Summary: Strains of Penicillium chrysogenum derived from a virus-infected culture have been investigated for reduction in virus titre. These strains were obtained following treatment with either heat (74°C) or specific antimetabolites. Virus titres were measured with a combination of immunological and radiochemical assays. One strain was cured of the mycophage and exhibited an increased growth rate and stability. Other strains, which show an apparent reduction in intracellular virus titre, actually released increased levels of virus from cells. Lytic plaques developed when infected strains were grown on an unbuffered, high lactose-containing medium, and virus titres could be correlated with plaque formation. All strains, regardless of virus titre, retained the ability to synthesize penicillin.


Spatially diverse trends in population growth, climate change, industrialization, urbanization and economic development are expected to change future food supply and demand. These changesmay affect the suitability of land for food production, implying elevated risks especially for resourceconstrained, food-importing countries.We present the evolution of biophysical redundancy for agricultural production at country level, from1992 to 2012. Biophysical redundancy, defined as unused biotic and abiotic environmental resources, is represented by the potential food production of 'spare land', availablewater resources (i.e., not already used for human activities), as well as production increases through yield gap closure on cultivated areas and potential agricultural areas. In 2012, the biophysical redundancy of 75 (48) countries,mainly inNorthAfrica,Western Europe, theMiddle East andAsia, was insufficient to produce the caloric nutritional needs for at least 50% (25%) of their population during a year. Biophysical redundancy has decreased in the last two decades in 102 out of 155 countries, 11 of thesewent fromhigh to limited redundancy, and nine of these from limited to very low redundancy. Although the variability of the drivers of change across different countries is high, improvements in yield and population growth have a clear impact on the decreases of redundancy towards the very low redundancy category.We took amore detailed look at countries classified as 'Low Income Economies (LIEs)' since they are particularly vulnerable to domestic or external food supply changes, due to their limited capacity to offset for food supply decreases with higher purchasing power on the internationalmarket. Currently, nine LIEs have limited or very low biophysical redundancy.Many of these showed a decrease in redundancy over the last two decades, which is not always linkedwith improvements in per capita food availability.


Introduction and background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by specific pattern of inflammation involving polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN), macrophages and other cells. PMN are the major reactive oxygen species (ROS) producing cells. Our previous data showed that ROS production is decreased in stable COPD (SCOPD). It is still not known about ROS production in acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Aim: To investigate ROS production in PMN during AECOPD. Methods: 10 patients with SCOPD, 5 with AECOPD and 10 non-smoking healthy individuals (HI) were studied. PMN were isolated from peripheral blood using a high-density gradient. ROS production was induced using phorbol-myriste-acetate (PMA, 0.1-30 nM) and S. aureus bacteria (1-167 bacteria/neutrophil). ROS production was measured flow cytometrycally by mean of fluorescence intensity in PMN population. Results: The production of spontaneous ROS in PMN was 29.7±4.1% higher in AECOPD group than in SCOPD (p The higher ROS production in PMN after stimulation with different S. aureus concentration was found in AECOPD group compared with SCOPD and HI (p Conclusion: Our data shows that ROS production is increased in AECOPD. Chemical (PMA) and biological ( S. aureus bacteria) factors activates more intensive ROS generation.


Economic activities in the service sector have been increasingly important in developed countries. Despite the importance of the service sector, there are several drawbacks with a conventional way of measuring service sector productivity. This paper proposes an alternative methodology in which we can separate demand and supply factors that influence service transactions. An empirical framework is constructed based on the model of Johnson and Myatt (2003) and allows us to identify cost factors separately from demand factors. This paper also demonstrates that demand factors significantly influence the conventional measure of service sector productivity.


A new TbNbO4 single-crystal with a monoclinic structure has been grown successfully using the Czochralski method for the first time. The material belongs to the space group C2/c, with unit-cell parameters of a = 7.173(3) A, b = 11.186(5) A, c = 5.156(2) A and β = 131.082(3)°. The thermal properties of the as-grown TbNbO4 crystal, including specific heat, thermal expansion coefficient, thermal diffusion coefficient, and thermal conductivity, were measured systematically. The TbNbO4 crystal exhibits strong anisotropic thermal expansion; a negative thermal expansion along the c direction is presented, and a zero thermal expansion coefficient in some directions can be obtained. The emission and absorption spectra were also measured. The strongest emission peak in the green spectral domain of TbNbO4 corresponding to the 5D4 → 7F5 transition of Tb3+ is located at 549 nm. In the range of 350–1500 nm, the as-grown TbNbO4 crystal has low absorption. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to study the valence of the elements in the TbNbO4 crystal; the result shows that there are two different valence states of Tb in the as-grown crystal.


General Electric plans to complete a design certification document for the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor to have the new reactor design certified by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. As part of the design process, the design control document was produced in 2006, and it includes a description of the human reliability analysis performed as part of the reactor's probabilistic risk analysis. The problem is to verify the claim that the human reliability analysis was performed according to the Systematic Human Action Reliability Procedure (SHARP). The seven step method was compared directly to the actions documented by General Electric. Each step was identified and the actions within the steps were identified and evaluated to verify that no rules of SHARP were in contention with the analysis. The reason for using the SHARP method instead of revisions and improvements of the SHARP method was determined and more detailed analysis will be performed in later phases of the reactor design, but the human reliability analysis quantified with general human error probabilities was still a conservative estimate of the human reliability. The results showed that General Electric performed a human reliability analysis in agreement with the SHARP method. The Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor human reliability analysis is ready for more detailed analysis and quantification of human interactions in the next phase of development. Thesis Supervisor: George E. Apostolakis Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering Professor of Engineering Systems


Diabetogenic CD8 + T cells are primed in the pancreatic lymph nodes (PLNs) by dendritic cells (DCs) carrying islet cell Ags. TLR signaling modifies DC function. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of TLR9 signaling on diabetogenic CD8 + T cell activation and the course of type 1 diabetes. We explored the effects of CpG oligonucleotide, TLR9 antagonists, and genetic TLR9 deficiency on the activation of diabetogenic CD8 + T cells. NOD bone marrow-derived DCs pulsed with freeze-thawed insulinoma cells in the presence of TLR9 agonist CpG and CD40 agonist induced diabetogenic CD8 + T cell activation. The addition of TLR9 antagonist oligodeoxynucleotide or chloroquine inhibited bone marrow-derived DCs activation and CD8 + T cell priming in response to CpG. CpG alone or with CD40 agonist induced CTL activity that triggered diabetes development in 8.3-TCR transgenic NOD mice. Oligodeoxynucleotide treatment of 8.3-TCR transgenic NOD mice delayed spontaneous diabetes development. Chloroquine treatment delayed the spontaneous onset of diabetes in NOD mice, coincident with the decreased activation of PLN DCs. TLR9 2 / 2 NOD mice had delayed onset of diabetes compared with TLR9 2 /+ NOD littermates. TLR9 2 / 2 NOD mice had lower levels of IFN- a in PLNs and decreased frequencies of plasmacytoid DCs and diabetogenic CD8 + T cells compared with NOD mice. We propose that TLR9 activation contributes to the spontaneous onset of diabetes in NOD mice by increasing IFN- a and promoting diabetogenic CD8 T cell activation. The Journal of Immunology , 2010, 184: 000–000.


Hypericum androsaemum L. is one of the most demanded plant species in the Portuguese popular medicine being associated to the natural History of the Geres mountain ridge (Northern of Portugal), due to its ethnobotanical uses given by the local people [6]. Traditionally, H. androsaemum is sold dried, under the designation of "hipericao do Geres" and is used as an infusion [7], in cases of nephritic colic impaired digestion, boredom, and liver disturbances. The essential oils of Hypericum androsaemum L. were isolated by separated hydrodistillation of its leaves, stems and ripened seed capsules and by pentane extraction of the respective leaves infusion. Subsamples of fresh leaves (10g), stems (10g) and ripened seed capsules (10g) were hydrodistilled with 500 ml of boiling water in a Clevenger type apparatus over 1h, using volumes of 1.0 mL of n-hexane, containing 5-α-cholestane (1mg/mL), for retention of the hydrodistillate components. The infusion was prepared by adding 150 ml of boiling water onto 15 g of the dried plant leaves keeping it submersed during 5 minutes. The infusion was left to cool for 15 minutes and then it was filtered and the respective essential oil constituents were extracted with 5 ml of n-pentane containing 5-cholestane (0.1 mg/ml). The hydrodistillates and n-pentane fraction of the leaves infusion extract were analysed by GC and GC-MS in order to identify and quantify the respective components. The EO yield of leaves was 0.85 mg/g of biomass dry weight distributed in 103 compounds, 82% of which were identified. From the 92 compounds detected in the EO of ripened seed capsules, 96% were identified. The EO from stems, with only 63 compounds identified, had a narrower range of compounds compared to leaves and ripened seed capsules. From the 56 organic compounds found in the n-pentane extract from the leave infusions, 45 were identified, as leaves essential oil constituents. Eggs of Meloidogyne javanica, obtained directly from egg masses isolated from the tomato infected roots, were used for hatching studies. The egg masses were placed in a 5 cm-diam. Petri dish with distilled water and then, all eggs containing juveniles in the same second stage (J2), were separated under a stereomicroscope and transferred (20/ well) one by one or in small amounts with the aid of a dissection needle and/or a feather-stitch, to each of the wells of Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay - ELISA (6 wells) plates. All tests were conducted in the wells of the ELISA plates containing 5 ml of the Hypericum water extracts at different concentrations: 4, 6, 8 and 10 g/100 ml. Distilled water was used as control with five replicates of each extract concentration. The plates were placed in the dark at 22 ± 2 oC. Cumulative juveniles eclosion was calculated separating, and adding to the anterior ones, the juveniles ecloded from the eggs, every 24 hours till 360 h. Homogeneity of variance was verified for cumulative J2 eclosion by Bartlett's test. When it was not verified, data were transformed to log 10 (x+1) prior to ANOVA. Significant differences were analyzed by Tukey's or Dunn's tests (P< 0.05). For mortality studies egg masses of M. javanica were placed on a small square piece of muslin with 30 µm openings supported as a small sieve (2.5 cm ∅, 1 cm high) in a Syracuse (2 ml cap.) glass block; about 1 ml tap water was added, until the muslin was just submerged. Juveniles collected during the first 24 hr were discarded and the subsequent J2 collected were used. Twenty J2 were exposed to 2 ml of each of the same as anterior concentrations of the lyophilized extract: 4, 6, 8 and 10 g/100 ml. As before, distilled water served as control with five replicates of each extract concentration and the tests were conducted in the wells of ELISA plates maintained in the dark at 22 ± 2 oC. A relation between the concentration of the extract and hatching of M. javanica was found. The effect on eclosion inhibition was higher for 10 mg/ml than for 4 mg/ml. However, in the first 24 h apparently there was no eclosion. The mortality of J2 of M. javanica was directly dependent on the concentration of the extract. being observed in the first 24 hours for 6, 8 and 10 mg/ml but only after 72 h with 4 mg/ml.


Background and aim IUGR fetuses display redistribution of fetal blood flow to vital organs. This can be different in preterm and term IUGR fetuses. It is not known whether the distribution of the neonatal circulation is still affected by IUGR, and if it differs between these groups. Our aim was to compare the neonatal circulation in preterm and term IUGR infants, measured by NIRS. Methods Preterm and term infants were prospectively included between May 2012 and April 2014 when IUGR was diagnosed. Cerebral, renal and abdominal regional tissue oxygen saturations (rSO2) were measured for 2 h continuously using NIRS on days 1 to 3 after birth. Fractional tissue oxygen extraction (FTOE) was calculated using rSO2 and arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) values: (SaO2–rSO2)/SaO2. Results We included 42 IUGR infants (21 preterm/21 term), gestational age median 31.3 weeks (IQR 28.5–33.2), and 38.6 weeks (37.7–39.1), respectively; birth weight 1100 grams (770–1510), and 2420 grams (2027–2645). Results are shown in Table 1. Abstract O-029 Table 1 Conclusion In the first 2 days after birth, preterm IUGR infants showed lower renal and abdominal rSO2 (higher FTOE) when compared with term IUGR infants, indicating altered neonatal circulation. Furthermore, cerebral rSO2 was higher and cerebral FTOE was lower indicating increased cerebral perfusion. This may be interpreted as brain sparing continuing after birth. However, the difference with term IUGR (higher cerebral FTOE indicating no brain sparing) vanishes. We conclude that preterm IUGR infants experience brain sparing in the first 2 days, whereas term IUGR infants do not.


Minidrones are widely used as they are not only fast quadcopters with high manoeuvrability but also excellent research platforms for indoor usage. In this study, we provide the design and deployment of the PI-PD and Fuzzy PI-PD (FPI-PD) structures to solve position control problem of the Parrot Mambo Minidrone. In this context, we derive nonlinear mathematical model of Parrot Mambo Minidrone to obtain the control models of the minidrone. Then, via the control models, firstly PI-PD control systems are designed for the altitude and position control systems. Then, to handle the coupled nonlinearities, FPI-PD controllers are designed and employed in the position control loop of minidrone. The presented comparative real-world experiment results clearly show that the proposed control systems outperform the built-in ones. Moreover, the results show that the performance of FPI-PD is better than the built-in PD and designed PI-PD control systems.


Two long time series of polar motion were analysed with respect to a linear drift, decadal variations, Chandler wobble and annual wobble: the C01 series published by the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) and the pole series which J. Vondrak, obtained by reanalysis of the classical astronomical observations using the HIPPARCOS reference frame (1899.7-1992.0). By a least-squares fit the linear drift of the pole, usually called 'secular polar motion,' was determined to 3.31 milliarcseconds/year (mas/yr) toward 76.1° West longitude. For this fit the a priori correlations within each pair of pole coordinates were taken into account, and the weighting function was calculated by estimation of empirical variance components. The decadal variations of the pole path were determined by Fourier analysis. Using a sliding window analysis, the variability of the periods, the amplitudes and the phases of the Chandler wobble and annual wobble was investigated. The variances of the results and the number of iterations needed to get a convergence in the nonlinear approach show that the new time series by Vondrak is more homogeneous and consistent than the IERS C01 series.


Current dairy industry policy facilitates discriminatory pricing of milk used for market milk, domestic manufactured products and for export products. A variant of the Parish model is used to estimate transfer and efficiency costs of these arrangements. Transfers from consumers to producers represent about a third of gross farm returns. Efficiency costs of too little consumption are small. Estimated costs of excess production are between $25 million and $65 million a year. The model suggests important changes to the way in which the Industry Commission calculates rates of assistance to the dairy industry.


This article is the second installment of the 'Hardinian Collection'. The first article, 'A Tragedy of the Space Commons?', favourably argues that the outer space environment can be categorised as a 'Space Commons' which is vulnerable exposed to degradation and may result in its eventual ruin should the growth of orbiting debris remain uncontrolled. On the premise that outer space can be characterised as the 'Space Commons', this article shall explore mechanisms to govern and manage a commons resource. An assumption entertained by the literature is that actors' individualistic behaviour to exhaust the available resource units within the commons to satisfy the short-term desire to maximise their economic gain, willfully disregarding the collective and long-term enjoyment and use of others users, shall persist. The exception, however, is where appropriate mechanisms and disincentives controlling entry to, and the exploitation of, the resource are imposed and enforced. It has been argued that well-defined and implemented set of property-rights systems could instill good behaviour from the community actors and sustainably manage the commons; hereby saving it from overuse and Garret Hardin's hypothesised 'tragedy'. This proposition has been advanced by two such: Garret Hardin and Elinor Ostrom. The works of Hardin shall be examined in this article. Through a constructed theoretical framework, a critically evaluation is carried out to determine the potential of applying his property-rights systems to avert the 'tragedy' and effectively preserve the quality of the outer space environment from further degradation arising from the population increase of orbiting debris. It shall be explored if such property-right can be viably devised and instituted to adequately regulate and improve the quality of the outer space environment. Assuming that such implementation is feasible, this article shall conclude whether Hardin's save the commons solutions could provide an efficient governance framework that regulates access to and promotes the long-term conservation of the Space Commons.


Abstract : The Naval Research Laboratory has participated in a number of field exercises in support of HF communications, HF Direction Finding (HFDF), and HF Single-Site-Location (HF-SSL) systems development since 1980. During these exercises, the NRL support has included the documentation of ionospheric channel information through collection of Oblique-Incidence-Sounding (OIS) data. Data have been obtained over two distinct epochs of solar activity. The first group, obtained between 1980 and 1982, was obtained for a period of high solar activity. The second group of data obtained between 1986 and the present, corresponds to relatively low or moderate activity. This report describes a collection of approximately 167,000 ionograms in terms of the environmental conditions under which they were obtained. It is planned to make these data sets available as a resource to qualified researchers. Keywords: Ionospheric soundings; Oblique incidence sounding; Database; Ionosphere; Frequency management; High frequency; Ionograms.


Sialodochitis fibrinosa and allergic parotitis have described rare patients with recurrent salivary gland swelling and mucus plugs, often with atopy. We have evaluated three patients with atopic disease, recurrent salivary gland swelling, and an eosinophilic sialodochitis. Two had eosinophil-rich mucus plugs. Fifty-six additional cases were identified in a medical literature database search, each defined by recurrent salivary gland swelling associated with eosinophil-rich mucus plugs or sialodochitis with periductal eosinophilic infiltration. The majority (78%) were reported from Japan. Females were predominantly affected (F:M = 2.3) with a median age of 47 years at evaluation. The parotid and submandibular glands were involved, respectively, in 71% and 46%. Allergic symptoms were present in 66%, atopic disease in 63% of those with reported allergy testing, and blood eosinophilia in 71%. Contrast sialography and other imaging modalities documented ductal dilatation in 82%. Treatments included anti-allergic medications (58%), systemic glucocorticoids (25%), duct cannulation with irrigation, steroid injection, and/or duct dilatation (36%), and glandular resection (19%). We recommend the diagnosis 'eosinophilic sialodochitis' be applied to patients who meet this case definition. The disease is a unique cause of chronic recurrent salivary gland swelling. Its likely allergic etiology may be amenable to current or future biologic therapies.


The Sierra del Cuera (Cantabrian Mountains, Asturias, Spain) exhibits an exceptionally well-preserved upper Bashkirian-lower Moscovian succession of a high-relief carbonate platform with steep adjacent slope. During the late Bashkirian, the platform margin prograded rapidly basinward, and during the early Moscovian, platform aggradation increased. Fusulinida distributions have been estimated in three platform study windows representative of the Bashkirian and Moscovian lithofacies.

Microbial boundstone accumulations at the platform margin and slope contain scarce fusulinoideans (particularly during the Moscovian aggradation, when water depth was relatively greater). Boundstones are characterized by tetrataxids, lasiodiscids, pseudoammodiscids, biseriamminids, endothyrids and palaeotextulariids. Grainstone units with sediments deposited above wave base are characterized by the predominance of Pseudoendothyra , Eostaffella (Bashkirian) or Profusulinella (Moscovian), Bradyina and palaeotextulariids. The open-marine facies, below effective wave-base but intermittently affected by storm currents, is enriched in endothyrids and palaeotextulariids in the Bashkirian part, and in Profusulinella , Eofusulina and Schubertella in the Moscovian part. The Moscovian facies, of lower energy and deeper water depth, contain some microbially precipitated micrite and have scarce Fusulinida, mostly represented by endothyrids, biseriamminids, and fusulinoideans ( Eostaffella , Ozawainella and Profusulinella ). Lagoonal open- to restricted-marine facies with beresellid algae contain Profusulinella , Schubertella and biseriamminids. Crinoidal packstones were deposited in moderate-energy settings close to the platform margin, below wave-base, and are characterized by Ozawainella , Eostaffella , palaeotextulariids and tetrataxids.

These analyses show that fusulinid foraminifera inhabited mostly shallow and open-marine environments. Their distribution was controlled by depth-related variables, water energy and open-marine vs. restricted-marine conditions. Fusulinoideans increase in the Moscovian strata, and show different trends in the upper Bashkirian and lower Moscovian platforms, possibly because of: a) changes in the paleoecology of Fusulinida at the species level from the Bashkirian to the Moscovian; and/or b) variations in the depositional environments and physicochemical characteristics of seawater from the Bashkirian progradational phase to the Moscovian aggradational phase. Pseudoendothyra , Profusulinella , Schubertella , bradyinids and palaeotextulariids showed an affinity for high-energy settings. Profusulinella and Schubertella , however, preferred the shallowest facies and also tolerated restricted marine conditions. Eostaffella 's distribution largely differs between the Bashkirian and Moscovian parts because it characterizes the high-energy grainstones of the upper Bashkirian and the open-marine, moderate- to low-energy environments of the lower Moscovian. Endothyrids were excluded from lagoonal environments with restricted circulation and abnormal salinity. Biseriamminids preferred open-marine, moderate- to low-energy settings with muddy substrates, but were not limited by water restriction. Greater tolerance to deeper, darker habitats was exhibited by lasiodiscids, pseudoammodiscids and tetrataxids, which occurred from the platform top down to 200 m depth on the Moscovian slope.


Quality is an important parameter for the commercialisation and processing of grains and affects the value of the product and its derivatives.


The 2014 mid-term elections are over, and at least 62 new members of the U.S. Congress will be taking office on 3 January 2015. Many will be accompanied by new staff, not all of them familiar with science and science policy. Compounding the ambiguity that always comes with new legislators is that the leadership of the Senate has changed from Democratic to Republican. It is as yet unknown where the new leaders and committee chairs will stand on science policy issues, but so far, science has not been declared among the priorities put forward by either party. All of this is taking place just as many of science's long-time legislative champions are retiring. Overall research and development spending has already fallen 16% in inflation-adjusted dollars from fiscal year (FY) 2010 to the FY 2015 budget request. The federal government's investment in science and technology now stands at roughly 0.78% of the economy, the lowest point in 50 years. This is the right time for scientists to introduce themselves to their new legislators, congratulate them on their election, offer their services if needed on policy matters that would benefit from science input, and emphasize the importance of science to the country.


There is, I believe, general agreement that interest and activity in human genetics has today reached a peak never before attained. The periodical literature of the last ten years and the reports of the increasingly frequent symposia and conferences devoted to genetic problems in man provide convincing evidence of this. It is also clear that interest in these problems is likely to increase greatly in the next years so that what we may be witnessing now is only the beginning of a kind of renaissance in which genetics in general stands a chance of being greatly enriched by research on man. [Dunn 1962, p. 11


A longitudinally pumped, widely tunable, solid-state Yb:KYF4 laser was developed with special design for applications to optical frequency metrology and absolute frequency stabilization. The KYF4 crystalline host, combined with efficient diode pumping, allows for wide wavelength tunability at about 1.03 mum in a single transverse mode. Two different laser cavity designs were experimentally investigated. The combined use of an intracavity birefringent filter and uncoated glass etalons provides single-frequency output power at the 100-mW level in a folded-cavity resonator. A second hemispherical linear cavity was also developed with one or two coated intracavity etalons for single-frequency operation. The novel laser sources were thoroughly characterized in terms of output power and beam quality, amplitude noise, wavelength tunability, and single-axial-mode operation. High-quality TEM00 single-frequency laser radiation opens the way to the development of a new optical frequency standard based on the I 2 molecule at 0.5- mum wavelength.


The complexity of computing systems introduces a few issues and challenges such as poor performance and high energy consumption. In this paper, we first define and model resource contention metric for high performance computing workloads as a performance metric in scheduling algorithms and systems at the highest level of resource management stack to address the main issues in computing systems. Second, we propose a novel autonomic resource contention‐aware scheduling approach architected on various layers of the resource management stack. We establish the relationship between distributed resource management layers in order to optimize resource contention metric. The simulation results confirm the novelty of our approach.Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The effects of space charges on the ferroelectric properties of (K0.50Na0.50)2(Sr0.75Ba0.25)4Nb10O30 (KNSBN) ceramics have been investigated in the temperature range between 30°C and 800°C. For samples aged at room temperature or poled at temperatures above the Curie point (T c ∼208°C) in order to induce space-charge polarization, we have observed a broad dielectric peak at around 650°C, a negative depolarization current above 650°C, and a variation of the activation energy at 650°C. This behavior above T c may be interpreted in terms of mobile space charges such as A-site vacancies or oxygen vacancies which may be formed during the sintering process at high temperatures (∼1300°C). The experimental results are discussed in connection with the interaction between the polarities of domain and space charges.


Similar to Unani (Greek) medicine, Iranian traditional medicine is based upon the theory of humors of the body. Thus, it is obvious that the quality of development of different body organs have originated from this theory. According to the Iranian traditional medicine, body organs have developed from humors, and humors in turn have originated from food. The condition of the development of different organs and also the relationships among the organs are the noteworthy points in the Iranian traditional medicine. In the Iranian traditional medicine, the body organs are classified with various methods according to their origin, function, and their relationship with other organs. We have presented the classifications in details. The analysis of relationships among organs, faculties, spirits, and their resulted activities is surprisingly so robust and diagrammatic, such that the rules are adhered in all sections. The Iranian traditional medicine is different from Galen's teachings from this viewpoint. In our traditional medicine system, the faculties and spirits are known to have materialistic quality, since they originate from cardinal organs, and their transportation is done through veins, arteries, and nerves. As veins transports natural and animal spirits (in trivial amounts) besides transporting humors, their role is of greater importance in this system.


To explored and optimized extraction process of polysaccharide from dregs of Schisandra chinensis and polysaccharide on the influence of seed germination of Chinese cabbage.Screen the influence of different extracting temperature,extracting time and solid/liquid ratio with levels,polysaccharides with different concentrations on the influence of seeds germination and growth.The results showed that extracting temperature had significant effect on the yield of polysaccharides,the influence of extracting time and solvent amount had no significant effect.The best extracting program for polysaccharides was extracting temperature 100 ℃,extracting time 2 h and solid/liquid ratio 1 ∶30(m/V).Polysaccharides with different concentrations all had different promotion of seed germination of Chinese cabbage,the highest germination rate and potential of seed were 89% and 53% respectively in 0.6 mg/mL of polysaccharides,radicals and germ growth better.The study had decided the optimum extracting process of polysaccharide from dregs of Schisandra chinensi,and the best concentration of polysaccharide for seeds germination and growth of Chinese cabbage.


In 2001, Dean Takahashi and Seth Alexander of the Yale University Investments Office developed a deterministic model for estimating future cash flows and valuations for the Yale endowment's private equity portfolio. Their model, which is simple and intuitive, is still commonly used by investors to this day. However, the model possesses significant shortcomings, including its sensitivity to the assumptions necessary for the model to function and its failure to provide a range of possible portfolio outcomes. Both issues can result in investors developing overconfidence in forecasts, which can result in suboptimal—or even adverse—portfolio management decisions. To address these shortcomings, we propose a novel historical simulation approach that preserves the simplicity and intuition behind Takahashi and Alexander's approach. However, our model, which leverages historical private equity cash flow data, requires no user assumptions and naturally provides a range of outcomes. We explore this model in some depth, highlighting the model's power and flexibility across myriad use cases.


We have previously shown how the Bayesian Fisher Information (BFI) is related to the average of the Minimum Probability of Error (MPE) for the task of detecting a small change in a parameter. The prior probabilities for the two hypotheses corresponding to two nearby values of the parameter are derived from the prior distribution on the parameter, as they are for the Ziv-Zakai inequality. The average in this result and others to be discussed is performed over the parameter values using the prior. We extend this result to the case where a cost function is assigned to the detection task. In this case we determine the lowest order approximation of the average of the Bayesian Risk for the detection task. We have shown that there is a similar relation between the average Shannon Information (SI) for this detection task and the BFI, and that there is an integral relation between SI for any detection task and the MPE for that task. We will show the Bayesian perspective on this last result, and how these two results about SI are related.


Using highly correlated wave functions, the ground and the low lying excited states of the molecular NCO(-) and CNO(-) anions have been reinvestigated. The stability of the electronic ground state of the two isomers with respect to dissociation and to electron detachment has been checked along the isomerization pathway. The regions of stability of the excited electronic states have been analyzed and identified and it is shown that only the ground state is stable and the corresponding potential energy surface presents three equilibrium positions. The rovibronic spectroscopy of the X (1)Σ(+) state of both NCO(-) and CNO(-) isomers has been determined by a variational approach leading to remarkable agreement with experimental data.


Earlier, the experiments on the aneutronic proton-boron (pB) fusion in a miniature nanosecond vacuum discharge (NVD) with oscillatory plasma confinement and correspondent α particles yield were presented. In this work, we consider some specific features of oscillatory confinement as a relatively new type of plasma confinement for fusion. Particle-in-cell (PiC) simulations of pB fusion processes have shown that the plasma in NVD, and especially on the discharge axis, is in a state close to a quasineutral one, which is rather different from the conditions in the well-known scheme of periodically oscillating plasma spheres (POPSs) suggested earlier for fusion. Apparently, small-scale oscillations in NVD are a mechanism of resonant ion heating, unlike coherent compressions in the original POPS scheme. Nevertheless, the favorable scaling of the fusion power in NVD turns out to be close to the POPS fusion but differs significantly both in the compression ratio and in the values of the parameter of quasineutrality. In addition, unlike the POPS scheme, PiC simulation reveals that the distribution functions of protons and boron ions in NVD are non-Maxwellian. Therefore, we have an aneutronic pB synthesis in a nonequilibrium plasma remaining "nonignited" on the discharge axis.


We isolated major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-specific viral peptides from cells infected with influenza virus in the continuous presence of the drug brefeldin A, which blocks exocytosis of newly synthesized MHC class I molecules. MHC-specific peptides were also isolated from cells expressing mouse Kd class I MHC molecules whose cytoplasmic domain was substituted by that of the adenovirus E3/19K glycoprotein. This molecule was retained in an intracellular pre-Golgi complex compartment as demonstrated by immunocytochemical and biochemical means. Since we show that intracellular association of antigenic peptides with such retained class I molecules is necessary for their isolation from cellular extracts, this provides direct evidence that naturally processed peptides associate with class I MHC molecules in an early intracellular exocytic compartment.


Human peripheral blood monocytes pretreated with human recombinant tumour necrosis factor alpha (rTNF) showed an enhanced ability to present a soluble antigen, a purified protein derivate of tuberculin, to autologous T lymphocytes as assessed by their increased proliferation in vitro. This enhancing activity was due to TNF and not impurities in TNF preparations as anti-TNF antibodies abolished this phenomenon. The rTNF-treated monocytes showed an increased expression of HLA-DR molecules and enhanced co-stimulatory activity in the murine thymocyte assay. Pretreatment of monocytes before an antigen pulse with anti-TNF mAb inhibited antigen presentation, which indicated that endogenously produced TNF was involved. These studies thus suggest that TNF acts in an autocrine fashion and enhances the ability of monocytes to present protein antigen. It is unclear at present whether this effect is due to the modification in antigen processing, expression of MHC class II molecules, or other factors (IL-1, IL-6, adhesion molecules, etc.) that are important for the induction of T cell response to a nominal antigen. The enhancement of the antigen presenting capacity of monocytes/macrophages may be the additional mechanism of pro-inflammatory activity of TNF.


Abstract The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a public health emergency of international concern. There has been a surge in demand for COVID-19 diagnostic reagents, as timely detection of virus carriers is one of the most important components of disease prevention and control. Nucleic acid testing (NAT), with high sensitivity and specificity, is considered the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of COVID-19. Therefore, more than 700 research units and companies have been devoted to developing NAT reagents. To date, nearly 600 research units and companies have claimed to have completed the development of NAT reagents. The use of these products has a positive effect on disease prevention and control; however, exaggerated claims and inadequate understanding of the products have led to improper access to reagents and equipment in clinics. This has resulted in chaos in the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19. Herein, we have overviewed the COVID-19 NAT products, including their principles, corresponding advantages and disadvantages, relevant circumstances for application, and respective roles in epidemic containment. Our comments may provide some references for assay developers and aid clinical staff in choosing the appropriate class of test from the different tests available.


Washington navel orange trees were inoculated with one citrus exocortis viroid (CEV) and three citrus viroid (CV) isolates with shoot-tip-grafted viroid-free trees as controls. Two rootstocks were evaluated: sour orange and Troyer citrange. Trees were planted in 1978 in a replicated block in the Central Valley of California. CEV significantly reduced fruit yields of trees on Troyer compared to all other treatments and of trees on sour orange when compared to shoot-tipgrafted control trees. CEV also induced significantly poorer color of fruit for trees on sour orange or Troyer rootstocks. Tree size was significantly reduced for trees on sour orange and Troyer in the presence of CEV. The three CV isolates had no significant effect on tree size. There were also no significant effects by CEV or CV on sugar-acid ratio, rind thickness, fruit shape, or juice percentage. When sour orange was compared to Troyer citrange as rootstocks with or without viroids, trees on Troyer produced larger fruit, increased yield, and in three out of four years, produced fruit with significantly better rind color. There was no significant difference in the size of trees on sour orange compared to Troyer citrange. Index words. Dwarfing, sour orange, stunting, Troyer citrange, Washington navel orange, citrus exocortis viroid, viroids, citrus viroids. Citrus exocortis, now known to be caused by the citrus exocortis viroid, was first reported to induce stunting of grapefruit, navel, and Valencia oranges on trifoliate orange rootstock. (2, 9). Calavan et al. (2) showed that exocortis was responsible for reduction in growth and fruit production of Valencia orange trees on trifoliate orange rootstock, but that in some years it induced larger fruit size. Also, the tendency toward alternate bearing was absent or less prevalent in infected trees. The concept of using exocortis for dwafing trees was first proposed by Cohen (4). Since then, other studies using CEV for dwarfing have been made (1, 3, 5, 6,). For many years exocortis was believed to be a virus disease, but was later shown to be a pathogenic low molecular weight RNA or viroid (19). Recent studies have shown that the milder reacting isolates on citron, classified as mild CEV isolates, represent distinct viroids with molecular weights of 311 to 355 nucleotides, smaller than the 371 nucleotide CEV (7, 8, 20). These citrus viroids do not multiply in gynura nor induce the intense epinasty, vein browning and stunting of citron plants and leaves as does CEV. The general classification of "citrus" viroids has been proposed for these low molecular weight RNAs (8). With the advent of shoot tip-grafting in vitro, (14, 16), CEV and other viroids could be eliminated from old line citrus, thus bypassing the longterm nucellar seedling process, the only other known method of eliminating CEV from infected budlines. I t then became possible to study the effect of CEV directly on the performances of sweet orange trees and fruit by removing CEV from old line citrus or by inoculating CEV back into CEV-free lines. An experiment was designed in 1977 to study the effect of CEV and mild reacting isolates on citron, now known as CV isolates, on the performance of navel orange trees on two rootstocks. In addition, a shoot-tipgrafted virus and a viroid-free control were included for comparison. MATERIALS AND METHODS Greenhouse-grown seedlings of sour orange and Troyer citrange were Diseases Induced by Viroids and Viroidlike Pathogens 205 budded in March 1977. Scions used were an old budline Parent navel orange, an old budline Atwood navel which had been shoot-tip grafted to eliminate a very mild isolate of a CEV-like viroid (now identified as citrus viroid (CV) IIa). and an Atwood navel, not shoot-tip grafted containing CV IIa. The Atwood navel is virtually indistinguishable in tree and fruit characteristics from Parent (10, 12). The Parent navel orange selection, VI 12, was believed to be free of viruses and CEV in 1977 based on the best available index procedures at that time. However, it was later found to contain the mild CV IIa by use of a more sensitive citron indicator (17). Rootstocks were sour orange and Troyer citrange. Trees of Parent navel were inoculated in June 1977 by inserting two buds from a known viroid source plant, one bud each into the scion and rootstock. Treatments and viroids used as inoculum are given in table 1. Treatments were as follows: A. Control. Inoculated with Troyer seedling buds for wounding effect. Later, all Parent navel control plants were found to contain CV IIa and this budline was subsequently coded as source E-829. Source E-829 (CV IIa) induces only a very mild leaftip browning symptom when inoculated into 861 S-1 citron (17) and may cause mild to moderate bark cracking of trifoliate rootstock. B. Inoculated with buds of Atwood navel viroid source E-818. Reaction on 861 S-1 citron is mild, but stronger than the E-829 infected Parent, even though E-829 and E-818 have been found to contain CV IIa (table 1). The viroid from this source also induces mild definitive bark cracking of trifoliate rootstock. C. Inoculated with buds from viroid source E-805, in Bearss lime. This viroid from E-805 induces mild to moderate leaf epinasty on citron and mild to moderate bark cracking on Rangpur lime and trifoliate rootstocks. Source E-805 contains CV IIIb (Table 1). D. Inoculated with buds from viroid source E-803 in Frost nucellar navel orange. This inoculum contains CV I, IIa, and IIIb (8,20), and reacts moderately in citron, inducing leaf epinasty and stem browning, but only slight stunting. E. Inoculated with buds from source E-800 from a field lemon budded on trifoliate stock which shows severe exfoliation on the trifoliate and severe stunting of the tree. In addition to CEV this inoculum contains CV IIa and IIIb. Reaction on citron was very severe with intense stunting, severe leaf epinasty, and severe stem cracking and browning. F. The shoot-tip grafted control. An Atwood navel which had been shoot-tip grafted and contained no viruses or viroids. G. The Atwood navel that was the source of E-818 which was used as inoculum in treatment B and contains CV IIa. All inoculum sources and all scion sources were tested and found free of tristeza, psorosis, concave gum, vein enation, and cachexia by the methods employed in the Citrus Clonal Protection Program of the University of California (13). These trees were planted in the field at the Lindcove Field Station in the Central Valley of California in the spring of 1978. There were five replicates in a randomized block; each replicate consisting of two trees each of the seven scion treatments on two rootstocks for a total of 70 trees.


The production of a top quark in association with a Z boson is studied in the trilepton channel. The data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015 and 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of √ s = 13 TeV are used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36.1 fb−1. Events containing three identified leptons (electron and/or muon) and two jets, one of which is identified as a b-quark jet are selected. The major backgrounds come from diboson, tt̄ and Z + jets production. A neural network is used to improve the background rejection and extract the signal. The resulting significance of the signal is 4.2σ in the data and the expected significance is 5.4σ. The measured cross-section is 600± 170(stat)± 140(syst) fb.


We established a new theory of discriminant analysis after R. Fisher. We developed two methods and four Optimal Linear Discriminant Functions (OLDFs) in order to solve five serious problems of discriminant analysis. Over than 30 years, many researchers could not select cancer genes from gene datasets such as microarray datasets (Problem 5). The Matryoshka feature selection method (Method 2) could separate the dataset to several linearly separable subspaces (Small Matryoshka, SM) and non-linearly separable subspace definitely. We consider genes including each SM are cancer genes because they can discriminate cancer patients versus normal patients completely. On the other hand, other genes cannot discriminate two classes correctly and are noise. Therefore, Method 2 can separate the dataset to several signal SMs and noise subspace naturally. In this study, we introduce how to analyze all SMs of six datasets using common statistical methods and propose malignancy indexes for cancer gene diagnosis. Because our standard statistical approach obtains almost the same successful results, we explain the results by Alon et al. dataset. Researchers can analyze their dataset by our approach. Keywords—Cancer Gene Analysis; Cancer Gene Diagnosis; Microarray Dataset; Matryoshka Feature Selection Method; Small Matryoshka (SM); Basic Gene Set (BGS); NP-hard; large p small n.


Ginger, a natural plant belonging to the Zingeberaceae family, has been reported to have reasonable anti-inflammatory effects. The current study aimed to examine ginger extract transdermal delivery by generating niosomal vesicles as a promising nano-carrier incorporated into emulgel prepared with sesame oil. Particle size, viscosity, in vitro release, and ex vivo drug penetration experiments were performed on the produced formulations (ginger extract loaded gel, ginger extract loaded emulgel, ginger extract niosomal gel, and ginger extract niosomal emulgel). Carrageenan-induced edema in rat hind paw was employed to estimate the in vivo anti-inflammatory activity. The generated ginger extract formulations showed good viscosity and particle size. The in vitro release of ginger extract from niosomal formulation surpassed other formulations. In addition, the niosomal emulgel formulation showed improved transdermal flux and increased drug permeability through rabbit skin compared to other preparations. Most importantly, carrageenan-induced rat hind paw edema test confirmed the potential anti-inflammatory efficacy of ginger extract niosomal emulgel, compared to other formulations, as manifested by a significant decrease in paw edema with a superior edema inhibition potency. Overall, our findings suggest that incorporating a niosomal formulation within sesame oil-based emulgel might represent a plausible strategy for effective transdermal delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs like ginger extract.


Impaired wound healing leading to skin ulceration is a serious complication of diabetes and may be caused by defective angiogenesis. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) can augment neovascularisation in the ischaemic tissue. Experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that locally administered EPCs can promote wound healing in diabetes. Full‐thickness skin wounds were created on the dorsum of diabetic mice. EPCs were obtained from bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) and applied topically to the wound immediately after surgery. Vehicle and non‐selective BMMNCs were used as controls. Wound size was measured on days 5, 10 and 14 after treatment, followed by resection, histological analysis and quantification of vascularity. Topical application of EPCs significantly promoted wound healing, as assessed by closure rate and wound vascularity. Immunostaining revealed that transplanted EPCs induced increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor. Few EPCs were observed in the neovasculature based on in vivo staining of the functional vasculature. Ex vivo expanded EPCs promote wound healing in diabetic mice via mechanisms involving increased local cytokine expression and enhanced neovascularisation of the wound. This strategy exploiting the therapeutic capacity of autologously derived EPCs may be a novel approach to skin repair in diabetes.


Highlights This article provides insights into stakeholders' challenges while bringing educational accountability to private tutoring providers through a self-regulation model. There is no participant involved in this narrative inquiry study. Policymakers may be ambivalent about bringing accountability as their families may benefit from private tutoring. This account is written from the perspective of a teacher-trained tutor who has worked with policymakers to address some of the challenges. This first-person narrative describes the experience of establishing a national peak body to bring greater accountability to private tutoring providers. This peak body is unique because it positions the educational interests of students as at least equal to providers' commercial interests. The author believes that greater accountability for tutoring businesses is required in all markets and that issues will not resolve through self-regulation alone.


The aim of this paper is twofold. First we discuss the origin of tree methods. Essentially we survey earlier methods that led to CHAID (Kass, 1980; Biggs et al., 1991). The second goal is then to explain in details the functioning of CHAID, especially the differences between the original method as described in Kass (1980) and the nowadays currently implemented extension that was proposed by Biggs et al.(1991).


In this paper, the plastic settlement of mortar is analyzed on the basis of the small strain consolidation theory, and the validity of the approach is verified through the comparison with experimental data. First, the amount of settlement caused by self-weight of bulk mortar is measured using a non-contact laser measurement device and the estimation of material parameters related to the settlement of mortar is followed. In advance, another experiment is also performed on mortar with embedded reinforcement to measure the settlement distribution, and the influence of mixture proportions and cover depth on unequal settlement is analyzed. Finally, correlation studies between experimental data and settlement distribution obtained by consolidation analysis represents that the application of consolidation theory to the analysis of plastic settlement of mortar is reasonable.


An analysis was conducted to identify the major personality disorder score profiles to be found in the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II. Application of Ward's agglomerative hierarchical procedure to two subsamples of psychiatric patients (n = 83 for each) yielded four replicated subgroups. A subsequent K-means nonhierarchical approach confirmed four of the Ward clusters. Three subgroups can be characterized as (a) Antisocial, Aggressive (Sadistic), and Passive-Aggressive; (b) Avoidant, Schizoid, and Self-Defeating, and (c) Schizoid, Dependent, and Compulsive. A fourth sizable group is comprised of patients with flat profiles.


The aim of transportation and distribution system is to provide the lowest costs and to increase performance by using reasonable and environmental methods. To achieve this goal, the optimization is supplied using technological systems. By increasing the number of students the distance between their houses and schools also goes up. As a result of this, the transportation of students to schools by school buses has become a part of transportation and distribution system. Like the other transportation and distribution systems, the transporting of students to schools faces with some restrictions and sub-problems. School Bus Routing Problem (SBRP) is a group of combined optimization problem because of sub-problems such as transporting of disable or normal students to schools, wasting the time of students in traffic and waiting time of student at school, getting the school on time etc. In this study, the problems like the cost of purchasing buses, employing drivers and their assistants, fixing and also fuel costs which cause increasing the global cost of SBRP are aimed to be decreased by lowering the number of buses. At the end of this optimization, by reducing the number of buses, the problem of traffic jam, air and sound pollution will be solved at the same time and an environmental transportation and distribution system will be supplied. In genetic algorithm, by using two instances which contained heterogeneous fleet and applying a new crossover operator, the number of used buses and the global cost decreased consequently.


In this paper, we report cascaded two-wavelength 853-nm (4 S3/2rarr4I13/2 transition) and 1533-nm (4I13/2rarr4I15/2 transition) lasing from Er3+-doped fluoride fiber pumped at 974 nm. The cavity for cascaded two-wavelength lasing is composed of two fiber ends with 4% Fresnel reflection. Its optical-to-optical efficiency is up to 26.6%. Its effects on C-band fiber amplifiers and green upconversion fiber lasers are discussed. A new way to get high efficiency and low noise C-band amplifier is suggested, i.e., a fluoride-based Er3+-doped fiber amplifier including 853-nm lasing cavity. Our simulated results show that such a new amplifier can enhance the signal gain greatly and break the limit of the saturated gain intensity for a normal amplifier


CTB 80 (G69.0+2.7) is a relatively old (50–80 kyr) supernova remnant (SNR) with a complex radio morphology showing three extended radio arms and a radio and X-ray nebula near the location of the pulsar PSR B1951+32. We report on a study of the GeV emission in the region of CTB 80 with Fermi -LAT data. An extended source with a size of 1.3◦, matching the size of the infrared shell associated to the SNR, was discovered. The GeV emission, detected up to an energy of ∼ 20 GeV, is more significant at the location of the northern radio arm where previous observations imply that the SNR shock is interacting with ambient material. Both hadronic and leptonic scenarios can reproduce the multiwavelength data reasonably well. The hadronic cosmic ray energy density required is considerably larger than the local Galactic value and the gammaray leptonic emission is mainly due to bremsstrahlung interactions. We conclude that GeV particles are still trapped or accelerated by the SNR producing the observed high-energy emission when interacting with ambient material.


The neural crest is a fascinating population of cells that migrate long distances in the developing embryo to generate many different derivatives. It also occupies a central position in the origin and patterning of the vertebrate head, and has generated debates about issues such as cell programming versus plasticity and the role of cell death in early morphogenesis. These aspects of the field were revisited and discussed in a recent meeting organized to honour the retirement of Jim Weston and his contribution to the field


Intra-personal identity René Descartes was a pivotal figure in stating a Western selfunderstanding. His cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am) epitomized the Western idea of the self. He started his philosophy with human consciousness {cogito). The cogito (I think) is invested with the zeal for establishing an ultimate foundation for self-knowledge. For him, the cogito arose from the extreme condition of doubt. The subject of the doubt, however, is free from its own body, which is never the foundation of the self. This free-floating / is problematic in terms of its own identity uprooted from its body. The foundational ambition of the Cartesian cogito is responsible for the great oscillation that causes the "I" of the "I think" to appear to be elevated extravagantly to the heights of a first truth and then hurled down to the depths of a vast illusion (Ricoeur, 1992,4-5). The West dwells on the idea of the existence of the self as a basic unit. It is partially due to two Western theoretical foundations: natural science (Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton) and social science (Descartes). From Democritus (5 B.C.E) to Einstein, natural scientists have looked for the smallest unit that is the foundation of the physical universe, and Democritus named it as an atom, the indivisible. Descartes found an unshakable foundation of all knowledge in his doubting self {cogito, ergo sum). Such substantial views are in conflict with the inter-connectional view of the East. The self in the East is always understood in its relational context. The Korean term for human is inn-gahn, derived from Chinese jenchien. Inn-gahn consists of two words inn (person) and gahn (between), denoting that a human being emerges from between persons. One can be a


Factors governing the distribution of organisms in the pelagic ocean are understudied. In this paper we describe environmental parameters and macrofouling assemblages on 11 buoys deployed in the Arabian Sea for an average duration of 322 days. Macrofoulants on all the mooring components extending from the sea-surface to a depth of 1800–4300 m were documented. Role of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, biological productivity and zooplankton community in governing the macrofoulant distribution are described. Species composition, vertical zonation and wet biomass exhibited significant spatial variations. Lepas anatifera constituted more than 90% of foulant wet biomass on all moorings. Assemblages in the southeastern (SEAS), east-central (ECAS) and northeast (NEAS) regions were distinct. Density of L. anatifera on surface buoys were low in SEAS (0.2±0.09 no./cm2), high in ECAS (0.32±0.11 no./cm2) and moderate in NEAS (0.23±0.04no./cm2). Macrofoulants were observed up to a depth of 75 m in SEAS, 130 m in ECAS and 120 m in NEAS. The depth profile of macrofoulant assemblages on moorings could be related to the prevalent hypoxic condition. Vertical profiles of wet biomass on all moorings exhibited subsurface maxima at depth ranging from 10 to 20 m, consequent to the abundance of L. anatifera in a thermally stable depth of water column, wherein diurnal and semidiurnal temperature variability was minimal. We attribute the observed variation in fouling assemblages to dissolved oxygen levels, salinity and diurnal variability in temperature and salinity.


Immunoelectron microscopy was used in this study of IgA nephropathy to examine the relationship between immune deposits and electron-dense deposits seen by electron microscopy, and these findings were correlated with the severity of mesangial proliferation. Immunoelectron microscopic studies for antihuman gamma-chain, alpha-chain, mu-chain, C3, and C3d were performed by the method of Nakane in 16 patients with IgA nephropathy. The patients with minimal glomerular involvement and focal proliferative glomerulonephritis showed electron-dense reaction products of IgA in the paramesangial area, while the patients with diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis showed electron-dense reaction products of IgA throughout the enlarged mesangial matrix. Immunoelectron microscopy showed electron-dense reaction products of IgA at the same locations as the electron-dense deposits seen on electron microscopy. C3 deposits were identified in 15 out of the 16 patients, but were less dense than IgA deposits. Electron-dense reaction products of C3 contained both positive and negative sites in 7 patients. Extensive C3d deposits were found in all cases in association with IgA deposits. The locations of these deposits were the same as those of the IgA deposits. These findings suggest that C3 deposits dissociate from the immune deposits and that the locations of the immune deposits correlate well with the severity of mesangial proliferation.


CRISPR/Cas9-NHEJ: Action in the Nucleus (2017) is derived from an interdisciplinary creative process. This paper discusses the creation of this 210° scientific visualization, the usage of data from the worldwide Protein Data Bank, and the audio-visual presentation in an interactive dome setup. Since the topic is significant for the future of humanity, immersive experiences should be considered to convey tacit knowledge of gene-editing processes to make them approachable for the general public.


The role of mesoscale eddies within the nutrient budget of subtropical gyres remains poorly understood and poorly constrained. We explore a new mechanism by which mesoscale eddies may contribute to these nutrient budgets, namely eddy cancellation. Eddy cancellation describes the rectified effect of mesoscale eddies acting to oppose the Eulerian‐mean Ekman pumping. We present an idealized axisymmetric two‐layer model of a nutrient in a wind‐driven gyre and explore the sensitivity of this model to variations in its parameter values. We find that the residual Ekman pumping velocity has a substantial impact on nutrient concentration, as does mode water thickness. These results suggest the response to both residual Ekman pumping and mode water thickness is non‐monotonic: for small values of these parameters the nutrient concentration decreases as the parameter increases. However, beyond a critical value, further increases in Ekman pumping or mode water thickness increase nutrient concentration throughout our highly idealized model. A thin mode water layer promotes vertical diffusion of nutrients from the abyss, while a thicker mode water layer increases productivity by reducing the parametrized particulate flux through the thermocline. The impact of mode water thickness is modulated by the residual Ekman pumping velocity: strong Ekman pumping suppresses the influence of mode water thickness on nutrient concentrations. We use satellite and in‐situ measurements to assess the influence of mode water thickness on primary productivity, and find a statistically significant relationship; thicker mode water correlates with higher productivity. This result is consistent with a small residual Ekman pumping velocity.


Moisture induced degradation is a challenge facing flexible CIGS modules designs as the polymeric barriers usually have higher water vapor transmittance rate (WVTR) than rigid glass barriers. In the process of module design, the expected lifetime is a key point in selecting the most appropriate barriers. However, the correlation between common acceleration tests and module lifetime is still not well known. This work introduces a method of monitoring flexible CIGS module degradation in-situ by recording sheet resistance when a module is exposed to humidity and temperature. An empirical Hallberg-Peck model was employed to estimate the module lifetime.


This paper examined market size, agricultural reforms and agricultural productivity nexus in Nigeria with a view to finding out if market size and agricultural reforms can boost agricultural productivity in Nigeria. The study used time series variables that were estimated based on Autoregressive Distributed Bounds Testing approach (ARDL). The results indicated that market size has the capacity to drive agricultural productivity in Nigeria. In the light of this, reforms aimed at adequately financing agricultural sector by government should be pursued. Government should also continue to evolve reforms towards mobilising the private sector to invest in agriculture. Keywords: Reforms, Government, incentives and Market


Network processors are programmable, highly integrated communications circuits optimized to provide processing at high data and packet rates. The packet instruction set computer (PISC) architecture is a synchronous dataflow architecture developed for network processors. It uses a deep pipeline that contains two types of processing elements: PISC processors, which perform programmable data manipulation, and I/O processors, which provide access to shared resources such as look-up table memory, hardware accelerators, or coprocessors.


Two field experiments were carried out to study the effect of compost tea, Azolla and yeast alone or mixed with different rates from urea fertilizers on soil properties and wheat productivity under saline soil condition in Sahl El Hossinia, El – Sharkia Governorate during two winter seasons of 2008 – 2009 and 2009 -2010. Urea rates (50 and 75 Kg N Fed -1 ) . The results indicated that increasing mineral nitrogen dose of application from 50 to 75 Kg N Fed -1 with compost tea led to increase the counts of total bacteria and cyanobacteria. Therefore increase, the rate of respiration and subsequently increased the amounts of evaluated CO2 and also increased both dehydrogenase and nitrogenase activities. In all treatments decreased soil pH and EC as a result of improving soil physical properties and activity microorganisms compared with control treatments. The highest organic matters were obtained with application of T11, T12, T9, T10 and T3. Data showed that nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium soil content were significantly increased when application with T11 over all treatments. The highest NPK contents were 114.50, 6.18 and 245 ppm respectively. Application of treatment T12 (50 Kg N + Azolla + yeast + compost tea) non – significant increase in plant height with T7 (75 Kg N + compost tea) and T9 (75Kg N + Azolla + yeast) giving 97.3, 96.60 and 99.64 cm plant -1 . The treatment of compost tea addition with different levels of urea ( 75 and 50 Kg N. Fed 1 ) increased the plant high, grain yield and the weight of 1000 grains and also increased plant dry weight and straw yield compared the control ( T1 and T2 ). However, T 12 treatment (50 Kg N + Azolla + yeast + compost tea) (485.82 /m -2 grain) giving highest recorded for all treatments accept T11 (75 Kg N + Azolla + yeast + compost tea) giving 499.78g / m2. The highest value T11 (1000 grain weight) was significantly higher than all tested treatments. Both of T9 and T12 of these high values were significantly higher than the control treatment. Higher value of P and K concentrations for wheat grain and straw were achieved with the application T11 and T9 treatments than the other treatments. The recorded values of N, P and K concentration by grains were 1.85, 0.78 and 1.82 % for soil treated with compost tea combination (75 Kg N Fed -1 ).


Crisis response involves handling information intensive processes, and coordination of large quantities of information from and for different relief-response organizations. The information needs and responses of such organizations are closely related to the situations and roles these organizations are involved during a crisis relief-response process. The information seeking and retrieval processes associated with crisis situations influence the affectivity of response vigor and the coordination of relief-response activities. To provide an effective solution for a European Main Port's crisis response needs, a role-based situation-aware information seeking and retrieval conceptual framework is formulated. The conceptual framework, the design approach, and the implementation in a prototype are presented as an approach to design future crisis response for information seeking and retrieval services. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-609-1.ch011


Daily transactions have made paper currencies to pass through many  hands, and pathogens become imposed on them before they are finally deposited in banks. This study evaluates the public health implications of Salmonella species contamination of naira notes obtained from butchers in Abakaliki meat market, Ebonyi State. A total of 95 samples of naira notes in different denominations (N5 to N1000) were randomly collected from butchers within Abakaliki metropolis between the months of March and May, 2016. All the naira note samples were analysed using standard  microbiological procedures. A total of nine (9.5 %) Salmonella spp isolates were obtained from the 95 naira note samples. All the Salmonella spp  isolates were completely resistant (100 %) to ceftazidime. The highest susceptibility frequency was observed for ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, meropenem, imipenem, and ofloxacin with values ranging from 88.9 % - 77.8 %. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean percentage resistance and susceptibility of the Salmonella spp isolates (P ˂ 0.05). Most of the Salmonella spp isolates exhibited multi-drug resistant traits as they were resistant to at least two different classes of antibiotics. The average multiple antibiotic resistance indices (MARI) of the Salmonella spp isolates was 0.35. This study shows that ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, meropenem, imipenem, and ofloxacin are still effective in the treatment of bacterial infections caused by Salmonella spp . Proper and hygienic handling of paper currencies is of public health importance so as to avert health challenges associated with microbial contamination of bank notes especially Salmonella spp . Keywords : Salmonella , Naira notes, butchers, antibiotics, public health


We present the results of a cross-correlation of the Planck Early Release Compact Source catalogue (ERCSC) with the catalogue of Herschel-ATLAS sources detected in the phase 1 fields, covering 134.55 deg2. There are 28 ERCSC sources detected by Planck at 857 GHz in this area. As many as 16 of them are probably high Galactic latitude cirrus; 10 additional sources can be clearly identified as bright, low-z galaxies; one further source is resolved by Herschel as two relatively bright sources; and the last is resolved into an unusual condensation of low-flux, probably high-redshift point sources, around a strongly lensed Herschel-ATLAS source at z = 3.26. Our results demonstrate that the higher sensitivity and higher angular resolution H-ATLAS maps provide essential information for the interpretation of candidate sources extracted from Planck sub-mm maps.


The country worked over comprises some 1800 square miles adjacent to the Kamerun frontier, lying in the form of an ellipse, with its major axis running north and south, bounded respectively by the Cross River and the swamps east of Calabar. (see map. p. 314). I arrive at the following conclusions :— (1) A study of the Eastern Province of Southern Nigeria shows the Oban Hills to be part of an extensive spur or inlier of crystal-line rocks, surrounded in British territory by Cretaceous and later sediments. (2) The crystalline rocks are broadly divided into two groups— the one characterized by the presence, the other by the absence of foliation. (3) The former consists in part of acid orthogneisses, which tend to lose their foliation and pass into granites, and when coarsely crystalline they have a pegmatoidal habit. The commonest rock of the series is a fine-grained biotite-gneiss, but many varieties are found, and it is considered that these are the members of a differentiated magma, the various products of which took up their present positions at different times : that is, they differ slightly in age. Mica and less frequently hornblende-schists, together with sphene-sehists and rare sillimanite-gneisses (Awöfong), occur throughout the district, and it is contended that these rocks are older than the gneisses. At Abuton (Kwa River) a garnet-tourmaline-orthogneiss is associated with a fine-grained mica-schist, so closely as to produce a banded composite gneiss by a process, apparently


Objective: This article discusses the assessment model used to evaluate the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance of companies. The purpose of this article is to present a new ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) rating methodology developed in accordance with the recommendations of the Bank of Russia and explain its benefits for sustainable investment in the context of the Russian market.

Methods: The data structure, preprocessing, and scoring methodology have been elaborated. The scoring algorithm considers the intrinsic value of each criterion and evaluates the relative performance of a company within an industry. The methodology discussed here can provide a basis for investors to select companies based on ESG performance.

Results: The authors accomplished several tasks in this study, including introducing the concept of ESG and discussing its importance, describing sources of data and criteria used to evaluate sustainable development, and developing a methodology for assessing ESG scores. They also discussed the benefits of this methodology for the Russian market and created a consolidated rating of companies based on ESG factors.

Conclusion: The authors have developed a comprehensive and objective assessment model for evaluating the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors of companies in Russia. The model's approach to data collection, preprocessing, and scoring provides investors with reliable and informative data for making responsible investment decisions.


New data are presented for the IlG~ for huntite, CaMg3(C03)4' Measurements were made using new third-kind electrochemical cells that do not require a complicated model for solute speciation or corrections for liquid-liquid junction potentials. The average value of IlG~[CaMg3(C03).(S)] (-4195.6 I 6.4 kJ/mol) measured in these electrochemical cells agrees, within experimental error, with values determined calorimetrically (e.g., -4203.4 I 1.6 kJ/mol: Hemingway and Robie, 1973) and electrochemically (-4188.6 I 1.0 kJI mol: Gamsjiiger, 1989). Our results demonstrate the utility of this new electrochemical method in the study of metal carbonate equilibria of geochemical importance.


A major challenge in invasion science is detecting overlooked introductions, their pathways of introduction and spread. One of the most successful introduced taxa in aquatic ecosystems are peracarid crustaceans. There are a growing number of reports of accidental introductions of peracarids worldwide, mostly related to human transport hubs (e.g., ports and marinas). Tanaidaceans are especially abundant in these communities. Most frequently given examples of natural and anthropogenic passive dispersers belong to the family Tanaididae. However, their wide distribution requires confirmation. Most records come from 70–80' of last century, when identification of the species relied only on morphological characters. The small size and large intraspecific variation of tanaidids generate a high taxonomic uncertainty, as in the case of Zeuxo turkensis. Population of this species was previously known from Turkish, Japanese, and Australian coasts. In the two last places this tanaidid was identified as Hexapleomera sasuke, despite there were some premises that it should be synonymized with Z. turkensis. Here we investigate specimens that resembled both Hexapleomera sasuke and Zeuxo turkensis collected in marinas around the Iberian and Moroccan coasts. Integrating morphological and molecular methods (barcoding) we confirmed: (1) the first record and presence of well-structured populations of Z. turkensis in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, representing the first record of the species for Atlantic waters; (2) the conspecificity between H. sasuke and Z. turkensis, which should be synonymized; and (3) the wide distribution of Z. turkensis associated with human transport hubs (i.e. marinas) in the study area, showing its potential for introduction and spread. Integrated approaches and greater taxonomic support are key to advancing knowledge on the origin and invasion patterns of this and other small and poorly known human-mediated widespread species.


This article attempts to present the broad outlines of technological change in Dutch cattle breeding and dairy farming over the last 150 years. After 1850, Dutch dairy farmers and cattle breeders profited from the rapidly increasing opportunities offered by expanding foreign markets. Herd book organisations were established to meet the demand for breeding cattle from abroad. In 1904, the Dutch Herd Book Organisation was reorganised, aiming its breeding policy at three well-defined types of cattle according the pure-line breeding principle. After 1950 aims in cattle breeding were changed, as it appeared likely that in the near future the production of cheese would become more important than that of butter. At the same time it became clear that the one sided concentration on exterior appearance had led cattle breeding into a cul-de-sac. Consequently breeding programmes had to be developed which used new technologies in breeding, centralised milk recording and artificial insemination. At the same time, the need for a higher labour productivity encouraged the rapid spread of milking machines. To cope with the increasing number of cattle per farm, new types of stall and foddering systems were introduced and the transportation of milk from farm to factory changed fundamentally with the introduction of bulk milk tankers.


Low tidal volume ventilation is now a standard of care in ICU patients and in high risk patients in the operating room (OR), since convincing evidence have been provided regarding its benefit on prognosis in these settings (1,2). PEEP setting is less straightforward in ARDS, and, while high PEEP levels are advocated in the more severely hypoxemic patients, the search for a reliable bedside tool to titrate PEEP in an individual ARDS patient is still ongoing (3). In the OR context, the recent PROVHILO trial failed to demonstrate any favorable effect on outcome of high PEEP as compared to low PEEP during open abdominal surgery (4). Recruitment maneuver are even more controversial, either during ARDS where the level of evidence is low, or in the OR where they are often used as a co-intervention in low tidal volume trials. Moreover, a great variability among trials testing recruiting maneuvers exists in terms of timing, frequency, duration, intensity and ventilatory mode, precluding any comparison or generalization of findings. Finally, uncertainties remain regarding the adverse effects of recruitment maneuvers, especially regarding hemodynamic tolerance and risk of ventilation-induced lung injury (VILI).


Abstract In 1813, Vautier published his observation of tumor regression in patients who had suffered from gas gangrene. Since then, many publications have described the use of bacteria as antitumor therapy. For example, Bifidobacterium and Clostridium have been shown to selectively colonize tumors and to reduce tumor size. In addition, recent studies have focused on the use of genetic engineering to induce the expression of pro-drug converting enzymes, cytokines, specific antibodies, or suicide genes in tumor-colonizing bacteria. Moreover, some animal experiments have reported the treatment of tumors with engineered bacteria, and few side effects were observed. Therefore, based on these advances in tumor targeting therapy, bacteria may represent the next generation of cancer therapy.


Background Several long-term cohort studies and in-vitro fitness assays have resulted in inconsistent reports on changes in HIV-1 virulence, including reports of decreasing, stable, and increasing virulence over the course of the AIDS pandemic. We tested the hypothesis of changing HIV-1 virulence by examining trends in prognostic clinical markers of disease progression from 1984 to 2005 among nearly 400 antiretroviral-naïve participants in the United States Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), a longitudinal study of HIV infection in men who have sex with men (MSM). Methodology/Principal Findings Because clinical AIDS endpoints could not be used (due to antiretroviral therapies and prophylaxis), three prognostic markers of disease progression were used as proxies for HIV-1 virulence: plasma viral RNA load and CD4+ T cell count at "set point" (between ∼9 and ∼15 months after seroconversion), and rate of CD4 cell decline within three years after seroconversion. We performed multivariate analyses of the association between these markers and seroconversion year, with covariates including MACS site, race/ethnic group, seroconversion age, and CCR5Δ32 status. No statistically significant association was found between year of seroconversion and "set point" plasma viral load (at ∼9 months after seroconversion: slope = −0.004 log10 copies/mL/year, p = 0.76; at ∼15 months: slope = −0.005 log10 copies/mL/year, p = 0.71), CD4 cell count after seroconversion (at ∼9 months: slope = −0.112 cells/µL/year, p = 0.22; at ∼15 months: slope = −0.047 cells/µL/year, p = 0.64), or rate of CD4 cell decline over the first three years after seroconversion (slope = −0.010 cells/ul/yr2, p = 0.88). Conclusions/Significance The lack of significant trends from 1984 to 2005 in these prognostic markers of HIV disease progression suggests no major change in HIV-1 virulence over the AIDS pandemic in MSM in the US.


The problem of RMS error determination in ionospheric parameters measured by the method of vertical HF soundings is considered here. This problem is solved for the case of topside ionospheric soundings when the height distribution of electron density is monotonic. An analytical expression is obtained which relates the variance of deduced parameters to the correlation function of errors in measured characteristics of sounding signals. The computing simulation provides for errors in real height determination, in reconstruction of vertical velocities of plasma motion, and in effective electron collision frequencies for the measurements of virtual heights, Doppler frequency shift, and radio wave absorption, respectively. Their dependencies on signal polarization, working frequency range, and geomagnetic latitude of observation point are determined. The obtained results are useful for planning plasma diagnostics experiments using HF sounding technique.


Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a life-threatening complication of connective tissue diseases (CTD); in this study, we aimed at investigating the potential role of inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) and its ligand (ICOS-L) as biomarkers of PH in CTD. Materials and Methods: We recruited 109 patients: 84 CTD patients, 13 patients with CTD complicated by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and 12 subjects with PAH alone. All recruited patients underwent a complete clinical and instrumental assessment along with quantitative measurement of serum ICOS and ICOS-L. Results: Independently of the underlying cause, patients with PAH were older and had a lower glomerular filtration rate. Interestingly, patients with both CTD-related and CTD-unrelated PAH had higher ICOS and ICOS-L serum concentrations than CTD patients (0.0001 for both). When compared to CTD patients, those affected by CTD-PAH showed higher ICOS (440 (240–600) vs. 170 (105–275) pg/mL, p = 0.0001) and ICOS-L serum concentrations (6000 (4300–7000) vs. 2450 (1500–4100) pg/mL; p = 0.0001). In a logistic regression, ICOS and ICOS-L were associated with a diagnosis of PAH, independently from age, gender, and renal function. The corresponding receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves demonstrated a good diagnostic performance for both ICOS and ICOS-L. Conclusions: ICOS and ICOS-L are increased in patients with PAH, irrespectively from the underlying cause, and represent promising candidate biomarkers for the diagnostic screening for PAH among CTDs patients.


Wastewater from textile industries is a major cause of water pollution in most developing countries. In order to address the issues of water pollution and high cost for treatment pro- cesses, the use of an inexpensive and environmentally benign adsorbents has been studied. The objective was to find a better alternative to the conventional methods. Lemon grass waste (ash) collected from a lemon grass stream distillation subunit in Bhutan was tested for dye removal from aqueous solutions. The study investigated the removal of methylene blue using the following operational parameters: initial concentration (100-600 mg/L), contact time, adsorbent dose (0.1- 0.55 gm/100 mL), and pH (3-10). It was found that the percentage removal of dye increased with a decrease of the initial concentration and increased contact time and dose of adsorbent. The basic pH solution of dye showed better adsorption capac- ity as compared to the acidic dye solution. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms were fitted to the data well. Data fitted better to Lagergren pseudo 2nd order kinetics than a 1st order kinetic model. Surface morphology was also examined via scanning electron microscopy. An elemental analysis was also carried out and the chemical composition and functional groups were analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques, respectively. The obtained results indicate that lemon grass ash could be employed as a low cost alternative to commercial activated carbon in wastewater treatment for the removal of dyes.


Potato is suggested as a food security crop due to its nutritional value, relative less vulnerability to international food price volatility, suitable capacity to various farming systems, ease of cultivation and employment and income opportunity. Moreover, potato yields more food more quickly and on less land than other staples. A great attention has been then given on agricultural research to increase potato production and processing, especially in developing countries. Yet, despite increasing trends in production, potato intake levels in Sub-Saharan Africa are still low. Besides, there is limited knowledge on households' food consumption patterns in this region. This study aimed at investigating the associations between potato purchase patterns of urban households and their cultural background. A survey was conducted in Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon and as well a cosmopolitan metropolis. Using a structured questionnaire, 180 respondents from ethnic groups in potato producing areas and non-producing regions were interviewed on household potato purchase patterns including the quantity purchased, frequency and place of purchase, preferences and perceptions. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression were used to analyse data. Results showed higher quantities of potato purchased by households originated from potato producing areas as compared to their counterparts from non-producing regions. Besides, a significant positive relation was found between the extent of potato purchase and origin from the main producing areas, namely North West and West regions. However, household size and the purchase of potato at urban markets or at neighbouring shops had a strong significant positive relation with the quantities purchased. Taste and habit were acknowledged as main reasons for potato consumption by households with no traditional ties with potato; they also indicated perceived nutritional value of potato. On the other hand, potato-based traditional meals and perceived nutritional value of potato were important in potato purchase decisions of households from producing areas. This suggested that potato is a familiar item in urban diets. Thus, promoting the supply of nutritious and tasty potato products in urban areas could add on the range of potato-based food accessible to urban households and then increase the contribution of potato to national food security.


This study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate an occupational health intervention that is based on the theoretical model of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC). We conducted a stratified randomized controlled intervention with 70 nurses of a community hospital in Germany (94% women; mean age 43.7 years). Altogether, the training consisted of 6 sessions (16.5 hours) over a period of 9 months. The training took place in groups of 6-8 employees. Participants were familiarized with the SOC model and developed and implemented a personal project based on SOC to cope effectively with 1 important job demand or to activate a job resource. Consistent with our hypotheses, we observed a meaningful trend that the proposed SOC training enhanced mental well-being, particularly in employees with a strong commitment to the intervention. While highly committed training participants reported higher levels of job control at follow-up, the effects were not statistical significant. Additional analyses of moderation effects showed that the training is particularly effective to enhance mental well-being when job control is low. Contrary to our assumptions, perceived work ability was not improved by the training. Our study provides first indications that SOC training might be a promising approach to occupational health and stress prevention. Moreover, it identifies critical success factors of occupational interventions based on SOC. However, additional studies are needed to corroborate the effectiveness of SOC trainings in the occupational contexts.


Dr. Bebbington is Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Stirling, Scotland. This article is the second in a series of three entitled 'Evangelical Christianity and Western Culture Since the Eighteenth Century' and was presented by the author in the Staley Lectures at Regent College in April1989. (The first lecture in the series was published in the December 1989 issue of Crux.) The lectures were based on research for his book Evangelicalism in Modem Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s (Unwin Hyman, 1989).


Discovery of new Bauxite Field A new bauxite field in northeastern Mississippi was discovered in an interesting way by J.W. Adams, of Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1921. In a search for bauxite, Adams began a study of the literature of the geology of Mississippi, and in a report published by State Geologist Hilgard in 1860 he found the following excellent pen picture of bauxite in a description of the " Orange Sand." 2 "A singular rock belonging to this formation, and much resembling a true puddingstone, is found in a few localities in west Tippah and east Lafayette counties, on the territory of the Lignitic Tertiary. (For example, section 1, township 5, range 2 east, Tippah County; section 33, township 9, range 1 west, Lafayette County.) It consists of a ferruginous and somewhat sandy cement, in which are imbedded numerous rounded concretions of a pisolithic structure, formed of concentric layers . . .


Like earlier volumes in the Social Science Commentary series, this volume situates Acts squarely in the cultural matrix of the first century Mediterranean world, elaborating its codes of patron and client, mediatorship, honor and shame, healing and sickening, wizardry and witchcraft accusations, and the understanding of the Spirit of God as well as deities and demons as personal causes of significant events. Part 1: Jesus First Command to the Twelve Their Activities Among Israelite Majority Populations (Acts 1:4-12:25) Part 2: Jesus Second Command to Saul/Paul His Activities Among Israelite Minority Populations (Acts 12:25-25:31)


Nonylphenol (NP) is a degradation product of nonylphenol polyethoxylate surfactants and has been reported to occur in water and sediments from urban areas. Technical NP is composed of several structural isomers, and conventional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques have tentatively identified up to 22 components. Isolation and characterization of individual isomers in a technical NP mixture is important, because of the differences in estrogenic and bioaccumulation potential among the isomers. In this study, comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) combined with mass spectrometry (MS) enabled tentative identification of 102 components of NP from a technical mixture. GC x GC-MS was also used to quantify two NP isomers in river water samples. This is the first study to use GC x GC-MS to characterize NP isomers in technical mixtures and for quantitative analysis of NP in river waters.


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Angiogenesis or vascular reorganization plays a role in recovery after stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this review, we have focused on two major events that occur during stroke and TBI from a vascular perspective - what is the process and time course of blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown? and how does the surrounding vasculature recover and facilitate repair?

RECENT FINDINGS
Despite differences in the primary injury, the BBB changes overlap between stroke and TBI. Disruption of BBB involves a series of events: formation of caveolae, trans and paracellular disruption, tight junction breakdown and vascular disruption. Confounding factors that need careful assessment and standardization are the severity, duration and extent of the stroke and TBI that influences BBB disruption. Vascular repair proceeds through long-term neovascularization processes: angiogenesis, arteriogenesis and vasculogenesis. Enhancing each of these processes may impart beneficial effects in endogenous recovery.

SUMMARY
Our understanding of BBB breakdown acutely after the cerebrovascular injury has come a long way; however, we lack a clear understanding of the course of BBB disruption and BBB recovery and the evolution of individual cellular events associated with BBB change. Neovascularization responses have been widely studied in stroke for their role in functional recovery but the role of vascular reorganization after TBI in recovery is much less defined.


Introduction of Section 89 of Code remained a "Trial Nightmare" for quite long period.This nightmare gripped the mind of the Indian judicial system till the recent judgment of Afcons infrastructure and Ors. v. Cherian Verkay Construction and Ors. 2010 (8) SCC 24. I believe the recent judgment finally ended the anomaly of the Alternate Dispute Resolution which is pro bono for the Indian Judicial System.Section 89 of CPC, 1908, its need and the revolutionary changes has brought in terms of ADR practices in India. The mixture in role of Legislature in promoting ADR practices and approach of judiciary in this context is rightly pointed out in this particular case.The 238th Report of Law Commission dated December , 2011 with regard to amending section 89 of the code of civil procedure provides clear understanding of the existing process of Alternate Dispute resolution and how the dynamism of Section 89 could be stopped.I have tried to highlight the emerging anomaly as to the interpretation of section 89 of the code of civil procedure and its usage as an Alternate Dispute Mechanism through the judgment of Afcons Infrastructure case.


The first description of Adam and Eve is a crucial passage for our understanding of Paradise Lost. Not surprisingly it is provocative, confrontational, argumentative and fraught with ambiguity. How could it be otherwise? Twenty-five years ago Helen Gardner wrote of IV 296-9, 'No lines have, I suppose, been more quoted and quoted against Milton than these. But all that is Milton's is the unequivocal firmness and clarity with which he states the orthodox view of his age' Twenty years earlier, similarly troubled by the passage, Balachandra Rajan had resorted to a similar explanation: 'it typified the deepest and most impersonal feelings of the time.'2