What does it take for a person to persist through the various changes that he or she undergoes in the course of a lifetime? Consider the case of Anton Wilhelm Amo. Assumed to be born in Ghana in the first half of the eighteenth century, Amo was brought to Germany at the age of three or four, where he was reared by a German Duke. He obtained degrees in the natural sciences as well as philosophy, and became the first black philosophy professor in Germany. Wiredu argues that Amo was an African and a philosopher, therefore, he was an African philosopher. Amo returned to, what Wiredu calls, "home", "to his motherland", after more than forty years. Could he have felt "at home" in Ghana? Was this really to be his "motherland"? Was Amo actually German or rather deep down Ghanaian? Who was Amo really? Amo's is no rare case in our time of globalisation. This is reflected by a large number of discussions on migration, immigration, interculturalism and multiculturalism across the globe. Philosophically these questions are typically treated as questions of personal identity. The case of Amo seems to pose above all one particular and persistent traditional philosophical question: What fact about a person such as Amo makes that person the same person through the various changes that he or she undergoes in the course of a lifetime? This paper considers possible responses to this question by comparing concepts of narrative, experiential, communal, cultural and placial identity, and offers an alternative, contextual identity.


Cosmic Revelation is a prime example of a successful art and science project connecting art and astroparticle physics. One of the main reasons for its success might be that the collaboration between the KArlsruhe Shower Core and Array DEtector (KASCADE) experiment and Tim Otto Roth is both a minimalist light art project and a scientific experiment. In a field of 16 flashing mirror sculptures connected to the KASCADE detector field at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany) the impact of high energy cosmic rays on Earth can be experienced directly. In just one year the project has developed from the initial concept to its first presentation in a public space in autumn 2008. We explain how the project developed, and also highlight the practical and conceptual conditions for its realisation.


Enantiomeric pairs of sialic acid, D- and L-NeuAc (N-acetylneuraminic acid), were converted to D- and L-arabinose, respectively, by chemical degradation. Using this method, the absolute configuration of the sialic acid residues, NeuAc and NeuGc (N-glycolylneuraminic acid), in the gangliosides from the sea cucumber Cucumaria echinata was determined to be the D-form. Although naturally occurring sialic acids have been believed to be the D-form on the basis of biosynthetic evidence, this is the first report of the determination of the absolute configuration of the sialic acid residues in gangliosides using chemical methods.


In 2004, U.S. health care spending per capita was 2.5 times greater than health spending in the median Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country and much higher than health spending in any other OECD country. The United States had fewer physicians, nurses, hospital beds, doctor visits, and hospital days per capita than the median OECD country. Health care prices and higher per capita incomes continued to be the major reasons for the higher U.S. health spending. One possible explanation is higher prevalence of obesity-related chronic disease in the United States relative to other OECD countries.


: Postoperative atrial fi brillation (POAF) in relation to abdominal surgery can cause clinical deterioration, prolonged hospitalization, admittance to intensive care units, stroke and increased mortality. The current review focus on patients developing POAF in relation to abdominal surgery and aims to present the current knowledge on predictors of this condition. Furthermore, predictors identi fi ed in other surgical populations that may be transferable and guide future research within the fi eld of abdominal surgery will be presented. A systematic literature search of patients undergoing abdominal surgery and developing POAF was performed on PubMed and Embase. All types of study interventions, comparators and designs were included. All studies included reported POAF as primary or secondary outcome. All peer-reviewed English full-text manuscripts regardless of publication date were included. We included fi ve studies out of the 149 unique records identi fi ed. Age, congestive heart failure, hypertension, vascular disease and surgical approach are risk factors associated with the development of POAF. Furthermore, in fl ammation biomarkers, dobutamine stress echocardiography and cardiac single-photon emission computed tomography can predict POAF. Insights from other surgical cohorts reveal that other biomarkers (ie, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP), electrocardiography and echocardiography can be used to predict POAF and may be applied in future research projects within the fi eld of abdominal surgery. In conclusion, very scarce evidence is currently available in predicting POAF after abdominal surgery. However, predicting POAF seems possible and feasible, why the authors encourage readers to initiate new research to close the current knowledge gap and improve clinical management.


Invasive aspergillosis (IA) remains a life-threatening infection in immunocompromised patients and is the most important cause of fungal death in cancer patients. In bone marrow transplant recipients the mortality rate is still approaching 90%. The purpose of this study was to investigate methods for the early diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in patients with haematological malignancy, and to examine the best strategy for sampling. The study compared clinical, microbiological and histopathological data with newer diagnostic techniques such as antigen detection (Pastorex latex agglutination and sandwich ELISA tests), high resolution computed tomography (CT) scanning and the polymerase chain reaction. The research involved both a retrospective and a prospective study. The initial retrospective study was performed over 24 months. During this time, 38 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and 178 serum samples were collected from 38 febrile neutropenic and bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients. BAL and serum samples from 12 immunocompetent and 20 asymptomatic HIV+ patients were used as controls. The results suggested that the sandwich ELISA provides a simple, effective and rapid screening test. The relatively high negative predictive value of all these investigations may allow for better use of empirical antifungal therapy. Regular prospective monitoring of sequential serum samples with BAL and CT scanning in high risk immunocompromised patients allows for the earlier diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis. Based on the promising findings of the retrospective study, a one year prospective study was performed. However, the prospective study results suggests that effective prophylaxis with itraconazole may be superior to pre-emptive therapy, even at an early stage of infection.


PURPOSE
This descriptive study was done to identify the relationship between health literacy and health status and to provide basic data for developing nursing interventions for Korean-Chinese elders living in Yanbian, China.

METHODS
For data collection, intentional sampling of 300 elders was used. The questionnaire was composed of 5 items based on "Ministry of Health, the People's Republic of China (2008)" to measure health literacy, 33 health status items from the "Korean Health Status Measure for Elderly People" developed by Shin (2002), revised for use in China, and 9 general characteristics. Data were analyzed using SPSS Win 13.0 program.

RESULTS
Total level of health literacy was relatively high (68.7%). Elders had high scores for taking medicines according to doctor's instruction, but lower ones for full comprehension through communication with doctors. Health status was high for emotional, physical, and social function in that order. There were significant differences between general characteristics and health status for gender, age, marital status, education, family, smoking, and alcohol consumption in that order. Results of multiple regression analysis for factors influencing health status showed that self-report health level was the most influential, followed by health literacy, age, gender.

CONCLUSION
Health literacy is the main factor affecting health promotion among minority elders indicating a need to develop health promotion programs for elders who have low health literacy.


The cover of cutaneous wounds with cultured epidermis can be significantly improved by prior backing of the epithelium with meshed silastic sheets, whereas other materials, such as vaseline gauze, foam rubber etc., are not as satisfactory. Meshed silastic is affixed to the epithelium surface just before the enzymatic detachment from the culture flask is completed. Thus it protects the delicate epithelial membrane from injury during transplantation and helps to control its polar orientation. In addition, the silastic mesh prevents the graft, which initially does not possess any horny layer, from drying up and allows adequate drainage of wound secretions. Cultured epidermal grafts prepared by this method take very well (more than 90%) attaching to the wound bed quite firmly within a week.


Body water distribution was determined in rats by the dilution of serum albumin-I 131 and Br 82 and by desiccation. Methylprednisolone (MP) increased the plasma and intracellular compartments and decreased the interstitial volume in intact hydrated rats. The body water moved in the opposite direction in the adrenalectomized, salt-maintained rats, and MP prevented this movement in terms of intracellular and interstitial volumes. Adrenalectomized rats which were salt depleted had an increased intracellular volume with water coming from both extracellular compartments, and MP had no effect in this group. The effect of deoxycorticosterone acetate was to increase plasma volume in the intact hydrated and in both adrenalectomized groups. The relationship between these changes in body water distribution, hematocrit, and plasma osmolality and sodium concentrations has been discussed.


OBJECTIVE
To standardize the treatment and evaluate the clinical application effectiveness of clinical pathway (CP) in chronic mild lead poisoning.

METHODS
60 patients with chronic mild lead poisoning hospitalized from Jan. 2014 to Dec.2014 were enrolled for the study group, 60 patients with chronic mild lead poisoning hospitalized from Jan.2013 to Dec.2013 were enrolled for the control group. The study group were cared according to clinical pathway, the control group received routine therapy; the clinical application effectiveness were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS
No adverse drug reactions occurred in both groups. The curative ratio was significantly higher in the study group than in the control group (96.7% vs 86.0%, P<0.05) , the rate of patients' satisfaction to medical care significantly higher in the study group (98.3% vs 88.3%, P<0.05) , the rate of health education awareness higher in the study group (95.0% vs 81.7%, P<0.05) , the course of treatment shorter in the study group (3.2±0.6 vs 3.4±0.7, P<0.05) , the medical cost less in the study group (5773.5 yuan±1242.1 yuan vs 6354.7 yuan±1177.0 yuan, P<0.05) , the length of hospitalization was shorter in the study group (21.9 d±6.7 d vs 24.6 d±7.9 d, P<0.05). The variation rate of clinical pathway was 13.3% in clinical pathway group.

CONCLUSION
The implementation of clinical pathway could improve the curative ratio, satisfaction, and health education awareness. The course of treatment, length of hospital stay and costs of hospitalization in the study group could be obviously shorter and less, and there is a little variation rate in the clinical pathway.


In Wittgenstein's Way of Seeing, Judith Genova provides a an illuminating introduction to two surprisingly neglected aspects of his work: his conception of philosophy and his search for a style to embody his revolutionary practice. Genova examines the nuances, contours, and texture of logical twists of language. She elucidates Wittgenstein's reliance on the work of Kant and Freud, and presents how words are acts for Wittgenstein.


Humoral immune responses can produce autoantibodies against self-cellular proteins and nucleic acids without the presence of autoimmune diseases. Numerous kinds of autoantibodies are detected in liver diseases such as viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease (ALD), and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), where their production could be secondary to hepatocellular inflammation and necrosis. Hence, the presence of an autoantibody does not necessarily indicate the presence of autoimmune disease; nor does it predict its severity and potential response to therapy. In literature, the spectrum and methods of diagnosis of liver disease in lupus are well described. However, chronic liver disease can manifest with signs similar to those in lupus, and it is important to recognize that autoantibodies in patients with chronic liver disease can be seen without the presence of autoimmune rheumatic disease. In this report, we discuss a very interesting case of a middle-aged female with a history of ALD presenting with calciphylaxis, thrombocytopenia, hypocomplementemia, and positive serologies, but without any clinical evidence of autoimmune rheumatic disease.


Sonic interaction design and sonification have the potential to provide new ways to display and interpret data and information. Data from a number of domains have been sonified: astronomy, finance, health, security, and many more. However in recent years, research in auditory displays has highlighted the importance of using participatory methods to include stakeholders, often users who are not experts in sound, in the design loop. This raises the question of how to discuss sound with participants who may not be familiar with it, and how to discuss links and relationships between sound and the specific domain which is the focus of the design. In this paper we propose a methodology for a participatory workshop with stakeholders that could be applied to a variety of domains. We describe how we have deployed this methodology in a workshop that aimed to explore attitudes to both sound and energy usage in the home environment, and discuss what can be gained from such an approach.


Background: The incidence of pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis (PVO) is increasing, but optimal diagnostic strategy and medical management remain controversial.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of PVO in two Italian hospitals, including all the adults admitted from January 2007 to December 2016. PVO was defined probable or definite according to clinical, radiological and microbiological criteria. The main exposures of interest were investigation strategy and antibiotic treatment. The outcome measures were cure rate, mortality during index admission and recurrence rate.

Results: Most cases were diagnosed with MRI. Biopsy was performed in 47% of patients and was successful only in 49% of them. The microbiological diagnosis (mostly Gram-positive agents) was obtained in 111 patients (62%). Treatment duration did not differ between patients with definite or probable diagnosis (108 and 112 days, respectively). Among the 100 patients (56%) with at least 1-year follow-up, the cure rate, the failure rate and the mortality were 88%, 12% and 3%, respectively. Relapses were uncommon (4%) among patients who completed the follow-up. Among the patients who recovered completely, 47 (59%) had a microbiological diagnosis. Among the 111 patients with a definite diagnosis and 68 with a probable diagnosis, 42% and 49% achieved a full recovery, respectively.

Conclusions: Despite influencing the antibiotic selection, the etiological diagnosis did not impact the cure rate and/or duration of treatment. Some open questions remain with regard to the optimal starting regimen, the duration of treatment and the time to switch to oral therapy.


Amino acids and Fatty acids of Turbinaria conoides were determined. Amino acids were estimated by HPLC methods where as fatty acids by gas chromatography. Total twenty one amino acids were found in the dri ed sample, methionine is the major constituent and followed by leucine, iso-leucine, glutamic acid and serine. In the case of fatty acids, six components were identified. Palmit ic acids are found to be the major constituent. As a result, this present study results showed that Turbinaria conoid es in the Mandapam could be utilized as functional ingrediental for the valuable nutritional properties for seafood industries.


This paper applies a forward looking approach to the minimum variance portfolio optimisation problem for a selection of 100 stocks. The purpose is to determine which market conditions favour this strategy of using option implied information. Out-of-sample volatility, Sharpe ratio, and certainty equivalent return is measured against eight benchmarks, including the equal weighted 1/N and minimum variance portfolio based on historical estimates. Equivalent or superior performance is evident in terms of reduced volatility and higher certainty equivalent return. However, strict outperformance of the best benchmarks is only seen when option-to-stock volume ratios are high and information signals in the options market are strongest.


ABSTRACT The prevalence of different H. pylori genotypes in various geographical regions indicates region-specific adaptations during the course of evolution. Complete genomes of H. pylori from countries with high infection burdens, such as India, have not yet been described. Herein we present genome sequences of two H. pylori strains, NAB47 and NAD1, from India. In this report, we briefly mention the sequencing and finishing approaches, genome assembly with downstream statistics, and important features of the two draft genomes, including their phylogenetic status. We believe that these genome sequences and the comparative genomics emanating thereupon will help us to clearly understand the ancestry and biology of the Indian H. pylori genotypes, and this will be helpful in solving the so-called Indian enigma, by which high infection rates do not corroborate the minuscule number of serious outcomes observed, including gastric cancer.


In this chapter, we will discuss the ethics of consent for fetal therapy. The latter term refers to a very broad field, ranging from open surgery to pharmacotherapy, from experimental procedures to accepted treatment, and from interventions aimed at saving fetuses from in utero or perinatal death to treatments with a rationale of improving long-term health outcomes. Because the fetus can only be treated via the body of the pregnant woman, fetal therapy is always a form of 'maternal-fetal medicine' and cannot be performed without her informed consent (or that of her representative). However, what makes informed consent for fetal therapy special is that, unlike in other medical contexts, the consenting (or non-consenting) person not only decides for herself, but also for the fetus who may or may not survive and/or for the future child who may or may not benefit. As a consequence, consent for fetal therapy is inevitably asked and given in the context of ideas about the responsibility of the pregnant woman as an expectant mother, a responsibility that, rightly or wrongly, is either assumed by her from within or ascribed to her from without.


This commentary considers the implications of the failure of the 2003 Cancun Ministerial of the World Trade Organization. In particular, it contests the blunt perspective that the failure of the Ministerial was the result of developing country intransigence. It begins by tracing the growing dissatisfaction of developing countries with the skewed results of the last major negotiating round in Uruguay from 1986 to 1994 which led to the formation of the WTO. Much of that dissatisfaction has centred around the positive harmonisation obligations and contested welfare effects of the minimum level of intellectual property protection mandated by the TRIPS Agreement. This then allows for a contextual analysis of the negotiating agenda finalised at the 2001 Doha Ministerial. On the whole, that agenda clearly prioritised issues of interest to developing countries such as agricultural policy and implementation of existing commitments. The commentary argues that, despite the delicate trade-offs within the Doha negotiating agenda, the 2003 Cancun Ministerial prioritised the so-called Singapore issues of investment, competition policy, government procurement and trade facilitation. Developing country opposition in turn was hardly unexpected as these contentious issues raise legitimate welfare and resource concerns as they represent a further extension of the WTO agenda into behind-the-border regulatory measures. The commentary concludes by considering the implications of the formation and growing assertiveness of the G-20 group of developing countries. It is cautiously optimistic of this development but warns of the implications for developing countries of a shift in trade policy emphasis away from the multilateral to regional and bilateral arenas.


Scenario analyses are usually used for macro-analysis. They are especially effective in dealing with uncertainties. To explore this methodology and make it more suitable for analysis, we use multiple value approach including social, economic, environmental benefits/costs in a decision space and synthesize the land value functions for an actual micro-analysis in the case study. Scenario processes and their characters of industrial land use are compared with that of residential land use by using three scenario patterns namely the best, the worst and the most likely. In the most likely scenario, Tengfei Economic Development Zone, located in Changting County, Fujian Province, would achieve its balance of income and outcome until the end of 16 years. This situation of land use and investment would exceed the budgetary revenue capacity of the local government leading to a serious overdraft scenario. From the curve of the ratio of income and outcome of industrial land use and residential land use, the ratio of residential land use will be 8-10 times over that of industrial land use in the first five years. This ratio will reduce gradually until two folds in the end of 20 years. Accordingly, some parts of industrial land use, such as unused land within two years and used land by those factories which are still in the poor condition within three years in Tengfei Development Zone, should be replaced by residential land use step by step. Therefore, the scale of industrial zone will be reduced from 2.5 km2 to 1-1.5 km2 in order to achieve a high efficiency of land use and a sustainable development further.


Motivated by recent developments in quantum fidelity and fidelity susceptibility, we study relations among Lie algebra, fidelity susceptibility and quantum phase transition for a two-state system and the Lipkin—Meshkov—Glick model. We obtain the fidelity susceptibilities for SU(2) and SU(1, 1) algebraic structure models. From this relation, the validity of the fidelity susceptibility to signal for the quantum phase transition is also verified in these two systems. At the same time, we obtain the geometric phases in these two systems by calculating the fidelity susceptibility. In addition, the new method of calculating fidelity susceptibility is used to explore the two-dimensional XXZ model and the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC).


A cluster of metal bonded diamond wheel (SDC 100) is dressed by GC abrasive sticks of various mesh sizes, and contour maps of the wheel surface topography are drawn by using a three-dimensional profile measuring instrument, which is an improvement on conventional profilometer of stylus type. Characteristic values of topography, i. e., positional distribution of cutting edges in the wheel depthwise direction, tip angle and flat part length of cutting edge, and protrusion height of abrasive from bond matrix are derived from the contour maps. Dressing effects are evaluated by using these characteristics, and following results are obtained : (1) Cutting edges sharpen with an increase in dresser infeed and grain size of abrasive stick. (2) Cutting edge changes the distribution pattern from exponential to uniform when dressing condition becomes rough. (3) Mean protrusion height of diamond grain increases when dress infeed or grain size of abrasive stick becomes large. This tendency to increase is, however, reversed when abrasive stick is excessively coarse and falling out of diamond grain from bond matrix is remarkable.


Herbal oil vapours from Hippophae rhamnoides L. (Elaeagnaceae), and Calendula officinalis L. (Asteraceae) were tested for their toxicity against the adults of Sitophilus granarius L.. According to our hypothesis the mentioned oils can become potential bioagents against stored product pests. The results revealed that both studied essential oils exerted strongly toxic effect on S. granarius, but C. officinalis triggered higher mortality. The efficacy (94.62±2.63%) was reached after a 48-h exposure to H. rhamnoides oil at 2 ml kg –1 while the application of 2 ml kg –1 of C. officinalis oil for 24 h produced 98.94±1.00% mortality rate. Insect mortality was hyperbolically-featured, and increased with the duration of the exposure to the examined oils. Mortality was 100% at 5 ml kg –1 of H. rhamnoides after 24-h duration of its application, while with C. officinalis the same value could be reached after a 12-h exposure to the oil. The progeny pronouncedly recovered from the treatment of both essential oils applied.


Theoretical and experimental biomechanical approaches are used to test the effect regular archaeocyathan central cavity diameter has on the generation of passive flow through the skeleton. These results are then used to predict a correspondence between gross morphology and paleoenvironmental occurrence. Previous work has demonstrated that regular archaeocyathan morphology generates passive flow, via Bernoulli and viscous entrainment effects, through its porous walls for suspension feeding, a phenomenon that occurs in modern sponges. Efficacy of entrainment depends upon the area of the excurrent pore (i.e., central cavity) over which the ambient flow is moving. Consequently, archaeocyaths should have maximized their central cavity diameters. Five-centimeter-long, conical and cylindrical acrylic pipes with varying end diameters were tested in a flume to document the relative effects of Bernoulli and viscous entrainment. Each pipe was oriented perpendicular to the flow direction in a uniform flow field, and fluorescein dye was injected at the pipe's mid-length for flow visualization. Models with different-sized apertures consistently exhibit dye movement to the larger opening and greater dye entrainment speeds than models with identically sized apertures, thereby suggesting that viscous entrainment effects are significant and operating in concert with Bernoulli effects. To test for similar effects in archaeocyaths, four brass models were constructed with varying central cavity diameters. Both volume flux and excurrent flow speed of the exiting water increased as the central cavity diameter increased. An analysis of the morphologies that occur in nature confirm these results. Regular archaeocyaths most commonly have central cavity diameters close to their outer wall diameter, thereby maximizing the excurrent pore area. These results have implications for archaeocyathan paleoecology. Environments with low-magnitude currents should support individuals with larger central cavity diameters than higher energy settings. Data on the occurrence of morphotypes within bioherms of varying flow energies from South Australia support this prediction.


Xin Xue Department of Health Industry Management, Beijing International Studies University, Beijing, China School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China Key Laboratory of Machine Perception (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, China


Membrane-bound neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels are among the most numerous and important drug targets, and electrophysiological methods are the gold standard for the study of their functional properties and their response to drugs. However, electrophysiological measurements are usually performed one at a time by highly skilled individuals, and secondary functional screening is often hampered by this lack of throughput. Accordingly, the use of automated procedures to increase the efficiency of electrophysiological techniques is of great interest. Among the many different electrophysiological techniques that have been described, two electrode voltage clamp recording (TEVC) from Xenopus oocytes seems particularly suitable for the implementation of automated measurement systems. Here, we describe a workstation that was expressly developed for this purpose. The Roboocyte is the first (and the only currently available) instrument that automatically performs both cDNA (or mRNA) injection and subsequent TEVC recording on Xenopus oocytes plated in a standard 96-well microtiter plate. This paper describes the scientific background of the oocyte expression system for drug screening and the development of the Roboocyte. Then, some technical details of the Roboocyte system are presented and, finally, results obtained with the Roboocyte are discussed with regard to increased throughput compared with manually performed experiments. Further information can be obtained at www.roboocyte.com.


The article presents an interview with Professor Masami Ichikawa, the president of the Japanese Geographical Association and vice-president of Hyogo University of teacher education, held in Brno in August 1982. Prof. Ichikawa answers 7 questions like these: What sort of tasks does the present Japanese geographers solve and what are the results? What education is given to the geographers of Japan? What are the possibilities of cooperation between the Czechoslovak and Japanese geography?


The essence of Indonesia as law state is that have legal basis in actualizing the goals of the state which is to provide prosperity with a sense of security, peace, order and justice in accordance with law. It has been stipulated that the law enforcement in Indonesia is carried out by the judicial authority, where it is free and independent without influence from other parties. Indonesian instruments of corruption is the Law No. 3of 1971 concerning eradication of corruption, and changed to the Law No 31of1999 and finally replaced by the Law No 20 of 2001. In term of Chinese practice, the Chinese government show its seriousness in combating corruption. One of them is also manifested by ratified the UN Convention against corruption which includes bribes to public officials as a crime by the National People's Congress in October 2005. China's economy which rapidly growing raises new problems for the country. Some of these issues are the development gap between the eastern and southern coastal areas with central and western regions, greater number of unemployment, and widespread corruption. Corruption is a considerable threat to the Chinese economy. In the context law enforcement, both conutries acknowledged the deathpenalty for the perpetrators. Keywords : punishment, Perpetrators, Indonesia, China


Although coronary artery bypass grafting remains an important therapeutic option for patients with complex coronary artery disease, percutaneous coronary intervention strategies have become an established alternative. Nevertheless, treatment options for surgery-ineligible patients with complex coronary artery disease used to be limited, especially in patients with a reduced left ventricular function. Those patients are at high risk of profound hypotension and mortality, which may be adequately prevented by prophylactic placement of a percutaneous mechanical assist device. Although many devices have been developed and randomized evidence is still pending, the Impella LP2.5 device (Abiomed-Impella CardioSystems GmbH, Aachen, Germany) seems to be promising as it is easily applicable, carries a low complication rate and provides adequate circulatory support.


The present study was designed to examine blood pressure response to nitric oxide synthase-pathway inhibition and stimulation in normotensive and hypertensive diabetic rats. Rats treated with streptozotocin (60 mg/Kg i.p.) developed high blood glucose, polyuria and slow weight gain compared with control. One group of diabetic rats developed hypertension, consequently we studied three experimental groups: control rats (C), normotensive diabetic rats (ND) and hypertensive diabetic rats (HD). Mean arterial pressure (MAP), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were recorded: baseline time, 30 after L-nitro arginine methyl ester (L-NAME: 1 mg/Kg i.v.) and post L-arginine (L-arg: 250 mg/Kg i.v.) injection. L-NAME induced a significantly increase in MAP in all groups. This enhancement was smaller in diabetic than in control rats. The increase in MAP in HD was significantly lower than that in ND L-arg induced a significantly decrease in MAP in all groups. This decrease was significantly attenuated in diabetic compared with control rats. The degree of hypotension in response to L-arg in diabetic groups was lower in hypertensive than that in normotensive diabetic rats. These data suggest that an impairment of nitric oxide formation could be involved in the development of hypertension in this model.


Objectives In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a list of global priority pathogens (GPP) – 12 species of bacteria with critical, high, and medium antibiotic resistance (AR). In this review, our goal was to quantify published reports of AR in this group of pathogens using the Medline-PubMed databases. We also sought to quantify, compare and rank the top five reported AR pathogens globally, regionally and for Bahrain, and describe the evidence from Bahrain for the purpose of infection prevention and control, and to help research and development. Methods We conducted a bibliometric, retrospective, descriptive review to search the Medline-PubMed database for reports specific to the WHO GPP list published up to 19 April 2017. Results Our search revealed 42 136 documents with an increase in the last five years. Globally, there were more high tier pathogen documents (33 640) than critical (6405) and medium (2091). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was the highest reported, followed by extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) resistant Enterobacteriaceae and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. Nine out of the 12 pathogens were gram-negative. MRSA was the topmost documented pathogen globally and in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region zone of classification, whereas ESBL resistant Enterobacteriaceae ranked the top in Bahrain. There were two critical tier pathogens in the global, GCC region, and Bahrain. We found 14 articles from Bahrain, four articles on ESBL resistant Enterobacteriaceae, three on MRSA, two on carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, and five on different pathogens. Conclusions Our findings suggest the need for a comprehensive, multipronged policy response particularly at the time when the antibiotic pipeline is nearly empty. We recommend thoughtful, integrated infection prevention and control strategies to address the immediate and long-term threats of AR in Bahrain and the GCC.


Apoptosis may occur via a death receptor-dependent or independent (mitochondrial) pathway. The mitochondrial pathway is regulated by small molecules, such as smac/Diablo, which activates caspase cascades. This study examined smac/DIABLO expression in 76 patients with endometrioid endometrial cancers. Presence of smac/DIABLO was quantified by Western blot analysis using nonfixed fresh frozen tissues. Its appearance was found in 55 (72%) of examined tumors. Smac/DIABLO expression significantly correlated with tumor grade (p<0.001). Patients with positive smac/DIABLO tumors had a longer disease-specific survival when compared with those with negative tumors in the 10-year follow-up (p=0.043). The study demonstrated that negative smac/DIABLO expression was a poor prognostic sign.


The Huguang Maar Lake(110°17'E,21°9'N) located in the southwest of Zhangjiang,Guangdong Province,belongs to the Leiqiong Volcanic Field. This paper is focused on the historic changes of heavy metals(V,Ni,Cu,Zn,and Pb) concentrations in sediments of the Huguang Maar Lake for the last 250 years. The environmental implication of heavy metals from core sediments was given by 137Cs and 210Pb isotope dating methods for the purpose of discussing the characteristic changes of heavy metals. Four stages of the heavy metal concentrations are recognized.Before 1880,concentrations of all heavy metals except V kept steady. From 1880 to 1920,concentrations of Ni,Cu,Zn and Pb increased,which could be related to the industrial development and the wars during the period. In 1920s the increase of Pb may reflect the wide use of Pb alkyl additives in gasoline. From 1975 to 1990,the content of Pb increased quickly mainly due to reform and opening-up,which caused the development of industry and transportation. The geo-accumulation index(Igeo) and the enrichment factors(EF) were used to assess their contamination levels. The results showed that the concentrations of V,Ni,Cu,and Zn were slightly influenced by human activities,and the Igeo and EF reveal that these metals were considered as "unpolluted to mild polluted". Pb was considered as "unpolluted to mild polluted" before 1920s and "moderately polluted" after 1920s.


The energy spectrum of two-dimensional electron states localized in the surface quantum well in gapless p-HgCdTe is investigated by tunnelling spectroscopy in a quantizing magnetic field. We observe two types of tunnelling conductivity oscillation in a magnetic field, which arise from the density of 2D states oscillations at the energies EF and EF+eV, where EF is the semiconductor Fermi level and V the voltage applied to the semiconductor electrode. To interpret the experimental data the energy spectrum of such a system in a magnetic field and tunnelling probabilities are calculated. It is shown that two situations take place in our experimental conditions: either one or both spin states are localized in the surface quantum well in dependence on the applied bias and magnetic field. The calculation shows a large difference between the probabilities of tunnelling into different spin states. This explains why the spin splitting of the oscillations is not observed in our experiments.


ABSTRACT The 1969 study, the first in a series which attempts to reflect the impact of selected summer migrant programs, yielded the base data for the ongoing 3-year study. Some 228 Mexican American children aged from 4 to 8 years, enrolled in special summer migrant classes, were given the (1) Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), (2) Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), and (3) Sequin Form Board (SFB) from the Arthur Point Sc le. The purpose was to identify performance levels in specific learning skills (vocabulary, reading, arithmetic, spelling, and motor performance) , to establish whether those levels were low, and to suggest implications for future educational programs. The classes were located in Hollandale, Hector, and Moorhead, Minnesota and in Casselton, North Dakota. The results indicated (1) below average scores on the PPVT and WRAT, (2) average scores on the SFB, (3) no significant sex differences, and (4) differences in age which correlated with the time the youngsters were taken out of a Spanish-speaking environment and placed in an English-speaking, structured, educational environment. Performance deficiencies were due primarily to a lack of English language skills.


Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks play a vital role in living cells. The possible error and bias in collecting protein-protein interaction network data are mainly factors to influence the reliability of the degree distribution of PPI networks. In this study, three factors including the false positive interaction of the PPI experiments, the different annotating of a protein in different protein databases, and the data newly added in the protein databases are considered as Important influence factors to investigate the degree distribution of PPI networks. The results show that in the present data, the stretched-exponential distribution is the best one for describing the degree distribution of PPI networks and it is robust to these factors.


As the target of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) has moved from clean read speech to spontaneous conversational speech, we need to prepare orthographic transcripts of spontaneous conversational speech to train acoustic models (AMs). However, it is expensive and slow to manually transcribe such speech word by word. We propose a framework to train an AM based on easy-to-make rough transcripts in which fillers and small word fragments are not precisely transcribed and some transcription errors are included. By focusing on the phone duration in the result of forced alignment between the rough transcripts and the utterances, we can automatically detect the erroneous parts in the rough transcripts. A preliminary experiment showed that we can detect the erroneous parts with moderately high recall and precision. Through ASR experiments with conversational telephone speech, we confirmed that automatic detection helped improve the performance of the AM trained with both conventional ML criteria and state-of-the-art boosted MMI criteria.


We analysed the record of blood cultures carried out at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi between 1996 and 2003. We isolated 477 Salmonella typhi and 410 S. paratyphi A from blood of patients suffering from typhoid fever. We observed a significant shift in the distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of typhoid salmonellae. The isolation rate of S. typhi fell significantly while S. paratyphi A is emerging as a major pathogen. Resistance to conventional antityphoid drugs in S. typhi decreased dramatically from 80% to 14%, while in S. paratyphi A resistance increased from 14% to 44%. Susceptibility to the fluoroquinolones decreased in both. No resistance to third generation cephalosporins was detected.


We aimed to determine the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis among internally displaced children in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Data on the children's sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors for schistosomiasis were collected, over a period of six months, using an interview-based questionnaire. Ten milliliter of urine sample was collected from each child and investigated for hematuria and ova of Schistosoma haematobium. Two hundred and thirty-eight of 385 children had urinary schistosomiasis (62.0%); of this, 125 (53.0%) were males, with a male:female ratio of 1.1:1. Urinary schistosomiasis was the most common among 5-9 years' age group, low social class children, and children of farmers, P <0.05. Stunting was significantly associated with urinary schistosomiasis, P <0.05. It is concluded that urinary schistosomiasis in children was more frequently associated with stunting and low social class. It was a very common disease among internally displaced children in Nigeria.


One of the biggest problems faced by current and next-generation astronomical surveys is trying to produce large numbers of accurate cross-identifications across a range of wavelength regimes with varying data quality and positional uncertainty. Until recently, simple spatial 'nearest neighbour' associations have been sufficient for most applications. However as advances in instrumentation allow more sensitive images to be made, the rapid increase in the source density has meant that source confusion across multiple wavelengths is a serious problem. The field of far-IR and sub-mm astronomy has been particularly hampered by such problems. The poor angular resolution of current sub-mm and far-IR instruments is such that in a lot of cases, there are multiple plausible counterparts for each source at other wavelengths. Here we present a new automated method of producing associations between sources at different wavelengths using a combination of spatial and spectral energy distribution information set in a Bayesian framework. Testing of the technique is performed on both simulated catalogues of sources from GaLICS and real data from multiwavelength observations of the Subaru-XMM Deep Field. It is found that a single figure of merit, the Bayes factor, can be effectively used to describe the confidence in the match. Further applications of this technique to future Herschel data sets are discussed.


Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in guinea pig hearts was labeled by perfusion for 15 min with [35S] methionine, followed by chase perfusion with unlabeled medium for less than or equal to 90 min. Suitable conditions for pulse and chase and for immunoprecipitation of LPL were worked out. Differences in labeling between individual hearts were found to be substantial. A technique to take serial biopsies (approximately 20 mg) from the heart ventricle was therefore worked out and validated. Regional differences of LPL labeling within the ventricle were small. There was no evidence for enhanced release of LPL caused by biopsy. When heparin was present throughout the chase, labeled LPL began to appear in the medium after 30 min. Thus LPL can move rapidly from synthesis in parenchymal cells to the endothelial surface and into the medium. After 90 min chase with heparin, approximately equal amounts of LPL (approximately 32%) had been released to the medium, remained in the heart, or had been degraded, respectively. In contrast, no detectable amount of labeled LPL appeared in the medium during 90 min chase without heparin, and a heparin flush at this time brought out only approximately 9% of the pulse-labeled LPL.


An interleaver-based technique for improving the peak-to-average power ratio (PAP) of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signal is presented. For this technique, K-1 random interleavers are used to produce (K-1) permuted sequences from the same information sequence. The PAPs of the permuted sequences and the original information sequence are then computed using K oversampled fast Fourier transforms (OFFTs). The sequence with the lowest PAP is chosen for transmission. Results show that for 256 subcarriers and quadrature phase shift keying data symbols, even with K=2, the 0.1% PAP is reduced by 1.3 dB and with K=4 it is reduced by 2 dB. The 0.1% PAP can be reduced by 3 dB and the 0.01% PAP by 4 dB at a cost of 16 OFFTs and a data rate loss of <0.8% with K=16.


As the multimedia and internet technologies are growing fast, the transmission of digital media plays an important role in communication. The various digital media like audio, video and images are being transferred through internet. There are a lot of threats for the digital data that are transferred through internet. Also, a number of security techniques have been employed to protect the data that is transferred through internet. This paper proposes a new technique for sending secret messages securely, using steganographic technique. Since the proposed system uses multiple level of security for data hiding, where the data is hidden in an image file and the stego file is again concealed in another image. Previously, the secret message is being encrypted with the encryption algorithm which ensures the achievement of high security enabled data transfer through internet.


The purpose of the study is to delineate the impact of national and industry-specific government interventions and the influence of political parties in power. The study employs an interrupted time series design from the annual national coir export data (1970-2012) published by the Coir Board. The study concludes by highlighting that the significance of economic environment has a greater impact on the trends of coir exports than industry-specific interventions. A seminal finding of this study is that there is a significant difference in the coir exports during the period of governance by the two political fronts in Kerala.


This paper illuminates the central arguments in Sartre's UNESCO address, 'The Singular Universal." The address begins by asking whether objective facts tell us everything there is to know about Kierkegaard. Sartre's answer is negative. The question then arises as to whether we can lay hold of Kierkegaard's "irreducible subjectivity" by seeing him as alive for us today, i.e., as transhistorical. Sartre's answer here is affirmative. However, a close inspection of this answer exposes a deeper level to the address. The struggle to find a place for Kierkegaard within the world of objective knowledge is an allegory. It mirrors Sartre's struggle to find a place for his existentialism within the Marxism that dominates his later thinking.


Collective-action problems arise when private actions generate common consequences; for example, the private provision of a public good. This article asks: what shapes of public-good production function work well when play evolves over time, and hence moves between equilibria? Welfare-maximising public-good production functions yield nothing when combined efforts fall below some threshold but otherwise maximally exploit the production-possibility frontier. They generate multiple equilibria: coordinated teamwork is integral to successful collective actions. Optimal thresholds correspond to the output that individuals who pay all private costs but enjoy only private benefits would be just willing to provide.


Backgound : HIV/AIDS pandemic is a great public health concern hence the need to identify interventions to prevent new infections among risk groups. Objective : To determine risky sexual behaviours among HIV sero-discordant individuals attending Defence Forces Memorial Hospital (DFMH). Design : A descriptive cross-sectional study Setting : Defence Forces Memorial Hospital (DFMH) Nairobi. Results : Eighty eight point six per cent (88.6%) study participants used condoms regularly during sexual intercourse with their partners, with a large number (95.7%) of those who did not use condoms citing less pleasure or discomfort during sex as their main reason. Most of those with multiple sexual partners (76.1%) had used a condom 12 months prior to the interview while 23.9% had had sex without condom use. Fifty eight (17.8%) participants engaged in sexual intercourse with other partners while deployed away from their families while most of them (82.2%) did not. Conclusion : There is need to enhance HIV interventions and preventive strategies among special risk groups in the society.


This study looked at how trade openness affected the lowering of poverty in Nigeria from 1986 to 2020. The Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin and the World Bank's Development Indicators were used to get data for the study. For the basic test, the study uses the Augmented Dickey Fuller unit root test. For the analysis, the study uses the Johansen Cointegration test and the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method. The facts show that trade openness has had a big effect on the reduction of poverty in Nigeria and that this effect is currently bad. This study comes to the conclusion that making trade more open over time has not made people more productive. The study suggests, among other things, that the government should start important trade reforms which can boost domestic production, especially in agriculture, where we have a comparative advantage. This can be done by giving subsidies and tax breaks to industries and farmers who make goods that are being imported, so they can increase their production capacity to meet rising demand in the economy and export surplus.


The ice and snow sports culture originates from the northern region of China and is one of the more distinctive branch systems in China's sports culture. However, in the modern development of the sports culture system, due to geographical restrictions and the influence of network technology, it has gradually passed, and it has become more difficult to spread. Going down the ice sports culture may disappear. For this purpose, this article will carry out relevant research for the purpose of cultural protection, expound the significance of ice and snow sports cultural communication, and at the same time put forward communication obstacles, paths and strategies.


Background Gay and bisexual men (GBM) increasingly use HIV Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection. Eligibility for PrEP in Australia is based on behavioral criteria including methamphetamine use or condomless sex. It is unclear what proportions of GBM initiating PrEP meet these criteria over time. Methods The Flux prospective cohort study enrolled Australian GBM between 2014 and 2018, following them every six months. We report PrEP use and behavioral eligibility for PrEP over time. Sexually transmissible infections data were not collected. Results Among 1518 non HIV-positive men who were not using PrEP at baseline, mean age was 37.2 years (SD 13.13). Incident PrEP use increased from 2.8% at visit 2 to 11.9% at visit 6 (p-trend<0.001); eligibility for PrEP increased from 24.5% at baseline to 34.1% at visit 5 but fell to 20.4% at visit 6. Among all PrEP non-users, over one third were eligible for PrEP at some time during follow-up: 22.9% were eligible at visit 2; this proportion remained stable over subsequent visits (21.5% at visit 5) but fell to 9.6% at visit 6. Less than 1% of PrEP users subsequently ceased use. Among continuing PrEP users, the proportion of non-eligible men remained steady at about 25% over time. Similar proportions (about 10%) became eligible as ceased being eligible between visits. Conclusion Although PrEP use or non-use was largely consistent with behavioral criteria for eligibility for its use, a substantial minority of GBM did not appear to use PrEP according to eligibility guidelines. About one-quarter of men who used PrEP were not eligible at the time while a similar proportion of PrEP non-users were eligible for its use, suggesting some underestimation of HIV risk. Greater efforts are needed to address these discrepancies between PrEP eligibility and its use, as engagement in risk behaviors changes over time. Disclosure No significant relationships.


A simple yet systematic new algorithm to investigate the global structure of the Kerr-Newman spacetime is suggested. Namely, the global structures of θ = const timelike submanifolds of the Kerr-Newman metric starting from the symmetry axis all the way down to the equatorial plane are studied by introducing a new time coordinate slightly different from the usual Boyer-Lindquist time coordinate. The maximal analytic extension of θ = θ0 (0 ≤ θ0 < π/2) timelike submanifolds turns out to be the same as that of the symmetry axis first studied by Carter whereas the θ = π/2 equatorial plane has a topology identical to that of the Reissner-Nordstrom spacetime. The general applicability of this method to the Kerr-Newman-de Sitter solution is discussed as well.


Background: The development of cervical cancer is highly dependent on the ability of cancer cells to form new capillaries and lymphatic vessels. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy shrinks tumor size and reduces angiogenesis. Of the various growth factors that regulate angiogenesis, VEGF-C is the first-rank lymphangiogenic factor. VEGF-C can be measured by several methods. This study aimed to determine: (1) the effect of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in reducing tissue VEGF-C expression and serum VEGF-C level; (2) the correlation between VEGF-C expression in tissueand serum VEGF-C in patients with bulky cervical cancer receiving paclitaxel – carboplatin neoadjuvan chemotherapy.

Subjects and Method: This was a quasi experiment conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department and the Pathology and Anatomy Department, Dr. Moewardi Hospital, Surakarta, Central Java, from May to September 2017. A sample of 30 patients with cervical cancer stage IB2 and IIA2 was selected for this study. The independent variable was paclitaxel – carboplatin neoadjuvan chemotherapy. The dependent variables were VEGF-C expression in tissue and VEGF-C serum. Tissue VEGF-C expression and serum VEGF-C level were measured before and after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. The data were analyzed by Wilcoxon test and Spearman correlation.

Results: TissueVEGF-C expression before chemotherapy (mean= 6.17) was higher than after therapy (mean= 4.17), and it was statistically significant (p< 0.001). Serum VEGF-C level before chemotherapy (mean= 9574.60) was higher than after therapy (mean= 7827.63), and it was statistically significant (p= 0.006). Tissue VEGF-C expression was correlated with serum VEGF-C, but it was statistically non-significant (r= 0.15, p= 0.218).

Conclusion: Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy reduces both VEGF-C tissue expression and serum VEGF-C levels. There is a weak and insignificant correlation between tissue VEGF-C expression and serum VEGF-C levels in patients with cervical cancer given neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.

Keywords: VEGF-C, neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, cervical cancer


"The military operations conducted on the territory of Ukraine during the conflict started by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022 show that the chances for large-scale combat operations in Europe have significantly increased. Consequently, the way those operations are carried out must be carefully reconsidered. Adapting to the requirements of the modern battlefield requires a rapid multi-domain integration of new technologies and modern weapon systems. Therefore, doctrinal changes are required. There is no doubt that the Battle of Kiev is a valuable source of information for military leaders, regarding the conduct of military operations at each level. Therefore, a pertinent analysis in relation to the factors that have contributed to the battle's outcome could be very helpful. The main objective of the analysis is to highlight lessons on the topic of planning and carrying out military operations at tactical level. It emphasises both the determining factors for the failure of the Russian offensive and the features that gave the Ukrainian forces the upper hand, ensuring the successful defence operation. The research methodology is based on the qualitative evaluation of the available information, to enable an assessment of the battle from the combat functions perspective with the aim to identify possible gaps in Western armies' way to carry out combat operations."


Background: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is an extremely aggressive cancer that has a very poor outcome. We have analyzed predictive factors for overall survival and different therapeutic modalities that could help to determine the optimal therapy for this carcinoma. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of data from 54 cases of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma to evaluate demographic, pathological, and clinical characteristics, along with therapeutic modalities that affected survival. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to visualize the cumulative probability of survival and comparison among/between groups was performed with the log-rank test. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine overall survival. Results: We observed overall survival percentages of 50% (one-year), 25% (2- year), and 5.6% (5-year). The 2-year overall survival was 41.7% for stage IVA, 31.5% for stage IVB, and 7.4% for stage IVC (P= 0.04). The 2-year overall survival rates were 59.3% for patients with negative margins, 30.1% for those with positive margins, and 0.0% in the group without thyroidectomy (P=0.005). Surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy indicated better 2-year overall survival (56%) compared to surgery alone (34.7%, Pone month, no reported metastasis at presentation, negative surgical margins, surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy. Conclusion: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is an aggressive cancer with a very poor prognosis. Multimodality treatment may improve overall survival in these patients. Duration of symptoms, primary tumor size, distant metastases, surgical treatment, surgical margin status, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are independent factors that affect prognosis.


In this first part of a laboratory study of predissociation in CO the authors have measured in the electron-impact-induced fluorescence spectrum of CO in the wavelength range 40-125 nm at a spectral resolution of 0.5 nm. The experiment was performed in a crossed-beam configuration under optically thin conditions. Their spectral measurements at 200 eV electron impact, energy provide the emission cross sections of atomic dissociation fragments (C I, C II, O I, O II) and the vibrational transitions of the B 1 Sigma +, C 1 Sigma +, E 1 Pi -X 1 Sigma + band systems of CO. The measured emission cross sections of these molecular transitions will be needed for comparison with excitation cross sections from electron energy-loss spectra to determine predissociation yields.


The relatively peaceful and rapid collapse of Communism came as a great surprise to most, and the varied paths followed by the countries emerging from Communism has puzzled many. Ro: na-Tas argues that, under Communism, the central institution organizing society was universal state employment. Over time, universal state employment eroded and a weak private sector evolved, before Communism collapsed. This erosion is what the book calls the "Small Transformation." The Small Transformation was a process of fragmentation that slowly undid the concentration created in these societies by the process of socialist industrialization, the Great Transformation. The way the Small Transformation proceeded in different states is crucial in explaining differences in the way Communism collapsed and in the course the market economy is taking.The book draws on an unusually wide array of sources including archival materials, statistical surveys, newspapers, and ethnographic materials, to demonstrate the unfolding of the Small Transformation in Hungary. Rona-Tas argues that the fall of Hungarian Communism took a negotiated course because Hungary's Small Transformation was sufficiently advanced to induce elite defection well before 1989. The book documents nomenklatura privatization and the social continuities and discontinuities of post-Communist Hungary. Its overall arguments are useful in understanding what has happened in other states.This book will be of interest to scholars studying transformation in Communist societies, political economy, social change, revolutions and economic and social history, as well as to students of the politics and society of Eastern Europe.Akos Rona-Tas is Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of California at San Diego."


The adoption of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy is widespread in advanced engineering fields, such as the aerospace, automotive, and maritime sectors, due to its remarkable mechanical characteristics and proven corrosion resistance. However, literature studies and field failures have underlined that the Ti-6Al-4V is susceptible to the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and the corrosion fatigue phenomena in methanol-water solutions. Although several studies focused on the SCC behavior of this particular titanium alloy, recent corrosion fatigue experiments (R = 0.1) on Ti-6Al-4V specimens in a watermethanol environment have highlighted a sensible decrease in maximum applied stress of up to 50% and a high sensitivity even to low methanol concentrations. In the present work, an experimental quasi-static SCC test campaign in water-methanol mixture at different concentrations has been conducted on flat dogbone Ti-6Al-4V specimens. The results have been compared with recent corrosion fatigue experiments to characterize the different damage mechanisms at play and decouple mechanical and chemical driving forces. The micromechanical behavior of the material has been analyzed, highlighting the role of the microstructure in the SCC mechanism. Failure surfaces have been investigated with scanning electron and optical microscopy.


We describe a fast and accurate method for reconstructing a function of three variables from a finite number of its parallel beam projections. The high computational efficiency of the method is achieved by using gridding-based Fourier techniques whenever possible. The gridding technique provides an efficient means to compute a uniformly sampled version of a function from a non-uniformly sampled version of its Fourier transform and vice versa. We apply the two-dimensional reverse gridding method to each projection to obtain its Fourier transform on a special spherical grid. Then we use the three-dimensional gridding method to reconstruct the three-dimensional function on a uniform grid from this sampled version of its Fourier transform. The proper weights required for the compensation for the non-uniform distribution of samples are obtained by constructing the Voronoi diagram on the unit sphere for a set of nodes derived from the directions of projections. The main application of the method is cryo-electron microscopy, where the number of two-dimensional projections is very large and their angular distribution is highly non-uniform. We demonstrate the excellent speed and accuracy of our reconstruction method using simulated data.


Background Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious clinical condition that impacts a patient's physical, psychological, and socio-economic status. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of training with a newly developed powered wearable exoskeleton (Hyundai Medical Exoskeleton [H-MEX]) on functional mobility, physiological health, and quality of life in non-ambulatory SCI patients. Methods Participants received 60 minutes of walking training with a powered exoskeleton 3 times per week for 10 weeks (total 30 sessions). The 6-minute walking test (6MWT) and timed-up-and-go test (TUGT) were performed to assess ambulatory function. The physiological outcomes of interest after exoskeleton-assisted walking training were spasticity, pulmonary function, bone mineral density, colon transit time, and serum inflammatory markers. Effects of walking training on subjective outcomes were estimated by the Korean version of the Falls Efficacy Scale—International and the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey version 2. Results Ten participants finished 30 sessions of training and could ambulate independently. No severe adverse events were reported during the study. After training, the mean distance walked in the 6MWT (49.13 m) was significantly enhanced compared with baseline (20.65 m). The results of the TUGT also indicated a statistically significant improvement in the times required to stand up, walk 3 m and sit down. Although not statistically significant, clinically meaningful changes in some secondary physiological outcomes and/or quality of life were reported in some participants. Conclusion In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the newly developed wearable exoskeleton, H-MEX is safe and feasible for non-ambulatory SCI patients, and may have potential to improve quality of life of patients by assisting bipedal ambulation. These results suggest that the H-MEX can be considered a beneficial device for chronic non-ambulatory SCI patients. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04055610


The cointegrated VAR model is proposed as an empirically coherent framework for analyzing macroeconomic phenomena within a dynamic system of pulling and pushing forces. As an illustration we show how an economic theory for inflation and money demand gives rise to a number of hypotheses formulated as testable parameter restrictions on cointegrating relations and common trends. The procedure not only allows us to test prior theoretical hypotheses in a valid maximum likelihood framework but also provides additional empirical results suggesting how to modify or improve our theoretical understanding. The latter is important when theoretical implications fail to hold in the data.


A significant drawback of End-to-End Deep Reinforcement Learning (RL) systems is that they return an action no matter what situation they are confronted with. This is true even for situations that differ entirely from those an agent has been trained for. Although crucial in safety-critical applications, dealing with such situations is inherently difficult. Various approaches have been proposed in this direction, such as robustness, domain adaption, domain generalization, and out-of-distribution detection. In this work, we provide an overview of approaches towards the more general problem of dealing with disturbances to the environment of RL agents and show how they struggle to provide clear boundaries when mapped to safety-critical problems. To mitigate this, we propose to formalize the changes in the environment in terms of the Markov Decision Process (MDP), resulting in a more formal framework when dealing with such problems. We apply this framework to an example real-world scenario and show how it helps to isolate safety concerns.


Living together collectively demands a new way of shaping spaces, and the limits of the existing situation can open up for interesting spacial proposals. On site there are threebuildings from two different time periods. By transforming them into cooperative housing and introducing a new tower, they form a more dense urban quarter. The project is about living together in different ways and to create a place where people are able to share different functions such kitchens, workshop and outdoor space. Everyone rents a private room or flat and gains easy access to common functions they maintain together as a community.By introducing a diverse group of people and the possibility to build your own home, the project becomes an experiment on how to live more socially through preservation.


Peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor α (PPARα) is a ligand-activated transcription factor, playing a key role in several essential pathways including lipid metabolism. Although nuclear localization of PPARα is essential for its transactivation activity, mechanisms underlying intracellular traffics of PPARα remain undefined. We here identify and characterize a nuclear localization signal (NLS) residing in the junction between DNA-binding domain and hinge regions of PPARα. The NLS consists of two basic-amino acid clusters locating in the sequence encompassing amino acid residues at 144-187. We evidently show by mutational analysis that the basic residues in this NLS are essential for the nuclear import. Moreover, the PPARα NLS binds well-known nuclear transporters, importin α and importin β, in a manner independent of DNA-binding activity.


The CyberAmbassadors Project (NSF #1730137) is a training grant to develop professional skills curriculum (communications, teamwork, leadership) to build capacity in Cyber Infrastructure (CI) Professionals. CI Professionals are experts at high performance computing, data science algorithms, and/or supercomputing infrastructure; they are often called upon to work with experts from STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) in multi-disciplinary teams to solve complex problems. The CyberAmbassadors training program seeks to improve the function of these teams by helping CI Professionals build and practice skills for effective communication, teamwork and leadership within the context of complex, multidisciplinary research. This paper summarizes the results of the pilot testing of the CyberAmbassadors curriculum, which was conducted at institutions across the United States using both in-person, online and hybrid delivery methods. A Kirkpatrick evaluation model was used to assess expectations and reasons for participation, as well as satisfaction with the training and impacts on participants' learning and behavior. The curriculum was revised based on these initial pilot tests, and 43 volunteers have participated in "train the trainers" workshops to prepare to facilitate this training on a larger scale during 2019-20.


PKC pseudosubstrate consensus sequences can be found in the amino terminal region of all the different PKC isoenzymes characterized to date. Here we have used four peptides corresponding to the putative pseudosubstrate sequences from the PKC isoenzymes alpha, gamma, delta, and epsilon. These peptides showed PKC inhibitory activity when tested in a PKC-specific enzyme assay at concentrations of 25 to 100 microM, similar to what has been reported for the myristylated peptide KRTLR. Although the presence of a myristyl group at the amino terminal end of any of these peptides is not essential for their inhibitory activity, myristylation increased the inhibitory activity significantly. By contrast, the myristylated control peptide (GALRQQKNVHEVKN) was not active even at a 100 microM concentration. All of the PKC inhibitory peptides were also able to block PKC activity in a cell assay as demonstrated by their ability to inhibit the induction of IL-2R and TNF-beta expression in Jurkat cells. Finally, we confirmed a previous report of the inhibitory activity of the myristylated peptide KRTLR and showed that other related peptides (N-m-RLTRK, N-m-RRLKT) are also active in these assays.


Abstract. The plasma environment of Saturn's largest satellite Titan is known to be highly variable. Since Titan's orbit is located within the outer magnetosphere of Saturn, the moon can leave the region dominated by the magnetic field of its parent body in times of high solar wind dynamic pressure and interact with the thermalized magnetosheath plasma or even with the unshocked solar wind. By applying a three-dimensional hybrid simulation code (kinetic description of ions, fluid electrons), we study in real-time the transition that Titan's plasma environment undergoes when the moon leaves Saturn's magnetosphere and enters the supermagnetosonic solar wind. In the simulation, the transition between both plasma regimes is mimicked by a reversal of the magnetic field direction as well as a change in the composition and temperature of the impinging plasma flow. When the satellite enters the solar wind, the magnetic draping pattern in its vicinity is reconfigured due to reconnection, with the characteristic time scale of this process being determined by the convection of the field lines in the undisturbed plasma flow at the flanks of the interaction region. The build-up of a bow shock ahead of Titan takes place on a typical time scale of a few minutes as well. We also analyze the erosion of the newly formed shock front upstream of Titan that commences when the moon re-enters the submagnetosonic plasma regime of Saturn's magnetosphere. Although the model presented here is far from governing the full complexity of Titan's plasma interaction during a solar wind excursion, the simulation provides important insights into general plasma-physical processes associated with such a disruptive change of the upstream flow conditions.


The first double diffractive cross-section measurement in the very forward region has been carried out by the TOTEM experiment at the LHC with a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=7  TeV. By utilizing the very forward TOTEM tracking detectors T1 and T2, which extend up to |η|=6.5, a clean sample of double diffractive pp events was extracted. From these events, we determined the cross section σDD=(116±25)  μb for events where both diffractive systems have 4.7<|η|min<6.5.


The Ming Cu-Zn-Ag-Au volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit is hosted by the Upper Cambrian-Lower Ordovician Rambler Rhyolite formation, which consists of a folded northeast plunging felsic dome complex, developed in the uppermost segment of the obducted supra-subduction Baie Verte oceanic tract, in the north central Newfoundland Appalachians. The deposit is overlain by interstratified mafic volcanic flows and volcaniclastic rocks of the Snooks Arm Group. The upper 1 km of the Rambler Rhyolite formation consists of a coherent felsic lithofacies at its base, overlain by a quartz-bearing volcaniclastic-dominated lithofacies (units 1.2 and 1.3). Geochemically, these rocks are light rare earth element (LREE)- and large ion lithophile element (LILE)-enriched ([La/Yb]pn = 4–20; Th = 2.58–4.05 ppm), and high field strength element (HFSE)-depleted (Y = 5.64–6.59 ppm) rhyodacite with calk-alkalic affinities (Th/Yb > 2; Zr/Y > 7). The last pulse of felsic volcanism (unit 1.3) is intimately associated with the massive sulfide lenses and has FI- and FII-type rhyolite signatures (high La/Yb ratios), commonly attributed to deep (≥ 30 km) crustal melting. The εNd(t) values of the rhyolites range from −2.5 to −1.3, indicating the rocks were influenced by crustal material. A 10 percent batch partial melt of a garnet-amphibole metamorphosed normal mid-oceanic ridge basalt (N-MORB) and island arc tholeiite (IAT) crustal material can generate a melt similar to the felsic rocks hosting the Ming deposit; however, the IAT reproduces much better the absolute abundances of LILE (Th, Sr), HFSE (Nb, Zr, Y), and middle rare earth elements (MREE) of the felsic rocks. It is interpreted that the felsic melt came from melting of a subducted slab with IAT affinity, thus explaining the depth of melt generation and FI-FII signatures of the felsic rocks. Moreover, the slab-derived siliceous melt may also have contributed magmatophile elements (for example, Ag, Au, Se, Te, Sn, Sb, Hg) into the hydrothermal system once it had reached near-surface depths, and may explain the epithermal suite element-enrichment in the Ming deposit. This study shows that strongly fractionated felsic volcanic rocks associated with boninites, such as those associated with the Ming VMS deposit, can be important hosts for precious metal-enriched VMS and may be as prospective as tholeiitic felsic volcanic sequences (for example, FIII-FIV-type rhyolite – low La/Yb ratios). The base of the Snooks Arm Group is comprised of spatially restricted sulfide-bearing mafic breccia, overlain by a regionally extensive sedimentary sequence (εNd(t) = +3.1 to +5.5), which is in turn overlain by interstratified high-Mg basalt (εNd(t) = +1.6), Th-enriched back-arc basin basalt (BABB), enriched mid-oceanic ridge basalt (E-MORB; εNd(t) = +6.6), and LREE-enriched/low-Ti tholeiitic tuffs (εNd(t) = −0.5). Four generations of mafic to intermediate dikes and sills cross-cut the Rambler Rhyolite formation and share similar geochemical characteristics to the extrusive rocks of the Snooks Arm Group, suggesting comagmatic relationships. The combination of variations in Nb/Yb, Th /Yb, and εNd(t) values within and between units suggest melts derived from depleted to enriched mantle material with melts synchronously generated by both slab-metasomatized mantle wedge and upwelling back-arc asthenosphere.


Abstract. The formation of ice in clouds is an important processes in mixed-phase and ice-phase clouds. Yet, the representation of ice formation in numerical models is highly uncertain. In the last decade several new parameterisations for heterogeneous freezing have been proposed. It is so far unclear what the effect of choosing one parameterisation over another is in the context of numerical weather prediction. We conducted high-resolution simulations (Δx = 250 m) of moderately deep convective clouds (cloud to about ~ −18 °C over the southwestern UK using several formulations of ice formation and compare the resulting changes in cloud field properties to the spread of a initial condition ensemble for the same case. The strongest impact of altering the ice formation representation is found in the hydrometeor number concentration and mass mixing ratio profiles. While change in accumulated precipitation are around 10 %, high precipitation rates (95th percentile) vary by 20. Using different ice formation representations changes the outgoing short-wave radiation by about 2.9 W m−2 averaged over daylight hours. The choice of a particular representation for ice formation has always a smaller impact then omitting heterogeneous ice formation completely. Excluding the representation of the Hallett–Mossop process or altering the heterogeneous freezing parameterisation has an impact of similar magnitude on most cloud macro- and microphysical variables with the exception of the frozen hydrometeor mass mixing ratios and number concentrations. A comparison to the spread of cloud properties in a 10-member high-resolution initial condition ensemble shows that the sensitivity of hydrometeor profiles to the formulation of ice formation processes is larger than sensitivity to initial conditions. In particular, excluding the Hallet–Mossop representation results in profiles clearly different from any in the ensemble. In contrast, the ensemble spread clearly exceeds the changes introduced by using different ice formation representations in accumulated precipitation, precipitation rates, condensed water path, cloud fraction and outgoing radiation fluxes.


Ethnic Fears and Global Engagement: The International Spread and Management of Ethnic Conflict by David A. Lake Donald Rothchild Policy Paper #20 January 1996 David A. Lake University of California, San Diego Donald Rothchild University of California, Davis The authors and IGCC are grateful to the Pew Charitable Trusts for generous support of this project. Author's opinions are their own. Copyright © 1996 by the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation


Induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) for treatment of relapsed leukemia after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation is hindered by the laborious and time-consuming procedure of generating dendritic cells for antigen presentation. Artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) offer the advantage of being readily available in sufficient numbers, thus allowing for a highly standardized in vitro induction of CTLs. We generated aAPCs coated with anti-CD28 antibody (Ab) and either high-density (HD) or low-density (LD) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules loaded with HA-1(H), a nonapeptide derived from the hematopoiesis-restricted minor histocompatibility antigen HA-1. HD- and LD-aAPCs potently induced HA-1(H)-specific CD8+ CTLs from untouched CD8+ T cells of healthy donors. CTLs were subsequently purified by magnetic-activated cell sorting. HD- as well as LD-aAPC-induced CTLs exerted high HA-1H-specific cytotoxicity, resembled T(c)1 effector memory cells, survived a long time in vitro, and were expanded by a factor varying between 8.2 x 10(4) and 51 x 10(4). The T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of HA-1H tetramer-positive CTLs was oligoclonal with a prominent usage of Vbeta6. The TCR repertoire of tetramer-positive CTLs was distinct from and more restricted than that of tetramer-negative cells. These findings indicate that aAPCs are attractive tools for the ex vivo generation of HA-1H-specific CTLs suitable for immunotherapy of relapsed leukemia.


Both elevated intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and maladaptive metacognitive beliefs (MBs) were associated with depression. However, the relationship between MBs and IU in clinical depression is unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the putative impairment of MBs and IU in MDD and explore the relationship between these two factors with depressive symptoms. Metacognition questionnaire (MCQ-30), intolerance of uncertainty scale (IUS-12), and clinical rating scales were administered to 53 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 56 healthy controls (HC). Stepwise regressions were performed to explore independent contributions of MBs and IU on depression. Mediation analysis was used to examine associations among variables. Patients with MDD reported higher IUS-12 and MCQ-30 scores than HCs. Stepwise regressions revealed a unique contribution of negative MBs concerning the consequences of not controlling thoughts (MCQ-NC) on depression symptoms while controlling the effects of age, gender, anxiety symptoms, and IU. MCQ-NC and negative MBs concerning the uncontrollability and danger of negative thinking (MCQ-NEG) completely mediated the effects of IU on depression and anxiety symptoms. Our results provided clear evidence that maladaptive negative MBs are directly associated with depression symptoms, and mediated the effect of IU on depression and anxiety symptoms, suggesting that IU and MBs influence clinical symptoms in a hierarchical manner.


Rat neurointermediate lobes were superfused in vitro and showed a stable secretion rate of MSH after 30 min. MSH secretion from lobes of untreated rats was reversibly inhibited during superfusion with medium containing 45 mM K+. This inhibition could not be induced using lobes from median eminence lesioned or reserpinized rats. Superfusion with 45 mM K+ also induced release of dopamine from lobes preincubated with the labeled transmitter. It is concluded that the MSH-release inhibiting system present in the rat neurointermediate lobe may be identical to the dopaminergic arcuate-intermediate lobe system.


This paper presents a magnetically tuned (MT) multimode VCO featuring an ultrawide frequency tuning range. A switched-triple-shielded transformer is proposed to change the magnetic coupling coefficient between the primary and secondary coils in the transformer tank to greatly increase the frequency tuning range of the dual-band VCO to cover the whole E-band continuously. Fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS process, the MT-VCO measures a frequency tuning range of 41.1% from 57.5 to 90.1 GHz while consuming 7 to 9 mA at 1.2-V supply with chip area of 0.03 mm2. The measured phase noises at 10-MHz offset from carrier frequencies of 58, 72.2, 80.5, and 90.1 GHz, are -107.4, -111.8, -107.8, and -105.1 dBc/Hz, respectively, which correspond to FOMT between -184.2 and -192.2 dBc/Hz.


Abstract Trans-border tourism and second home ownership are growing phenomena around the world. Existing literature discusses the border as an attraction, barrier or opportunity for different types of interactions that cross it including tourism, while the relationship between borders and second home tourism has not received much academic attention. This study explores the role of borders in trans-border second home tourism. We ask: what are the motives for having a second-home in a neighboring country, and how does the border shape second home-related daily life? The study is conducted in Finland, which has recently become an attractive destination for foreign second home owners. The data was collected through interviews with Russian and Norwegian second home owners in areas bordering these countries. The results show that despite major differences in border regimes with Russia and Norway, the state border did not appear as a visible barrier to second home owners, but led to the formation of invisible barriers in both cases. Different types of physical borders formed similar imprints on the lives of second home owners. The foreign second home owners faced cultural and language barriers but at the same time had opportunities for recreation that did not exist in their own country.


On 15 February 2013 (2 February on the Julian Calendar) we celebrated the 100‐year anniversary of the world's first successful experimental plasmapheresis. Scientific research projects in this field were carried out by the Department of Infectious Disease, Russian Imperial Medical Surgical Academy located in Saint‐Petersburg. Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor Vadim A. Yurevich was a Principal Investigator for this research, which in 1913 resulted in the discovery of a new way of treatment. The results were published in Russki Vratch (Russian Physician) Journal no. 18 (1914) – V.A. Yurevich and N.K. Rosenberg "For the Question Regarding Washing of Blood Outside of the Body and the Vitality of Red Blood Cells". There was no terminology offered for this medical innovation at that time. Plasma removal was performed not solely, but in combination with washing of blood cells returned to the patient. Nowadays this combination is still considered to be more effective than separate plasmapheresis. According to the published experimental protocols this new treatment was done on 15 February (2 February on the Julian Calendar or "old style"). One year later in 1914 a famous researcher, John Abel and coauthors, repeated a separate plasma removal treatment with retransfusion of the blood cells and suggested the term "plasmapheresis", which is now official. The article entitled "Plasma Removal With Return of Corpuscles (Plasmapheresis)", written by Abel was published 3 months later than the article by Professor Yurevich. In 1924, Dr Ivan P. Mikhailovskiy repeated experiments by Yurevich and Rosenberg in vivo on a dog model, confirmed the clinical efficiency and developed the methodology in his article "Washing of Blood In Vivo, the Methodology, Problems, and Importance for the Treatment of Toxic Conditions."


A mechanistic drug‐disease model was developed on the basis of a previously published integrated glucose‐insulin model by Jauslin et al. A glucokinase activator was used as a test compound to evaluate the model's ability to identify a drug's mechanism of action and estimate its effects on glucose and insulin profiles following oral glucose tolerance tests. A kinetic‐pharmacodynamic approach was chosen to describe the drug's pharmacodynamic effects in a dose‐response‐time model. Four possible mechanisms of action of antidiabetic drugs were evaluated, and the corresponding affected model parameters were identified: insulin secretion, glucose production, insulin effect on glucose elimination, and insulin‐independent glucose elimination. Inclusion of drug effects in the model at these sites of action was first tested one‐by‐one and then in combination. The results demonstrate the ability of this model to identify the dual mechanism of action of a glucokinase activator and describe and predict its effects: Estimating a stimulating drug effect on insulin secretion and an inhibiting effect on glucose output resulted in a significantly better model fit than any other combination of effect sites. The model may be used for dose finding in early clinical drug development and for gaining more insight into a drug candidate's mechanism of action.


The redshift range from 2.2 to 3 is known as the 'redshift desert' of quasars because quasars with redshifts in this range have similar optical colors as normal stars and are thus difficult to find in optical sky surveys. A quasar candidate, SDSS J085543.40–001517.7, which was selected by a recently proposed criterion involving near-IR Y − K and optical g − z colors, was identified spectroscopically as a new quasar with a redshift of 2.427 by the Guoshoujing Telescope (LAMOST) commis sioning observation in 2009 December and confirmed by the observation made with the NAOC/Xinglong 2.16 m telescope in 2010 March. This quasar was not identified in the SDSS spectroscopic survey. Comparing with other SDSS quasars, we found that this new quasar, with an i magnitude of 16.44, is apparently the brightest one in the redshift range from 2.3 to 2.7. From its spectral properties, we derived its central black hole mass to be (1.4 ∼ 3.9) × 10 10 M ⊙ and its bolometric luminosity to be 3.7 × 10 48 erg s −1 , which indicates that this new quasar is intrinsically very bright and belongs to the class of the most luminous quasars in the universe. Our identification supports the notion that quasars in the redshift desert can be found by the quasar selection criterion involving the near-IR colors. More missing quasars are expected to be uncovered by future LAMOST spectroscopic surveys, which is important to the study of the cosmological evolution of quasars at redshifts higher than 2.2.


Matter of Redox Reaction has conceptual and symbolic characteristic, therefore student was claimed to understanding the concept. Quantum teaching model of learning using concept map approach could give compatible condition for student to actively involved into learning process through experiencing and reaching their own knowledge so that positively impact to student conceptual understanding. The aim of this research was to developing knowledge and thinking skill to understanding chemistry concept. In form of quasi experimental, posttest only control group design was carried out. Sample consist of two class was selected by saturated sampling, experimental class was learned by quantum teaching model of learning using concept map approach and control class was learned by conventional method and concept map approach. Data collected by reasoning objective test for student conceptual understanding measurement. The data was analyzed by t-test for hypothesis test. Based on conceptual understanding data analysis on significance level 5%, it was obtained t hitung <t tabel (0,558 < 1,995). This research showed that quantum teaching model of learning using concept map approach was not influence student conceptual understanding in reqox reaction matter of learning.


Metastasis is the major process responsible for the death in cancer patients. In the search for more effective antineoplasic drugs, many substances are under investigation, among them lapachol. This study aims to examine the molecular and morphological alterations caused by lapachol treatment, as well as its effects on the intrinsic tissue invasive property of this cell line. HeLa cells were exposed to different concentrations of lapachol, and the resulting alterations on cellular protein profile, morphology and invasiveness property were studied. At 400 microg/ml, cellular viability remains unchanged, but lapachol induces alterations in the protein profile and inhibits the invasiveness of HeLa cells in CAM model. With these results, we can conclude that lapachol has a great potential of application in fighting metastasis.


Purpose: Study aims to correlate serum vitamin D level to disease severity in children with vernal keratoconjunctivitis.
Materials and Methods: 50 patients in the age group between 5-15 years attending the out patient department of Ophthalmology from December 2017 to March 2018 were enrolled in the study. After detailed evaluation, vernal keratoconjunctivitis diagnosed based on signs and symptoms. Severity of the disease documented. Patients were started on treatment for vernal keratoconjunctivitis. Serum vitamin D level was obtained for all the patients. Patients with low level vitamin D were noted and treated for the same. Data collected and analysed using descriptive statistics.
Results: Out of 50 patients, 36 were males and 14 were females. Mean age of presentation was 13 years. Serum vitamin D was less than 20ng/mL in 38 (76%) patients. In patients with mild to moderate disease it was between 10-20ng/mL and was significantly lower (
Conclusion: Children with vernal keratoconjunctivitis have low vitamin D level as a consequence of sun exposure avoidance due to intense photophobia and pruiritis. Evaluation of vitamin D level in vernal keratoconjunctivitis patients can help in early diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: Disease severity, Serum vitamin D, Vernal keratoconjunctivitis.


Over the last years, an increasing number of safety-critical tasks have been demanded of computer systems. In particular, safety-critical computer-based applications are hitting markets where costs is a major issue, and thus solutions are required which conjugate fault tolerance with low costs. In this paper, a software-based approach for developing safety-critical applications is analyzed. By exploiting an ad-hoc tool implementing the proposed technique, several benchmark applications have been hardened against transient errors. Fault injection campaigns have been performed to evaluate the fault detection capability of the hardened applications. Moreover, a comparison of the proposed techniques with the Algorithm-Based Fault Tolerance (ABFT) approach is proposed. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is far more effective than ABFT in terms of fault detection capability when injecting transient faults in data and code memory, at a cost of an increased memory overhead. Moreover, the performance penalty introduced by the proposed technique is comparable, and sometimes lower, than that ABFT requires.


Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) has been reported to be associated with impaired prognosis for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the latent mechanism is unclear. Polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs) induce immune suppression in CHB and promote the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Lectin-type oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) was recently identified as a specific marker for PMN-MSDC. We found NPC survivors with CHB had high levels of LOX-1+ PMN-MDSCs. LOX-1+ PMN-MDSCs significantly reduced T cell proliferation and activation. Endoplasmic reticulum stress was induced in LOX-1+ PMN-MDSCs. In addition, LOX-1+ PMN-MDSCs increased their expression of NOX2, a key reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes, and levels of ROS illustrated by the DCFDA test. The ROS inhibitor N-acetylcysteine abrogated the suppression of LOX-1+ PMN-MDSCs on T cell activation. The EBV DNA-positivity rate was higher in NPC survivors with CHB than in NPC patients without CHB. Those presenting with positive EBV DNA displayed higher LOX-1+ PMN-MDSC levels. LOX-1+ PMN-MDSCs suppressed the CD8+ T cell response against EBV. This study revealed LOX-1+ PMN-MDSC accumulation and activation in NPC survivors with CHB. LOX-1+ PMN-MDSCs might suppress the host immune response to EBV through ER stress/ROS pathway. These results explained the association of CHB with unfavorable NPC prognosis.