This paper assesses the effects of inter-ethnic chieftaincy and land conflicts on the socio-political development of northern Ghana. The knowledge gap the study sought to fill is the use of theoretical antecedents to illustrate that conflicts have some merits for socio-political development and that conflict theories equally depict solutions to conflicts. Methodologically, the study makes use of content analysis of secondary data, by following the tenets of the realistic group conflict theory. Examples were drawn from the Konkomba, Gonja, Nanumba, Dagomba, Kusasi, Mo and the Sissala disputes of emancipation. It was revealed that major positive effects of the conflicts include improvement in the decision-making processes on community development issues, strengthening of inter-ethnic unity and helping to redeem the identity of a group. The destruction of life and property is the major demerit. It was recommended that civic education on the causes and effects of the conflicts by authentic participation of potential disputants could provide a more sustainable way of preventing conflict.


Background: Diabetes has emerged as a global pandemic. It is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. This study was conducted to evaluate the trend of prevalence of diabetes in different age groups and understand the changing pattern in the age of onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study carried out in type 2 diabetes patients coming to OPD for a period of 1 year from 1st January 2018 to 31st December 2018. The age of onset and year of onset of diabetes were noted. The data was analyzed and presented in the form of graphs and charts.
Results: A total of 976 patients with type 2 diabetes who visited OPD during the study duration were included in the study. Maximum number of patients were diagnosed in the years 2011-2015 (n = 318, 32.58%). There is an increasing trend of prevalence over the years. The average age of onset during 1991- 1995 was 48.53 years which gradually decreases to 42.70 years in 1996-2000, followed by 41.98 years in 2001-2005, 39.5 years in 2006-2010, 35.79 in 2011-2015 and 36.14 in 2016-2018. Thus, there is a decreasing trend in the age of onset of T2DM.
Conclusion: The prevalence of T2DM is increasing and the age of onset is decreasing. Both the factors decrease the productivity years in the life of patient. This ultimately affect the economy of a country. Hence, measures should be taken to actively modify the lifestyle and improve the health of the population as a whole to fight against this tsunami of diabetes mellitus.

Keywords: Age, Diabetes, Prevalence, Risk Factors.


A theoretical apporoach and applied techniques for designing analogus engineering devices and systems with due account of random variations in system parametrs and reliability specifications are considered. For solving this problem a socalled operational/parametric approach is used. This approach is based on the computer-aided simulation of system capability and availability, parameter deviations and techniques of optimal parametric synthesis in terms of reliability criteria. Special attention is paid to algorithms that reduce the labour content of parameters optimisation problems. For seeking a numerical solution of the parametric design problem a computer-aided reliability-oriented design system is proposed.


Background: Scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) is a rare but life-threatening complication in SSc, which defined as malignant hypertension and progressive renal failure [1] . Previous reports of the prevalence for scleroderma renal crisis (SRC) show variable outcomes. Objectives: We aim to find out the prevalence for SRC in Chinese, and conduct a meta-analysis to assess the prevalence of SRC in worldwide and investigate possible factors of variability. Methods: We evaluated the prevalence for SRC and compared the clinical characteristics in SSc patients with or without SRC. A systematic review on the prevalence of SRC was carried out in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane. Meta-analysis was performed using available data on the prevalence for SRC. Results: 302 patients were enrolled in PKUPH-SSc cohort and the prevalence of SRC was 4.97%. In our cohort, SRC was found in 3.60% limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc) and 7.75% diffused cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) patients. Twenty-nine studies including a total population of 22686 SSc patients were analyzed in the meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of SRC was 4.0%, but heterogeneity among the studies was substantial (I 2 =86.1%, P <0.00001). Meta-regression revealed that subtype of SSc and geographic factors partially explained this heterogeneity. Sub-group analyses demonstrated that the prevalence of SRC in dcSSc and lcSSc were 9.0% and 2.0%. The SRC prevalence in SSc was 3.0% in Asia, 5.0% in Europe, and 3.0% in North America, respectively. Conclusion: Data on our new cohort showed the prevalence of SRC was around 5% in China, and meta-analysis confirmed that the prevalence of SRC varies among centers. The marked heterogeneity of SRC prevalence was partially explained by subtype of SSc and geographic origin of patients.


Nephrosclerosis can be defined by the presence of glomerulosclerosis, tubular atrophy, interstitial fibrosis, and arteriosclerosis on renal biopsy. Chronic kidney disease is identified clinically by a reduction in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and has been characterized histologically by nephrosclerosis. Many relatively healthy older adults have been diagnosed with chronic kidney disease because of a decline in GFR with normal aging. Recent data show that in healthy adults (living kidney donors), nephrosclerosis on renal biopsy does not associate with GFR independent of age. This may be explained by the decline in GFR and nephrosclerosis being universal with aging (i.e. senescence), by structural changes in the kidney other than nephrosclerosis impacting GFR, or by extrarenal factors affecting GFR decline with age. However, the argument that the age-related decline in GFR can be fully explained by the development of nephrosclerosis in a subset of older adults is not supported by existing data.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to describe common perspectives important to achieving excellence and success in physical therapy residency education programs.

METHODS
Individuals with direct responsibility for creating and revising physical therapy residency program goals participated in a mixed-methods study using Q-methodology. They sorted 31 goal topics based on level of importance for achieving excellence and success in physical therapy residency education. By-participant factor analysis identified dominant perspectives which were interpreted based on emergent themes from the topics identified as the most important. Participants' rationale for selecting goal topics as the most important were extracted from the post-survey.

RESULTS
Seventy-three individuals responded, representing 9 of the 11 clinical residency areas of practice. Three main perspectives emerged: resident behaviors, resident achievements, and program attributes. One shared perspective emerged across all 3 factors that emphasized the residents' ability to become self-regulated, lifelong learners who integrate learning into practice: preparation for future learning.

CONCLUSIONS
Variability in weighting the importance of program goals associated with each perspective may include a program's organization and mission, individual beliefs and experiences related to program leadership, and resource availability. Although respondent emphasis placed importance of some items over others, the findings do not suggest that items ranked lower were unnecessary or unimportant in achieving program excellence. The relative importance of items was weighted differently based on the perspective of program leadership and the individual completing the sorting activity.

IMPACT
The results of this study suggest that physical therapy residency programs should have at least 1 or 2 goals in each of the 3 distinct perspectives, as well as the 1 shared perspective identified in our findings. Some consistency in program goals based on the perspectives identified here may enable further research exploring excellence, value, and outcomes in physical therapy residency education.


Abstract. Sediment is the leading cause of water quality degradation in the world. Numerous conservation measures have been proposed to reduce erosion and deposition, but to date; field-scale documentation of the success of these practices has been limited. To accurately assess soil erosion and deposition processes, digital microtopography elevation models were developed using a laser distance-meter. The equipment provides great advantages over other procedures such as close-range photogrammetry and laser scanners to generate microtopography models due to its simplicity and equipment cost. At first, a series of laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the ability of laser distance-meter to accurately measure the sediment deposition process. The equipment was used to scan the surface with various sediment deposition stages to generate digital surface models. These models have been shown to be a good representation of physical reality and have been successfully used to quantify the total volume of soil deposited. The field applications of this study have been demonstrated by applying the equipment to generate digital surface models and evaluate the performance of different best management practices in constructed ditches and hillslopes after a sequence of erosive events.


Not available – first paragraph follows:
During the next few years the California prune industry will probably go through a period of difficult adjustment largely because of the poor and uncertain foreign market outlook. Demand for California dried prunes will have to be increased or bearing acreage and average production decreased before prices can be expected that, without government support, will encourage efficient growers to maintain most of the good prune orchards in the state. During the next few years prices and overall demand for California dried prunes will probably continue to be held down: 1. At home, by keen competition from very plentiful supplies of fruits and popular fruit products; 2. Abroad, by considerably lower commercial demand and imports for our prunes than prevailed before the war, particularly in European markets.


We propose a simple multi-pass sieve framework that applies tiers of deterministic normalization modules one at a time from highest to lowest precision for the task of normalizing names. While a sieve based architecture has been shown effective in coreference resolution, it has not yet been applied to the normalization task. We find that even in this task, the approach retains its characteristic features of being simple, and highly modular. In addition, it also proves robust when evaluated on two different kinds of data: clinical notes and biomedical text, by demonstrating high accuracy in normalizing disorder names found in both datasets.


Unstable atherosclerotic plaques of the carotid arteries are at great risk for the development of ischemic cerebrovascular events. The degradation of the extracellular matrix by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and nitric oxide induced apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contribute to the vulnerability of the atherosclerotic plaques. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) through its mitogenic and angiogenic properties has already been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. However, its role in plaque stability remains elusive. To address this issue, a panel of human carotid atherosclerotic plaques was analysed for bFGF, FGF‐receptors‐1 and ‐2 (FGFR‐1/‐2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and MMP‐9 expression. Our data revealed increased expression of bFGF and FGFR‐1 in VSMCs of unstable plaques, implying the existence of an autocrine loop, which significantly correlated with high iNOS and MMP‐9 levels. These results were recapitulated in vitro by treatment of VSMCs with bFGF. bFGF administration led to up‐regulation of both iNOS and MMP‐9 that was specifically mediated by nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) activation. Collectively, our data demonstrate a novel NF‐κB‐mediated pathway linking bFGF with iNOS and MMP‐9 expression that is associated with carotid plaque vulnerability.


The paper presents an LSE-RLS interference suppression scheme for space-time block coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (ST-OFDM) systems over frequency selective fading channels. We consider a multi-user environment with K synchronous cochannel users, each equipped with n transmit antennas. The receiver is equipped with m(/spl ges/K) receive antennas. The proposed scheme utilizes OFDM to transform frequency selective fading channels into multiple flat fading subchannels on which space-time coding is applied. It is shown that by applying the LSE-RLS algorithm over each subchannel at the receiver, the proposed scheme is capable of suppressing the interference from the K cochannel users without any explicit knowledge of the channel or the interference. The proposed scheme is computationally less intensive than the MMSE scheme, which assumes perfect channel knowledge, and retains the simple linear decoding property of space-time block codes with acceptable performance degradation due to imperfect channel estimation.


Abstract Cisplatin resistance represents a serious obstacle to the chemotherapeutic treatment of many tumors. The purpose of this study was to create a cell culture model of cisplatin resistant bladder cancer (CRBC), then use this model to identify changes in the expression of microRNAs (miRs) that may influence resistance. Single cell clones resistant to cisplatin were generated from parental bladder cancer cell lines by continuous culture in increasing concentrations of cisplatin for several months. The resultant CRBC cell lines were able to tolerate high doses of cisplatin (typically > 10 μM). MicroRNA expression in parental and CRBC cell lines was measured using q-pcr based low-density tiling arrays and a panel of miRs which were consistently altered in all CRBC cell lines was established. In addition the induction and repair of specific cisplatin-DNA adducts in parental and CRBC cell lines was assessed using antibodies against the guanine–guanine (Pt-[GG]) intrastrand crosslink. Four fold more cisplatin was required to produce the equivalent damage in CRBC cell lines compared to the parental control, while the rate of repair, as assessed by measurement of the removal of cisplatin-DNA adducts over time, remained broadly similar between parental and resistant lines. This demonstrated that resistance was due to reduced adduct formation rather than any defect in cross-link repair. Glutathione (GSH) inactivates cisplatin by binding with it irreversibly to form Pt(SG)2 adducts, thus preventing the drug from forming cytotoxic adducts with DNA. One cause of decreased adduct formation is therefore deregulation of the GSH biosynthesis pathway. Upon examination intracellular levels of GSH and its oxidized form glutathione disulfide (GSSG) were found to be increased in resistant cells. The expression of a number of genes involved with the synthesis of GSH was then measured by rt-pcr and western blotting, and several key proteins involved with GSH biosynthesis were found to be upregulated in resistant cells, suggesting increased levels of intracelluar GSH could be responsible for the observed decrease in the levels of cisplatin-DNA adducts observed in resistant cells. The 3′ untranslated regions (3′ UTRs) of these mRNAs were examined using TargetScan, an online miR target prediction program, to find potential sites of miR regulation. The most upregulated protein, xCT (SLC7A11), responsible for cystine import (known to be the rate-limiting step in GSH synthesis) was found to contain target sites for three miRs which had been shown to be significantly downregulated in our model of CRBC, namely miRs 25, 27a and 32. Upregulation of miRs 25, 27a and 32 by transfection of resistant cells with the pri-miR precursor molecules revealed that restoring expression of miR-27a resensitized CRBC cells to the cytotoxic effects of cisplatin. Restoration of miR-27a expression in CRBC cells was also shown to result in a downregulation of the expression of xCT at both the protein and mRNA level. In summary, we have identified a panel of microRNAs that are consistently dysregulated in CRBC, and implicated one of these (miR-27a) in the modulation of cisplatin resistance via increased glutathione production. We also provide evidence that reversal of this change in miR expression results in a reversal of the effects on downstream target, and critically, a reversal of the cisplatin resistant phenotype. The contribution made by miR-27a to the development of cisplatin resistance might represent a potential site for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of CRBC. Measurement of miR-27a expression in tumor material or urine may also serve as a predictive biomarker for patients likely response to cisplatin chemotherapy. Citation Format: Ross M. Drayton, Ewa Dudziec, James W.F. Catto, Helen E. Bryant. MicroRNA 27a is downreguated in cisplatin resistant bladder cancer cells, and contributes to resistance through the targeting of xCT, a cystine transporter involved with glutathione production [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Noncoding RNAs and Cancer; 2012 Jan 8-11; Miami Beach, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A10.


Abstract: Auto‐immune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) is characterised by haemolysis associated with the presence of the immunoglobulins IgG, IgM or IgA, and/or components of the complement system on the red cell membrane. The immunoglobulins react as auto‐antibodies against the red cell antigens of the patient. IgG antibodies and the complement component C3d can be detected by the direct antiglobulin test (DAT); however, IgM and particularly IgA antibodies may not necessarily be detected by the broad‐spectrum anti‐human‐globulin serum. We present the case of a 48‐yr‐old woman with severe AIHA. The initial polyspecific direct antiglobulin test (DAT), using a broad‐spectrum antiserum, was negative. Testing with monospecific antisera led to the diagnosis of AIHA due to warm‐acting auto‐antibodies solely of the IgA class, which is a very rare finding. As therapy with steroids alone did not lead to a lasting remission, splenectomy was performed 10 months after initial diagnosis. There has been no relapse of AIHA since, even after steroid medication was withdrawn and even though the monospecific IgA‐DAT has remained positive. This case demonstrates the importance of performing a monospecific antiglobulin test if there is a strong suspicion of AIHA in apparently 'Coombs‐negative' haemolytic anaemia. In AIHA caused by solely IgA antibodies, the polyspecific direct antiglobulin test may be negative or only weakly positive because of a limited content of anti‐IgA antibodies in the polyspecific anti‐human‐globulin serum. First‐line treatment of warm‐type AIHA is the administration of high‐dose glucocorticosteroids; splenectomy is indicated in steroid‐refractory patients.


Wheat gluten was modified by enzymatic hydrolysis only or in combination with enzymatic deamidation. When subjected to Maillard reaction, the hydrolysates generated important flavor compounds such as pyrazines and furans. Umamizyme or Flavourzyme was used for hydrolysis whereas Glutaminase Daiwa was used for deamidation. Isolation of volatile compounds was conducted by solid–phase microextraction (SPME) followed by identification by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Single or double enzymatic treatment produced same volatiles but in general, deamidation increased the quantities. The major pyrazines identified were methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2-ethylpyrazine, and 2-methyl-6-propylpyrazine whereas the major furans include 2-furfural, 2-acetylfuran, 2-furfurylalcohol, and 5-methyl-2-furfural. Although similar volatile profiles were obtained in Umamizyme and Flavourzyme systems, much greater amounts of flavor compounds were observed in the former.


ABSTRACT Municipal domestic waste (MDW) management is essential to maintain ecological security. Waste classification is seen as a solution to the urban waste dilemma. However, very few residents in China are currently involved in waste classification. Based on the public goods theory and the hypothesis of rational behavior, with the aid of GIS, this paper develops a multi-agent model to simulate the features and evolution of residents' waste classification behavior in the context of community. By comparing the percentage of those who participate in waste classification in different scenarios, various factors that may influence residents' waste classification behavior are analyzed. The simulation results show that the improvement of convenience facilities and the promotion of awareness-raising activities help enhancing residents' waste classification behavior. An increase in rewards and penalties by the government will promote residents' waste classification behavior, though this promotion is not significant. Adherent enforcers can provide a continuous incentive for residential waste classification behavior. This study provides evidence for the government and communities to develop waste classification policies and motivate residents to participate in waste classification. Implications: Municipal waste seriously restricts the survival and development of cities, and waste disposal has become a problem that plagues government managers in various countries. Waste classification is considered to be an effective way to solve the municipal waste dilemma, but currently China faces the dilemma of low residents' participation in waste classification. Through multi-agent modeling, the interaction and decision-making of urban residents in the process of waste classification are simulated, and introduce GIS to truly restore the daily classification scenes of residents. Explore the dynamic evolution of urban residents' classification behavior and the change of residents' waste classification rate under different situations to find more effective ways to improve the participation rate of residents in waste classification and give targeted and practical countermeasure suggestions. It provides decision-making reference for the formulation of governmental waste classification policies and the design of community behavior programs, and to contribute to the sustainable development of society.


The problem of controlling the interaction of a flexible link manipulator with a compliant environment is considered. The manipulator's tip is required to keep contact with a surface by applying a constant force and maintaining a prescribed position or following a desired path on the surface. Using singular perturbation theory, the system is decomposed into a slow subsystem associated with rigid motion and a fast subsystem associated with link flexible dynamics. A parallel force and position control developed for rigid robots is adopted for the slow subsystem while a fast control action is employed to stabilise the link deflections. Simulation results are presented for a two-link planar manipulator under gravity in contact with an elastically compliant surface.


Variational autoencoders (VAE) have ushered in an new era of unsupervised learning methods for complex distributions. Although these techniques are elegant in their approach, they are typically not useful for representation learning. In this work, we propose a simple yet powerful class of VAEs that simultaneously result in meaningful learned representations. Our solution is to combine traditional VAEs with mutual information maximization, with the goal to enhance amortized inference in VAEs using Information Theoretic techniques. We call this approach InfoMax-VAE, and such an approach can significantly boost the quality of learned high-level representations. We realize this through explicit maximization of information measures associated with the representation. Using extensive experiments on varied datasets and setups, we show that InfoMax-VAE outperforms contemporary popular approaches, including Info- VAE and β-VAE.


A series of ligands that contain both N-donor and N-oxide donor atoms have been synthesised and ligands L 5 , L 6 , L 7 and L 8 contain, 4, 6, 5, and 6 donor atoms respectively. The smallest ligand L 5 forms a mononuclear complex with Cu 2+ ([Cu( L 5 )(ClO 4 ) 2 (MeCN)]) whereas L 6 and L 7 form dinuclear double helicates with Ni 2+ and Cu 2+ respectively ([Ni 2 ( L 6 ) 2 ] 4+ and [Cu 2 ( L 7 ) 2 ] 4+ ). L 8 forms a tetranuclear cyclic helicate upon reaction with Co 2+ ([Co 4 ( L 8 ) 4 ] 8+ ) and in all cases the complexes are characterised by single-crystal X-ray di ff raction and ESI-MS. The N-oxide units imparts fl exibility in the ligand strand and where the unoxidised ligand strand forms a cyclic helicate, the incorporation of an N-oxide unit allows the formation of the dinuclear double helicate.


We have found an impact crater that is likely < 6000 years old. Burckle crater is in the central Indian Ocean on the edge of a fracture zone at 30.87° S 61.36°E. The crater is 29±1 km wide and is the inferred source of layers with high magnetic susceptibility in 3 deep sea cores. Each layer goes to the top of the core. Two out of 3 of the cores have basal Pleistocene ages and the basal age of the third is unknown. The high susceptibility layers contain broken plagioclase, spinel periodotite, and chrysotile asbestos. One sample contains pure Ni with drops of oxidized Ni. Because pure Ni melts at 1453°C, it is very likely that the drops formed during an impact. The high susceptibility layers from 2 cores are over 5 times thicker than they should be for a 29 km wide source crater. We also find that a 29 km wide source crater cannot vaporize enough seawater to produce meters of rain, even in a restricted region between 4750 and 7250 km from the crater. Thus, we infer that Burckle crater was produced as part of a Shoemaker-Levy type impact of a comet. The fragmented comet also produced two other large impact centers, one in the northwest Pacific and another in the central eastern Pacific. Where the rainout from these impact centers overlaps, we see deluge events that are over a week long. The impact event also produced devastating tsunamis, winds, and associated social upheaval. We date the event to around 2807 B.C.


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the voluntary social and environmental disclosures made in the annual reports of Rothmans Ltd between the years of 1955 and 1999. The first part of the paper focuses on defining legitimacy theory as it has been used in accounting research, extending the current model of legitimacy that predominates, and discussing the potential of a resource-based approach to testing the theory. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative and quantitative approach to analysing annual report disclosures is presented, and this is one of the few studies to operationalise the variables under study as measures of resource flows. Findings - The paper considers legitimacy theory in light of disclosures made by Rothmans. An initial analysis provides qualitative examples of expected attempts to legitimatise the corporation given the threat posed by the smoking and health debate. Further analysis conducted using a quantitative measure of resource flows controlled by one stakeholder group, contradicts those expected when compared with previous studies, and as a result of this an alternative conceptualisation of legitimacy theory is proposed. Research limitations/implications - The paper considers one company in one industry and provides evidence from limited stakeholders groups. The results have implications for further research on social and environmental reporting that use a legitimacy framework. Originality/value - The paper provides one of the few studies to attempt to measure resource flows in order to proxy stakeholder influence on reporting. This therefore provides an alternative to the more common measures of legitimacy used in previous studies. These have predominantly been based on researcher judgement of the categorised text to determine whether they fit certain "legitimacy" criteria.


Abstract Manufacturing is one of the biggest drivers of a country's economic growth. Nevertheless, due to globalization and flourishing consumer markets, the technological influx in manufacturing evolution poses a significant threat to climate change. To deal with the situation, green manufacturing came forward to play a vital role in lowering the impact of mass production on the global environment. The qualitative research based on expert opinion is used to have viewpoints for the implementation of green manufacturing based on green supply chain manufacturing (GSCMEs) enablers. The study, in this regard, focuses on exploring the key enablers adopted by the manufacturers to embrace green practices by using framework based on Interpretative Structural Modelling and Cross-Impact Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC) analysis. Results indicate that economic constraints and the regulatory framework have high driving power and less dependency power. Researchers provide managers with a new outlook on the future towards building an eco-friendly supply chain and gaining a competitive edge over their competitors.


INTRODUCTION:
Adenocarcinoma of the colon and rectum is one among most common site of new cancer cases and deaths in both men (following prostate and lung/bronchus) and women (following breast, cervix and lung/bronchus). The lifetime risk for developing invasive colorectal cancer increases with age, with more than 90% of new cases being diagnosed in patients older than 50years.
Colorectal cancer occurs in hereditary, sporadic, or familial forms. Hereditary forms of colorectal cancer have been extensively described and are characterized by family history, young age at onset, and the presence of other specific tumors and defects. Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) have been the subject of many recent investigations that have provided significant insights into the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer.
Sporadic colorectal cancer occurs in the absence of family history, generally affects an older population (60 to 80 years of age) , and usually presents as an isolated colon or rectal lesion. Genetic mutations associated with the cancer are limited to the tumor itself, unlike hereditary disease, in which the specific mutation is present in all cells of the affected individual.
Nevertheless, the genetic of colorectal cancer initiation and progression proceed along very similar pathway in both hereditary and sporadic forms of the disease. Cancers arising in the distal 15cms of the large bowel share many of the genetic, biologic, and morphologic characteristics of colon cancers. However, the unique anatomy of the rectum, with its retroperitoneal location in the narrow pelvis and proximity to the urogenital organs, autonomic nerves, and anal sphincters, make surgical access relatively difficult. In addition, precise dissection in appropriate anatomic planes is essential because dissection medial to the endopelvic fascia in vesting the mesorectum may doom the patient to local recurrence of the disease, and dissection laterally to the avascular anatomic space risks injury to the mixed autonomic nerve, causing impotence in men and bladder dysfunction in both sexes.
Furthermore, the biologic properties of the rectum, combined with its anatomic distance from the small intestine afforded by it retroperitoneal pelvic location, provides an opportunity for treatment by radiation therapy.
AIM OF THE STUDY:
1. To evaluate the usefulness of Neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy in colorectal carcinoma.
2. To improve the rates of surgeries feasible following neoadjuvant therapy.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
This study has been conducted in the Department of Surgery, Govt. Rajaji hospital, Madurai during 2008-2009. Patients admitted in general surgery units, surgical gastroenterology & surgical oncology department were selected. All these patients were subjected to detailed history, thorough clinical examination of the abdomen, digital rectal examination, proctoscopy, and scopy guided biopsy was taken for Histopathological examination.
All these patient had base line biochemical investigation done and included Blood- Hb%, TC, DC, sugar, urea, creatinine, Urine – sugar, albumin, microscopy Liver function test Ultrasonography Double contrast Barium enema when warranted Computed Tomogram plain and contrast enhanced, Magnetic Resonance Imaging when feasible.
All patients were counselled with regards to treatment side effects, possible outcome with and without the preoperative chemo-radiotherapy, the side effects during the course. The patients were counselled with regards to Colostomy. During the counselling session, a previous Ostomate was included. Indications for neoadjuvant therapy, basing a difference between the absolute and relative one were explained.
Dosages of drugs and radiation were taken care. Comparing indicatively of clinical and diagnostic data before neoadjuvant therapy and before surgery was done. Patients were staged according to the TNM classification system using clinical and radiological data.
CONCLUSION:
Goals of Neoadjuvant are varied, has advantages over adjuvant therapy Neoadjuvant therapy may be considered a rational approach for treatment of curative Rectal cancer. Volumetric reduction of neoplasia, mesorectum and lateral pelvic nodes was evident in 90% of the patients There was 25% improved surgical feasablity for a sphincter saving procedure in the study.
There was a definite reduction of side effect on close organ, mainly on small bowel, which are not displaced into pelvis by post-operative adhesions.
There was no local recurrence in patients who underwent surgery during the 2 year follow up period. All Non-Metastatic patients are candidates for pre operative
neoadjuvant therapy.
Patient selection by detailed pre-op staging very important.
Radiation total dose/fraction/fields are not uniformly agreed upon. Neoadjuvant therapy needed in many cases.


Homocysteine has been recognized as a risk factor for various cardiovascular manifestations including thrombosis of arterial and venous system, spontaneous dissection involving various vessels in the body including coronaries and aneurysms. Here we report a young gentleman who was diagnosed as stroke in young and found to have dilated cardiomyopathy, with left ventricular dysfunction and hyperhomocysteinemia. Now the patient was presenting with unstable angina and found to have layered left ventricular thrombus on echocardiography and spontaneous coronary artery dissection on angiography. Our patient is being followed up on optimal medical management, as he is asymptomatic with medications.


In this paper, we focus on event detection over the timeline of a music track. Such technology is motivated by the need for innovative applications such as searching, nonlinear access, and recommendation. Event detection over the timeline requires time-code level labels in order to train machine learning models. We use timed comments  from SoundCloud, a modern social music sharing platform, to obtain these labels. While in this way the need for tedious and time-consuming manual labeling can be reduced, the challenge is that timed comments are subject to additional temporal noise, as they occur in the temporal neighborhood of the actual events. We investigate the utility of such noisy timed comments as training labels through a case study, in which we investigate three types of events in electronic dance music (EDM): drop, build, and break. These  socially significant events play a key role in an EDM track's unfolding and are popular in social media circles. These events are interesting for detection, and here we leverage the timed comments generated in the course of the online social activity around them. We propose a two-stage learning method that relies on noisy timed comments and, given a music track, marks the events on the timeline. In the experiments, we focus, in particular, on investigating to which extent noisy timed comments can replace manually acquired expert labels. The conclusions we draw during this study provide useful insights that motivate further research in the field of event detection.


In the hepatic cytosol fraction of bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, an alkaline RNase [EC 18.104.22.168] exists in two forms. One is the free form of RNase, which elutes from a carboxymethyl-cellulose column at a concentration of 0.2 M NaC1. The other is a masked or latent form (RNase-RNase inhibitor complex) which is not adsorbed on the carboxymethyl-cellulose column and which can be converted to the free form of RNase by the addition of p-chloromercuribenzoate. Electrophoretically pure RNase was obtained by the following procedure. The unadsorbed fraction of hepatic cytosol on a column of carboxymethyl-cellulose was treated with p-chloromercuribenzoate and then applied to a second carboxymethyl-cellulose column. The molar weight of RNase was determined to be approximately 12,000 by gel filtration and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. From the results of gel filtration, the molecular weight of the RNase-RNase inhibitor complex was 130,000. The RNase hydrolyzed poly C, poly U, and poly I, but not poly A or poly G. When poly C was used as a substrate, 2',3'-cyclic CMP as an intermediate and 3'-CMP as a final product were identified. The results of amino acid analysis indicated the presence of an unusual component. The general properties of the RNase and the RNase-RNase inhibitor complex are also reported.


This paper presents the design of a high efficiency, low THD, 5.7 GHz fully differential power amplifier for wireless communications in a standard 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. The power amplifier employs a fully differential class-E topology to achieve high power efficiency by exploiting its soft-switching property. In order to achieve high operating frequency, an injection-locked oscillator is utilized, which makes the output voltage of the power amplifier tuned at the input signal frequency. A complementary CMOS cross-coupled pair topology is employed to realize the LC-tank oscillator because it has lower phase-noise, thereby giving lower THD than the single NMOS cross-coupled pair topology. The proposed power amplifier can deliver 25 dBm output power to a 50 /spl Omega/ load at 5.7 GHz with 42.6% power-added efficiency (PAE) from a 1.8 V supply voltage.


As a paradigmatic text in the trajectory of West em liberal feminism, Wollstonecraft's A Vindication if the Rights if Woman (1792) is routinely analysed primarily for its gendered implications. In a departure from conventional analyses, this reading ofWollstonecraft's feminist polemic attends to the heterogeneity that is constitutive of identity by focusing on how issues of gender, as well as race, class, nation, and sexuality collude and overlap to complicate constructions of femininity. Central to this treatment of the text is an awareness of how Wollstonecraft's identity as an English, middle-class woman impinges on both how and where she situates other identities in relation to her own. Racialized and classed Others, it is argued, provide Wollstonecraftwith convenient sites for the displacement of the female desire that she views as dangerous and regressive. The act of displacement itself takes place again and again, revealing an anxiety about possible similarity between the bourgeois wife and her Others. While the fluctuation in the text between a rhetoric of identication and a rhetoric of differentiation is in part a manifestation of the contradictions and ambivalences that arise out of the process of stereotyping, it is also a persuasive devise that allows Wollstonecraft to insist that English bourgeois women's essential superiority from her Others is violated by a shared oppression. The tension between an avowal and disavowal of difference is thus a rhetorical strategy: by comparing the bourgeois Englishwoman to her Others abroad and at home, Wollstonecraft is able to represent her feminist demands not as radical, but as a reasonable attempt to maintain the moral superiority of her race and class.


Systems and methods of capturing and sequestering carbon dioxide, comprising mixing a substantially non-aqueous solvent and an alkali such that the solvent and alkali form a solvent suspension, mixing water and a flue gas containing carbon dioxide with the solvent suspension such that a reaction occurs, the reaction resulting in the formation of a carbonate, water and heat. Methods and processes of environmental remediation and recovering metals from waste streams are also provided.


HLA-specific humoral immunity, as a result of recipient allosensitization, induces hyperacute rejection of allogeneic kidney grafts. Cross-match tests are performed to avoid this complication. However, present techniques do not allow determination of HLA specificity of donor-reactive antibodies in the acute necro-donor situation. New methods are described and discussed in this communication as well as the alloantibody specificities which are of clinical importance. Alloantibodies not only mediate hyperacute rejection, but may also participate in the acute rejection of organ grafts. Clinical associations between early immunological complications, such as acute rejection, in heart, liver and kidney allografted patients and pre-transplantation humoral alloimmunity emphasize the need for proper determination of donor-specific humoral immunity prior to transplantation. Acute rejection episodes are associated with an increased risk of subsequent chronic rejection. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is also an important risk factor for chronic organ graft rejection as well as for chronic graft-versus-host (GvH) disease in bone marrow transplanted patients. CMV infection triggers autoantibody formation against CD13 in transplanted patients which, in turn, has been shown to be associated with the development of chronic GvH disease. Recently, alloactivation of immune reactivity in vitro was found to induce reactivation of latent CMV infection. We present here a hypothesis to explain the series of clinically associated events: acute rejection--CMV infection--chronic rejection.


Introduction: Over-representation of women, more advanced disease staging at presentation, better performance status and similar survival figures have been noticed in younger (≤50 years) lung cancer patients as compared to the general patient population with the disease. Objective: A retrospective study (February 2010) was done to derive clinicopathological data from young lung cancer patients treated in our hospital in the last 5 years. We also compared our findings with National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA), 2007 in the UK. The NLCA data were considered as a reflector of the patients from all age groups. Findings: 36 patients were identified for the study. Median age was 47 (37-50). 19 (54%) were female. 76% had WHO performance status (PS)1 in patients with documented PS. 43% had family history of lung cancer. 89% were current smoker. Histology was achieved in 87%. 68% had non small cell carcinoma (NSCLC) including 40% adeno carcinoma, 24% had small cell carcinoma; 3 had carcinoid. 55% of histology proven NSCLC had stage 4 disease at presentation. 86% had some form of treatment (surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy). 6 (18%) had resection. Conclusion: Majority of these patients presented with advanced stage disease as in previously reported larger cohorts. Women were a majority but they had a better survival than men. 41% had positive family history suggesting a possible genetic factor. Favourable performance status resulted in higher resection rate and active treatment compared to overall patient population. But did not lead to better survival.


During the Columbia Shuttle investigation, AFRL tried to identify a piece of on-orbit debris that originated from the Orbiter during its second day in space. This "Flight Day Two (FD2)" object was detected by UHF radar and tracked for three days before falling out of orbit. Extensive RCS measurements performed by AFRL and corresponding ballistic analysis by USAF Space Command narrowed the potential candidates down to just two possible classes of objects; (1) a section of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) leading edge panel acreage, and (2) a section of RCC "Tee-seals". During the investigation, AFRL was asked to estimate the UHF RCS of various whole and fragmentary Tee-seals originating between panel segment #6 and #11 on the shuttle Orbiter left wing, in order to compare with the on-orbit UHF RCS observations. Since actual Orbiter Tee-seal hardware, either whole or fractured, from the left wing area were not available, we predicted UHF RCS on various virtual Tee-seal fragment geometries to confirm or eliminate the Tee-seal as a candidate for the FD2 object. In this paper, we summarize our RCS predictions which conclusively show that a whole or partial RCC Tee-seal could not be the FD2 object. This left the RCC panel acreage as the only known object that satisfies both the on-orbit observed ballistic and UHF RCS data, a confirming piece of evidence in the Columbia investigation.


Background:  Technological advances contribute to the maturation of digital pathology in clinical and research applications. However, there are only few reports on fluorescence scanning especially on confocal fluorescence imaging technology in digital pathology, which has superior depth resolution compared to wide-field fluorescence imaging. Here, we explored the features of a confocal WSI scanner for typical diagnostic and research imaging applications of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay.Methods:  Multi-layer stacking (Z-stack) which stores all image information from each layer, and extended focus which stores the optimal image information from all scanned layers, featured in the Pannoramic Confocal scanner (3DHISTECH Ltd., Budapest, Hungary) were employed in digitizing 14 FISH slides (ALK, EGFR, and multi-gene). The slides were scanned with a 40× water immersion objective producing a final image with pixel resolution of 0.1625 µm/pixel. Z-stack and extended focus were used for N=6, 13, and 26 multiple layers scanning at 1, 0.4, and 0.2 µm depth intervals respectively. Single-layer scanning was also done for comparison. Scanning time and resultant file size were recorded. The CaseViewer from 3DHISTECH was used to visualize images and export the annotated regions, and the exported images were further analyzed in Imaris (Bitplane, Zurich, Switzerland) for 3-dimensional reconstruction, nuclear segmentation, and the quantification and co-localization analysis of dots inside nuclei. Quantification data from Imaris were imported into Excel for statistic analysis.Results: Confocal fluorescence scanning of FISH slides enabled sharper image than wide-field scanning, although it required longer scanning time and larger file storage. More intra-nuclear dots were quantified from multi-layer Z-stack images than single-layer images, and the Z-stack increased scanning time and image file size. Furthermore, there were a reduced in the number of dots and an increased in the number of co-localized dots in extended-focus images compared to Z-stack. Dots in multiple channels were quantified and analyzed automatically, which supports clinical diagnosis of gene amplification, deletion, and translocation. Three-dimensional reconstruction of Z-stack produced precise measurement of spatial distance, which supports molecular research.Conclusion: Confocal provides sharper image than wide-field for FISH slide scanning. Extended focus reduces file size and storage, but could cause inaccurate analysis due to misinterpretation of overlapping information. Z-stack scanning provides high volume image information for spatial analysis. We foresee confocal multi-layer scanning as a digital pathology application tool for FISH imaging in both clinical and research in future.


Background/Objective: Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an extremely rare disease and is even more rare in children; pediatric cases are estimated to account for <5% of all PNH cases (Ware RE, et al. N Engl J Med. 1991;325:991-996). There is a paucity of published data on outcomes in children with PNH treated with eculizumab. The International PNH Registry (NCT01374360) is a prospective, observational study of patients with PNH regardless of age, and represents the largest cohort of pediatric PNH patients. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate outcomes after initiation of eculizumab in pediatric patients and adult patients enrolled in the Registry.
 Methods: The analysis included eculizumab-treated patients enrolled in the Registry as of May 2017. Patients were stratified by age at baseline (defined as the date of eculizumab initiation; age categories, <18 and ≥18 years of age) and assessed at baseline and at last follow-up. Age at the time of disease onset, as defined by earliest reported PNH granulocyte clone, disease diagnosis, or PNH symptom, was also recorded. Patients needed ≥6 months of follow-up post-baseline to be eligible for analyses of change from baseline to last follow-up on eculizumab.
 Results: Of 4903 patients enrolled in the Registry as of May 1, 2017, 1725 had been treated with eculizumab and had data available on demographics and enrollment date (<18 years of age at baseline, n=47; ≥18 years of age at baseline, n=1678). In both age groups, the majority of patients were female (66.0%, pediatric cohort; 52.6%, adult cohort), and the majority were white (89.1% and 81.6%, respectively). Median (quartile [Q]1, Q3) age at disease onset was 14.7 (11.0, 15.8) in the pediatric cohort and 33.3 (23.7, 48.2) in the adult cohort; median (Q1, Q3) ages at baseline were 15.8 (14.9, 17.3) and 42.0 (30.8, 57.0), respectively. Fewer pediatric patients had history of thrombotic events (TEs) and other major adverse vascular events (MAVEs) at baseline compared with the adult cohort (Table), which is consistent with findings from a previous Registry analysis (Urbano-Ispizua A, et al. Haematologica. 2017;102:e76-e79). Most patients had ≥6 months of follow-up (n=44/47 [93.6%] and n=1532/1678 [91.3%], respectively) after baseline. Median (minimum, maximum) duration of time between baseline and last follow-up on eculizumab was 3.7 (0.1, 8.7) years in the pediatric cohort and 3.9 (0.0, 12.1) years in the adult cohort. Results for outcomes of interest are summarized in the Table. In both cohorts, mean lactate dehydrogenase ratio decreased from >5 times the upper limit of normal at baseline to normal or near normal range at last follow-up in both age cohorts. There were no TEs reported in the pediatric cohort after baseline, but 2/43 patients (4.7%) with no history of MAVEs at baseline experienced non-TE MAVEs after baseline. Among adult patients, 19/1497 (1.3%) with no history of TEs and 7/1497 (0.5%) with history of TEs experienced TEs after baseline. Non-TE MAVEs after baseline in patients with no history of MAVEs were experienced by 17/1492 patients (1.1%) and non-TE MAVEs after baseline in patients with history of MAVEs were experienced by 15/1492 patients (1.0%). The proportion of patients requiring transfusion was lower at last follow-up in both cohorts compared with baseline (23.0% at last follow-up vs 49.3% at baseline for adults and 32.3% at last follow-up vs 48.4% at baseline for pediatric patients). A similar proportion of patients became transfusion-independent after treatment with eculizumab in both age cohorts (32.3% [10/31] in the pediatric cohort compared with 33.8% [370/1095] in the adult cohort). The proportion of patients with PNH-related symptoms decreased after baseline in both cohorts for most of the symptoms assessed, although fewer than 10 pediatric patients had symptom data available at both baseline and last follow-up.
 Conclusions: The effectiveness of eculizumab for reducing intravascular hemolysis and transfusion requirements, and preventing MAVEs (including TEs) was similar in these large cohorts of pediatric patients with PNH and adults with PNH. The higher proportion of patients transfusion-dependent among the pediatric cohort may be associated with the higher likelihood of underlying aplastic anemia in pediatric patients with PNH.
 Table. Table.

 Urbano-Ispizua: Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kulasekararaj:Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support . Bartels:Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Honoraria, Other: Travel Support and is site investigator for clinical trials with the company, Research Funding. Patriquin:Ra Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding; Octapharma: Honoraria; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel Support and is site investigator for clinical trials with the company. Hoechsmann:Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Wilson:Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Gustovic:Alexion Pharma GmbH: Employment, Equity Ownership. Schrezenmeier:Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Honoraria, Research Funding.


Objectives
Milk and dairy foods are typically the biggest contributors to calcium in the diets of children who consume them. Our objective was to explore consumption patterns of milk and dairy foods from children in three countries (Australia, Russia and the US) and to evaluate the nutritional impact of milk and dairy foods in these diverse geographies.

Methods
National survey data were used to evaluate milk and dairy consumption among 4-12 y old children. Data sources included the 2011-12 Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) (n = 1576), the 2013 Russian National Nutrition Survey (n = 22,410), and the 2013-2016 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (n = 3343). Food groups were created for Milk, Fermented Dairy (including yogurt and kefir), Cheese and Total Dairy. Serving sizes were standardized so comparisons could be made. Percent consuming and amounts per capita and per consumer were calculated. Usual nutrient intakes were estimated for children receiving ≥ 2 servings/d, compared to 1 to <2 servings, 0 to <1 serving and none for each of the dairy groups.

Results
Dairy consumption was high in Australia (83.2%), Russia (91.5%) and the US (81.6%). Milk consumption ranged from 69.5% (US) to 70.7% (Australia) and 82.5% (Russia). Fermented dairy was consumed by 10.1%, 17.7% and 29.6%, and cheese by 35.8%, 36.5% and 40.0% of children in US, Australia and Russia, respectively. While Russia reported the highest prevalence, per capita consumption (g) was highest and energy intake (kcal) was lowest in the US. Local recommendations differ, but only about 24% of children consumed ≥2 servings of dairy/d, with 14% (Australia), 6% (Russia) and 15% (US) reaching 2 servings/d from milk alone. Dairy foods provided approximately 11% of total daily energy (milk alone, 8%), but among those consuming ≥2 servings/d, dairy foods contributed 23% of total daily energy (milk alone, 20%). Nutrient intakes were consistently higher for children in the higher dairy consumption categories, especially for calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins A and D where milk is fortified.

Conclusions
Milk and dairy foods make important contributions to daily nutrient intakes in 4-12 y old children. Dairy consumption should be encouraged, as few children actually consume dairy foods according to local recommendations.

Funding Sources
Analysis of the national survey data used in this abstract was sponsored by Nestlé Research, Vers-chez-les-Blanc, Lausanne, Switzerland.


Remaining unrecognized in an era of ubiquitous camera surveillance remains desirable to some, but advances in face recognition technology make it increasingly difficult to do so. A large database of high-quality imagery was used to explore the effectiveness of disguise as an approach to avoiding recognition. A commercial system that was highly rated in NIST's Face Recognition Vendor Test[13] was used to evaluate a variety of disguises worn by each member of a study population that was diverse in age, gender, and race. Analysis of the recognition results for subsets extracted from the population shows that disguise can be remarkably effective. However, the efficacy of the disguises against face recognition varies so significantly with demographics that, for some, the disguises are not worth wearing.


This article presents a novel feature descriptor named as local bi-directional differential excitation co-occurrence pattern (LBiDECoP) for face image retrieval. The proposed method aims at extracting salient features present in face images using differential excitation and unique sampling strategy. The proposed feature descriptor fuses the human perception of pattern into feature extraction using differential excitation which mimics human visual system. Further, LBiDECoP encodes the co-occurrence of similar ternary edges for enriched discriminative power. The performance of LBiDECoP descriptor has been tested for image retrieval on two benchmark and challenging face image databases such as AT&T and FEI. The experimental results demonstrate that LBiDECoP outperforms the well known LTCoP, CSLBCoP, RICLBP and FDLBP descriptors in terms of average precision and average recall rates.


The aim of the article is to determine the essence of the logistics potential of a foreign trade activity of a pharmaceutical enterprise and justify the methods for determining it.

The materials used in the study include statistical data of the investigated pharmaceutical enterprises, namely JSC FF "Darnitsa", PJSC NPC "Borschagovsky Chemical and Pharmaceutical Plant", PJSC "Pharmak", LLC "FC Zdorovia" and JSC "Lekhim-Kharkiv". The study used methods of analysis and synthesis, generalization, content analysis, questionnaires and methods for assessing potential. The questionnaire was used to select indicators that should be part of the logistics potential of a foreign trade activity of a pharmaceutical enterprise.

The experts were 100 leading specialists of pharmaceutical companies. They are all involved in foreign economic activity. Experts are gender–divided into women (73 %), men (27 %); by age: up to 25 years – 8 %, 25–35 years – 14 %, 35–45 years – 27 %, 45–55 years – 36 %, over 55 years – 15 %; by experience: up to 5 years – 11 %, 5–10 years – 15 %, 10–20 years – 32 %, 20–30 years – 36 %, over 30 years – 6 %. The experts' conclusions are valid, the coefficient of concordance is 0.86, and the Pearson test exceeds the table value.

The essence of the definition of "potential of logistics of pharmaceutical enterprise's foreign trade activity" is investigated. The types of logistics potential of foreign economic activity and indicators that are appropriate to use for determining the level of development of the logistic potential in foreign economic activity are offered.

The potential of logistics of foreign trade activities of pharmaceutical enterprises consists of the potentials of logistics in the field of export and import. The system of indicators for measuring the logistics potential of a foreign trade activity of a pharmaceutical enterprise contains indicators selected through content analysis and questionnaires.

The method of estimation of logistics potential in foreign economic activity of pharmaceutical enterprise is offered.


The genes coding for apo(a) and plasminogen belong to a family of related genes sharing several structural sequences like leader, kringle, and protease domains. YAC cloning has allowed to understand that all these genes are clustered within 400 Kb of genomic DNA on the telomeric region of chromosome 6 (6q26-27). We have now characterized the two remaining members of the apo(a) and plasminogen gene cluster. One of them was found to contain a leader highly homologous to that of apo(a) and plasminogen, followed by several kringle IV-like units, kringle V and protease domains although no tail sequences could be detected. This apo(a)-like gene was found to be expressed at the RNA level in liver although an in-frame stop codon was detected in one of its kringle units. The other member of the cluster besides the leader shows a plasminogen tail-like domain whose sequences contain a frameshift resulting in a stop codon; another mutation, destroying a consensus splicing site, has been found in a large intron separating the exon coding for the leader from the one encoding the tail-like sequences. The structural organisation of this cluster suggests that new arrangements of these four genes will be a likely finding.


We have used archival GMRT data to image and study 39 galaxy clusters. These observations were made as part of the GMRT Key Project on galaxy clusters between 2001 and 2004. The observations presented in this sample include 14 observations at 610 MHz, 29 at 325 MHz and 3 at 244 MHz covering a redshift range of 0.02 to 0.62. Multi-frequency observations were made for 8 clusters. We analysed the clusters using the SPAM processing software and detected the presence of radio halo emission for the first time in the clusters RXC J0510-0801 and RXC J2211.7-0349. We also confirmed the presence of extended emission in 11 clusters which were known from the literature. In clusters where halos were not detected upper limits were placed using our own semi-automated program. We plot our detections and non-detections on the empirical LX−P1.4 and M500−P1.4 relation in radio halo clusters and discuss the results. The best fits follow a power law of the form L500 ∝ P1.82 1.4 and M500 ∝ P 3.001 1.4 which is in accordance with the best estimates in the literature.


All-cellulose nanocomposites, in which both the matrix and the reinforcing fillers are cellulose, were successfully prepared using different solvents (LiCl/DMAc and NaOH/urea) and different sources of cellulose whiskers (cotton and tunicate whiskers) as control parameters. The volume fraction of cellulose whiskers was varied from 5 to 20%. The mechanical properties and crystallinity of the nanocomposites were characterised using tensile testing and X-ray diffraction. The tensile properties and crystallinity of nanocomposite samples are associated with the stiffness and crystallinity of the cellulose whiskers. Using Raman spectroscopic technique, the stiffnesses of single cotton and tunicate whiskers are found to be approximately 56-105 and 118-221 GPa respectively, assuming two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) arrangements. A comparison between two different solvent systems showed that the stress transfer of nanocomposites prepared using NaOH/urea is lower than samples prepared using LiCl/DMAc due to the thermal sensitivity of NaOH/urea solvent system. In this study, the N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) containing LiCl was used as the main solvent system due to the dissolution process is well controllable. Raman band located at ?1095 cm-1 and ?895 cm-1 related to the reinforcing phase and matrix material have been monitored during deformation. It is shown that Raman spectroscopy can be used to discriminate the matrix-fibre interactions in all-cellulose nanocomposites. By wetting the nanocomposite samples, it was shown that three interactions can be ?switched off?; namely whisker-matrix interfaces, interactions between whiskers and interactions within the cellulose matrix. Disabling these interactions leads to the lack of stress-transfer within the composite. By drawing in wet conditions and subsequent drying, preferred orientation was introduced into the all-cellulose nanocomposite ?lms. The effect of a 1.2 T magnetic field on the orientation of cellulose whiskers was also investigated. The presence of a magnetic field during the curing process of the nanocomposites has been shown to induce partial orientation of the whiskers.


While most breast cancers are thought to arise from the luminal layer of the breast tissue, it remains unclear which specific cells in the luminal layer are the cells of origin of breast cancer. We have previously reported that WAP-positive luminal epithelial cells are at increased susceptibility to tumor initiation by ErbB2 compared to the bulk population, while the mammary cells with canonical Wnt signaling activity fail to evolve into tumors upon ErbB2 activation. Here, we used retrovirus to introduce ErbB2 into the Krt6a-positive mammary progenitor subset of the luminal epithelium and, for comparison, into the mammary luminal epithelium indiscriminately. Tumors developed from both groups of cells with a similar latency. These data indicate that the Krt6a-positive subset of mammary epithelial cells can be induced to form cancer by ErbB2 but it is not more susceptible to tumorigenesis initiated by ErbB2 than the bulk population of the luminal epithelium.


Women have occupied an important position in Arabic poetry from the pre-Islamic period. All Arab poets both in Jahili and Islamic periods began their lyric poetry with love for women. Thus the celebrated poet of Abbasid period al-Mutanabbi and the greatest poet of modern age Ahmad Shauqi have presented the context of women in various ways in their poetry. Al-Mutanabbi didn't believe in the strength of women and he always discarded lyric poetry composed by other poets on love for women. He thought that women are inferior to men in every side, especially in knowledge and dignity. He never accepted equal rights of women as Ahmad Shauqi. On the other hand, Shauqi strongly called for freedom of women and women's education. He always inspired them to be free from the dominance of men and fought to establish their right and dignity. Because he believes the development of society is quite impossible without the enlightenment of women as they are half of our total population. This article aims at a comparative study of al-Mutanabbi and Ahmad Shauqi's attitudes towards women as appeared in their poetry.


We demonstrated herein a kind of thermal and oxidation dual responsive polymer with a novel structure of alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments in the backbone. The polymers were facilely synthesized by thiol–ene polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) and 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT) monomers. The resulting PEG-EDT copolymers exhibited a sharp and reversible thermal-induced phase transition in aqueous medium which was identified to be caused by the cooperativity of dehydration of PEG segments and the increased hydrophobic interaction between β-thioether ester segments in the backbone. Additionally, the cloud point temperatures of PEG-EDT copolymers were examined to be dependent on the molecular weight of PEG, polymer concentration, addition of NaCl and isotopic solvent. More importantly, the PEG-EDT copolymers were tested to be oxidation sensitive due to the presence of oxidizable thioether groups in the backbone. The collapsed polymers at elevated temperatures could be easily converted into completely water-soluble polymers by oxidative conversion of hydrophobic thioether groups into hydrophilic sulfoxide and sulfone groups. This oxidation-switchable water solubility inspired us to use this copolymer in design of the oxidation-triggered drug delivery system. Thus, a triblock copolymer mPEG-b-575EDT-b-mPEG was synthesized by a one-pot method. The resulting triblock copolymer could self-assemble into nanoparticles using thermal and oxidation dual responsive 575-EDT as the core and mPEG as the shell. As a consequence, the hydrophobic model drug (i.e., Nile Red) can be effectively encapsulated into the collapsed nanoparticle core at the body temperature while released by oxidation-triggered disruption of the nanoparticles. This tunable thermo-responsive behavior in combination with oxidation-triggerable thioether groups makes these PEG-EDT copolymers promising for reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsive drug delivery.


Background: This study was designed to investigate the effect of exercise training on defense mechanism of chronic degenerative disease, aging, and memory impairments of senescence-accelerated mouse (SAM)P8 under the hypothesis that "Senile dementia may be prevented by regular exercises". Methods: To evaluate the effects of exercise training on the defense mechanism of aging and memory impairment, SAMP8 were divided into two groups, the control group and exercise training groups. the exercise training group were performed with low (∨̇O2max 25∼33%), middle (∨̇O2max 50%) and high (∨̇ O2max 66∼75%) intensity exercise. All SAMP8 mice were fed experimental diet ad libitum until 4, 8 months, and dead period. Results: Median lifespan in middle exercise group resulted in a significantly increased (23.5% and 18.7%, respectively), whereas these lifespan in high exercise group resulted in an unexpectedly decreased (13.5% and 12.1%, respectively) compared with control group. Body fat levels in 4 and 8 months of age were significantly decreased 43% to 51% in middle exercise group, whereas were remarkably deceased to 57% in high exercise group compared with control group. It is believed that extended median and maximum lifespan may be effected by calory restriction through the exercise training. Acetylcholine (ACh) levels were significantly increased 6.7% and 8.5% in middle and high exercise groups, and also choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activities were significantly increased 10.3% and 11.9% in middle and high exercise groups. Conclusion: These results suggest that proper and regular exercises such as middle group (∨̇O2max 50%) may play an effective role in attenuating an oxygen radicals and may play an important role in improving a learning and memory impairments of senile dementia. (Immune Network 2005;5(4):252-257)


Experimental research on agreement production has provided compelling evidence that the interference produced by a syntactic element intervening between the subject and its verb (e.g., *The son of the neighbours are absent) is sensitive to the hierarchical position of this attractor (e.g., Vigliocco & Nicol, 1998). Our research extends the construct of hierarchical structure in proposing a finer characterisation of its role in interference. This role is a function of (1) structural intervention conceived of as a necessary condition for interference, (2) the type of structural intervention (precedence versus c-command), and (3) the type of movement involved. We will present a gradient in the strength of attraction emerging from experimental research which supports this approach, and will focus in particular on the evidence suggesting that intermediate traces of movement cause interference. One of the critical experimental comparisons that support this claim involves an object relative structure (1) in which the potential attractor (patients) is the object of the target verb (cures), and a sentence complement structure (2) in which the potential attractor is the object of the main verb (says).


The authors investigated age-related changes in postural control in 33 healthy young adults (18-31 years), 29 seniors (62-75 years), and 22 elderly people (75-96 years). A force platform recorded the results. The horizontal motions of the center of gravity (CGh) and their difference in the plane of support CP - CGv were deduced from the complex center of pressure (CP) trajectories. With fractional Brownian modeling, one can establish that the aging process seems to induce a transition phase in which seniors take more time to initiate the corrective process in the mediolateral (ML) axis than do younger people. The elderly develop a new strategy characterized by the mobilization of higher neuromuscular energy to maintain equilibrium. In the ML axis, the larger displacements could be caused mainly by a hip strategy that could facilitate step initiation. In the anteroposterior (AP) axis, seniors and elderly individuals maintain a relative ability to stabilize their CG into the base of support compared with younger people.


We study the theory of scattering for the Wave-Schrodinger system with Yukawa type coupling in space dimension 3. We prove in particular the existence of modified wave operators for that system with no size restriction on the wave data in the framework of a direct method which requires smallness of the Schrodinger data, and we determine the asymptotic behaviour in time of solutions in the range of the wave operators.


The empirical method for the determination of apparent water losses, using the assessment of consumption patterns and the laboratory testing of water meters, is compared against alternative methods of comparative billing and meter change analyses for one of the largest water utilities in South Africa. Using the empirical method, apparent losses are estimated to have an average value of 12% of the billed volume with a range from 9.4% to 14.6% that is dependent on meter size ratios. This overlaps with the estimates, of 8%−10% for a utility with direct feed good quality water but high meter age (> 10 yr) and low accuracy, currently proposed in some studies and used by industry. The estimate from the comparative billing analysis method is 14% and it is sensitive to how the data is processed and analysed. The meter change method yielded an estimate of 4.7% for only a subset of the data. Both results of the alternative methods are in line with previous studies, with the comparative billing analysis performing better, but requiring further refinement for better accuracy and repeatability. The empirical method remains the gold standard in assessing apparent water losses but is undoubtedly very laborious, expensive and out of reach of the budget of many utilities. The development and validation of alternative methodologies therefore holds great promise but these are substantially reliant on comprehensive meter information and credible billing datasets which are rarely available in most utilities in Africa.


The high conservation of miRNA sequences provided an opportunity to develop an effective type of markers that is useful not only for genetic diversity study but also as potential biomarkers in plant stress responses. The fundamental potential of miRNA-based markers relies on the primer design based on the sequences of mature miRNAs, which are part of the step-loop structures. The advantages of this marker system include high polymorphism, reproducibility, and transferability across species. The abundance of mature miRNAs, which is linked to the expression of MIRNA genes, varies greatly among miRNAs, tissue types, or developmental stages, indicating the spatially and temporally regulated expression patterns of plant miRNAs. The results confirm the significance, reliability, and the position of miRNA-based markers as stress-sensitive biomarkers, indicating their potential in a wide range of applications of agricultural research.


In this study, a computer simulation model for library CD-ROM LAN systems was created. Using this model, the system optimization problems were examined. The simulation model imitated the process of the actual decision variables changing their values and generated the corresponding results. Under a certain system environment, if the values of decision variables are changing, the system performances are getting changed also. This study investigated these relationships with the created model. The system users' interarrival time, service time, and other relevant data were collected on randomly selected days in a university library. For data collection, both of the observation and the system automatic metering software were used. According to the collected data, a discrete events simulation model was created with GPSS/H. The simulation model was proven valid and accurate by a pilot test and by the calculation with queuing theory. Statistical tests were used for data comparison and analysis. In addition, animation technique was used to show the simulation process by using Proof Animation. By this technique, the simulation process was monitored on the screen.


Right atrial wall rupture after blunt chest trauma is a catastrophic event associated with high mortality rates. We report the case of a 24-year-old woman who was ejected 40 feet during a motor vehicle accident. Upon presentation, she was awake and alert, with a systolic blood pressure of 100 mmHg. Chest computed tomography disclosed a large pericardial effusion; transthoracic echocardiography confirmed this finding and also found right ventricular diastolic collapse. A diagnosis of cardiac tamponade with probable cardiac injury was made; the patient was taken to the operating room, where median sternotomy revealed a 1-cm laceration of the right atrial appendage. This lesion was directly repaired with 4-0 polypropylene suture. Her postoperative course was uneventful, and she continued to recover from injuries to the musculoskeletal system. This case highlights the need for a high degree of suspicion of cardiac injuries after blunt chest trauma. An algorithm is proposed for rapid recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of these lesions.


The present study of 82 male and female college students re-examined the primacy and recency effects in successive single-trial immediate free recall of lists of unrelated English words. With a trial-by-trial analysis of the serial position curve (SPC), it showed the shape of SPC was not invariant. The primacy effect was greater than the recency effect on the very first recall, and the relationship of these two effects immediately reversed and remained so thereafter. Analysis of the correlation between the presentation and recall order of the items recalled over successive recalls revealed an additional phenomenon-the rapid development of a recall strategy. The development of strategy concurred closely with reversal of the primacy and recency effects. An interlist proactive interference interpretation and a recall strategy interpretation have been suggested to account for the transitory change of the shape of the SPC in free recall.


Examinations of the basic material for removable dentures, coated with rose, lavender, sage wax evidence that such coating essentially reduces residual methylmetacrylate migration and its side effect on the denture bed tissues, and improves the hygienic characteristics of dentures. Modification of the basic material by introducing Sklariol into the polymer considerably reduces the residual monomer migration. These results recommend coating of essential-oil plant wax for the prevention of denture bed tissue inflammations.


Motivation Supervised biomedical relation extraction plays an important role in biomedical natural language processing, endeavoring to obtain the relations between biomedical entities. Drug-drug interactions, which are investigated in the present paper, are notably among the critical biomedical relations. Thus far many methods have been developed with the aim of extracting DDI relations. However, unfortunately there has been a scarcity of comprehensive studies on the effects of negation, complex sentences, clause dependency, and neutral candidates in the course of DDI extraction from biomedical articles. Results Our study proposes clause dependency features and a number of features for identifying neutral candidates as well as negation cues and scopes. Furthermore, our experiments indicate that the proposed features significantly improve the performance of the relation extraction task combined with other kernel methods. We characterize the contribution of each category of features and finally conclude that neutral candidate features have the most prominent role among all of the three categories.


The distribution of societal wealth and income is of central importance for the economic, social and cultural development of a country. Independent of the respective economic and social scientific perspective the income distribution is a central brick explaining economic growth and labour market development. This article's income distribution contribution is by pinpointing the situation of the income rich. Sound information about high income, its structure and distribution is presented based on the anonymized individual records of the income tax statistics 1995 for the first time. Embedded in a distributional analysis over the entire income range the paper concentrates on the distribution and re-distribution of high income by different 'richness'-definitions for self-employed and employees. In addition the socioeconomic structure of the rich compared to the non-rich is described. The significance of the competiting patterns in explaining the probability to be rich is finally shown by a multivariate PROBITanalysis The paper is a revised and compressed version of my contribution to the first poverty and Wealth Report of the German government.


The c-myc gene plays a role in the aetiology of various cancers of humans and animals. Feline leukaemia virus has also been demonstrated to have oncogenic potential, and in approximately one third of tumours where FeLV is present aberrant expression of a myc gene occurs. This changed expression pattern is mainly due to FeLV transduction of the myc gene, but can also occur by insertional mutagenesis. Until recently v-myc genes have been found to be virtually equivalent to c-myc, with few mutations in the coding sequence. This project focuses on a FeLV-transduced v-myc, termed T17-myc, which is exceptional in that it is highly mutated. Mutations include partial loss of a domain previously identified as crucial for transformation, as well as an insertion in the basic region (BR) sequence-specific DNA binding domain. The aim of this work was to characterise the mutant oncogene at the biological and biochemical level, to discover whether various Myc functions could be dissociated using the mutant. I have shown that the original mutations are maintained in secondary lymphomas which occurred rapidly after inoculation of the T17 virus complex, arguing that the mutant is a relatively efficient oncogene. Despite its apparent in vivo efficiency, it was transformation defective in chick embryo fibroblasts, and was unable to induce apoptosis in the same cells. Chimaeric genes showed that the transformation and apoptosis defects were caused by the N-terminal mutation. However, the C-terminal BR mutation independently lowered transformation efficiency and growth rate, although the mutation did not prevent binding to DNA along with Max, either in vitro or in vivo. Analysis of gene expression in the original T17 lymphoma-derived cell line showed that putative Myc regulated, and Myc regulating genes were expressed in the mutant Myc cell line, although the mutant Myc was able to interact with the transcriptional repressor pi07 in vitro. The data presented in this thesis are consistent with a model where mutations in the N-terminal domain of Myc abolish the negative growth effects of the myc gene, with relatively little consequence for its oncogenic function in T cells. Also consistent with these data is the ability of Myc to interact with cell type specific factors involved in transcription of Myc-regulated genes.


Enlargement of original cross-sections or replacement of defective concrete layers with new concrete are usual situations in strengthening operations of reinforced concrete structures. In these situations, the shear strength between concrete cast at different times is crucial for the monolithic behavior of the strengthened members. Most design standards for concrete structures present design procedure for estimating the shear resistance between concrete layers based on the shear friction theory. The study includes three-dimensional and two-dimensional finite element model (FEM) analysis for calculation of shear stresses and comparison of three different code approaches, i.e. BS8110, ACI 318 and EN 1992, for determination of design shear resistance at an interface between concrete cast at different ages of a pile cap supported on precast concrete piles. Based on the results of the analysis carried out, it can be stated that complicated three dimensional finite element model analysis is not always essential for analysis of structures, which are having complex geometrical shapes. It is possible to transform three-dimensional problems to a simplified two-dimensional problem based on the level of accuracy required. For the selected surface characteristics and r/f percentage, the estimated design shear resistance based on recommendations of EN-1992-1-1-2004 was found be lower than the corresponding estimated value based on ACI 318M-11 recommendations. It was further observed that BS 8110-1-1997 recommendations gives the highest value for the design shear resistance independent of r/f percentage provided. EN-1992-1-1-2004 can be used to compare contribution of concrete interface roughness and interface reinforcement on design shear resistance without any limitation of design shear stress as specified in ACI 318M-11. Furthermore, the EN1992-1-1-2004 recommends a conservative value for design shear resistance compared to other two standards.


In the current healthcare environment, public health nursing administrators are called on to create and manage programs and services while reducing cost and improving access. Public health science provides a framework on which to base program planning and management. Using this approach, the authors describe the establishment of a health services center to meet an identified gap in service to homeless persons in a rural area.


AIM
To distinguish anastomotic from parenchymal leakage at duct-to-mucosa reconstruction of the pancreatic remnant.

METHODS
We reviewed the charts of 68 pancreaticod-uodenectomies performed between 5/2000 and 12/2005 with end-to-side duct-to-mucosa pancreatojejunostomy (PJ). The results of pancreatography, as well as peripancreatic drain volumes, and amylase levels were analyzed.

RESULTS
Of 68 pancreatojejunostomies, 48 had no leak by pancreatography and had low-drain amylase (normal); eight had no pancreatographic leak but had elevated drain amylase (parenchymal leak); and 12 had pancreatographic leak and elevated drain amylase (anastomotic leak). Although drain volumes in the parenchymal leak group were significantly elevated at postoperative day (POD) 4, no difference was found at POD 7. Drain amylase level was not significantly different at POD 4. In contrast, at POD 7, the anastomotic-leak group had significantly elevated drain amylase level compared with normal and parenchymal-leak groups (14158 +/- 24083 IU/L vs 89 +/- 139 IU/L and 1707 +/- 1515 IU/L, respectively, P = 0.012).

CONCLUSION
For pancreatic remnant reconstruction after pancreaticoduodenectomy, a combination of pancreatogram and peripancreatic drain amylase levels can be used to distinguish between parenchymal and anastomotic leakage at pancreatic remnant reconstruction.


High-time-resolution measurements of in situ aerosol and cloud properties provide the ability to study regional atmospheric processes that occur on timescales of minutes to hours. However, one limitation to this approach is that continuous measurements often include periods when the data collected are not representative of the regional aerosol. Even at remote locations, submicron aerosols are pervasive in the ambient atmosphere with many sources. Therefore, periods dominated by local aerosol should be identified before conducting subsequent analyses to understand aerosol regional processes and aerosol–cloud interactions. Here, we present a novel method to validate the identification of regional baseline aerosol data by applying a mathematical algorithm to the data collected at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility in the eastern North Atlantic (ENA). The ENA central facility (C1) includes an aerosol observing system (AOS) for the measurement of aerosol physical, optical, and chemical properties at time resolutions from seconds to minutes. A second temporary supplementary facility (S1), located ∼ 0.75 km from C1, was deployed for ∼ 1 year during the Aerosol and Cloud Experiments (ACEENA) campaign in 2017. First, we investigate the local aerosol at both locations. We associate periods of high submicron number concentration (Ntot) in the fine-mode condensation particle counter (CPC) and size distributions from the Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS) as a function of wind direction using a meteorology sensor with local sources. Elevated concentrations of Aitken-mode (< 100 nm diameter) particles were observed in correspondence with the wind directions associated with airport operations. At ENA, the Graciosa Airport and its associated activities were found to be the main sources of high-concentration aerosol events at ENA, causing peaks in 1 min Ntot that exceeded 8000 and 10 000 cm−3 at C1, in summer and winter, respectively, and 5000 cm−3 at S1 in summer. Periods with high Ntot not associated with these wind directions were also observed. As a result, the diverse local sources at ENA yielded a poor relationship between Ntot measurements collected at C1 and S1 (R2 = 0.03 with a slope = 0.05± 0.001). As a first approach to mask these events, the time periods when the wind direction was associated with the airport operations (west to northwest and southeast to south at C1 and east to south at S1) were applied. The meteorological masks removed 38.9 % of the data at C1 and 43.4 % at S1, and they did not significantly improve the Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 7554 F. Gallo et al.: Identifying a regional aerosol baseline in the eastern North Atlantic relationship between the two sites (R2 = 0.18 with a slope = 0.06± 0.001). Due to the complexity of high-Ntot events observed at ENA, we develop and validate a mathematical ENA Aerosol Mask (ENA-AM) to identify high-Ntot events using 1 min resolution data from the AOS CPC at C1 and S1. After its parameterization and application, ENA-AM generated a high correlation between Ntot in the summer at C1 and S1 (R2 = 0.87 with a slope = 0.84± 0.001). We identified the regional baseline at ENA to be 428± 228 cm−3 in the summer and 346± 223 cm−3 in the winter. Lastly, we compared masked measurements from the AOS with the ARM Aerial Facility (AAF) during flights over C1 in the summer to understand submicron aerosol vertical mixing over C1. The high correlation (R2 = 0.71 with a slope of 1.04± 0.01) observed between C1 and the AAFNtot collected within an area of 10 km surrounding ENA and at altitudes < 500 m indicated that the submicron aerosol at ENA was well mixed within the first 500 m of the marine boundary layer during the month of July during ACE-ENA. Our novel method for determining a regional aerosol baseline at ENA can be applied to other time periods and at other locations with validation by a secondary site or additional collocated measurements.


Abstract. Recent developments in hydrology have led to a new perspective on runoff processes, extending beyond the classical mass dynamics of water in a catchment. For instance, stream flow has been analysed in a thermodynamic framework, which allows the incorporation of two additional physical laws and enhances our understanding of catchments as open environmental systems. Related investigations suggested that energetic extremal principles might constrain hydrological processes, because the latter are associated with conversions and dissipation of free energy. Here we expand this thermodynamic perspective by exploring how hillslope structures at the macro- and microscale control the free energy balance of Hortonian overland flow. We put special emphasis on the transitions of surface runoff processes at the hillslope scale, as hillslopes energetically behave distinctly different in comparison to fluvial systems. To this end, we develop a general theory of surface runoff and of the related conversion of geopotential energy gradients into other forms of energy, particularly kinetic energy as the driver of erosion and sediment transport. We then use this framework at a macroscopic scale to analyse how combinations of typical hillslopes profiles and width distributions control the spatial patterns of steady-state stream power and energy dissipation along the flow path. At the microscale, we analyse flow concentration in rills and its influence on the distribution of energy and dissipation in space. Therefore, we develop a new numerical method for the Catflow model, which allows a dynamical separation of Hortonian surface runoff between a rill- and a sheet flow domain. We calibrated the new Catflow-Rill model to rainfall simulation experiments and observed overland flow in the Weiherbach catchment and found evidence that flow accumulation in rills serves as a means to redistribute energy gradients in space, therefore minimizing energy expenditure along the flow path, while also maximizing overall power of the system. Our results indicate that laminar sheet flow and turbulent rill flow on hillslopes develop to a dynamic equilibrium that corresponds to a maximum power state, and that the transition of flow from one domain into the other is marked by an energy maximum in space.


Introduction Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a frequent side effect of some chemotherapies that can cause postural control disorders and has a serious impact on quality of life (QoL). An enhanced understanding of postural control dysfunction could help build a systematic and accurate assessment as well as specific exercises to limit the impact on QoL. This study aims to assess the influence of chemotherapy on postural control and the QoL for women with gynaecological cancer. Methods and analysis This prospective observational study will include 37 participants with cancer treated using neurotoxic chemotherapy. Their postural control in various conditions (rigid and foam surfaces, eyes open and closed, with and without tendon vibration, and dual tasks), limits of stability, QoL and modified Total Neuropathy Score will be assessed. A linear mixed model will compare postural control pre-chemotherapy and post-chemotherapy. Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by an ethical review board in Geneva (CCER-2020-01639). The study findings will be disseminated through conference presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number NCT04692168.


The geobiology of terrestrial serpentinizing fluid springs was investigated in the Zambales ophiolite range (Luzon, the Philippines) and the Tekirova ophiolite complex (southwestern Turkey). Assessment of taxonomic biodiversity and metabolic capacity was contextualized with regards to the fluid and solid geochemistry of these ecosystems. Field observations of pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen indicated that spring fluids were highly alkaline and ranged from anoxic to hypoxic/oxic. Fluids collected from the springs for dissolved organic and inorganic carbon yielded very low concentrations.
Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that springs were dominated by heterotrophic and lithotrophic microorganisms. In both environments, a large percentage of taxa were associated with the Betaproteobacteria Hydrogenophaga, which has been identified in many different serpentinizing spring environments. Other prominent taxa included the archaeal methanogens in the class Methanobacteria, methanotrophic Gammaproteobacteria, and anaerobic fermenting Clostridia.
Shotgun metagenomic analysis of genes related to methanogenesis, methanotrophy, hydrogen oxidation, sulfate reduction, and nitrogen cycling were detected in both the Philippines and Turkey. Methanogenesis pathways dominated in springs originating from the Zambales ophiolite, while methanotrophic pathways were more prevalent in the Tekirova ophiolite. This difference may be causally related to the abundance of hydrogen gas generated in the Zambales ophiolite pore/fracture fluids and the presence of methane gas in the Tekirova ophiolite pore/fracture fluids. Disentangling the thermogenic/abiotic nature of these gases from biotic production will require more sophisticated analytical techniques, namely clumped isotopologue analysis of gases.


A number of reports of magnesium (Mg) disturbances in newly born and older infants have appeared in the last decade. The most dramatic instances have been infants who were both hypomagnesemic and hypocalcemic and whose symptoms and biochemical disturbances responded only to the administration of Mg salts. The advent of atomic absorption spectrophotometry1as a direct, relatively simple, accurate method of measuring Mg with very small specimens has reinforced interest in neonatal Mg physiology and pathology. In the present review, data drawn from many sources have been collected to synthesize and classify this growing body of information. Physiology of Magnesium Distribution and Importance.—Magnesium is the second most common intracellular cation. About one half of body Mg is in bone, one quarter in muscle, and the remainder is in other soft tissues. Normal serum Mg levels in newly born infants2-4are similar to those in children2,5and


The developmental dyslexia studies in alphabetic languages usually from the perspectives of cognition, neurobiology and genetics. Since the Chinese language is characterized as a logographic writing system with deep orthography, which is different from alphabetic languages, whether the findings in alphabetic languages are coincident in Chinese remains a question. By comparing theories in the causes of developmental dyslexia in alphabetic language with that in Chinese language, the paper reviews the studies on development dyslexia in L1 Chinese learners and finally reach the conclusion that although developmental dyslexia in Chinese language have been studied from cognition, neurobiology and genetics, which is coincident with those of alphabetic languages, there exits some differences in minor parts of the theories.