The Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and satellite image data can provide useful information for detection and management of both human and animal diseases outbreaks. The satellite surveillance can be used for monitoring of several environmental variables such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed and direction etc that influences the activity of pathogens, vectors and their interactions with human and animal hosts. By statistical analysis of satellite surveillance data the models based on geographic and vegetation of a particular landscape providing conducive environment to pathogens, spatial and temporal factors determining the distribution of disease can be framed. The GIS data analysis may help in several aspects during outbreak such as identification and spread of diseases over time, population groups at risk, patterns of disease outbreaks, facility available to healthcare and program intervention planning and assessment in disease outbreak. The satellite surveillance have been used in study of several water and vector borne diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, leptospirosis, Rift Valley Fever, Foot and mouth disease, bluetongue, West Nile Virus disease, Japanese encephalitis etc. The remote sensing and GIS data analysis is proved as powerful tools for disease surveillance, predicting its outbreaks, and monitoring control programs.


The focus of this paper is on the presence of economies of scale in administering pension funds. We make use of a unique dataset with extensive information on South African retirement funds from 1996 to 2006. For almost fifty years now, South Africa has operated under a system with small social security beneÂ…ts but with considerable options and freedom to long-term savers. The dataset contains aggregate information for various fund types, fund classes, as well as different benefit structures. Estimates of a translog cost function provide evidence of unused economies of scale in the industry. We also find that established funds have a substantial cost-advantage over young funds.


Abstract Antagonistic interactions between insects and amphibians are the subject of many scientific articles, mostly concerning amphibian predation on insect, but many fewer examples exist of the opposite situation. In this article we review available information from the literature and add our own observations collected during amphibian pitfall trap monitoring in 2012–2016 in Western Poland, as well as discuss potential conservation implications of observed behavior. We identified a total of 29 cases involving 94 individual ants attacking four species of Anura, Rana temporaria, Pelophylax esculentus complex, Bufo bufo, and Pelobates fuscus, and biting their back, cloaca, armpits, or hind legs. Bites were inflicted by three ant species: Myrmica rubra, Lasius fuliginosus, and Formica polyctena. The number of ants found on an amphibian was positively and significantly correlated with its body length. To date, direct damage by ants on amphibians was reported mainly from the tropics in general predation accident. However, as we document here, it is probably a more common phenomenon, especially in some ecological traps or during pitfall trapping, which is a common method to mitigate road mortality of frogs and toads.


This study investigated relationships between social variables and body mass index (BMI) in 2465 men and 2792 women aged 25 to 74 in six upper midwestern communities. After controlling for age and cigarette smoking status, BMI was significantly related to education, income, occupation, and marital status in both men and women. SES variables tended to be inversely related to BMI, with a steeper gradient for women than for men. A curvilinear trend was noted, however, in that social status tended to be lower at both ends of weight distribution than in the middle. The relationship between marital status and BMI was also found to be curvilinear. Highest rates of marriage were in the middle portion of the weight distribution for both sexes.


INTRODUCTION
Anxiety and depression are found in 20-30% of all persons with heart disease, and depression is known to impact mortality. This paper aimed to describe the effect of systematic screening of this population in terms of use of general practice, psychological therapy and antidepressant treatment.

METHODS
A population-based cohort study was conducted in 2011-2013 comprising 1,658 people with heart disease treated at a Danish regional hospital. Collected data were based on Danish national registers and patient questionnaires.

RESULTS
Patients with heart disease and anxiety or depressive symptoms had more general practitioner (GP) contact rates than patients without anxiety or depressive symptoms both before and after the screening. Furthermore, patients with depressive symptoms increased their GP contact rate significantly in the first month after the screening, while this was not the case for patients with anxiety symptoms. Finally, patients with heart disease and anxiety or depressive symptoms more frequently initiated treatment with antidepressants than patients with heart disease without anxiety or depressive symptoms, whereas therapy sessions with a psychologist were rarely used.

CONCLUSIONS
Heart patients with depressive symptoms may benefit from screening for depression, information about the screening result and a subsequent recommendation to consult their GP in case of signs of depression. -However, the observed effect seems to be modest.

FUNDING
The study was supported by an unrestricted grant from the Lundbeck Foundation (grant number: R155-2012-11280).

TRIAL REGISTRATION
none.


A good professional-patient relationship is important to clinical practice, which may be compromised by deception. Deception research in physical therapy is scant. The current study investigated how the topic of patient deception is addressed in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) educational curriculum, explore DPT students' beliefs about deception and attitudes toward patient deception, and examine the effects of a pedagogical intervention on DPT students' beliefs about deception and attitudes toward patient deception. The first objective was pursued by a descriptive survey sent to 217 DPT programs in the US. The second and third objectives were achieved by one-group pretest-posttest design provided to 17 DPT students before and after an educational workshop. Most DPT programs minimally include the topic of patient deception within their curriculum. DPT students held several inaccurate beliefs about the indicators of deception and negative attitudes toward patients who lied. After the educational intervention, students' inaccurate beliefs were corrected and negative attitudes were reduced. Patient deception seems to be an under-addressed topic in current physical therapy education. An education workshop improved students' beliefs about deception and attitudes toward to patient deception. Implications of deception research and theory in the applied practice of physical therapy are discussed.


Introduction: Accurate information about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is important for prevention of this life-threatening disease. This study sought to determine the knowledge and attitudes of 224 patients, aged between (18 years and 65 years) attending the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Dental Center.

Material and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire containing questions on general knowledge about AIDS, modes of transmission and misconceptions was used. The data was analyzed using Epi-info statistical software.

Results: The study revealed that 90% of the respondents knew what AIDS was and how to protect themselves against the virus but only 58% rated their knowledge as being a lot. The highly educated had lower scores in misconceptions on HIV modes of transmission although more of them felt the virus could be acquired through casual contact with an infected person. Seventy-five percent of the highly educated respondents wanted to know more about AIDS when compared to 50% of the less educated counterparts. More of the less educated replied they were at no risk of acquiring the virus. Concerning attitudes, 17% were not willing to be tested for HIV and only 66% responded they would accept an AIDS vaccine were one to exist presently. Ninety percent believed doctors were their most reliable source of information concerning AIDS. More males (98%) than females (84%) wanted to know more about AIDS.

Conclusion: Knowledge of HIV/AIDS is high especially among the highly educated adults attending the LUTH dental center. General knowledge on HIV/AIDS among the less educated needs to be emphasized. Also knowledge of methods of transmission of the HIV should be improved upon among both the less and well educated groups. There is a need to change the attitude towards taking an HIV test and receiving a vaccine were one to be available now. The dental community needs to raise its visibility and be involved in the enlightenment of the public on HIV/AIDS and its control programs.
 NQJHM Vol. 15 (2) 2005: pp. 92-97


Alcohol abuse increases the risk of developing the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) ˜ 3-fold in septic patients. We have shown that chronic ethanol ingestion in rats impairs alveolar epithelial barrier function and increases sepsis-mediated acute lung injury in vivo. Recently we determined that ethanol-induced alveolar epithelial dysfunction is corrected by treatment with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Interestingly, a Phase II clinical trial from Australia published in 2002 suggested that GM-CSF decreased acute lung injury in patients with severe sepsis. Although that study did not evaluate which of these patients might have had underlying alcohol abuse, these results nevertheless raise the exciting possibility that GM-CSF could be an effective therapy in patients at risk for ARDS. Further, we hypothesize that GM-CSF treatment could be particularly effective in septic patients with underlying alveolar epithelial dysfunction secondary to alcohol abuse. To test this hypothesis experimentally we employed a cecal ligation and perforation (CLP) model of sepsis in rats fed an isocaloric liquid diet containing either ethanol or maltin-dextrin (control diet) for 6 weeks. Rats were treated with recombinant rat GM-CSF (500 ng in saline) or saline vehicle alone intranasally × 3 doses starting 48 hours prior to CLP surgery and then sacrificed after 18 hours of severe sepsis (manifested by hypotension and lactic acidemia). We determined that GM-CSF treatment significantly (p < .05) decreased acute lung injury as reflected by lung edema (wet:dry ratios) and alveolar epithelial protein leak. In fact, ethanol-fed rats treated with GM-CSF had the same (p > .05) degree of sepsis-mediated lung injury as control-fed rats. We conclude that GM-CSF treatment significantly decreases sepsis-mediated acute lung injury in ethanol-fed rats. Based on these findings in a relevant experimental model, we speculate that GM-CSF treatment could significantly decrease the morbidity and even the mortality of acute lung injury in alcoholic patients. Although this needs to be tested in future clinical trials, this targeted approach to alveolar epithelial dysfunction is promising in this vulnerable population who have an ˜ 70% chance of developing ARDS during sepsis and for whom we have no effective therapies other than supportive care.


Because of the high possibility of uncertain production disturbances, an established optimized schedule may not keep its optimality or even feasibility. Production rescheduling, which gives attention to both optimal scheduling and dynamic scheduling, is proposed in this background. One of the most important issues in rescheduling research is the rescheduling strategy that refers to rescheduling start-up decision making and rescheduling methodology adoption. It is ill structured, and involves some fuzzy and random information. In order to solve it, a fuzzy Petri net model for rescheduling (FPN-R) is proposed. Based on it, a fuzzy reasoning approach for rescheduling decision-making is discussed. Finally, a case study from a wafer fabrication plant is used to show the application and feasibility of the proposed FPN-R model and reasoning approach.


Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by abnormal hyperplasia of granulocytes. Though not one of the common signs and symptoms, extramedullary hematopoiesis (EMH) can be associated with CML. Here we report a rare case of extramedullary hematopoietic infiltration of the ovaries in a patient with known CML who presented with rapidly developing adnexal masses.


This paper uses a twin construct to test how the thickness of the veil of ignorance (VOI) affects the perception of fairness and redistributional choices. A fortune reversal is generally perceived to be fair behind a thick VOI, but deemed unfair behind a transparent VOI, particularly if one is currently in a stronger social position. A significant association exists between the perception of fairness and the certainty levels about social position. A 50-50 split is preferred with thicker VOI; whilst the status quo is favoured with thinner VOI. Regardless of the VOI's thickness, few opt for a winner-take-all redistribution.


Adolescent alcohol and tobacco use are significant public health problems. Many known family, parent, peer, and intrapersonal predictors are difficult to change and/or are not very discriminating. Possible selves, highly personalized cognitions about the self in the future, have been consistently shown to predict behavior, but have been underexplored in relation to adolescent alcohol and tobacco use. Because possible selves are modifiable, particularly in the formative stages of development, our objective was to determine the prospective influence of several possible self properties on adolescent alcohol consumption and alcohol problems and to determine whether an expected possible self as a "drinker" predicts tobacco use after controlling for alcohol consumption. A secondary analysis of data from 137 adolescents across the transition from 8th grade to 9th grade was conducted. Properties of the total array of possible selves (number of hoped-for, feared, and expected possible selves and the number of balanced hoped-for/feared possible self pairs) and properties of a single content domain (related to alcohol and the most important possible self) in 8th grade were predictors. Outcomes were 9th grade level of alcohol consumption, degree of alcohol problems, and lifetime tobacco use. Controlling for family structure, family cohesion, parental alcohol problems, friend influence, gender, and baseline behavior (all measured in 8th grade), having an expected possible self as a "drinker" predicted higher alcohol consumption and more alcohol problems in 9th grade. In contrast, having many hoped-for possible selves, having a most important hoped-for or feared possible self related to academics, and having a feared possible self as a "drinker" were protective. We also found that having an expected possible self as a "drinker" in 8th grade predicted tobacco use in 9th grade, even controlling for concurrent (9th grade) alcohol consumption, family structure, family cohesion, parental alcohol problems, friend influence, gender (all measured in 8th grade). Findings suggest that possible selves may be an important prospective predictor of alcohol and tobacco use. Interventions to foster expectations in healthy domains, highlight the negative consequences of drinking, and fostering the importance and personal relevance of academics may reduce adolescent alcohol and tobacco use.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between designated corporate governance attributes and the degree of earnings management in selected quoted companies in Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach
In total, 70 listed companies in Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) were selected based on the highest market capitalisation for the period covering from 2015 to 2017 and representing beverage, food and tobacco, diversified, hotel and travel, manufacturing, oil palms and health care sectors, which accounted for 59.9 per cent of the total market capitalisation of CSE.

Findings
This study found a positive relationship between CEO-Chair duality and earnings management.

Practical implications
The insights may also provide investors, economic analysts and regulators with early caution indicators of potential problems in a corporation regarding corporate governance failures and aid stakeholders in assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of the board and corporate governance structure and earnings management methods.

Originality/value
This study extends the extant research on board characteristics and real earnings management by adopting prominent research design and modernised data. This study offers evidence on how selected audit and board committee's characteristics influence real earnings management practices.


Concerned people in the United States now have a far more accessible opportunity to assume an important role in the conservation efforts for the critically endangered Blue-throated Macaws in Bolivia. To help in Saving the BluesDin Bolivia, Bird Endowment's exclusive new El Beni-Factor Nido AdoptivoD program provides participants the opportunity of a regular IRS deduction for donating to the U.S. 501 (c)(3) non-profit (mostly unavailable when made directly to foreign organizations), while avoiding government scrutiny associated with supporting foreign organizations. Nido Adoptivop a nest box adoption program, was developed in a cooperative effort between Bird Endowment, recognized for its efforts in captive breeding conservation of the Blue-throated Macaw and Armenia I Laro Parque Fundacion Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Program, the primary recovery agent for the wild macaws in Bolivia.  Each participant in the Nido Adoptivooprogram will be honored as a Beni-FactorD Additionally, this year's donors ($250 for each Nido Adoptive p will be honored in future years as Founders of the annual program. Armenia and Laro Parque Fundacion were the driving force behind completion of the Blue-throated Macaw Species Recovery Plan. As part of that Species Recovery Plan's priority actions, 20 wooden nest boxes were placed in the Loreto area for the 2005/6 breeding season. The loss of suitable tree nesting cavities appeared to be a limiting factor for the populations of hole nesting birds in lowland Bolivian savannahs, particularly the Blue-throated Macaw in the Beni Department, A. Bennett Hennessey, executive director of Asociacion Armenia, told the Bird Endowment's Laney Rickman. He suspects years of grass burning, cattle foraging, past cavity destruction by poachers and human hardwood usage are responsible for the severely limited number of ideal nest cavities in the range. The boxes were an immediate success, with various species of macaws (and some ducks) possessing the boxes right away. Of the 20 boxes, one was hijacked by wasps and 18 were used by birds; 13 by Blue-and-yellow Macaws, Ara ararauna, three by White-eyed Parakeets, Aratinga leucophthalmus, one by Chestnut-fronted Macaws, A. severus (later expelled by Blue-and-yellow Macaws), and one by Blue-throated Macaws, which laid two eggs. However, the Blue-throated Macaw nest was unsuccessful, possibly because of predation by Toco Toucans, Ramphastos taco, and the box was later used by Blueand-yellow Macaws. On four occasions there was nest site competition between the Blue-throated Macaw and the Blue-andyellow Macaw (the Blue-and-yellow Macaw always won the site). IDhis high response demonstrates that adequate nest cavities are in short supply, rsavs Hennessey.  What we previously thought, that the Motacu palm is the favorite nesting site of the macaw, now we believe is more of a last resort. The usage of the boxes appears to indicate that appropriate nesting cavities for the Blue-throated Macaw is a limiting factor in its reproduction and that the augmentation of better nesting cavities can improve the reproduction of the wild populatlon.tsays David Waugh, the Environment Director at Laro Parque Fundacion and, along with Hennessey, a program supervisor of the joint Bluethroated effort in Bolivia. tfl in every ten boxes we can help one pair of Blue-throated Macaws breed, then we have made a substantial improvement to the population and the macaws future.Isays Hennessey. The results of the experiment clearly show nest competition in Beni to be extremely high. There is a risk that the provision of nest boxes will favor the more aggressive species over the Blue-throated Macaws. In response, boxes in the Beni-Factor Nido AdoptivoD program will be designed to favor the Blue-throated Macaws and deter or exclude competitor species.


We have investigated theoretically and experimentally the nonlinear propagation of intense elliptically polarized light pulses along a fourfold axis of the cubic crystal BaF2. Third-order nonlinear optical processes generate a cross-polarized wave, an effect that presents significant possibilities for application in femtosecond pulse contrast enhancement. The experimental setup consists of an input linear polarized light that passes through a cubic crystal sandwiched between two crossed quarter-wave plates. The exit orthogonal polarization-state production amount is measured at the output of an analyzer. When the light impinging on the sample is elliptically polarized with a quarter-wave plate at 22.5 deg, the achieved efficiency reaches 15%. It is more than twice that of a conventional polarization filter based on nonlinear ellipse rotation in an isotropic medium. This device is compared with previously reported polarization filtering [J. Opt. Soc. Am. B21, 1659 (2004)], in which a linearly polarized light produced a perpendicular field component. The theoretical model describes in detail the obtained dependencies and allows the different nonlinear processes that contribute to the generation of a cross-polarized wave to be distinguished. Possible applications are discussed.


BACKGROUND
Schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) is a cluster A personality disorder affecting 1.0% of general population, characterised by disturbances in cognition and reality testing dimensions, affect regulation, and interpersonal function. SPD shares similar but attenuated phenomenological, genetic, and neurobiological abnormalities with schizophrenia (SCZ) and is described as part of schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

OBJECTIVE
Aim of this work was to identify the major neural correlates of SPD.

METHODS
This is a systematic review conducted according to PRISMA statement. The protocol was prospectively registered in PROSPERO - International prospective register of systematic reviews. The review was performed to summarise the most comprehensive and updated evidence on functional neuroimaging and neurophysiology findings obtained through different techniques (DW-MRI, DTI, PET, SPECT, fMRI, MRS, EEG) in individuals with SPD.

RESULTS
Of the 52 studies included in this review, 9 were on DW-MRI and DTI, 11 were on PET and SPECT, 11 were on fMRI and MRS, and 21 were on EEG. It was complex to synthesise all the functional abnormalities found into a single, unified, pathogenetic pathway, but a common theme emerged: the dysfunction of brain circuits including striatal, frontal, temporal, limbic regions (and their networks) together with a dysregulation along the dopaminergic pathways.

CONCLUSION
Brain abnormalities in SPD are similar, but less marked, than those found in SCZ. Furthermore, different patterns of functional abnormalities in SPD and SCZ have been found, confirming the previous literature on the 'presence' of possible compensatory factors, protecting individuals with SPD from frank psychosis and providing diagnostic specificity.


Background: In the time of confinement, a reduction of physical activities, unhealthy diet, sedentary behavior, and an increase in sitting time will contribute to weight change. During these stressful times, individuals might have a greater concern about their body image and weight. Therefore, the first objective of the current study is to evaluate the impact of confinement during the COVID-19 outbreak on weight variation. The second objective is to evaluate factors associated with weight perception among a sample of the Lebanese population.Method: A cross-sectional web-based online survey, carried out between 3 and 18 April, 2020, enrolled 407 participants. Due to the confinement situation, the height and weight of the participants were estimated by them themselves. The variation of declared BMI was calculated by taking away the weight estimated during the confinement from the weight estimated before the confinement. The perception of weight change was assessed using one dichotomized question (positive/negative). Results: No significant variation was found for the BMI before and during the confinement (p=0.40). A perceived weight change was found in 212 (52.1%) participants. Multivariable analysis showed that longer duration of confinement (Beta=-0.01), higher restraint (Beta=-0.21), higher physical activity (Beta=-0.006) and low income (Beta=-0.59) were significantly associated with a lower BMI variation. When taking perceived weight change as the dependent variable, the results showed that a higher fear of COVID-19 score (ORa=0.96) was significantly associated with lower positive weight change perception. However, higher confinement duration (ORa=1.07), higher anxiety (ORa=1.05) and higher eating concern (ORa=1.81) were significantly associated with greater weight change perception.Conclusion: Our main results indicate that no significant change in weight was detected before and during confinement. The fear of COVID -19 was not related to weight change; however, a negative association was found with weight perception. Also, longer duration of confinement were associated with a lower declared BMI variation and greater weight change perception. These results are a step forward to understand the long-term effects of confinement on physical and psychological health.


This paper examines the one-to-one-to-one correspondence between threshold graphs, Betti numbers of quotients of polynomial rings by 2-linear ideals, and anti-lecture hall compositions. In particular, we establish new explicit combinatorial mappings between each of these classes of objects and calculate the expected values of the Betti numbers and anti-lecture hall composition corresponding to a random threshold graph.


This chapter discusses the main features of Article 102 of the Treaty of Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which is concerned with the abusive conduct of dominant firms. It begins by discussing the meaning of 'undertaking' and 'effect on trade between Member States' in the context of Article 102. It then considers what is meant by a dominant position and looks at the requirement that any dominant position must be held in a substantial part of the internal market. Thereafter it discusses some general considerations relevant to the concept of abuse of dominance, followed by an explanation of what is meant by 'exploitative', 'exclusionary' and 'single market' abuses. It then discusses possible defences to allegations of abuse, and concludes by considering the consequences of infringing Article 102.


The role distribution of man and women in a society (the gender structure) which is shaped by socio-economic and cultural structure of that society, is one of the important factors affecting fertility behaviour. This gender structure shows differences between developed and developing countries; i.e. each member of these groups have similar charteristics depending on the classification. According to the research results in literature, being man and woman leads to diversities in educational and working statuses of sexes in any community, however this variance of sexes can be seen sharply when developed and developing countries are compared. It has been tried to found out how it affects the fertility outcomes in different patterns of it. The aim of this experimental study is to present the effect of gender structure on fertility behaviour of family in developing countries. To achieve this, the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data of 16 developing countries, representing all continents, have been chosen by preferring survey dates and survey models used which show closeness. Collected data of the following 16 countries having time intervals in 19921997 have been fulfiling the criteria. These countires are Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe. It is clear that these countries have different socio-cultural and economic structures. Because of the feature of experimental studies, variables such as cultural factors and religion which might affect the fertility trends would be held constant. Gender system would be analysed by looking at the patterns of socio-economic levels or categories (place of residence, level of education, current working status -labour force participation rateand occupation type) for men and women (in this study, for women and her husband -DHS data include only education and occupation related variables for both of them-). In the literature, it has been usually assigned to woman (the wife), however, the study results show that the education levels and labour force participation rates of husband are also low in developing countries. The fertility rates of women and their husband are quite higher compared to the data of European Union countries which are given as examples to developed countries in the study. The differences between the fertility rates of hypothetical countries confirm the hypotheses of the study. If the level of education and labour force participation increases, and if education required jobs are carried out, the fertility rates decrease in these countries. According to the study results, the fertility rate in developing countries is determined not only by the socio-economic status (S.E.S) of women but also by the socioeconomic status of men. Husbands also live in the same or similar socio-economic conditions and cultural envirement. These results are also identical in the developed Europian countries; however, women and men have higher S.E.S levels. It has also been observed that socio-economic state of women and husband cannot be seperated. Thus, if empowerment of women in developing countries is required, husbands of these women would also be empowered. In general, if the point is to explain the fertility trends and factors, family, as a result, should not be separeted into two.


Consumption and related waste production is an integral part of our daily lives. The waste generation worldwide depends on the economic strength of the given region/country, and it increases from year to year. More and more attention is drawn to the re-use, recycling, reutilization of the waste which are driven mainly by environmental concerns and economic interests. Regional waste management systems have been established in Hungary with the support of EU funds, which process the waste according to European standards. In addition to this in January 2013 new Waste Management Act was introduced in Hungary, with the main objectives to increase the rate of recycling and to significantly decrease the proportion and amount of waste taken for final disposal at landfill sites. By the development of waste handling techniques and the harmonisation of the legal environment and instruments to the European standards the Hungarian waste management has achieved a restructuring phase, where the core issues of the sustainable waste management are considered and implemented.


Introduction Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease, caused by the expansion of a CAG repeat within exon 1 of IT15 gene. HD exhibits the typical phenomenon of genetic anticipation and the symptoms of the disease appear earlier and more severe in subsequent generations due to meiotic instability. The CAG repeat accounts only for approximately 56%–70% of the variation in age at onset in HD. It is likely that modifying genetic variations, which segregate independently from the primary mutation, could influence the age at onset. Aims of the study Genetic, pathological, and clinical similarities exist between HD and spino-cerebellar ataxias (SCAs). In this study, seven SCAs genes have been studied as modifiers of age at onset in a cohort of HD patients. Materials and Methods We enrolled 50 HD patients. For every HD subject, CAG repeats have been measured on the larger allele of ATXN1, ATXN2, ATXN3, CACNA1A, ATXN7, PPP2R2B, and TBP genes. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the effects of CAG repeats in SCAs genes on age at motor, cognitive and psychiatric onset in HD patients. Results We did not find extensive correlations between CAG repeats in SCA genes and age at onset of HD. The only exceptions were represented by ATXN2 and CACNA1 genes for age at motor onset, and ATXN2 for age at psychiatric onset. When a multiple regression model was tested, a small additional effect on age at motor onset was identified only for CACNA1A. CAG repeats in expanded HD gene and larger CACNA1A alleles account for 64% of age at motor onset in HD patients. Conclusions CACNA1A gene could represent a mild genetic modifier of age at onset in HD patients. Further studies, conducted on larger HD patients' cohorts, are needed to confirm our data.


Anderson proposed three genetic diseases deficient in enzymes involved in purine metabolism as candidate for human gene therapy in 1984. Over the past ten years, marked advances in molecular genetics have brought gene therapy to reality. Gene therapy for ADA deficiency was performedin the United States in 1990 and in Japan in 1995 as the first trial. Basic study for HPRT gene transfer has been proceeding toward gene therapy for HPRT deficiency despite the difficulties in gene transfer into the nervous systems.


The environmental challenges facing the state are numerous. In terms of the prioritization, erosion and waste management are of high priority, flooding and deforestation have medium priority while industrial pollution and biodiversity loss have low priority. State has environmental laws, but they cannot be meaningfully helpful unless their effective implementation is secured by the efforts of enforcement agencies and lawyers who deliver environmental justice. Unfortunately, lack of exposure to environmental law by members of the judiciary and most legal practitioners in the state hinders its proper implementation. The sample for this study was 121 participants drawn through convenience sampling technique. This consists of 25 legal practitioners, 25 environmentalist and 71 others from different professional areas. The instrument for data collection was a 22-item questionnaire which was made up three parts. While the legal practitioners were of the opinion that they are doing their best, the result revealed that both the environmentalists and other professionals who need the services of the legal practitioners rated their performance to be very low. Appropriate training and awareness programmes are therefore recommended so that lawyers would be better grounded to discharge this onerous duty in the state.


A novel refractive index sensor based on one-dimensional photonic crystal non-complete surface defect is introduced and the principle and the method of the sensor are discussed. The experiment system used to detect the refractive index was constructed to get high resolution and high Q-value. The sensor is verified by detecting the dimethyl sulphone solution. The experimental result indicates that this refractive index sensor's sensitivity is 3 025 nm x RIU(-1), and when the resolution of spectrometer is 0.01 nm the resolution of this sensor is 3.3 x 10(-6) RIU. The Q value of this sensor is 260, and the sensor has good linearity in 1.4-1.42 range (the linearity is 0.991 27). It was analyzed how the photonic crystal periodicity and liquid thickness affect the Q value of the sensor. The result proved that this kind of total reflection photonic crystal surface wave sensor is label free, which is similar with SPR sensor, and the sensor has high resolution, high Q-value and has real-time survey characteristic.


We address the issues in recognition of a large number of subword units of speech with high confusability among several units. Evidence available from the classification models trained with a limited number of training examples may not be strong to correctly recognize the subword units. We present a constraint satisfaction neural network model that can be used to enhance the evidence for a particular unit with the supporting evidence available for a subset of units confusable with that unit. We demonstrate the enhancement of evidence by the proposed model in recognition of utterances of 145 consonant-vowel units.


Along with the increase in reported figures of depression in the world's population, organizations such as the WHO have begun to promote screening and pharmacological treatment of mild symptomatic cases. The problem in this context is that the manifestations of 'normal' and 'pathological' depressive mood do not differ much from each other, which creates difficulties at a diagnostic and scientific level. This article explores an approach that could facilitate the clinical and scientific task of differentiating between non-specific affective disturbances (depressive mood) and depression as an illness as such. It is proposed that various causal stressors interact with individual predispositions to trigger a transient change in mood as an adaptive response. In turn, the greater the intensity of the stressors (psychological, social, etc.), the greater the neuroinflammation, which would diminish neuronal plasticity and the possibilities of mood compensation and behavioral change of the subject. The existence of this neurobiological alteration (decreased neuronal plasticity), rather than depressive mood, would help us to categorize depression as a disease.


Introduction: Silent cerebral microbleeds (CMB) are common in Moyamoya Disease (MMD) and Moyamoya syndrome (MMS) in Asia. The incidence was reported to be 30-40%. The presence of CMB was found to be a predictor for subsequent cerebral hemorrhage in MMD. The significance of CMB in MMD/MMS in non-Asian population has not been reported. We try to investigate the prevalence of CMB in MMD/MMS in United States and its predictive value for subsequent cerebral hemorrhage. Methods: Moyamoya Database was established in our institution after reviewing patients with ICD9 code of Moyamoya Disease or Moyamoya Syndrome or cerebrovascular occlusive disease from 2007 to 2015. Patients in the database were reviewed retrospectively and included in the study if there were MR images (including GRE, SWI or T2* sequences) at diagnosis or during follow up and available for review. Patients with poor image quality were excluded. Patients were noted to have microbleeds if it was found on initial or follow up MRI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify clinical and imaging predictors of CMB. Results: Sixty-three females and fourteen males were included with average age of 39 ± 13 at the time of diagnosis. The majorities were MMD (79.2%) and presented with ischemic events (79.2%). Hemorrhagic stroke was found in 9 (11.7%) patients before diagnosis. Ethnicity included Caucasian (61%), Asian (10.4%), Black (11.7%), and Hispanic (16.9%). Of total 77 patients, 7 (9.1%) had CMB but none of them presented with hemorrhagic stroke. During follow up of average 36 ± 29 months in these 7 patients, no cerebral hemorrhage was reported while ischemic events occurred in 2 (28.6%) patients. Of 70 patients without CMB, 51 had follow up of average 47 ± 46 months. One (2%) had cerebral hemorrhage while 12 (23.5%) had ischemic events. No independent predictors for CMB were identified among age, gender, ethnicity, etiology, presenting stroke, and comorbidities. Conclusions: Silent CMB was less prevalent in MMD/MMS in United States than in Asia. No specific risk factors were identified to be associated with the presence of silent CMB. It was not associated with increased risk of subsequent cerebral hemorrhage in non-Asian population. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene polymorphism in giant cell arteritis (GCA).

METHODS
Eighty-three patients with biopsy-proven GCA, 20 of them with visual ischemic complications, and 122 healthy matched controls from the Lugo region of Northwest Spain were studied. Patients and controls were genotyped for a single nucleotide polymorphism in the 5'-flanking region at position -173 of the MIF gene, using SNapshot ddNTP primer extension, followed by capillary electrophoresis (ABI 3100).

RESULTS
No significant differences in MIF gene polymorphism were observed in patients with biopsy-proven GCA compared to controls. This was also the case when GCA patients with or without visual ischemic complications were compared.

CONCLUSION
Polymorphism in MIF gene promoter -173 G/C does not appear to be a genetic risk factor for GCA in Northwest Spain.


The authors present in detail a fully adiabatic description of Na(32P)-He and Na(32P)-Ar collisions. The study reveals the presence in the long-range region of a strong non-adiabatic parity-dependent coupling. This parity-dependent coupling makes an important contribution to the intramultiplet transition cross section, is the origin of the dissimilar energy dependence of the Na-He and Na-Ar cross sections, and contributes to the sigma +/ sigma - asymmetry observed in the scattering of oriented alkali 2P atoms with noble gases.


The rice ( Oryza sativa L.), is one of the cereals of greater production worldwide. Cuba is one of the highest consumer countries in Latin America; with values of around 72 kg per capita per year. So far, the national production only satisfies 50 % of the needs. In spite of the large amount of resources that are destined to the production of rice cultivation, the yields that are currently obtained do not satisfy the existing demand nor are economically justified. The present work was developed with the objective of applying the DSSAT crop simulation model to estimate the optimal nitrogen fertilizer dose based on the expected yield of the rice variety J-104. To calibrate the model, three experiments were evaluated in the Los Palacios Base Scientific Technological Unit, belonging to the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences (INCA), in different sowing dates. For the simulation, the runs of the model were made for different doses of nitrogen, varying them from 150 to 200 kg ha -1 , with an interval of 10 kg ha -1 and the other parameters of the model were kept constant. The results show that the model is able to describe adequately the dependence of the yields with the level of nitrogen applied and the recommended dose to obtain the best yields.


Since Aromatic hydrocarbons are recalcitrant and toxic, strategies to remove them are needed. The aim of this work was to isolate fungi capable of using aromatic hydrocarbons as carbon sources. Two isolates from an oil polluted site in Mexico were identified through morphological and molecular markers as a novel Rhodotorula sp. and an Exophiala sp. Both strains were able to grow in a wide range of pH media, from 4 to 12, showing their optimal growth at alkaline pH's and are both halotolerant. The Exophiala strain switched from hyphae to yeast morphotype in high salinity conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of salt triggering dimorphism. The Rhodotorula strain, which is likely a new undescribed species, was capable of removing singled ringed aromatic compounds such as benzene, xylene, and toluene, but could not remove benzo[a] pyrene nor phenanthrene. Nevertheless, these hydrocarbons did not impair its growth. The Exophiala strain showed a different removal capacity. It could remove the polyaromatic hydrocarbons but performed poorly at removing toluene and xylene. Nevertheless, it still could grow well in the presence of the aromatic compounds. These strains could have a potential for aromatic compounds removal.


Four hundred twenty-six volunteers aged 16 to 83 years were given experimental doses of inactivated monovalent [A/USSR/77 (H1N1)] and trivalent [A/USSR/77 (H1N1), A/Texas/77 (H3N2), B/Hong Kong/72] influenza vaccines as part of a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, national collaborative study. Local reactions at inoculation sites occurred in less than 6.6% of volunteers. Systemic reactions, generally consisting of low-grade fever, myalgia, or headache, lasting less than 24 hr, did not occur more frequently in vaccinees than in placebo recipients. Vaccines containing lower doses of the A/Texas/77 (H3N2) hemagglutinin (8-10 micrograms) and B/Hong Kong/72 hemagglutinin (6-9 micrograms) produced hemagglutinin-inhibiting (HAI) antibody responses equivalent to those produced by higher doses (15-28 and 19-28 micrograms, respectively) in all age groups. Single injections of vaccines containing lower doses of A/USSR/77 (H1N1) hemagglutinin (4-7 micrograms) induced titers of HAI antibody of greater than 1:40 in 93% of volunteers greater than or equal to 26 years of age but in only 58% of volunteers less than 26 years of age. In this latter group, two injections containing higher doses (10-19 micrograms) induced better antibody responses. Vaccines containing approximately 6-15 micrograms of hemagglutinin of each antigen can be expected to be well tolerated and to induce good HAI antibody responses in a one- or two-dose regimen, depending on the age group.


Current-induced domain wall motion in racetrack memory promises energy-efficient analog computation using compact magnetic nanowires. This paper explores the feasibility of data converters based on current-induced domain wall motion and introduces an n-bit ADC using n racetrack magnetic nanowires. With each magnetic nanowire having a different configuration granularity, an n-bit binary or gray code is generated simultaneously. The proposed ADC structure achieves 21fJ/conversion-step at 20MHz with area under 10μm2. The racetrack ADC is suitable for applications requiring dense ADC arrays, such as image sensors. This paper describes one ultra-high speed DPS imaging system benefiting from the racetrack ADC.


Highly energetic and dense plasma beams obtained by an improved version of a coaxial gun were directed towards a perforated metallic plate to study plasma-hole interactions. The features of the escaping plasma jet were studied by means of the method of characteristics applied to a single fluid flow. The incident plasma beam and the characteristics of the escaping jet were investigated by means of various diagnostic techniques. Observations provided evidence that a large amount of material was ablated from the hole region and transported by the escaping jet.


A product family can be regarded as a collection of products which are similar - similarity being defined from a number of perspectives. For example, a collection of products may be regarded as a product family if they provide the same overall function, they have similar properties or they are built from the same parts. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate that constraint based reasoning offers a promising basis for the development of support tools for designers concerned with the design of product families. A constraint-based design environment is currently being developed which assists a designer in designing alternative product structures from an initial statement of required functional and physical properties. Each product structure can be regarded as an intentional specification of a product family - each member of which provides the same functionality and are physically similar in structure. In this paper it is demonstrated how a constraint-based model of a product family can handle the complexity of product family design. In addition, this paper discusses how a constraint-based model of a product family is readily extensible and facilitates the specification of new product families


Ultra-deep sub-micron technology is shifting the design paradigm from area optimization to power optimization. In the context of Network-on-Chip (NoC) based design, energy consumption due to data transfer among network nodes is no longer negligible. Starting from the observation that, among
the two brain hemispheres around 1 out of 10^6 synapses are active at the same time, in this paper we propose to mimic such behavior to trade-off transmission throughput with energy cost per transmitted bit in NoC based systems. In order not to alleviate the system performance, low level control mechanisms are proposed to use the so called "Cortex Inspired Communication" (CIC). We propose a set of strategies aimed at improving the energy efficiency of the NoC and we assess them in terms of energy saving, silicon area overhead and impact on performance metrics, namely, communication delay and throughput. The experimental analysis, carried out on a cycle-accurate and bit-accurate NoC simulator and under traffic scenarios generated by real applications show up to 30% of energy saving with almost no impact on the processing throughput.


Research and development at Valmet is a continuous and target-oriented process, combining innovations with results and experiences from production machines into new and more powerful and environmentally sound technologies. Acquisitions have yielded synergy benefits in this work. The paper making line of today is quite different from the one introduced ten years ago. Noteworthy is that all unit processes are also available for rebuilds and medium-capacity machines.


Wastes from orange peel are potentiall produce pectin, which is currently an import com can be used in making edible film. Edible films used as a drug delivery system membrane extraction. Drug that used in the drug deliv salicylic acid. It is an antiseptic. In order to con release rate, crosslinking process is added in the of membrane with CaCl2.2H2O as crosslinke diluted in water and mixed with a plasticizer an solution at 66°C to make edible film. Then th dried in an oven at 50 °C. After edible film was coated using plasticizer and CaCl2.2H2O solutio concentration 0, 0.015, 0.03 and 0.05 g/mL. This s the more concentration of crosslinker added, the of salicylic acid would be.This was indicated b diffusivites were getting smaller respectively. T crosslinker also caused smaller gels swelling valu the membrane mechanically stronger.


Daily travel usually demands navigation on foot across a variety of different application domains, including tasks like search and rescue or commuting. Head-mounted augmented reality (AR) displays provide a preview of future navigation systems on foot, but designing them is still an open problem. In this paper, we look at two choices that such AR systems can make for navigation: 1) whether to denote landmarks with AR cues and 2) how to convey navigation instructions. Specifically, instructions can be given via a head-referenced display (screen-fixed frame of reference) or by giving directions fixed to global positions in the world (world-fixed frame of reference). Given limitations with the tracking stability, field of view, and brightness of most currently available head-mounted AR displays for lengthy routes outdoors, we decided to simulate these conditions in virtual reality. In the current study, participants navigated an urban virtual environment and their spatial knowledge acquisition was assessed. We experimented with whether or not landmarks in the environment were cued, as well as how navigation instructions were displayed (i.e., via screen-fixed or world-fixed directions). We found that the world-fixed frame of reference resulted in better spatial learning when there were no landmarks cued; adding AR landmark cues marginally improved spatial learning in the screen-fixed condition. These benefits in learning were also correlated with participants' reported sense of direction. Our findings have implications for the design of future cognition-driven navigation systems.


In the present work, metal organic framework MIL-68 (MIL = Material of Institute Lavoisier), with metal sites of aluminum ions (namely MIL-68(Al)), was synthesized by a simple, fast and low-cost process for simultaneous removal of Methylene Blue (MB) and Rhodamine B (RhB), regarded to be toxic and even carcinogenic, from aqueous solution. The adsorbent was characterized by FTIR, SEM, XRD, BET and TG analysis. Optimization of significant variables such as pH, adsorbent dosage, initial MB concentration, initial RhB concentration and adsorption time affecting both single and binary dye removal was developed by Central Composite Design (CCD) under response surface methodology (RSM), and the optimized values for these parameters in binary solutions were found to be 6.45, 0.014 g, 60 mg L−1, 15 mg L−1 and 9.9 min, respectively. The kinetics and isotherm of the adsorption were investigated in detail. Maximum sorption capacities of 1666, 1111, 227 and 29 mg g−1 were obtained from the Langmuir isotherms for MB and RhB in single and binary solutions, respectively. The kinetics study results suggested that the sorption of the studied dyes onto MIL-68(Al) follows the pseudo-second order model. According to the reusability test of the adsorbent, dye uploaded MIL-68(Al) can be regenerated using methanol. The regenerated sorbent was used for three cycles use with high performance. The effect of ionic strength on the removal efficiency of the sorbent was also tested with different kinds of salts. The applicability of the sorbent was examined for real samples spiked with specific quantities of both dyes in water from tap water, sea water, spring water and laundry wastewater. The short time required for dye uptake makes this MOF a promising sorbent for simultaneous and rapid removal of dyes even in the real polluted environment.


ABSTRACT:The Portuguese colony of Angola was a major eighteenth-century slaving hub with an intense history of European-African interactions. These relationships were deeply influenced by a longstanding presence of religious orders that had begun proselytization in the region in the sixteenth century. Historiography focusing on missionary activity in Angola, and Africa in general, has the tendency to regard missionaries primarily as agents of the Church and the colonial state, who helped consolidate colonial dominion through proselytization. Researchers sometimes overlook the active participation of religious institutions in slavery and the slave trade. In this historiographical context, eighteenth-century Luanda and its hinterlands can offer a new and unique perspective. By exploring the regular clergy's involvement in slavery and the slave trade in Luanda and along the rivers Bengo, Dande, and Kwanza, this article examines the ecclesiastics' role as enslavers and landowners, as well as the complex interplay between West-Central Africans and European missionaries.


The effect of morphine on viability of the lymphocytes in peripheral blood, thymus and spleen of laboratory rats of the inbred Wistar strain was studied. Blood mononuclear cells for lymphocyte separation were obtained from the interface after Ficoll-Verografin gradient centrifugation. Lymphocyte suspension from the thymus and spleen was acquired by means of the Potter-Elvehjem homogenizer in icy Tyrod solution. Cell viability was studied by a simple method according to Hanks and Wallace after 6 hours incubation in normal oxygen atmosphere at 37 degrees C. Morphine reduced viability of the blood lymphocytes by 34%, of the spleen lymphocytes by 14% and the viability of the thymus lymphocytes was reduced by 18% in contrast to viability of the control group.


Objectives The objective of this paper was to assess the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension on work productivity and job satisfaction. Background Work is a basic human activity through which every individual realizes their own livelihood. DM and hypertension are diseases with a high prevalence of growth globally; the question of the ability of this patient's to be productive is extremely important in terms of work productivity and job satisfaction evaluation. Patients and methods The study was a nested case–control cross-sectional study. A total of 800 participants were recruited (400 patients and 400 controls). They were enrolled from urban and rural family health units as follows: 223 DM patients, 177 hypertensive patients, and 400 participants in the control group. All the participants were interviewed using a prestructured questionnaire and their medical record was revised. The questionnaire contained an Arabic validated version of work productivity and impairment, the general health version (WPAI: GH), and job satisfaction questionnaire. Results Work absenteeism, work productivity loss, and impairment were more with the diabetic patients than with the hypertensive patients (P < 0.000). There was a statistically significant difference between studied groups and job satisfaction, where job satisfaction score was lower for diabetic patients than for hypertensive patients. There was a positive correlation among the studied groups regarding job satisfaction score and work productivity score. Conclusion DM appears to reduce an individual's ability-to-work in comparison with patients with hypertension.


Recent studies attribute land double‐frequency (DF) microseism observations to deep water generation. Here we show that near‐coastal generation is generally the dominant source region. This determination is based on observations at land and ocean seismic stations, buoys, gravity‐wave hindcasts, and on beamforming results from continental seismic arrays. Interactions between opposing ocean wave components generate a pressure excitation pulse at twice the ocean wave frequency that excites pseudo‐Rayleigh (pRg) wave DF microseisms. pRg generated in shallow coastal waters have most of their energy in the solid Earth ("elastic" pRg) and are observed by land‐based and seafloor seismometers as DF microseisms. pRg generated in the deep ocean have most of their energy in the ocean ("acoustic" pRg) and are continuously observed on the ocean bottom, but acoustic pRg does not efficiently transition onto continents. High‐amplitude DF signals over the [0.2, 0.3] Hz band observed on the deep seafloor are uncorrelated with continental observations and are not clearly detectable at individual continental stations or by land seismic‐array beamforming. Below 0.2 Hz, modeling and some observations suggest that some deep water‐generated elastic pRg energy can reach continental stations, providing that losses from scattering and transition across the continental‐shelf boundary to the shore are not substantial. However, most observations indicate that generally little deep‐ocean‐generated DF microseism energy reaches continental stations. Effectively, DF land observations are dominated by near‐coastal wave activity.


ABSTRACT Lee, J.-I. and Kim, Y.-T., 2018. Stability on Concrete Armor Unit at Sharply Curved Corner. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 1116–1120. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The breakwaters are one of the most important structures in coastal areas. In the design of rubble mound structures, accurate determination of the stable weight of concrete armor units is critical. This can be calculated using the Hudson or van der Meer formula, wherein the breakwater is assumed straight and the waves are assumed to propagate normally to the structures. The weight of concrete armor units at the head should be at least 1.3–1.6 times that at the trunk. However, design standards for the damage inflicted to concrete armor units at the convex corner of a breakwater are lacking. In this study, three-dimensional hydraulic model tests were performed to determine the stable weight of concrete armor units at the convex corner. Tetrapods were used as the target concrete armor units. The stable weight is suggested using a stability coefficient using Hudson formula. The results show that the stable armor weight at the convex corner is similar to that at the roundhead, could conclude that the weight at the convex corner should be approximately 1.4 times that at the trunk.


Prostacyclin (PGI2) and thromboxane A2 (TxA2), antiaggregating and aggregating agents, may be involved in the control of local vasomotor tone owing to their vasoactive properties. In 15 healthy young volunteers, circulating PGI2 (biological assay using superfusion technique) and plasma TxA2 levels (measured by radioimmunoassay as its stable derivative TxB2) have been investigated. Adrenergic stimulation was induced by a 2 min cold application and its effectiveness was checked in all subjects by the changes in forearm calculated vascular resistance (blood flow was measured by strain gauge plethysmography), and in six subjects by changes in catecholamine plasma levels (radioenzymatic assay). Cold application induced a sharp increase in calculated vascular resistance and plasma noradrenaline concentration in all subjects. Adrenergic stimulation was associated with a prompt elevation of circulating PGI2 (from 6.67 ± 2.38 to 12.18 ± 2.95 ng·cm−3, P < 0.001) and TxB2 levels (from 0.49 ± 0.18 to 1.10 ± 0.61 pmol·cm−3, P < 0.001). PGI2 and TxB2 increases disappeared within 10 min. In subjects treated with 5 mg·kg−1 ASA, both TxB2 resting levels and their increase after adrenergic stimulation were not significantly different from values before ASA although platelets were unable to produce TxB2. Therefore, platelets were not the source of TxB2 in plasma. After 10 mg·kg−1 ASA, TxB2 increase following adrenergic stimulation was unaffected whereas PGI2 elevation was completely blocked and the increase in calculated vascular resistance was significantly higher than in subjects pretreated with saline. These findings indicate that TxB2 and PGI2 formation may represent a modulating mechanism of vascular response to adrenergic stimulation.


Alpine river systems are fed by glacial icemelt, snowmelt, and groundwater and share common features (e.g., steep gradients, high flow velocities and dynamics) but each source produces a characteristic discharge regime and a distinctive suite of physical and chemical characteristics. The distribution of snow, ice, and groundwater springs varies spatially from stream-reach to catchment scale, resulting in stream segments with characteristics, reflecting the different runoff sources. In recent investigations we have been focusing on the large variety of natural freshwater ecosystems in the Hohe Tauern National-park and, based on hydromorphological conditions at catchment and reach scale, we defined specific river types. Glaciation in the catchment turned out to be a major factor for defining the hydromorphological conditions. Subsequently, we tested the effect of glaciation on the bottom fauna in applying a preliminary set of species traits, indicating strategies and adaptations of resilience and resistance as well as to face environmental harshness. Our results demonstrated the high degree of adaptation of the bottom fauna in alpine streams but especially in glacial streams. As current climate change scenarios propose major impacts at both high altitude and latitudes, considerable changes within the faunal assemblages including species number, densities and the distribution of species traits are to be expected.


In the hill country of northern Thailand use of agrochemicals is increasing steadily and contaminating streams and groundwater. We have measured pesticide leached from a litchi orchard to an adjacent stream and identified the flow components contributing to the pesticide transport after installing two discharge measurement stations with automatic water samplers in the stream. For 2 years, between June and September, we applied methomyl, and in 1 year additionally chlorothalonil, to the 2‐ha orchard and monitored water fluxes and pesticide concentrations in the stream water. Pesticide loads ranged from 1.6 to 3% of mass applied for chlorothalonil, a strongly sorbing fungicide, and 6.4–11.4% for the more weakly sorbing insecticide methomyl. Directly after application, pesticide transport was dominated by a fast flow component, reaching the flume before the discharge peak. Later, pesticides were transported mainly by preferential interflow, which peaked about 30 hours after a rain event. The groundwater pathway was not found to contribute to pesticide loss. Antecedent rain conditions proved to be important for the pesticide transport behaviour. While at the beginning of the rainy season large falls of rain did not lead to pesticide contamination, at the end of the season pesticide transport was induced by as little as 0.1 mm of rain. The occurrence of preferential interflow means that the hilly regions in northern Thailand are highly susceptible to contamination by pesticides used by farmers.


Over the last decade in Latvia, the production levels of beef, pork and poultry meat have been dramatically reduced. The yearly meat consumption per capita in Latvia is about 60 kg. Traditionally, pig meat consumption is higher than consumption of bovine meat, which has higher production costs. Lower priced meat from European countries is imported and placed on the market in Latvia. The Research Institute of Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine "Sigra", Latvia, LUA, performs important research on meat quality and acquisition of safe and healthy food of animal origin. Cattle herds of meat breed are highly varied both from the aspect of animals and the quality of the sold meat produce. In meat of bovine animals, the settling of cholesterol on the blood vessel walls is precluded by 5.4-8.13% ω-3 and 12.97-16.27% ω-6 on average. The meat of the beef breed cattle contains wholesome proportions of proteins, fatty acids in quantities sufficient for humans, a relatively low cholesterol level (about 77 mg%) and good qualities of the culinary flavours and aromas. There are on-going research studies on the quality of meat of different pig breeds and their influencing factors, as well as on acquisition of meet in accordance with the consumer requirements. Extensive research is carried out also on the quality of broiler meat, with the target of acquisition of new quality meat. Assessment of the role of game meat in human consumption and the hygiene aspects of its acquisition are also included. Due to the development of heliculture in Latvia, the assessment of snail meat and its role in human consumption has also been launched.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to extend the assessment of the psychometric properties of the Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP). Here, we re-examined structural validity and internal consistency using a large clinical-registry data set and formally examined rater reliability in a smaller data set.

METHOD
This study consists of a retrospective structural validity and internal consistency analysis of MBSImP using a large data set (N = 52,726) drawn from the MBSImP Swallowing Data Registry and a prospective study of the interrater and intrarater reliability of a subset of studies (N = 50) rated by four MBSImP-trained speech-language pathologists. Structural validity was assessed via exploratory factor analysis. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha for each of the multicomponent MBSImP domains, namely, the oral and pharyngeal domains. Interrater reliability and intrarater reliability were measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

RESULTS
The exploratory factor analysis showed a two-factor solution with factors precisely corresponding to the scale's oral and pharyngeal domains, consistent with findings from the initial study. Component 17, that is, the esophageal domain, did not load onto either factor. Internal consistency was good for both the oral and pharyngeal domains (αoral = .81, αpharyngeal = .87). Interrater reliability was found to be good with ICCinterrater = .78 (95% confidence interval [CI; .76, .80]). Intrarater reliability was good for each rater, ICCRater-1 = .82 (95% CI [.77, .86]), ICCRater-2 = .83 (95% CI [.79, .87]), ICCRater-3 = .87 (95% CI [.83, .90]), and ICCRater-4 = .87 (95% CI [.83, .90]).

CONCLUSIONS
This study leverages a large-scale, clinical data set to provide strong, generalizable evidence that the MBSImP assessment method has excellent structural validity and internal consistency. In addition, the results show that MBSImP-trained speech-language pathologists can demonstrate good interrater and intrarater reliability.


Disclosed is a method for producing a carbon composite metal oxide briquette, which enables to secure a satisfactory level of strength of the briquette even when using a metal oxide raw material containing microparticles (e.g., dusts from a steel mill) in large quantity. The method comprises the following steps: a mixing step of mixing a metal oxide raw material (A) containing microparticles in large quantity with a carbon material (B) in a mixer (15) to produce a powdery mixture (E); a molding step of compression-molding the powdery mixture (E) in a briquetting machine (17) to form a molded product (F); a classification step of classifying the molded product (F) through a sieve (18) into a plus sieve (G) and a minus sieve (H) and providing the plus sieve (G) as a product briquette; and a molded product circulation step of returning a portion of the molded product (F) to the mixer (15) or the briquetting machine (17) as a recycled raw material (J).


Gram-negative bacterial infections are a global health problem. The production of beta-lactamase is still the most vital factor leading to beta-lactam resistance. In Trinidad and Tobago, extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production has been detected and reported mainly in the isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli and constitutes a public health emergency that causes high morbidity and mortality in some patients. In this literature review, the authors cover vast information on ESBL frequency and laboratory detection using both conventional and molecular methods from clinical data. The aim is to make the reader reflect on how the actual knowledge can be used for rapid detection and understanding of the spread of antimicrobial resistance problems stemming from ESBL production among common Gram-negative organisms in the health care system.


Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is a common and deadly disease. Inactivating ARID1A mutations occur in up to 30% of metastatic BC tumors, making it the most commonly mutated epigenetic gene and the 4th most commonly mutated gene overall in BC. ARID1A mutations are associated with decreased response to therapy and poor prognosis; thus, there is a need to develop therapies specifically targeting ARID1A mutant tumors. Using the UNC EpiG Diamond compound library, a set of well-annotated small molecule probes targeting chromatin regulatory proteins, we determined that inhibitors of bromodomain and extraterminal (BET) proteins potently inhibit the viability of BC cells. Here, we tested the hypothesis that ARID1Amut cells are particularly sensitized to the pan-BET inhibitor OTX-015.
 Methods: AR1D1A-competent (ARID1AWT) 5637 and ARID1A-mutated (ARID1Amut) HT1197 cells were treated with eight ascending concentrations of OTX-015 (0.1 nM-100 µM), and cell viability was measured using CellTiter-Glo™ after 72-120-hour incubations. IC50 values were calculated using a four-parameter non-linear regression model. Gene expression of BET inhibitor target genes, MYC, ARID1B, and RAD51, were evaluated by RT-PCR after a 48-hour incubation, normalized to an SDHA housekeeper and compared to a 0.1% DMSO control. CellTiter-Glo™ and RT-PCR experiments were conducted in technical and biologic triplicates. Western blotting evaluated OTX-015 effects on c-MYC, BAF250B (encoded by ARID1B), and RAD51 protein expression after 72-hour incubation.
 Results: OTX-015 was 8-times more potent in ARID1Amut HT1197 cells at 120 h than in ARID1AWT 5637 cells (IC50: 0.12 μM vs. 1.0 μM). OTX-015 treatment (1 µM) significantly reduced ARID1B and RAD51 mRNA expression versus 0.1% DMSO control (83% and 86% reduction, respectively, both P<0.0001). At the same concentration, OTX-015 did not significantly reduce MYC mRNA expression HT1197 cells (25% reduction, P=0.31), but did significantly reduce MYC expression in 5637 cells (57% reduction, P<0.0001) at 48 h. When comparing HT1197 to 5637 cells, OTX-015 treatment (1 µM) caused a greater reduction in ARID1B mRNA expression (83% vs. 62% reduction, P=0.02) and RAD51 mRNA expression (86% vs. 57%, P=0.001) at 48 h. Finally, OTX-015 treatment (1 µM) also resulted in more dramatically reduced c-MYC, ARID1B and RAD51 protein expression in HT1197 cells at 72 h, when compared to 5637 cells.
 Conclusions: These preliminary results support future lines of inquiry into the molecular mechanisms that underlie sensitization of ARID1Amut cells to BET protein inhibition.
 Citation Format: Ryan M. Kemper, Heemaja Mewada, Jeffrey S. Damrauer, Brian Hardy, Stephen F. Frye, Kenneth H. Pearce, Jesse Raab, William Y. Kim, Daniel James Crona. ARID1A mutated bladder cancer cells are sensitized to BET protein inhibition with OTX-015 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 3267.


Papillon-Lefevre syndrome patients exhibit hyperkeratosis palmo-plantaris and severe periodontitis. The syndrome is an autosomal recessive trait, but the mechanism of periodontal destruction is not known. This report presents the clinical and microbiological features of an 11-year old girl with Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome. Clinical examination included conventional periodontal measurements and radiographic analysis. In samples from 3 deep periodontal lesions, the occurrence of major suspected periodontopathic bacteria was determined by selective and non-selective culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identification, and the presence of cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr type 1 virus by a nested-PCR detection method. 10 of 22 available teeth demonstrated severe periodontal breakdown. Major cultivable bacteria included Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (3.4% of total isolates), Prevotella nigrescens (16.4%), Fusobacterium nucleatum (14.3%) and Peptostreptococcus micros (10.6%). A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. nigrescens, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Eikenella corrodens were identified by PCR analysis. The patient's non-affected parents and older brother revealed several periodontal pathogens but not A. actinomycetemcomitans. The viral examination demonstrated cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr type 1 virus in the subgingival sample of the Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome patient. The father and brother yielded subgingival cytomegalovirus but not Epstein-Barr type 1 virus. We hypothesize that human herpesviruses in concert with A. actinomycetemcomitans play important rôles in the development of Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome periodontitis.


In Chapter 2, we consider the hydrostatic equilibrium figure of a
rotating earth model with arbitrary radial density profile. We derive
an exact non-linear partial differential equation
describing the equilibrium figure. Perturbation theory is
used to obtain approximate forms of this equation, and we show that
the first-order theory is equivalent to Clairaut's equation.In Chapter 3, a method for parametrizing the possible
equilibrium stress fields of a laterally heterogeneous earth
model is described. In this method a solution of the equilibrium
equations is first found that satisfies some desirable physical
property. All other solutions can be written as the sum of this
equilibrium stress field and a divergence-free stress tensor field
whose boundary tractions vanish.In Chapter 4, we consider the minor vector method
for the stable numerical solution of systems of
linear ordinary differential equations. Results are presented
for the application of the method to the
calculation of seismic displacement fields in spherically symmetric,
self-gravitating earth models.In Chapter 5, we present a new implementation of the direct solution
method for calculating normal mode spectra in laterally heterogeneous
earth models. Numerical tests
are presented to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of this method
for performing large mode coupling calculations.In Chapter 6, we consider the theoretical basis for the
viscoelastic normal mode method which is used
in studies of seismic wave propagation, post-glacial
rebound, and post-seismic deformation. We show how the
time-domain solution to the viscoelastodynamic equation can be
written as a normal mode sum in a rigorous manner.


Fuelled by the influential work of urban guru Richard Florida, the European knowledge economy is seeing a rise of cities calling themselves 'creative cities'. In this paper we have a look at the concept of creative cities and offer a view on them beyond the hype. We understand 'creative cities' as competitive urban areas that combine both concentration, diversity, instability as well as a positive image. Examples of creative cities in history and recent best practice of two such urban areas in Europe (Oresund and Manchester) show that local governments cannot plan knowledge, creativity and innovation from scratch. We conclude, however, that local governments can increase the chance that urban creativity emerges by providing the appropriate framework conditions.


The present Master thesis is written in connection with the E4 Stockholm bypass, which is a future motorway linking northern and southern Stockholm, and will mostly run through tunnels. The bypass will cross the Lake Malaren in the Lambarfjarden area, where a fault is indicated on the geological maps, which would create risks for tunneling. Several geological and geophysical studies and measurements have been carried out in connection with the bypass project. These include surface mapping, drillings (core logging and water-loss measurements) and geophysical measurements (reflection and refraction seismics). The objectives of this thesis are to interpret the available geological and geophysical data, integrate the reports and the results of these studies and finally to create a structural model of the Lambarfjarden area affected by the tunnel. The available data provided a great opportunity to examine the area. The core logging and geophysical measurements supported the existence of the fault indicated on the geological maps. The core logging revealed that this pre-existing deformation zone was reactivated, possibly as dextral strike-slip, and the orientations of the subsurface fractures corresponded well with the Riedel structures occurring in such shear zone. The field work has found evidence for ductile sinistral movement which, together with the results of the core logging, could indicate a conjugate deformation zone in the area. The water-loss measurements showed several intervals along the boreholes where significant water-loss took place. Furthermore, the thesis calls the attention to both opening and closure of differently oriented weaknesses, fractures. As the thesis highlights possible risks for the tunneling, its findings could be very useful during the construction of the bypass.


Reliable server pooling (RSerPool) is a protocol framework for server redundancy and session failover, currently under standardization by the IETF RSerPool WG. While the basic ideas of RSerPool are not new, their combination into one architecture is. Some research into the performance of RSerPool for certain specific applications has been made, but a detailed, application-independent sensitivity analysis of the system parameters is still missing. The goal of this paper, after an application-independent, generic quantification of RSerPool systems and definition of performance metrics for both service provider and user, is to systematically investigate RSerPool's behavior on changes of workload and system parameters to give basic guidelines on designing efficient RSerPool systems


Sir: I was interested to read the elegant increasing account by Gresty et al' of those features of nystagmus which may help to determine Reference whether its cause is congenital or acquired. However, I was surprised that there was no 'Abadi R ,mention of ocular albinism (one of the Trans. commonest causes of congenital nystagOptici; mus) nor of primary retinal lesions. If I 1984;: were presented with a patient whose nystagmus seemed out of proportion to the Opidd ii neurological signs, I would first examine by chan the fundi and ask an ophthalmologist to adenerg examine the irides for translucency and to .perform tests of retinal function. Sir: The SARAH BUNDEY interest. ] mention Reference may hav


To understand the molecular interaction mechanism and develop peptide-based hydrogels, a β-hairpin peptide CBHH was used as the model peptide, and its coassembly performance with succinic, malic, and tartaric dicarboxylates has been investigated with circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The rheological properties and cell culture performance of the coassembled hydrogels have also been assessed. The results showed that the dicarboxylates could induce the folding and self-assembly of the β-hairpin peptide and promote its gelation at low pH. The effects of the dicarboxylates on peptide self-assembly and hydrogel properties were correlated to their hydroxyl group number. The toxicity of the hydrogel has been assessed with NIH-3T3 cells by MTT and Calcein-AM/PI experiments, and it was confirmed that the hydrogel was biocompatible and could be used as cell culture scaffolds. We hope that this study would provide a novel way for biomaterial fabrication in cell and tissue engineering.


Philosophical and theological assumptions still influence the decisions of behavioral scientists as theoreticians and therapists. The scientific method alone will never reveal the nature, richness and complexity of man and human existence. Theology offers carefully tested presuppositions which lead to a comprehensive cosmology with a distinctive view of man and reality. The questions of man's existence, meaning, spirituality and value make sense within an ordered world view based on a theocentric view of reality. Man's psychological life cannot be completely separated from his spiritual life. Psychologists who want to understand the total process of living must understand the spiritual dimension of human experience.


Power distance is the degree of acceptance of unequal distribution of power in societies. In a high power distance context, the acceptance of inequality conflicts with the operation of modern organizations, which causes obstacles to workplace communication or even triggers workplace accidents due to ineffective communication. We conducted four studies (N = 1063) to explore the relations between and mechanisms of power distance belief and workplace communication. In Study 1, the participants with high power distance belief had ineffective workplace communication—specifically ineffective communication with superiors—but no difference in communication with subordinates and colleagues. We further focused on the mechanism underlying the relationship between power distance belief and communication with superiors. A questionnaire study (Study 2) was conducted in three stages over a three-month period, and an experimental study (Study 3) indicated that fear of authority mediated the negative effect of high power distance on communication with superiors. A cross-culture study (Study 4) re-tested the hypotheses among Chinese and U.S. participants. This research provides insight into the mechanisms that explain the relationship between power distance belief and workplace communication, indicating that fear of authority is significant. Organizations should pay attention to power distance belief and fear of authority, as they may lead to workplace accidents due to communication disasters.


A cross-sectional study was done in students with univentricular heart after undergoing total cavopulmonary connection (Fontan procedure) to establish their baseline functional capacity based on the six-minute walk test and identify potential determining factors. Thirty patients were included; their median age was 12 years old. Eighteen patients were males. The median distance walked was 551.3 meters, 84 % of the theoretical distance for a healthy pediatric population. Height, pre-test systolic blood pressure, and resting arterial oxygen saturation showed a significant association with the distance walked in the multiple linear regression model. No significant association was observed in the meters walked in terms of the following outcome measures: sex, nutritional status, baseline cardiological diagnosis, number of prior surgeries, and age at the time of Fontan procedure.


In academic publications, citations are used to build context for a concept by highlighting relevant aspects from reference papers. Automatically identifying referenced snippets can help researchers swiftly isolate principal contributions of scientific works. In this paper, we exploit the underlying structure of scientific articles to predict reference paper spans and facets corresponding to a citation. We propose two methods to detect citation spans - keyphrase overlap, BERT along with structural priors. We fine-tune FastText embeddings and leverage textual, positional features to predict citation facets.


Introduction and Aims Previous studies have shown that the lungs of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and bronchiectasis (BE, not caused by CF) patients are colonised by a range of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. As bacteria are also implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), this study aimed to determine the culture microbiome of the COPD airways. Methods Samples were collected from 13 stable COPD patients during routine bronchoscopy. Bronchial washings were taken at a single location in the right middle lobe by flushing and removing 30 ml of sterile saline. Samples were cultured under strict anaerobic conditions with bacteria detected by plating on both selective and non-selective agar media and quantified by total viable count (TVC). Identification of the cultured bacteria was performed by amplification and subsequent sequencing of the 16sRNA gene. Results Mean FEV1 was 1.36 (range 0.84–2.26, mean per cent predicted FEV1, 54%), and the mean ratio (FEV1/FVC) was 51%. Bacteria were detected in 12/13 samples (92%) with bacteria from the genera Streptococcus [12/13 samples, 92%; mean (range) TVC 9.62×105 cfu/ml (1.50×103–1.42×107)] and Haemophilus [4/13 samples, 31%; mean (range) 6.40×104 cfu/ml (2.20×103–1.60×105)] most frequently detected. Anaerobic bacteria primarily from the genera Prevotella [8/13 samples, 62%; mean (range) TVC 1.12×104 cfu/ml (1.30×103–4.20×104)] and Veillonella [5/13 samples, 38%; mean (range) TVC 1.29×105 cfu/ml (4.20×103–3.60×105)] were also detected. Pseudomonas and Moraxella were not detected in any samples. Conclusions Our results show that bacteria from the genera Streptococcus, Haemophilus, Prevotella and Veillonella are frequently present the airways of patients suffering from COPD. Taking account of the dilutional effect of the bronchial wash procedure and extrapolating to allow comparison with sputum data in our laboratory for CF and BE, the relative load of bacteria from the genera Streptococcus, Prevotella and Veillonella is similar in these three airway diseases. The potential role of these bacteria in the progression and pathogenesis of COPD requires further investigation.


The German term `Mitteleuropa' was coined to designate Central Europe at the time when the Habsburg monarchy exercised its domination over the Danube area and when the Eastern borders of the Reich proclaimed in 1871 were formed, thus from the end of the eighteenth century to the end of the First World War. Mitteleuropa constitutes an ambivalent `lieu de memoire', a notion in which Central Europe has invested its memory of the past and its identity: such a notion is negative when it brings to mind the mental map of German imperialism both exploited and perverted in the Third Reich; it is positive when it is interpreted as a federative idea, opening supranational perspectives associating the countries of German culture with Slavic peoples — the Hungarians, the Romanians — and with the Jews. Since the formation of the `Habsburg myth' as a retrospective utopia of a defunct harmony of nationalities in the `third Europe' situated between Western Europe and the Russian world, the Austrian tradition has become th...


A case of prepatellar bursitis which, clinically, appeared to be a simple pyogenic infection proved to be an infection with Mycobacterium marinum (balnei). The bacteriology and epidemiology of this acid-fast bacillus is presented. It was one of fifty mycobacterial strains obtained from bone, joint, or other extrapulmonary lesions and cultured at the Mycobacterial Research Laboratory, Veterans Administration Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah. Each of the fifty strains was readily classified as one of nine species or groups. It is important to search not only for tubercle bacilli but also for other acid-fast species in infections of musculoskeletal and soft tissues.


A 44-year-old apparently healthy woman presented with a 5-month history of intermittent vaginal bleeding. Clinical examination raised the suspicion of cervical neoplasia which was confirmed to be a metastatic adenocarcinoma on subsequent histopathological evaluation. An F-18 FDG PET/CT scan performed soon after revealed increased uptake in the cervix, extending upwards into the endometrial cavity. Additionally, small FDG avid spiculated soft tissue density masses were visualized in bilateral breast parenchyma, which proved to be lobular carcinoma on sonomammography followed by histopathology. Multiple lytic FDG avid skeletal metastases were also noted. Endometrial biopsy showed infiltrative malignant tumor with cytologic features similar to those observed in the breast biopsy specimen. The entire spectrum of findings pointed to a diagnosis of bilateral lobular carcinoma with uterine, cervical, and skeletal metastasis. Metastasis to the uterus and cervix from a breast primary is extremely rare. Most cases have been diagnosed in the follow-up of known cases of breast carcinoma. Our case is unique in that the patient, who had no prior history of breast carcinoma, was suspected to have a breast primary with cervical and uterine metastasis, based on the PET/CT findings.


Building from an idea outlined in Libby Robin's landmark study How a Continent Created a Nation (2007), this article traces shifting European attitudes towards Ranunculus paucifolius, a rare subalpine buttercup, from 'strange and foreign' to 'familiar' then 'endangered'. I draw from fragments of historical evidence held in museums, botanic gardens, archives, and university teaching collections in order to understand how and why the Castle Hill buttercup became important to Canterbury's high country identity and in need of safeguarding. Since entering the Western scientific record, R. paucifolius has been observed growing in home gardens and botanic garden nurseries, as well as in the wild and in experimental nursery plots at Castle Hill, its only known habitat, between the Torlesse and Craigieburn ranges in the South Island of New Zealand. Organised around the themes of discovery, classification and conservation, this article unearths certain ambiguities and risks associated with the preservation of regionally and nationally significant plants, and highlights the evolving importance of indigenous flora in cultural memory.


We propose a numerical Taylor's Decomposition method to compute approximate eigenvalues and eigenfunctions for regular Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problem and nonlinear Euler buckling problem very accurately for relatively large step sizes. For regular Sturm-Liouville problem, the technique is illustrated with three examples and the numerical results show that the approximate eigenvalues are obtained with high-order accuracy without using any correction, and they are compared with the results of other methods. The numerical results of Euler Buckling problem are compared with theoretical aspects, and it is seen that they agree with each other.


We give a precise and concise formulation of the orientifold construction in Type II superstring theory. Our results include anomaly cancellation on the worldsheet and a K-theoretic computation of the background Ramond-Ramond charge. Since its inception [Sa, PS, Ho, DLP, BiS] the orientifold construction of Type II superstring theory has proven useful both for the formal development of string theory and for its potential applications to phenomenology. For reviews see [P, D, AnS, BH1, J, BH2, BHHW]. Our work began many years ago when the first author showed the second the formula [DJM, CR, MSS, S, SS] for the Ramond-Ramond charge induced by an orientifold and inquired about its K-theoretic significance, especially in view of the unusual cousin of the Hirzebruch L-genus contained therein. In the process of our investigations we were led to more foundational questions about orientifolds and the Type II superstring. In this letter we describe some mathematical foundations we have developed to resolve these questions. In particular, we give careful definitions of both the worldsheet and spacetime fields of an orientifold, including precise Dirac quantization conditions for the B-field and Ramond-Ramond (RR) field. The pNeveu-Schwarzq2 NSNS fields which appear in Definition 2 involve subtle topological structures which, for very different reasons, exactly fit what is needed in both the (short distance) worldsheet and (long distance) spacetime theories. The worldsheet fields are enumerated in Definition 4. A surprising challenge here is to define the integral of the B-field over the worldsheet. The lack of a proper orientation leads to a novel prescription, one feature of which is that the B-field amplitude has a (classical) anomaly in the sense that it takes values in a complex line not canonically isomorphic to the complex numbers. It then cancels against the more standard (quantum) anomaly from the spinor field on the worldsheet, and the cancellation uses the "twisted" spin structure in spacetime. The spacetime RR field is self-dual, so part of its formulation (Definition 6) involves a certain quadratic function. The general theory of self-dual fields defines an RR charge due to the orientifold background, which we compute with the prime 2 inverted, in which case it localizes to the orientifold fixed point set. Tensoring with the reals we recover the formula (8) which began this project. Our definitions are new, even in the case of the Type I superstring, and offer some refinements of the standard (non-orientifold) Type II superstring. Taken together the orientifold data is an impressively tight structure, and leads to the most intricate matching we know between topological Date: August 19, 2010. The work of J.D. is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant PHY-0455649. The work of D.S.F. is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant DMS-0603964. The work of G.W.M. is supported by the DOE under grant DE-FG02-96ER40949. We also thank the Aspen Center for Physics for providing a stimulating environment for many discussions related to this paper. Report numbers: UTTG-04-09, TCC-019-09. The twisted spin structure appears in Definition 2.


Objectives: The aim of this investigation was to study the underlying mechanism of an adenosine A1 receptor agonist 2-chloro-N6 cyclopentyladenosine (CCPA) inhibiting cardiomyocyte hypertrophy induced by angiotensin II (AngII). Methods: Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were treated with AngII to generate a cardiomyocyte hypertrophy model. Cardiomyocyte cultures were randomized into 5 groups: control; AngII; AngII + cyclosporin A (CsA); AngII + CCPA, and AngII + CCPA + DPCPX. Cardiomyocyte viability was measured by MTT assay. Protein synthesis was assessed by the application of 3H leucine (3H-Leu) incorporation into protein. The mRNA expressions of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), β-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC) and calcineurin Aβ (CnAβ) were measured by real-time quantitative PCR. The protein level of CnAβ was dissected by Western blotting. Results: AngII administration at lower concentrations increased the cardiomyocytes viabilities gradually. Surface area, mRNA expressions of ANP, BNP and β-MHC, and 3H-Leu incorporation of AngII-induced cardiomyocytes were increased in a dose-dependent manner. As a calcineurin-specific inhibitor, CsA inhibited 3H-Leu incorporation, surface area, mRNA expressions of ANP, BNP, β-MHC, CnAβ and protein expression of CnAβ of AngII-induced cardiomyocytes. CCPA also suppressed the mRNA and protein expressions of CnAβ and exerted antihypertrophic effects to a greater degree than CsA. The inhibition of CCPA on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was counteracted by the A1 receptor antagonist DPCPX. Conclusion: The A1 receptor agonist CCPA could significantly inhibit AngII-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy via the calcineurin signaling pathway.