BACKGROUND
The aberrant, leukemia-associated antigen expression patterns allow us to discriminate leukemic blasts from normal precursor cells. Our major goal was to determine a guideline for the detection of minimal residual disease using CD20+/CD34+ and myeloid Ag+/CD19+ combination in the bone marrow of acute leukemia in complete remission (CR) after chemotherapy.

METHODS
Bone marrow samples from 117 patients with acute leukemia in complete remission after chemotherapy and from 22 healthy controls were immunophenotyped by triple staining and measured by flow cytometry.

RESULTS
The CD20+/CD34+ cells in the large lymphocyte gate (R1) ranged from 0% to 3.% (0.8plusmn;0.82%, P=0.000) in CD20+/CD34+ B-lineage ALL CR (N=31), from 0.03% to 4.2% (0.7plusmn;0.83%, P=0.000) in CD20-/CD34- B-lineage ALL CR (N=66), from 0.1% to 0.96% (0.45plusmn;0.32%, P=0.016) in T-ALL CR (N=10), and from 0.02% to 0.48% (0.18plusmn;0.15%, P=0.776) in AML CR (N=10). The CD13,33+/CD19+ cells in R1 gate ranged from 0% to 2.69% (0.37plusmn;0.48%, P<0.001) in CD13,33+/CD19+ B-lineage ALL CR (N=31), from 0% to 1.8% (0.31plusmn;0.28%, P<0.001) in CD13,33-/CD19+B-lineage ALL CR (N=65), from 0.02% to 0.64% (0.29plusmn;0.22%, P=0.071) in T-ALL CR (N=9), and from 0% to 0.17% (0.07plusmn;0.09%, P=0.341) in AML CR (N=3).

CONCLUSIONS
Using an immunophenotypic method for the detection of early relapse or minimal residual disease of B-lineage ALL bone marrow in CR after chemotherapy, different cutoff values should be applied according to antigen combination and gating. When the proportion of aberrant antigen combination was less than 5% in large lymphocyte gate, the results should be interpreted with caution.


En In this paper, Wald-type estimators for simple linear measurement error model presented based on L Ranked Set Sampling (LRSS) technique. The proposed estimators are compared to their counterparts based on Simple Random Sampling (SRS) and Ranked Set Sampling (RSS). It appears that the suggested estimators are more efficient. A real data set of student achievements is studied, a simulated data also is used to show how much efficient the use of the ranked data to estimate the EIV model parameter.


Abstract : Based on considerations of the important role of microyield in glass- structure studies, a linear relationship was found between the breaking strength of glass and microelasticity. This relationship disclosed that the wide spread observed in breaking strength values within one given glass system is due to localized variations in elasticity. Heretofore, these large deviations in strength have been attributed to unresolved factors such as surface contamination, handling defects, etc. Data presented demonstrate a spatial variability in microelasticity, the form of which determines the strength of glass under nonuniform loading conditions. The practical implications in terms of improving the mechanical properties of infrared glasses are discussed. Several predictions suggested by a previously defined unified theory of glass structure are examined and they generally substantiate the fact that variations in the basic glass structure are determined by surface flaw parameters and flaw interactions. In particular, this study confirmed that gases bound within vitreous networks can influence mechanical strength. The surface flaw characteristics and critical stress of flaw formation was determined both in infrared transmitting glasses in a single crystal. The differences in the flaw parameter values for the crystalline solid and the glasses were as predicted. Induced radiation effects were examined in three glasses representing the basic liquid models, and the changes in flaw characteristics are interpreted in relation to liquid model theory.


Purpose. Ward (2000) has hypothesized that sexual offenders hold offence supportive implicit theories (ITs) or schemata that function to facilitate or maintain offending behaviour. The present research aimed to determine whether rape-prone men hold the same offence supportive ITs as those that have been identified in rapists.

Method. This study adopted both an explicit measure of ITs and also an implicit measure of ITs (an interpretative bias task). In the implicit task, participants viewed ambiguous stimuli (one-sentence statements) that may be interpreted in either a rape-supportive manner, or a non-rape-supportive manner. Participant's interpretation of the stimuli was assessed via a memory recognition task. We predicted that men higher on proclivity to rape – who presumably hold strong mental representations of rape-supportive themes – would be more likely to interpret stimuli in a rape-supportive manner relative to non-rape-supportive stimuli compared to men lower on rape proclivity.

Results. Using multiple regression to determine the relative contributions of both explicit and implicit measures for predicting rape proclivity, we found that only the explicit, self-report questionnaire and one of the ITs, 'women are sex objects' (as measured by the interpretative bias task), was significantly related to a person's rape proclivity score.

Conclusions. This result indicates that rape-prone men may not share the same beliefs as convicted rapists, which could be a key difference between men at risk of offending, and those who have been convicted of a sexual offence.


CD4 T helper (Th) cells are central to regulation of immune responses, with separable effector subsets defined by their lineage-specific transcription factor expression, cytokine production, and subsequent immune function (1). Th1 cells express the transcription factor T-bet that enables production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) for cell-mediated immunity, necessary for protection from intracellular bacterial infections and initiation of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH). Th2 cells express the lineage-specific transcription factor GATA-3 that drives synthesis of interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, and IL-13, cytokines responsible for clearance of helminthes (worms) and other extracellular parasites, and in the setting of appropriate genetic and environmental triggers, principal contributors to atopy. A third effector subset, Th17, more recently identified and characterized, expresses RORγt that is needed for transcription and ultimate synthesis of IL-17, a cytokine that promotes neutrophil recruitment and activation as part of the inflammatory response, and in so doing, is critical for elimination of extracellular bacteria, such as streptococci, and fungi (2). Like Th1 and Th2 cells, Th17 cells when abnormally activated promote autoimmunity, contributing to tissue inflammation in classical T-cell mediated diseases such as multiple sclerosis (3) and inflammatory arthritis (4). Along with cytotoxic CD8 T cells that are necessary for viral immunity, these three CD4 T cell effector subsets direct responses to the range of pathogens - viruses, intracellular bacteria, worms, and extracellular bacteria and fungi - encountered by the mammalian host.

Another critical CD4 Th cell function is B cell help, with insight into the nature of the T cells that promote antibody responses long overshadowed by advances in the understanding of Th1, Th2, and Th17 biology. However, recent studies have demonstrated that an additional effector subset, follicular helper T (TFH) cells, is largely responsible for B cell help during an immune response. TFH cells are defined by their location within germinal centers (GC), the site at which high affinity, class switched, and long lived plasma cells and memory B cells emerge (5), and their expression of the costimulatory molecule ICOS (inducible costimulator), necessary for their development, and CXCR5, a chemokine receptor that upon engagement of its ligand CXCL13 permits trafficking of these cells to the B cell follicle, the site of GC formation. TFH cells produce IL-21, a cytokine that cooperates with IL-4 to promote robust class-switched antibody responses (6), with the latter cytokine and IFN-γ important in enabling TFH-driven immunoglobulin class switching (7) from IgM to isotypes appropriate to the invading pathogen; IL-17 may play a similar supporting role (8). IL-21 is critical for the lupus phenotype, in that its overproduction in mice with enhanced TFH cell development due to a mutation in control of ICOS expression (Sanroque mice) leads to systemic autoimmunity (9). Morevover, antibody or genetic blockade of IL-21 signaling abrogates disease in lupus-prone mice (10, 11).

The analysis of TFH cells in humans thus far has primarily involved utilization of tonsillar tissue, where large numbers of TFH cells are normally resident, with their study at alternate sites largely unexplored. Simpson and colleagues now demonstrate in this issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism that TFH cells can be found in the peripheral blood of patients with lupus and Sjogren syndrome, a population they refer to as circulating TFH (cTFH) (12). They used flow cytometry to demonstrate that the circulating cells express proteins found on the TFH subset in secondary lymphoid organs, among them ICOS, CXCR5, and PD-1 (the latter also upregulated on TFH cells) (13). The level of expression of these markers paralleled that found on tonsillar TFH cells, with a stringent cutoff value used to convincingly demonstrate that cTFH cells were expanded in approximately a third of lupus patients - their proportion was 4 standard deviations above that found in healthy controls. This work also revealed a correlation between expansion of this CD4 Th subset in lupus with elevated autoantibody titers and glomerulonephritis, although not with disease activity as measured by SLEDAI.

TFH cells from the spleen, tonsil and lymph nodes produce IL-21 and express the transcriptional repressor Bcl6 (14, 15), the latter recently shown by others and us to be necessary for development of this subset in secondary lymphoid organs in mice (16-18). Yet, cTFH cells in systemic autoimmunity did not express the mRNA transcripts for il21 and bcl6, and their expansion did not correlate with amounts of IL-21 in sera (12). This finding is not necessarily consistent with the identification of the circulating subset as TFH, since activated CD4 T cells per se, including those destined for other effector fates, can transiently express ICOS, CXCR5, and PD-1; nonetheless, sustained and/or substantial expression of these molecules is characteristic of TFH cells, so the circulating population found in patients with lupus and Sjogren syndrome seem appropriately defined as cTFH cells. Why then do not the latter express the full complement of markers of TFH cells in secondary lymphoid organs such as the tonsil? Perhaps cTFH cells are a follicular helper subset distinct from the TFH population resident in secondary lymphoid tissues, and/or they are follicular helper T cells that upon maturation and trafficking out of the spleen and lymph nodes downregulate molecules critical for their effector program in lymphoid tissues. There are precedents for such plasticity: germinal center B cells upon maturation to plasma cells downregulate molecules critical for their function in splenic follicles, including suppression of Bcl6 under the influence of the transcriptional repressor Blimp-1 (19). Under the appropriate environmental signals, regulatory T cells in the gut convert to TFH cells needed to drive IgA production by resident B cells (20). While the converse is not known to be true, plasticity nonetheless is a defining feature of CD4 Th effector differentiation (1). Additional studies of the circulating T cells taken from the peripheral blood of humans or autoimmune Sanroque or other lupus-prone mice - Simpson et al. found these cells in the blood of such mice (12) -- would help further clarify their function, as would the search for a tonsillar or splenic population with a phenotype identical to that of cTFH (ICOShi, CXCR5hi, PD-1hi, IL-21lo, Bcl6lo). Culture and stimulation of the cTFH population ex vivo, and/or re-acclimatization to a secondary lymphoid organ or a site of inflammation such as the nephritic kidney, may be needed for resumption of the full TFH cell program.

Expansion of the cTFH subset in lupus patients correlated with increased serum titers of autoantibodies, and the incidence of glomerulonephritis, thromboembolic disease, and thrombocytopenia. Thus, while Simpson et al. found that such expansion cannot be used as a measure of SLE activity, it did correlate with features of disease that may ultimately result in organ damage. Given the correlation between high cTFH numbers and the incidence of glomerulonephritis, it would be important to determine whether the T cells found in the kidneys of nephritic lupus-prone mice (21) and humans (22) have the phenotype of TFH cells; this seems possible, as kidney-infiltrating cells express ICOS and are found in proximity to antibody-producing B cells (22). If they express molecules needed for tissue trafficking, cTFH cells might infiltrate the kidneys of lupus patients and acquire (or re-acquire) B cell helper function, influencing the local maturation of B cells, with tissue injury the consequence. An additional question is whether cTFH cells are found during normal immune responses, or is their presence restricted to autoimmunity. A search for cTFH cells post-vaccination or during pathogen challenge could address this issue.

We have learned much about the function and autoimmune potential of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells following their isolation from the blood of normal and diseased humans. The identification of circulating TFH cells seems an equally important step in the study of this fourth CD4 T cell effector subset in humans. While additional experiments are needed for functional analyses, the work of Simpson and colleagues is a critical step in the emergence of this effector CD4 T cell subset from the shadows of its well-studied Th1, Th2, and Th17 counterparts, and an important beginning to understanding the role that these cells play in systemic autoimmunity.


There is good evidence from cell lines and rodents that elevated protein kinase C (PKC) overexpression/activity causes insulin resistance. Therefore, the present study determined the effects of PKC activation/inhibition on insulin-mediated glucose transport in incubated human skeletal muscle and primary adipocytes to discern a potential role for PKC in insulin action. Rectus abdominus muscle strips or adipocytes from obese, insulin-resistant, and insulin-sensitive patients were incubated in vitro under basal and insulin (100 nM)-stimulated conditions in the presence of GF 109203X (GF), a PKC inhibitor, or 12-deoxyphorbol 13-phenylacetate 20-acetate (dPPA), a PKC activator. PKC inhibition had no effect on basal glucose transport. GF increased (P < 0.05) insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose (2-DOG) transport approximately twofold above basal. GF plus insulin also increased (P < 0.05) insulin receptor tyrosine phosphorylation 48% and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) activity approximately 50% (P < 0.05) vs. insulin treatment alone. Similar results for GF on glucose uptake were observed in human primary adipocytes. Further support for the hypothesis that elevated PKC activity is related to insulin resistance comes from the finding that PKC activation by dPPA was associated with a 40% decrease (P < 0.05) in insulin-stimulated 2-DOG transport. Incubation of insulin-sensitive muscles with GF also resulted in enhanced insulin action ( approximately 3-fold above basal). These data demonstrate that certain PKC inhibitors augment insulin-mediated glucose uptake and suggest that PKC may modulate insulin action in human skeletal muscle.


Overloading is a technique to accommodate more users than the spreading factor N. This is a bandwidth efficient scheme to increase the number of users in a fixed bandwidth for mobile communication. One of the efficient schemes to overload a CDMA system is to use two sets of orthogonal signal waveforms (O/O). The first set is assigned to the N users and the second set is assigned to the additional M users. An iterative soft decision interference cancellation receiver (SDIC) scheme is used to cancel interference between the two sets of users. In this paper, the BER performance of a new overloading scheme using orthogonal Gold code sets (OG/OG) is evaluated with SDIC receiver on a Rayleigh fading channel. It is observed that this scheme provides the channel overloading of 40% at a BER of 0.0005, with an SNR degradation of about 1 dB as compared to single user performance on a Rayleigh fading channel. An improved overloading scheme is also proposed, which gives 100% channel overloading on Rayleigh fading channel with near single user performance.


[1] Thousands of phyllosilicate-rich outcrops, mainly iron or magnesium-rich are exposed on Noachian terrains in the Martian southern highlands. We analyzed 90 CRISM observations and more than a hundred HiRISE images located on the plateaus surrounding Valles Marineris. We mapped an extensive Al- and Fe/Mg-phyllosilicate-rich formation covering at least ∼197,000 km2, for which we introduce the name "Plateau Phyllosilicates." Tens of meters in thickness, this light-toned formation crops out at various elevations on top of the Noachian units Npl1 and Npl2, as flat exposures on plateaus and along scarps such as valley walls, chasma walls, pit walls and impact crater rims. The Fe/Mg-phyllosilicate-rich lower member of the formation is composed of Fe/Mg-smectites (nontronite, saponite) and vermiculite. The Al-phyllosilicate-rich upper member of the formation contains Al-smectites (montmorillonite, beidellite) and locally kaolinite and/or halloysite. We suggest that the Plateau Phyllosilicates were mainly formed by pedogenesis related to the weathering of the Noachian bedrock by percolation of meteoric water or melted snow under a temperate and subarid climate during the Noachian Epoch in an alkaline to neutral environment. Kaolinite and/or halloysite may have formed in areas of more intense drainage at the surface under slightly acidic environments during the Noachian and Hesperian Epochs. Fluvial activity and deuteric alteration may have locally contributed to the genesis of phyllosilicates. This study suggests that the alteration of the Noachian basement of the plateaus surrounding Valles Marineris was widespread during the Noachian Epoch, and was still active during the Hesperian Epoch even though the water availability was limited.


Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) in Korea has utilized the full Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system since October 2004. Unlike other countries, most EMR systems in Korean teaching and general hospitals are in-house development systems. Therefore, we can actively respond to user requests on EMR. Here, based on 5 years of experience in EMR system operation, we analyzed 2,339 SNUH EMR user requests from 2006 to 2008 for improvement of EMR system operation and management. We classify user requests into 9 criteria based on guidelines from the SNUH medical information management team. In conclusion, the most common requests (73%) are for improvement of improving quality of care. However, requests associated with hospital enterprise, public policy, and customer service are gradually increased every year. Therefore, we suggest that suitable EMR management criteria are necessary for reliable EMR operation and management.


This study analyses the economic aspects of chilli in Central Java where chilli is massively and intensively cultivated. Data for this study is compiled during 2009-2011 in three chilli producing districts: Brebes, Magelang and Rembang. Analyses is conducted using qualitative and quantitative approaches. The results indicate that many important findings related to economic aspects of chilli. There are various ranges of economic aspects across regions. The main findings is that chilli provided positive net returns, has relatively high economic risk and intensive use of chemicals. The policies related to improvement of chilli cultivation need to be formulated based on local specific constraints.


In this poster, we develop a technique for placing informational labels in complex Virtual Environments (VEs). The ability to effectively and efficiently present labels in VEs is valuable in Virtual Reality (VR) for many reasons, but the motivation is to bring us closer to a system that delivers information in VR in an optimal way without causing information overload. The novelty of this technique lies in the use of eye tracking as an accurate indicator of attention to identifying objects of interest. Labels associated with such objects of interest are revealed when the user attends to them. We conduct a series of experiments to evaluate label placement based on user attention. This attention is measured using eye tracking. Results show that one method in particular results in 100% accuracy in some scenarios in a search task with little difference in time taken to complete the task.


The last national famine in Scotland occurred during King William's reign in the late 1690s. Investigation into this event has hitherto been fairly limited. Generally, historians have dismissed suggestions that it was a very serious or long-lasting crisis. The work of Robert Tyson on Aberdeenshire marked a departure from this. He identified high levels of suffering and mortality in that county which contributed to a crisis much more severe than previously suggested, other than in the Highlands. Tayside, to the south, constituting the counties of Angus and Perthshire, was thought to have largely escaped the worst effects. This article challenges that viewpoint. It argues that the crisis spanned several years, and while its impact differed in important respects from the experience in Aberdeenshire, it nevertheless had profound economic, social and demographic consequences.


One hundred eighty-four cases of feline leukemia and lymphoma diagnosed in Boston from 1972 through 1976 were investigated. Fifty-eight % of these cases were lymphoma, and 42% were leukemia. Sixty-seven % of the cats had positive fluorescent antibody tests for circulating feline leukemia virus. The rest (33%) were virus negative. Clinically and epidemiologically, the virus-positive and virus-negative cases were remarkably similar except for their age at diagnosis. Virus-negative cats tended to be older (mean age at diagnosis, 4.9 years) as compared to virus-positive cats (3.5 years). For 22 cases of leukemia and lymphoma diagnosed after the age of 8 years, 15 were virus negative. The minimum mean induction period (time from first positive virus test to diagnosis of cancer) for 19 cats that were virus positive and healthy at their first test was 16.7 months (range, 2 to 41 months).


Objectives: To compare the stone free rate and treatment success rate between a diuretic group of patients undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and a control placebo group (normal saline solution). Materials and Methods: One hundred and ninety-four patients with solitary renal calculi or ureteric calculi size of 5 mm or over were prospectively randomized into 2 groups. Ninety-seven patients in the first group (diuretic group) underwent ESWL after intravenous injection of furosemide 40 mg, and 97 patients in the second (control) group received normal saline solution 4 ml instead of furosemide prior to ESWL. The treatment protocol included 3,000 shockwaves per patient in each session with the energy beginning at 8 and progressing up to 15 kilovolts. A maximum of 3 ESWL sessions were permitted per patient. The primary outcome was stone free rate, and the secondary outcome was treatment success rate at 3 months after the first ESWL treatment. Results: The stone free rate was 48.5% compared to 50.5% for diuretic group and control group respectively and the treatment success rate was 81.4% compared to 64.9%. The difference in stone free rate was not statistically significantly different (p = 0.87), however the treatment success was, p = 0.01. Conclusion: A combination of diuretic therapy followed by ESWL improves the treatment success rate compared with standard ESWL therapy alone.


BACKGROUND
The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess headache disability in patients with orofacial pain.

METHODS
The authors administered a Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire to 337 university-based clinic patients with OFP and 367 general dental (GD) patients, who served as controls. They made primary and secondary diagnoses in patients with OFP according to standard diagnostic criteria. The authors classified the patients into three major categories: primary headache (PH), musculoskeletal disorders (MS) and neuropathic pain (NP). They categorized the MIDAS score into four severity grades (I, the lowest, through IV, the highest). The authors analyzed the data using chi(2), t test, one-way analysis of variance and logistic regression for calculated odds ratios.

RESULTS
Patients with OFP had a greater prevalence of headache than did patients in the GD group (72.7 percent versus 31.9 percent, respectively; P < .001), with a higher total MIDAS score, number of headache days in the previous three months and headache severity (P < .001). Within the OFP group, the diagnostic prevalence of PH, MS and NP was 7.1 percent, 79.8 percent and 13.1 percent, respectively (P < .001). The authors categorized 56 percent of patients with OFP and headache into the high-impact headache group (MIDAS grades III and IV; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with OFP had a higher prevalence of headache with greater disability impact than did control subjects. The degree of disability was related strongly to the MS diagnosis.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
The coexistence of PH and MS disorders can lead to higher headache disability. Clinicians need to treat both disorders concomitantly, which will result in improved treatment outcomes.


A number of behavioral and neurocognitive studies have shown that visuo-spatial and visual-object information in working memory can be dissociated. However, as reflected in the variety of operationalizations, there is no consensus on the definition and delineation of these two types of information. In particular, the role of dynamic aspects in spatial information is not clear. We hypothesize that static-spatial information (i.e. absolute position), dynamic-spatial information (i.e. movement), and visual-object features (e.g. color) are separable features and can be retained selectively in working memory.
We conducted three behavioral studies within the framework of an S1-cue-S2-paradigm. Participants were presented with a first stimulus and were required to compare it to a second stimulus that was presented a few seconds later. In order to enable selective rehearsal, in a part of the trials we presented a cue after S1-offset indicating the specific to-be-evaluated feature. In the unspecific condition the cue specified two features. We expected that specific cues lead to better memory performance than unspecific cues because the former but not the latter allow selective rehearsal. Stimuli were either two moving colored dots or a static layout of four colored dots. Participants' performances were higher in the specific than in the unspecific condition. We take this as evidence that selective rehearsal of movement, position, and color information is possible and that these features are separable in visual working memory.
In two further experiments we modified the perceptual stimulus qualities in order to equate difficulty across tasks and to make the tasks suitable for a planned fMRI study.


We present the case of a 76-year-old woman with a poorly-differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (PDNEC) of the ascending colon with liver metastases responding to calboplatin (CBDCA)/etoposide (ETP). She was admitted to our hospital with bloody stools, and was diagnosed with ascending colon cancer and multiple liver tumors. Total colonoscopy showed a Type 2 tumor in the ascending colon, and histological findings revealed adenocarcinoma from biopsy specimens. Right hemicolectomy with lymph nodes dissection was performed. Histologically, the tumor displayed PDNEC, the last feature identified by immunohistochemical markers for chromogranin and synaptophysin. After surgery, a combination of CBDCA and ETP was administered based on the chemotherapy for small-cell lung carcinoma in elderly, and there was a partial response and good control without emerging new lesions for more than two years.


Microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition was used to grow silicon dioxide films on crystalline silicon substrate for planar optical waveguides. The relationship between plasma parameters and deposition rates was investigated, and the influence of radio frequency substrate bias on properties of SiO2 films was also preliminarily studied. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry were used to characterize the deposited films, showing that SiO2 films with good structural and optical properties prepared at low temperature have been achieved. They can basically meet the requirements of integrated optical waveguides.


A mathematical model to predict the shading coefficients (SC) and solar rejection factor (SRF) of various types of chemically deposited solar control coatings is presented. The values of SC and SRF are presented for coatings with soar absorptance in the 50-75% range and solar reflectance in the 10-25% range for typical exterior temperature of 10-50 degrees C. Chemically deposited solar control coatings with a protective polymer coating applied on 6 mm thick sheet glass in architectural windows are seen to provide SC in the 0.3 to 0.75 range depending on the optical characteristics and exterior temperatures. A solar rejection factor of 33-56% is available from the coatings already reported.


Hydrogen exchange monitored by mass spectrometry (HX-MS), in conjunction with multiple optical probes, has been used to characterize the unfolding of thioredoxin. Equilibrium and kinetic studies have been carried out at pH 7 and 3. The HX-MS measurements are shown to be capable of distinguishing between native (N) and unfolded (U) protein molecules when both are present together, and their application in kinetic experiments allows the unfolding reaction to be delineated from the proline isomerization reaction to which it is coupled. At pH 7, equilibrium unfolding studies monitored by three optical probes, intrinsic fluorescence at 368 nm, ellipticity at 222 nm, and ellipticity at 270 nm, as well as by HX-MS, indicate that no intermediate is populated at pH 7, the unfolding reaction is slower than the proline isomerization reaction that follows it, and the three optical probes yield identical kinetics for unfolding, which occurs in a single kinetic phase. The fractional change in any of the three optical signals at any time of unfolding predicts the fraction of the molecules that have become U, as determined by HX-MS. Hence, unfolding at pH 7 appears to occur via a two-state N <==> U mechanism. In contrast at pH 3, HX-MS as well as optical measurements indicate that an unfolding intermediate is stabilized and hence accumulates in equilibrium with N and U, at concentrations of denaturant that define the transition zone of the equilibrium unfolding curve. The intermediate has lost the near-UV signal characteristic of N and possesses fewer amide hydrogen sites that are stable to exchange than does N. Kinetic experiments at pH 3, where unfolding is much faster than proline isomerization, show that more than one intermediate accumulates transiently during unfolding. Thus, the unfolding of thioredoxin occurs via an N <==> I <==> U mechanism, where I is a partially unfolded intermediate that is stabilized and hence populated at pH 3 but not at pH 7. It is shown that transient aggregation of this intermediate results in a deceleration of the kinetics of unfolding at high protein concentrations at pH 3 but not at pH 7.


A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplemental yeast culture (Diamond V XP Yeast Culture; YC) in broiler diets on growth performance and hematological parameters. One-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks (n = 240) were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments based on corn and soybean meal containing 0, 1, 1.25 (recommended level) and 1.5 g/kg of YC in the diet over 42 days. Each treatment group had 60 birds divided into 4 replicates. All birds were kept under the same managerial, environmental and hygienic conditions except for different dietary levels of yeast. Feed consumption, weight gain and feed conversion were measured on 3 week-interval basis. At 42 days of age three birds were chosen randomly from each replicate for determination of hematological parameters. The results of this study indicate that dietary supplemental YC at 1.25 g/kg (recommended level of the manufactory) improved growth performance. However, this improvement was not statistically differed. The chicks fed supplemented diets with YC in the rate of 1.5 g/kg had significantly (p<0.05) lower White Blood Cell (WBC) counts compared to control one. However, no significant differences were found among treatment groups for HGB, RBC, HCT, MCV and MCH. Generally, broiler chicks fed with yeast shows highly significant decrease (p<0.0005) in thrombocyte count compared to the control group. In conclusion, the addition of yeast culture in broilers' diet improved body weight gain and feed efficiency and decreased H:L ratio, especially in recommended level (1.25 g YC/kg diet).


Breath is a significant component in singing performance, which is still underresearched in most singing-related music interfaces. In this paper, we present a multimodal system that detects the learner's singing pitch and breathing states and provides real-time visual tutoring feedback. Specifically, the breath detector is a wearable belt with pressure sensors and flexible fabric. It monitors real-time body movement of the abdomen, back waist, and twin ribs. A breath visualization algorithm is developed to display real-time breath states, together with the singing pitch contours on an interactive score interface. User studies show that our system can help users not only gain deeper breath during singing but also improve pitch accuracy in vocal training, especially for those with some musical background.


To form Cu interconnects, dual-damascene techniques like chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) and post-CMP became inevitable for removing the "overburden" Cu and for planarizing the wafer surface. During the CMP processing, Cu interconnects and barrier metal layers experience different electrochemical interactions depending on the slurry composition, pH, and ohmic contact with adjacent metal layers that would set corrosion process. Ruthenium as a replacement of existing diffusion barrier layer will require extensive investigation to eliminate or control the corrosion process during CMP and post CMP. Bimetallic corrosion process was investigated in the ammonium citrate (a complexing agent of Cu in CMP solutions) using micro test patterns and potentiodynamic measurements. The enhanced bimetallic corrosion of copper observed is due to noble behavior of the ruthenium metal. Cu formed Cu(II)-amine and Cu(II)-citrate complexes in alkaline and acidic solutions and a corrosion mechanism has been proposed. The currently used metallization process (PVD, CVD and ALD) require ultra-high vacuum and are expensive. A novel method of Si surface metallization process is discussed that can be achieved at room temperature and does not require ultra-high vacuum. Ruthenation of Si surface through strong Si-Ru covalent bond formation is demonstrated using different ruthenium carbonyl compounds. RBS analysis accounted for monolayer to sub-monolayer coverage of Si surface. Interaction of other metal carbonyl (like Fe, Re, and Rh) is also discussed. The silicon (111) surface modifications with vinyl terminated organic compounds were investigated to form self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and there after these surfaces were further functionalized. Acrylonitrile and vinylbenzophenone were employed for these studies. Ketone group of vinylbenzophenone anchored to Si surface demonstrated reactivity with reducing and oxidizing agents.


Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is a technique to identify and prioritize potential failures of a process. This paper reports the description of FMEA methodology and its implementation in a foundry in reducing rejections of bushes. It is used as a tool to assure products quality and as a mean to improve operational performance of the process. The work was developed in an Indian foundry, in co-operation with part of the internal staff chosen as FMEA team members and was focused on the study of core making process. The problems identified in the various steps of core making process contributing for high rejection are studied and analyzed in terms of RPN to prioritize the attention for each of the problem. The monetary loss due to core rejection is considered as measure of risk.


Excessive vasopermeability and angiogenesis compromise vision in diabetic macular oedema (DME) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). Vasoinhibin is a fragment of the hormone prolactin (PRL) that inhibits diabetes‐induced retinal hypervasopermeability and ischaemia‐induced retinal angiogenesis in rodents. Hyperprolactinaemia generated by the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist, levosulpiride, is associated with higher levels of vasoinhibin in the vitreous of patients with DR, implying a beneficial outcome due to vasoinhibin‐mediated inhibition of retinal vascular alterations. Here, we tested whether hyperprolactinaemia induced by racemic sulpiride increases intraocular vasoinhibin levels and inhibits retinal hypervasopermeability in diabetic rats. Diabetes was generated with streptozotocin and, 4 weeks later, rats were treated for 2 weeks with sulpiride or osmotic minipumps delivering PRL. ELISA, Western blot, and Evans blue assay were used to evaluate serum PRL, retinal vasoinhibin, and retinal vasopermeability, respectively. Hyperprolactinaemia in response to sulpiride or exogenous PRL was associated with increased levels of vasoinhibin in the retina and reduced retinal hypervasopermeability. Furthermore, sulpiride decreased retinal haemorrhages in response to the intravitreal administration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Neither sulpiride nor exogenous PRL modified blood glucose levels or bodyweight. We conclude that sulpiride‐induced hyperprolactinaemia inhibits the diabetes‐ and VEGF‐mediated increase in retinal vasopermeability by promoting the intraocular conversion of endogenous PRL to vasoinhibin. These findings support the therapeutic potential of sulpiride and its levorotatory enantiomer, levosulpiride, against DME and DR.


The paper presents a comprehensive study on development of soil fertility management system in the Republic of Belarus. The history of development, as well as the modern scheme of functioning of services for agro-chemical and radiological examination of soils of agricultural lands has been studied in detail, including the sources of their financing, services provided, the list of provided consolidated analytical materials as a result, etc. Special attention is paid to the republican databank of agro-chemical and radiation indicators of agricultural soil, which, through automated information system, is considered an information basis for modeling soil fertility in order to develop recommendations for using mineral fertilizers in individual fields and working plots, farms, districts, regions calculated under requirements for agricultural crops. The authors concluded that the data bank of agro-chemical and radiological properties of soils of agri-cultural lands of the Republic of Belarus, as well as the analytical information system functioning on its basis, were of high practical value and of an applied nature for the country's economy. However, in the modern world, digital solutions, on the basis of which the data bank functions, are worn out morally. Studies indicate that the technical requirements for functioning and use of electronic databank of agro-chemical and radiological monitoring of soils of agricultural lands in the Republic of Belarus should be formalized in the form of regulations (or rules) and enshrined in the national regulatory framework. In addition, it is necessary to develop a scheme for information content of the databank by optimizing organizational interaction of agro-chemical services of the Republic of Belarus. It is feasible to give access to a huge array of analytical information in the form of geographic information system, which will make it possible to maintain electronic register of agricultural land soils, as well as electronic certification of fields and elementary plots. Implementation of a number of measures to develop the soil fertility management system in the Republic of Belarus may lead to increase in demand for work related to agro-chemical services for agriculture by 50-60 % by 2030.


This book consists of two chapters that document and analyse the context and development of a collaboration between two writers, a poet and a painter, 33 poems and 33 paintings. The poems and paintings are placed in a dialogical relationship with each other. The book attempts to do more than present poetry and paintings serving merely as an illustration of each other. Instead the authors/artists have experimented with how each art-form can bring further significance to another and make new meaning. The two chapters and introduction set up for the viewer a means of exploring a novel form of making meaning. Furthermore these chapters discuss aesthetic, philosophical, historical and political questions endemic not only to the selected art and poetry but to questions governing creative art processes. In this sense it deals with what we have termed 'a third space'.


Flagellar-based motility plays a critical role in Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis, influencing both the establishment of bacterial infection and the host's response to the pathogen. Nonetheless, aflagellate clinical strains are often isolated from acutely and chronically infected patients and include the virulent laboratory strain PA103. We determined that PA103's aflagellate phenotype is the result of a single amino acid change (G240V) in the master flagellar regulator, FleQ. This mutation, which lies just outside the Walker B box of FleQ, abrogates the ability of FleQ to positively regulate flagellar gene expression. Reversal of this seemingly conservative amino acid substitution is sufficient to restore swimming motility to PA103, despite the presence of mutations in other flagellar genes of PA103. We also investigated the consequences of restoring flagellar assembly on PA103 virulence. Although a negative correlation between flagellar assembly and Type 3 secretion system (T3SS) expression has been reported previously, we did not observe downregulation of T3SS expression or function in Fla+ PA103. Restoration of flagellar assembly did, however, amplify IL-1 signals measured during murine pulmonary infection and was associated with increased bacterial clearance. These experiments suggest that loss of flagellar motility may primarily benefit PA103 by attenuating pathogen recognition and clearance during acute infection.


The Milankovitch hypothesis is widely held to be one of the cornerstones of climate science. Surprisingly, the hypothesis remains not clearly defined despite an extensive body of research on the link between global ice volume and insolation changes arising from variations in the Earth's orbit. In this paper, a specific hypothesis is formulated. Basic physical arguments are used to show that, rather than focusing on the absolute global ice volume, it is much more informative to consider the time rate of change of global ice volume. This simple and dynamically‐logical change in perspective is used to show that the available records support a direct, zero‐lag, antiphased relationship between the rate of change of global ice volume and summertime insolation in the northern high latitudes. Furthermore, variations in atmospheric CO2 appear to lag the rate of change of global ice volume. This implies only a secondary role for CO2 – variations in which produce a weaker radiative forcing than the orbitally‐induced changes in summertime insolation – in driving changes in global ice volume.


Within the field of landscape architecture and architecture, historians and critics often have sought to view the "college campus as art." This concept portrays the individual buildings as a collection of artifacts, giving little attention to the cultural and historical meanings of space, both surrounding the buildings and between the buildings. Studies of this nature tend to focus on styles, motifs, and artistic significance of individual edifices. Likewise, historic architectural studies examine the importance that buildings have in relation to their adornments, their design motifs, and their artists or architects who created them. This analysis challenges these values and associations through an evaluation of historically black college and university campuses (HBCU's) and "segregated public schools" of the Southern United States. Through a review of literature on court cases about school segregation and an examination of built environments, this article suggests that architectural and landscape studies are important in conveying notions of inferiority and tradition that were used in segregation cases across the United States. The case studies in this analysis jointly express how architecture and landscape represent and shape race relations in the United States and address shortcomings in the literature of architecture and landscapes that fail to show a connection between the antebellum and postbellum lives of African Americans in the United States. A comprehensive understanding of segregation requires an investigation of spatial and built environments to analyze the feelings and experiences of people throughout time, rather than a simple focus on historic events.


In the experiment, donor specific tolerance was induced by DST, DSSL and DSBM through peripheral intravenous transfusion in rat cervical cardiac transplantation model. The results showed there were significant differences in graft survival time between the blank control group and the other groups (P < 0.05). The mean graft survival time days of the DST, DSSL and DSBM groups were 28.9 +/- 13.7, 42.9 +/- 6.6 and 40.3 +/- 11.6 days, respectively. The effect of component infusion was obviously better than that of DST (P < 0.05), but no statistical difference was observed between DSSL and DSBM. CsA gave a noticeable synergistic effect to the induction of immunological tolerance. MLR and CD8+ T cell were remarkably reduced(P < 0.05) in the cases of component transfusion. This study suggested that components transfusion may be of clinical use for donor-specific tolerance inducing.


Aim: To observe the frequency of anemia, iron deficiency anemia and β-thalassemia during pregnancy. Study type, setting & duration: This cross sectional study was undertaken at antenatal clinic of gynecology, Unit V of Lady Aitcheson Hospital Lahore from October 2018 to March 2019. Methodology: The study was commenced after formal written permission. A total of 310 pregnant women were included in this study andtheir demographic information was taken on predesigned Performa. Blood samples from all females were collected from the peripheral vein of upper limb and was sent to hospital laboratory for analysis of Hemoglobin and other necessary parameters. All female were labeled as iron deficiency anemia or β thalassaemia as per operational definition. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS. Results: Mean age of females was 26.23± 5.26 years and mean gestational age was remained to be 16.632±10.62 weeks. The mean hemoglobin 8.55±2.10 g/dl, mean iron binding capacity was 13.07 ± 6.55 µg/dl and mean serum ferritin was 43.50 ± 76.93 µg/L. Anemia was seen in 270(87.1%), iron deficiency anemia was diagnosed in 239(77.1%) while β thalassemia was seen in 29(9.4%) of the pregnant women. There was significant association between parity with anemia and β thalassemia, p-value < 0.05. While iron deficiency anemia was not associated with parity. Conclusion: Anemia, iron deficiency anemia and β-thalassemia are much high and require recognition at early gestations. Various factors are reported to be involved which may be controlled by early supplementation. Keywords: Anemia, Iron deficiency, β-thalassemia, pregnancy, trimester, parity.


Self-assembly processes provide the means to achieve scalable and versatile metamaterials by"bottom-up"fabrication. Despite their enormous potential, especially as a platform for energy materials, self-assembled metamaterials are often limited to single phase systems, and complex multi-phase metamaterials have scarcely been explored.We propose a new approach based on sequential self-assembly that enables the formation of a two-phase metamaterial composed of a disordered network metamaterial with embedded nanoparticles. Taking advantage of both the high-spatial and high-energy resolution of electron energy loss spectroscopy, we observe inhomogeneous localization of light in the network, concurrent with dipolar and higher-order localized surface plasmon modes in the nanoparticles. Moreover, we demonstrate that the coupling strength deviates from the interaction of two classical dipoles when entering the strong coupling regime. The observed energy exchange between two phases in this complex metamaterial, realized solely through self-assembly, implies the possibility to exploit these disordered systems for plasmon-enhanced catalysis.


Abstract Information Dynamics [Agrawala, 2000] is an information-centric framework that provides a sufficient understanding of the characteristics of information used in systems for better system design and implementation. In this paper, we describe how to improve link -state routing based on this framework. Link-state routing protocols such as OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) [Moy, 1991] are currently used in many networks. In link -state routing, routes are determined based on link-delay estimates, which are periodically flooded throughout the network. This flooding of link-delay estimates is done without considering the relevance of these estimates to routing quality, i.e. without taking into account the usefulness of the link -delay information. We have developed a new approach that improves link -state routing by estimating future link delays and flooding these estimates only to the extent that they are relevant. This means that we consider the dynamics of the link -delay information and its usefulness. Simulation studies suggest that our approach can lead to significant reductions in routing traffic with noticeable improvements of routing quality in high-load conditions, demonstrating the effectiveness of the framework. We plan to further investigate the conditions where our information-dynamics approach is better than the standard approach.


Individuals who offer financial advice to the public are regulated at several levels — by federal statute, by state law, and by rules of federal regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and self-regulatory organizations such as FINRA. Following the stock market crash of 1929, Congress began to enact a federal framework of regulation of the individuals working within the securities markets. Initially, Congress focused on brokers, the individuals who were paid to effectuate securities transactions. Next, Congress focused on investment advisers, the individuals who were paid for the advice they gave in connection with securities transactions. As a result, the regulatory schemes associated with brokers and investment advisers are separate and distinct. The obligations each has to their clients are different. While this may have made sense at the time the regulation were enacted, over time, the distinctions between brokers and investment advisers have blurred. Effectuating transactions and offering advice are no longer distinct activities conducted by different individuals. Now, an individual offering financial advice may be both a broker and an investment adviser and offer different levels of service to different clients. This individual will be governed by the regulations associated with brokers when acting in the capacity of a broker and will be governed by the regulations associated with investment advisers when acting in the capacity of an investment adviser. This has blurred the distinctions even further, as the same person may be both. Concerned that the distinctions between brokers and investment advisers have blurred too far, a number of studies, including several commissioned by the SEC, have examined an investor's comprehension of the distinctions. The studies have consistently demonstrated that investors do not understand the different roles of brokers and investment advisers. Investors do not understand that the conduct of brokers and investment advisers are governed by different regulatory schemes and by different standards of care. Investors do not always understand with whom they are doing business. This Article proposes that the best course of action at this point is to adopt new legislation — a Financial Advice Act. While the distinctions between brokers and investment advisers have blurred, there remain distinctions. A one-size-fits-all regulatory structure will disregard the realities of the marketplace. Different clients have different needs and expectations from their financial professionals and want different fee structures which reflect the different services. Accordingly, the Financial Advice Act would not harmonize the standards applicable to brokers and investment advisers. It would eliminate the artificial distinctions between brokers and investment advisers as they now exist, and replace them with new definitions more closely tied to the services actually offered by the financial professional. It would recognize that there are varying levels of financial advice with different compensation associated with them. It would create standards of care that are more closely related to the advice and the expectations created by the financial professional. Clients would have the option of choosing to do business with a full range of financial professionals from discount to full service, and would receive a corresponding level of protection.In order to set the stage for the discussion of this Article's proposal, this Article first examines the legislative history of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and second, the judicial history of both. The circumstances in which each Act was formed explain why the Acts were initially distinct and inform the discussion of why those distinctions are no longer applicable. Next, this Article examines how the SEC has attempted to deal with the blurring of the distinctions in a way that would permit the financial professionals to offer various advice models to clients. By ensuring that there remain definable distinctions between brokers and investment advisers, the courts have further blurred the landscape.Next this Article examines Congress's attempt to deal with this blurring of roles, and the effect Dodd-Frank has had on this landscape. It will explore the Study conducted by the SEC pursuant to Dodd-Frank and the recommendations made by the staff of the SEC. Lastly, this Article will describe a proposal for a new securities act, which would modify the existing legislation in such a way to eliminate the artificial distinctions between brokers and investment advisers.


This paper derives a set of general relativistic cardinal equations for the equilibrium of an extended body in a uniform gravitational field. These equations are essential for a proper understanding of the mechanics of suspended relativistic systems. As an example, the prototypical case of a suspended vessel filled with radiation is discussed. The mechanics of Casimir apparatuses at rest in the gravitational field of the Earth is then considered. Starting from an expression for the Casimir energy-momentum tensor in a weak gravitational field recently derived by the authors, it is shown here that, in the case of a rigid cavity supported by a stiff mount, the weight of the Casimir energy E c stored in the cavity corresponds to a gravitational mass M = E c /c 2 , in agreement with the covariant conservation law of the regularized energy-momentum tensor. The case of a cavity consisting of two disconnected plates supported by separate mounts, where the two measured forces cannot be obtained by straightforward arguments, is also discussed.


The dynamic behaviors of a relative-rotation nonlinear dynamic system with cubic coupled terms are studied. First, the dynamic equation of coupled system with nonlinear elastic force and generalized friction and harmonic excitation is deduced. The approximate solution of coupled unautonomous equation under harmonic excitation is obtained by the method of multiple scales. The effect of coupled terms on system resonance is analyzed in respect of principal resonance and internal resonance. The singularity stability of bifurcation function of principal resonance is studied by singularity theory, and the transfer concourse and topological structure of bifurcation function are obtained.


In A-431 cells, stimulation of P2-purinergic receptors with extracellular ATP caused production of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3), followed by mobilization of Ca2+ from intracellular stores; Ca2+ influx from the extracellular fluid and breakdown of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) also accompanied this InsP3/Ca2+ signalling. When A-431 cells were pretreated with pertussis toxin (PTX), production of InsP3 and elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ were strongly inhibited. PTX also inhibited the Ca2+ influx, but the effect was much weaker than that for InsP3/Ca2+ elevation. No inhibitory effect was observed in ATP-stimulated PtdCho breakdown. These results suggest that there is a system(s) which mediates the functions of P2-purinergic receptors in addition to PTX-sensitive G-proteins.


The wnt signaling pathway is an intercellular communication mechanism essential in cell-fate specification, tissue patterning and regional-identity specification. A βcatenin-dependent signal specifies the AP (Anteroposterior) axis of planarians, both during regeneration of new tissues and during normal homeostasis. Accordingly, four wnts (posterior wnts) are expressed in a nested manner in central and posterior regions of planarians. We have analyzed the specific role of each posterior wnt and the possible cooperation between them in specifying and patterning planarian central and posterior regions. We show that each posterior wnt exerts a distinct role during re-specification and maintenance of the central and posterior planarian regions, and that the integration of the different wnt signals (βcatenin dependent and independent) underlies the patterning of the AP axis from the central region to the tip of the tail. Based on these findings and data from the literature, we propose a model for patterning the planarian AP axis.


The synthesis of 1,2,10,11-tetrahydro-9H-cyclobuta[c]benzo[e]indol-4-one (17, CbBI), which contains a deep-seated fundamental structural modification in the CC-1065 and duocarmycin alkylation subunit consisting of the incorporation of a ring-expanded fused cyclobutane (vs cyclopropane), its chemical and structural characterization, and its incorporation into a key analogue of the natural products are detailed. The approach to the preparation of CbBI was based on a precedented (Ar-3' and Ar-5') but previously unknown Ar-4' spirocyclization of a phenol onto a tethered alkyl halide to form the desired cyclobutane. The conditions required for the implementation of the Ar-4' spirocyclization indicate that the entropy of activation substantially impacts the rate of reaction relative to that for the much more facile Ar-3' spirocyclization, while the higher enthalpy of activation slows the reaction relative to an Ar-5' spirocyclization. The characterization of the CbBI-based agents revealed their exceptional stability and exquisite reaction regioselectivity, and a single-crystal X-ray structure analysis of N-Boc-CbBI (13) revealed their structural origins. The reaction regioselectivity may be attributed to the stereoelectronic alignment of the two available cyclobutane bonds with the cyclohexadienone π-system, which resides in the bond that extends to the less substituted cyclobutane carbon for 13. The remarkable stability of N-Boc-CbBI (which is stable even at pH 1) relative to N-Boc-CBI containing a cyclopropane (t(1/2) = 133 h at pH 3) may be attributed to a combination of the increased extent of vinylogous amide conjugation, the nonoptimal geometric alignment of the cyclobutane with the activating cyclohexadienone, and the intrinsic but modestly lower strain energy (1.8 kcal/mol) of a cyclobutane versus a cyclopropane.


Instruction learning of Large Language Models (LLMs) has enabled zero-shot task generalization. However, instruction learning has been predominantly approached as a fine-tuning problem, including instruction tuning and reinforcement learning from human feedback, where LLMs are multi-task fine-tuned on various tasks with instructions. In this paper, we present a surprising finding that applying in-context learning to instruction learning, referred to as In-Context Instruction Learning (ICIL), significantly improves the zero-shot task generalization performance for both pretrained and instruction-fine-tuned models. One of the core advantages of ICIL is that it uses a single fixed prompt to evaluate all tasks, which is a concatenation of cross-task demonstrations. In particular, we demonstrate that the most powerful instruction-fine-tuned baseline (text-davinci-003) also benefits from ICIL by 9.3%, indicating that the effect of ICIL is complementary to instruction-based fine-tuning.


The authors have measured 27Al, 55Mn and 11B NMR spectra of the quasicrystalline Al-Pd-Mn-B system with the new strong magnetism. The zero-field spectra observed around 220 MHz at 4.2 K provide evidence that ferromagnetic Mn atoms exist in these icosahedral quasicrystals. Further, Mn atoms with no internal magnetic field are also detected in these icosahedral quasicrystals from spectra obtained in applied magnetic fields. From the microscopic point of view, by means of NMR, it is concluded that the icosahedral phase of this system consists of a magnetically heterogeneous atom distribution, although the X-ray diffraction pattern and transmission electron microscopy exhibit the formation of a single icosahedral phase in the Al-Pd-Mn-B alloy.


Application of Li-S batteries has been restricted because of their major problem, that is, shuttling of soluble polysulfides between electrodes, which results in serious capacity fading. For the development of high-performance Li-S batteries, we first time utilize a simple growth method to introduce a Prussian blue (PB)-modified Celgard separator as an ion-selective membrane. The unique structure of PB could effectively suppress the shuttle of polysulfides but scarcely affect the transfer ability of lithium ions, which is beneficial to achieve high sulfur conversion efficiency and capacity retention. The Li-S battery with PB-modified Celgard separator has an average capacity decay of only 0.03 % per cycle at 1 C after 1000 cycles.


Image and Promotion of Tourist Destinations in the Internet: The Case of Municipalities in the Island of Madeira. Tourists want to know different places of their everyday lives and therefore the image of a destination promoted on the Internet can be a stimulus for potential travelers. The image of the destination on the Internet not only arouses interest and curiosity for travel, but is also part of the decision process of a tourist. This paper seeks to identify the elements most valued by the tourist towns of Madeira Island, through the Internet, to persuade tourists to visit their region and analyze the importance that the municipalities of Madeira attach to the Internet to promote their destination. On methodological issues, the author chose to make a content analysis of the sites of the municipalities of Madeira Island referenced in the network in 2011, and had a connection to tourism. It can be conclude that the sites of the municipalities value the natural landscape to attract tourists.


Purpose To examine the efficacy of ptosis correction with a Müller muscle-conjunctival resection with or without tarsectomy (MMCR±T), combined with bandage contact lens (BCL) use, in corneal graft patients. Methods Seven patients with corneal grafts who underwent MMCR±T for treatment of ptosis were evaluated retrospectively. A BCL was applied to the grafts at the end of the surgery. The collected data included preoperative and postoperative visual acuity, marginal reflex distance 1 (MRD-1), presence of Hering's dependency by the phenylephrine test, symmetry outcomes, and complications after MMCR±T. Results The average duration between the penetrating keratoplasty and MMCR±T was 14 months, with a follow-up time of 10.4 months after MMCR±T. Hering's dependency was observed in four (57.2%) patients before MMCR±T, and MRD-1 was increased in all patients based on preoperative phenylephrine tests. The mean preoperative MRD-1 was −0.14 ± 0.55 mm, and the mean postoperative MRD-1 was 2.35 ± 0.89 mm (p < 0.0001). Symmetry outcomes of perfect (<0.5 mm), good (0.5–1 mm), and fair (≥1 mm) were noted after MMCR±T in three, three, and one patients, respectively. During the follow-up, no obvious corneal epitheliopathy, keratitis, or corneal graft rejection/failure were noted in any cases. BCL use was well tolerated by all patients. Conclusions Most patients achieved good surgical outcomes with the application of the BCL to protect the graft and with the use of the phenylephrine test and Hering's dependency to predict the final eyelid position and symmetry. MMCR±T combined with BCL may therefore represent an alternative approach for correction of ptosis in patients with corneal graft.


Ergodicity of a spin-glass is broken at low temperatures; the system is trapped in one of many ergodic configurational domains. Transitions between different ergodic domains are achievable through a heating-annealing procedure. If this experiment is repeated infinite times, all ergodic configurational domains will be visited with frequences that decreasing exponentially with their free energies. The mean free energy density of a spin-glass system on a random graph is calculated based on this free energy Boltzmann distribution in the present work, by means of the cavity approach.


EGF, but not TGFα, efficiently induces degradation of the EGF receptor (EGFR). We show that EGFR was initially polyubiquitinated to the same extent upon incubation with EGF and TGFα, whereas the ubiquitination was more sustained by incubation with EGF than with TGFα. Consistently, the ubiquitin ligase c-Cbl was recruited to the plasma membrane upon activation of the EGFR with EGF and TGFα, but localized to endosomes only upon activation with EGF. EGF remains bound to the EGFR upon endocytosis, whereas TGFα dissociates from the EGFR. Therefore, the sustained polyubiquitination is explained by EGF securing the kinase activity of endocytosed EGFR. Overexpression of the dominant negative N-Cbl inhibited ubiquitination of the EGFR and degradation of EGF and EGFR. This demonstrates that EGF-induced ubiquitination of the EGFR as such is important for lysosomal sorting. Both lysosomal and proteasomal inhibitors blocked degradation of EGF and EGFR, and proteasomal inhibitors inhibited translocation of activated EGFR from the outer limiting membrane to inner membranes of multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Therefore, lysosomal sorting of kinase active EGFR is regulated by proteasomal activity. Immuno-EM showed the localization of intact EGFR on internal membranes of MVBs. This demonstrates that the EGFR as such is not the proteasomal target.


Cascading trophic interactions are important in many freshwater pelagic food webs, but their importance in more complex, omnivore-rich littoral-zone food webs is less well known. We tested the existence of a trophic cascade involving omnivorous crayfish (Orconectes rusticus), macroinvertebrates, periphyton, and macrophytes using 9-M2 cages in the littoral zone of Plum Lake, Wisconsin, USA. Treatments in the replicated (N = 4) experiment were crayfish enclosures, crayfish exclosures, and cageless references. During June-September, we measured macrophyte shoot numbers, macroinvertebrate numbers, and periphyton (on plastic strips) chlorophyll a, and dry mass (DM). We expected that crayfish foraging would directly reduce abundance and change species composition of macrophytes and macroinvertebrates and would indirectly enhance periphyton abundance by reducing the abundance of grazing snails. In enclosures, macrophyte and snail (but not nonsnail macroinvertebrate) densities declined significantly throughout the experiment, whereas densities of macrophytes, snails, and nonsnail macroinvertebrates increased in exclosures and cageless references. Some of the reduction in macrophytes resulted from nonconsumptive fragmentation of macrophytes by crayfish. Consistent with the cascading trophic interactions model, periphyton chloro- phyll a per unit surface area increased in enclosures, but declined in exclosures. Periphyton quality (as indexed by chlorophyll a/DM) also increased in enclosures relative to exclosures and cageless references. However, because of large reductions in macrophyte surface area (which periphyton colonizes) in enclosures, total amount of periphyton chlorophyll a in enclosures (relative to exclosures) probably declined while periphyton quantity per unit surface area and periphyton quality increased. Thus, the impacts of crayfish omnivory on periphyton, expressed in two conflicting indirect effects, confirm the possibility that om- nivory can complicate cascading trophic predictions. Overall, results support the existence of strong trophic interactions in the littoral zone, in which omnivorous crayfish control abundance of macrophytes, snails, and periphyton.


The effect of different types of monoglycerides, including monopalmitin, capryl monoglyceride (GMB), and succinylated monoglyceride (GMSA) in combination with palm kernel stearin (PKS) and beeswax (BW), on the formation, crystal network structure, and partial coalescence properties of aerated emulsions (20 % w/w fat) was investigated. The stability of BW and PKS crystals with a 1 % concentration of GMSA and GMB, respectively, in the oil phase was lower than the other crystals. BW-GMSA and PKS-GMB crystals exhibited a lower crystallization rate, higher contact angles and no significant peak shift in the small-angle X-ray scattering results. The BW-GMSA and PKS-GMB emulsions had a lower nucleation rate in the bulk and a higher nucleation rate at the interface, resulting in a higher fraction of crystals adsorbed at the oil/water interface. This reduced the number of interfacial proteins and led to a high degree of partial coalescence and the formation of stable aerated networks.


The paper aims to reveal the significance of tacit knowledge in the process of training practice of social workers by defining the concepts of the implicit and tacit knowledge and reviewing questions, which arise while teaching social workers practical activities. Social worker operates in uncertain constantly changing situation, when success depends on the client himself/herself and on various external circumstances. While training social workers or developing the skills for those who are already working, dilemma or practical problem arises as theoretical social work knowledge comparing to knowledge acquired during practice often seem to be distant, foreign and unrecognizable and both who learn and who work find difficult to relate them. The educators of social workers must answer many HOW?: be able purposely recognize and be able to control the encounter of theory and practice in the social work practice; be able interpret and creatively apply abstract theory – theoretical knowledge in atypical constantly changing situations; reflect practical activity; act professionally and deliberately – know the activities, obtain competencies and identify knowledge used in practice; use and manage not only theoretical, but also tacit knowledge. Explicit and tacit knowledge is important in the practical activity training process as in order to know how to act theoretical know how knowledge is required. In the higher education school lectors and tutors deliver explicit-declarative or theoretical knowledge for the future social workers. The practice supervisor-mentor is responsible for delivering tacit-procedural knowledge related to practical activity. Tacit knowledge in the university is also delivered during practicum, group seminars and individual consultations with tutor. In order to develop professional language, it is important to understand various categories of knowledge and how they are related. The activity of the higher education school is integral part of knowledge creation and management.


Color vision deficiency is an inability that the person could not realize the differences between some colors. This inability causes person not to read some writings, to see some of signs as in Ishihara Test. In this study to provide them to read that numbers, a method as shifting colors was applied on some Ishihara Plate images. JPEG format images are read and colors are shifted in different ratios in HSV color space. Consequently, color deficient person is able to read the numbers on the plates that the shifting method was applied. Images are tested with 3 different red - green color deficient people and results are declared.


Children are important actors in the urban areas of Turkey since they make up the largest demographic group. Therefore, the reasons behind their being regarded as 'passive' should be re-examined, in view of the fact that they live and work in, and create and recreate the city. The purpose of this study is to elaborate the children's right to the city concept from two different points of view using liberal and radical approaches within the theoretical framework provided by Marcuse in the right to the city discourse. The reason for choosing Marcuse is that at some points, his arguments meet with both a liberal and radical understanding of the right to the city. Therefore, these two approaches will be compared regarding children's right to the city in Turkey in light of related literature. In the last part of the study, children's right to the city will be discussed from these two perspectives with the particular case of street children derived from findings in the literature. It is revealed that while there are significant developments in Turkey at local and international level in terms of children's right to the city and street children, there is still a need for a strengths-based perspective which positions children as active agents making decisions about their own lives and formation of urban space.


In this month's Field Development feature, SPE conference authors place an emphasis not only on original research and findings but also on validation and refinement of existing techniques that may not have received thorough attention in the literature. As operators strive to achieve the greatest returns possible from technically, environmentally, and economically challenging plays, they are driven to innovate new approaches and to fine-tune existing ones.
 In paper SPE 206267, the authors investigate the performance of a distributed quasi-Newton (DQN) derivative-free optimization (DFO) method, which, they write, had not yet been validated by realistic applications or compared with other DFO methods. They integrate DQN into a versatile field-development optimization platform designed for iterative work flows enabled through distributed parallel flow simulations. The method was field-tested on two realistic applications and identified the global optimum with the least number of simulations and the shortest run time on a synthetic problem with a known solution.
 The authors of paper SPE 207146 create and evaluate a development plan for an oil field discovered in a remote offshore environment in the Niger Delta. Because the oil in place was uncertain, a probabilistic approach was used to estimate the stock-tank oil originally in place using low, mid, and high cases. Keeping in mind governmental regulations to maintain the reservoir pressure above bubblepoint, the authors propose a development plan that is marginally base modeled and, despite the uncertainty of oil prices in the market, able to cover any unforeseen situations.
 Finally, the authors of paper SPE 208882, addressing the challenge posed by cumbersome integrated technical work flows for multiwell fracture modeling and reservoir simulation, use tools existing in the literature to quantify the effect of changing well spacing on well productivity for a given completion design using a simple, intuitive empirical equation. After describing and qualifying the use of their approach, they apply it to a case study from the Permian Basin.
 Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.
 OTC 31151 - Autonomous Subsea Field Development—Value Proposition, Technology Needs, and Gaps for Future Advancement by Giorgio Arcangeletti, Saipem, et al.
 SPE 206533 - Field Development Optimization Using Machine-Learning Methods To Identify the Optimal Waterflooding Regime by Alexey Vasilievich Timonov, Consultant, et al.
 URTeC-2021-5301 - Unconventional Reservoir Development Performance Reviews—the Northern Midland Basin Case Study by Hongjie Xiong, University Lands, et al.


Objective To determine the association between inflammatory markers and change in knee pain over 5 years. Methods A total of 149 randomly selected subjects (mean 63 years, range 52–78; 46% female) was studied. Serum levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF–α) and interleukin (IL)-6 were measured at baseline and 2.7 years later. Knee pain was recorded using the Western Ontario and McMasters osteoarthritis index questionnaire at baseline and 5 years later. Knee radiographic osteoarthritis of both knees was assessed at baseline, and knee bone marrow lesions, joint effusion and cartilage defects were determined using T1 or T2-weighted fat saturated MRI. Results After adjustment for confounding variables, baseline hs-CRP was positively associated with change in total knee pain (β=0.33 per mg/l, p=0.032), as well as change in the pain at night in bed (β=0.12 per ml/pg, p=0.010) and while sitting/lying (β=0.12 per ml/pg, p=0.002). Change in hs-CRP was also associated with change in knee pain at night and when sitting/lying (both p<0.05). Baseline TNFα and IL-6 were associated with change in pain while standing (β=0.06 per ml/pg, p=0.033; β=0.16 per ml/pg, p=0.035, respectively), and change in TNFα was positively associated with change in total knee pain (β=0.66 ml/pg, p=0.020) and change in pain while standing (β=0.26 ml/pg, p=0.002). Adjustment for radiographic osteoarthritis or MRI-detected structural abnormalities led to no or minor attenuation of these associations. Conclusion Systemic inflammation is an independent predictor of worsening knee pain over 5 years.


To better reveal early forms of cancer and dyshormonal lesions of the mammary gland, it is suggested to use a special index which may help to ascertain more rapidly "risk groups" and also to conduct prophylactic examinations among females with greater efficacy.


The intermittency of wind and solar energy can disrupt the dynamic balance utilities must maintain to meet fluctuating demand. This work examines the use of thermal energy storage (TES) to increase the operational flexibility of a baseload power plant and thus incentivize renewable energy and decarbonize the grid. A first and second law thermodynamic model of a nuclear power plant establishes the impacts of TES on the capacity factor and thermal efficiency of the plant. Four storage options, which are distinguished by the location within the cycle where steam is diverted for charging and whether discharge of the TES is via the primary or a secondary Rankine cycle, are considered. TES is compared to steam bypass, which is an alternative to provide baseload flexibility. TES is significantly better than steam bypass. The storage option with the greatest thermodynamic benefit is charged by diverting superheated steam at the outlet of the moisture separator/reheater (MSR) to the TES. The TES is discharged for peaking power through an optimized secondary cycle. TES increases the capacity factor as much as 15% compared to steam bypass at representative charging mass flowrates. The storage option that diverts steam from the steam generator to charge the TES and discharges the TES to the primary cycle extends the discharge power to a lower range and does not require a secondary cycle. In this case, the capacity factor and efficiency are as much as 8% greater than that of steam bypass.


Nonradiating states of light have recently received a lot of attention in nanophotonics owing to their ability to confine and enhance the electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale. Such optical states not only offer a promising way to overcome the problem of losses associated with plasmonic materials, but also constitute an efficient platform for interaction of light and matter. Here, we report the radiationless states in compact, ultrathin transition-metal-dichalcogenide metasurfaces, namely bound states in the continuum (BICs). Through applying the multipole analysis to the BIC-based metasurfaces, we demonstrate that the BICs can be classified as magnetic dipole (MD) and electric toroidal dipole (TD) modes, both of which correspond to the Γ-point symmetry-protected BIC. Due to the large field confinement inside the nanoresonators originating from the BICs, the strong coupling is realized between quasi-BICs and the exciton resonance, showing that the Rabi splitting energy can be up to 134 meV and 162 meV for the MD and TD quasi-BIC, respectively. We reveal that reduction of the effective mode volume is highly responsible for the enhancement of coupling strength. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that a large mode volume can lead to increase of the field leakage, which enables our metasurfaces to find applications in, for instance, label-free sensing based on refractometric detection.


During last year, there had been a whirlwind of events such as– digitalization of society be it in governance (e.g. Aadhaar) or even our daily mundane lives (e.g. cashless payments), debates surrounding net-neutrality, ransomware attacks, data breaches and numerous other privacy or surveillance issues. All of them reveal two important aspects of being linked together in a common thread. Firstly, humans are getting smarter through advanced technology, as they are living in an age of information. In this age data is not merely a piece of information, rather it is equivalent to an 'economic good' or 'commodity' and even regarded as an 'asset.' It consequently lends the second aspect – as for how our lives in a cyberspace are stretched, intensified and speeding up under globalization where effects over one part of the world are quite visible in another part of the world.


Sink to source transition parallels loss of thigmotropic capacity in tendrils of a semileafless mutant, Pisum sativum cv Curly. Macroscopic tendril development is subdivided based on thigmotropic capacity. Stage I is the elongation stage and, although the rate of photosynthesis is similar to that of stage II and III tendrils, dark respiration rates are higher in stage I. During stage II, tendrils are thigmotropic and act as a sink. Even though stage II tendrils have CO(2) exchange characteristics similar to those of stage III tendrils, which are coiled, our fluorescein, (14)C-partitioning, and (11)C-translocation experiments suggest that stage I and II tendrils do not export carbon. Only stage III tendrils act as sources of newly fixed carbon. Export from them is blocked by cold, heat girdling of the petiole, or anoxia treatment of the tendrils. A late stage II tendril complex, in which coiling is occurring, may be exporting photoassimilates; however, this phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that the pea leaf is a compound structure and there may be one or more stage III tendrils, no longer thigmotropic, within the tendril complex. Photosynthetic maturity in pea tendrils occurs at stage III and is characterized by the ability of these tendrils to export photoassimilates.


The super-flexible wires, which can withstand significant stretch as well as bend, are successfully developed by using the conductive adhesive containing Ag particles dispersed in a silicone-based binder. After curing under suitable conditions, the electrical conduction in the adhesive was detectable until the elongation reached to 100-180 %. Furthermore, the electric resistance was almost recovered after removing tensile stress. This wiring technology was applied for fabricating a prototype sensor sheet for artificial skin applications of robots and related equipments. The piezoelectric films composed of poly(vinylidene fluoride) were assembled on a silicone substrate by using the silicone-based conductive adhesive in order to fabricate the sensor sheet. The information related to pressure distribution was monitored successfully when we toughed the sensor sheet.


The characteristics of the radionuclides (170)Tm and (169)Yb are highly interesting for their use as high dose-rate brachytherapy sources. The introduction of brachytherapy equipment containing these sources will lead to smaller required thicknesses of the materials used in radiation protection barriers compared with the use of conventional sources such as (192)Ir and (137)Cs. The purpose of this study is to determine the required thicknesses of protection material for the design of the protecting walls. Using the Monte Carlo method, transmission data were derived for broad-beam geometries through lead and concrete barriers, from which the first half value layer and tenth value layer are obtained. In addition, the dose reduction in a simulated patient was studied to determine whether transmission in the patient is a relevant factor in radiation protection calculations.


ABSTRACT Despite the fact that COVID-19 vaccines serve as an important tool for protection against COVID-19 infection, in individuals aged above 65 years, as well as the entire community, there are significant problems associated with getting vaccinated. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of perceptions and attitudes toward the COVID-19 epidemic in individuals over the age of 65 living in Şanlıurfa, Turkey in 2021, on the situation of having COVID-19 vaccination. The study is designed as a case-control type of research. The study population was comprised of individuals aged 65 years and above located in Şanlıurfa, Turkey. The Case Group consisted of individuals, who rejected the COVID-19 vaccination and the Control Group consisted of individuals who have received the vaccine. The individuals recruited in the Case and Control Groups were selected by means of the snowball sampling method. The study included a total of 240 individuals including 120 in the Case Group and 120 in the Control Group. Rate of vaccine rejection was higher in individuals who believed that the media exaggerated the pandemic, the disease had low contagiousness, the pandemic was a conspiracy, the environmental pollution had no role in the disease, the domestic measures taken against the epidemic were inadequate, the personal hygiene could not protect from disease, and who did not believe that the disease was inevitable [p < 0.05]. Governments have a lot of responsibilities in providing accurate information about vaccination to people and increasing confidence in the health system.


Rupture or erosion of atherosclerotic plaques of the coronary artery followed by thrombus formation appears to be the major causes of acute coronary syndrome. Rupture-prone vulnerable or unstable plaques have been proposed as those with thin fibrous caps, large lipid cores, and enhanced inflammatory responses as well as oxidative and mechanical stresses. Angiotensin II, oxidized low-density lipoprotein(LDL), and its receptor lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1(LOX-1) appear to play key roles in atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability and rupture. In addition soluble LOX-1 can be a biomarker for acute coronary syndrome reflecting plaque vulnerability and rupture.


Summary: The defined secondary structure of proteins method is often considered the gold standard for assignment of secondary structure from three-dimensional coordinates. However, there are alternative methods. '2Struc: The Secondary Structure Server' has been created as a single point of access for eight different secondary structure assignment methods. It has been designed to enable comparisons between methods for analyzing the secondary structure content for a single protein. It also includes a second functionality, 'Compare-the-Protein' to enable comparisons of the secondary structure features from any one method to be made within a collection of nuclear magnetic resonance models, or between the crystal structures of two different proteins. Availability: http://2struc.cryst.bbk.ac.uk Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


Abstract. Islands provide the last refuge for many Australian species that have succumbed to range contractions since European settlement. These species have heightened vulnerability when developments are planned for the islands. The burrowing bettong (Bettongia lesueur), a threatened macropod, was once widespread across Australia but now occurs naturally only on Barrow Island and two other Western Australian offshore islands. Here, we document the demographic, social and genetic characteristics of the Barrow Island population, using nuclear microsatellites, mtDNA and demographic parameters from 286 individuals trapped around 29 warrens. The Barrow Island population utilises complex warren systems scattered across the landscape and exhibits continuous breeding, even during extensive dry conditions. Males (759 g) were significantly heavier than females (735 g), with the latter reaching sexual maturity at ∼600 g. Warrens varied markedly in size and number of individuals, with 20% of females and 25% of males moving between nearby warrens. There were two deep mtDNA haplotype clades that coalesce around 298 000 years ago, indicating that this island population has maintained an effective population size that has permitted the retention of one marked feature of its preisolation genetic diversity. Dispersal and gene flow between warrens was severely constrained. Both mtDNA and 11 nuclear microsatellites showed a strong isolation by distance effect, with genetic differences between warrens increasing linearly with geographic separation. While this was marked in both sexes, it was stronger in females and consistent with shorter dispersal distances for females than for males. The trapping and genetic data are concordant, with between-warren sociality correlated with genetic similarity. Long-term conservation, management and translocation programs will benefit from cognisance of the strong fidelity to natal areas, as evidenced by both recapture data and genetic analyses.


This paper describes the challenges encountered and solutions found to be the problem of developing over-voltage protection for 225 V circuit applications with measured tunable trigger voltages of 100-300 V, measured tunable holding voltages for latch-up immunity of 50-240 V, and corresponding strengths of 8.0-2.4 A Transmission Line Pulse (TLP). The device is engineered using technical computer-aided design and the performance is measured with dc characterization, unpowered TLP, powered and unpowered Electrostatic Discharge (ESD), as well as a 225 V product placement with a 1500-h High Temperature Operating Life lifetime reliability monitor. The final cell enables both 225 V powered and unpowered protection from high voltage switching transients and ESD events.


Inhibin is a 32-kD dimeric glycoprotein consisting of an alpha subunit and one of two beta subunits (beta A or beta B), which was isolated and cloned on the basis of its ability to inhibit FSH release from the pituitary. Activin results from the combination of two inhibins. Activins can cause stimulation of FSH release from pituitary cells both in vitro and in vivo, and in addition are involved in embryogenesis, erythropoiesis, and reproductive function. The inhibin-related peptides, and their receptors, are present in the testis and ovary from early gestation through adulthood. An additional level of control of the activity of growth factors is afforded by specific binding which may regulate protein turnover, localization and bioactivity. To date, two distinct binding proteins for inhibin and activin have been identified, both of which are expressed in the testes and other tissues and are present in the circulation. In serum, inhibin is primarily found associated with alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M), a high-capacity, low-affinity binding protein which binds many cytokines and growth factors. Binding to alpha 2M does not appear to alter immuno- or bioactivity of inhibin or activin. The second binding protein, follistatin, is produced in many of the same tissues which produce the activin and inhibin. This molecule may function primarily as a regulator of activin bioavailability and bioactivity. The affinity of follistatin for activin (< 0.1 nM) is similar to that of the high-affinity activin receptors. Thus, dynamic changes in the relative levels of the amount of any of these components could act to modulate activin and inhibin bioavailability in both a developmentally and tissue-restricted pattern in the testes and ovary.


BACKGROUND
Infection is the most common complication related to permanent pacemaker implantation. The objetive of this study is to establish the prevalence and determine the frequency of risk factors associated with exteriorization of cardiac pacemakers at the Department of Cardiac Electrophysiology at the UMAE Hospital de Especialidades "Dr. Antonio Fraga Mouret" Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social.

METHODS
A descriptive cross-sectional study from September 2005 to September 2010, where, for the analysis of the risk factors we selected cases and controls by age, sex and the diagnosis of Diabetes, or not. Was calculated measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode) and chi-squared, Fisher exact test and exact odds ratio.

RESULTS
3192 cardiac pacemakers were implanted, identifying 83 exteriorization cases, where 46 of them were selected for cases and controls, and the mean age was 71 years.

CONCLUSIONS
Our prevalence of exteriorization of cardiac pacemakers is 2.6 %, these results are similar to previously published studies. None of the risk factors described are present as a cause in our population. The surgical technique used may be an important risk factor, so further studies analysing all techniques are needed.


Abstract. The true eddy accumulation method (TEA) provides direct measurements of ecosystem-level fluxes for a wide range of atmospheric constituents. TEA utilizes conditional sampling to overcome the requirement for a fast sensor response usually demanded by the state-of-the-art eddy covariance method (EC). However, the assumptions and conditions required for the TEA method are often not met. Here we explore the limitations caused by the assumption of zero mean vertical wind velocity during the averaging interval and by the fixed accumulation interval. We extend the theory of TEA method to non-zero vertical wind velocity by employing information about the scalar transport. We further derive a new method with adaptive time varying accumulation intervals. The new method, termed short-time eddy accumulation (STEA), was successfully implemented and deployed to measure CO2 fluxes over an agricultural field in Braunschweig, Germany. The measured fluxes matched very well against a conventional EC system (slope of 1.05, R2 of 0.87). We provide a detailed description of the setup and operation of the STEA system in the flow-through mode, devise an empirical correction for the effect of buffer volumes, and describe the important considerations for the successful operation of the STEA method. The new theory developments reduce the bias and uncertainty in the measured fluxes and create new ways to design eddy accumulation systems with finer control over sampling and accumulation. The results encourage the application of TEA and STEA for measuring fluxes of more challenging atmospheric constituents such as reactive species as well as other constituents where no fast gas analyzers are available.


. The development of wind energy in recent years has made the representation of wind turbines in numerical models essential for wind resource and environmental assessment. In this study, we introduce a new wind turbine model, the Simple Actuator Disc for Large Eddy Simulation (SADLES), parameterized in the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. Our goal is to perform realistic downscaling of large eddy simulation, so we integrated SADLES and the cell perturbation method as WRF modules and released the code as open-source for further research. We demonstrate the effectiveness of SADLES 5 by comparing a large eddy simulation of a 5-MW wind turbine using the WRF-SADLES with the Parallelized Large-eddy simulation Model (PALM), showing that SADLES can simulate wind turbine wakes effectively at an intermediate resolution of a few dozen meters. Furthermore, we show the applicability of SADLES in wind farm assessment by downscaling the ERA5 reanalysis data to study turbine-to-turbine and farm-to-farm interactions for the Alpha Ventus wind farm. In our case study, due to the wind farm to the southwest, the ambient wind speed at Alpha Ventus is reduced by 14% and the average turbine power 10 is reduced by 35%. SADLES provides a promising balance between computational efficiency and accuracy for wind turbine wake simulations and has potential applications in wind energy assessment and wind farm construction planning.