The problem examined in this work is whether the land rights originally held by Canada's indigenous peoples survived the process whereby the British Crown acquired sovereignty over their territories, and, if so, in what form. The question, although historical in nature, has important implications for current disputes involving aboriginal land claims in Canada. It is considered here largely as a matter of first impression. The author has examined the historical evidence with a fresh eye, in the light of contemporaneous legal authorities. Due consideration is given to modern case-law, but the primary focus is upon the historical process proper.


The frequency dependences of the imaginary ε′′ and real ε′ parts of complex dielectric permittivity inherent to planarly aligned layers of nematic liquid crystals 5CB doped with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT) were investigated in a wide range of frequencies (f = 10-10 Hz) and CNT concentrations (c = 0-0.25 wt.%). It has been shown that the studied frequency range can be divided in three parts according to behavior of ε′ (f) and ε′′ (f) curves. The low-frequency range (10 < f < 10 Hz) reflects the near-electrode processes in the cell. The ratio ε′′/ε′ used to characterize these processes sharply grows if the concentration of CNT exceeds 0.05 wt.%. The moderate frequency range (10 < f < 10 Hz) corresponds to the alternating current conductivity, σАС. At the nanotubes concentration less than 0.025 wt.%, σАС does not depend on the frequency that implies its ionic origin. In its turn, at the c ≥ 0.025 wt.%, σАС is a power function of the frequency that is typical for electronic hopping mechanism. The transition from the ionic to electronic conductivity can be explained by the percolation theory with the critical concentration of nanotubes 0.031 wt.% and percolation parameter 2.5. The high-frequency range (10 < f < 10) is mainly attributed to dipole volume polarization. For c < 0.05 wt.% such polarization is well described by the Debye equation. The time of dielectric relaxation in this frequency range increases with nanotubes content. This is explained by effective interaction of nanotubes with 5CB molecules.


We derive an analytical expression for the average output signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of optimum combining (OC) for spatially correlated signals from two antennas in the presence of correlated multiple co-channel interferers (CCIs) and Rayleigh fading. First, the moment generating function (MGF) of the output SINR is derived. Then we obtain the probability density function (PDF) by taking the Fourier transform of the characteristic function (c.f.) corresponding to the MGF. Using the derived expression, the average output SINR performance of OC is evaluated as the number of the correlated multiple CCIs increases.


Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticle has a wide range of application in industrial and consumer products especially in cosmetics such as high sun protection factor creams in order to protect the skin from UV light. In spite of its increased production and use there is not enough epidemiological data regarding TiO2 nanoparticle toxicity. Toxic effects of TiO 2 nanoparticles on human reproductive systems have been investigated by many studies mostly by employing animal models, but results are extremely conflicted and inconsistent. In this review we summarized published data about the effects of TiO2 nanoparticle on male and female reproductive systems to clarify its possible toxic effects on reproduction and fertility.


As financial intermediaries, banks play an essential role in the economy by transforming asset s, facilitating risk management, financing trade, enabling capital accumulation and spurring technological innovation. Theoretical and empirical evidence supports the view that integration in the banking sector can enhance overall economic performance via macroeconomic stabilisation, higher levels of efficiency and consumer welfare.


This research note focuses on two phenomena: the transformations in the landscape in Hungary as an effect of Russia's invasion in Ukraine and the welcome/help centers that were established to channel mobility and provide a temporary safe space. I suggest that liminality (which serves as a main explanatory category) is characteristic of both. It is stated that in this context that the bodies of refugees are reminders of the existence of the (state) border, which gets reaffirmed by the process of welcoming and hosting and is also reflected in the visual reminders in the landscape. I also divide the management of the refugee crisis into three phases: spontaneous action, institutionalization, and sanitization. With the phase of sanitization (removing the physically existing "indicators" of the war, including refugees, volunteers, signs, and queues) the reality and severity of the war can be concealed, and the "normality" can be reinstated. Research is based on field observations and interviews taken in March 2022 in Budapest, Kisvárda, Vásárosnamény, Barabás, and Beregsurány in Hungary.


Evidence about disease progression in PIBO is scarce. Although it seems to stabilize over time there are no clear markers of outcome. Aims: To ascertain if clinical and lung function(LF) indices qualify stability in PIBO. Methods: Retrospective chart review of the medical records of 45 children with PIBO on follow-up at a tertiary hospital. Twenty-eight (62,2%) patients with at least 8 years of follow-up were included (diagnosis based on history, chest HRCT and fixed airway obstruction). Clinical stability was assumed if ≤2 exacerbations/year; LF stability if ≤5% variation in %PredFEV1 (ATS/ERS, GLI2012)between yearly tests, all for 2 consecutive years. Descriptive analysis SPSS®. Results: Twenty(71%) patients were boys, initial injury occurred at median age of 11(0,6-68) months, 9(32%) needed mechanical ventilation. Adenovirus was the most common etiologic agent(10; 36%). Sixteen(57%) patients were atopic (positive skin prick tests/IgE). Median time of follow-up was 17,4(8,3-23,0)y; 4 had long-term home oxygen. Clinically, all patients stabilized at a median of 4,2(0,7-12,1)y after initial lung injury, yet only 9(32%) had no lung exacerbations for 2 years, which occurred at 8,0(3,1-17,4)y after initial injury. LF never stabilized by study criteria, but in 7(35%) it improved over time and in 50% varied ≤10% in %PredFEV1 from start to end of follow-up. Conclusion: Number of exacerbations/year showed to be a more sensible marker to define stability in PIBO. Assuming 10% variation in %PredFEV1 is probably wiser due to the propensity of PIBO/asthma overlap syndrome. Increasing sample size and analyzing trends in LF may inform about PIBO9s prognosis and help design specific interventions.


Multiphase flow in disordered media is a common phenomenon, attracting extensive attention in the field of water resources. A fundamental process for multiphase flow is immiscible displacement, i.e., the displacement of one fluid by another immiscible one. Immiscible displacement in fractured media results in a fluid phase distribution and fluid-fluid interfaces which cast decisive influence on a range of macroscopic flow and transport parameters and such as relative permeability and mass transfer rate. When displacement in a fracture occurs slowly, capillary forces will dominate over viscous forces in the absence of gravity. Capillary force in a rough-walled fracture is proportional to the local fluid-fluid interface curvature, which can be represented by two principal components, one in the direction perpendicular to the fracture plane (aperture-induced curvature) and one parallel to the fracture plane (in-plane curvature). Capillary displacement has been shown to be controlled by the competition between aperture variability which tends to roughen the interface and in-plane curvature which tends to smooth it. The aperture field of a real fracture typically exhibits aperture variability, influence of which on fluid displacement has not yet been well understood. Here we present a numerical study systematically investigating the critical role of aperture variation and spatial correlation on fluid trapping and phase structure. We consider a single fracture with normally distributed random apertures. The aperture fields (2048×1024) are generated by a power spectrum based, inverse fast Fourier transform algorithm. The aperture correlation scale is related to the cutoff wave length (or the inverse of cutoff wave number). We consider cutoff wave numbers of 16, 32, 64 and 256. To simulate fluid displacement in the fracture, we use a newly developed invasion percolation (IP) model [1] which has been shown to well reproduce displacement patterns and phase structures observed in experiment. We focus on analyzing macroscopic saturations and trapping structures. Figure 1 shows two example patterns of fluid displacement with non-wetting invasion from the left edge. The upper pattern corresponds to the breakthrough phase distribution for an aperture field with cutoff wave number 16, while the lower one corresponds to the final fluid distribution for an aperture field with no spatial correlation. Monte Carlo simulation results show that for aperture field coefficient of variation equal to 0.25, the case with cutoff wave number 64 produces the lowest average macroscopic saturation. This suggests that macroscopic saturation and total trapped mass are not monotonically dependent on the spatial correlation scale. They exhibit complex dependence on the aperture variability and correlation scale.


Recent progress in lattice calculations of generalized parton distributions is discussed, with emphasis on the large-x behavior of nucleon structure functions.


In the past years researchers at the California Institute of Technology (and in few other research institutions worldwide) have been concentrating their efforts on the design and implementation of analog VLSI neuromorphic systems. Today this emerging technology seems to be mature enough for use in industrial applications. In this paper we give an overview of some of the neuromorphic vision circuits that have been developed at the California Institute of Technology. To point out the advantages and disadvantages of using these types of circuits in industrial applications (with emphasis on the automotive market), we describe a system implemented on a single chip, that detects the direction of heading in the case of translatory ego-motion in a stationary environment. This device contains a variety of analog circuits typically used in neuromorphic systems. We show simulation results applied to vehicle navigation and test data obtained using artificial stimuli in a laboratory environment.


A new experimental technique, high resolution recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy (COLTRIMS), has been developed to measure the transfer of energy and momentum in various atomic collision systems with high precision. In processes of electron transfer in fast ion-atom collisions, this method has been used for the measurement of cross sections which are differential in scattering angle of microradians or nanoradians for selected electronic final states. In this report, the principle of this method is reviewed briefly and some experimental results are presented for state-selective differential cross sections of one-electron capture from He atoms by highly-charged ions at MeV/u collision energies.


Academic Language and Learning (ALL) academics often occupy an uncertain position within the academy. On the one hand, their expertise is actively sought after when students are in crises, on the other hand, they are sometimes falsely perceived as remedial skills teachers divorced from actual academic endeavour and content. In this paper we argue that a potential meeting point of ALL and other academics lies in recognition of each other's roles as researchers as well as teachers. We argue that ALL academics engage in research on teaching issues (context), rather than disseminating the content of research to their learners. While the teaching-research relationship for many academics might move from theory to research to teaching, the ALL research route potentially moves from teaching to theory to research to praxis. This "action research" route has been documented as a legitimate strategy of enquiry in diverse fields and provides a common research focus for ALL and other academics. In this paper, we give three practical examples of how teaching issues in a bridging program for postgraduate international students informed the development of theory which in turn led to research that informed pedagogy. We describe how these "action research spirals" resulted in an active engagement of ALL academics with Higher Degrees by Research supervisors in various faculties.


Objectives. To estimate the population lacking at least basic water and sanitation access in the urban United States.Methods. We compared national estimates of water and sanitation access from the World Health Organization/United Nations Children's Fund Joint Monitoring Program with estimates from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development on homelessness and the American Community Survey on household water and sanitation facilities.Results. We estimated that at least 930 000 persons in US cities lacked sustained access to at least basic sanitation and 610 000 to at least basic water access, as defined by the United Nations.Conclusions. After accounting for those experiencing homelessness and substandard housing, our estimate of people lacking at least basic water equaled current estimates (n = 610 000)-without considering water quality-and greatly exceeded estimates of sanitation access (n = 28 000).Public Health Implications. Methods to estimate water and sanitation access in the United States should include people experiencing homelessness and other low-income groups, and specific policies are needed to reduce disparities in urban sanitation. We recommend similar estimation efforts for other high-income countries currently reported as having near universal sanitation access. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print August 20, 2020: e1-e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2020.305833).


Context. Space weathering (SW) is crucial to improve the understanding of the evolution of optical characteristics on airless bodies. The classical view based on research of the Moon suggests that SW decreases albedo (darkening) and steepens spectral slope (redden-ing) in visible to near-infrared (VIS-NIR) wavelengths, producing nanophase iron (npFe 0 ). However, this conclusion is not perfectly applicable to asteroids. Aims. In this study, we focus on investigating the space weathering spectral alteration effects (SWSAE) and the causes of spectral alteration on various types of asteroids after long-term continuous micrometeoroid bombardments. Methods. We used a pulsed laser to irradiate eight meteorites at the same energy, namely, of 28mJ, in ten shots, including ordinary chondrites (OCs), aubrite (Aub), enstatite chondrites (ECs), CO, CV, and CM carbonaceous chondrites. Then we measured and com- pared the virgin and irradiated VIS-NIR reflectance spectra of these meteorites. We further surveyed the causes of spectral alteration through a scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope. Results. Three different SWSAE are shown: (1) darkening and reddening on OCs, Aub, CO, and CV chondrites; (2) brightening and reddening on ECs; (3) brightening and bluing on CM chondrite. After irradiation, npFe 0 and nanophase iron-nickel particles were respectively found in CV and CO chondrites; thick amorphous layers without any nanophase particles were found in Aub; melting and sputtering of metal were observed in ECs; a great deal of vesicles or bubbles without any nanophase particles were found in CM chondrite. Conclusions. The long-term SW via micrometeoroid bombardments can spectrally remodel asteroid surfaces in different ways: darken and redden anhydrous silicate asteroids (e.g., S-, E-, and K-types); brighten and redden metal-rich M-type objects. The SWSAE of volatiles-rich carbonaceous asteroids (e.g., Ch-, Cgh-, and D-types) is related to SW degree: darkening and bluing at low degree then brightening and continue bluing as the SW degree increases. The various spectral units on Ryugu, Bennu, and Phobos can be created by the heterogeneity of the degree of SW.


The neutron imaging prototype beam line Cold-Guide 1D (CG-1D) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) is used for many different applications necessitating a flexible and stable instrument control system. Instrument scientists expect a robust data acquisition system. They need a clear and concise user interface that allows them to both configure an experiment and to monitor an ongoing experiment run. Idle time between acquiring consecutive images must be minimized. To achieve these goals, we implemented a system based upon EPICS, a newly developed Control System Studio (CSS) scan system, and CSS operator interface "Best OPI, Yet" (BOY). This paper presents the system architecture and possible future plans.


In forests, termites serve as "soil engineers," translocating mineral soil to the surface, constructing macropores to improve water infiltration, increase soil minerals and organic carbon, facilitate the growth of microbes and affect the growth of vegetation. The future productivity of a forest site therefore depends to some degree on termite activity. termites could reduce the probability of forest fire by reducing fuel loads, either through direct consumption of the wood or through the augmentation of decay fungi. should a fire adversely affect termite populations in a forest, the decomposition of unburned woody debris will be delayed and nutrient cycling in the forest will be interrupted. For small fires, such as prescribed burning, such interruption is largely a nonissue. Catastrophic or stand-replacing wildfire, however, might affect termite populations in three non-mutually exclusive ways: direct mortality due to the fire itself, through the conversion of cellulose to indigestible materials, and through alterations of the soil. Due to their slow dispersal relative to other soil organisms, termites re-colonize severely burned areas slowly, but can be instrumental in the rehabilitation of waste areas. termite presence might be augmented to increase the future productivity of a severely burned site. This paper is a review of termite contributions to forest health and fire prevention, the effects of fire on termite populations, the re-colonization of severely burned areas, and the contribution of termites to waste area rehabilitation.


Illegal organizations, like mafia syndicates, gangs, and insurgencies, are often highly cohesive and hostile toward the outside world. Such groups cultivate a particular form of "anti-social" capital, which relies on ingroup bonding and limits outgroup bridging for the purpose of commissioning illicit acts. We argue that experiences within the group leave members with varying intensities of anti-social capital, and that higher intensities lead to significantly weaker relationships with political institutions and civil society, even many years after they exit the group. We test this theory using survey data from 1,485 former members of insurgent and paramilitary groups in Colombia, along with insights from 68 qualitative interviews. We find strong evidence that anti-social capital has individually varying and sticky effects on former members. These effects are pervasive and intense, and exhibit surprising and counterintuitive properties: former members of pro-state militia with higher levels of anti-social capital are systematically less likely to trust political institutions, while members of peasant-based insurgent groups with high levels of anti-social capital are less likely to participate in their communities.


OBJECTIVE
To note ultrasonographic findings used for diagnosing plasma leakage in dengue haemorrhagic fever patients.

METHODS
The observational retrospective study was conducted at the Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi and comprised records of patients with confirmed dengue infection who were screened for dengue haemorrhagic fever according to Dengue Expert Advisory Group criteria from July 1 to December 31, 2013. Each patient underwent ultrasonography for the detection of ascites, gall bladder wall thickness, pleural and/or pericardial effusion along with their quantification and localisation.

RESULTS
Of the 240 patients, 166(69.2%) were men. The overall mean age was 28.9±12.4 years. Of the total, 215(89.5%) had ultrasonographic abnormalities, suggestive of plasma leakage. Quantification and localisation wise, mild abdominal ascites 68(47.2%), right pleural effusion 82(74.5%) and mild pleural effusion 98(89%) were commonly noted. None had pericardial effusion.

CONCLUSIONS
Mild ascites and mild right pleural effusion were the commonest pattern of ultrasonographic leak in dengue haemorrhagic fever patients.


Skin aging is an inescapable phenomenon that leads to a functional decline of the skin along with emergence of characteristics features such as coarse skin, wrinkles, loss of elasticity and an overall aged appearance. While chronological aging is inevitable occurring with time, photoaging is contributed by Ultraviolet radiation and reactive oxygen species principally which can boost the skin aging process. These processes can however be ameliorated with the help of treatment strategies, one of them being supplementation with antioxidants. This chapter summarizes diverse mechanisms underlying skin aging with regards to Ultraviolet radiation and reactive oxygen species along with role of antioxidants in impeding these processes. Further, it provides a glimpse towards possible future explorations and challenges dominating the field of skin aging.


It has been well established that tagging proteins with ubiquitin targets them for degradation in the proteasome pathway. However, as [Mizzen and Allis][1] comment in their Perspective, now it turns out that the addition of ubiquitin to the H1 linker histone in chromatin contributes to the regulation of gene transcription. The TAF250 subunit of Drosophila TFIID has ubiquitinating activity. By adding ubiquitin to H1, it may act in concert with other modifying activities to enhance the accessibility of chromatin to transcription complexes, thus regulating which genes are transcribed.

 [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/289/5488/2290


Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are cellular by-products produced from metabolism and also anticancer agents, such as ionizing irradiation and chemotherapy drugs. The ROS H2O2 has high rates of production in cancer cells because of their rapid proliferation. ROS oxidize DNA, protein, and lipids, causing oxidative stress in cancer cells and making them vulnerable to other stresses. Therefore, cancer cell survival relies on maintaining ROS-induced stress at tolerable levels. Hepatocyte growth factor receptor (c-MET) is a receptor tyrosine kinase overexpressed in malignant cancer types, including breast cancer. Full-length c-MET triggers a signal transduction cascade from the plasma membrane that, through downstream signaling proteins, up-regulates cell proliferation and migration. Recently, c-MET was shown to interact and phosphorylate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 in the nucleus and to induce poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor resistance. However, it remains unclear how c-MET moves from the cell membrane to the nucleus. Here, we demonstrate that H2O2 induces retrograde transport of membrane-associated full-length c-MET into the nucleus of human MCF10A and MCF12A or primary breast cancer cells. We further show that knocking down either coatomer protein complex subunit γ1 (COPG1) or Sec61 translocon β subunit (SEC61β) attenuates the accumulation of full-length nuclear c-MET. However, a c-MET kinase inhibitor did not block nuclear c-MET transport. Moreover, nuclear c-MET interacted with KU proteins in breast cancer cells, suggesting a role of full-length nuclear c-MET in ROS-induced DNA damage repair. We conclude that a membrane-bound retrograde vesicle transport mechanism facilitates membrane-to-nucleus transport of c-MET in breast cancer cells.


The CdZnTe semiconductor detectors have been widely applied in radiation detection, space physics, medical imaging systems and security inspection field. In order to improve the imaging quality and to provide material identification, dual energy and multi-energy detection technology are often necessary. Here we provide a CdZnTe multi-energy detection technology. Micro-strip anode are separated to several segments along the X ray incidence direction. These different segments of electrodes are used as different energy detection regions, from low energy regions to high energy regions. Under this contact geometry the multi-energy information could be obtained, at the same time the detection efficiency of CdZnTe detectors could be improved by the increase of the detector size, not the thickness. So the charge collection efficiency and the operation voltage would be kept invariable. This technology will also solve the problem that the low energy detector is too thin to fabricate for traditional dual energy solid detectors. The data correction in different energy regions could be performed according to the simulation results of the energy deposition distribution in CdZnTe detectors of different energy X rays. This paper provides the details of the multi-energy detection technology.


The change in guard of Uttar Pradesh has set the stage for a new chapter in UP politics. But will the fulfilling of election promises result in serious negative economic repercussions? The case of the ban on illegal slaughter houses is a case in point.


The use of the wiki technology in corporate education: contributions to a debate This exploratory study aimed to describe a training program based on the wiki technology, inserted into the practices of corporate education in a Brazilian bank, and discuss how the program characteristics may contribute to the achievement of positive results in TD&E and Education Career. The wiki technology allowed the perfecting of knowledge management practices through the creation of virtual communities of employees. The study also showed that the program is a highly promising tool for training, capacity building and knowledge management, but needs improvements based on the systematic reviews of the courses already completed, which may provide clues for adjustments in the process of professional training currently offered at the institution.


This article shares the findings of a mixed method study about the implementation of 1:1 computing in a small rural Florida school district. Researchers used multiple regression analyses to examine whether Davis' (1989) Technology Acceptance Model helped explain teachers' adoption of 1:1. The results indicated that the rural teachers' perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of 1:1 were significant predictors of both whole class and individualized instructions with 1:1.  The qualitative phase of the study explored the ways in which the teachers integrated 1:1 into their instructional practices and what factors motivated them to do so. The analysis showed that the teachers used 1:1 largely to foster digital literacy and collaboration as well as to conduct student assessment.  Reasons why the teachers integrated 1:1 into instruction included increasing student engagement, personalizing learning, and facilitating teacher productivity.


Due to some major limitations of viral-mediated delivery, non-viral synthetic systems have become increasingly desirable. However, synthetic systems are notably inefficient compared to the viral ones in gene delivery and expression. Here we report on the development of the simplest, but highly efficient gene delivery device based on generated nano-apatite crystals having high affinity to DNA but fast dissolution kinetics in acidic vesicles, following efficient endocytosis, for effective release of DNA and thus result in 5 to 100-fold higher transgene expression than the existing ones. Fluoride (F) or strontium (Sr) which is known to decrease the solubility of carbonate apatite, dramatically reduced the transfection efficiency, suggesting that DNA release through particle dissolution, is a crucial factor in gene delivery pathway. Additionally, flexibility in modulating crystal dissolution kinetics enabled to control intracellular DNA release and an intermediate rate of DNA release enhanced survival of DNA and subsequent expression.


It is now clear that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate a number of aspects of nuclear organization and gene expression. An important tool for the study of the distribution and function of lncRNAs is RNA fl uorescence in situ hybridization (RNA-FISH). The protocols presented in this chapter describe this method in detail and also mention a number of critical points that must be considered when performing this technique.


The present study aims to examine the personal stories of activists in radical peace organizations to understand their prejoining socialization experiences, their perception of the conflict and the changes they are trying to make, as well as the meaning of the activism for them. In-depth interviews with 16 female and male activists in 4 radical peace organizations were conducted in Israel, within the context of the IsraeliPalestinian intractable conflict. A qualitative content analysis of the interviews revealed that radical peace activists share certain prejoining socialization experiences that account for their collective activity. These include socialization in the family, social and political activities, exposure to alternative information about the conflict, and crucial life experiences. In addition, the activists share a common perception of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They see it as an issue which has been repressed and disregarded by Israeli society. They share the common goal of solving the conflict peacefully and, therefore, they try to raise awareness in society of the conflictive reality. We observed that joining radical peace organizations provides activists with a new collective arena with which they can identify and in which they can act to express their unique values and beliefs, and finally adopt a new, distinctly activist identity. The findings contribute to a better understanding of peace activists' collective action, undertaken with the knowledge that peace activists are at the forefront of attempts to make meaningful societal change.


A 9-year-old Caucasian boy affected by hot water epilepsy, with positive family history, experienced complex partial seizures during contact with hot water. A video-EEG recording was taken while hot water was poured onto his chest. Hot water epilepsy is rarely described in European countries, where bathing epilepsy in younger children is more common and often confused with this type of epilepsy.


Abstract The new mineral mauriziodiniite (IMA2019-036), NH4(As2O3)2I, was found at the Torrecillas mine, Iquique Province, Chile, where it is a secondary alteration phase associated with calcite, cuatrocapaite-(NH4), lavendulan, magnesiokoritnigite and torrecillasite on matrix consisting of native arsenic, arsenolite and pyrite. Mauriziodiniite occurs as hexagonal tablets up to ~300 μm in diameter. Crystals are colourless and transparent, with pearly to adamantine lustre and white streak. The Mohs hardness is ~1. Tablets are sectile and easily flexible, but not elastic. Fracture is curved, irregular and stepped. Cleavage is perfect on {001}. The calculated density is 3.916 g/cm3. Optically, mauriziodiniite is uniaxial (–) with ω = 2.07(calc) and ɛ = 1.770(5) (white light). The empirical formula, determined from electron microprobe analyses, is (NH4)0.94K0.03(As2O3)2I0.92Cl0.03. Mauriziodiniite is hexagonal, P6/mmm, a = 5.289(2), c = 9.317(2) Å, V = 225.68(18) Å3 and Z = 1. The structure, refined to R1 = 4.16% for 135 Io > 2σI reflections, contains three types of layers: (1) a planar neutral As2O3 (arsenite) sheet; (2) an NH4+ layer that links adjacent arsenite sheets via bonds to their O atoms; and (3) an I– layer that links adjacent arsenite sheets via bonds to their As atoms. The layer sequence is I–As2O3–NH4–As2O3–I. Mauriziodiniite is isostructural with lucabindiite and is structurally related to gajardoite, cuatrocapaite-(NH4), cuatrocapaite-(K) and torrecillasite.


Scanning electron microscopy has been used by the author since 1968 and has become an important tool in the study of inner ear structures. By the combination of good preparation and microdissection, light and electron microscopy, we can better visualize the structure of the normal and pathologically altered organ of Corti and also the vestibular sensory regions. In the present publication it is shown that good preparation permits a study of the inner of the organ of Corti and also of the neural pathways not only in the organ of Corti but also in the osseous spiral lamina and in the modiolus.


Background: Allogeneic transplant (alloHCT) is a curative therapy for patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). However, the curative potential of alloHCT is hampered by relapse, which is the major cause of treatment failure. Risk factors for relapse include minimal residual disease (MRD) before or after allogeneic transplantation, patients transplanted in second complete remission or beyond, and reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens. Overall, relapse rates for these patients are in the range of 30% to 50% with the majority of these relapses occurring within the first year after alloHCT. After relapse, the options for disease control are limited and overall survival rates are poor. Currently, there are no standard post-transplant therapy for patients with ALL to reduce the likelihood of relapse. Post alloHCT maintenance approaches may provide time for the graft-versus-leukemia effect to develop, while possibly treating minimal-residual disease, prolonging leukemia-free-survival and decreasing relapse rates.
 Inotuzumab ozogamicin (INO) is a CD22 monoclonal antibody bound to calicheamicin which has been shown to have significant activity against relapsed ALL. INO has also been used in patients with relapsed / refractory ALL in a phase 3 randomized clinical trial with an overall CR rate of 81% in the INO arm compared to 29% in the standard arm. We hypothesize that low dose post-alloHCT maintenance therapy of INO will be safe and will reduce relapse rates after alloHCT for ALL. Once the appropriate dose has been found, the study will expand to a phase II.
 Methods: Eligibility included patients aged 16-75 who have undergone all-HCT for CD22+ALL in complete remission, have a high risk for relapse after alloHCT, have adequate graft and organ function, are between day 40 and 100 post-transplant, do not have active grade III/IV GVHD or any active GVHD of the liver, and have no history of VOD. The primary objective of this phase I clinical trial is to define a post-alloHCT maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of INO. Secondary objectives include describing the safety profile of INO post-alloHCT, determining the rate of veno-occlusive disease in this setting, evaluating non-relapse mortality (NRM), disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) at 1 year post-alloHCT, determining the incidence of myeloid toxicity and secondary graft failure, and determining if INO at these doses are effective at eradicating MRD in this cohort of patients.
 Pre-treatment tests include a bone marrow biopsy and aspirate to assess disease state and MRD. The trial design is a 3+3 model. The study treatment consists of a total of four 28 day cycles of INO starting at dose level 0 (0.3mg/m2) given on day 1. The first cycle must be initiated between day 40 and 100 after alloHCT. Dose limiting toxicities (DLT) include VOD, prolonged cytopenia (more than 28 days), and death. If there are no DLTs experienced in a cohort, patients may be enrolled in the next highest dose level (Table 1). Patients will be monitored with routine blood work during each cycle. At 1 year after alloHCT, patients will be assessed by restaging bone marrow biopsy and aspirate.
 Results: As of July 29th, 2019, 8 patients have been treated. One patient went off treatment after 1 cycle of INO (patient choice) and two went off treatment after 3 cycles of INO (patient choice and physician choice). All continued to be followed for safety. We have completed 1 year post-transplant follow up on 4 patients. All patients are alive and in CR. No patients experienced VOD or other DLTs. Significant side effects include thrombocytopenia and neutropenia. The percentage of any aGVHD is 62.5% and the rate of grade III/IV aGVHD is 0%. The percentage of any cGVHD is 42.8%. Patient characteristics are described below (Table 2).
 Conclusions: In this phase 1 study, INO at doses of 0.3 and 0.4mg/m2 was well tolerated. Thrombocytopenia may be the dose limiting toxicity. The absence of disease recurrence in this small cohort of high risk ALL patients is very promising.

 Metheny: Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Speakers Bureau. Majhail:Anthem, Inc.: Consultancy; Mallinckrodt: Honoraria; Nkarta: Consultancy; Incyte: Consultancy; Atara Bio: Consultancy. Malek:Adaptive: Consultancy; Amgen: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Sanofi: Consultancy; Medpacto: Research Funding; Janssen: Speakers Bureau. Gerds:Roche: Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy; CTI Biopharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene Corporation: Consultancy, Research Funding; Imago Biosciences: Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sierra Oncology: Research Funding.

 Low dose inotuzuamb ozogamicin in the post-allogeneic transplant setting for patients with ALL.


We present two algorithms and a system for segmentation and analysis of three-dimensional medical image data. The Kooshball algorithm operates by recursively projecting uniform distributions of rays from seed points, with gradient filters convolved along the rays to create candidate surface points. This cloud of candidate points is pruned via several transformation and filtering steps, resulting in stacks of 2D contours which are fed into the SegmentVIEW visualization system and processed by an energy-minimizing contour fitting algorithm. The contours are displayed directly on data surfaces, and both the contours and the underlying 3D data can be interactively manipulated by the user; a central goal of the SegmentVIEW system is to integrate the three major methods of volume visualization (ray casting, surface generation and rendering, and sectioning) in a manner so that manipulations are performed directly and intuitively on data, features and objects in a 3D space. Tests with the Kooshball algorithm and the SegmentVIEW system show that complex 3D features can be rapidly segmented, quantified and visualized with a high degree of accuracy regarding feature locations and volumes.


Background Data are limited on the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the prognosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with heart failure with midrange ejection fraction (HFmrEF) who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between type 2 DM (T2DM) and 3-year outcomes in such a population. Methods A total of 377 ACS patients with HFmrEF (left ventricular EF 40%–49%) who had undergone PCI (132 diabetic and 245 nondiabetic patients) were included in the analysis. The primary outcome was a composite end point of all-cause death or HF rehospitalization. Cox proportional-hazard regression analysis and Kaplan–Meier tests were used to assess the effect of DM on the primary outcome. Sensitivity analysis was conducted with propensity score–matching analysis. Results During a follow-up of 3 years, diabetic patients had higher incidence of the primary outcome than nondiabetic patients (96.1 vs 44.6 per 1,000 patient-years, incidence ratio 2.301, 95% CI 1.334–3.969; P=0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that DM was associated with a significant increase in the composite outcome of all-cause death or HF rehospitalization (adjusted HR 2.080, 95% CI 1.115–3.878; P=0.021). Sensitivity analysis further confirmed that DM was an independent prognostic factor of long-term adverse outcomes for ACS patients with HFmrEF who had undergone PCI (adjusted HR 3.792, 95% CI 1.802–7.980; P<0.001). Conclusion Among ACS patients with HFmrEF who had undergone PCI, T2DM comorbidity was significantly associated with worse long-term outcomes.


Absorption spectroscopy represents one highly relevant approach in current analytics to non-invasively characterize liquid analytes. Here we present the concept of waveguide-integrated absorption spectroscopy via nanobore optical fibers. Using a liquid-filled nanochannel inside the core of a microstructured step-index fiber, the spectroscopic characteristics of liquid analytes located inside the nanochannel are imprinted onto the propagating mode via its evanescent fields, allowing to conduct absorption spectroscopic experiments at extremely small sample volume levels. We reveal the limits of this spectroscopic approach by analyzing the dependence of the power fraction inside the bore on the fiber parameters and experimentally demonstrate its capabilities by 1) using the cut-back technique using an optofluidic mount and 2) fully encapsulating a highly doped dye solution inside the nanobore fiber. Based on its high degree of integration and the straightforward handling capabilities, application of the nanobore fiber based absorption spectroscopy concept can be anticipated in fields, such as bioanalytics, analytical chemistry, and environmental science.


Acute dislocations of the sternoclavicular joint are uncommon injuries, and it is difficult for physicians to develop expertise in treating these injuries because of their infrequent nature. No level I evidence currently exists for these injuries, but several retrospective studies and surgical techniques have been described. For acute injuries, current recommendations include early treatment with closed reduction. If unable to attain or maintain reduction after a closed attempt, open management should be considered. Previous reviews have outlined relevant anatomy, physical examination findings, and imaging for these injuries. This article aims to review updated information from the past decade regarding techniques for reduction, outcomes, and complications related to the injury and surgical management.


Immersive virtual reality technology has been widely used in teaching and learning scenarios because of its unique visual and interactive experiences that bring learners a sense of immersive reality. However, how to better apply immersive virtual reality technology to learning environments to promote learning effectiveness is a direction that has been studied and explored by many scholars. Although a growing number of studies have concluded that immersive virtual reality technology can enhance learners' attention in teaching and learning, few studies have directly linked both learning behaviors and attention to investigate the differences in behavioral performance across attention. In this study, attention data monitored by EEG physiological brainwaves and a large number of videos recorded during learning were used to explore the differences in the sequence of high attention behaviors across performance levels in an immersive virtual reality environment using behavioral data mining techniques. The results found that there was a strong correlation between attention and performance in immersive virtual reality, that thinking and looking may be more conducive to learners' concentration, and that high concentration behaviors in the high-performing group accompanied the test and appeared after the monitoring, while the action continued to be repeated after the high concentration behaviors in the low-performing group. Based on this, this study provides a reference method for the analysis of the learning process in this environment, and provides a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the improvement of participants' attention and learning effectiveness.


The isolation and characterization of the mutant dcdts (defect in chromatin decondensation) has led to the identification of two conserved proteins required for the re‐establishment of the interphase state following the completion of mitosis. The gene that rescues the dcdts mutant encodes a protein similar to the human chromatin binding protein, RCC1. A suppressor of dcdts encodes a protein nearly identical to the human GTP‐binding protein, RAN, encoded by the TC4 gene. These results indicate that completion of mitosis is regulated at least in part by a GTPase molecular switch. The gene and suppressor of dcdts are identical to the previously described Schizosaccharomyces pombe genes pim1 (premature initiation of mitosis) and spi1 (suppressor of pim), but the dcdts mutant does not enter mitosis prematurely, a phenotype that has been reported for the pim1‐46ts mutant. Based on our studies we propose that the pim1 gene product is required for regulating chromatin condensation with a primary role at the end of mitosis and pleiotropic effects on other aspects of cell behavior.


The authors review the literature concerning mortality in Spain between 1800 and 1930. They discuss such subjects as factors involved in the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 the principal causes of death and infant mortality and the socioeconomic factors involved. They conclude with a section on semantic problems involved in describing causes of death. (ANNOTATION)


The Hengduan Mountains area of China is rich in plant resources. The Ligularia species, which belong to Senecioneae and Asteraceae, distributed in this area are highly diversified and contain 6 sections and over 100 species, and are considered to be in on-going evolution and diversification. To understand the inter- and intra-specific diversity of these plants and to elucidate the mechanism of diversification, we analyzed Ligularia plants by chemical, genetic, geographical, ecological, and morphological approaches. We investigated 4 species, and isolated 26 novel compounds. Based on the chemical composition of root extract as well as nucleotide sequence variations in internal transcribed spacers (ITS), we obtained 3 findings. (i) L. virgaurea is classified into two groups, ligularol type and virgaurenone type from the view point of chemical constituents, which are phylogenetically distinguished from each other, (ii) L. subspicata and L. lamarum have an overlapped chemical spectrum, but showed no clear genetic correlation, and (iii) L. cyathiceps showed no significant variations in either chemical constituents or nucleotide sequences.


A 3-year-old, 29.5 kg female, spayed, labrador retriever cross with a 5-month history of severe, persistent papillomas affecting the oral mucous membranes was successfully treated using a multimodal approach that included staged aggressive cryotherapy. On presentation, verrucous growths varying in sizes of 2 mm–3 cm were appreciated affecting all tissues of the oral cavity. There were two alopecic, pedunculated growths with frond-like projections approximately 4 mm by 4 mm and 1 cm by 4 mm on the left pelvic paw. While the growths on the paws resolved with minimal intervention, the oral verrucous growths remained. A combination of interferon alpha-2B, canine papillomavirus-1 autologous vaccine, surgical excision, carbon dioxide laser ablation and aggressive cryotherapy led to complete resolution and continued remission of the canine oral viral papillomas.


Aims: To determine the age and gender distribution in Sudanese patients with colorectal cancer, as seen in Khartoum Teaching Hospital, and to study its emergency presentation.
Patients and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in Khartoum Teaching Hospital (Sudan). Two hundred and seventy seven (277) patients who presented in the period 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2006 were included. Data were collected from their hospital records and analyzed using SPSS computer program.
Results: More than 100(34.5%) of the study population (n=277) were below the age of 40 years, and 17.3% were below 30 years. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. Intestinal obstruction was the most common cause of emergency presentation of colorectal cancer (94%).
Conclusion: Colorectal cancer in this study was found in young age groups. Intestinal obstruction is the main mode of its emergency presentation.
 Keywords : Colorectal cancer, emergency presentation Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 2 (4) 2007: pp. 263-267


Small-angle X-ray scattering has been employed to study how the introduction of paracetamol and acetylsalicylic acid into a liposome bilayer system affects the system's nanostructure. An X-ray scattering model, developed for multilamellar liposome systems [Pabst et al. (2000), Phys. Rev. E, 62, 4000-4009], has been used to fit the experimental data and to extract information on how structural parameters, such as the number and thickness of the bilayers of the liposomes, thickness of the water layer in between the bilayers, size and volume of the head and tail groups, are affected by the drugs and their concentration. Even though the experimental data reveal a complicated picture of the drug-bilayer interaction, they clearly show a correlation between nanostructure, drug and concentration in some aspects. The localization of the drugs in the bilayers is discussed.


A low-complexity depth generation algorithm for 3D conversion of 2D videos is presented. For temporal consistency in global depth, a pattern-based depth generation method is introduced. In addition, refinement of depth from the combined depth cues of texture and motion is also addressed. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms previous algorithms in terms of the complexity and subjective quality.


This paper provides the experimental assessment of an effective near-field-to-far-field (NF-FF) transformation technique with spherical-spiral scanning, particularly suitable for long antennas. Such a technique allows a remarkable measurement-time saving, due to the use of continuous and synchronized movements of the positioning systems, and due to the reduced number of required near-field measurements. This is made possible by a non-redundant sampling representation of the voltage measured by the probe, obtained by using the unified theory of spiral scans for non-spherical antennas, and adopting a prolate-ellipsoidal source modeling. The near-field data needed by the classical spherical near-field-to-far-field transformation are then efficiently retrieved from those acquired along the spiral by an optimal sampling interpolation formula.


Abstract This paper reports the discovery of an in-situ striated, far-travelled, oversized clast in the Ardleigh Gravels of the Kesgrave Sands and Gravels of the River Thames at Ardleigh, east of Colchester in Essex, eastern England. The morphology, petrography and geochemistry of the clast, and the sedimentology of the host deposit are described. The striations are interpreted, on the basis of their sub-parallelism and the shape and sub-roundedness of the clast, as glacial and the clast is provenanced to Ordovician rocks of the Llŷn and Snowdonia regions of North Wales. On the basis of clast frequency within the Colchester Formation gravels of the Kesgrave Sands and Gravels it is inferred that glaciers reached the Cotswold region of the Thames catchment. Floe-ice transport during spring flood is invoked for movement from the glaciated region to eastern England. The paper discusses the possible age of the glaciation and recognises that it is difficult to be more precise than a cold stage in the early Middle Pleistocene (MIS 18, 16 or 14). Attention is drawn to the possibility of glaciation associated with a diamicton in the region of the Cotswold Hills known as the Bruern Till, but stresses the need for new work on this deposit.


AIM: Fracture neck of femur is common in elderly people due to osteoporosis or osteomalacia. The aim of this study is to assess the results of internal fixation of fracture neck femur in the sixth and seventh decades of life by dynamic hip screw (DHS) and antirotation screw. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 38 patients with displaced fracture neck femur were included in this study. The ages ranged from 50 to 69 years with an average of 61 years. 22 patients were males and 16 were females. All patients were treated by closed reduction and internal fixation by DHS and antirotation screw. RESULTS: Bone union was achieved in all patients except four. The time to bone union ranged from 3 to 8 months with an average of 5 months. The time to full weight bearing ranged from 2 to 7 months with an average of 4 months. The complications included superficial wound infection in 3 cases, nonunion in 4 cases and osteonecrosis in 3 cases. CONCLUSION: Internal fixation by DHS and antirotation screw is a good method for treatment of fracture neck femur in the sixth and early seventh decades of life. It provides sufficient stability that allows for early weight bearing and increases the chances of bone union.


Background Surgical planning depends on precise preoperative assessment of the radiological extent of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Despite different modalities used, reoperation rates for DCIS due to involved margins are high. Purpose To evaluate the impact of additional imaging views (spot magnification, tomosynthesis) on surgical reoperation rate of DCIS. Material and Methods The retrospective single institute study includes 157 patients with biopsy-proven pure DCIS seen on mammogram as microcalcifications and treated with breast-conserving surgery. Patients have been divided into three groups according to additional imaging performed: spot magnification, tomosynthesis, and none. All breast images (mammograms, spot magnification, tomosynthesis) were reviewed and the maximum extent of pathological microcalcifications was recorded. Radiological size was compared to final histopathological size. Reoperation rate due to inadequate margins was recorded. Results Reoperation rates (25%) due to inadequate margins were as follows: spot (18%), tomosynthesis (27%), none (31%); P = 0.488. Spot magnification, tomosynthesis, and digital zoom of full-field digital mammography predicted similarly the final histopathological size. Reoperation group had a significantly greater preoperative radiological median size (26 mm vs. 20 mm; P = 0.014) as well as median size of disease on final histopathological report (29 mm vs. 14 mm; P < 0.001). Discrepancy between radiological and final histopathological size became greater with increasing DCIS extent. Conclusion The main factors for reoperations are DCIS size and discordance between radiological and histopathological sizes. The use of additional imaging views (spot magnification, tomosynthesis) did not reduce reoperation rate.


Information is scarce on behavioural interference between wild ungulates. In particular, data are lacking on relationships between interference and habitat use. We analysed habitat correlates of behavioural interactions between fallow deer Dama dama and roe deer Capreolus capreolus at feeding, in a Mediterranean area. Previous research has shown that behavioural interference between these deer, with the former dominant over the latter, occurred also through direct aggression. Here we show that, for roe deer, the probability of being displaced by fallow deer did not depend on the habitat where the deer meet. Interspecific encounters, thus interactions, were the most frequent in the habitat mainly used by roe deer, i.e. the set-aside grassland. When in the habitats most used by fallow deer (pastures and crops), roe deer experienced a greater risk of suffering a displacement. The rate of intolerance encounters increased in spring, when habitat overlap occurred because fallow deer intensified the use of set-aside. Our results suggest that, most likely, avoidance of fallow deer by roe deer is not habitat-dependent.


Hospitals recently have experienced greater financial pressures. Whether these financial pressures have led to more patient safety problems is unknown. Using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Data for Florida from 1996 to 2000, this study examines whether financial pressure at hospitals is associated with increases in the rate of patient safety events (e.g., medical errors) for major surgeries. Findings show that patients have significantly higher odds of having adverse patient safety events (nursing-related patient safety events, surgery-related patient safety events, and all likely preventable patient safety events) when hospital profit margins decline over time. The finding that a within-hospital erosion of hospital operating profits increases the rate of adverse patient safety events suggests that any cost-cutting efforts be carefully designed and managed.


Time-shrinking is a well-established perceptual phenomenon by now. When two empty time intervals, marked by short sounds, are presented contiguously, the first interval can shrink the second one perceptually. This is almost always the case when the first interval is shorter than the second one, unless the difference gets greater than approximately 80 ms. The phenomenon is rather compelling, so it can be called an illusion of time perception. Our purpose in the present study is to show by three experiments how robust this illusion is. The first experiment showed that time-shrinking operates also when the last time interval is preceded by more than one interval (up to five at least). Moreover, the number of preceding intervals had no effect upon the amount of shrinking. The second and third experiment studied the effect of sound marker frequency on time-shrinking. It was found that the illusory phenomenon clearly appeared even when the sound marker frequencies differed by more than two octaves. However, the amount of shrinking appeared to be largest when frequencies were equal.


Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) comprises a heterogeneous group of primary antibody deficiencies with complex clinical and immunological phenotypes. A high risk for cancer has been described for some types of cancer among patients with CVID. Mutations in p53, a critical tumor suppressor gene, are one of the most common genetic alterations in human cancers, therefore contributes to the complex network of molecular events leading to tumor formation. This prompted us to investigate the incidence of p53 gene mutations in patients with CVID and evaluated the predictive risk for tumor development. We investigated the presence of p53 mutations in patients with CVID, tumor samples and in the surgical margins of 34 patients with head and neck cancer using single strand conformational polymorphism and sequencing analysis. We investigated the presence of p53 mutations in genomic DNA samples of 20 patients with CVID and 10 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction and heteroduplex analysis. None of the patients were found to have p53 gene mutations. Only one patient developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) during nine years follow-up. P53 mutations was not also detected in tumor biopsy sample. We found no statistically significant association between the presences of p53 mutations in patients with CVID.

 Key words: Common variable immunodeficiency, p53 gene, tumor development, apoptosis.


Polypropylene plastic (PP) was chosen as additives for the preparation of activated carbon (AC), considering that PP promotes pore formation during the preparation of AC. When the addition ratio of PP was 20%, AC having a maximum specific surface area of 1916.1 m^2/g was prepared. Fourier transform–infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis exhibited the types of functional groups on the surface of AC, such as–OH, C=O, C–C, and–CH. The SEM analysis revealed the formation of disordered pores over the AC. Furthermore, iodine value of the AC is 1460 mg/g. Additionally, adsorption test revealed the AC is suitable for adsorbing methylene blue (MB). The adsorption equilibrium data of MB onto AC were most suitable for Redlich–Peterson model. The maximum adsorption capacity of the single layer was 476.88 mg/g, indicating that AC has high adsorption capacity. The kinetic data fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model.


—It is challenging to process real-time data service requests, such as online trade or traffic monitoring requests, within their deadlines, while providing differentiated real-time data services. To address the problem, we present new approaches to 1) assigning deadlines to real-time data service requests based on their data access needs and service classes to differentiate real-time data services when the system is busy and 2) closely supporting the specified target delay to deadline ratio (DDR)−the ratio of actual data service delays to deadlines−via feedback control even in the presence of dynamic workloads. Further, we have actually implemented our approaches by extending an open source database unlike most existing work on real-time databases. The experimental results show that our approach closely supports the target DDR bound and service differentiation requirements among the service classes unlike the tested baselines representing the current state of the art in real-time database research.


This study explored free and immobilised microorganisms to degrade heavy oil. Two oil-degrading bacterial strains (W-1 and W-2) were isolated from heavy oil wastewater samples collected from Shengli Oil Field in China. W-1 and W-2, identified as Rhosococcus sp. and Bacillus cereus sp., respectively, were tested for their growth behaviour and optimal growth conditions in the laboratory. The obtained results showed that the optimal growth conditions for W-1 and W-2 were identified as pH of 8, temperature of 40°C, and salinity of 2% and 4%, respectively. The environmental conditions affecting oil-degrading efficiency by W-1 and W-2 were optimised in the media containing 0.3% heavy oil. The results showed that the optimal degradation and optimal growth conditions were similar, and the oil degradation rates of W-1 and W-2 were about 34.6% and 45.3%, respectively after 5 days.

W-1 and W-2 capable of degrading oil was immobilised in calcium alginate gel beads containing active carbon and used for degradation of heavy oil. The heavy oil biodegradability of immobilised bacteria improved dramatically, compared with that of the free ones. The heavy oil biodegradation rates of immobilised W-2 were found to be maximal at the same optimal growth conditions of pH, temperature, and salinity as the free ones. The best biodegradation rate of immobilised W-2 reached above 78%, which is 33% than that of the free W-2. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering


Suspension culture of Schisandra chinensis for production of gomisin J was perfomed in bioreactor. The inoculum size and initial sucrose concentration had significant effect on the cell growth and gomisin J accumulation. The maximum dry cell weight (DCW; 43.5 g/l) and gomisin J content (0.71 × 10-3 μg/g DCW) were obtained at inoculum size of 100 g fresh cell weight (FCW) per liter and MB5 medium containing 6% sucrose after 8 weeks of culture. The effect of oxygen supply on the cell growth and gomisin J accumulation was also investigated in an airlift-type bioreactor. The optimal cell growth and gomisin J content was obtained under 0.5 vvm. The productivity of gomisin J was 0.7 fold in bioreactor culture lower than that obtained in a flask cultivation.


Introduction Understanding the predictors of belief in covid-related conspiracy theories and willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 may aid the resolution of current and future pandemics. Objectives We aim to investigate how psychological and cognitive characteristics influence general conspiracy mentality and covid-related conspiracy theories. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from an online survey of a sample of Czech university students (n=866) collected in January 2021, using multivariate linear regression and mediation analysis. Results Sixteen percent of respondents believed that COVID-19 is a hoax; 17% believed that COVID-19 was intentionally created by humans. Seven percent of the variance of the hoax theory and 10% of the variance of the creation theory was explained by (in descending order of relevance) low cognitive reflection, low digital health literacy, high experience with dissociation and, to some extent, high bullshit receptivity. Belief in covid-related conspiracy theories depended less on psychological and cognitive variables compared to conspiracy mentality (16% of the variance explained). The effect of digital health literacy on belief in covid-related theories was moderated by cognitive reflection. Conclusions Belief in conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 was influenced by experience with dissociation, cognitive reflection, digital health literacy and bullshit receptivity. Disclosure No significant relationships.


In the spring of 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a national campaign, This Free Life , to discourage lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people from smoking (see front cover). This Free Life would have been only a fantasy 25 years ago, when a few LGBT advocates met during the campaign that made San Francisco restaurants smoke-free. They suspected that LGBT smoking rates were high and founded the first organisation dedicated to LGBT tobacco control, the Coalition of Lavender-Americans on Smoking or Health (CLASH). Its mission was three-pronged: to work within the LGBT community to raise awareness of tobacco's deadliness, to lobby mainstream tobacco control for the resources to do so and to contribute to the larger tobacco control movement.

At the time, HIV/AIDS, with few effective treatments available, commanded the community's attention. Other priorities included sodomy law repeal; legalising LGBT military service; and fighting antigay discrimination and violence. Marriage equality was not even a dream. The community was also grappling with high alcohol and drug use. With this burden, tobacco control was far from a priority. In this context, industry framing of smoking as a personal freedom had great salience for the LGBT community.

Hampered by a lack of data, CLASH instigated one of the …


Performance, in the context of organization, is not only a broad concept which has been used synonymously with productivity, efficiency, effectiveness and, more recently competitiveness, it has also been a subject of study for social scientists from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives. More recently, efforts have been made by human resource management (HRM) theorists to try to establish a causal link between HRM and performance. This has led to a growing number of studies which examine the potential contribution that good human resource policy can make to improving organizational performance. This paper is not concerned with the conceptual debate of HRM and performance. Rather, it explores whether adopting good HR practices to improve performance is a practicable approach to organizations in the UK. Drawing on existing empirical evidence from other studies, the paper reviews the strategies British firms deploy to improve labour productivity. In particular, the issue of whether they use the 'high-road' HRM or 'low-road' HRM strategy to enhance performance is investigated. This paper concludes by suggesting that high-road HRM may lead to better organizational performance, but it may not be a strategy that firms opt for, given the historical, social and institutional context of employment relationships in Britain.


Questions

Can signs of 19th century grassland management, which can be observed in the flora immediately (2–4 yrs) after clear-cutting in boreonemoral Sweden, still remain 4 yrs later? Do the effects from the time since clear-cutting differ between forest and grassland plant species?

Location

Province of Ostergotland, southern Sweden.

Methods

Twelve contemporary clear-cut areas that were once meadows and 12 that were once forests were selected using land-use maps from the 1870s. Grasses and herbaceous plants were surveyed twice, once in 2009 and once in 2013 (2–4 and 6–8 yrs after clear-cutting, respectively). Plant presence was recorded within 100 circular sample plots (radius 1 m) placed evenly throughout each respective clear-cut area along transects spaced 25-m apart. The number of sample plots in which a species was present was taken as a measure of that species' frequency. Random effects meta-analysis, odds ratios and ANCOVA were used to analyse species responses to clear-cutting over time.

Results

A total of 170 plant species were found in the study, of which 33 were classified as grassland indicator species and 31 as plants primarily confined to forests. Clear-cut areas with a history as meadowland had, on average, up to 64% higher total species richness and 110% more grassland indicator species than did clear-cut areas with a history as forest. The time since clear-cutting had no effect on total species richness. However, the odds of finding a grassland indicator species decreased with the time since clear-cutting, whereas the odds of finding a forest species increased.

Conclusions

We concluded that land-use history plays an important role in explaining the flora found in Swedish clear-cuts, and that its effects on species richness remain for a minimum of 8 yrs after harvest (conservative estimate). This phenomenon highlights the importance of acknowledging land-use legacies in ecological research and conservation. Future studies should investigate various options for the promotion of grassland plants in clear-cuts with a history of grassland management while also acknowledging the potential conflicts between conservation and production. The results may pertain to other countries with similar land-use histories.


We present a new analysis of the abundances observed in extremely metal poor stars based on both a new generation of theoretical presupernova models and explosions of zero metallicity massive stars and a new abundance analysis of an homogeneous sample of stars having [Fe/H]<-2.5 (Cayrel et al. 2004).


The swift and vast spread of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) was caused, to a significant extent, by aviation itself. This virus proliferated worldwide not only due to its ability to be transmitted from one human to another easily, but also due to the unprecedent volume of travel, especially by air, at a time of unprecedented globalization. In the wake of COVID-19, various novel practices have been and are being proposed. In this light, an examination of a number of these proposed practices is undertaken, this in order to determine whether they are legally sound or not. An examination of the laws underlying those practices follows, not least because such practices are virtually all erected upon a legal foundation. By examining the relevant laws on both an industry and State level, an attempt is made at determining whether or not such laws are adequate in allowing the corresponding practices to be effective. This article conclusively discusses whether the proposed practices and the underlying laws already in existence have the potential to prevent a future disease from spreading as swiftly and as vastly, and from disrupting the aviation industry as severely as COVID-19 has.
COVID-19, Communicable Diseases, Aviation Practices, Aviation Law, Future


The rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) lives in Israel in natural crevices of rocky terrain and in long heaps or terraces of rocks that were uprooted in the process of rocky ground reclamation and dumped around newly-planted fruit orchards. The hyraxes browse on rows of deciduous and subtropical fruit trees adjacent to the animals' rocky shelter. Fruit trees thereby lose most of their leaves, and branches or stems of seedlings are bent and broken under the weight of the animals. The commercial repellent, RO-PEL®, was tested in probe and field trials. RO-PEL®-sprayed and unsprayed avocado and mango seedlings were placed in a pen into which three hyraxes were introduced. Most of the leaves of both sprayed and unsprayed seedlings were consumed in 4 and 11 days (avocado and mango seedlings respectively). However, a field trial was conducted in a citrus orchard, in which the rows of seedlings adjacent to rock terraces had been damaged by the hyraxes. On the sprayed and the unsprayed seedlings the leaves were counted during the experiments; there was a significant difference in the numbers of sprayed and unsprayed leaves consumed (P = 0.01), with reduction of the damage on the sprayed trees being 42.6%. Later, when new leaves had sprouted, the hyraxes consumed the leaves irrespective of whether they had or had not been sprayed. Consequently the feasibility of using RO-PEL® to repel the rock hyrax remains problematic.


Currently, new types of information are available to applications. This incoming stream of data can be processed to improve user experience. User experience can be enhanced to present contents to users in a better manner, or to provide software artefacts to improve their interaction with the environment. The wide range of interaction design capabilities offered by this data requires methods and run-time architectures able to cope with the integration of the incoming data from the interaction environment into the applications. Human-centred computing takes into account what the state of user interaction is and how this data can be used to actually make it useful. A multi-agent system architecture is described. This architecture is able to tackle the arrival of context data by means of a set of sensors and interface agents that filter and process the context-of-use data to produce new presentations. The context of use provides information about the user, the platform, the physical environment and the current task the user is performing. These new presentations produced are adapted according to the context-of-use information gathered by applying a mixed-initiative approach to overcome some of the usual flaws found in full-adaptive applications.


The Country Opinion Survey in Lesotho assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Lesotho perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral and bilateral agencies, media, academia, the private sector, and civil society in Lesotho on: 1) their views regarding the general environment in Lesotho; 2) their overall attitudes toward the WBG in Lesotho; 3) overall impressions of the WBG's effectiveness and results, knowledge work and activities, and communication and information sharing in Lesotho; and 4) their perceptions of the WBG's future role in Lesotho.


Abstract Drawing on the philosophies of Mbembe, Butler, Deleuze and Guattari, and a range of interdisciplinary authors, this article argues that history, which is the perceptual field through which our visions of the world are constructed, can actively hide or legitimize violence by creating fixed, borderized senses of identity. As part of this construction, architecture should, I contend, work to provoke unstable visions of the world: it should be "uncertain." Through the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, I explore how the use of uncertain, bodily movement through space can resist grand narratives and uncritical histories. Through uncertainty, the memorial reconfigures the normative interpretive horizons we bring to our lived encounters to become less fixed and thereby less amenable to violence. Uncertain architecture offers an original way to think through the challenges of world-making in an increasingly compartmentalized and enclosed world.


In the present study, we investigated the role of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. extract on embryo implantation in vitro and in vivo. A polysaccharides depleted-water extract of P. lactiflora (PL-PP) increased LIF expression in human endometrial Ishikawa cells at non-cytotoxic doses. PL-PP significantly increased the adhesion of the human trophectoderm-derived JAr spheroids to endometrial Ishikawa cells. PL-PP-induced LIF expression was decreased in the presence of a p38 kinase inhibitor SB203580 and an MEK/ERK inhibitor U0126. Furthermore, endometrial LIF knockdown by shRNA reduced the expression of integrins β3 and β5 and adhesion of JAr spheroids to Ishikawa cells. In vivo administration of PL-PP restored the implantation of mouse blastocysts in a mifepristone-induced implantation failure mice model. Our results demonstrate that PL-PP increases LIF expression via the p38 and MEK/ERK pathways and favors trophoblast adhesion to endometrial cells.


This book was written in the early days of the Coalition, and therefore must be placed in its appropriate analytical context. It provides an insightful examination of the various events leading up to the formation of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat government. As an edited volume it draws from a wide range of expertise in the field of British political interrogation, with contributions from Eric Shaw, Richard Hayton and Patrick Dunleavy, among others. Shaw looks at the impact of New Labour, its attempts to reform public services, the relationship with business, and its political and economic philosophy. He argues that its record in these areas positioned Labour on the wrong side of electoral victory because of the lack of a convincing model by which equality of opportunity could be achieved. It is 'very hard to achieve when the gap in the resources individuals commanded was so wide'. Such a model was based on the assumption that the neoliberal markets could provide for social justice – a theory significantly challenged by the financial crisis and discrediting its chief architect and then Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Hayton examines the circumstances faced by the Conservatives leading up to the 2010 general election. He focuses on David Cameron's attempts to rebrand the Tories as 'modernised liberals', arguing 'since becoming Conservative leader, Cameron has demonstrated a desire to be seen as a modern, compassionate and liberal Conservative' (p. 74), which the Coalition presents as an opportunity to continue without significant hindrance from the right. Hayton rightly argues, however, that the essentially neoliberal economic framework remains ideologically in place, carrying with it a suspicion of Europe, strong law and order, and a more traditional form of Tory statecraft. Dunleavy looks at the general election campaign itself and the formation of the Coalition. He argues: '[W]hen the Coalition was first formed, many media commentators waxed lyrical about the disruptive potential of an awkward squad of MPs on the Conservative right. But in ideological terms, the Tory right are highly unlikely to vote with the opposition Labour party on many issues' (p. 35). The desire to stay in power explains one of the reasons for the longevity of the Coalition marriage. This is an excellent book and will be of significant value to academics and students of British party politics. It provides a thoughtful and interesting evaluation of the Coalition, its influences and the circumstances that led up to its formation.


In this paper, a novel cellular nonlinear network emulator core which executes wave computing within an FPGA-based platform is proposed. This wave computer core has 4 × 4 parallel processing units and emulates 16, 384 nodes which are arranged in 128×128 normal grid form. The wave computer core can be programmed to generate active waves such as autowaves, travelling waves and spiral waves, and also allow to have an inhomogeneous network using fixed-state options. By virtue of its on chip memory and floating point number arithmetics ability, high emulation speed and high precision on variable values are achieved. The FPGA wave computer has not only an online monitor output to observe active wave evaluation, also a communication interface which allows to program the network with host computer. The introduced system was experimented in a path planning application and can be used to develop more active wave computing based algorithms for image processing and path planning.


We review how RHIC is expected to deepen our understanding of the spin structure of longitudinally and transversely polarized nucleons. After briefly outlining the current status of spin-dependent parton densities and pointing out open questions, we focus on theoretical calculations and predictions relevant for the RHIC spin program. Estimates of the expected statistical accuracy for such measurements are presented, taking into account the acceptance of the RHIC detectors.


Abstract Strengths-based practice appears to be a popular approach to social work practice. Increasingly, it has become the approach of choice in community work, with the "asset-based community development" model being utilised both in Australia and internationally. However, asset-based community development has been criticised for its lack of an evidence base, lack of theoretical depth, and its lack of consideration of the macro level causes of disempowerment. While concepts of networks are central to asset-based community development, social network theory and analysis have rarely been utilised in a comprehensive manner in asset-based community development practice or research. This article contends that asset-based community development practice can benefit from the integration of key concepts from social network theory. Similarly, it is proposed that social network analysis holds promise as an appropriate methodology in terms of understanding the efficacy of asset-based community development projects.


Cyclodextrin (CD) and copolymers of polyethylene oxide (PEO)-b-polypropylene oxide (PPO)-b-polyethylene oxide (PEO) (pluronics) form inclusion complexes (ICs) in water. A solution of native unmodified β-CD was mixed with a dilute solution of pluronic F-68 at 70 °C. The temperature was then quickly cooled down below the critical micellization temperature (CMT) of the triblock-copolymer. The mixture was left ageing at controlled temperature until turbidity, opalescence and finally sedimentation occurred. The self-organization behaviour of the system was investigated by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) in D2O. At high temperature the formation of stable, β-CD-swollen micelles was observed. ICs were formed while the mixture was thermally quenched. Their subsequent aggregation was studied by SANS, and the resulting structures were observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) after film deposition. With time, we evidenced the formation of thin platelets (17 nm) having large planar dimensions (about 1 µm at 20 °C to 4 µm at 40 °C) and a crystallographic angle of 105.4°. Fitting the SANS data, a model was proposed where the growth of a platelet occurred through association of IC bundles in a characteristic time of 190 min. Each bundle (2.4 nm in radius and 17 nm in length) of well-organized IC molecules is formed in a characteristic time of 17 min at 20 °C. The platelets are original because of their crystalline nature with well-defined angles, and their very flat and rigid shape. Moreover they form effortlessly through self-assembling in water.


Background: Dosage forms which precisely control the release rates and targets drugs to a specific body site have made enormous impact in the formulation and development of novel drug delivery systems. Methods: A prolonged release mucoadhesive hydrogel system of nizatidine was prepared by ionotropic gelation and polyelectrolyte complexation technique using natural, biodegradable polymers with or without chitosan. Prepared formulations were subjected to in vitro evaluation and several characterization studies. Results: Formulations with chitosan showed good drug content, swelling index and mucoadhesive strength when compared to batches containing alginate alone. The drug in formulations found to be intact and compatible with polymers used and surface morphology of prepared beads were found satisfactory. Two optimized formulations containing alginatechitosan shows Higuchi model and perfect zero order release. All the formulations with copolymer showed better sustained the drug release when compared with formulations without chitosan. Conclusion: Alginate-chitosan beads prepared by ionotropic geltion and polyelectrolyte complexation method found to be better than ionically cross linked alginate beads alone. Therefore, dual cross-linked beads are promising carrier for oral control release.


OBJECTIVE
Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) frequently harbors non-functional p53 and depends on G2/M checkpoint mediated by WEE1. WEE1 suppression has been identified as a promising anti-tumor strategy. This study investigated the capacity of WEE1 kinase inhibitor (MK-1775) and its underlying mechanisms in enhancing radiation responses of OTSCC cells in vitro.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
WEE1 kinase expression and its downstream target (CDK1) were investigated in OTSCC versus normal oral tissue. A synergistic combination of MK-1775 with radiation on OTSCC cell lines with different p53 statuses was assessed by viability assay. The radio-sensitizing effects of MK-1775 on apoptosis, cell cycle, DNA damage, and mitotic entry were also determined.

RESULTS
Irradiation enhanced CDK1 expression in all tested cell lines, though the effect was far more pronounced in p53 mutated cell lines. MK-1775 exhibited inhibitory effects against the survival of all cell lines and enhanced their response to the radiation. These effects were strongly elicited by induction of apoptosis and lethal mitosis, but less likely by abrogation of radiation-induced G2 arrest.

CONCLUSION
These results demonstrate the efficacy of MK-1775 in enhancing the radiation effect on OTSCC in vitro associated with a significant apoptotic death rate, identifying WEE1 inhibitor as a potent radio-sensitizer in OTSCC irrespective of p53 mutational status.


Abstract Cyber bullying or bullying via information and communications technology tools such as the internet and mobile phones is a problem of growing concern with school-aged students. Cyber bullying actions may not take place on school premises, but detrimental effects are experienced by victims of cyber bullying in schools. Tools used by cyber bullies are presented and the impact on victims is discussed. Intervention strategies for school counsellors, guidance officers, and school personnel to adopt with students and parents are presented.


Due to its special structural form, the reducers have common corrosion defects such as corrosion thinning, cracks and so on after being strongly impacted by the medium inside the pipes. However, there are few studies on the detection of reducers with the help of ultrasonic guided waves at present. In order to explore the effect of reducers to ultrasonic guided waves detection, the propagation characteristics of ultrasonic guided waves in reducer were simulated by using ABQUES. In the simulation, L (0, 2) mode was used to detect the reducer by two set of experiments. The first set of simulation experiment, L (0, 2) mode was excited from the large end of the pipe to detect the pipe with axial crack, circumferential crack and no crack respectively. The second set of simulation experiment, L (0, 2) mode was excited from the small end of the pipe to detect the pipe with axial crack, circumferential crack and no crack. The ability to detect defect was assessed by the time domain waveform of reflected echo, and the dynamic stress distribution cloud map is used to visually explain the propagation characteristics of the guided waves passing through the reducer, and the difference of detection capability between the two ends of excitation is judged by comparing the detection results. The conclusion shows that it is more sensitive to detect defect when ultrasonic guided waves are excited at the larger end, the ability to detect defects is weak when ultrasonic guided waves are excited at the small end. The mode conversion occurs and generate F (1, 1) mode, when the guided waves pass through the reducer from both ends. This paper provides effective technical guidance when ultrasonic guided waves detect defect on reducers.


Evidence indicates that diacylglycerol kinases (DGK) are promising targets for the optimization of T cell activity, for example in the setting of adoptive cell therapy (ACT). The tumor microenvironment (TME) of human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an immunosuppressive setting where T and NK cell functionality is blocked. DGK–α is a negative regulator of TCR signaling, functioning by metabolizing diacylglycerol to phosphatidic acid and thereby limiting the activation of MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling pathway. DGK-α is found increased in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) from RCC patients and also in adoptively transferred T cells after infiltrating into the TME.1 We previously reported that inhibition of DGK-α restored functionality of unresponsive CD8 T cells and NK cells from RCC-TIL. Other studies demonstrated that knockdown or pharmacologic inhibition of DGK-α and DGK-ζ alone or together increased target cell killing and cytokine production, and protected T cells from inhibitory factors in the TME.2 However, there are no inhibitors for DGK-ζ and available DGK-α inhibitors have undesired pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties and are highly toxic precluding their clinical application. Here, we present data using a novel RNA interference (RNAi) technology that can specifically target each DGK isoform.INTASYL™ compounds incorporate drug-like properties into RNAi, resulting not only in enhanced cellular uptake in the presence of serum but also eliminating the need for further transfection reagents. Toxicity of compounds applied alone or in combination was assessed by 7-AAD flow cytometry analysis and WST assay. Silencing of mRNA and protein was analyzed by RT-qPCR and SimpleWestern. Downstream signaling pathways and T cell function were analyzed to demonstrate pharmacological efficacy.Two DGK-ζ compounds and one DGK-α compound were analyzed using Jurkat T cells and primary human TCR-transduced T cells. No effects were seen on cell viability for the compounds applied alone or in combination. On-target knockdown was achieved in Jurkat T cells evidenced by RT-qPCR and SimpleWestern. Silencing of mRNA and protein occurred quickly after 24h, peaked between 48h and 72h and lasted at least for 96h. Stimulation under DGK-targeting INTASYL treatment resulted in enhanced levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 and enhanced secretion of IL-2.INTASYL™ self-delivering RNAi compounds represent a promising approach to target intracellular immune checkpoints such as DGKs. The good toxicity profile allows for combined application of several compounds enabling targeting of multiple checkpoints, which likely is necessary to counteract the complex and heterogeneous inhibitory influences of the TME. The technology enables the anti-tumor activity of T and NK cells for immunotherapy, and can be used in ACT and direct therapeutic applications towards the TME.Moon EK, Wang L-C, Dolfi DV, Wilson CB, Ranganathan R, Sun J, et al. Multifactorial T-cell hypofunction that is reversible can limit the efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor-transduced human T cells in solid tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2014;20(16):4262–73.Jung I-Y, Kim Y-Y, Yu H-S, Lee M, Kim S, Lee J. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of DGK improves antitumor activities of human T cells. Cancer Res 2018;78(16):4692–703.A.S. Herbstritt: C. Other Research Support (supplies, equipment, receipt of drugs or other in-kind support); Significant; Phio Pharmaceuticals. M. Maxwell: A. Employment (full or part-time); Significant; Phio Pharmaceuticals. D. Yan: A. Employment (full or part-time); Significant; Phio Pharmaceuticals. B. Cuiffo: A. Employment (full or part-time); Significant; Phio Pharmaceuticals. J. Cardia: A. Employment (full or part-time); Significant; Phio Pharmaceuticals. S.P. Fricker: A. Employment (full or part-time); Significant; Phio Pharmaceuticals. E. Noessner: C. Other Research Support (supplies, equipment, receipt of drugs or other in-kind support); Significant; Phio Pharmaceuticals.


Power modules for inverterized motor drive applications are a current trend due to the advantages they present like space saving and ease of assembly. However, their widespread use is limited due to cost issues and relative design inflexibility. A novel low-cost intelligent power module (IPM) series has been developed for appliance applications, which addresses these factors. Characteristics of the new intelligent power module enable lower overall power losses compared to current competing technology. Significant improvement in the EMI performance of the system has been obtained despite faster dynamic switching through use of special packaging techniques. These traits are clearly demonstrated by performing in-depth evaluations in an actual home air conditioning application.


Concrete is a construction material that is extremely widely used in the construction of water management facilities. However, in the presence of hydrogen sulfide in the gas-air operating environment, concrete can undergo extremely aggressive biogenic sulfuric acid corrosion. The paper presents the results of an experimental chemical, physico-chemical and phase study of concrete samples from the surface part of the gravity sewage collector and the primary sump of the city sewage facilities and oil trap at the oil production site. It was proved that all concrete samples were subjected to biogenic sulfuric acid aggression, to the greatest extent – a sample from a city sewage collector.


In host-microbe interactions, signaling lipids function in interpartner communication during both the establishment and maintenance of associations. Previous evidence suggests that sphingolipids play a role in the mutualistic cnidarian-Symbiodinium symbiosis. Exogenously applied sphingolipids have been shown to alter this partnership, though endogenous host regulation of sphingolipids by the sphingosine rheostat under different symbiotic conditions has not been characterized. The rheostat regulates levels of pro-survival sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and pro-apoptotic sphingosine (Sph) through catalytic activities of sphingosine kinase (SPHK) and S1P phosphatase (SGPP). The role of the rheostat in recognition and establishment of cnidarian-Symbiodinium symbiosis was investigated in the sea anemone Aiptasia pallida by measuring gene expression, protein levels, and sphingolipid metabolites in symbiotic, aposymbiotic, and newly recolonized anemones. Comparison of two host populations showed that symbiotic animals from one population had lower SGPP gene expression and Sph lipid concentrations compared to aposymbiotic animals, while the other population had higher S1P concentrations than their aposymbiotic counterparts. In both populations, the host rheostat trended toward host cell survival in the presence of symbionts. Furthermore, upregulation of both rheostat enzymes on the first day of host recolonization by symbionts suggests a role for the rheostat in host-symbiont recognition during symbiosis onset. Collectively, these data suggest a regulatory role of sphingolipid signaling in cnidarian-Symbiodinium symbiosis and symbiont uptake.


Plasma cell dyscrasias are characterized by neoplastic proliferation of a single clone of plasma cells typically producing a monoclonal immunoglobulin. Plasma cell neoplasms can present as a single lesion (solitary plasmacytoma) or more commonly as multiple lesions (multiple myeloma). Plasmacytomas can be present at the initial diagnosis of multiple myeloma or develop later during the course of the disease.
When plasmacytoma is associated with 10 percent or more clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow, the diagnosis is considered to be multiple myeloma rather than solitary plasmacytoma. While solitary plasmacytomas are treated with radiotherapy, multiple myeloma is treated with chemotherapy.


Modelling the attenuation of peak ground velocity for intraplate earthquakes in Australia is faced with numerous challenges including the lack of quality instrumental earthquake data from close distances. Furthermore, the significant variation in the crustal conditions within the Australian continent means that more than one attenuation relationship is required to suit different conditions even though the entire continent is wholly within the Indo-Australasian tectonic plate. The modelling approach adopted in this study is based on a convenient separation of the source, crustal and path attenuation effects in the modelling. Each of these effects is represented by separate component factors. The accuracy of this Component Attenuation Model (CAM) was evaluated using historical Intensity data collected in Australia over the past one hundred years. It can be shown by the analysis of the residuals that CAM provides better predictions of the Intensities and peak ground velocities than a number of commonly used attenuation models. Most recorded Intensity values are in agreement with the CAM calculations within 0.5 Intensity units.


The blossoming research field of computational textiles, electronic textiles or e-textiles integrates computation with fabric; e-textile researchers weave, solder and sew electronics into cloth to build soft, flexible and washable computational devices. E-textiles is a young discipline, and developments in the field have been relegated almost exclusively to research labs in industry and academia.
This thesis presents a collection of advancements that makes e-textiles accessible to new audiences. It details developments in e-textile engineering, design and applications that facilitate the democratization of e-textiles (and computing, engineering, and design more generally). It describes new techniques that enable researchers (and others) to integrate electronic hardware with cloth, including a method for creating printed circuit boards on fabric; details the design and development of novel wearable displays, including a woven breaded bracelet; and discusses educational applications of e-textiles.
The discussion of educational e-textiles focuses on the development of the LilyPad Arduino, a construction kit that enables novices to build their own soft computational devices by sewing stitch-able microcontroller, sensor, and actuator modules together with conductive thread. The construction kit was developed through an iterative design process that involved several user studies, and preliminary results indicate that the kit provides a potentially powerful means to engage diverse audiences in programming and electronics.