Abstract Background and purpose: The frequency of good outcome at 3 months after tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) therapy is ∼35%. The present study aimed to devise a simple scale to predict good outcome using clinical factors and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings before and immediately after t-PA infusion. Methods: Consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with t-PA within 3 hours of stroke onset were studied prospectively. We assessed clinical factors independently associated with good outcome [modified Rankin scale (mRS): 0-1] at 3 months after t-PA therapy. We created a simple scale to predict good outcome in t-PA patients using factors selected by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Subjects comprised 105 patients (69 men; median age, 74 years). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the following independent factors associated with good outcome: baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) <11 [odds ratio (OR), 13·64; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3·588-51·822; P = 0·0001], glucose <150 mg/dl (OR, 3·76; 95%CI, 1·014-13·963; P = 0·0475), and early recanalization within 1 hour after t-PA infusion (OR, 5·28; 95%CI, 1·179-23·656; P = 0·0296). Those three variables were selected for use in the good outcome scale, with NIHSS <11 as 2 points, glucose <150 mg/dl as 1 point, and early recanalization as 1 point. Frequencies of patients with good outcome for each score were as follows: score 0, 0·0%; score 1, 7·1%; score 2, 43·5%; score 3, 65·4%; and score 4, 71·4%. The C statistic for the score was 0·849 (95%CI, 0·776-0·922). Conclusion: A simple clinical and MRI scale can predict good outcome in t-PA patients.


The paper aims to discuss the narrative approach to case study analysis, drawing on the research carried out within the H2020 European Project YOUNG_ ADULLLT. It aimed to analyse Lifelong Learning (LLL) policies targeted to young adults in Europe, particularly those in situations of social exclusion, focusing on the different ways in which the policies are socially embedded in specific local contexts across Europe. By a multimethod and multilevel perspective, the research sought to explore the interplay between structural, institutional and individual levels to understand the relationship and complementarity between the LLL policies and the young people's social conditions, needs and expectations. The paper focuses on the narrative approach, namely the "storytelling strategy", adopted to examine the Lifelong Learning policies chosen as case studies in their social, political and economic realities. Different examples of storytelling and their contribution to analyse LLL policies are explored. Lastly, we critically discuss whether the narrative approach allowed to build a dense portrait able to yield the complexity and the specificity of the cases, reconstructing the story of the meaning of Lifelong Learning in different constellations. Epistemological and methodological considerations on the use of narrative approach in social science are provided, highlighting its opportunities and limits.


The difficulties encountered by persons with ASD in employment and the need for both career assessment and transition planning service are well documented. A young person with ASD was given both quantitative and qualitative assessment tools. As revealed, both the occupational card sort and the instrument for value clarification were the most helpful among the tools adopted while the results of career interests exploration using both SDS-5R and Fabry and Bertinetti's (2014) Career Interpersonal Identity Type Assessment could be misleading for clients with ASD, especially in case of high score in Social type. The findings highlight the importance of a comprehensive assessment using both quantitative and qualitative instruments in multiple domains, including exploration for strengths and talents.


The mechanical and thermal properties of the skin and some chemical characteristics of the skin collagen have been examined for broiler chickens exhibiting Oily Bird Syndrome (OBS) and compared with material from normal birds. Comparisons of skin thickness showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups. There was also no difference in the melting temperature of the skin collagen between the two groups when examined by the isometric melting method. The strength of the skin was examined at 36 C and at 93 C. At both temperatures, the skin from OBS birds was significantly weaker than skin from normal birds. Skin collagen was examined for birds from OBS flocks (greater than 20% OBS occurrence) without distinction of the characteristics of the individual birds and compared with the skin collagen birds from flocks where OBS was absent. Comparisons of cyanogen bromide-digested collagen from both groups by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a clear distinction between the groups. The observed differences suggested that a change that lowered the extent of collagen crosslinking was present in the birds from OBS flocks, and this observation is consistent with the weaker mechanical properties of the skin of these birds. All birds in these flocks show the difference even if the individual birds do not all show OBS. This suggests that a change leading to lowering of the structural integrity of the connective tissue is present in all birds in an OBS-affected flock, but that individual variation between birds determines those birds that actually exhibit OBS.


Abstract A sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SOVA) is a rare cardiac defect in which the aortic root area between the aortic annulus and the sinotubular junction is dilated. We present a case of acute liver failure (ALF) in a 21-year-old man secondary to ruptured SOVA inducing severe ischemic hepatitis. The patient presented clinically with classical ALF. The liver ultrasound reported hepatomegaly with pulsatile portal flow and dilated hepatic veins. A transthoracic echocardiogram revealed focal aneurysmal dilatation of the aortic root with flow across the aneurysm toward the right atrium and elevated right chambers pressures. The surgical repair of the non-coronary SOVA was successful, and post-operatively, liver transaminases improved, and ALF resolved. Given that ruptured SOVA can be surgically repaired, hepatologists should be aware of this diagnosis in a young patient with ALF.


The aim of this study was to understand how contrasting environments influence the wood formation in Eucalyptus clones and the effect on wood density and spatial variability. Wood density was assessed in clonal tests represented by 150 Eucalyptus urophylla x grandis hybrids with 6-year-old growing under different conditions. The main difference among the sites was the slope of the terrain: the clonal tests were replicated at plan site (0° of inclination), at site with 20°, and 40° of inclination. In order to provide experimental data to perform this study, gravimetric (reference) method and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy were combined for assessing the wood density in a large sampling of Eucalyptus wood. Hence, regression model based on NIR spectra was developed for estimating such wood traits from NIR spectra recorded at different radial and longitudinal positions along the height of the tree. This approach allows the examination of the patterns of spatial variation of wood density within Eucalyptus trees. Variations in wood density along the stem are less consistent than those in the radial direction, especially close the base of the tree. Overall, the wood density strongly varied from pith (460 kg m-3) to bark (600 kg m-3) at the base. The radial variation in wood density at the base was about 140 kg m-3 while the radial variation at 25% of stem height was slightly low (~130 kg m-3). At 50% of height the trait also increased radially (~104 kg m-3), but in relative low magnitude. The density slightly increased from pith to bark at 75% of height (~50 kg m-3) and at the top of the tree the variation was of lower magnitude (~20 kg m-3). The radial variation at the base take into account the wood formed from the first to the sixty year of growth while the variation in the top of the tree refers to the wood developed with few months of difference. The pith to bark variations in wood density were higher in the trees from the site presenting 40° of inclination. At 25% of the tree height, the radial variation was 104 kg m-3 in the site plan (0°), 133 kg m-3 in the site presenting inclination of 20°, and 157 kg m-3 in the site with 40° of inclination. In conclusion, the higher the inclination of the terrain, the greater the magnitude of wood density variation. Sloped terrains induce formation of reaction wood influencing the radial variation in wood traits. (Resume d'auteur)


The large-scale biomass production is an essential step in the biotechnological applications of microalgae. Coccomyxa onubensis is an acidophilic microalga isolated from the highly acidic waters of Río Tinto (province of Huelva, Spain) and has been shown to accumulate a high concentration of lutein (9.7 mg g−1dw), a valuable antioxidant, when grown at laboratory-scale. A productivity of 0.14 g L−1 d−1 was obtained by growing the microalga under outdoor conditions in an 800 L tubular photobioreactor. The results show a stable biomass production for at least one month and with a lutein content of 10 mg g−1dw, at pH values in the range 2.5–3.0 and temperature in the range 10–25 °C. Culture density, temperature, and CO2 availability in highly acidic medium are rate-limiting conditions for the microalgal growth. These aspects are discussed in this paper in order to improve the outdoor culture conditions for competitive applications of C. onubensis.


In the class of Nonlinear time-series models, Gaussian mixture transition dis tribution (GMTD) and Mixture autoregressive (MAR) models may be em ployed to describe those data sets that depict sudden bursts, outliers and flat stretches at irregular time-epochs. In order to capture volatility explicitly, recently a new family, viz. M AR-Autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic (MAR-ARCH) has been introduced in the literature. In this paper, these three families are studied by considering weekly wholesale onion price data during April, 1998 to March, 2002. Presence of ARCH in detrended and de seasonalised series is tested by Naive-Lagrange multiplier (Naive-LM) test. Estimation of parameters is done using Expectation-Maximization (EM) al gorithm and best model from each family is selected on basis of Bayesian information criterion (BIC). The salient feature of work done is that, for selected models, formulae for carrying out out-of-sample forecasting up to three-steps ahead have been obtained theoretically, perhaps for the first time, by recursive use of conditional expectation and conditional variance. In respect of out-of-sample data, results derived enable us to compute best predictor, prediction error variance, and predictive density. It is concluded that a two-component MAR-ARCH provides best description of the data for modelling as well as forecasting purposes.


This essay connects Villiers de l'Isle-Adam's fantastic tale Claire Lenoir (1867/1887) and Gaston Leroux's detective story Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (1907) to contemporary debates in optical science. It argues that modern visual subjectivity is shaped less by photographic technologies than by new epistemological questions rooted in the anatomy of the eye. Both texts figure the retina as a troubled site of human knowledge through a link between domestic chambre and optical chamber: in Claire Lenoir, the purple-bordered wallpaper of Claire's hotel room exteriorizes the "retinal violet" of the eye's photochemistry, while in Leroux's tale, the central, mysterious "chambre jaune" reflects the retinal "tache jaune" debated in contemporary physiologies (AG)


A laser scanning system for the rapid characterization of crystal defects in single and poly-crystalline semiconductors has been developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and commericalized as the PVScan 5000 by Labsphere, Inc. In the unprocessed material, the system produces digital color maps of the spatial distributions of dislocations and grain boundaries simultaneously. After device fabrication, the PVScan 5000 is used to produce photoresponsivity maps of the light beam induced current (LBIC) on a photovoltaic device such as a solar cell or a photodetector. An additional feature is that it also measures the spatial distributions of optical reflectance, both specular and diffuse, which can be applied to the LBIC maps to determine the internal responsivity of the device. The internal responsivity is proportional to the minority carrier diffusion length of silicon devices. It is possible, therefore, to determine the diffusion length for certain devices.


is a modular form of weight n/2 on Γ0(N), where N is the level of Q, i.e. NQ−1 is integral and NQ−1 has even diagonal entries. This was proved by Schoeneberg [5] for even n and by Pfetzer [3] for odd n. Shimura [6] uses the Poisson summation formula to generalize their results for arbitrary n and he also computes the theta multiplier explicitly. Stark [8] gives a different proof by converting θQ(z) into a symplectic theta function and then using the transformation formula for the symplectic theta function. In [4], we apply Stark's method and use theta functions of indefinite quadratic forms to construct modular forms over totally real number fields. In this paper, we define theta functions attached to quadratic forms over imaginary quadratic fields. We show that these theta functions are modular forms of weight n/2 on some Γ0 groups by regarding them as symplectic theta functions and then applying well known results for symplectic theta functions. In particular, the main result of [8] allows us to compute the theta multiplier for our theta functions in a very elegant way.


We report a 64-year-old female patient with a subaortic-valve aneurysm due to infective endocarditis, in whom the aneurysm and its perforation was detected by Doppler color flow imaging. She had severe aortic and mitral valve regurgitation, and underwent aortic valve replacement with plication of the aneurysm. Transthoracic echocardiography doesn't have enough usefulness to clarify periaortic-annular changes, but combination with Doppler color flow imaging is supposed to be informative for subaortic-valve changes same as transesophageal echocardiography especially in the cases with abnormal flow.


This study examines racial inequities and homelessness in the United States through mixed methods research in eight communities. We compare the race and ethnicity of those experiencing homelessness to the general population and to people in poverty, and we also explore how race and ethnicity are associated with housing outcomes. Interviews with 195 individuals of color explore pathways into homelessness and drivers of outcomes. We find that Black/African Americans and Native Americans were the most overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness in each community, and interview data suggest that factors associated with homelessness for people of color include barriers to housing and economic mobility, racism and discrimination within homeless services, and involvement in multiple systems, including criminal justice. How race and ethnicity were associated with outcomes varied for youth, single adults, and families. We argue that researchers and policy-makers need to address homelessness with attention to racial justice.


Abstract. Relatively total variation (RTV) algorithm, which can effectively decompose structure information and texture in image, is employed in extracting main structures of the image. However, applying the RTV directly to polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) image filtering will not preserve polarimetric information. A new RTV approach based on the complex Wishart distribution is proposed considering the polarimetric properties of PolSAR. The proposed polarization RTV (PolRTV) algorithm can be used for PolSAR image filtering. The L-band Airborne SAR (AIRSAR) San Francisco data is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in speckle suppression, structural information preservation, and polarimetric property preservation.


Background While premature suture fusion, or craniosynostosis, is a relatively common condition, the cause is often unknown. Estrogens are associated with growth plate fusion of endochondral bones. In the following study, we explore the previously unknown significance of estrogen/estrogen receptor signaling in cranial suture biology. Methodology/Principal Findings Firstly, estrogen receptor (ER) expression was examined in physiologically fusing (posterofrontal) and patent (sagittal) mouse cranial sutures by quantitative RT-PCR. Next, the cranial suture phenotype of ER alpha and ER beta knockout (αERKO, βERKO) mice was studied. Subsequently, mouse suture-derived mesenchymal cells (SMCs) were isolated; the effects of 17-β estradiol or the estrogen antagonist Fulvestrant on gene expression, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation were examined in vitro. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed in which Fulvestrant was administered subcutaneously to the mouse calvaria. Results showed that increased ERα but not ERβ transcript abundance temporally coincided with posterofrontal suture fusion. The αERKO but not βERKO mouse exhibited delayed posterofrontal suture fusion. In vitro, addition of 17-β estradiol enhanced both osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation in suture-derived mesenchymal cells, effects reversible by Fulvestrant. Finally, in vivo application of Fulvestrant significantly diminished calvarial osteogenesis, inhibiting suture fusion. Conclusions/Significance Estrogen signaling through ERα but not ERβ is associated with and necessary for normal mouse posterofrontal suture fusion. In vitro studies suggest that estrogens may play a role in osteoblast and/or chondrocyte differentiation within the cranial suture complex.


Abstract Global foreign direct investment flows in terms of greenfield and brownfield investments have increased during the recent three decades resulting from the accelerating globalization. The considerable increases in the flows of foreign direct investment have many eventualities for the national economies. This study investigates the mutual effects among greenfield and brownfield (mergers and acquisitions) investments and economic growth in Central and Eastern European Union countries during the 2003–2015 period employing panel data analysis. The findings revealed that both greenfield and brownfield investments had positive influence on the economic growth, but the influence of greenfield investments was found to be relatively higher. Furthermore, one-way causality was discovered from both greenfield and brownfield investments to the economic growth.


Background. Predicting future sales is necessary to control the flow of goods in supply chains (SC), which is why firms perform forecasting of consumer demand. To study the reliability of the solution, the sensitivity analysis (SA) of the results to changes in the original data is performed. Network decision support (DS) models usually contain a very large number of elements and connections between them, which makes it difficult to perform SA.
Objective. The aim of the paper is to assess the sensitivity of the solution, given in the form of the element ranking of the network DS model, to inaccuracies and contradictions in elements of expert pairwise comparison matrices (PCMs), as well as to changes in individual elements of the supermatrix of the network DS model. To assess the priority of different types of information in the SC management system and to assess the sensitivity of the decision to obtain a more accurate forecast of consumer demand.
Methods. Evaluation of DS models to prioritize information needs in the SC management system is carried out based on a developed method of network analysis. The method for assessing the sensitivity of the decision, proposed for the hierarchical DS model, includes finding stable elements of each level of the hierarchy and assessing the degree of sensitivity of global ranking of elements. The sensitivity of a solution based on a network DS model includes an assessment of the stability of local rankings, finding the matrix elements that most affect the change in consistency and change in the local ranking, as well as the sensitivity to changes in individual elements of the model supermatrix.
Results. The method of complex assessment of sensitivity has been further developed, the stages of assessing the stability of local ranking of elements of the network DS model and the resilience of the pairwise comparison matrix elements to changes in the permissible inconsistency have been improved. A method for SA of results based on the network DS model to changes in individual elements of the supermatrix using machine learning tools is generalized.
Conclusions. In the SC management problem, the elements of the expert PCM are found, which to the greatest extent affect the change in consistency and change in the rankings of decision alternatives. The stable elements of the matrix and elements for revision by an expert were calculated in order to increase the reliability of the solution to the SC management problem based on the hierarchical and network DS models.


At the moment the world of telecommunication is undergoing a radical paradigm shift. Users expect more from companies than providing services, infrastructure or technology. They expect a seamless process of information and media consumption. A User Experience (UX) view and strategy is essential for the product development process in the area of convergence. The user is no longer dealing with "one system at a time" - he is embedded in a technical environment in which numerous parties intend to communicate or collaborate with him, as well as service, inform or entertain him through various technical channels.With this contribution we intend to highlight the importance of a user-centered view on convergence in telecommunication. This viewpoint ranges from analyzing current consumer behaviours and needs, to evaluating innovative ideas, identifying future market trends and building a guideline based UX framework.


This brief work fits nicely into the Orbis "Faith and Culture" series. It is essentially Garcia-Rivera's dissertation for his doctorate in theology. The author and his mentor, Virgil Elizondo (writer of a foreword for the book), are both Hispanic-Americans; a major theme is mestizaje and the racial and cultural mix that implies. The author seems fixated on the fact that his European ancestors conquered and enslaved his Indian and African ancestors. Be prepared to read "the violent and unequal encounter of cultures" literally dozens of times. Consciously or unconsciously that becomes the thread that ties the chapters together. St. Martin de Porres, the Peruvian mulatto Dominican "St. Francis of the Americas" (p. 58), is the vehicle for a work in theological anthropology. "Popular religion" is the main focus, and semiotics (interpretation of signs and symbols) the major method of dealing with the "little stories." There are well-written sections on the beatification and canonization process, the cultural mosaic (he seems to be describing a kaleidoscope) of Latin America, the Vallodolid debate over whether the Indians were human beings, and colonial culture in sixteenth-century Lima, Peru, where St. Martin de Porres lived.


In this paper, we focus on the fixed-circle problem on metric spaces by means of the multivalued mappings. We introduce new multivalued contractions using Wardowski's techniques and obtain new fixed-circle results related to multivalued contractions with some applications to integral type contractions. We verify the validity of our obtained results with illustrative examples.


Drawing on archival research, ethnographic fieldwork in Syria in the 2000s, and texts published in print and on the Internet, this article investigates how social and collective identities in Syria's tribal milieu have been negotiated through interactions between different social actors during the period of the French Mandate (1920-46) and the decade 2001-11. By scrutinizing administrative distinctions between "nomadic" and "semi-sedentary tribes", or "Bedouin" and "Shawaya", adopted during the Mandate, the article explores how notions of social order, which were partly informed by stereotypical imaginations of the Bedouin, have shaped local politics and influenced social dynamics in northern Syria. The article also traces how the experiences of the Mandate years resonate in articulations of social and political identity in Syria around the beginning of the twenty-first century. Taking inspiration from Judith Butler's exposition of the performative constitution of gender identities, it is suggested that the constitution of tribal identities in Syria, too, can productively be regarded as a performative process.


Community entrepreneurship (CE) is an established synergetic network between the community and social entrepreneurship. CE in agricultural cluster area development (ACD), which is based on small-medium enterprise (SMEs) comprises the collaborative engagement between farmer community, agribusiness cluster, and common resources. This research aims to analyze CE performance in ACD based on SMES through emerging CE variables and how to manage CE's variables most effectively. This study contributes to the enhancement of CE performance in ACD. It also contributes to the methodology through the community effectiveness entrepreneurship index (CEEI). CEEI is a model to measure CE in ACD. It is an average score of 30 indicators from CE functions: collective innovation, collective supply chain management, collective accessibility to economic resources and opportunities, profit accumulation, and benefit-sharing. Using a factor analysis validation, CEEI has been applied to farmer groups in Lembah Gumanti subdistrict, Solok regency, West Sumatra province, Indonesia as a pilot test. The results indicated constructing the measured performance of CE in ACD identified CE performance supported by all CE variables. There are three CE effectiveness categories in ACD; strong (4), fair (3), and weak. Primarily, the management has yet been effective for CE variables. This is because the majority of CE is still not managed by non-social business communities. Community social businesses are better at managing synergies with the dimensions of collective action for innovation, SCM, accessibility, profits, and benefit-sharing.


As fire develops Fire Plume occurs. The temperature characteristics of Fire Plume are described as average, axial or in the radial distance from the centerline. Common methods used for the determination of axial temperature of Fire Plume assume standard conditions of the surroundings and do not take into account the existence of an accumulated layer of hot gases below the ceiling structure that is characteristic for fires in closed premises, though. The contribution evaluates the meaning of existence of hot gas layer for the determination of Fire Plume centreline temperature. It assesses relative variability of temperatures determined by commonly applied methods which do not take the effect of a hot gas layer into account, and by a method that takes the existence of hot gas layer into account. From the assessment it is ensued that the existence of hot gas layer does play a crucial role in the determination of Fire Plume axial temperature.


In recent years, a number of family therapists have conceptualized psychotherapy as a dialogical activity. This view presents family therapy researchers with specific challenges, the most important of which is to find ways of dealing with the dialogical qualities of the multi-actor dialogues that occur, for example, in family therapeutic conversations. In this article, we propose some preliminary ideas concerning qualitative investigations of multi-actor dialogues. Our aim is to work toward an integration of Bakhtin's theoretical concepts with good practices in qualitative research (e.g., dialogical tools and concepts of a narrative processes coding system) in order to make sense of family therapy dialogues. A specific method that we have called Dialogical Methods for Investigations of Happening of Change is described. This method allows for a general categorization of the qualities of responsive dialogues in a single session, and also for a detailed focus on particular sequences through a microanalysis of specific topical episodes. The particular focus is on the voices present in the utterances, the positioning of each speaker, and the addressees of the utterances. The method is illustrated via an analysis of a couple therapy session with a depressed woman and her husband.


There are so many speeches delivered by such famous people in this world. But, if we are asked to give the point of view about the impact of each speech delivered then the speech from Martin Luther King Jr. will convey the high meaning in term of rethorical speech especially the content and the context about the concepts of repetition found. The speech was on 28th of August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C in a verbal ways and its text become the secondary data to be analyzed with much focus on emphasizing phrases, words or sentences. By using the concept of rethoric perspective through repetition such as anaphora, epistrophe and epizeuzis, the researcher wants to know the values behind the repetition. That is why, the analysis is using the descriptive qualitative research on taking the secondary data that has been adapted from the video and the text of the speech itself. The conclusion especially on the ideas of repetition are that Martin Luther King Jr. tries to make sure his audiences about that 1) the repetition is something more that the meaning itself, it is above. 2) The struggle, it is something true, needs to be realized in the real life, and adds the weight of the expection to be equal and free.


In this paper, we investigate some language acquisition facets of an auto-adaptative system that can automatically acquire most of the relevant lexical knowledge and authoring practices for an application in a given domain. This is the LELIO project: producing customized LELIE solutions. Our goal, within the framework of LELIE (a system that tags language uses that do not follow the Constrained Natural Language principles), is to automate the long, costly and error prone lexical customization of LELIE to a given application domain. Technical texts being relatively restricted in terms of syntax and lexicon, results obtained show that this approach is feasible and relatively reliable. By auto-adaptative, we mean that the system learns from a sample of the application corpus the various lexical terms and uses crucial for LELIE to work properly (e.g. verb uses, fuzzy terms, business terms, stylistic patterns). A technical writer validation method is developed at each step of the acquisition.


Chronic nerve compression (CNC) induces a permeability change in neural vasculature. As recent evidence has shown that an alteration in reactive oxidative species (ROS) is related to neural degradation and regeneration, we evaluated whether inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) plays a role in a rat model for CNC. Semi-quantitative analysis of iNOS mRNA and protein were performed with in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, respectively, at 3, 5, and 9 months post-operatively. At 3 months, iNOS mRNA was up-regulated in the perineurium of the proximal nerve with detectable changes in compressed and distal nerve segments. This expression continued to increase in the perineurium of 5-month proximal and compressed nerve segments with distal nerve demonstrating only a slight up-regulation of iNOS mRNA. At 9 months, iNOS mRNA expression was observed in both compressed and distal nerve. iNOS protein expression followed the same pattern of iNOS mRNA. As the perineurium is the blood-nerve barrier, the data suggests that these changes maybe mediated at the level of the perineurium. As macrophages release iNOS, we also evaluated whether macrophage recruitment followed the same pattern as iNOS expression. The results of ED-1 immunostaining for macrophages indicate that macrophages were localized to the outer one-third of cross sections during early time points. At later time points, macrophages were distributed diffusely throughout the nerve sections. Contrary to Wallerian degeneration, which elicits a relatively immediate signal for macrophage recruitment, CNC provides a slow, sustained stimulus for macrophage recruitment, which may be responsible for the up-regulation of iNOS gene expression.


Australia's systems for disease surveillance, detection and reporting have recently been reinvigorated, as has planning for mass casualty and outbreak preparedness. However, existing research and comments from the Australian experts in public health policy and practice interviewed by Nigel Brew and Kate Burton for this paper highlight major deficiencies in the emergency health response to infectious disease in the human population. Although most respondents were confident that in the event of a national infectious disease emergency 'the system would work', the system is largely untested and many of Australia's hospitals appear to be underprepared. There is a general sense that the current emergency health response labours under difficulties arising from limited resources, inadequate training exercises and a lack of integration.


The "learn by doing" approach to training is common in the public health field and is a core component of service-learning programs. Trainee satisfaction, learning, and application of learning have been studied. What is less understood is the perspective of the agencies that host trainees. This study aimed to identify whether and how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) adds value to the agencies that host trainees during 2-year field assignments. An exploratory, qualitative study design consisting of 9 semistructured telephone interviews with PHAP host agency supervisors was used. Results suggested that PHAP increased host agencies' capacity by assigning capable trainees to host agencies. Trainees made quality contributions that led to agency- and/or community-wide improvements and positively affected the agencies' culture. Further evaluation of the host perspective is necessary; as coupled with the trainee's perspective, it will provide a more holistic understanding of program value.


INTRODUCTION
The aim was to assess the association between alcohol intake during pregnancy and preterm delivery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Women attending routine antenatal care at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, from 1989-1991 and 1992-1996 were eligible for the study. Our analyses included 18,228 singleton pregnancies. We obtained prospective information on alcohol intake at about 16 and 30 weeks of gestation, other lifestyle factors, maternal characteristics, and obstetrical risk factors from questionnaires completed by the women and hospital files.

RESULTS
For women with an alcohol intake of 1-2, 3-4, 5-9, and > or = 10 drinks/week, the risk ratio (RR) of preterm delivery was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.76-1.08), 0.86 (0.64-1.15), 0.89 (0.52-1.52), and 2.93 (1.52-5.63) respectively, compared with an intake of < 1 drink/week at about 16 weeks of gestation, and 0.69 (0.56-0.86), 0.82 (0.60-1.13), 0.97 (0.58-1.64), and 3.56 (1.78-7.13) at about 30 weeks. Adjustment for smoking habits, caffeine intake, age, height, prepregnant weight, marital status, occupational status, education, parity, chronic diseases, previous preterm delivery, mode of initiation of labour, and sex of the child did not alter the conclusions, nor did restriction of the highest intake group to women drinking 10-14 drinks/week (RR = 3.41 (1.71-6.81) at 16 weeks and RR = 3.47 (1.64-7.35) at 30 weeks).

DISCUSSION
The association between alcohol intake and preterm delivery appeared to be J-shaped, with a threshold for adverse effect at a level of about 10-14 drinks/week.


Extremely rare research has been carried out related to the assessment of the anthropometric convenience of transport and mining machinery cabins and its human-centered design. The importance of studying this problem largely exceeds the number of published works. Despite today's the risk awareness, incidents in heavy machinery operations have not substantially decreased. Transport and mining machinery operators' job is very demanding since high precision is needed and they remain in cabins during almost the whole shift. Inadequate shape and dimensions of control devices, their inadequate arrangement in the cabin, as well as mismatch of the forces required to activate the control devices with the anthropometric characteristics of the operator, have an impact on the quality of the performance of the work task and overall safety. Foot controls are of special importance, so aim of this paper was to examine and compare transport and mining machinery operators' height and weight and foot controls ergonomics convenience. Samples of 31 transport machinery and 65 mining machinery operators working in Serbian and Montengrin companies were examined. Descriptive statistics included sample sizes, mean values, median, minimum and maximum, range, standard deviation and coefficient of variation expressed in percentages. In cases when the coefficient of variation is greater than 30%, the variable is inhomogeneous, thus non-parametric statistics is used. Otherwise, the Kolmogorov test for normality was additionally conducted, where the d test values and p values for the Kolmogorov test were given. Comparison of operators' height and weight have not shown differences found between transport and mining machinery. Descriptive statistics regarding vibrations feeling through the foot controls and its easiness to be reached and used/controlled of both transport and mining machinery has been done and although slightly lower values are obtained from mining machinery operators, statistically significant differences have not been found, too. The last data that was compared between operators of transport and mining machinery are injuries at work, for which proportions were used, where it was shown that 16,129% of operators of transport machinery had injuries, while that number among operators of mining machinery was 13,846%. The comparison again showed that this difference is not statistically significant, given that the p-level of the test is 0.7205. Later on, failures and stoppages of both types of machinery are collected and analyzed and Pareto diagrams are given, where completely different causes are evident in the field of "vital few" causes. Anyhow, since statistically proved facts show that there are no differences regarding safety and human factors issues it could be indicated to designers that there is the possibility of applying the same innovative solutions to both types of mechanization in the field of foot controls. Further collection and analysis of anthropometric dimensions is recommended as future research avenue.


Nondegenerate four-wave mixing (FWM) in diamond-type atomic systems has important applications in a wide range of fields, including quantum entanglement generation, frequency conversion, and optical information processing. Although the efficient self-seeded nondegenerate FWM with amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) has been realized extensively, the seeded nondegenerate FWM without ASE is inefficient in reported experiments so far. Here we present the experimental realization of the seeded nondegenerate FWM in cesium atoms with a significantly improved efficiency. Specifically, with two pump lasers at 852 and 921 nm and a seed laser at 895 nm, a continuous-wave laser at 876 nm is efficiently generated via FWM in a cesium vapor cell with a power up to 1.2 mW, three orders of magnitude larger than what has been achieved in previous experiments. The improvement of the efficiency benefits from the exact satisfaction of the phase-matching condition realized by an elaborately designed setup. Our results may find applications in the generation of squeezing and entanglement of light via nondegenerate FWM.


We consider the indierence-zone formulation of the ranking and selection problem with independent normal samples and common known sampling variance. We construct a continuous-time fully sequential sampling policy that meets the indierence-zone guarantee and is maximally controllable, in the sense that its worst-case probability of correct selection is exactly equal to the target probability. To the author's knowledge, this is the first fully sequential indierence zone policy that is maximally controllable for more than two alternatives. This continuous-time policy has a discrete time analog that also meets the indierence zone guarantee, and whose worst-case probability of correct selection is close to the target in numerical experiments, even for more than 100,000 alternatives.


OBJECTIVES
Veterans who decline to provide information on their history of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) may be at elevated suicide risk. We examined associations between non-response to a question assessing lifetime SITBs and proxy variables of suicide risk.

METHODS
In this population-based cross-sectional study of 4069 US veterans, responses to the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised were examined to group veterans into one of three categories: (1) denied lifetime SITBs, (2) reported lifetime SITBs, or (3) declined to respond.

RESULTS
Overall, 69.5% of veterans denied a SITB history, 29.5% reported a SITB history, and 1.0% declined to provide information regarding SITBs. In adjusted analyses, veterans who declined to provide information on SITBs were significantly more likely than veterans who explicitly denied lifetime SITBs to screen positive for posttraumatic stress disorder; report lifetime non-suicidal self-injury; and report elevated levels of total trauma burden, externalizing behaviors, loneliness, received social support, and provided social support. Across these constructs, veterans who declined to provide SITB information were statistically indistinguishable from veterans who explicitly reported lifetime SITBs.

CONCLUSIONS
Veterans who decline to provide information about suicidal thoughts and behaviors may represent a covert group at elevated risk for suicide.


Databases are an integral part of a computing system and users heavily rely on the services they provide. When interact with a computing system, we expect that data be stored for future use, that the data is able to be looked up fastly, and we can perform complex queries against the data stored in the database. Many different emerging database types available for use such as relational databases, object databases, keyvalue databases, graph databases, and RDF databases. Each type of database provides unique qualities that have applications in certain domains. Our work aims to investigate and compare the performance and scalability of relational databases to graph databases in terms of handling multilevel queries such as finding the impact of a particular subject with the working area of pass out students. MySQL was chosen as the relational database, Neo4j as the graph database.


Recently school food service operations are confronted with the wide spread pressures for accountability and the need to increase productivity. This paper is concerned with the make-or-buy decision framework for school food service systems considering the multi-attributes in the decision making. For the purpose of considering the multi-attributes analysis method in decision making for the school foodservice, we developed a make-or-buy decision framework using the multi-attribute analysis method, analytic hierarchy process, AHP method for school food service system. Finally, we developed a systematic and practical solution builder for a three-step decision support system in the view of 1) brainstorming for the idea generation, 2) analytic hierarchy process, AHP as a multi -attribute structure ed analysis method, and 3) aggregation logic model to integrate the results of reviewers. We developed web based program and applied it to a school foodservice problem.


It has been known for some time that the group Ib metals, copper, silver, and gold, are unique with regard to the magnitude of the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy response recorded, especially for organic bases, at the metal/solution


In this research, I looked to understand how meditation could reduce task-oriented frustration. I designed two games, one easy and one difficult, to induce frustration. Using an EEG sensing headband (the Muse), I tracked the participants' brainwaves to understand the effects of meditating when frustrated. I discovered that meditating increases participants' average accuracy when playing the difficult game; I also found that meditation makes participants more methodical, taking longer to consider their choices before making a play in the game.


In this essay the dangers of an overconsumption of history are investigated, and concerns are raised over the nature of philosophy and its role as a central part of man. Using material from Friedrich Nietzsche an argument is built, showing how we today suffer from a disease caused by a lack of attention to the present moment, and an overemphasis on truth rather than health. Through Ralph Waldo Emerson, Hindu myth, and Chinese thinkers a defense of surrendering to fate and being content with what happens is put forth, and with the help of Joseph Campbell, and his studies of mythology and anthropology, the value of religious unity and grand narratives receives a new interpretation. The overall style of argumentation is more artistic than analytical, and the intention of the essay is not to prove that the ideas within are true, but merely to show that they are available to anyone who are in need of them. Thus it is not to be approached as a polemic essay of continental philosophy, or as an objective presentation of analytical standards, but as a hybrid of both these traditions and the evocative tradition of Chinese philosophy.


Vocal cord immobility is a rare presentation of an impacted fishbone in the pharynx. The mechanisms can be classified into either mechanical articular fixation or direct/indirect neuropathy of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. We report a case of vocal cord immobility secondary to long‐standing impaction of a fishbone in the hypopharynx for at least 9 months. The diagnosis was made by computed tomography (CT) and rigid laryngoscopy because no reliable history was available. The cricoarytenoid joint was not fixed and the function of the vocal cords returned one month after removal of the fishbone. The mechanism of the vocal cord immobility was an injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve due to the chronic inflammatory reaction in the paraglottic space. Laryngoscope, 119:228–230, 2009


This report describes the accurate localization of metastatic lesions in a patient with differentiated mixed thyroid cancer using 99mTc-tetrofosmin imaging. A 66-yr-old women with a cytological diagnosis of follicular thyroid cancer associated with a large amount of goiter changes was studied by 99mTc-tetrofosmin total-body scintigraphy. No significant tetrofosmin uptake was observed in the thyroid nodules, which mainly showed goiter abnormalities. Abnormal increased tetrofosmin uptake, however, was found in metastatic tumor lesions located in the cervical and dorsal spine as well as in the left lower chest wall and lungs. In conclusion, 99mTc-tetrofosmin, a new radiopharmaceutical proposed for myocardial perfusion imaging, may be useful in patients with thyroid cancer.


The power law is ubiquitous in natural and social phenomena, and is considered as a universal relationship between the frequency and its rank for diverse social systems. However, a general model is still lacking to interpret why these seemingly unrelated systems share great similarity. Through a detailed analysis of natural language texts and simulation experiments based on the proposed 'Hierarchical Selection Model', we found that the existence of hierarchies and human's pursuit of top hierarchy lead to the power law. Further, the power law is a statistical and emergent performance of hierarchies, and it is the universality of hierarchies that contributes to the ubiquity of the power law.


It has been established that placing the C57BL6/J mouse on a high fat diet induces obesity and impaired glucose homeostasis, and produces a model that is pathophysiologically relevant to the human condition of the metabolic syndrome. The cardiovascular changes in this model have been relatively poorly explored. I have focussed my work on understanding the effects of this diet on cardiac function using in vivo cardiac functional assessment in combination with in vitro analysis of intact single cardiomyocyte dynamics and Ca2+ handling, as well as demembranated left ventricle trabeculae for the study of myofilament function. High fat diet caused increased left ventricular end diastolic pressure after 30 weeks as assessed by in vivo pressure catheterisation. This change was associated with, increased passive tension in demembranated trabeculae at 30 w, increased collagen 3 expression on mRNA level and increased total tissue collagen from high fat diet after 40 weeks. Reversion to normal diet for 10 weeks had no discernible effect on whole organ function compared with animals continually fed with the high fat diet, despite body fat content and glucose homeostasis becoming normalised. Isolated cardiomyocytes exhibited increased relaxation rate after 40 weeks which was partly reversed by a return to normal diet. The increased cardiomyocyte relaxation rate occurred without changes to the intracellular Ca2+ transient, thus suggesting it may be caused by altered myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. There was no established decreased myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity seen in demembranated trabeculae at week 40, even though trends were seen towards increased phosphorylation of serines 23/24 of cardiac troponin I, a modification known to induce Ca2+ desensitisation. It is concluded that high fat diet feeding in the C57BL6/J mouse is a mild but valid model for studying the effects on cardiac function of obesity and impaired glucose handling. It results in impaired diastolic function at the whole organ level after 30 weeks feeding. This effect is likely principally caused by extracellular deposition of collagen (which reduces compliance) rather than by changes at the cardiomyocyte level. This whole organ diastolic alteration appears to become established, not responding to dietary fat reduction. The increased relaxation rate of cardiomyocytes more likely originates from changes at the myofilament level as opposed to Ca2+ handling although this could not be statistically verified in this study. As high fat diet feeding was found to increase myocardial NADPH oxidase activity, myofilament function was also assessed in a mouse model of NADPH oxidase 2 over-expression. NADPH oxidase 2 over-expression was found to cause myofilament sensitisation to Ca2+ and increased actomyosin cross bridge cycling rate at maximum Ca2+ activation. This was associated with an increased total phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I independent of phosphorylation of serines 23/24. This finding may represent a new signalling pathway linking NADPH oxidase 2 activity to contractile activation via the myofilament but appears opposite to myofilament changes induced by high fat diet feeding.


Underground coal mines are susceptible to many kinds of hazards. Mine fire is one of the most vulnerable threats that leads to loss of human lives and other resources inside the mines. Hence, continuous monitoring of underground coal mines is very important for early detection of mine fire. Nowadays, wireless sensor networks are being widely used for monitoring underground coal mines. However, the collected data from sensor nodes are inaccurate in nature, and there is a need for analyzing such data for taking preventive measure. In this article, we propose an optimized fuzzy logic-based fire monitoring system for wireless underground sensor network, which strengthens reliability of making decision in preventing mine fire. However, storing of large fuzzy rule set in the memory constraint sensor nodes and their traversal for every sensor reading are very challenging. Therefore, we use the binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO) algorithm to optimize the proposed fuzzy system that eliminates redundant rules but preserves event detection accuracy of the monitoring system. The proposed system is simulated using BPSO algorithm and Fuzzy Logic Toolbox inbuilt in the MATLAB. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed system outperforms the existing monitoring systems for underground coal mines.


Interactive recommender applications are an important technology for online retailers who want to increase their sales by providing potential buyers with suitable recommendations. Critique-based navigation, where a user applies a directional critique to a specific feature of a presented recommendation, is often used to guide users through such complex product spaces. Dynamic critiquing is a novel extension of this approach, where users are presented with compound critiques that reflect the product options that are available in a given cycle of a recommendation session. We believe that these compound critiques have considerable explanatory power. In this paper we are interested in how these kind of explanations can be used to help the user to better understand, and effectively navigate, complex product spaces in interactive recommender systems. We present sample screen-shots from a purpose-built prototype application to illustrate the potential benefits of our approach.


Microstructural evolution of 6xxx Al alloys during various metallurgical processes was analyzed using accurate thermodynamic database. Phase fractions of all the possible precipitate phases which can form in the as-cast and equilibrium states of the Al-Mg-Si-Cu-Fe-Mn-Cr alloys were calculated over the technically useful composition range. The influence of minor elements such as Cu, Fe, Mn, and Cr on the amount of each type of precipitate in the as-cast and equilibrium conditions were analyzed. Phase fraction diagrams at 500 °C were mapped in the composition range of 0-1.1 wt.% Mg and 0-0.7 wt.% Si to investigate the as-homogenized microstructure. In addition, phase fraction diagram of Mg2Si at 177 °C was mapped to understand the microstructure after final annealing of 6xxx Al alloy. Based on the calculated diagrams, the design strategy of 6xxx Al alloy to produce highest strength due to Mg2Si is discussed.


This article demonstrates that elicited dream narratives use a differing narrative structural and functional framework, as proposed by Labov and Waletzky's (1967) narrative framework on elicited personal narratives. A quantitative structural and functional analysis of five male and female collected samples showed that dream narratives follow a homogenous structure of (1) Topic introduction, (2) Orientation, (3) Complication, (4) Evaluation, and (5) Coda, consequently reflecting the omission of Labov and Waletzky's (1967) proposed resolution unit, which confirms Labov's (1997) suggestion of the difficulty to distinguish between resolution and coda. Moreover, this article devotes attention to specific structural particularities, proposing that analepses and prolepses might indicate, firstly, the simultaneous processing of new spatial information and new protagonists, and secondly, reflecting indirectly the experience of dream bizarreness.


Polarization independent modulators are important devices for optical communication systems operating at 1.55 /spl mu/m. However, conventional unstrained QW modulators, based on the quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE), typically exhibit a strong polarization dependence in transmission due to a strong polarization dependence of the absorption near the band edge. We have demonstrated a /spl delta/-strained InGaAs/InGaAsP MQW polarization independent waveguide modulator. It exhibits excellent polarization insensitivity, high extinction ratio, high speed response and low driving voltage. It shows that the /spl delta/-strained MQW modulator is a promising device for telecommunication applications.


We present results obtained by transscleral ciliary sulcus fixation of posterior chamber intraocular lenses in secondary implantation, lens exchange, and in primary implantation of transsclerally fixated lenses during complicated cataract extraction. Follow-up data on 38 patients, 17 of whom have been followed for more than 12 months, are included. We conclude that the procedure is safe, effective, and predictable.


In this paper, a novel weightlessness feature for activity recognition from a tri-axial acceleration signals have been proposed. Since the orientation between accelerometer and userpsilas body may continuously change when user perform activities, we propose an algorithm to calibrate the actual vertical direction of accelerometer signal through estimating the gravitational direction. We combine peaks of signal and weightlessness feature to produce six dimensional weightlessness-based features for activity recognition. Classification of the activities is performed with Support Vector Machine (SVM). The average accuracy of four activities using the proposed weightlessness-based features is 97.21%, which are better than using traditional widely used time-domains features (mean, standard deviation, energy and correlation of acceleration data). Experimental results show that the new features can be used to effectively recognize different human activities and they are robust for different location of accelerometer.


Recent advances in ecosystem descriptions associated with nitrogen (N) saturated forests allowed us to revise and improve a model of ecosystem productivity to reflect advanced N saturation. We introduce a new description of nitrogen cycling for a forest that is in stage 2 of N saturation on the basis of recent literature. We compared the accuracy of this new description to the conventional N cycling construct by assessing the degree to which each N cycle description predicted observations in a 100‐year‐old N‐saturated watershed in the Fernow Experimental Forest. The new literature‐based model of saturation outperformed the original model by more accurately predicting aboveground net primary productivity, foliar N, and stream NO3−. Regional estimates of forest productivity and terrestrial carbon sequestration have generally overlooked variable N availability as a vector for forest growth changes. New findings about N‐saturated ecosystem processes refine productivity models and improve estimates of regional ecosystem changes in response to N saturation.


A field experiment with reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) was carried out at LAMMC Vėžaičiai Branch (Western Lithuania) in 2010–2016 with the aim to evaluate the impact of liming and nitrogen on grass productivity, biomass chemical content and energetic parameters of the pellets. The site soil is the natural acidic loam Retisol (pH 4.2–4.6). Reed canary grass productivity was significantly affected by the year of growing and nitrogen fertilization. The average annual dry matter (DM) yield varied from 5442 to 11,114 t ha−1. The highest yields were obtained using the annual rate of 120 kg ha−1 N (nitrogen) fertilizers. Soil liming had a negligible effect on biomass productivity. Nitrogen utilization efficiency (NUE) varied greatly depending on the growing year and N fertilization rate. After analyzing the properties of reed canary grass and wood sawdust granules, it was found that the granules obtained a high density exceeding 1000 kg m−3 DM. The lowest calorific value of reed canary grass pellets was found to be quite high—17.4 MJ kg−1 DM. All harmful emissions did not exceed the permissible values. Summarizing the results, it can be stated that reed canary grass pellets may be recommended for burning in domestic boilers.


Decreased visibility, intensive noise, and biased color are the common problems existing in low-light images. These visual disturbances further reduce the performance of high-level vision tasks, such as object detection, and tracking. To address this issue, some image enhancement methods have been proposed to increase the image contrast. However, most of them are implemented only in the spatial domain, which can be severely influenced by noise signals while enhancing. Hence, in this work, we propose a novel residual recurrent multi-wavelet convolutional neural network R2-MWCNN learned in the frequency domain that can simultaneously increase the image contrast and reduce noise signals well. This end-to-end trainable network utilizes a multi-level discrete wavelet transform to divide input feature maps into distinct frequencies, resulting in a better denoise impact. A channel-wise loss function is proposed to correct the color distortion for more realistic results. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our proposed R2-MWCNN outperforms the state-of-the-art methods quantitively and qualitatively.


Objective: In digital nerve defects that require grafting, autografts remain the efficacious option. The sensory posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) is an ideal choice as it is of similar caliber to digital nerves and leaves no donor morbidity upon resection. However, a finite length of harvestable PIN exists, and considerable variations of this length have been reported in the literature. There exists no predictive model to estimate this length. We sought to determine a method to accurately predict the available length of PIN based on individual patient anthropometry. Methods: A cadaveric dissection study was performed in a fresh tissue laboratory. The length of the sensory branch of the PIN and various anthropometric measurements were made in respect to surface anatomy of the ulna to develop a predictable ratio for available PIN donor graft. Results: A total of 16 specimens were obtained. On average the length of the PIN was 5.7 cm (range: 3.3-9. cm) and the length of the ulna was 25.7 cm (range: 23.5-30.6 cm). The ratio of PIN to ulnar length was 0.222 (r = 0.4651). Using one-fifth the length of the ulna, the mean predicted length of the PIN was 5.14 cm (range: 4.7-6.1 cm). On univariate analysis, there was no significant difference between the measured and predicted PIN length (P = .249). Conclusion: An anthropometric ratio predicated on reproducible surface anatomy of the ulna is a useful tool in predicting the sensory PIN length. Such a prediction may be a useful in guiding patient discussions concerning surgical options for digital nerve reconstruction.


Background: The effective control and eradication of brucellosis can be achieved by rapid and accurate diagnosis and effective vaccination but both have limitations. Therefore, brucellosis research is currently focused on the improvement of the diagnosis and vaccine induced prophylaxis. Moreover, diagnostic tests and immunization have not been thoroughly studied in buffaloes and even not compared with cattle. Therefore, the comparative evaluation of the immunological responses of Brucella vaccinated cattle and buffaloes would be required for both the diagnosis and vaccine induced efficacy.
Objectives: The main objective of this study was to compare the humoral immune response (HIR) between cattle and buffalo cows immunized with B. abortus RB51 vaccine by using indirect ELISA
Materials and Methods: Each of the three randomly selected B. abortus sero-negative native cows and three buffaloes received 2.0 ml imported commercial B. abortus SRB51 vaccine subcutaneously in the neck region at day 0 and then booster dose at 60 days after first vaccination with similar dose and route. Each of the collected serum samples of both the cattle and buffaloes was tested to detect the antibody status by using commercial indirect ELISA kit.
Results: The results showed that the OD value of the serum of cows and buffalos before inoculation of RB51 B. abortus vaccine was 0.088 ± 0.009 and 0.096  0.011 at 0 week and 0.124 ± 0.018 and 0.111  0.010 at 1st week, near about the negative control OD value (0.106). After that, the OD value started to rise from the 2nd week (OD value (0.144 ± 0.023 and 0.1333  0.007) and reached to a peak level at 90 days (OD value 0.376  0.0080 and 0.316  0.219) and then started to decline from 120 days (OD value 0.2963  0.0416 and 0.2863  0.070) to 180 days (OD value 0.1943 0.073 and 0.176 0.172) in cows and buffalos respectively.
Conclusion: This study suggests that the RB51 vaccination has induced satisfactory HIR with initial inoculation but significantly higher immune responses with booster immunization which enhancing immunity against both in the cattle and buffaloes. The CMI plays major role in protection against brucellosis needs further investigation in both cattle and buffaloes in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Brucellosis, SRB51 vaccine, Humoral immune response (HIR), I-ELISA, Cattle and Buffaloes


The way in which the pharmaceutical industry is approaching technical development has evolved very much in the recent years. Fresh concepts coming from other industries have been introduced with the desire to push for a more science and risk-based development approach throughout the product life cycle. Quality by design (QbD) in the pharmaceutical industry is an outcome of the efforts to harmonize development quality concepts and understandings by regulatory agencies and resulted in the International Conference of Harmonization (ICH) guidelines Q8 [1], Q9 [2], Q10 [3], Q11 [4], and Q12 [5]. Although first devised for pharmaceutical development (Q8), the QbD concepts and related tools were rapidly recognized as being very helpful for chemical development. A result of this process was the Q11 guideline that provides guidance for drug substance as defined in the scope of the ICH guideline Q6A [6] (this guideline contains the well-known decision trees for polymorphism). The scope of this chapter is to give a short introduction to the solid-state development process in the pharmaceutical industry and to QbD. Questions on how QbD principles can be applied to solid-state development will be discussed, highlighting how the solid state is an important parameter to be considered in the pharmaceutical development process. For that purpose, some general insights into the relevance of the drug substance (DS) solid state throughout various fields of pharmaceutical development will be given.


A strategy to achieve the competitive insertion of a country in the international markets should take into account two fundamental aspects: a) Capacity to generate a transformation in the productive structure of a country and b) Adaptation to changes in the world demand.The first aspect allows the export sectors to incorporate higher levels of technology and added value, as well as a series of connections of other productive activities which lead to positive effects in terms of employment and income. The second aspect permits that the products and sectors in which a country specialises be in agreement with those showing a growing a participation in the international markets. The aim of this study is to characterise the pertinence of the departmental productive stakes (DPE) within the framework of the internal agenda strategy for the productivity and competitiveness (National Planning Department, 2005).The outcomes will allow the identification of three aspects: a) the productive stakes follow an exporting structure based on natural resources, b) an enormous gap between the focalization of the stakes and the world demand behaviour, and c) a weak stake towards products classified currently as emerging or strategic.This is because a quite unselective process of formulation of stakes which limits the possibilities of the productive transformation of the country and keeps an exporting structure focused in stationary sectors in the international market.


A growing family of F-actin-bundling proteins harbors a modular F-actin-binding headpiece domain at the C terminus. Headpiece provides one of the two F-actin-binding sites essential for filament bundling. Here, we report the first structure of a functional headpiece domain. The NMR structure of chicken villin headpiece (HP67) reveals two subdomains that share a tightly packed hydrophobic core. The N-terminal subdomain contains bends, turns, and a four-residue alpha-helix as well as a buried histidine residue that imparts a pH-dependent folding. The C-terminal subdomain is composed of three alpha-helices and its folding is pH-independent. Two residues previously implicated in F-actin-binding form a buried salt-bridge between the N and C-terminal subdomains. The rest of the identified actin-binding residues are solvent-exposed and map onto a unique F-actin-binding surface.


We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) during an illusory line motion paradigm to determine whether involuntary crossmodal attention speeds perception. Behavioural responses indicated that participants experienced the line motion illusion. Specifically, they perceived most instantaneously presented lines and many quickly growing lines as growing away from the location of a preceding auditory cue. ERPs at electrode locations contralateral to the cued ends of instantaneously presented lines did not differ in latency from those contralateral to the uncued ends. However, there was an amplitude difference that was found most consistently in the time range of the N1. ERPs at lateral parietal-occipital electrode sites were more positive contralateral to the cued than to the uncued end of the line. This could reflect an attention-induced amplitude modulation of the visual signal, rather than earlier onset of the initial perceptual processing of that signal.


Peppermint with antiseptic and known healing properties is a plant from the Labiatae family. In this study, we analyzed the chemical composition of essential oil from the flowering aerial part of peppermint by GC and GC/MS. Its antimicrobial activity was evaluated against bacteria, fungi and yeast by micro broth dilution assay. The fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) and FIC Index (FICI) and related isobologram curve were determined by check board micro titer assay. The results exhibited that the MIC, MLC value of peppermint oil against different kinds of microorganisms were in the range of 0.125-2 and 0.125>64 μl/ml, respectively. Candida albicans was the most sensitive microorganism and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the less sensitive ones. The oil showed synergistic activities with vancomycin, gentamycin, and amphotericin B with the FICI less of 0.5. This oil could be used as natural antibiotics and may decrease the effective dose of antibiotics.


We algebraically reduce the system consisting of a nonrelativistic particle moving in R" with vanishing angular momentum β. After analyzing the conical structure of the constraint set ί /~ 1 (0), we use algebraic geometric techniques to explicitly construct the reduced Poisson algebra of rotationally invariant observables. This procedure enables us to completely identify the effects of the singularity in J~ι{0) on the system. We then group-theoretically reduce the system and compare our results with those obtained algebraically.


Underpinned by the Behavioural Approach System (BAS) dysregulation theory of bipolar disorder (BD), five studies were conducted in non-clinical samples to; refine the measurement of state Approach Motivation (AM); measure minor increases in AM; and then finally, to investigate how this relates to attentional biases for emotional stimuli. Study 1 attempted to clarify the phenomenology of state AM and revealed four separable factors that emerged from pooled AM questionnaire items. These structures loosely mapped on hypothesized components of the BAS (Depue & Iacono, 1989) that pertain to; cognitive elements of approach motivation (feeling determined and inspired); an energized, activated state; an affective structure relating to positive mood and outlook; and finally to feelings of excitement. Studies 2 and 3 investigated the validity of the four derived factors and their parent scales against a reward-oriented laboratory induction, a psychophysiological marker of AM, and a test of the discriminative power. The validity results suggested that the most well-established of the scales, the PANAS-PA, slightly outperformed the other measures by showing the greatest response to an AM induction. A second aim was to explore the substructure of a valid measure of mania risk the hypomanic personality scale (HPS: Eckblad & Chapman, 1986) – in relation to AM responsivity. Unexpectedly, individuals who endorsed unpredictable and changeable moods (mood volatility) displayed elevated sympathetic arousal in response to control task. On this basis, and with a view to exploring the role selective attentional processes as a mediator of AM dysregulation that is relevant to bipolar disorder, study 4 and 5 utilised PANAS-PA to replicate a bi-directional congruency-effect found in the literature between elevations in AM and attentional information-processing biases to reward-related stimuli. Results in general did not support a causal influence of AM on attentional biases, nor did the attempted manipulation of attentional biases affect downstream AM. However, there was evidence that within a stratified sample of participants who reliably responded to the AM and control conditions, those at greater risk to mania exhibited an attentional bias for both positive and negative stimuli, relative those at lower risk to mania. Approach Motivation, Attentional Bias to Positive Stimuli, and Hypomanic Personality. 7


This study was done to see if signal intensity in sodium images of edematous rat lungs made after iv administration of a negative intravascular contrast agent could serve as a measure of the edema fluid present. First, a method to produce a stable condition of hydrostatic pulmonary edema was developed and verified by CT. Second, dose‐response curves for coated magnetite preparations were constructed by giving edematous rats vaned doses of these preparations and measuring signal intensity changes of various organs by sodium MRI in a 31‐cm‐bore 1.9‐T magnet. Third, rats were given varied levels of pulmonary edema followed by a constant dose of coated magnetite to eliminate the plasma sodium signal. Finally, coated magnetite particles of two sizes were administered to rats, and the differences in effects on signal from various organs were measured. Signal intensity of the lungs after magnetite correlated (r = 0.86) with extravascular lung water measured gravimetrically, suggesting that sodium MRI may be useful for measuring pulmonary edema fluid. Smaller particles appear to remain in the blood longer than larger particles. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.


Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) has proven to be a clinically effective antiviral and antineoplastic therapeutic drug for more than 16 years. During this time, evidence from in vitro laboratory studies and the clinical arena has supported the concept that IFN-alpha is an immunotherapeutic drug. By regulating a diverse set of cytokines and their receptors, IFN-alpha is uniquely positioned to prime the host immune response and provide an effective antineoplastic- and antiviral-immune response. IFN-alpha stimulates the innate cell-mediated response and then participates in the transition of the initial host innate response into an effective adaptive-immune response. IFN-alpha also drives the adaptive cell-mediated CD8+ T-cell response and helps to maintain a CD4+ Th1-cell population balance for an effective antineoplastic and antiviral host defense. This review will describe the current state of knowledge of IFN-alpha as an immunoregulatory protein and address specific issues of IFN-alpha as an immunotherapeutic for antineoplastic and antiviral diseases.


The current research was carried out at the ICAR-Research Complex for the North Eastern Hill Region (NEH) in Umiam, Meghalaya to investigate the diversity and abundance of insect pollinators of cucurbits at mid-hills of Meghalaya. Ridge gourd, sponge guard, pumpkin, teasel gourd, chow-chow, bottle guard and cucumber were taken as a target crop to observe the data on diversity and abundance. Total twenty-five (25) pollinators were observed in different cucurbits belongs to order Hymenoptera, Diptera and Lepidoptera which represents that mid-hills of Meghalaya have rich pollinator fauna. Out of 25 insect pollinators 3 pollinators identified from ridge gourd, 6 from sponge gourd, 4 from pumpkin, 3 from bottle gourd, 4 from cucumber, 3 from chow-chow and 2 from teasel gourd. Efficient pollinator was nominated on the basis of their abundance. During investigation it was found that bumble bee emerged as the most abundant pollinator in ridge gourd, pumpkin and sponge gourd. In sponge gourd carpenter bee also showed almost equal abundance. Indian honey bee abundance was high in cucumber and in chow-chow. Among collected pollinators, hymenopterans were the abundant with 80% relative abundance. It is clear from the recorded observation that native bees are equally contributing in pollination service so conservation of these bees is also a demand of nature. Activity time period of pollinators on flowers guided the farmers to avoid pesticide spray during particular time period.


PurposeManagers of defined-benefit (DB) firms have considerable discretion in deriving pension costs and flexibility in cash contributions to pension plans. Pension accruals occur when cash contributions differ from pension costs. The manipulable nature of pension costs and cash contributions allows managers of DB firms to manipulate pension accruals to achieve their desired earnings. We study whether DB firms with earnings management attributes (referred to as suspect DB firms) used more discretionary pension accruals (DPA) than non-suspect DB firms, especially after the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX).Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop an aggregate measure of DPA to capture overall earnings management in pension accounting. They then employ a multivariate regression model to study whether the suspect DB firms engage in more DPA than non-suspect firms and to assess the impact of SOX on DPA for all DB firms and for suspect DB firms.FindingsThe authors find evidence that suspect firms inflate DPA to achieve their earnings goals and also that all DB firms and the suspect firms use more DPA in the post-SOX era compared to the pre-SOX period. In contrast, they observe no significant difference in real activities earnings management (REM) between suspect and non-suspect firms. In addition, neither the entire sample of DB firms nor the suspect firms display a significant change in REM after SOX.Research limitations/implicationsThe samples in the study are limited to firms with defined pension plans; thus, the findings cannot be generalized to all firms. In addition, as in other empirical studies relying on models to estimate earnings management proxies, this study inherits estimation errors from Jones and Roychowdhury's models. Consequently, the impact of these estimation errors cannot be ruled out.Practical implicationsThe empirical findings of the study appear that instead of deterring DB firms from engaging in pension accruals earnings management, enacting the stringent anti-fraud SOX prompts these firms to rely more on accrual-based discretionary pension rather than switch to real activities manipulation to manage earnings.Originality/valueWhile many prior studies focus on the impact of managing individual pension assumptions on earnings, the authors study overall earnings management in pension accounting by developing a model to derive an aggregate measure of pension earnings management.


The goal of this paper is to compare academic and online GNSS processing services for CORS-TR. To determine whether differences in the coordinate components were statistically significant, statistical significance test and 3D coordinate transformation were applied. Furthermore, local coordinates analysed to show jumps that occurred to seismic events. While there are significant differences only in the Z coordinate component between GIPSY and GAPS in the Cartesian coordinate system, all differences in local coordinate components are insignificant. 3D coordinate transformation results included random errors and there are insignificant differences in terms of transformation parameters between GIPSY and online GNSS processing services.


Introduction. Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of mortality in Poland. Thus, both primary and secondary prevention should include lifestyle modification, including proper nutrition. The aim of the study was to examine dietary habits and nutritional beliefs for the purpose of evaluating the nutrition knowledge of cardiac patients after an acute coronary syndrome [ACS; non-ST-segment myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and ST-segment myocardial infarction (STEMI)] undergoing invasive treatment.
 Material and methods. The study included 100 patients, including 35 women and 65 men aged 53.43 ± 10.11 years [mean ± standard deviation (SD)], admitted urgently due to ACS to the 2nd Department of Cardiology. The study used part C of the questionnaire: "Nutrition Beliefs" that consisted of 25 statements assessing nutrition knowledge. For each correct answer ("True" or "False"), 1 point was assigned, and for an incorrect answer or "Hard to say", 0 points were assigned. Then, the points were added up.
 Results. It was found that only 20.8% (N = 21) of subjects followed dietary recommendations as advised by a physician. The majority of respondents were diagnosed with an excessive body mass: obesity in 35.4% (N = 35) of subjects, and overweight in 38.4% (N = 38) of subjects. Nutritional self-assessment was reported to be at a good level in 71.3% of patients (N = 72). However, the actual nutrition knowledge was found to be at a good level in only 6.9% (N = 7) of subjects.
 Conclusion . Patient nutrition knowledge as assessed using the komPAN questionnaire was found to be mostly at a satisfactory level, despite high self-assessment res ults provided by the respondents. There is a great need for regular nutrition education.


Abstract Starvation induced changes in citrate synthase (CS), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6-PDH), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), DNA, RNA, RNA/DNA ratio and protein were studied in the freshwater catfish Clarias batrachus. Starvation gradually decreased the activity of CS, G6-PDH and LDH in brain, liver and skeletal muscle of the freshwater catfish. The maximum reduction in these enzyme activities upto 35-45% was observed after 35 days of fasting. This shows substantial decline in aerobic and biosynthetic capacity during starvation period. DNA, RNA, RNA/DNA ratio and protein contents were also reduced from 40-67% which reflects reduction in an overall capacity of the protein synthesis. Starvation - induced macromolecular changes indicate impairment of metabolism in fish.


This research is a case study of teacher continuous professional development in Egypt. It aims to investigate the views of teachers, inspectors and training experts about the impact of training programmes using a distance leaning network on developing teachers' knowledge. Some issues have been addressed in relation to reforming teachers' practice inside classrooms. For example, this study reveals that "Professional Dignity", which teachers exhibit as part of their identity as classroom practitioners, has an impact on developing teachers' practical knowledge. In describing this case study, this paper first provides an overview of the National Network for Distance Training (NNDT). Second, it discusses the main findings of the study in relation to professional dignity and the acquisition of teacher knowledge


Information Secrecy deals with maintaining privacy through encryption, data integrity through hashing and non-repudiation through digital signalures; and has become the issue of today's communication engineering due to increasing failures to the secrecy of messages conveyed on a given networking system thereby creating damages beyond expectations. Encryption, hashing and digital signatures are the three primitives of  Cryptography and these have been treated in depth and their performances on text data and image data have been studied The most secure algorithms so far in use have been introduced and the respective performance of each primitive 's algorithm on text data and image data have been studied. Performance differences for the two data types have also been noted and outlined in detail.


We introduce and investigate a four-dimensional hidden hyperchaotic system without equilibria, which is obtained by augmenting the three-dimensional self-exciting homopolar disc dynamo due to Moffatt with an additional control variable. Synchronization of two such coupled disc dynamo models is investigated by active control and sliding mode control methods. Numerical integrations show that sliding mode control provides a better synchronization in time but causes chattering. The solution is obtained by switching to active control when the synchronization errors become very small. In addition, the electronic circuit of the four-dimensional hyperchaotic system has been realized in ORCAD-PSpice and on the oscilloscope by amplitude values, verifying the results from the numerical experiments.


The quasi-steady cavitating behavior of three pumps was investigated by 3D unsteady viscous computations. The numerical model is based on the commercial code FINE/TURBO™, which was adapted to take into account the cavitation phenomenon. The resolution resorts to a time-marching algorithm initially devoted to compressible flows. A low-speed preconditioner is applied to treat low Mach number flows. The vaporization and condensation processes are controlled by a barotropic state law that links the void ratio evolution to the pressure variations. A radial pump, a centrifugal pump, and a turbopump inducer were calculated and the cavitating behaviors obtained by the computations were compared to experimental measurements and visualizations. A reliable agreement is obtained for the two pumps concerning both the head drop charts and the extension of the vapor structures. A qualitative good agreement with experiments is also observed in the case of the turbopump inducer. The accuracy of the numerical model is discussed for the three geometries. These simulations are a first attempt to simulate the complete 3D cavitating flows in turbomachinery. Results are promising, since the quasi-steady behaviors of the pumps in cavitating condition are found quantitatively close to the experimental ones. A continuing effort is pursued to improve the prediction accuracy, and to simulate unsteady effects observed in experiments, as, for example, rotating cavitation.Copyright © 2002 by ASME


Silica microspheres self-assembled in glass capillary are investigated. Monodisperse silica microsphere dispersions in diameter 320 nm are self-organized into a bulk cylindrical colloidal crystal by evaporation induced nucleation and crystallization. The resulting colloidal crystals are characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and the SEM images show these crystals dominate in fcc lattice with its (111) crystallographic axis as longitudinal. The colloidal crystal filled capillary is packaged into a heat-shrink plastic tube and a fiber measurement system is designed to measure the optical property of colloidal bulk in capillary. It is found that an appreciable bandgap appears at wavelength 686 nm from the transmission spectroscopy, which is consistent with the theoretical estimation. A considerable photonic band gap of up to –10 dB and a steep photonic band edge of up to 0.25 dB/nm indicate that silica microspheres are promising for implementing optical filter applications in fiber systems.


Volatile components contained in raw and pasteurized Japanese soy sauce of the koikuchi type (koikuchi shoyu) were compared among the products from nine different plants using two different koji molds, Aspergillus sojae No. 9 (A. sojae No. 9) and Aspergillus oryzae S-03 (A. oryzae S-03). Identification of the volatile compounds in koikuchi shoyu and the quantitative comparison were carried out by GC, GC-MS analyses and the analysis of variance of the GC peak areas. Sixty-five compounds were identified or estimated as koikuchi shoyu volatile components, in which five compounds were newly confirmed or tentatively identified in koikuchi shoyu. The quantity of A. sojae No. 9 koikuchi shoyu volatiles was larger than that of A. oryzae S-03 koikuchi shoyu, and it increased when the koikuchi shoyu was heated. 2-Methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, ethyl lactate, acetic acid, and 2-phenylethanol, etc., besides ethanol, had large peak areas on the gas chromatograms of the koikuchi shoyu. Ethyl lactate, acetic acid, pyrazines, phenylacetaldehyde, phenol, and maltol, etc., were larger in A. sojae No. 9 koikuchi shoyu than those in A. oryzae S-03 koikuchi shoyu. On the other hand, 2methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2-phenylethanol, 2-methylbutanoic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid, 3-methylthio-1-propanol, 2-ethyl-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3 (2H)-furanone, 4-ethylguaiacol, and 4-ethylphenol, etc., were found in abundance in A. oryzae S-03 koikuchi shoyu.


OBJECTIVES
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become the standard of cardiopulmonary support during a sequential double lung transplant for pulmonary hypertension. Whether central or peripheral cannulation is the best strategy for these patients remains unknown. Our goal was to determine which is the best strategy by comparing 2 populations of patients.

METHODS
We performed a single-centre retrospective study based on an institutional prospective lung transplant database.

RESULTS
Between January 2011 and November 2016, 103 patients underwent double lung transplant for pulmonary hypertension. We compared 54 patients who had central ECMO (cECMO group) to 49 patients who had peripheral ECMO (pECMO group). The pECMO group had significantly more bridged patients who received emergency transplants (31% vs 6%, P = 0.001). The incidence of Grade 3 primary graft dysfunction requiring ECMO (14% vs 11%, P = not significant) and of in-hospital mortality (11% vs 14%, P = not significant) was similar between the groups. Groin infections (16% vs 4%, P = 0.031), deep vein thrombosis (27% vs 11%, P = 0.044) and lower limb ischaemia (12% vs 2%, P = 0.031) occurred significantly more often in the pECMO group. The number of chest reopenings for bleeding or infection was similar between the groups. The 3-month, 1-year and 5-year survival rates did not differ between the groups (P = 0.94).

CONCLUSIONS
Central or peripheral ECMO produced similar results during double lung transplant for pulmonary hypertension in terms of in-hospital deaths and long-term survival rates. Central ECMO provided satisfactory results without major bleeding provided the patient was weaned from ECMO at the end of the procedure. Despite the rate of groin and lower limb complications, peripheral cannulation remained the preferred solution to bridge the patient to transplant or for postoperative support.


Introduction: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. HCC typically arises in patients with chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, yet it is increasingly associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), specifically nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in the absence of cirrhosis. NAFLD is associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and/or patients with type II diabetes. Our previous studies have shown that high fat diet induced hepatic steatosis increases proliferation of hepatocytes and the growth of malignant tumors in a murine model. Glycine N-MethylTransferase (GNMT) expression is lost in over 95% of HCC, and mice deficient in GNMT develop spontaneous HCC by 6 months of age. We hypothesized that GNMT deficient mice would have an increased susceptibility for the development and growth of HCC when a fed high fat diet. Methods: Wildtype and GNMT deficient mice were placed on lean diet (LD, 13% calories from fat) or high fat diet (HFD, 42% calories from fat) at eight weeks of age. An initial cohort of mice were sacrificed after 3 months on diet (6 months of age) to assess for early tumor burden. A second cohort of mice was analyzed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after 6 months on diet (9 months of age) and then sacrificed to assess for late stage disease. All mice were assessed for body weight, liver weight, pancreatic weight, and proliferative index (Ki67). Results: GNMT deficient mice failed to gain weight when placed on HFD, which remained at levels equivalent to wildtype LD mice. At three months of age, wildtype mice on HFD had significantly enlarged livers due to hepatic steatosis. HFD fed GNMT deficient mouse livers were nearly 50% the size of wildtype livers and contained only minimal fatty deposits. Further, livers from HFD and LD fed GNMT mice were equivalent after 3 months, yet they were larger than wildtype mice fed LD. After six months on diet, MRI analysis showed significantly larger livers in HFD fed GNMT mice compared to LD fed GNMT mice due to extensive tumor burden. All wildtype mice lacked any tumors after six months regardless of diet. Histological analysis revealed a heightened cellular proliferation via Ki67 staining in GNMT deficient livers compared to wildtype livers. In comparison, GNMT silencing also occurs in pancreatic cancer, yet none of the GNMT deficient mice developed pancreatic tumors. However, small focal areas of pancreatitis were detected regardless of diet. Additionally, pancreatic weight was significantly decreased in HFD fed GNMT deficient mice compared the LD GNMT deficient mice. Conclusions: While high fat diet did not induce obesity in GNMT deficient mice, it significantly increased cellular proliferation and primary tumor growth in the liver. Understanding dietary factors that impact the microenvironment of the liver and contribute to HCC development and progression is vital to finding new therapeutics for this malignancy. Citation Format: Michael N. VanSaun, Alisha Mendonsa, Fanuel Messaggio, Nagaraj Nagathihalli, Lee Gorden. High fat diet increases development of hepatocellular carcinoma in glycine N-methyltransferase deficient mice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2802. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2802


This paper proposes a method, called autoencoder with probabilistic random forest (AEPRF), for detecting credit card frauds. The proposed AE-PRF method first utilizes the autoencoder to extract features of low-dimensionality from credit card transaction data features of high-dimensionality. It then relies on the random forest, an ensemble learning mechanism using the bootstrap aggregating (bagging) concept, with probabilistic classification to classify data as fraudulent or normal. The credit card fraud detection (CCFD) dataset is applied to AE-PRF for performance evaluation and comparison. The CCFD dataset contains large numbers of credit card transactions of European cardholders; it is highly imbalanced since its normal transactions far outnumber fraudulent transactions. Data resampling schemes like the synthetic minority oversampling technique (SMOTE), adaptive synthetic (ADASYN), and Tomek link (T-Link) are applied to the CCFD dataset to balance the numbers of normal and fraudulent transactions for improving AE-PRF performance. Experimental results show that the performance of AE-PRF does not vary much whether resampling schemes are applied to the dataset or not. This indicates that AE-PRF is naturally suitable for dealing with imbalanced datasets. When compared with related methods, AE-PRF has relatively excellent performance in terms of accuracy, the true positive rate, the true negative rate, the Matthews correlation coefficient, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.


In this work it was studied the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) production, especially DHA, from Thraustochytrium sp. ATCC 26185, under different total nitrogen (TN) availability. Three different TN conditions were evaluated: two with initial concentrations of 2.4 g/L and 0.8 g/L, and the third in a fed-batch process with a rate of 0.009 g/L.h. For each experiment the biomass, glucose, TN and PUFAs were determined. The major composition of the PUFAs in Thraustochytrium sp. ATCC 26185 cell biomass were DPA ω6 (21-25 %) and DHA (69-73 %), regardless of the type and time of culture. The maximum cell concentration (30.2 g/L) was obtained using 2.4 g/L TN in 168 h of culture. With this same concentration of TN it was possible to produce the highest concentration of DHA (1.16 g/L) in 120 h of culture, demonstrating that the growth of Thraustochytrium sp. ATCC 26185 and yield of PUFAs are dependent on the source concentration of TN available for consumption of this oleaginous microorganism, as well as culture time.


Visualization is an important tool for scientists to extract understanding from complex scientific data. Scientists need to understand the uncertainty inherent in all scientific data in order to interpret the data correctly. Uncertainty visualization has been an active and growing area of research to address this challenge. Algorithms for uncertainty visualization can be expensive, and research efforts have been focused mainly on structured grid types. Further, support for uncertainty visualization in production tools is limited. In this paper, we adapt an algorithm for computing key metrics for visualizing uncertainty in Marching Cubes (MC) to multi-core devices and present the design, implementation, and evaluation for a Filter for uncertainty visualization of Marching Cubes on Multi-Core devices (FunMC2). FunMC2 accelerates the uncertainty visualization of MC significantly, and it is portable across multi-core CPUs and GPUs. Evaluation results show that FunMC2 based on OpenMP runs around 11× to 41× faster on multi-core CPUs than the corresponding serial version using one CPU core. FunMC2 based on a single GPU is around 5× to 9× faster than FunMC2 running by OpenMP. Moreover, FunMC2 is flexible enough to process ensemble data with both structured and unstructured mesh types. Furthermore, we demonstrate that FunMC2 can be seamlessly integrated as a plugin into ParaView, a production visualization tool for post-processing.