise the appropriate use of their data; and, correspondingly, users have weak incentives to pay for, acknowledge, and protect data that they receive from providers. Data collaboratives are a potential non-market solution to this problem, bringing together data providers and users to address these market failures. The governance frameworks for these collaboratives are varied and complex and their details are not widely known. This guide proposes a methodology and a set of common elements that facilitate experimentation and creation of collaborative environments. It offers guidance to governments on implementing effective data collaboratives as a means to promote data flows in Latin America and the Caribbean, harnessing their potential to design more effective services and improve public policies.


NASA and the Army have been working for over a decade to advance the state-of-the-art (SOA) in Oil-Free Turbomachinery with an eye toward reduced emissions and maintenance, and increased performance and efficiency among other benefits. Oil-Free Turbomachinery is enabled by oil-free gas foil bearing technology and relatively new high-temperature tribological coatings. Rotorcraft propulsion is a likely candidate to apply oil-free bearing technology because the engine size class matches current SOA for foil bearings and because foil bearings offer the opportunity for higher speeds and temperatures and lower weight, all critical issues for rotorcraft engines. This paper describes an effort to demonstrate gas foil journal bearing use in the hot section of a full-scale helicopter engine core. A production engine hot-core location is selected as the candidate foil bearing application. Rotordynamic feasibility, bearing sizing, and load capability are assessed. The results of the program will help guide future analysis and design in this area by documenting the steps required and the process utilized for successful application of oil-free technology to a full-scale engine.


Previous studies have reported that the lateralization of the readiness potential is unaffected by force amplitude of brief unimanual responses. However, because those studies did not specify rate of force production, response force probably was mainly controlled by force unit duration rather than by recruitment of force units, which may explain this negative finding. To enforce recruitment control, we factorially combined peak force (10% or 50% of maximal voluntary finger force) and time to peak force (100 or 200 ms). A precue provided advance information about the responding index finger (left vs. right). After 1 s, the imperative stimulus followed, requiring a brisk isometric flexion of the specified index finger. Symmetric effects, maximal at the vertex, of both force and rate of force production were observed 200-100 ms before the imperative stimulus in stimulus-synchronized averages and 200-100 ms before response onset in response-synchronized averages. However, neither force nor rate of force production affected the lateralized readiness potential. We conclude that this measure does not reflect movement parameters but appears to indicate an abstract preparation of lateralized response channels.


Background: cAMP signalling regulates several endothelial functions such as endothelial barrier integrity, vascular tone, and both physiological and pathological angiogenesis. cAMP mediates these effects via activation of its two well characterised effectors i.e. PKA and Epac (exchange protein directly activated by cAMP). We have previously shown that activation of both cAMP-effectors stabilises endothelial barrier via activation of different signalling pathways. The aim of the present study was to analyse the effects of these cAMP effectors on angiogenesis in vitro.

Methods: The study was carried out on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). cAMP analogues, 8-CPT-cAMP (200 μM), 6-Bnz-cAMP (50 μM) and Forskolin (FSK; 5 μM) were used to activate Epac, PKA or adenylyl cyclase, respectively. In vitro angiogenesis was analysed by wound healing, tube formation and spheroid sprouting assays.

Results: Specific activation of either PKA or Epac induced HUVEC proliferation and and collective migration (wound healing) which was accompanied by enhanced phosphorylation of Akt (at Ser473) and p42/44 MAPK. Both PKA and Epac-induced HUVEC proliferation and migration was abrogated by inhibitors of both Akt and p42/44 MAPK. Accordingly, specific activation of PKA induced endothelial cell tube formation and promoted sprouting of spheroid in 3-D collagen gels. Surprisingly, specific activation of Epac abrogated endothelial cell tube formation and VEGF-induced sprouting. When both PKA and Epac were activated simultaneously (with FSK), the effect of PKA surpased the inhibitory effect of Epac. Accordingly, the inhibition of Epac resulted in enhanced effect of PKA activation. Although activtion of both PKA and Epac induced Rac1 activation, however, both have differential effects on RhoA activity. PKA antagonised RhoA activity, while Epac caused an activation of RhoA. Inhibition of either RhoA activity or downstream Rho kinase (ROCK) alone resulted in increased HUVEC tube formation and sprouting and abrogated completely the anti-angiogenic effect of Epac activation. Similarly, specific activation of RhoA abrogated PKA-induced angiogenesis.

Conclusion: The data of present study demonstrate that cAMP/PKA and cAMP/Epac signalling pathways have differential effects on in vitro angiogenesis. PKA activation promotes while Epac activation antagonises angiogenesis. This differential effect is due to opposite effects of both signalling pathways on RhoA/ROCK signalling.


Agrobiodiversity conservation should be the basic component of any national agricultural improvement programme. Programmes that manage agricultural genetic resources need to reconsider their strategies. Conservation based on genebanks (ex situ conservation) must be broadened and be integrated with on-farm/in situ conservation to be able to conserve much large species and genetic diversity than would otherwise be possible. In situ conservation of agricultural biodiversity (crop and related species diversity) must be made an integral part of agricultural development and supplemented by ex situ conservation. It is obvious that the public sector will have to take the lead in implementing such a comprehensive approach, in which the private sector has an important supportive role. National and intergovernmental laws and regulations will have to provide the necessary legal framework. Civil society organisations (CSOs) as well as the private sector are becoming increasingly important in filling this framework with development reality on the ground. There is a great need for us to adapt to changing conditions accepting realities of climate change, which is a complex task and requires much research as much is unknown. We are in early stages of understanding the changing rules of the game, but I believe there is sufficient experience and diverse resources available to deal with the situation on short term basis, but for long term solutions further research is needed. Complacency should be out and we need to be strategic and need to involve several stakeholders and plan early and systematically. Some amount of crystal gazing and innovation (that may or may not seem right, right now). That means we need to be flexible and be able to change fast when situation demands.


Offsite construction (OSC) has been presented by researchers and practitioners all over the world as an efficient and effective way of delivering buildings. The benefits regarding time, cost and quality are well-documented. However, it has not been successfully implemented in housing, especially in the affordable housing sector. This paper uses the case study method from the affordable housing sector to document these challenges and proposes a way forward for the sector. Also, findings indicate that the high cost of production was identified as a major barrier to the proliferation of off-site housing in the UK. However, the research found that the effective implementation of processes and practices such as Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) could reduce the likelihood of cost escalation.


One of the common features in Nigeria and indeed in many developing countries is that the impacts of community water and sanitation programmes are limited, because many of them are ill-conceived and are abandoned prematurely due to numerous attitudinal, institutional and economic factors. Thus, there is lack of sustainability in the sense of service delivery and upkeep of services. This paper proposes a set of pragmatic strategy that would involve all stakeholders, by ensuring effective partnership with a view to raising the sustainability level of community water and sanitation programmes. The paper believes that the key to sustainability is that all stakeholders involved in the consumption/use, maintenance, cost recovery and continuing support, perceive it in their best interest to deliver good and high quality services.

 Key words: Water supply, sanitation, sustainability, community pacticipation.


Abstract A diagnostic study of persistent intense jet stream events in the Pacific has been carried out with a 15 winter NMC dataset to assess the relevance of the weakly nonlinear model recently proposed by Haines and Malanotte-Rizzoli. Composited data from 14 episodes of persistent intensification anomalies in the central and eastern Pacific have been analyzed with scatter diagrams of potential vorticity q plotted against geopotential Φ on the 300-mb surface. The slope of the functional relationship gives a measure of the wavelength independent component of the refractive index (n2 = −Λ0 = −dq0/dψ0). The theoretical model suggests that if dq0/dψ0 is more negative on the northern and southern flanks, a local intense region within the jet stream may be abnormally persistent. The composited dataset shows that this condition is satisfied during the postonset period as defined by Dole. In contrast, the climatology and the mean flow before onset does not show much variation in Λ0 across the jet. Results are e...


Pancreatic tumors are very rare problem in children that mostly in literature presented just with case reports. Solid-pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas are a little part, just about 1–2%, from all nonendocrine tumors of the pancreas. About 90% of all patients with this tumor are female teenagers and young women. Solid-pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas are innocent, and mostly all of them are incidental findings. However, we can see clinical findings if patient has big size of such tumor, which compress nearest anatomical structures. In this article we present a case of incidental finding of solid- pseudopapillary tumor of body and tale of the pancreas in 11 years old girl, who was treated with distal resection of pancreas.


Use of impedance catheters can provide additional information about the composition and the morphology of early plaques in arteries. However, for a correct interpretation of the impedance data recorded inside a vessel, the extra-vessel conditions should not influence the measurement results. In this paper, we estimate the influence of the extra-vessel conditions on the impedance measurement of a vessel wall by using FEM simulation and a two-layer model. Therefore sensitivity fields are simulated. The simulations are validated by experiments and compared to analytical solutions. Further, the influence of the inner radius of a vessel on the measurement result is determined by FEM simulations. From experiments based on the two-layer model, it is found that the apparent resistance depends on the thickness of the first layer and the separation distance of the electrode structure. The measured result corresponds to the results of the FEM simulations, whereas the analytical solution assuming point electrodes is different from the measurement and simulation results. Under the assumption of homogenous and linear volume conductors, the FEM simulated distributions of sensitivity fields are determined. The inner diameter of the artery has no influence on the measurement results. The FEM simulation can support the design of electrode configuration and geometries for impedance catheters.


Title of Document: MODEL AND ALGORITHM FOR SOLVING REAL TIME DIAL-A-RIDE PROBLEM Taehyeong Kim, Doctor of Philosophy, 2011 Directed By: Professor Ali Haghani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering This research studies a static and real-time dial-a-ride problem with time varying travel times, soft time windows, and multiple depots. First, a static DARP model is formulated as a mixed integer programming and in order to validate the model, several random small network problems are solved using commercial optimization package, CPLEX. Three heuristic algorithms based on sequential insertion, parallel insertion, and clustering first-routing second are proposed to solve static DARP within a reasonable time for implementation in a real-world situation. Also, the results of three heuristic methods are compared with the results obtained from exact solution by CPLEX to validate and evaluate three heuristic algorithms. Computational results show that three heuristic algorithms are superior compared to the exact algorithm in terms of the calculation time as the problem size (in terms of the number of demands) increases. Also among the three heuristic algorithms, the heuristic algorithm based on sequential insertion is more efficient than other heuristic algorithms that are based on parallel insertion and clustering first-routing second. For the case study, Maryland Transit Administration (MTA)'s real operation of Dial-a-ride service is introduced and compared with the results of developed heuristic. The objective function values from heuristic based on clustering firstrouting second are better than those from MTA's operation for all cases when waiting cost, delay cost, and excess ride cost are not included in the objective function values. Also, the algorithm for real-time DARP considering dynamic events such as customer no shows, accidents, cancellations, and new requests is developed based on static DARP. The algorithm is tested in a simulation framework. In the simulation test, we compared the results of cases according to degree of gap between expected link speeds and real link speeds. Also for competitive analysis, the results of dynamic case are compared with the results of static case, where all requests are known in advance. The simulation test shows that the heuristic method could save cost as the uncertainty in new requests increases. MODEL AND ALGORITHM FOR SOLVING REAL TIME DIAL-A-RIDE PROBLEM


Abstract Erosive bony lesions are radiographic findings where localized bone resorption and cortical line breakage occurs. One less common cause of bone erosions is arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). This should always be included in the differentials for foot pain. A 33-year-old gentleman presented with a 5-year history of chronic left foot pain. Clinical examination was unremarkable. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography demonstrated erosive bone changes in the navicular, the intermediate and lateral cuneiforms bones and their corresponding metatarsal bases. An ultrasound and magnetic resonance angiogram demonstrated high signal showing the abnormal communication between metatarsal artery and vein at the site of most pain confirming the AVM. This was subsequently successfully treated with sclerotherapy. Clinicians should be aware of the history, symptoms and signs of AVMs and consider the use of MRI with or without digital subtraction angiography in making a definitive diagnosis.


Objectives The major purposes of this study are to explore the levels of blood pressure, epidemiological distribution hypertension consequently providing scientific evidence for the determination of high risk population and surveillance population and making strategies for prevention and control hypertension that will be really fit for the research areas. Methods Multi-stage stratified randomised sampling was used in this study. All kinds of information were collected by interview, physical examination in sampled residents. The population census data of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was used for standardising rates. Comparison between the different rates of testing with Pearson χ2, Linear by linearχ2 test, T test with measurement data, Spearman rank correlation analysis, analysis of variance. Single-factor and multi-factors Logistic regression analysis were used to explore risk factors of hypertension. Results 1, General epidemiological characteristics of hypertension: (1) The survey collected a total of 3431 people, actual survey 3044 people, response rate was 88.7%, 1617 male (53.1%), 1427 female (46.9%); the average age of male (70.1 ± 7.7) years, the average age of female (70.2 ± 8.4) years; investigates in the crowd the Han population to account for 63.4%, the Hui people have 36.6%; crowd ratio in the city is 52.2%, the village crowd ratio is 47.8%. (2) hypertension was highly prevalent in Han population than that in Hui people (P < 0.01). Conclusions 1, The mean of SBP and DBP was higher than the national level from 2005 for adults in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, The mean of SBP and DBP were highly prevalent in Han population than that in Hui popualtion. 2, The prevalence of hypertension was lower than the nationwide level in 2002 for elderly population in Ningxia, the prevalence of hypertension in women was higher than that in men, the prevalence of hypertension in Han population was higher than that in Hui population.


Highly thermally conductive and electrically insulating polymer materials are eagerly anticipated for thermal management of various applications including next-generation power electronic devices. Herein, boron nitride nanosheet (BNNS)/ionic liquid (IL)/polymer composites with high thermal conductivity (TC) and high electrical insulation were fabricated. BNNSs were exfoliated and noncovalently functionalized with ILs by one-step route using liquid-phase exfoliation of hexagonal boron nitrides in ILs. ILs improved exfoliation by physical adsorption on BNNS surfaces, forming highly soluble few-layered BNNS/IL complexes with high yields. The use of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6]) gave sufficient amounts of BNNS/[bmim][PF6] complexes for fabrication of BNNS/IL/polymer composites. Then BNNS/[bmim][PF6]/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composite films were prepared using a simple wet-process, significantly enhancing both through-plane and in-plane TCs. The through-plane and in-plane TCs of the BNNS/[bmim][PF6]/PMMA composite films containing 50 wt% (≈34 vol%) BNNS reached approx. 5.4 W m−1 K−1 and approx. 7.3 W m−1 K−1, respectively. The through-plane TC is superior to those of previously reported BNNS/thermoplastic (TP) polymer composites with similar BNNS loadings. This high through-plane TC derives from randomly dispersed BNNSs and good affinity between PMMA and [bmim][PF6] on the BNNS surface. The optimum functionalization ratio (FR, [bmim][PF6]/BNNS mass ratio) found for enhancing the TC represents a balance of increased compatibility of BNNS/PMMA and a decrease of TC caused by extra amorphous [bmim][PF6]. Furthermore, the combination of IL and polymer matrix species is important. The through-plane TC of BNNS/[bmim][PF6]/polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) composite films containing 50 wt% BNNS was extremely high (approx. 5.8 W m−1 K−1), although that of BNNS/[bmim][PF6]/polycarbonate (PC) composite films was very low (approx. 1.2 W m−1 K−1) because of the lower affinity of [bmim][PF6] with PC. Moreover, the volume resistivity of the BNNS/[bmim][PF6]/TP polymer composites was improved compared with that of h-BN/TP polymer composites. The BNNS/IL/polymer composites are extremely promising for various applications requiring highly TC and electrical insulation.


The authors examined the diagnostical possibilities of the liver and bile duct cysts with different origin. On the base of the literature and own experiences surveyed the specific signs and the diagnostic value of peritoneoscopy, liver biopsy, scintigraphy, angiography, gray-scale ultrasonography, ERCP and PTC in the hepato-biliary cysts. GSU is the most suitable method to demonstrate the cystous character, but the connection with the biliary tract can be verified by ERCP. Peritoneoscopy is the best procedure in the diagnosis of the polycystic liver; the congenital liver fibrosis can be recognized by biopsy, only. The hepato-biliary cysts can be separated preoperative with the parallel adoption of these methods, in the majority of cases.


A new lanostane triterpenic ether, lanost-20(22)-en-3,19-ether, named adiantulanostene ether was isolated from Adiantum venustum. Its structure was elucidated on the basis of full spectral data analyses and chemical means.


A 52-year old female presented with a low, malignant centroblastic-centrocytic lymphoma. After splenectomy and under steroid therapy it came to the eruption of a latent Strongyloides stercoralis infection, which the patient had presumably been suffering from for several years. Due to the immunodeficient condition and under continued steroid therapy even three courses of high dose anthelmintic therapy could not eradicate the parasites. The patient died of fulminant sepsis.


KOTA BARU: Earning passive income without having to lift a finger has caused many to be easily deceived into joining get-rich-quick schemes without thinking
of the risks that await them.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the effects of AML1A and AML1B, two splicing isoforms of AML1, on the transactivation of macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor (M-CSF-R), and explore the mechanism of hematopoietic stem cell committed differentiation and leukemogenesis.

METHODS
The expressive plasmids of AML1A and AML1B were constructed, and co-transfected into CV-1 cells with a luciferase reporter plasmid containing M-CSF-R promoter. The transactivity of M-CSF-R promoter was assayed by luminometer.

RESULTS
AML1B exhibited a distinct transactivity to M-CSF-R promoter with a sequence-specificity and dosage-dependent manner. AML1A showed no any transactivity but antagonized the effect of AML1B, causing marked reduction of M-CSF-R expression.

CONCLUSION
An intact structure of AML1 is necessary for transactivation of M-CSF-R. AML1A may interfere with the transactivation of AML1B, and play a key role in the fine regulation of committed differentiation of hematopoietic cell.


In this interdisciplinary thesis I will be arguing that new configurations of state discrimination have outrun the vocabularies of liberal multiculturalism and secularism. These `majoritarianisms' are parasitic on the creeping foreclosure of secular spaces and identities from which emergent antiracist and antifascist struggles can be mounted.
State multiculturalism in Britain and India has been instrumental in fertilising the sectarian soil in which the secular has decomposed. They have patronised cultural separateness only to make capital from the isolation of ethnic blocs from mainstream society by expressing exasperation at the reluctance of minorities to `integrate'.
The faith and ethnic communities consolidated under the multiculturalist `management' of diversity have grown bereft of a political culture with which to interrogate the racist state. The privileging of cultural consciousness has been at the expense of political consciousness and an understanding of how discrimination cuts across cultural lines. The crisis of the secular is therefore simultaneously also a crisis of citizenship.
The thesis opens with chapters that draw on sociological research and political commentary to assess the differing forms of majoritarianism and crises of citizenship in Britain and India respectively. In the third chapter I approach these issues through the prism of postcolonial theory using Gayatri Spivak's rehabilitation of responsibility as a collective right (2003) to arrive at a contemporary expression of political education.
In the final two chapters I apply these principles to bring the multicultural and the secular into `productive crisis' in Indian and British contexts by circumventing the orthodox divisions that characterise intellectual approaches to anti-racism and antifascism. I argue that there is a role for a modified understanding of multiculturalism in the recovery of the secular. I conclude therefore that renewing secular culture is predicated on the Left's ability to reaffirm the reciprocity between political consciousness, citizenship and struggles for racial, ethnic and religious equality.


In the Da Vinci Code, Jacques Sauniere is found dead in the Louvre. The Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon, is summoned to make sense of the body. It is a puzzle. You see, Mr. Sauniere is strewn on the floor in the shape of a Vitruvian Man – a pentacle, a five pointed star, a pentagram saturated deep in meaning from the past. Da Vinci himself drew the original sketch of the Vitruvian Man a long time ago; the Vitruvian man has meaning. Seduced by his knowledge of signs, and of course, the inviting eyes of the demure Sophie Neveu, Langdon begins an odyssey of meaning making – a summoning of knowledge of mind. And, yet, what is this knowledge of mind? What is this five-pointed star; this pentagram? What does it mean? Langdon's knowledge is swiftly searched. Meaning in this case has two agendas. What is the meaning of the star? And, what is the meaning of the star carved across Jacques Sauniere's chest? The pentagram, Langdon knows, has come to represent dark or black magic in the eyes of many Christians – the head of Baphonet, a symbol of Satan. And, yet, he also knows that the origin of the pentagram was not always so dark. It was actually a talisman, or sacred geometrical sign, which could be traced back to ancient Greece, and before that, to ancient Mesopotamia around 3000 BC, where it simply meant "heavenly body" or "star". For Egyptians, Langdon knows, the pentagram within the circle also represented the duat – or underworld, if you will – of Egyptian mythical symbology. In the tradition of Christianity, the pentagram was used to represent the five wounds of Christ. But, for the Pythagoreans, Langdon was also aware, the five points of the star stood for the five classical elements of divinity – fire, earth, air, water, and idea – perfection for the Pythagoreans. Perfection because, within its lines, the pentagram also hid the GOLDEN RATIO; 1.618. The ratio between cheekbones, mouth, lips, nose, eyes, and jaw line of the most beautiful face, the proportion of waist to hips in the most attractive female to the gaze of a gentleman's eyes, the pitch of the spiral of DNA, the Fibonacci sequence, the angle of growth from one leaf stem to the next on a tree, … the list goes on…. Perfection is divine. In short, the pentagram also meant perfection. This is a lot of knowledge and Langdon holds all of this knowledge in mind. But, even with layer upon layer of knowing, Langdon still does not know what this pentagram means carved in the flesh of Jacques Saunier's chest. Sophie Neveu neither knows. But, she is the granddaughter of Saunier, and she has knowledge of him. And, so begins the transaction of minds – two minds constructing knowledge together: knowledge of context, history, symbols and signs. This is what this paper is about: how we make meaning together, and how visualizations guide, restrain, permit and constrict this process.


OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical features, pulmonary function, radiological and histological features of a cohort of patients with chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) as potential predictors of survival. METHODS: Cross sectional study that included all patients that had been diagnosed of HP according to the Shuyler and Cormier criteria, between 2004 and 2013 in a University Hospital). All patients included had at least one year of follow up since diagnosis. RESULTS: 179 patients were studied, mean age 60.1 (13.3); 103 were female. The median follow-up was (p25-p75) of 5.9 (3.9-8.6) years. Nineteen patients were excluded due to monitoring loss. Of the 160 patients followed, 87 patients remained alive and 73 had died or had received a lung transplant at the time of the study. The median survival to the date of death or transplantation was 7.0 (4.4-14.5) years. The final study using a proportional hazards model of Cox, which included all potentially influential variables identified in the univariate analysis, showed that the factors independently associated with a reduced survival were age, sex, the percentage of lymphocytes in pulmonary lavage, total lung capacity (TLC) and the CO transfer test (DLCO). CONCLUSION: The median survival of the patients with chronic HP was 7.0 (4.4-14.5) anos. The percentage of lymphocites in the pulmonary lavage, the TLC and DLCO were independently associated with survival.


This guide was created for attendees of the Residential Institute (College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences) at Nova Southeastern University. Welcome to CAHSS Residential Institute information. Schedule of workshops held at the Alvin Sherman Library.


There are no arguments that swearing is a universal linguistic and psychological phenomenon. Many studies proved that people all over the world and in different times used to swear while talking. Of course, each society has its own way in talking the oath, whether in the expressions used or by some body movements that accompanied swearing. Regardless these differences, swearing almost always is used to achieve a common purpose. The current study sheds the light on this aspect linguistically in Iraqi Arabic society. There would sometimes be a reference to Arab people in general for the similarity between Iraqi and other Arab countries in many respects. This is in addition to take into account some shared features with other foreign communities. Religious oaths, swearing by holy people (alive or dead), shrines, times in addition to dear persons were the most elements to be sworn by according to the findings of the study.


OBJECTIVE
To assess perioperative and short-term outcomes after tension-free vaginal mesh repair of pelvic organ prolapse in local Chinese women.

DESIGN
Case series.

SETTING
The urogynaecology unit of a university teaching hospital in Hong Kong.

PATIENTS
All women with stage III or more pelvic organ prolapse who underwent tension-free vaginal mesh repair with or without vaginal hysterectomy from May 2007 to June 2011.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Perioperative and short-term outcomes.

RESULTS
In all, 47 women underwent the procedure during the study period. The mean operating time was 94 minutes, the mean estimated blood loss was 163 mL, and the mean hospital stay was 4 days. Four patients had visceral injuries, all of which were identified and repaired during the operation; all four patients recovered uneventfully. The mean duration of follow-up was 25 (standard deviation, 13) months. Pelvic organ prolapse quantification improved significantly; nine (19%) of the patients had recurrent stage II prolapse but only one was symptomatic, six (13%) had postoperative mesh exposure, three of whom underwent mesh excision. There were five (11%) who had de-novo urodynamic stress incontinence, which was mostly mild and managed conservatively. Overall 91% (43/47) were satisfied with their operative outcome.

CONCLUSIONS
The success rate of tension-free vaginal mesh repair for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse in local Chinese women was comparable to rates reported internationally. There was a high degree of subjective satisfaction with the procedure. There were low rates of mesh exposure and de-novo stress incontinence that was mostly asymptomatic or mild.


"Forty Years of Murder" Harrap Books £6.95 Professor KEITH SIMPSON "Police: The Investigation of Violence" Harrap Books £4.95 The first book is an autobiography; the second volume is one of a series on various aspects of police work under the general title of "Police Studies". Keith Simpson has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in his chosen field. However, his autobiography, whilst it contains some personal and interesting material, is largely concerned with his career and a catalogue of cases in which he has been involved. Many of them made the national headlines, some are famous for what was done and for what he managed to accomplish in bringing the offenders to trial. Frequently the autobiography isset aside to tell us of this or that murder, and generally the stories make absorbing reading. Indeed, it would be difficult to remember any important murder trial in the past thirty years in which he did not figure in one way or another. Pathology attracted Keith Simpson from his earliest medical days. He declared himself unable to choose anything else. Always ready to turn out at a moment's notice, and his preparedness to work under the most difficult conditions, soon established a reputation based upon his painstaking, meticulous approach to the task in hand. His conclusions, based upon his examinations at the scene and elsewhere were frequently of great help to investigating officers, and invaluable at the subsequent trials. Not all of his cases were unqualified successes, and one suspects that at times solutions were tantalisingly close but eluded the best efforts of police and scientists. At the time he became involved in criminal pathology, there were not many other practitioners. The best known was probably Sir Bernard Spilsbury, who was then nearing the end of his career. Keith Simpson's contemporaries who became as well known as himself were Francis Camps and Donald Teare. from their earliest days they became firm friends. However, a rare jarring and perhaps sour note occurs when quite severe criticism is levelled at Francis Camps. It is a pity these references were included for they do nothing to enhance the story. At times the list of cases becomes tedious for often the accounts are variations upon a theme, but having said that, one cannot take away from the author his truly remarkable achievements. . The second book is a teaching text book. All aspects of violence are dealt with in a concise manner, well illustrated with photographs. The role of the scientist, and his needs, are well defined and there is a great deal to interest the police officer who, if the book is studied carefully, will be much better informed of how the scientist will approach his task. Upon many occasions there are references to cases which are explained more fully in the autobiography, and in the latter there were occasions when some scientific details would have helped the story-telling. Whilst there are two books, each aimed at a different readership, one single volume might well have made for more interesting reading. The autobiographical aspects might well have been even sketchier but they are largely overshadowed by the case histories which are liberally scattered through our legal history in the post-war period. W. PULLINGER


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

VEGFR-2 (Flk-1 or KDR) is generally recognized as the major form that mediates VEGF-induced response and the earliest marker for endothelial cell development. More importantly, VEGFR-2 directly regulates tumor angiogenesis and cancer cell survival through autocrine/paracrine mechanisms. We have previously reported that leptin signaling induced the growth of breast cancer mainly through the up-regulation of pro-angiogenic and pro-proliferative molecules, i.e., VEGF/VEGFR-2. Disruption of leptin signaling markedly reduced the growth of tumors and the expression of VEGFR-2 in mouse models of syngeneic and human breast cancer xenografts (ER+ and ER-). On the other hand, Notch signaling is essential for tumor angiogenesis. We hypothesized that a crosstalk between Notch and leptin signaling could impact the expression of VEGFR-2 in breast cancer. To test this hypothesis, the 5′-end transcription region of mouse VEGFR-2 gene was cloned and used to establish VEGFR2-Luc assays in mouse mammary tumor (MT) cells. Leptin induced VEGFR-2-Luc activity through JAK2, JNK, p38 MAP kinase, as well as PKC signaling pathways and up-regulated several members of Notch family (Notch 1∼4) in MT. Interestingly, leptin-induced VEGFR-2 transcriptional activity was significantly inhibited by a gamma-secretase inhibitor which blocks Notch pathway activation. These results suggest that leptin and Notch signaling crosstalk could impact on angiogenesis and growth of MT. Furthermore, VEGFR-2 transcription and expression was heavily depending on VEGFR-2 gene methylation and histone acetylation that could be linked to leptin's effects. Our results provide novel evidence on how VEGFR-2 could be regulated in breast cancer. Present data reinforce the idea that disruption of leptin signaling could reduce tumor angiogenesis/growth by inhibiting leptin-mediated up-regulation of VEGFR-2 and/or by negatively impacting on signals from some key members of Notch family. This might help to design new pharmacological strategies aimed at controlling breast cancer growth and angiogenesis. [This work was supported in part by NIH/NCI 1SC1CA138658-02; NIH/ARRA/3SC1CA138658-02S1; NIH/UAB Breast SPORE Career Development Award and the Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar Award (to RRGP)].

Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-365.


Vibronic couplings in C(60)(-) anion are discussed on the basis of the concept of the vibronic coupling density (VCD) [T. Sato, K. Tokunaga, and K. Tanaka, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 024314 (2006); K. Tokunaga, T. Sato, and K. Tanaka, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 154303 (2006); and T. Sato, K. Tokunaga, and K. Tanaka, J. Phys. Chem. A 112, 758 (2008)]. The VCD analysis clearly reveals that the coupling to the bending h(g)(2) mode is weaker than the coupling to the stretching h(g)(7) and h(g)(8) modes. For the vibronic couplings with the stretching modes, polarizations of the electron density difference on the bonds play a crucial role in the vibronic couplings. Such a polarized electron density difference appears as a result of the Coulomb interactions between the electrons in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and relevant doubly-occupied orbitals.


Introduction There is a great clinical need for novel markers to predict kidney function decline in patients with type 2 diabetes. We explored the potential of post-translationally modified fetuin-A fragments in urine (uPTM-FetA) as such a marker. Methods We included patients with type 2 diabetes from two independent, non-overlapping prospective cohort studies. A cut-off for uPTM-FetA, measured via ELISA method, was determined using the Youden index in the primary cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes from Taiwan. Kidney endpoint was defined as an eGFR decline ≥30% from baseline, reaching of an eGFR<15 mL/min/1.73 m2, or a need of renal replacement therapy. Prospective associations were assessed in Cox regression models. All analyses were replicated in a cohort of patients with type 2 diabetes from the Netherlands. Results In total, 294 patients with type 2 diabetes (age 61±10 years, 55% male, eGFR 88±16 ml/min/1.73m2) were included in the primary cohort. During a follow-up of median 4.6 years, 42 participants (14%) experienced the kidney endpoint. Using the defined cut-off, a high uPTM-FetA was associated with a higher risk of renal function decline (Plog-rank <0.0001). This association was similar in subgroups depending on albuminuria. This association remained, independent of age, sex, baseline eGFR, albuminuria, HbA1c, and other potential confounders (HR: 9.94; 95% CI: 2.96-33.40; P<0.001 in the final model). Analyses in the validation cohort (376 patients with type 2 diabetes, age 64±11 years, 66% male, eGFR 76±24 ml/min/1.73m2) using the same cut-off yielded similar results. Discussion/Conclusion uPTM-FetA was independently associated with kidney function decline in patients with type 2 diabetes validated in a 2-cohort study. The significant additive predictive power of this biomarker from conventional risk factors suggests its clinical use for renal function progression in patients with type 2 diabetes.


Coagulation-flocculation is a proven technique for the removal of suspended solids in wastewater, through the application of single angle turbidimetric measurement. Through this measurement, the coag-flocculation kinetics and functional parameters behavior of Detarium microcarpumin brewery effluent with respect to pH, dosage and time were followed at room temperature. Process parameters such as order of reaction α, rate constant (K), coagulation period τ1/2 etc were determined. Results indicated that reaction order, rate constant, period, pH and dosage recorded optimum values at 2, 1.8 × 10-2 L/mg.min, 0.152 min, 4 and 100 mg/L, respectively. Maximum efficiency recorded was 96.07% at 30 min. Detarium microcarpum has shown potential as an effective bio-coagulant for the removal of turbidity from brewery effluent.