The aim of this article is to present to the reader a broad view of the work of a general hospital in West Africa in its relation to the health of children. Facts and impressions were accumulated by the author during a year's sojourn in Nigeria, too short a time no doubt for a penetrating survey of local problems, but, possessed of the clinical potential of a flourishing and well-esteemed young hospital, long enough for a responsible survey of the main topics confronting workers in Child Health in West Africa. Practice in Africa is bewildering and refreshing to an English doctor, and requires a fresh approach adapted to experiences in new realms of pathology. Several published descriptions have focused attention on the University College Hospital, Ibadan, during its growth (vide British Medical Journal, 1956). Now it is completed and possesses facilities that are unexcelled in tropical Africa. Built beside a teeming Nigerian city, a centre both of commerce and administration, and closely in contact with a university already of considerable renown, the new hospital is exceptionally favoured in its circumstances and associations. In the waiting period while the new hospital was being built, the medical staff, who were already assembled, were occupied in creating a corporate hospital unit and at the same time in providing the local population of Ibadan with the fuller medical services that such an unexampled mustering of doctors and nurses made possible. These new facilities were grasped with alacrity, and in no sphere more willingly than by parents for their children. It was during this interregnum that the subject matter of this paper was collected. The base hospital was then the Adeoyo Hospital in the middle of the old town, a group of single storied buildings closely encircled by primitive dwelling houses, recently vacated by the Ibadan District Council to furnish the nidus of the University Hospital organization. The little renovation that was possible was done, and soon this primitive and unkempt small hospital became imbued with a mood of energy and promise, so that its achievements far over-reached its material restrictions. The children's ward consisted of a congested room with a balcony, together able to contain some 35 infants and children under 12 years of age. In this ward fulminating gastro-enteritis was treated beside broncho-pneumonia, septic ulcers beside extensive exposed burns, typhoid beside malaria and tuberculosis amidst them all. The frequency of cross infection can only be roughly guessed, but was certainly not very great, as instanced by the fact that diarrhoea seldom developed in hospital even in long-stay patients. Perhaps we owed this to the sunlight and free circulation of air in a ward with constantly open doors and windows. An element of squalor is inseparable from work in these circumstances, but the first affronted reaction to bed linen grey from use and re-use, to the one ward lavatory of hole-in-floor type which served for patients, staff and visitors, to the 'sluice room', a square cell with a tap and a hole in the wall from which the effluent flowed outside in a rather illdefined way, and to the chicken which continued defiantly to inhabit the out-patient verandah, passed when one realized that these were unalterable but temporary conditions, and that ill results from them were so much less than might be imagined.


Coxiella burnetii is a Gram-negative intracellular pathogen that causes the debilitating disease Q fever, which affects both animals and humans. The only available human vaccine, Q-Vax, is effective but has a high risk of severe adverse reactions, limiting its use as a countermeasure to contain outbreaks. Therefore, it is essential to identify new drug targets to treat this infection. Macrophage infectivity potentiator (Mip) proteins catalyse the folding of proline-containing proteins through their peptidyl prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity and have been shown to play an important role in the virulence of several pathogenic bacteria. To date the role of the Mip protein in C. burnetii pathogenesis has not been investigated. This study demonstrates that CbMip is likely to be an essential protein in C. burnetii. The pipecolic acid derived compounds, SF235 and AN296, which have shown utility in targeting other Mip proteins from pathogenic bacteria, demonstrate inhibitory activities against CbMip. These compounds were found to significantly inhibit intracellular replication of C. burnetii in both HeLa and THP-1 cells. Furthermore, SF235 and AN296 were also found to exhibit antibiotic properties against both the virulent (Phase I) and avirulent (Phase II) forms of C. burnetii Nine Mile Strain in axenic culture. Comparative proteomics, in the presence of AN296, revealed alterations in stress responses with H2O2 sensitivity assays validating that Mip inhibition increases the sensitivity of C. burnetii to oxidative stress. In addition, SF235 and AN296 were effective in vivo and significantly improved the survival of Galleria mellonella infected with C. burnetii. These results suggest that unlike in other bacteria, Mip in C. burnetii is required for replication and that the development of more potent inhibitors against CbMip is warranted and offer potential as novel therapeutics against this pathogen.


This article reads two late nineteenth century short stories – one by Guy de Maupassant and the other by Louisa May Alcott – through the interpretive framework of Critical Disability Studies. It contrasts the traditional view of disability as a deficit or pathology that befalls certain unfortunate individuals with a newer one that understands it much like gender, race, and social class. Both stories reveal much more about sighted people's fears than they do about blindness. Ultimately, this method of reading historically says much about forces such as national identity, capitalism, philanthropy, gender roles, social class, and the complex relationship each has to the troubled concept of modernity that emerged in both France and the United States.


Rapid adaptation is aiding invasive populations in their competitive success. The evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis posits this enhanced performance results from escape from native enemies, yet its support is equivocal. We here test EICA comprehensively by investigating adaptive divergence of various constitutive and inducible defence-related traits within the native North America and introduced European and Australian ranges, whilst controlling for divergence due to latitudinal trait clines, individual resource budgets and population differentiation using >11,000 SNPs. We do not identify a general reduction in defence in concert with an increase in growth among the multiple introduced ranges as predicted by EICA. Yet, rapid, repeated clinal adaptation in defence-related traits was apparent despite distinct demographic histories. Divergence in energy budgets among ranges may explain some, but not all, defence-related trait divergence. Synthesis: The rapid spread of invasive species is affected by a multitude of factors, likely including adaptation to climate and escape from natural enemies. Unravelling the mechanisms underlying invasives' success enhances understanding of eco-evolutionary theory and is essential to inform management strategies in the face of ongoing climate change.


Background: Worldwide, biopsy is the gold standard for pathological assessment of cancer. Routinely, immunohistochemistry (IHC) can be performed to evaluate various tumor markers on serial sections of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue. Comprehensive molecular analysis of biopsy is limited by the microscopic size of samples and the scarcity of quantitative tools for FFPE tissue examination. Development of the new tools for molecular analysis of biopsy is needed to stratify, as early as possible, a patient's individual risk for tumor aggressiveness and sensitivity to therapy to avoid potential over- and under treatment. Objective: To assess the feasibility of direct mRNA expression profiling of all three classic clinical markers of cancer progression - estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in routinely collected FFPE core needle biopsy (CNB) of the breast. Methods: We obtained tissue from the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pennsylvania Tumor Tissue and Biospecimen Bank and the Cooperative Human Tissue Network. Steroid hormone receptor and HER2 status, determined by FDA-approved methods, was obtained from the surgical pathology reports. For direct (i.e. without amplification) mRNA profiling, we ran the Panomics/Affymetrix QuantiGene Plex 2.0 assay on Luminex according to manufacturer's protocol. After the removal of low-abundance housekeeping genes expressing samples, the relative activity of target genes, ERS1, PGR, ERBB2 encoding ER alpha, PR and HER2 was detected. mRNA profiling was completed in 107 breast samples: 6 clinically normal (N) cases from reduction mammoplasty, 17 ductal carcinoma in situ ( DCIS) on CNB , 42 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and 42 non-malignant matched tissue from surgical excisions. Groups were compared using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: A pair-wise comparison among tissue groups revealed 3-fold higher expression levels of ERS1 in ER+ DCIS on CNB (P=. 055), and statistically significantly higher expression levels of ERS1 in the ER+/PR+ (P= .021) and ER+/PR- (P= .004) subgroups of IDC than in the N group. Remarkably, compared with N tissue, ERS1 levels were already decreased in non-malignant tissue adjacent to ER-/PR-/HER2- subgroup of IDC and were further significantly decreased in ER-/PR-/HER2- IDC itself (P= .023). Compared to the N group, significant decreases in PGR levels were found only in ER-/PR-/HER2- subgroup of IDC (P= .003), whereas significant increases in ERBB2 levels were found in both HER2+ DCIS on CNB (P= . 037) and HER2+IDC in excisions (P= .005). Conclusions: Our study, for the first time, proved the feasibility of using FFPE CNB as an RNA source for direct mRNA expression profiling. These findings support the notion that IHC evaluation of ER, PR, and HER2 status in the CNB DCIS may be complemented by concurrent detection of ESR1/PGR/ERBB2 mRNA levels. Citation Format: Indira Prabakaran, Paul J. Zhang, Marina Guvakova. The diagnostic power of direct mRNA profiling in breast cancer core biopsy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; 2015 Oct 23-26; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B24.


Between 1992 and 1993, 75 paired serum samples from Holstein dairy cows and their calves were collected from Aomori, Tochigi and Okinawa Prefectures, and the neutralizing antibody titres to bovine coronavirus (BCV) were determined using hamster lung (Hmlu)-1 cells. The anti-BCV antibody positive rate in the maternal serum samples was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in Okinawa (72%) than in Aomori (100%) or Tochigi (100%). The geometric mean tire (GMT) of anti-BCV neutralizing antibody was also significantly lower (P < 0.05) in maternal sera from Okinawa (89) than that of Aomori (229) or Tochigi (264). The anti-BCV neutralizing antibody titres in the sera of calves which had ingested the colostrum, significantly correlated with the antibody concentration of the maternal serum samples (P < 0.05). These results suggest an extensive BCV infection among the dairy cattle in these prefectures, with a varied pattern of distribution between the prefectures. Anti-BCV neutralizing antibody in the sera of newborn calves appeared to be transferred from their dams through colostrum.


The pumping station became widely used in many fields. Free surface vortices at intakes of pumps are not favorable. It may cause noise, excessive vibration, damage to the pumping structure, reduction in efficiency and flow for hydro-turbines, etc. One of the important problems encountered during the pump intake design is the depth of submergence and other design parameters to avoid strong free-surface vortices formation. This study aims to compute the critical submergence depth with some geometrical and hydraulic limitations by using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) package. The mathematical model was validated with a laboratory model that had been conducted. The model of three intake pipes was investigated under five different submergence depth (S), three different spaces between intake pipes (b), and five different suction velocities (v). The results showed the best operation cases when the space between intake pipes (b) equal to 4D, the submergence depth of water is equal or greater than 1.25 from the bell mouth diameter of intake pipe (D), and the suction velocity less than 2 m/s. The worst case was when the space between the suction pipe (b) was (2D), in this case, the vortex appeared at submergence depth (S/D = 2) with suction velocity 3 m/s.


equal to the range of change of momentum of the body on which it acts. The force F producing an acceleration a on a body of mass m kg is therefore given by F = ma. Since we do not know the mass of the fetus, and the probe does not measure acceleration, it is not clear how the head-to-cervix force is measured. I would agree that measuring pressure at the head cervix interface might be of more use than just the intrauterine pressure, but since the paper claims to measure force, it loses its credibility.


Cu0.7Mn0.3O films were deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition and annealed in different atmospheres. The XRD diffraction results indicate that samples annealed in air and N2 both show pure CuO phases, while the film annealed in O2 has a secondary phase CuMn2O4. The content of Mn was confirmed by Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The M-T and M-H curves show that the average magnetic moment of the films prepared in O2 is larger than those prepared in air and in N2 atmosphere. Ferromagnetic segments Mn-O-Cu-O-Mn can be used to understand the ferromagnetism of CuO under heavily Mn-doping. And the magnetic moment per Mn ions calculated on the base of this chain model is consistent with the experimental result.


The following article represents a clinical case study of a synchronous breast cancer in a 47 year old woman with no prior significant comorbidities.Up to 10% of all breast cancers can be synchronous (usually found with the help of breast MRI). The occurrence of bilaterally is considerable with invasive lobular carcinoma. The patient observed after self-palpating her breast a nodule in the infero-external quadrant of the right breast. During almost 4 months the patient underwent punch biopsy of the right breast, lumpectomy and finally double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using Mentor implants and AMD. The histopathological result showed ductal carcinoma in situ in the right breast and lobular carcinoma in situ in both breasts. Postoperatively the patient is free of cancer, but under clinical and imagistic surveillance.


Democratic systems ought to have certain central tenets that act as ethical boundaries. The violation of these ethical boundaries relegates democratic systems to mere mirages, perversions and phantoms. The market fundamentalistic stance of neo-liberalism leads to the abuse of virtually all the central tenets of democracy. Neo-liberalism advocates for a weak interventionist state in terms of fostering human rights and social justice and a strong regulatory state in terms of protecting and promoting markets and private property. Democracy on the other hand calls for a strong interventionist state to implement the human rights and social justice mandate on behalf of the people and a strong regulatory state to curtail the abuse of human rights and social justice. This paper argues that in neo-liberal states like Uganda, markets and the accumulations of private property in most cases through primitive accumulation take precedence over democracy. This has culminated into privations of democracy such as; autocratic majoritarianism, mobocracy, kleptocracy, prebendalism and neo-patrimonialism.


Cyclic Metal(IV)Amides

Synthesis and structure of cyclic amide complexes of quadrivalent titanium, vanadium, and chromium are described, and their electrochemical behavior is investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The novel amides of formula ML2 {MTi, (3b); MV, (3c); MCr, (3d); L=[(CH3)3SiNCH2CH2NSi(CH3)3]} are formed by reaction of the halide adducts MCl3(THF)3 with the dilithium salt Li2L with concomitant disproportionation. Formation of 3d proceeds via the complex [3 d]⊖ and requires additional oxidation with oxygen or iodine. An X-ray crystalstructure determination of 3b reveals the titanium atom in strongly distorted tetrahedral environment with approximate symmetry D2d. The amide complexes 3b –d are monomeric, thermally stable, and sublime readily without decomposition; they are very sensitive to water and soluble in all common organic solvents.


[Purpose] The purpose of the present study is to examine the effects of abductor hallucis and gluteus maximus strengthening exercises on pronated feet. [Subjects and Methods] The present study was conducted with 18 adults without no history of surgery on the foot or ankle. One group performed both gluteus maximus strengthening exercises and abductor hallucis strengthening exercises, while the other group performed only abductor hallucis strengthening exercises five times per week for four weeks. [Results] The group that performed both gluteus maximus and abductor hallucis strengthening exercises showed smaller values in the height of navicular drop than the group that performed only abductor hallucis strengthening exercises. The muscle activity of the gluteus maximus and the vastus medialis increased during heel-strike in the group that added gluteus maximus exercises, and the muscle activity of the abductor hallucis significantly increased in both groups. [Conclusion] Given the results of the present study, it can be suggested that strengthening the gluteus maximus while also performing exercises to correct the pronated foot is an effective method for achieving normal gait.


The achievement of satisfactory ambulatory therapy of severe chronic congestive heart failure may be helped by the development of safe and orally effective cardiotonic agents. Therefore, we evaluated by cardiac catheterization and limb plethysmography the temporal cardiocirculatory responses of the new ingestible fl agonist pirbuterol in 10 coronary heart disease patients with severe congestive heart failure refractory to digitalis and diuretics. After a single oral dose of 0.4 mg/kg, ventricular dysfunction was considerably improved during 6 hours of hemodynamic monitoring. Cardiac index increased from a control of 1.7 I/min/m2 to 2.6 I/min/m' (p < 0.001) at 1 hour and to 2.4 1/min/m' (p < 0.005) at 3 hours and was 2.2 1/min/m' (p < 0.001) at 6 hours; left ventricular filling pressure decreased from a control of 24 mm Hg to 19 mm Hg (p < 0.005) at 1 hour and to 18 mm Hg (p < 0.005) at 3 hours and was 22 mm Hg (p < 0.05) at 6 hours. Concomitantly, the peak increment in heart rate (6 beats/min) was minimal and without ectopy and mean arterial blood pressure decreased only 10 mm Hg. Total systemic vascular resistance declined by 887 dyn-sec-cm-5, forearm venodilation occurred and the rate-pressure product was unaltered. Thus, oral pirbuterol provides beneficial hemodynamic effects in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction and appears potentially useful for long-term management of low-output congestive heart failure.


Sharing the main proposals contained in the article, the author notes the need to consider when making changes to the training programs of economists the fact that economic theory itself is in a state of crisis today. In these conditions, it is very important to build curricula in such a way that they give students a clear idea of the current state of general theory, demonstrate the possibilities and limitations of various currents of economic science. The need to maintain a high level of teaching of micro- and macroeconomics, which give a clear idea of the main functional relationships in a market economy, is emphasized.


The objective of this study was to determine whether there are trimellitic anhydride (TMA) exposure levels that are very unlikely to cause immunologically mediated respiratory disease. A 3-year clinical and immunologic survey study of 286 employees was conducted at a facility that manufactures TMA. Each employee was assigned an exposure classification from 1 (highest) to 5 (lowest). Of the 28 individuals in exposure class 1, 8 (29%) developed disease; of the 57 class 2 employees, 2 (4%) developed disease; of the 79 class 3 employees, 4 (5%) developed disease. Of the 98 class 4 employees and the 24 class 5 employees, none developed disease. Inasmuch as individuals in class 4 and 5 (TMA exposure < 0.002 mg/m3) are at low risk of developing disease due to TMA, it appears that they do not warrant routine inclusion in surveillance studies.


This paper presents novel statistical algorithms for protecting the iTrust information retrieval network against malicious attacks. In iTrust, metadata describing documents, and requests containing keywords, are randomly distributed to multiple participating nodes. The nodes that receive the requests try to match the keywords in the requests with the metadata they hold. If a node finds a match, the matching node returns the URL of the associated information to the requesting node. The requesting node then uses the URL to retrieve the information from the source node. The novel detection algorithm determines empirically the probabilities of the specific number of matches based on the number of responses that the requesting node receives. It also calculates the analytical probabilities of the specific numbers of matches. It compares the observed and the analytical probabilities to estimate the proportion of subverted or non-operational nodes in the iTrust network using a window-based method and the chi-squared statistic. If the detection algorithm determines that some of the nodes in the iTrust network are subverted or non-operational, then the novel defensive adaptation algorithm increases the number of nodes to which the requests are distributed to maintain the same probability of a match when some of the nodes are subverted or non-operational as compared to when all of the nodes are operational. Experimental results substantiate the effectiveness of the detection and defensive adaptation algorithms for protecting the iTrust information retrieval network against malicious attacks.


We propose and analyse six use cases for 3D visualisation in manufacturing attempting to identify business scenarios for which 3D visualisation can add value in supporting manufacturing operations. This early qualitative work is based on a theoretical analysis of potential use cases. In addition to the analysis, we discuss the required data and data sources, and finally propose a number of basic concepts for visualising different kinds of manufacturing data.


In the framework of moving horizon strategy, a robust estimation problem is formulated as a min-max problem subject to system dynamics and constraints on state and disturbance. In this paper two algorithms of the state estimation for the constrained linear system with an uncertain model are presented. First, we present an approximate recursive covariance matrix for the min-max problem with moving horizon N=1. Then a new recursive covariance matrix algorithm for the worst-case of the uncertain system is discussed and the covariance matrix is proved bounded for the unconstrained linear system. Simulation results show that the robust moving horizon estimation proposed in this paper is effective for constrained linear systems with uncertain model.


This study was undertaken to investigate a certain regulation of the chin cap force to a growing human mandible, especially with regard to the effect on the growth amount and timing by means of allometric relation between stature and craniofacial complex. Materials were consisted of roentgencephalograms which had been taken from fifteen Japanese females with skeletal class III malocclusion and records of time length of chin cap use and stature. The results were as follows: 1. Chin cap had a great influence on mandible during the preadolescent and adolescent periods (P less than 0.01). 2. What was most influenced by orthopedic force was intercondylar width, followed by mandibular length, intergonial width, mandibular body length, and ramus height. 3. Restraint of growth was found in mandibular length, mandibular body length, and ramus height, but on the other hand acceleration of growth in intercondylar width and intergonial width was also found. In conclusion, it would be possible to say that if it is used propertly, chin cap therapy can be effective within certain limits for skeletal class III malocclusions in view of restraint and acceleration of mandibular growth.


Ultrasound was found to be as specific as conventional X rays and knowing the sonographic appearance of pneumothorax, in intervention cases like IJ catheter insertion, in critical ICU patients and in emergency cases of trauma where it is difficult to bring the patient in the x ray department or where immediate intervention is needed a bedside sonography would be of significant value in patient management. It was also found that none patient developed complications when the internal jugular catheter insertion was done under ultrasound guidance. Besides, as known that X rays is associated with radiation hazards, it is wise to use ultrasound as an alternative tool which can be easily done, and is an effective tool which do not involve radiation dangers. So we can use ultrasound as an important imaging modality when there is clinical suspicion of pneumothorax.


Background: To show our experience with the staged Johanson's urethroplasty as a salvage treatment of difficult and complicated groups of patients, and to present the total urethroplasty technique. Material and Methods: During a 12–year period, 68 men with urethral stricture underwent the staged Johanson's urethroplasty. 51 had war–related injuries (75%) resulting in an unhealthy perineal and genital skin with fistulae and/or scarring. 35 patients (52%) had other urethral or vesical problems. 60 patients (88%) had long (0.5–4 cm), multiple or impassable strictures. 58 patients (85%) had strictures of the pendulous urethra. The second stage was performed 2–3 months after the first. Both stages of Johanson's urethroplasty were protected by a stab suprapubic catheter for 3 weeks. Patients were followed up for 23–82 months (mean 52.5). Results: All patients but 4 had improved urine flow (best Qmax ranged between 13.2 and 31.8 ml/s; mean 17.4). 4 patients (6%) needed a revision because of fistula formation or recurrence and 6 patients (9%) developed urinary tract infection postoperatively. Conclusions: The staged Johanson's urethroplasty is a good treatment for the difficult and complicated urethral strictures which are not suitable for optical urethrotomy, especially those in the pendulous part. In strictures involving all parts of the urethra total urethroplasty could be performed.


Abstract Current results are described on the research and development of the advanced humanitarian landmine detection system by using a compact discharge-type fusion neutron source called IECF (Inertial-Electrostatic Confinement fusion) devices. With a 50 mm-thick water-jacketed IEC device (IEC20C) of 200 mm inner diameter can have produced 107 neutrons/s stably in CW mode for 80 kV and 80 mA. Ample 10.8 MeV σ-rays produced through (n,σ) reaction with nitrogen atoms in the melamine (C3H6N6) powder (explosive simulant) are clearly measured by a BGO-NaI-combined scintillation sensor with distinct difference in case of with/without melamine, indicating identification of the buried landmines feasible.


Periodical: Journal of Metastable and Nanocrystalline Materials ISSN 1422-6375 Published on http://www.scientific.net, eMail: firstname.lastname@example.com © 2000 by Trans Tech Publications Ltd., Switzerland, http://www.ttp.net : e-Volume 2000', Year: 2000, pp: 7-12 Journal of Metastable and Nanocrystalline Materials Online: 1999-06-01 ISSN: 2297-6620, Vol. 7, pp 7-12 doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/JMNM.7.7 © 2000 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland


Background: Glioma is the most common tumor occurring in the brainstem. A primary intraparenchymal meningioma located in the brainstem without dura attachment is rare. Meanwhile, atypical meningiomas that occur in the medulla oblongata parenchyma, and without dura coverage, are extremely rare. In this study, we report the first case of atypical meningioma in the medulla oblongata parenchyma and review the existing literature.Case presentation: A 38-year-old female was admitted at our hospital with a 2-week history of progressive neck and occipital pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a presence of a 1.5x0.9cm mass lesion, located in the left side of the medulla oblongata, which was hypointense on T1-weighted and hyperintense on T2-weighted images, and with inhomogeneous enhancement following gadolinium-diethylenet-riamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) administration. The initial preoperative diagnosis was glioma or angioblastoma. The patient underwent a total surgical resection of the left medulla oblongata tumor and the histopathological examination indicated that the lesion was an atypical meningioma. The patient returned to normal life after surgery.Conclusions: Although glioma is the most common tumor occurring in the brainstem parenchyma, the possibility of meningioma cannot be ruled out in this area.


Epigenetic regulation of macrophages can alter their function and impact tissue inflammation and wound repair. Unregulated inflammation at the wound level in inflammatory diseases like type 2 diabetes (T2D) leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Recent work by our group and others has shown that chromatin-modifying enzymes influence inflammatory gene expression in macrophages and other immune cells. Here we show that Setdb2, a histone methyltransferase, is induced in macrophages during the inflammatory phase of wound healing. Specifically, Setdb2 repressed expression of NF-κB-induced inflammatory genes, including IL-1B. This coincided with occupancy by Setdb2 at the IL-1B promoter, which in the absence of Setdb2 displayed diminished trimethylation of histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K9me3) in bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDM). Mice with the inability to upregulate setdb2 in their macrophages (Setdb2f/fLyz2cre+) demonstrated impaired healing during the inflammatory phase of wound healing. This corresponded with decreased H3K9me3 at the promoter of IL-1B and other inflammatory genes in macrophages isolated from the wounds of these animals. Further, LPS was able to upregulate setdb2 expression in BMDM and hence TLR4 signaling may play a role in regulation of inflammation in wound tissue. This suggests that a Setdb2-mediated alteration of NF-κB pathways represents an important mechanism for successful wound healing.


Background The subtropical dune thicket (hereafter "dune thicket") of the Cape Floristic Region experiences a wide range of fire exposure throughout the landscape, unlike other dry rainforest formations that rarely experience fire. We sought to determine how fire exposure influences species composition and the architectural composition of dune thicket. Methods We used multivariate analysis and diversity indices based on cover abundance of species to describe the species composition, architectural guild composition and structure of dune thicket sites subject to different levels of fire exposure, namely low (fire return interval of >100 years), moderate (fire return interval of 50–100 years), and high (fire return interval of 10–50 years). Results The diversity, cover abundance and architectural guild cover abundance of dune thicket canopy species were strongly influenced by the level of fire exposure such that each level was associated with a well-circumscribed vegetation unit. Dune thickets subject to low fire exposure comprises a floristically distinct, low forest characterized by shrubs with one-to-few upright stems (ca. 4–8 m tall) and a relatively small canopy spread (vertical growers). Of the 25 species in this unit, 40% were restricted to it. Dune thickets subject to moderate fire exposure had the highest abundance of lateral spreaders, which are multi-stemmed (ca. 3–6 m tall) species with a large canopy spread and lower stature than vertical growers. None of the 17 species found in this unit was restricted to it. Dune thickets subject to high fire exposure had the highest abundance of hedge-forming shrubs, these being low shrubs (ca. 0.6–1.4 m tall), with numerous shoots arising from an extensive system of below-ground stems. Of the 20 species in this unit, 40% were restricted to it. Multivariate analysis identified three floristic units corresponding to the three fire exposure regimes. Compositional structure, in terms of species and architectural guilds, was most distinctive for dune thickets subject to high and low fire exposure, while the dune thicket subject to moderate fire exposure showed greatest compositional overlap with the other units. Conclusion Fire exposure profoundly influenced the composition and structure of dune thicket canopy species in the Cape Floristic Region. In the prolonged absence of fire, the thicket is invaded by vertical-growing species that overtop and outcompete the multi-stemmed, laterally-spreading shrubs that dominate this community. Regular exposure to fire selects for traits that enable thicket species to rapidly compete for canopy cover post-fire via the prolific production of resprouts from basal buds below- and above-ground. The trade-off is that plant height is constrained, as proportionately more resources are allocated to below-ground biomass.


Abstract K-edge X-ray absorption spectra of Fe in garnet samples from the Ivrea-Verbano zone were collected using synchrotron radiation. From XANES analysis, the prevalent oxidation state of Fe has been determined as 2+ in all studied samples. Coordination numbers and Fe-O bond lengths derived from the EXAFS analysis are compatible with a dodecahedral environment of Fe atoms and seem to be nearly independent of the variable Fe/Ca ratio of the cations sharing the dodecahedral site in these garnets. This suggests that, since at least up to 0.5 Ca atoms p.f.u, no sensible deformation of the dodecahedron geometry is sensed by the Fe cations, iron might strongly compete with Ca atoms in controlling the entry of rare earth elements in the dodecahedral site of garnets falling within this compositional range. Comparison of the EXAFS results with the data from single crystal X-ray diffraction structure refinements indicates a first shell neighbour distance accuracy of ±0.02 Å, using theoretical EXAFS phases and amplitudes. The Debye-Waller factors derived from the EXAFS analysis indicate a higher degree of disorder on the four longer Fe-O bond distances, in comparsion with the other four shorter distances of the height-coordinated cation; this could be related to the nonrigid polyhedral behaviour of the dodecahedral site.


The experience of the surgeon and precise localization of abnormal parathyroid glands determine the success of surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). In HPT patients undergoing repeat surgery, the use of localization studies improved the ability to identify the remaining abnormal parathyroid tissue. This study investigated the roles of preoperative localization techniques for initial surgery for primary HPT. From 1985 through 1997, two noninvasive localization procedures, ultrasonography (US) and 201thallium chloride-99mtechnetium pertechnetate subtraction scanning (Tl-Tc), were used prior to initial exploration for primary HPT in 76 patients. Their accuracy was determined on the basis of surgical and pathologic results. The surgical success rate was 96% (73/76). The sensitivities of US and Tl-Tc were 71% and 49%, respectively. The sensitivity of Tl-Tc was higher for the lower parathyroid glands. In 21 of 26 patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the suspected enlarged parathyroid gland, the diagnosis of parathyroid adenoma was confirmed preoperatively. We conclude that the concomitant use of US and FNA is a safe and convenient method for preoperative localization of the parathyroid glands prior to initial surgical exploration in patients with primary HPT. Bilateral neck exploration by an experienced surgeon should be the routine procedure. US and Tl-Tc alone offer limited localization information, and unilateral exploration should be reserved for selected cases in which the results of these two imaging studies are consistent with one another.


Novel magnetic sorbent—conjugates of surface functionalized magnetic nanoparticle-chelator—has been developed for separation of heavy metal ions from aqueous systems, which offers a simple, fast, effective and environmentally benign technique in wastewater treatment compared to traditional methods. In this paper, we have coupled diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) to double coated magnetic nanoparticles (dMNPs). The results confirmed that it is an excellent sorbent for cadmium and lead sorption, which can be easily manipulated and separated from aqueous solution by applying a small external magnetic field. The metal sorption was fast, reaching the equilibrium in 30 min and strictly conforming to the pseudo-second-order-reaction mechanism. The sorption capacity calculated by Langmuir model was 8.06 mg/g for Cd and 12.09 mg/g for Pb. The suitable pH range for Cd adsorption was pH 2–7, which was wider than that for Pb which was pH 3–6


Precision cancer medicine have changed the treatment landscape of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as illustrated by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) towards mutated Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Yet, responses to such TKIs e.g., erlotinib and osimertinib among patients are heterogenous and there is a need for non-invasive blood-based analytics to follow treatment response and reveal resistance to improve patient's treatment outcome. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified as an important source of tumor biomarkers promising to revolutionize liquid biopsy-based diagnosis of cancer. However, high heterogeneity has been a major bottleneck. The pathological signature is often hidden in the differential expression of membrane proteins in a subset of EVs which are difficult to identify with bulk techniques. Using a fluorescence-based approach, we for the first time demonstrate that the single-EV technique can be used to monitor the treatment response of targeted cancer therapies such as TKIs towards EGFR. To test the hypothesis, we analyzed the membrane proteins of native EVs extracted from EGFR-mutant NSCLC cell line, both prior and post treatment with EGFR-TKIs erlotinib or osimertinib. The selected cell line being refractory to erlotinib and responsive to osimertinib makes it a suitable model system. The expression level of five surface proteins; two common tetraspanins (CD9, CD81) and three markers of specific interest in lung cancer (EGFR, PD-L1, HER2) were studied. The data suggest that in contrast to erlotinib, the osimertinib treatment increases the population of PD-L1, EGFR and HER2 positive EVs while the expression level per EV decreases for all the three markers. The PD-L1 and HER2 expressing EV population seems to increase by several fold because of osimertinib treatment. The observations agree with the previous reports performed on cellular level indicating the biomarker potential of EVs for liquid-biopsy based monitoring of targeted cancer treatments. Highlights Membrane protein analyses of single EVs may reveal distinct differences when lung cancer cells are refractory vs responsive under different EGFR-TKI treatments. Comparison of 1st generation erlotinib and 3rd generation osimertinib shows clear signature on the expression of PD-L1, EGFR, HER2 on single EVs Colocalization showed a change in common marker combinations before after treatment. PD-L1 expression per vesicle decreases while the number of PD-L1 positive EVs increases as a result of osimertinib treatment, indicating that such signature may not be detectable under bulk analysis


The status of a three year construction program, begun October 1, 1983, of the SLAC Linear Collider is reviewed and evolutions of the original conceptual design are discussed. Subsystems of the project, that are described with emphasis on new or unusual technology, include: Electron Source and Injector, Damping Rings, Linear Accelerator Development, Energy (Klystron and Modulator) Upgrades, Positron Production and Reinjection, Arc Transport, Final Focus System, Control System and Conventional Facilities. Results from the commissioning program, which began in early 1986, and plans for the operation of the machine are presented.


 Abstract— Modern power system suffers voltage instability more frequently due to the increasing load. Sensitivity analysis based preventive control is widely recognized as an effective method for preventing voltage instability. However, the well-known load margin (LM) based sensitivity methods are not suitable for real-time application since they must solve the left eigenvector of zero eigenvalue of the Jacobi matrix at the critical point and require the system-wide information. Therefore, this paper proposes a fast sensitivity-based method for selecting the most effective preventive controls. The sensitivity analysis uses a local voltage stability index, i.e., load impedance modulus margin (LIMM) which is derived from the local measurements (nodal voltage and current), and the sensitivity ranking can be obtained more accurately and faster than traditional methods based on load margin. Such computational advantages make it suitable for online application. The effectiveness of the proposed method is successfully validated by both small and large-scale power systems.


To the Editor: Enterococci have been recognized as one of the major causes of nosocomial infections in the United States during the past 2 decades. The prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) associated with nosocomial infections in the United States increased from 0.3% in 1989 to 7.9% in 1993. In Argentina, the first infection produced by vancomycinresistant Enterococcus faecium was documented by Marin et al in 1996, and even though other strains of VRE continue to be isolated, they have not been reported in the literature (MEDLINE, 1996-2000). The real prevalence of the intestinal carriage of VRE in Argentina is still unknown.


Objective: Reading is an indispensable skill. The study investigated the effects of music therapy on the reading skills of pupils with intellectual disability. Methods: An experimental research design was used. The sample was purposively selected from two special schools for pupils with intellectual disability in Ibadan, Nigeria. Seventeen pupils were randomly assigned to two groups (music therapy and control groups). Eighteen sessions of music therapy were conducted with the experimental group only. The Reading Skills Test was used before and after the intervention to collect data. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used for data analysis. Results: The data indicated that there was a significant statistical difference between pre-test and post-test results. The interaction effect of treatment and parents' socio-economic status was not significant for the participants' reading. Conclusion: Music therapy enhanced the reading skills of pupils with intellectual disability and should be adopted in teaching pupils with intellectual disability.


Mask specification requirements in production have been extremely tightened for 0.35um and 0.25um devices. Mask critical dimension(CD) specifications(specs) and transmission error specs, which were hardly taken care of in the 0.5um device generations, are the most important ones because they will affect size of optical lithographic exposure-defocus(ED) window significantly. The conventional mask quality assurance(QA) methods 1 such as 5 point CD measurements within a mask are no longer effective if one considers CD at stripe butting, CD after focused ion beam(FIB) defect repair and optical transmissivity after such repair. More extensive assurance methods and specs for such matters are required based on actual ED window.


While the response to an electric field of many disordered systems can be accounted for by postulating that the system contains independent particles with transition rates having a distribution of energy barriers or activation energies, in order to account for the temperature dependence of the experimental results it is often assumed that this distribution depends on temperature. In this paper, the question is examined of the minimum temperature dependence of the energies of the rates for the individual particles that is required to produce such temperature-dependent distributions for the system. This permits the clarification of the meaning of a temperature-dependent distribution of activation energies, and also shows that standard techniques such as the measurement of thermally stimulated depolarization currents often cannot determine whether or not such a distribution exists.


Abstract:  In this report, the bodies of six skinned animals were submitted to the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory for necropsy examination as authorities were concerned these animals were domestic dogs. Given the condition of the animals, identification of the animal species could not be based on traditional physical characteristics such as size, fur characteristics, and ear characteristics. The paw prints from these animals were characterized based on size, heel pad architecture, and claw characteristics. The length of the forepaws measured 3–3.25 in., four toes were observed and only the claws of digits 3 and 4 were identified, and the heel pad had a pronounced three‐lobed rear margin. The rear margin of the heel pad of the hind foot was of circular shape with two slightly forward‐pointing crescents laterally. Based on the features of the paw print it was determined that the animals necropsied were coyotes.


One major impediment to the success of chemotherapy in cancer patients is the risk of developing drug resistance. One mechanism leading to multidrug resistance in cancer therapy is through the ABC transporters. The eukaryotic ABC genes are organized as transporters containing two transmembrane and two ATP binding domains. Alternative splicing is one major mechanism in which a single gene generates functional diversity by producing different spliced isoforms. To determine the variability of ABC transporters, we performed exhaustive search of the NCBI database for ABC transporter genes, in addition to using the Alternative Splicing Annotation Project (ASAP) and the Alternative Splicing Database (ASD). We conducted immunostaining for MRP1 and MDR1 on tissue micro array of 23 breast cancer patients and RNA mediated annealing, selection, extension and ligation (RASL) assay for analysis of mRNA splicing isoforms which was performed on exon/exon target. Tumor cells from chemotherapy resistant patients show specific expression patterns of drug-resistant ATP-binding cassette transporter. Our data showed alternative splicing in 3 and 4 exon/exon borders in MDR1 and PGP genes. Two splicing events in MDR1 and one in PGP transcripts were predicted to be alternatively spliced in ASAP database. Interestingly, exon11/12 border in MDR1 is found to be alternatively spliced. In summary, protein microarray analysis demonstrated significant correlation between MRP1 expression and survival rate within 5 years. In contrast, MDRI protein expression did not correlate with 5 year survival rate. This may be due to variations in the MDR1 isoforms. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3531.


With the increasing success of hip joint replacements, the average age of patients has decreased, patients have become more active and their expectations of the implant durability have risen. Thus, pre-clinical endurance tests on hip implants require defining realistic in vivo loads from younger and more active patients. These loads require simplifications to be applicable for simulator tests and numerical analyses. Here, the contact forces in the joint were measured with instrumented hip implants in ten subjects during nine of the most physically demanding and frequent activities of daily living. Typical levels and directions of average and high joint loads were extracted from the intra- and inter-individually widely varying individual data. These data can also be used to analyse bone remodelling at the implant-bone interface, evaluate tissue straining in finite element studies or validate analytical loading predictions, among other uses. The current ISO standards for endurance tests of implant stems and necks are based on historic analytical data from the 1970s. Comparisons of these test forces with in vivo loads unveiled that their unidirectional orientations deviate from the time-dependent in vivo directions during walking and most other activities. The ISO force for testing the stem is substantially too low while the ISO force for the neck better matches typical in vivo magnitudes. Because the magnitudes and orientations of peak forces substantially vary among the activities, load scenarios that reflect a collection of time-dependent high forces should be applied rather than using unidirectional forces. Based on data from ten patients, proposals for the most demanding activities, the time courses of the contact forces and the required cycle numbers for testing are given here. Friction moments in the joint were measured in addition to the contact forces. The moment data were also standardized and can be applied to wear tests of the implant. It was shown that friction only very slightly influences the stresses in the implant neck and shaft.


Iatrogenic disorders continue to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and children. Most adverse drug reactions have no distinctive radiologic features. Of those with radiologic manifestations, it is usually impossible to differentiate iatrogenic disorders from their spontaneously occurring counterparts. However, certain iatrogenic disorders have distinctive imaging characteristics that allow their recognition in specific patient populations. This review considers a variety of drug-related disorders and phenomena that have been the subject of original articles in the English language literature since 1984.


The structure and operation of the Federated Computer-Aided Control Design System is discussed. The system is termed "Federated" to indicate that it consists of several independently developed subsystems tied together by a unified database. The objective is to provide the user with a unified system that spans the entire control design problem: modeling, design, and simulation. This paper discusses how the management of the database is handled and the operation of an overall system supervisor. A set of supervisor commands are given which allow considerable flexibility to add subsystems and to tailor commands to the individual installation.


Purpose: The serial radiographs of 64 children with unilateral developmental dislocation of the hip (DDH) were reviewed in order to follow the natural hip development with age after a concentric reduction. Materials and Methods: All patients were treated with a closed (22 patients) or open reduction (42 patients) and were followed up to the age of skeletal maturity. The radiographic measurements including the acetabular angle (AA), Sharp angle (SA), center-edge angle (CEA), acetabulum-head index (AHI) and neck-shaft angle (NSA) were obtained in 6 age groups; 0-2 years, 2-4, 4-8, 8-12, 12-16, 16 and over. Results: The rate of acetabular development evaluated by both the AA and SA, was greatest before 4 years of age and continued to a lesser extent until skeletal maturity. The neck-shaft angle also continuously and gradually improved after the concentric reduction until skeletal maturity. Acetabular coverage of the femoral head, which was evaluated by the CEA and AHI, reached the normal level in the 8-12 year age group and was maintained a normal level through to skeletal maturity. Conclusion: The hip dysplasia continued to improve until skeletal maturity. Therefore, it is recommended that secondary surgery should not be performed if the X-ray shows continuous improvement and a concentric reduction is maintained.


The processing of speech involves the analysis, coding, decoding, and synthesis of speech sounds. The speech analyzer consists of normalizers, syllable and syblet segmenters, sound recognizers, sequencers, adapters, and memories which convert the speech elements into a code. The speech synthesizer converts the code to speech by reproducing prerecorded speech elements. There are many applications for the speech analyzer and synthesizer ranging from limited vocabulary to complete communication systems.


The extracellular-Ca2+ sensing receptor (CaSR) is a G protein-coupled receptor which is essential for Ca2+ homeostasis in the body. The best studied function of the CaSR lies in the parathyroid gland, where hypercalcaemia activates the receptor which in consequence inhibits parathyroid hormone secretion. However, for other tissues like the vasculature the physiological and pathophysiological roles of the CaSR are a lot less well defined. The CaSR is expressed in all layers of blood vessels, the endothelium, the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and the tunica adventitia. Previous studies have suggested roles for the vascular CaSR in protection against vascular calcification and in blood pressure regulation. In the course of my thesis, I have investigated the specific roles of the vascular CaSR by characterising the phenotype of a transgenic mouse model of targeted CaSR deletion from VSMC (SM22α-Cre x LoxP-CaSR). In characterising this mouse model, I have made three principal discoveries:
1) The VSMC CaSR protects against vascular calcification induced by high Ca2+ and Pi in vitro. No calcification was discovered in mice lacking the VSMC CaSR in vivo, suggesting that this protective effect of the CaSR might only assert itself in pathological disease.
2) The VSMC CaSR contributes to blood pressure regulation. Mice lacking the VSMC CaSR exhibit hypotension which is due to impaired vascular contractility and therefore reduced total peripheral resistance. I propose a role for the VSMC CaSR as auto- / paracrine amplifier of VSMC contraction. Furthermore, knock-out mice exhibit bradycardia and sporadic cardiac remodelling.
3) Mice lacking the VSMC CaSR exhibit profound changes in mineral ion metabolism, together with severe hypercalcaemia, hypercalciuria, hyperphosphaturia and increased 1,25-(OH)2-Vitamin D3 and phosphaturic FGF23 levels, and decreased bone mineral density, consistent with a phenotype resembling primary hyperparathyroidism. The mechanisms behind this influence remain yet to be fully understood.


Maize (Zea mays L.) cultivars combining high grain yield with elevated levels of lysine, tryptophan, and desirable endosperm
modifi cation, could reduce food insecurity and malnutrition in West and Central Africa (WCA). Sixteen early- and nine extraearly-
maturing quality protein maize (QPM) and normal cultivars were evaluated under Striga hermonthica (Del.) Benth infestation
and Striga-free environments in Nigeria from 2006 to 2008 to identify stable and high yielding cultivars. Th e extra-early
normal maize cultivars 2000 Syn EE-W STR and 99 TZEF-Y STR, were similar in yield to the QPM versions under both research
conditions. While TZEE-Y Pop STR C4 was superior in grain yield to its QPM version only under Striga-free conditions, TZEEW
Pop STR C4 signifi cantly outyielded the QPM version, under both test conditions and was superior in Striga resistance. In
the early maturity group, TZE-W DT STR C4 outyielded the QPM version by 21% under Striga infestation and by 10% when
Striga-free. In contrast, the QPM cultivar 98 Syn WEC STR QPM C0 outyielded the normal endosperm version by 31% when
Striga-infested. GGE-biplot analysis demonstrated that two extra-early and three early maturing cultivars had outstanding performance
in both research environments. TZEE-W Pop STR QPM C0 and EV DT-W 99 STR QPM C0 were high-yielding and
stable when Striga-infested while TZE-Y Pop DT STR C4, TZE-W Pop DT STR C4, and TZE-Y Pop STR QPM C0 were superior
when Striga-free. Th e QPM cultivars with grain yield performance and Striga resistance comparable or superior to those of
their normal endosperm versions have been developed in our program.


Wi-fi standards have provisions for multiple orthogonal channels where the orthogonality allows them to be used simultaneously both in time and frequency without interference concerns. In this paper, we pose the following question: Can devices use the multiple orthogonal channels in wi-fi networks simultaneously to realize a high data-rate wireless link and hence cater to applications requiring high bandwidths? In other words, given that there are 3 orthogonal wi-fi channels in the 2.4GHz band and 12 orthogonal wi-fi channels in the 5GHz band, can a pair of devices each equipped with 15 wi-fi radios use all the available orthogonal channels to achieve a high data-rate link operating at 600Mbps? Surprisingly, we find through experimental evaluation that the actual observed performance when using all fifteen orthogonal channels between two devices is a mere 91Mbps. We identify the reasons behind the low performance and present Glia, a software only solution that effectively exercises all available radios. We prototype Glia and show using experimental evaluations that Glia helps achieve close to 600Mbps data-rate when using all possible wi-fi channels.


This paper presents a miniature double-stub resonant-biosensor and associated technique to quantify the glucose concentrations of two aqueous solutions localized over the sensing area of each stub. A specific procedure and the behavior of the sensor have been developed, calibrated and validated experimentally. Seven blind filling configurations have been characterized for glucose concentrations ranging from 15 to 80 mg/L and our technique predicts the glucose concentration in each channel with a root-mean-square error of 3.2 g/L. Such a level of accuracy is the tolerance range for commercial glucometer, which outlines that the microwave technique can be used for accurate glucose analysis of multiple aqueous solutions.


Hospitalized adolescents regularly become participants in psychosocial research within acute-care hospital settings. Examples of studies within the four common approaches used to examine and describe the behaviors of this group (instructional, theoretical, informational, experimental) are briefly described. The impact of various illness states (acute, chronic, terminal) and the readiness of the adolescent to be involved in such research are also discussed. The measurement of adolescent behavior and appropriate instrumentation are presented as areas of challenge for future psychosocial research.


Abstract Medication possession ratio (MPR) was introduced as a uniform methodology for estimating medication adherence from pharmacy claims data, but it does not provide accurate information on the continuity of medication usage and the measurement of medication persistency and identification of eventual gaps in medication supply. The combination of an MPR and a persistency metric could provide timely information on the dynamics of patient medication adherence.


With the decline of ancient civilization—the successive incinerations of the great Library of Alexandria in the fourth century and the Moslem conquest of Egypt in the seventh—it remained for Persian and Arabian scholars to assemble, record, and continue to enlarge knowledge. The western world became aware of this heritage during the Crusades of the twelfth century when translations of Arabic records became available in Latin and various other tongues. These events provided the intellectual fuel for the Renaissance and eventually for the industrial revolution, which, according to so me, has about run its course.

Today the Arabs are again influencing history. They are making us realize that industrialized society is critically dependent upon the natural abundance of fuels. Indeed, by their petroleum export policies, they have forced us to reexamine our patterns of living and our demands upon the resources of the earth.


General purpose GPU based systems are highly attractive as they give potentially massive performance at little cost. Realizing such potential is challenging due to the complexity of programming. This paper presents a compiler based approach to automatically generate optimized OpenCL code from data-parallel OpenMP programs for GPUs. Such an approach brings together the benefits of a clear high level-language (OpenMP) and an emerging standard (OpenCL) for heterogeneous multi-cores. A key feature of our scheme is that it leverages existing transformations, especially data transformations, to improve performance on GPU architectures and uses predictive modeling to automatically determine if it is worthwhile running the OpenCL code on the GPU or OpenMP code on the multi-core host. We applied our approach to the entire NAS parallel benchmark suite and evaluated it on two distinct GPU based systems: Core i7/NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and Core 17/AMD Radeon 7970. We achieved average (up to) speedups of 4.51× and 4.20× (143× and 67×) respectively over a sequential baseline. This is, on average, a factor 1.63 and 1.56 times faster than a hand-coded, GPU-specific OpenCL implementation developed by independent expert programmers.


Ultra-narrow-band NIR photomultiplication organic photodetectors (PM-OPDs) were realized in ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active layers/Al based on an interfacial-trap-induced charge injection narrowing (CIN) concept. The rather less Bod Ethex-Hex (BEH) is imbedded in a polymer donor matrix to form large amounts of isolated electron traps. Trapped electrons in BEH close to an Al electrode will enforce hole-tunneling injection induced by interfacial band bending, resulting in a photomultiplication phenomenon. PM-OPDs with P3HT:BEH as the active layer exhibit a narrow response peak at 850 nm with a full-width at half-maximum (fwhm) of 27 nm as well as a rather weak response from 650 to 800 nm. The EQE of 29 700% at 850 nm was achieved in PM-OPDs by incorporating 0.02 wt % of F6TCNNQ under -13 V of applied voltage. The rejection ratio (RR) of the optimized PM-OPDs with F6TCNNQ is 11 for EQE850 nm/EQE700 nm and 10 for EQE850 nm/EQE750 nm, respectively. An EQE of 15 300% at 850 nm was achieved in the ternary PM-OPDs under -13 V of applied voltage, with markedly enhanced RRs of 44 for EQE850 nm/EQE700 nm and 30 for EQE850 nm/EQE750 nm.


Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are undifferentiated multipotent cells which reside in various human tissues and have the potential to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, fibroblasts and other tissues of mesenchymal origin. In this study, we investigated the effect of 60Co γ radiation on the proliferation and differentiation of MSCs. MSCs were treated with increasing radiation doses to assess the effect on MSC. Results showed that 2 Gy of 60Co γ radiation did not significantly affect MSCs. When compared with the control group and 2Gy of 60Co γ radiation group, the MSCs viability after 4 Gy of 60Co γ radiation markedly decreased (p < 0.05). Two weeks of 8 and 12 Gy of 60Co γ radiation induced all cell death. After the 5-Aza treatment, the expression of myocardial-specific protein, C-TNT and β-MHC was not detected in the MSCs which were pretreated by 60Co γ radiation. In conclusion, middle dose (4 Gy) of irradiation induces MSCs morphological changes, as well as alteration in both proliferation and differentiation potentials of MSCs. 5-Aza treatment did not induce both proliferation and differentiation of MSCs because high dose (8 and 12 Gy) of irradiation killed all cells.

 Key words: Mesenchymal stem cells, radiation, proliferation, differentiation.


This paper outlines an interdisciplinary approach, utilising architectural knowledge and computer imaging, to develop an analytical tool that describes the visual characteristics of a streetscape. By segmenting a digital image into regions defined by edges, the streetscape can be studied as an arrangement of regions or elements with a particular relationship. Different parts of the street (usually defined a by a single dwelling) can then be related to each other to find what similarities, if any, exist at a purely visual level. The concept of the use of streetscape character as a planning instrument is typically discussed in terms of imageability and spatial configuration (Lynch 1960 & Hillier 1996). A method is developed in the present paper that outlines the digital image processing techniques used to record dwellings within a locality. The method utilises the Hough transform, an algorithm that provides a global measure of the geometry within an image. This algorithm is conceptually related to visual partitioning within Gestalt psychology as well as to the theory of description retrieval developed by Hillier. The process used to define variables within the algorithm and the way in which images of a streetscape have been collected are discussed. The method developed in this paper indicates that digital image processing can differentiate the visual composition of elements within a streetscape. The method will form the basis for future research concerning the visual characteristics of the built environment. Conference theme: Computers and architecture


Abstract : In this research, the design of an eddy current sensor system that continuously monitors age hardening during aging of heat treatable alloys was modified to allow for operation at temperatures up to 595 deg C. With two eddy current coils in an impedance bridge circuit, eddy currents are generated in a pure aluminum reference sample standard and an age harden able test sample. The difference in the resistivity of the aging test sample relative to the reference sample results in a bridge unbalance voltage, Delta V sub BCA, which is continuously measured by a multimeter. Also, calibration procedures were developed to allow conversion of the values of delta V sub BCA to a resistivity difference, Delta p=Ptest - Pref, between the test and reference samples. These calibration curves were generated by measuring delta V sub BCA at various temperatures for six test sample standards of known resistivity. The resistivity of the aging sample is determined by adding the known resistivity value for pure aluminum to Delta p. Real-time monitoring of an aging alloy's resistivity may allow heat treaters to integrate this monitoring system with a control system to achieve 'intelligent heat treating'.


Given a binary relation R of basis E, we define its dual R? by R? (x, y) = R(y, x). A relation R is self-dual if it is isomorphic to R? . A binary relation R0 is hemimorphic to R, if it is isomorphic to R or to R? . A binary relation R is d-half-reconstructible if it is determined by its restrictions of cardinality d, up to hemimorphism. In this paper we characterize the finite binary relations d-half-reconstructibile for every d ∈ {7, 8, 9, 10, 11}.


This article investigates the patterns of business ownership in Europe, using a unique dataset on the nationality of 28.7 million shareholders of companies registered in 41 European countries. By means of an exploratory multivariate analysis, it tests whether ownership links between different countries are driven exclusively by social and macroeconomic variables – such as trade or geographical or cultural proximity – or are also related to measures of financial secrecy, corruption and lack of compliance with anti-money laundering regulations. The results indicate that factors other than licit economic incentives explain the international ownership structure of European companies. European firms have an abnormal number (that is, above the predicted value) of owners from tax havens and countries with poor financial transparency, which may suggest the use of holding companies for money laundering and tax evasion and to conceal illicit financial flows. However, ceteris paribus, the number of owners is abnormal in countries where rule of law and the control of corruption are more effective, suggesting that a high level of corruption may be a cost in money laundering activities. The findings contribute to the current international debate on illicit financial flows – as framed by United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16.4 – and can be used by public agencies and private actors to detect anomalies in business ownership and prevent potential financial crime schemes at corporate level.


OBJECTIVE
To discuss the measures of gastric lavage for severe acute organophosphorus pesticides poison (AOPP) patients complicated with respiratory failure and treated with mechanical ventilation.

METHODS
92 cases of respiratory failure due to severe AOPP treated with mechanical ventilation were treated for gastric lavage with nasal gastric tube or gastrotomy. Patients of each gastric lavage method were divided into fasting toxicosis group (fasting group) and post-meal toxicosis group (post-meal group).

RESULTS
When treated for lavage with nasal gastric tube, the duration of coma, the time for reaching atropinization and the dosage of atropine needed, the total dosage of atropine used, the mechanical ventilation time, the time for restoring 50% of the normal value of choline esterase, the hospitalization time and charges, the relapse rate, the rate of atropine toxicosis and mortality were respectively: 13 (3 - 24) h, 180 (60 - 290) min, 150 (80 - 310) mg, 300 (90 - 870) mg, 17 (4 - 52) h, (5.0 +/- 2.3) d, 9 (7 - 18) d, (8080 +/- 2570) yuans, 0, 0, and 4.76% in the fasting groups; all the figures were superior to those of the post-meal group with the same treatment: 26 (4 - 55) h, 380 (110 - 690) min, 360 (90 - 730) mg, 3610 (1100 - 9070) mg, 36 (6 - 110) h, (7.8 +/- 3.6) d, 12 (9 - 35) d, (10 720 +/- 3350) yuans, 45%, 30%, and 30.00% (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). There was no obvious difference between the fasting group and the post-meal group in curative effect, complication occurrence rate and mortality except for the charges when treated with gastrotomy. For the post-meal toxicosis patients gastrotomy showed a better effect than the nasal gastric tube and there was no difference in charges.

CONCLUSIONS
It is suggested that severe AOPP patients complicated with respiratory failure and treated with mechanical ventilation should hare lavage with nasal gastric tube, if they were poisoned in fasting state, but they should be washed through gastrotomy if poisoned after meal.


Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fibrotic interstitial lung disease with poor prognosis and treatment yet ineffective. Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) represents an immunomodulatory agent, acts by inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation and is commonly used to prevent rejection following organ transplantation.

Objective: We sought to determine the safety and efficacy profile of MMF in IPF patients.

Methods: We retrospectively identified ten patients, all males, who met the ATS/ERS 2000 criteria for IPF and received MMF 1,44gr/day for 12 months. All of them had routine laboratory, pulmonary function and radiological (high resolution computed tomography-HRCT) data available and therefore were enrolled in the study. Forced vital capacity (FVC), total lung capacity (TLC), diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO), 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), alveolar-arterial gradient of oxygen tension (PA-aO2), HRCT scans and routine laboratory data at treatment onset were compared with respective values 12 months after treatment onset.

Results: There were no significant alterations in FVC, TLC, DLCO, 6MWD and PA-aO2 pre- and 6 and 12 months post-treatment. HRCT evaluation showed a moderate deterioration of the total extent of disease (p=0.002). No cases of clinically significant infection, leucopenia, or elevated liver enzymes were recorded.

Conclusions: The above data suggest that MMF is a safe therapeutic modality which resulted in overall stable disease regarding functional status while it demonstrated a moderate progression as assessed by radiological parameters in a small cohort of IPF patients. Larger, prospective studies are sorely needed.


In private HELs,it is prevalent that the quality of communist party member among students is varied;importance is attached to developing more members while little is to educating them.Therefore,enhancing the education of communist party members is a major task in communist party development in private HELs.It is advisable that such means as perfecting organization system,improving the quality of theory meetings,conducting party member activities,and setting up work platform etc.be employed to strengthen the management and education of party members among students,and thereby they can be brought into full play in serving as models for others.


The effects of the inclusion of broccoli co‐products into crackers on the bioaccessibility as well as their overall physical and nutritional quality were evaluated. Crackers were formulated using a 12.5 or 15.0% flour substitution level. Broccoli‐containing crackers presented higher specific volume and spread ratio and lower weight and specific volume than control crackers (P < 0.05). Crackers containing broccoli co‐products showed an increased green hue and a higher colour intensity (P < 0.05). Incorporation of broccoli co‐products into crackers significantly increased the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity (P < 0.05). A simulated gastrointestinal digestion suggested that the amount of phenolic and antioxidant compounds released during digestion might be higher than what could be expected from common water‐organic extracts. The incorporation of broccoli co‐products into baked crackers would not only reduce the amount of food discarded as waste but also promote health and open novel commercial opportunities to food processors.


This article is aimed to introduce a new hybrid time offset synchronization (sync) scheme for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) for Bridge Health Diagnosis System (BHDS), which is wildly used as a main monitoring method in japan for collection of vibration information to diagnose the health condition of the bridge affected by the frequent nature disasters around whole country. It is publicly known that the collection and communication of such a large-scale distributed WSN requires a strict time sync scheme with little average sync error as well as max error, while taking energy-awareness and sync latency into consideration. In some cases, the traditional sync scheme such like TPSN or RBS fail to fulfill the needs. Therefore a hybrid scheme between the TPSN and direct-adjustment ensuring the sync accuracy without consuming more power has been studied in this paper. Generally speaking, the partial TPSN time offset scheme studied in this paper is a scheme to choose No. k of the children nodes to sync according to TPSN protocol and calculate the time offset for rest of nodes by using the data from both kind of nodes (the No. k's and the rest's). The mathematical model has been introduced and the simulator also has been developed to calculate the optimized k. By choosing different k, different average error and power consumption will occur hence to fulfill the different needs for BHDS. At last, the idea has been evaluated and experimented to make sure that it can, especially in BHDS, meet the needs for WSN.


Safety is an extremely important feature of railway traffic, and, at the same time, it is one of the most important criteria for the organization and functioning of the railways as a complex, technical-technological and dynamic system. [9] Traffic safety is a basic requirement for the operation of the railway system and is based on coordinated activities at the technical and administrative level. The administrative level includes the determination of the obligations and responsibilities of all stakeholders (Infrastructure Managers, Railway Undertakings, Suppliers, Railway Administration, Authorities), and is based on Railway Safety Directive 2004/49 / EC . The technical level includes the definition of standards for each component of the railway system. Continuous development of the safety system is a precondition for the future development of the Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro as a modern and reliable partner in the railway system. The safety system is expected to recognize risks in every work area, that may affect its efficiency in operation, and to eliminate or control them. Hence the need for constant monitoring of the functioning and improvement of the Safety Management System. This Paper presents a classification of the railway system, with all the specifics and infrastructural features. Then, the current state of the safety system in the Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro (RIoM) is analyzed. Finally, based on a comprehensive analysis, in order to improve the existing situation, the Paper presents the concept of Risk Management Models that can adversely affect the safety system.


Fibrinogen-like protein 2 (Fgl2), a member of the fibrinogen family, can be expressed as a membrane-associated protein with coagulation activity or in a secreted form possessing unique immune suppressive functions. The biological importance of Fgl2 is evident within viral-induced fibrin depositing inflammatory diseases and malignancies and provides a compelling rationale for Fgl2 expression to not only be considered as a disease biomarker but also as a therapeutic target. This article will provide a comprehensive review of the currently known biological properties of Fgl2 and clarifies future scientific directives.


Transformers have become the go-to architecture for language and vision tasks, yet their theoretical properties, especially memorization capacity, remain elusive. This paper investigates the memorization abilities of multi-head attention mechanisms, examining how many example sequences they can memorize, as a function of the number of heads and sequence length. Motivated by experimental findings on vision transformers, we introduce novel assumptions about the linear independence of input data, distinct from the commonly used general-position assumption. Under these assumptions, we demonstrate that an attention layer with $H$ heads, dimension $d$, and context size $n<d$, featuring $\Theta(Hd^2)$ parameters, can memorize $\Omega(Hn)$ examples. Our analysis sheds light on how different attention heads handle various example sequences, aided by the softmax operator's saturation property. We validate our findings through experiments on synthetic data.


This paper focuses on political Repression and Dissent in Chad committed by Hissene Habre and his regime between 1982 to 1990 particularly severe international human rights violation and attempts by the international community to bring him to justice. The paper will look at the political history of Chad, in order to understand the context under which such crimes were committed. Attempts to prosecute Hissene Habre under international law will be examined, including the role of victims living abroad, the role of the government of Chad as well as the role of the African Union. The paper will also look at the legal and political battles that led to the creation of the Extraordinary African Chambers court that has been endowed with the competence to prosecute him and the role of transnational advocacy network groups. The paper will look at the emerging principle of the Responsibility to Protect and its implication in future situations like the case of Chad. The emerging jurisprudence that will arise after the prosecution of Hissene Habre for international crimes committed by him and his regime and its implication in the development of international law and policies will be analyzed.


Selected pseudo-random-number generators are applied to a Monte Carlo study of the two-dimensional square-lattice site percolation model. A generator suitable for high precision calculations is identified from an application specific test of randomness. After extended computation and analysis, an ostensibly reliable value of p_{c}=0.59274598(4) is obtained for the percolation threshold.


Heart valve calcification is an important predictor for all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis patients. Recently, serum β2‐microglobulin has been associated with cardiovascular disease in the non‐hemodialysis population, but the relationship between serum β2‐microglobulin and valve calcification remains unknown. In this cross‐sectional study, we recorded the patients' clinical parameters, including serum β2‐microglobulin, and related these parameters to the number of calcified valves detected by echocardiography. The patients included 80 males and 35 females (age 67 ± 10 years; duration on hemodialysis 96 ± 67 months). Calcification of the aortic and mitral valves was observed in 89 (77.4%) and 59 patients (51.3%), respectively. Fifty‐one patients (44.3%) showed calcification of both valves. In univariate analysis, age (r = 0.301, P = 0.001), serum albumin (r = −0.219, P = 0.01), calcium (r = 0.205, P = 0.02), high sensitivity C‐reactive protein (r = 0.209, P = 0.02), and β2‐microglobulin (r = 0.206, P = 0.02) significantly correlated with the number of calcified valves. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that age (β = 0.389, P < 0.001) and calcium (β = 0.223, P = 0.01) were independent determinants for valve calcification (r2 = 0.195). In addition, carotid intima media thickness was significantly higher in patients with valve calcification compared with those without valve calcification. Our results suggested the impacts of calcium metabolism and malnutrition‐inflammation complex syndrome on valve calcification. In addition, serum β2‐microglobulin may be another potential marker of cardiovascular complications in patients on hemodialysis.


A reaction mechanism has been developed that is appropriate for the plasma aftertreatment of diesel exhaust gas. It is based on a simulated gas mixture containing propene, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen. The reaction mechanism has been used to determine the end-products from the plasma processing and their concentrations using a chemical kinetics modelling procedure. It has been validated by a range of experiments using the same gas mixture with a packed bed, a dielectric barrier plasma reactor and a wide range of end-product analysis techniques. Using a wide range of experimental conditions has enabled us to validate the model and its predictions and to critically evaluate several alternative reaction mechanisms for the oxidation of propene and the formation of end-products in a more systematic and reliable manner than before.


Monolingualism and Linguistic Exhibitionism in Fiction by Anjali Pandey is an interesting and engaging study, and marks an important contribution to the newly established corpus of books around multilingual textualities in world literature. It is also an audacious example of interdisciplinary scholarship: the author is firmly grounded in sociolinguistics, but explores and aptly uses the work produced in postcolonial and, to a certain extent, translation studies in order to build her argument on the forms of multilingualism in contemporary Anglophone fiction. The sub-field the author identifies for her own work is literary-sociolinguistics in order to "examine and analyze how multilingualism is in fact manifested in literature of the 21 st century." (p. 2) Literary multilingualism is explained via a Bourdieusian examination of the Realpolitik of languages in today's publishing industry, dealt with in the first two chapters, through which the author identifies a generalized "cosmetic use of languages", or "multilingualism-lite" (p. 7) as a recurring feature in prize-winning Anglophone fiction. What Pandey laments in her – mostly sociolinguistic – survey of the literature on the topic is the lack of a theoretical framework with which to read a wide array of texts that deploy multiple languages as part of their style, and this is the lacuna the book aims at filling. As for the corpus of texts taken into account, this is formed by four novels by authors from the Indian subcontinent who either won or were shortlisted for prestigious literary prizes in the years between 2003 and 2014: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2008); Brick Lane by Monica Ali (selected among the "Best Young British Novelists" by the magazine Granta and shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2003); Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (winner of the Pulitzer Prize for the short story collection The Interpreter of Maladies in 1999 and of the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award in 2000); and The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie (winner of the Booker Prize for the novel Midnight's Children in 1981, of the Booker of Bookers Prize in 1993, and of the Best of the Booker Prize in 2008). The analysis of these four writers and their novels provides the basis for the argument put forth in this book: "literary creations of the 21 st century demonstrate a clear trending towards shallow multilingualism and re-Englishing" (p. 7) in the service of a predominant normative monolingualism in Anglophone fiction.


A 42-year-old man with schizophrenia and human immunodeficiency syndrome swallowed several glass shards in an attempted suicide. Two days later, he was admitted to the ER of the Florianópolis Hospital with a complaint of upper abdominal pain. The patient showed normal vital signs on physical examination; there was tenderness of palpation of the epigastrium. The investigation on admission included hemogram, CXR, abdominal X-ray, and upper GI scope. Radiographs showed several radiopaque image fragments in the stomach, as well as in the small and large intestines. Hemogram showed normal results. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy found no signs of esophagogastroduodenal perforation; several glass shards were removed from the patient's stomach. The patient remained in the ward for four days and underwent continuous vital signs monitoring, serial physical examinations, hematimetric control, and daily imaging tests. He showed normal vital signs and progressive improvement of abdominal pain during hospitalization, although hematochezia episodes took place during defecation. The patient no longer complained of abdominal pain on the fifth hospitalization day; the complete removal of the glass fragments was confirmed through imaging examinations, and the patient was transferred to a specialized hospital in order to better treat his psychiatric condition.


Objective: To evaluate peristalsis of the small bowel with a longitudinal ulcer in Crohn disease using cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Fifteen patients with suspected or diagnosed Crohn disease were examined by cine MRI using a multislice and multiphase method. Inclusion criteria were pathological evidence of Crohn disease and confirmation of longitudinal ulceration in the small bowel by ileocolonoscopy, single- or double-contrast radiography of the small bowel, or surgery. Six of these patients were included in this study. Cine MRI findings of the small bowels were retrospectively reviewed by 2 radiologists. Results: Asymmetric involvement or mesenteric rigidity with antimesenteric flexibility was seen in all patients by cine MRI. This finding was not seen in normal small bowel segments. A combination of ileocolonoscopy and contrast radiography detected longitudinal ulcers in 5 of the 6 patients, and surgery revealed ulceration in the remaining patient. Conclusions: Cine MRI was a feasible approach for detecting a longitudinal ulcer in small-bowel Crohn disease.


Jujube is one of the important high value fruit crops of Bangladesh. Commercial cultivation of Jujube increased all over Bangladesh because of its high yield potential, nutritive value and high market price. But with the expansion of its cultivation, prevalence of diseases and insect pests increase significantly. For identification and management of those diseases and insect pests and to identify other Jujube related problems a comprehensive survey needs to be done for cultivating Jujube in an economic manner. A survey has been carried out to know the prevalence of diseases and insect pests of Jujube and their management status in five major Jujube growing areas of Bangladesh during three consecutive years. A total of seven problems were identified during survey of them diseases and insect pestsÂ' attack was found as one of the major constraints for commercial cultivation of Jujube. The powdery mildew, fruit drop, fruit spot and rot, sooty mold, leaf rust and leaf spot were identified as common diseases of Jujube in the surveyed areas. Regarding pest infestation, a total of eleven insect pests were identified during survey and white spider mite reported first time on Jujube in Bangladesh. In terms of management aspects, Thiovit, followed by Bavistin, Contaf, Tilt, Companion and Score were observed as frequently used fungicides to control diseases in commercial orchards. The growers prefer alternate spray of more than one fungicide than single application. The effectiveness of fungicides was satisfactory with little variation as opined by the growers. In addition, Ripcord, Symbush, Emitaf, Cythrin, Furadan and Regent were commonly applied insecticides against insect pests. The use of chemicals by the growers was not satisfactory as per recommendation. The approximate loss due to powdery mildew disease was 25- 30%, it might be as high as 80-100% while control measures did not take in time. On the other hand, post-harvest disease loss was around 20-25%. For preparing good diseases and pestsÂ' identification and management programs of Jujube in Bangladesh, above mention information will play significant role.


[1] We analyze evolving stress and seismicity generated by three realizations of a discrete model of a strike-slip fault in a three-dimensional (3-D) elastic half space using five functions of stress and five functions of seismicity. The first model (F) has realistic dynamic weakening (static minus dynamic frictions), the second (FC) has zero critical dynamic weakening, and the third (SYS) is constrained to produce only system size events. The results for model F show cyclical development, saturation, and destruction of fluctuations and long-range correlations on the fault, punctuated by the system size events. The development stage involves evolution of stress and seismicity to distributions having broad ranges of scales, evolution of response functions toward scale-invariant behavior, increasing seismicity rate and event sizes, and increasing hypocenter diffusion. Most functions reach asymptotically stable values around 2/3 of the cycle and then fluctuate until one event cascades to become the next large earthquake. In model FC the above evolution is replaced by scale-invariant statistical fluctuations, while in model SYS the signals show simple cyclic behavior. The results suggest that large earthquake cycles on heterogeneous faults with realistic positive dynamic weakening are associated with intermittent criticality, produced by spontaneous evolution of stress heterogeneities toward a critical level of disorder having a broad range of scales. The stress evolution and development of large earthquake cycles may be tracked with seismicity functions.


Boucly and colleagues provide further evidence for the involvement of the immune system in PAH and potential clinical applicability for three inflammatory biomarkers: β-NGF, CXCL9 and TRAIL https://bit.ly/3CEgpDz Despite novel therapies, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a disease with poor survival and a high burden of symptoms and impact on daily life. One of the complicating factors is that patients commonly present themselves with advanced stages of PAH. As shown by Brown et al. [1], 21.1% of the PAH patients in the REVEAL registry reported symptoms for longer than 2 years before recognition and diagnosis of their disease. Therefore, there is an increasing need for earlier detection of PAH. Furthermore, there is a growing call for biomarkers to determine disease severity and act as predictors of prognosis. An increasing body of evidence supports dysregulated immunity in the pathobiology of PAH [2–5]. Histological studies have shown increased perivascular presence of various immune cells, such as T-cells, B-cells and dendritic cells, in the lungs of patients with idiopathic PAH [5]. Moreover, several studies have provided evidence for the pathophysiological involvement of immune cells in both the innate and the adaptive immune system [2, 5].


Sample views created from the database tables are useful in many applications for reducing retrieval time. A sample view is an indexed materialized view that permits efficient sampling from an arbitrary range query over the view. Such "sample views" are very useful in applications that require random samples from a database: Approximate query processing, online aggregation, data mining, and randomized algorithms are a few examples. The Appendability, Combinability, and Exponentiality (ACE) Tree is a new file organization technique that is suitable for organizing and indexing a sample view. One of the most important aspects of the ACE Tree is that it supports online random sampling from the view. That is, at all times, the set of records returned by the ACE Tree constitutes a statistically random sample of the database records satisfying the relational selection predicate over the view. KeywordsACE Tree, Materialized View, Query Processing.


Based on a presentation delivered in a cycle of conferences about the archive, this text offers a general appraisal of the multiple dynamics converging on this issue in the present. The second part of the text analyzes a particular dimmension of this process as it develops in Argentina, namely, the impact of the digital archive on the reconstruction of the past.


The Supreme Court has allowed considerable judicial confusion to develop with respect to its "public forum" categories in First Amendment law. Because some courts have (reasonably) inferred that the "limited public forum" and the "non-public forum" are, analytically, one and the same, confusion persists as to the proper terminology and the number of "forum" categories. This short article explores those questions and suggests a resolution.


In vitro failure modes and mechanical properties of the equine cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) were evaluated in 15 stifle joints from 10 ponies. Ponies were from 3 to 25 years of age and weighed from 122 to 208 kg. Femur-CCL-tibia specimens were mounted in 48 degrees of flexion, distracted until a 500-g tensile preload was achieved, and then tested by tensile loading to failure. Specimens failed by complete midsubstance CCL rupture (n = 9), combined tibial insertion avulsion fracture and midsubstance CCL rupture (n = 4), and combined femoral origin avulsion fracture and midsubstance CCL rupture (n = 2). No significant differences were found between CCL mechanical properties and failure mode or body weight. Femur-CCL-tibia maximum tensile loads ranged from 1,945 to 4,326 N (median, 2,914 N). Mean maximum tensile load (N) per kilogram of body weight was 17.98 N/kg (median, 17.55 N/kg). These pony specimens had stiffer cranial cruciate ligaments (median, 320.2 N/mm) with a higher elastic modulus (median, 321.7 MPa) than has been reported for other species. Significant decreases in linear tensile load (P = .0292), maximum tensile load (P = .0493), and increases in strain to maximum load (P = .0463) were found in the specimens from 20- to 25-year-old ponies when compared with those from 3- to 10-year-old ponies.


Nanoparticles have been designed as novel contrast media for the evaluation of diseases. Ultrasmall iron oxide particles (USPIO) is a novel nanoparticle contrast medium, which is currently being evaluated as an MR lymphographic agent for the assessment of tumor spread to lymph nodes. Nodal disease is an independent poor prognostic indicator in patients with rectal cancer. Accurate pre-operative MR identification of patients with nodal disease and other adverse features can prompt the use of chemoradiation to downsize and downstage the disease, with the aim of reducing the long term risk of local and distant recurrence. In this article, we discuss the challenges to accurate nodal staging of patients with rectal cancer, and demonstrate how USPIO may be applied to rectal cancer imaging to identify nodal involvement.


Anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti-cancer treatments are potential applications of nanomaterials in biology. To explore the latest discoveries in nanotechnology, we reviewed the published literature, focusing on co-assembled nanoparticles for anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties, and their applications in animal husbandry. The results show that nanoparticles have significant anti-inflammation and anti-tumor effects, demonstrating broad application prospects in animal breeding. Furthermore, pooled evidence suggests that the mechanism is to have a positive impact on inflammation and tumors through the specific drug loading by indirectly or directly targeting the disease sites. Because the precise regulatory mechanism remains unclear, most studies have focused on regulating particular sites or even specific genes in the nucleus by targeting functional co-assembled nanoparticles. Hence, despite the intriguing scenarios for nanotechnology in farmed animals, most results cannot yet be translated into field applications. Overall, nanomaterials outperformed similar materials in terms of anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor. Nanotechnology also has promising applications in animal husbandry and veterinary care, and its application and development in animal husbandry remain an exciting area of research.