Recent studies suggest that altered expression of intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM) in ductal carcinoma of the breast is associated with a higher incidence of metastases and decreased patient survival. In addition, the presence of significant cellular dyscohesion in cytologic smear preparations has been found to correlate with the presence of regional and distant metastases in a subset of patients. In this study, we correlate the smear pattern in preparations taken directly from surgically excised breast tumors with their immunohistochemical staining pattern, using antibodies directed against a panel of ICAM. We found excellent correlation, as all three tumors with an extremely high degree of tumor cell cohesion showed strong staining with all ICAM antibodies in the vast majority (≥90%) of tumor cells in corresponding tissue sections. In contrast, five tumors displaying a largely dyscohesive smear pattern demonstrated decreased staining (≤70% of tumor cells) with at least one of the ICAM antibodies used. Tumors with intermediate degrees of cellular cohesion in smear preparations showed varied patterns of ICAM staining. These findings support the theory that loss of ICAM expression represents the physiologic basis for patterns observed in cytologic smears of ductal carcinoma of the breast. Diagn. Cytopathol. 23:73–76, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Plasma growth hormone, insulin and blood glucose levels were measured longitudinally during the first 60 days of life in 21 premature infants (8 males and 13 females) born between the 6th and 8th month of gestation. When these variables were related to age it was found that insulin and glucose, which are lower than in the prepubertal children and adults, rise simultaneously. Whereas growth hormone, which is higher than in older prepubertal children, decreases during the first 2 weeks of life. The decrease in growth hormone continues during the first 2 months of life, in contrast to the increases in insulin and glucose which do not persist in as long a period.


The Porphyromonas gingivalis strain ATCC 33277 (33277) and 381 genomes are nearly identical. However, strain 33277 displays a significantly diminished capacity to stimulate host cell Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-dependent signaling and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production relative to 381, suggesting that there are strain-specific differences in one or more bacterial immune-modulatory factors. ABSTRACT The Porphyromonas gingivalis strain ATCC 33277 (33277) and 381 genomes are nearly identical. However, strain 33277 displays a significantly diminished capacity to stimulate host cell Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-dependent signaling and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production relative to 381, suggesting that there are strain-specific differences in one or more bacterial immune-modulatory factors. Genomic sequencing identified a single nucleotide polymorphism in the 33277 fimB allele (A→T), creating a premature stop codon in the 33277 fimB open reading frame relative to the 381 fimB allele. Gene exchange experiments established that the 33277 fimB allele reduces the immune-stimulatory capacity of this strain. Transcriptome comparisons revealed that multiple genes related to carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) family proteins, including the gingipains, were upregulated in 33277 relative to 381. A gingipain substrate degradation assay demonstrated that cell surface gingipain activity is higher in 33277, and an isogenic mutant strain deficient for the gingipains exhibited an increased ability to induce TLR2 signaling and IL-1β production. Furthermore, 33277 and 381 mutant strains lacking CTD cell surface proteins were more immune-stimulatory than the parental wild-type strains, consistent with an immune-suppressive role for the gingipains. Our data show that the combination of an intact fimB allele and limited cell surface gingipain activity in P. gingivalis 381 renders this strain more immune-stimulatory. Conversely, a defective fimB allele and high-level cell surface gingipain activity reduce the capacity of P. gingivalis 33277 to stimulate host cell innate immune responses. In summary, genomic and transcriptomic comparisons identified key virulence characteristics that confer divergent host cell innate immune responses to these highly related P. gingivalis strains.


2-5(A) synthetases are a family of interferon-induced enzymes that polymerize ATP into 2′-5′ linked oligoadenylates that activate RNase L and cause mRNA degradation. Because they all can synthesize 2-5(A), the reason for the existence of so many synthetase isozymes is unclear. Here we report that the 9-2 isozyme of 2-5(A) synthetase has an additional activity: it promotes apoptosis in mammalian cells. The proapoptotic activity of 9-2 was isozyme-specific and enzyme activity-independent. The 9-2-expressing cells exhibited many properties of cells undergoing apoptosis, such as DNA fragmentation, caspase activation, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase and lamin B cleavage. The isozyme-specific carboxyl-terminal tail of the 9-2 protein was shown, by molecular modeling, to contain a Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3) domain, suggesting that it may be able to interact with members of the Bcl-2 family that contain BH1 and BH2 domains. Co-immunoprecipitate assays and confocal microscopy showed that 9-2 can indeed interact with the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and BclxL in vivo andin vitro. Mutations in the BH3 domain that eliminated the 9-2-Bcl-2 amd 9-2-BclxL interactions also eliminated the apoptotic activity of 9-2. Thus, we have identified an interferon-induced dual function protein of the Bcl-2 family that can synthesize 2-5(A) and promote cellular apoptosis independently. Moreover, the cellular abundance of this protein is regulated by alternative splicing; the other isozymes encoded by the same gene are not proapoptotic.


Based on the two-dimensional logistic map and a single improved genetic operator, a new image encryption system is proposed. The original image is transformed into DNA sequences, a subdivision into blocks of size calculated by using the chaotic map, with the intention to apply a crossover between blocks chaotically selected from a chaotic control vectors. For the installation of a diffusion phase, a strong link is established between the block resulting from a crossing operation and the next original block. Hoping to considerably increase the impact of the avalanche effect and protect the system against any differential attack. Simulations performed on a large number of images of different size and formats ensure that our method is not subject to any known attacks.


VS-507 was previously identified as a selective inhibitor of cancer stem cells (Gupta et al., Cell, 2009) using a high throughput screen that capitalized on the cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype of cells pushed through EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition). We have now characterized the mechanism, CSC selectivity and anti-tumor activity of VS-507. In Wnt3A-stimulated MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, VS-507 was found to preferentially inhibit β-catenin signaling in a dose-dependent manner as indicated by a TOP-Flash reporter assay. Inhibition of β-catenin signaling in VS-507-treated cells correlated with decreased protein expression of LRP6, the common co-receptor of the Wnt signaling pathway. Since human mammary cells driven through EMT by stable overexpression of the transcription factor Twist have been shown to demonstrate the hallmarks of CSCs, we used HMLE-Twist cells to assess selectivity of VS-507 for CSC inhibition. In proliferation assays, VS-507 showed 10-fold greater potency against CSC-like mesenchymal HMLE-Twist cells as compared to non-CSC-like epithelial control HMLE cells. In addition, VS-507 induced dose-dependent inhibition of tumorsphere formation by MDA-MB-231 cells, further indicating inhibition of the CSC phenotype. The preferential effects of VS-507 on mesenchymal breast cancer cell lines relative to epithelial breast cancer cell lines was further probed among a panel of 13 adherent human breast cancer cell lines. In general, triple negative mesenchymal breast cancer cell lines such as MDA-MB-436 or HCC1395 were more potently inhibited by VS-507 than were epithelial breast cancer cell lines such as MCF7 or HCC1937. Finally, efficacy of VS-507 was characterized upon systemic administration of the compound to mice. Inhibition of both primary tumor growth and experimental metastasis were observed in triple negative breast cancer models. These observations suggest that VS-507 is a potent anti-tumor agent that attenuates Wnt/β-catenin signaling, cancer stem cell self-renewal, tumor growth and metastasis. These results support clinical development of VS-507 for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-194. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-194


Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) is associated with increased hydrostatic pressure, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the renal parenchyma. Previous studies have demonstrated marked cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 induction in renal medullary interstitial cells (RMICs) in response to UUO. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of quercetin, a naturally occurring antioxidant, on COX-2 induction in vivo and in vitro. Rats subjected to 24 h of UUO were treated intraperitoneally with quercetin (50 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1)). Quercetin partly prevented COX-2 induction in the renal inner medulla in response to UUO. Moreover, RMICs exposed to conditions associated with obstruction, inflammation (produced by IL-1β), oxidative stress (produced by H2O2), and mechanical stress (produced by stretch) showed increased COX-2 expression. Interestingly, quercetin reduced COX-2 induction in RMICs subjected to stretched. Similarly, PGE2 production was markedly increased in RMICs exposed to stretch and was reversed to control levels by quercetin treatment. Furthermore, stretch-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was blocked by quercetin, and inhibition of ERK1/2 attenuated stretch-induced COX-2 induction in RMICs. These results indicate that quercetin attenuated the induction of COX-2 expression and activity in RMICs exposed to mechanical stress as a consequence of acute UUO and that the MAPK ERK1/2 pathway might be involved in this quercetin-mediated reduction in COX-2.


Meteorites contain a record of impacts during all stages of asteroid origin and evolution: the formation and accretion of chondritic particles; the alteration, metamorphism and melting of asteroids; and the erosion and disruption of asteroids by hypervelocity impacts. A review of meteorite classification shows that numerous meteorites are not readily classified because they do not fit simple models for asteroid formation and evolution that assume impacts were only important during the final stage of asteroid evolution and because of inadequate understanding of asteroidal impacts. Chronological, textural, and thermal constraints allow us to identify meteorite impact breccias that formed during accretion (e.g., Kaidun), when asteroids were partly molten (e.g., mesosiderites), and during the subsequent disruption of asteroids (e.g., L chondrites). Studies of chondrites including Kaidun suggest that chondrules accreted with similarsized fragments of preexisting bodies that formed at greater heliocentric distances. In the inner solar system, chondrules appear to have been crucial for initiating accretion. Without chondrules and rock fragments, dry dust failed to accrete to the nebular midplane because of nebular turbulence and spiraled into the protosun. The tiny mass of asteroids may be partly due to inefficient chondrule formation beyond 2 AU or less-efficient delivery of chondrules from near the protosun.


Objective : The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of traumatic dental injuries among new orthodontic patients. Method : The dental records of 150 patients consisting of 57 males (38%) and 93 females (62%) with a mean age of 18.4 ± 7.6 years who presented for orthodontic treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital Dental Centre were assessed for data relating to traumatic Injuries to the permanent anterior teeth. The causes and types of dental trauma, type of tooth involved and number of affected teeth were evaluated with patients' histories, study casts and pretreatment radiographs. Descriptive statistics were performed for the study variables, age and gender differences In the frequency of traumatized teeth were evaluated with the chi-square test. Result : The results revealed dental trauma prevalence of 21.3% among the new patients before the onset of their orthodontic treatment. The prevalence of dental trauma was significantly higher in males (p<0.05) and most frequently observed In patients aged 6 to 10 years. Falls was the commonest cause of dental traumatic Injuries among the patients  (37.5%). The most common type of trauma to the teeth was enamel fracture (46. 9%) followed by avulslon (28.1 %). Most traumatic Injuries affected the right and left maxillary central Incisors. Frequency of trauma to only one tooth was observed in 68.8% of the patients and multiple teeth Involvement seen In 31.2%. Conclusion : This study revealed a high prevalence of traumatic dental injuries among new patients seeking orthodontic treatment at Benin City, Nigeria. An early orthodontic evaluation and interceptive therapy where appropriate is recommended to reduce risk of dental trauma in Nigerian young population. Key words : Trawnatlc dental Injury, Dental trawna, Orthodontic. patients


Starling-Landis concepts of formation of interstitial fluids are in agreement with measurements of calf volume in normal young women, in horizontal recumbency or after horizontal immersion. The volume of the calf is reduced when the hydrostatic pressure of the blood column is diminished under the phlebostatic level and when the external pressure is increased by the hydrostatic pressure of the water bath.


Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is the world's third most important source of oil and fourth most important source of vegetable protein. Oil content, protein content and fatty acid composition (O/L ratio) are the most important quality attributes of groundnut. A mapping population segregating for these traits was evaluated for genetic variability and correlation among the traits. The population exhibited significant variation among the genotypes, seasons and G × E interaction. Moderate magnitude of variability followed by higher heritability was observed for most of the quality traits. Negative correlation between oil and protein content, oleic and linoleic acid indicated their antagonistic nature. All the eight fatty acids were correlated with each other either positively or negatively. Superior RILs were identified for higher protein content, oil content, oleic acid and O/L ratio from the population.


The paper presents 47 fungi taxa (species and varietes) belonging to the genera Cystolepiota, Echinoderma, Lepiota, Leucoagaricus, Leucocoprinus, Macrolepiota and Melanophyllum, found in Poland, which have been not reported earlier from this area (18 species: Cystolepiota fumosifolia, C. moelleri, C. petasiformis, Echinoderma carinii, E. pseudoasperula, Lepiota angustispora, L. apatelia, L. cingulum, L. cortinarius var. audreae, L. cristata var. felinoides, L. forquignonii, L. rubella, Leucoagaricus cinerascens, L. ionidicolor, L. sericifer var. sericellatus, Macrolepiota heimii, M. rhodosperma var. rhodosperma, M. venenata) or have been known only from a few localities. For the species new to Poland short descriptions, based on the specimens examined and literature data, are given and their micromorphological characters are illustrated.


A Reading Well: Books on Prescription Title Winner of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Seal of Merit! Do you have a binge eating problem or know someone who does? This authoritative book provides all the information needed to understand binge eating and bring it under control. Whether you are working with a therapist or on your own, clear, step-by-step guidelines will show you how to: overcome the urge to binge gain control over eating behavior reduce the risk of relapse establish stable, healthy eating habits. This unique book has been tested in controlled clinical research, and its success rate is outstanding. From a leading international expert, here is the advice, encouragement, and detailed guidance that can help you transform your relationship to food.


This is a specialised reference book covering best practice for proactive disaster management in both developed and developing countries. Disaster management is an increasingly important subject, as effective management of both natural and manmade disasters is essential to save lives and minimize casualties. It includes planning and preparedness of hospitals, emergency medical services, communication and IT tools for medical disaster response and psychosocial issues. It covers the use of state-of the-art training tools, with a full section on post-disaster relief, rehabilitation and recovery. It is suitable for anyone involved in disaster relief and mass casualties management including researchers, policymakers, governments, pharma companies, medics and NGOs.


Wheeling Creek contributes high levels of the fecal indicator bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) to the Ohio river. Since Wheeling Creek is used recreationally, elevated fecal coliform levels pose potential health risks including gastrointestinal or respiratory illness to humans who have direct contact with this stream. In collaboration with the Wheeling Water Pollution Control Division, we are conducting a longitudinal study of 12 sites spanning 25 stream miles encompassing rural and urban land uses. For each site, we are collecting weekly bacteria samples from the water column and recording water chemistry data. We are analyzing seasonal trends in bacterial contamination and correlations with site parameters including rainfall, water chemistry, and land use to develop a baseline data set and identify the greatest contributors to E. coli levels in the creek.In addition to quantification of coliform bacteria and E. coli concentrations, we are conducting strain analysis of fecal bacteria using a genetic sequencing tool to indicate the primary source of contamination for each site. Since E. coli contamination could originate from human sewage, wildlife, or agriculture, microbial source tracking can help to indicate the health risk of bacterial contamination in Wheeling Creek and inform remediation efforts.


Feature selection (FS) is considered to be an important preprocessing step in machine learning and pattern recognition, and feature evaluation is the key issue for constructing a feature selection algorithm. Feature selection process can also reduce noise and this way enhance the classification accuracy. In this article, feature selection method based on fuzzy similarity measures by multi objective genetic algorithm (FSFSM - MOGA) is introduced and performance of the proposed method on published data sets from UCI was evaluated. The results show the efficiency of the method is compared with the conventional version. When this method multi-objective genetic algorithms and fuzzy similarity measures used in CFS method can improve it.


We made a retrospective analysis with regard to the bacteriology and to the therapy of all patients with pleural empyema who were treated in the district lung hospital from 1. 1. 1982-31. 12. 1986. 92 patients had a non-specific empyema, only 3 patients had a specific empyema. All patients were aspirated repeatedly with physiological saline solution instillation and antimicrobic drug instillation in the pleural cavity. This daily aspiration and lavage was successfully in 65 patients. This method was ineffective in 30 patients. We treated 7 patients of this group by the closed drainage (rubber-tube drain), in 4 patients successfully. 3 patients had to be treated by a surgical operation. An insufficient obliteration of the cavity of empyema occurred also in 23 patients of this group. A systematic daily aspiration for a longer time led to regression of the cavity in 4 cases, whereas a surgical operation was necessary in 19 patients. We consider the daily aspiration and lavage as an effective method in patients in early acute stages of empyema.


mHealth in Resource-constrained Settings: This study focuses on the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of mobile phones to support health information reporting and access, using SMS and voice calls. The study was conducted at two rural hospitals in Malawi. The study shows that besides supporting user intentions, mobile phones also expose users to various challenges. For example, empirical evidence shows that unlike fixed computing terminals, mobile phones allow users to stay in contact with colleagues and clients from various unpredictable places. On the other hand, they present users with the constant need to recharge their phones' batteries. Besides this, the study discusses means that can be adopted to minimize the challenges associated with mobile phone use, to the benefit of users.The study also looks at how organizational, personal, cultural, and technological factors that make up the context of use, influence the implementation and use of mobile phone solutions.


The interaction of 6alpha-methyl-[1,2-3H]16alpha,17alpha-cyclohexanoprogesterone with rat serum proteins has been studied. Specific binding of this ligand characterized by Kd = 0.36 +/- 0.10 microM and concentration of binding sites (Bmax) of about 1 microM (27.8 +/- 12.5 pmol/mg total protein) was found. According to competitive analysis, the affinity of the studied progestins to a protein that differs from transcortin was to some extent correlated with their hydrophobicity. The dissociation kinetics of 3H-ligand-protein complexes were biphasic, the binding sites forming stable and labile complexes with 3H-ligand being eluted in the same region during ion-exchange chromatography. In overall properties, the serum protein differs from the progesterone receptor and the pregna-D'-pentarane-specific protein from rat uterus. It is suggested that the revealed protein may provide high progestagenic activity of 6alpha-methyl-16alpha,17alpha-cyclohexanoprogesterone by prolonging its retention in the bloodstream.


Graphene has attracted substantial interest as potential carbon electrode material for energy storage applications. Yet, the utility of this material for these applications is governed by its stability and microstructure (i.e., surface area and porosity). Graphene can be prepared in controlled orientation by changing the surface chemistry of GO flakes in suspensions via reduction which causes the graphene to coagulate and self-assemble in specific patterns. Tuning the structure and porosity of oriented graphene is possible by varying the synthesis conditions. Herein, we report the growth of oriented graphene from a relatively small flake size GO suspension. The prepared electrode material demonstrated an excellent electrochemical performance with a supercapacitance value of 195 F g-1 at 1 mV s-1 and low real impedance with good stability and integrity after 4000 cycles of continuous charge-discharge in 1 M KOH electrolyte. This excellent performance is due to the unique architecture of the oriented graphene which comprises micro-slits and meso-channels among the sheets. The meso-channels were suggested to allow rapid diffusion of charge carriers and ions while the micro-slits increase more surface area for electrochemical interactions per unit volume. The observations reported herein create a new understanding of the structure-stability-performance trade-off in oriented graphene and layout the foundation for further investigations on their sustainable utilization in energy storage applications.


Passive RFID technology is widely used in user authentication and access control. We propose RF-Rhythm, a secure and usable two-factor RFID authentication system with strong resilience to lost/stolen/cloned RFID cards. In RF-Rhythm, each legitimate user performs a sequence of taps on his/her RFID card according to a self-chosen secret melody. Such rhythmic taps can induce phase changes in the backscattered signals, which the RFID reader can detect to recover the user's tapping rhythm. In addition to verifying the RFID card's identification information as usual, the backend server compares the extracted tapping rhythm with what it acquires in the user enrollment phase. The user passes authentication checks if and only if both verifications succeed. We also propose a novel phase-hopping protocol in which the RFID reader emits Continuous Wave (CW) with random phases for extracting the user's secret tapping rhythm. Our protocol can prevent a capable adversary from extracting and then replaying a legitimate tapping rhythm from sniffed RFID signals. Comprehensive user experiments confirm the high security and usability of RF-Rhythm with false-positive and false-negative rates close to zero.


This is a book. In depth, and technique, it is the most remarkable compilation in modern or, as far as I know, ancient medical science. The excellence is sustained. Styles and disciplines of chapters vary with contributors. The book remains consistent in character and integral in form. It is a large book. So is its topic. There is no oversimplification or popularization which, for expediency, ease, or the hope of sustaining shallow interest bends and glosses the sober framework of truth. Rather, this is a work of unswerving scholarship, vital and emergent; it is never dry-as-dust or obscure for pomposity's sake. He who runs may read some things. For this it would be better to sit quietly, since it profitably consumes and requires lasting attention. It is man's work and not child's play. A review has to be timely; the task of the reviewer would be arduous if he felt


OBJECTIVES
Although ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is the procedure of choice for most patients with ulcerative colitis or familial adenomatous polyposis, most patients have problems with stool frequency and/or consistency. Although most clinicians recommend fiber supplementation for these patients, we could find no studies that prove the efficacy of this practice. The first purpose of this study was to document the effect of fiber supplementation on intestinal function in patients after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. Because pectin, a soluble fiber supplement, has been reported to slow gastric and intestinal transit, we also hypothesized that pectin would be a superior fiber supplement in these patients. The second purpose, therefore, was to determine whether the effects of pectin on intestinal transit would result in decreased stool frequency in patients with an ileal pouch.

METHODS
Thirteen patients who had undergone ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis were entered into a 9-wk crossover study. The protocol consisted of three 2-wk study periods, each of which was preceded by a 1-wk washout period. During the three study periods patients supplemented their diets, in random order, with Citrucel, 1 tablespoon twice daily; pectin, 1 tablespoon twice daily; or no supplement. Patients maintained detailed dietary and bowel function diaries.

RESULTS
The effects (mean +/- SE) of Citrucel and pectin supplementation are summarized in Table 1. There was no significant effect of either supplement on stool frequency, pouch function, bloating, or stool consistency. In addition, there were no differences in continence.

CONCLUSIONS
We found no evidence to support the common practice of fiber supplementation in patients with an ileal pouch. Furthermore, this study did not find that stool frequency decreased during supplementation with pectin. We conclude that there is little role for fiber supplementation in patients with an ileal pouch.


Declines of migratory birds have led to increased focus on causative factors for these declines, including the potential adverse effects of habitat fragmentation on reproductive success. Although numerous studies have addressed how proximity to a habitat edge, patch size, or landscape context influence nest survival or brood parasitism, many have failed to find the purported effects. Furthermore, many have sought to generalize patterns across large geographic areas and habitats. Here, we examined evidence for effects of edge proximity, patch size, and landscape context on nest survival and brood parasitism of grassland birds, a group of conservation concern. The only consistent effect was a positive association between edge proximity and brood parasitism. We examined effects of patch size on nest survival (37 studies) and brood parasitism (30 studies) representing 170 and 97 different estimates, respectively, with a total sample size of > 14000 nests spanning eastern North America. Nest survival weakly increased with patch size in the Great Plains, but not in the Midwestern or Eastern United States, and brood parasitism was inversely related to patch size and consistently greater in the Great Plains. The consistency in brood parasitism relative to nest survival patterns is likely due to parasitism being caused by one species, while nest survival is driven by a diverse and variable suite of nest predators. Often, studies assume that predators responsible for nest predation, the main driver of nest success, either are the same or exhibit the same behaviors across large geographic areas. These results suggest that a better mechanistic understanding of nest predation is needed to provide meaningful conservation recommendations for improving grassland bird productivity, and that the use of general recommendations across large geographic areas should only be undertaken when sufficient data are available from all regions.


This study investigated the cognitive biases related to the impression of voice pitch caused by changes in tonal quality. According to the vocal tube model, changing the vocal-tract length (VTL) systematically alters the tonal quality. In one experiment, the fundamental frequency ( fo) of the speech samples was raised and lowered on a mel-scale axis. Then the spectral-frequency scale was expanded and contracted to simulate reducing and increasing the VTL. In a second experiment, the width of the fo range was changed in addition to changing the fo height and VTL scaling. Noise-vocoded speech samples were generated to measure the independent effects of the VTL scaling. The participants rated their impressions of the pitch using paired comparison. The results revealed a reversal of the relationship between impression of voice pitch and height of fo when the effects of fo height and VTL scaling on pitch impression were opposite to each other and when the range of the fo contour was equivalent to that of natural speech. VTL scaling played a dominant role in this reversal. However, as the fo contour became flat, this reversal phenomenon disappeared, and the fo height factor came to play the dominant role.


The LMS Adaptive filter has wide range of applications but it cannot support pipelined operations because of its recursive behaviour. An efficient architecture of Delayed LMS algorithm thus has been proposed that supports pipelining. The paper discuses about the DLMS algorithm and different architectures of DLMS adaptive filter in brief. These architectures concentrates on increasing usable frequency, minimize the adaption delay and area. The comparison between these various architectures based on critical path, hardware elements required is discussed.


Ex vivo expansion of human fetal pancreatic endocrine cells is important for biological studies and as a potential tissue source for transplantation in insulin-deficient states. In tissue culture experiments involving the use of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor and selected extracellular matrices, we obtained a 30-fold increase in cell number of human fetal pancreatic epithelial cells. This proliferation in monolayer culture was associated with marked downregulation of insulin and glucagon gene expression. However, gene expression increased when the cells were combined into three-dimensional aggregates, suggesting that cell-cell contact mediated mechanisms regulate the transcription of islet-specific genes, a process enhanced by nicotinamide (NIC). After transplantation into nude mice, either as cell suspensions or aggregates, only the cell aggregates treated with NIC developed into mature functional islet-like structures. These are the first experiments to describe the interactions of specific matrices and growth factors in the ex vivo expansion of human fetal pancreatic cells, and they also show the importance of cell aggregates in the context of cellular and molecular events that might positively influence islet cell transplantation.


The time utilization pattersn of 6 medical officers in primary health centers in the Pondicherry region were recorded over a 6-day period. Time was classified as either productive or nonproductiveand distributed into 6 categories: 1) direct services, including acutal technical work performed; 2) support activities, primarily related to administration; 3) travel; 4) personal; and 5) away from duty. Overall, 53.3% of the time was classified as productive. Direct services accounted for an average of 36% of the medical officers' time, 23% was spent on supportive services, and personal activities and absenteeism comprised a further 37%. Medical care accounted for 70% of the direct service time and maternal and child health services for an additional 13%. Staff interaction absorbed the bulk of the supportive service time (29%), followed by liaison work (26%) and records a reports (20%). It is recommended that medical officers allocate some of their nonproductive time toward the following activities: 1) improving patient care and spending more time with individual patients, 2) upgrading school health and maternal and child health, 3) weekly field visits, 4) monthly staff meetings and on-the-job training programs, and 5) careful scrutiny of reports and records maintained by staff. In-service training on the delivery of primary health care and health administration can be expected to improve patient care.


Abnormal appearing cells having the superficial appearance of large lymphocytes were found in some cases of generalized malignant proliferations af the reticulum cell system and were studied by cytochemical methods and by phase microscopy. They were found to be very similar in their reactions to the "fixed" or tissue reticulum cells and in many respects to monocytes, but differed markedly from the cells of the lymphocytic system with which they are often confused. The term neoplastic lymphoid reticulum cell is applied to these cells since it indicates that they are malignant in nature and fundamentally of the reticulum cell type, although in fixed and stain material they may show some of the morphologic characteristics of the lymphocytic cells.


We demonstrate a class of all-fiber torsion-tunable orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode generators based on oxyhydrogen-flame fabricated helical long-period fiber gratings (HLPFGs). The 1-order and 3-order OAM modes are excited based on the HLPFGs inscribed in the single-mode fiber (SMF) and six-mode fiber (6MF), respectively. Theoretical analysis reveals that the twisting can result a resonant wavelength shift of the HLPFG, which means that the OAM modes can also be excited at various wavelength by simply applying a twist rate on the HLPFG. Experiments are carried out to characterize the torsional tunability of the OAM modes, and the results show that the 1-order and 3-order OAM modes can be excited at various wavelength of ∼1564 - 1585 nm and ∼1552 - 1574 nm, respectively, when the torsion angle varied from -360° to 360°, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis. Therefore, the HLPFG can be a candidate for all-fiber wavelength tunable OAM mode generator.


Curtin University's Curriculum 2010 (C2010) initiative aimed at ensuring degree programs were excellent and sustainable. Before C2010, graduate attributes were not universally emphasised and indicators showed room for improvement in generic skills. C2010 focused on embedding graduate attributes through three strategies. The first was embedding graduate attributes in degree programs and mapping for constructive alignment of outcomes and assessments. The second strategy was related: programs were reviewed drawing on evidence including perspectives of graduates, employers and program teams on the relative importance of graduate attributes and the extent to which they were generally demonstrated or developed. The third strategy was a university-wide eportfolio system enabling students' self- and peer-assessment of graduate attributes. Since completion of C2010, proxy indicators show improvement. However, this paper highlights the challenges associated with graduate attributes and renewal. These include: academic staff engagement, the time needed for innovations to come to fruition and evidencing achievement of graduate attributes.


Subglottic stenosis is the most common serious complication of endotracheal intubation in the neonate with an incidence of between 1–8 per cent. While considered a complication of traumatic injury to the larynx and possibly associated with prolonged intubation, the pathogenesis is poorly understood and the pathology has not been described in detail. The nature of intubation induced injury has been investigated by examining step‐sections of 43 larynges removed from neonates post‐mortem who had been intubated for periods ranging from 10 min to 12 weeks. Focal ulceration was identified in the supraglottis and the anterior glottis. Similar injury was seen in the posterior glottis and subglottis but with more prolonged intubation there was full thickness mucosal necrosis, perichondritis and partial destruction of the arytenoid and cricoid cartilages. Although the severity of the injury progressed with time and many of the most severe injuries occurred early, in the second and third weeks of intubation, the larynx usually healed despite the continued presence of the endotracheal tube. Prolonged intubation on its own does not appear to be an important factor in the production of severe laryngeal injury nor, therefore, the subsequent complications such as subglottic stenosis.


Air pollution, release into the atmosphere of various gases, finely divided solids, or finely dispersed liquid aerosols at rates that exceed the natural capacity of the environment to dissipate and dilute or absorb them. These substances may reach concentrations in the air that cause undesirable health, economic, or aesthetic effects. Every vehicle emits hazard gases but environmental problems arises when the percentage of emitting gases exceeds the standardized limit defined by Pollution Control Board (PCB). This problem occur due to incomplete combustion of fuel due to improper maintenance of vehicle. This emission can not be avoided but it can be controlled. This system measures the ppm level of emitted gases and display it as well as alerts the user when vehicle is not moving and pollution level exceeds the threshold value. Nowadays accidents are occur due to lack of concentration. The system can avoid the occurrence of collision but up to some extent. This system detects the nearby obstacle within the predefined range and alert the user by displaying the direction of obstacle.


Nineteenth-century French artists' appropriation of Japanese imagery has often been discussed as orientalist practice. The end of Japanese isolationist foreign policy in 1853 introduced the West to Japanese art and ignited a lust for 'Japanese aesthetics.' However, there is a gap in the scholarship. French and Japanese similarities prior to the nineteenth century have not been greatly discussed. My project analyzes the social, philosophical, and creative connections between France and Japan prior to 1853, by focusing on each country's pornographic prints, which served as forms of social critique. I argue that erotic representations in France and Japan produced in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries laid the foundation for artistic influence in the nineteenth century. Artists from both countries were engaged with representations of the nude, as well as exploring practices understood at the time as sexual deviancy. My research provides a cross-cultural perspective on politically and socially deviant art. The use of pornographic prints is assumed to be "d'une seule main (of one hand)", but contain as well the acute admonition of those in power through a libertine approach. This analysis is necessary since art was tied to each country's impending revolutions, suggesting correlations between fleeting pleasure and political upheaval.


MAP6 proteins were first described as microtubule-stabilizing agents, whose properties were thought to be essential for neuronal development and maintenance of complex neuronal networks. However, deletion of all MAP6 isoforms in MAP6 KO mice does not lead to dramatic morphological aberrations of the brain but rather to alterations in multiple
neurotransmissions and severe behavioral impairments. A search for protein partners of MAP6 proteins identified Tctex1 - a dynein light chain with multiple non-microtubule-related functions. The involvement of Tctex1 in calcium signaling led to investigate it in MAP6 KO neurons. In the present study, we show that functional Cav2.2/N-type calcium channels are deficient in MAP6 KO neurons, due to improper location. We also show that MAP6 proteins interact directly with both Tctex1 and the C-terminus of Cav2.2/N-type calcium channels. A balance of these two interactions seems to be crucial for MAP6 to modulate calcium signaling in neurons.


The expression of cell surface receptors, CD105 and CD166, are characteristic of mesenchymal stem cells in cartilage. However, there is limited data regarding their immunolocalization in the cartilage of developing rat epiphysis. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of CD105 and CD 166 positive cells in the proximal epiphysis of developing rat humerus and specify their zonal distribution with age. The tissues of rat humerus were taken on embryonic day 15 (E15), embryonic day 19 (E19), postnatal day 10 (PN10), postnatal day 20 (PN20) and adult rats and studied for the immunolocalization of CD105 and CD166. Our results showed that CD105 and CD166 positive cells were scattered in early stages of development of humerus epiphysis. For E15, only the hypertrophic zone was positive, whereas for E19 almost all zones of the epiphysis were positively stained for these markers. For PN10 and PN20, the CD105 and CD166 positive cells were mainly localized on the surface of the articular cartilage. In adult articular cartilage the CD105 and CD166 positive cells were localized in the superficial and transitional zones and in the upper regions of the deep zone. Our study provides evidence that in the developing cartilage tissue the localization of CD105 and CD166 positive cells is both dynamic and stage dependent, which may imply the existence of stem cell-like cells in cartilage from an early age to adult.


Introduction. Life satisfaction is a concept closely related to a feeling of happiness, well-being and comfort. It is felt by every man individually and is related to general evaluation of life. The subject of interest in this study is the level of life satisfaction among nurses and male nurses working in Lublin. Aim of the study. The aim of the study was to determine the level of life satisfaction among Lublin nurses and male nurses. Methods and materials. The study involved 14 male nurses and 109 nurses. The diagnostic survey with the use of the SWLS questionnaire in the adaptation of Zygfryd Juczyński and the respondents' particulars developed by the author. Statistical calculations were performed with the use of Statistica 9.1 computer programme. Findings. The mean value of life satisfaction was 23.17. Statistical analysis did not show statistically significant relationships between the demographic data of the respondents and the experienced life satisfaction. Such dependence occurs only between life satisfaction and the specificity of the respondents' work (p = 0.03). Conclusions. No relationship was found between life satisfaction among nurses and male nurses and demographic data. Life satisfaction among the respondents is hugely affected by the specificity of work in some departments.


Social scientists have proposed many different factors thought to influence rumoring behavior. Classical rumor theory points to the perceived importance, the level of uncertainty or ambiguity, and the potential to impact decision making as influential in determining the extent of rumoring. In this work, we test some of these proposed rumor determinants in the context of the the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, using data on communication dynamics from the popular microblogging service Twitter. Using a latent factor model, we measure rates of hazard-related conversation by exploiting joint variation in multiple conversation streams. Time series analysis of the resulting rates suggests that media coverage of the event is a major driver of rumoring behavior, supporting importance/saliency theories and disconfirming theories of information substitution for this event. Relevance of the event to decision making behavior also turns out to be an influential predictor in this case. Since information diffusion via serial transmission is a fundamental process by which rumors spread, we compare rates of serial transmission between control and hazard-related communication. Twitter posts are much more likely to be retweeted when they contain hazard-related keywords (versus control words). Implications of these findings for disaster response are discussed.


Optimal assessment of neuropathic pain is crucial for the design and conduct of clinical trials. In recent years, the assessment of neuropathic pain in clinical trials has evolved from crude evaluations of overall pain intensity to a more specific assessment of pain quality and sensory function. Such specific assessment may be relevant to determine sensory profiles of responders to drug or nondrug treatments. This article outlines the various clinical outcome measures currently used in neuropathic pain therapeutic trials with emphasis on their advantages and limitations, and summarizes current recommendations concerning their use in clinical trials of neuropathic pain.


【Current differential relay is commonly used to protect power transformer. However, current differential relay will be tripod by judging like internal fault during inrush occurring in transformer. To resolve such problem, this paper proposes a new protective relaying algorithm using Neuro-Fuzzy Inference. A variety of transformer transition states are simulated by BCTRAN and HYSDT of EMTP. Primary phase voltage and differential current are obtained from simulation. The target data which are used in Neuro-Fuzzy algorithm are obtained from transformed primary voltage and current. Then, these are trained by Neuro-Fuzzy algorithm. The trained Neuro-Fuzzy algorithm correctly distinguishes whether internal fault occurs or not, within 1/2 cycle after fault. Accordingly, it is evaluated that the proposed algorithm has good relaying characteristics.】


Microperla qinlinga Chen, 2019 was recently described, but details of the aedeagus were not included in the original description. In this paper, the male aedeagus and nymph of M. qinlinga are described for the first time. Additional information concerning the genus Microperla Chu, 1928 is discussed.


Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) or Landouzy Dejerine muscular dystrophy affects one in 20,000 individuals. It is characterized by a progressive degeneration of skeletal muscles that progresses asymmetrically from the upper to the lower parts of the body. Although the genetic defect has been known for twelve years, the causative gene has not been identified. Patients exhibit a partial deletion in a series of repeated elements mapping close to the end of the chromosome 4 long arm. Investigators believe this deletion disturbs chromatin structure over a long distance, affecting the expression of several genes. Our laboratory has identified a gene within the repeated element itself. This gene is functional and encodes a protein, DUX4, located at the periphery of the cell nucleus. DUX4 is detected in small amounts in primary myoblasts cultures of patient but not of non-affected individuals. Its forced expression in control cells causes cell death within 48 hours. Patient primary myoblasts present oxidative stress: this phenomenon is also induced by DUX4 forced expression. In conclusion, we propose the DUX4 gene as a candidate for FSHD.


PurposeThis paper aims to explore experiences of poverty in the enterprise amongst people with a disability or long-term health challenges. This paper departs somewhat from established wisdom about economic or financial drivers of enterprise by exploring why a disabled individual would start and continue to operate in a business where that business is providing income-poverty. In so doing, it subscribes to the idea that the enterprise involves reflexive engagement of an agent in context where value(s) of the enterprise other than financial may be prioritised.Design/methodology/approachThe research draws from a larger qualitative study of self-employment and poverty in which half the sample (21 individuals) identified as experiencing disability or poor health. Semi-structured interviews were conducted these participants and a thematic analysis with specific reference to Theory of Venturing, which proposes that the value of enterprise is reflexively and idiosyncratically understood and morphogenetic, was used to explore itinerant issues, experiences and challenges.FindingsIn line with the theory, findings include that disability and poor health are observed to be both prompters and shapers of an enterprise and that the value of enterprise is not always primarily associated with financial wealth for the participants in the sample. Flexibility and autonomy are attractive features of self-employment for some in the face of an inflexible and sometimes hostile labour market.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that engaging in enterprise is motivated by an agent's reflexive evaluation of value(s) and how that enables them to navigate their structural condition(s); this contribution enhances theoretical approaches to enterprise and business creation by illuminating some of its diversity. This paper also contributes some much needed data about a group who are under-represented in the enterprise literature despite being over-represented in practice. There are implications and recommendations for policy and practice in the exposure and analysis of the issues emerging.


The presence of asymmetric (non-precipitating or co-precipitating) antibodies has been studied in three commercial preparations of antitetanus gamma-globulin. It was found that 27% of the specific antibodies are of asymmetric type, a value two to three times higher than that found in normal IgG. In toxicity tests in mice with tetanus toxin, the asymmetric antibodies were 2.7 times less effective than the symmetric ones. It is concluded that the protection capacity of the tetanus gamma-globulin preparations is dependent on the ratio of symmetric to asymmetric antibodies. The high content of asymmetric antibodies is probably due to the fact that immunization is performed with the antigen in a particulate form.


Mobile malware is growing - both in overall volume and in number of existing variants - at a pace rapid enough that systematic manual, human analysis is becoming increasingly difficult. As a result, there is a pressing need for techniques and tools that provide automated analysis of mobile malware samples. We present A5, an open source automated system to process Android malware. A5 is a hybrid system combining static and dynamic malware analysis techniques. Android's architecture permits many different paths for malware to react to system events, any of which may result in malicious behavior. Key innovations in A5 consist of novel methods of interacting with mobile malware to better coerce malicious behavior, and in combining both virtual and physical pools of Android platforms to capture behavior that could otherwise be missed. The primary output of A5 is a set of network threat indicators and intrusion detection system signatures that can be used to detect and prevent malicious network activity. We detail A5's distributed design and demonstrate applicability of our interaction techniques using examples from real malware. Additionally, we compare A5 with other automated systems and provide performance measurements of an implementation, using a published dataset of 1,260 unique malware samples, showing that A5 can quickly process large amounts of malware. We provide a public web interface to our implementation of A5 that allows third parties to use A5 as a web service.


Two National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles in Britain (Natsal) were conducted, one in 1990 and one in 2000. Northern Ireland was excluded from both studies. Now, for the first time, comparable data about sexual attitudes and lifestyles of young people (14- to 25-year-olds) in Northern Ireland are available. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires, one-to-one interviews and focus-group discussions. As in Natsal 1990 and 2000, young people were asked about their sexual attitudes towards sex, experiences of sex education, knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and, if sexually active, about the circumstances in which sexual intercourse occurred. A total of 1013 young people in the target age group completed the self-administered questionnaire. Young people in Northern Ireland do not differ significantly from their counterparts in Britain in terms of sexual lifestyles and attitudes. Some 53.3% of all respondents reported that they had had sexual intercourse. Condom use at first sex was reported by 64% of sexually active respondents; 27.4% said they used no contraception; 26.7% of all respondents said they had sex before age 16. Respondents who first had sex when they were 15 or 16 years were more likely than other respondents to say that 'being drunk' was the main reason why intercourse occurred. Peer pressure to engage in sex was more prevalent among males than females. Young people in Northern Ireland regard friends as their most important source of sex education. School is the second most important source but most respondents wanted more sex education in school. It is important that it is needs focused and includes potentially sensitive and contentious information.


We present a versatile formulation of the convolution operation that we term a "mapped convolution." The standard convolution operation implicitly samples the pixel grid and computes a weighted sum. Our mapped convolution decouples these two components, freeing the operation from the confines of the image grid and allowing the kernel to process any type of structured data. As a test case, we demonstrate its use by applying it to dense inference on spherical data. We perform an in-depth study of existing spherical image convolution methods and propose an improved sampling method for equirectangular images. Then, we discuss the impact of data discretization when deriving a sampling function, highlighting drawbacks of the cube map representation for spherical data. Finally, we illustrate how mapped convolutions enable us to convolve directly on a mesh by projecting the spherical image onto a geodesic grid and training on the textured mesh. This method exceeds the state of the art for spherical depth estimation by nearly 17%. Our findings suggest that mapped convolutions can be instrumental in expanding the application scope of convolutional neural networks.


Introduction: In the past decade, advances in genetics have led to the discovery of numerous lung cancer susceptibility variants. The majority of these variants have been found to influence lung cancer susceptibility via tobacco exposure or nicotine addiction; however, recently, researchers have observed lung cancer susceptibility variants that mediate through Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Studies involving potential genetic factors related to other lung-related conditions, such as pneumonia and/or hay fever have been limited. The genetic variants related to underlying mechanism of hay fever on the development of lung cancer are interesting to pursue as hay fever has been showed to be protective against lung cancer. Methods: Cases included 1154 histological-confirmed Caucasian lung cases from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and controls included 1137 individuals recruited through the Kelsey-Seybold Clinics in Houston, Texas. These cases and controls were a subset of participants from a lung cancer case-control study conducted that has available Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data (317,498 SNPs). We first conducted an association analysis in PLINK to determine the association of each SNP with both lung cancer and hay fever and find SNPs that showed a joint significance for both hay fever and lung cancer in opposite directions (p-value Results: Two hundred and forty six SNPs were found to be statistically significant (p-value Conclusion: This is the first study to have investigated the mediation effects of hay fever on lung cancer risk. Our data supports the mediation role of certain SNPs in lung cancer through hay fever and points to specific transduction pathway. Future studies are needed to validate these results in external populations. Citation Format: Anthony D9Amelio, Chi H. Nguyen, Randa El-Zein, Margaret R. Spitz, Xifeng Wu, Carol J. Etzel. Evidence for genetic mediation of lung cancer through hay fever. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1345. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1345


Machine learning‐based score likelihood ratios (SLRs) have emerged as alternatives to traditional likelihood ratios and Bayes factors to quantify the value of evidence when contrasting two opposing propositions. When developing a conventional statistical model is infeasible, machine learning can be used to construct a (dis)similarity score for complex data and estimate the ratio of the conditional distributions of the scores. Under the common source problem, the opposing propositions address if two items come from the same source. To develop their SLRs, practitioners create datasets using pairwise comparisons from a background population sample. These comparisons result in a complex dependence structure that violates the independence assumption made by many popular methods. We propose a resampling step to remedy this lack of independence and an ensemble approach to enhance the performance of SLR systems. First, we introduce a source‐aware resampling plan to construct datasets where the independence assumption is met. Using these newly created sets, we train multiple base SLRs and aggregate their outputs into a final value of evidence. Our experimental results show that this ensemble SLR can outperform a traditional SLR approach in terms of the rate of misleading evidence and discriminatory power and present more consistent results.


Two cases of pancreatic exocrine tumors with endocrine component are reported. The first case concerned a microcystic cystadenoma including an endocrine tumor identified by Grimelius staining and positive immunostaining for neurone specific enolase and the second a tubular adenocarcinoma including cells with positive immunostaining for glucagon and neurone specific enolase. The malignant nature of the endocrine component of both tumors which was certain for the first one and probable for the second whose endocrine component was distinct from the hyperplastic endocrine reaction observed at the periphery of the tumor, seems to support the hypothesis of exocrine and endocrine differentiation from a common precursor cell. The precise value of such a sub-group of pancreatic tumors with double component need to be clarified.


Purpose. To correlate the radiological aspects of metastases, the response to chemotherapy, and patient outcome in disseminated childhood medulloblastoma. Patients and Methods. This population-based study concerned 117 newly diagnosed children with disseminated medulloblastoma treated at the Institute Gustave Roussy between 1988 and 2008. Metastatic disease was assessed using the Chang staging system, their form (positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), nodular or laminar), and their extension (positive cerebrospinal fluid, local, extensive). All patients received preirradiation chemotherapy. Results. The overall survival did not differ according to Chang M-stage. The 5-year overall survival was 59% in patients with nodular metastases compared to 35% in those with laminar metastases. The 5-year overall survival was 76% in patients without disease at the end of pre-irradiation chemotherapy compared to 34% in those without a complete response (P = 0.0008). Conclusions. Radiological characteristics of metastases correlated with survival in patients with medulloblastoma. Complete response to sandwich chemotherapy was a strong predictor of survival.


We present a new method for rapidly computing shadows from semi‐transparent objects like hair. Our deep opacity maps method extends the concept of opacity shadow maps by using a depth map to obtain a per pixel distribution of opacity layers. This approach eliminates the layering artifacts of opacity shadow maps and requires far fewer layers to achieve high quality shadow computation. Furthermore, it is faster than the density clustering technique, and produces less noise with comparable shadow quality. We provide qualitative comparisons to these previous methods and give performance results. Our algorithm is easy to implement, faster, and more memory efficient, enabling us to generate high quality hair shadows in real‐time using graphics hardware on a standard PC.


Broadband access has become an important resource for individuals and communities. A high-speed connection to the internet provides opportunities for many economic, social and cultural benefits. Recent researches in developing countries points to the appalling broadband penetration rates in these countries. An understanding of the factors affecting broadband adoption in these countries is a key to any strategy to improve broadband penetration figures. This paper examined several attitudinal, normative and control factors as identified from literature to provide insights of broadband adopters and non-adopters in Tanzania. The findings suggested that the utilitarian outcomes and relative advantage were the major factors influencing consumers' decision to adopt broadband in Tanzania. The findings from regression analysis also showed that the relative advantage, utilitarian outcomes and self-efficacy factors were more significant in explaining consumers' behavioral intention to adopt broadband. On the other hand, the "expenses of broadband services" and "lack of appropriate equipment to access broadband", had the highest importance rating among the barriers to adopt broadband in Tanzania. General Terms Broadband adoption in Tanzania


Across the globe, vulnerable subjects are burdened with mono infections of HIV, Hepatitis B and C virus infections; however, with the increasing trend of robust awareness and intervention advocacy targeted towards early diagnosis, prevention and other management strategies in place, it is expected that the prevalence of the infection would be drastically reduced in an appreciable manner among vulnerable groups in our communities. Nonetheless, it is strongly believed that commensurate preparedness and early detection and smart management of co-infections, especially in the developing communities' remains key and paramount, if the fight must be moved to the next level of robust health care priority outcome. However, there seems to be practical evidence of scarcity of information and probably dearth of robust reliable data in the region, thus this present study investigated viral mono and co-infections (dual and triple) among selected subjects in some selected facilities. Nonetheless, this observational cross sectional study recruited 3,062 subjects, with about 250 from a cohort of HIV subjects. Laboratory diagnosis involved sequential testing using both qualitative (MP rapid kits and ELISA) and quantitative (Molecular-primer design q16 real-time PCR). Nevertheless, Gpower version 3.2 was used to estimate the sample size, even as the qualitative and quantitative data analysis involved the use of frequency and percentage outcome for descriptive analysis, while Chi square, correlation for association and odd ratio were explored using SPSS version 21, even as hypothesis were tested at 0.05 significant level. Significant difference was observed between the mono and coinfection rates; education, marital status and body mass index also showed evidence of significance (p<0.05) with chi square. Furthermore, exposure to most risk factors appeared small and general low sero-prevalence. Moreover, low incidence rates of 2.8% and 2.4% for Hepatitis B and C were observed respectively. Most risk factors correlated with viral infection. Further risk estimate using odd ratio showed two or more-fold increase for the exposed, although low disease frequency was reported here, but a retrospective review from this region showed much lower rate meaning, there is a progressive disease frequency transition therefore; care must be taken including adherence to the universal safe practices and precautionary measures. However, vaccination against Hepatitis infection as a preventive measure and its compulsory incorporation in the HIV management procedure must be strongly underpinned in the region, if we must check and manage the increasing trend in our remote communities in good time.


This paper analyzes the role of the hydrosocial cycle in producing and sustaining uneven geographies of capitalist agriculture in the Ceres Valley, a major center of South Africa's high-value deciduous fruit industry I explore ways in which the mobilization, appropriation, and transformation of water resources become intertwined with and reinforce the radicalized capitalist relations that have characterized the local political economy of export fruit production since the 19th century These relations have solidified over time as they have been able to adapt to shifting political–economic and political–ecological dynamics. Focusing on the postapartheid period, I examine how white agrarian capital has been able to maintain and even strengthen its dominance over the regional economy despite the dramatic shuffling of political and economic priorities. I pay particular attention to how the fatal combination of the liberalization of agricultural markets and the financialization of water supply becomes articulated through interconnected sociospatial processes of dispossession, devaluation, and disinvestment. I argue that questions of access to and control over the hydrosocial cycle not only reveal how marginalized and radicalized social actors—farm workers, small-scale farmers, township residents—become differentially articulated with and disarticulated from existing and emerging circuits of capital accumulation. It also opens promising analytical and political avenues through which to illuminate and confront uneven geographies of capitalist development in ways that highlight the linked sociospatial processes of production and social reproduction.


We present ground-based 3 m spectra of obscured Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). We identify the carbon stars on the basis of the 3.1 m absorption by HCN and C2H2 molecules. We show evidence for the existence of carbon stars up to the highest AGB luminosities (Mbol = 7 mag, for a distance modulus to the LMC of 18.7 mag). This proves that Hot Bottom Burning (HBB) cannot, in itself, prevent massive AGB stars from becoming carbon star before leaving the AGB. It also sets an upper limit to the distance modulus of the Large Magellanic Cloud of 18.8 mag. The equivalent width of the absorption band decreases with redder (K L) colour when the dust continuum emission be- comes stronger than the photospheric emission. Carbon stars with similar (K L) appear to have equally strong 3 m ab- sorption in the MCs and the Milky Way. We discuss the im- plications for the carbon and nitrogen enrichment of the stellar photosphere of carbon stars.


This paper represents a step toward constraining galaxy formation models via TeV gamma ray observations. We use semi-analytic models of galaxy formation to predict a spectral distribution for the intergalactic infrared photon field, which in turn yields information about the absorption of TeV gamma rays from extra-galactic sources. By making predictions for integral flux observations at >200 GeV for several known EGRET sources, we directly compare our models with current observational upper limits obtained by Whipple. In addition, our predictions may offer a guide to the observing programs for the current population of TeV gamma ray observatories.


A digital closed-loop re-entrant fiber-optic rotation sensor with an amplified Sagnac loop of 20-m length is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The detection sensitivity can be increased significantly by compensating for the roundtrip loss. The linearity of the scale factor between 600 and +600 deg/s is better than 1000 ppm by using a digital closed-loop approach.


The common pathological mechanisms among the spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases are supposed to be shared. Multiple lines of evidence, from molecular and cellular to epidemiological, have implicated nicotinic transmission in the pathology of the two most common neurodegenerative disorders, namely Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). In this review article we present evidence of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-mediated protection against neurotoxicity induced by β amyloid (Aβ), glutamate, rotenone, and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and the signal transduction involved in this mechanism. Our studies have clarified that survival signal transduction, the α7 nAChR/Src family/PI3K/AKT pathway and subsequent upregulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-x, would lead to neuroprotection. In addition to the PI3K/AKT pathway, two other survival pathways, JAK2/STAT3 and MEK/ERK, are proposed by other groups. In rotenone- and 6-OHDA-induced PD models, nAChR-mediated neuroprotection was also observed, and the effect was blocked not only by α7 but also by α4β2 nAChR antagonists. We also document that nAChR stimulation blocks glutamate neurotoxicity in spinal cord motor neurons. These findings suggest that nAChR-mediated neuroprotection is achieved through subtypes of nAChRs and common signal cascades. An early diagnosis and protective therapy with nAChR stimulation could be effective in delaying the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as AD, PD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.


As the amount of data is growing day by day, the sources for these data are also growing simultaneously and to search through this very data, we need the use of search engines. Since each search engine is limited to its confined set of data, it would be even better to make use of a Meta search engine which will give us more relevant results than the ones obtained from any single search engine. It acts as an interface that provides the user with a single view from the various underlying search engines. The data is collected from these underlying search engines after they are accessed with the processed query from the Meta search engine. The collected data is merged using an algorithm and the algorithm will be a major factor in giving the best possible results. In this paper, we are going to discuss about the various existing metasearch engines and the different merging techniques and their approaches.


Although analytical approaches and exact solution methods are best for manufacturing system design, it is not easy when the systems become complex. Thus, approximation methods are required and the accuracies of the methods are analyzed by simulation. However, unlike the first order measures such as the mean of throughput, the second order measures such as the variance rate of throughput is difficult to be converged using simulation study. This paper introduces various phenomena empirically when the variance rate of throughput is estimated by simulation in flow lines.


Gastro retentive dosage forms have potential for use as controlled-release drug delivery systems. Multiple unit systems avoid the "all-or-none gastric" emptying nature of single-unit systems. A controlled release system designed to increase its residence time in the stomach with contact with the mucosa was achieved through the preparation of mucoadhesive microspheres by the emulsion solvent evaporation technique consisting of (I) chitosan mucoadhesive (ii) repaglinide, an oral hypoglycemic agent; and (iii) Eudragit RS-100 as polymer. The microspheres were evaluated for surface morphology and particle shape by scanning electron microscope. The microspheres were also evaluated for their microencapsulation efficiency, in vitro wash-off mucoadhesion test, in vitro drug release and in vivo study. The microspheres were found to be spherical and free flowing. The microencapsulation efficiency was in the range of 61.44±1.16 to 79.90±1.17and microspheres exhibited good mucoadhesive property in the in vitro wash off test. The drug-polymer concentration of dispersed phase influences the particle size and drug release properties. All the formulations were followed by Matrix-Peppas model. The drug release was also found to be slow and extended for 24 h. In vivo testing of the mucoadhesive microspheres in diabetic albino rats demonstrated significant antidiabetic effect of repaglinide. The hypoglycemic effect obtained by mucoadhesive microspheres was for more than 16 whereas repaglinide produced an antidiabetic effect for only 10 h suggesting that mucoadhesive microspheres are a valuable system for the long term delivery of repaglinide. Keywords: Controlled Release, Repaglinide, Solvent Evaporation, Microspheres, Mucoadhesive.


Background and Objectives: The present study was conducted with objective to study the incidence of obesity and associated co-morbidities in patients admitted to CMS-TH, Bharatpur. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty consecutive overweight patients from the January 2009 to December 2012 with Basal metabolic index (BMI)>25 and obese patients (BMI>30) were included in this hospital based prospective study. Detailed evaluation of risk factors and family history of other diseases were taken, other obesity related indicators like WPRO, 2000 for BMI, waist circumference (NCEP ATP III and NCEP for South Asian ethnicity) NCEP– National Cholesterol Education Program and waist hip ratio (WHO criteria) were measured and comparison done in order to detect best method for application. These cases were evaluated for associated co-morbid condition and metabolic syndrome which were diagnosed using NCEP ATP III criteria. Results: The mean age of patients was 52.7 years. Commonest co-existing risk factors were alcohol consumption, smoking, hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Evaluation based on WHO criteria revealed that 56.7% patients were overweight, 38.7 % were obese class II and 4.6 % were class II. While 45.1% male and 69.1% female patients had central obesity. The figure was 81.7 % for males and 94.1% for females with WHO criteria using waist hip ratio. Risk factors like alcohol consumption (52.7%), smoking (52.7%) and fatty liver disease (22.66%) were the commonest co-morbid conditions. Conclusion: In the present study, risk factors of alcohol, smoking and hypertension and co-morbid conditions diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, ischemic heart disease, stroke and fatty liver were noted. Waist hip ratio was the best indicator to detect central obesity and co-morbid conditions and recommended to be used for Nepali population. JCMS Nepal. 2015;11(3):16-19


Introduction: As experience with the long-term complications of the asplenic state has accumulated, greater interest and effort has focused on splenic preservation techniques. Trans-arterial splenic embolization has emerged as a relatively safe and efficacious procedure in dealing with traumatic splenic injuries. The outcomes following this procedure, in terms of efficacy, complications, and long-term splenic function, have yet to be clearly defined. The purpose of this study was to document these outcomes in patients undergoing trans-arterial splenic embolization at a single tertiary care center.
Methods: A retrospective chart review of all patients that underwent trans-arterial splenic embolization at the University of Alberta Hospital was undertaken. Various patient characteristics and procedure details were recorded. Patient outcomes, in terms of infections, procedural failures, and peripheral blood smear results, were also recorded. Univariate analysis was done to determine the correlation of various patient and procedure variables with failure, infection, splenic infarction, and peripheral blood smear (PBS) results.
Results: A total of 19 patients underwent trans-arterial splenic embolization at the University of Alberta Hospital from January 2005 to January 2009. No variables correlated in a statistically significant manner to hemorrhage, infection, repeat embolization, splenic infarction, or abnormal PBS. Our results revealed that transarterial splenic embolization does not lead to long-term loss of splenic function.
Conclusions: Trans-arterial splenic embolization is a safe and effective procedure that does not lead to longterm compromise of splenic function. Complications and failures of this procedure, however, cannot be predicted based on either patient or procedure characteristics examined in this study.


receptor level lor the active vitamin D metabolite. demonstrated by lihroblast culture.' Complications include growth failure, limb and gait abnormalities. Respiratory difficulties secondary to poor rib-cage development account for the high mortality. Alopecia constitutes a frequent and important feature of this condition as it is often the presenting feature, seen many months before visible radiological abnormality.' Most cases progress to rapid and total hair loss.' Patients with alopecia appear to have the more severe spectrum ofthe disease and are more resistatit to iherapy.^ Treatment is effective for bone disease but has no eflect on hair regrowth. Though microscopic examination of hair and follicles have yielded little information on pathophysiology, it is now well established that vitamin D receptors are seen in the outer root sheath of hair follicles, and we postulate that it may be the lack of vitamin-D-receptor response at this tissue site that is ultimately responsible for the alopecia.


Although the interactions of lightning with aircraft and many other structures are critically dependent on the amplitudes of the electromagnetic fields in the 1 to 20 MHz frequency interval, there are relatively few measurements of these spectra in the lightning literature. In this paper, we present amplitude spectra of the fast-rising, initial portion of fields that are produced by return strokes, leader steps, and cloud pulses. These data have been derived from ground-based measurements of dE/dt signatures that were recorded in the time-domain on a triggered oscilloscope. The spectral amplitudes of first return strokes match previously published data at 1 MHz and decrease with increasing frequency as 1/ƒ between 1 and about 6 MHz and as 1/ƒ2 between 6 and 20 MHz. The spectral amplitudes of leader steps just before return strokes and the fast portion of cloud pulses that triggered the recording system tend to lie 5 to 10 dB below the amplitudes of first return strokes over the entire frequency interval.


Context and Objective: Plumbagin (2-methyl, 5-hydroxy, 1, 4-naphthoquinone), an anticancer agent is encapsulated either as conventional or long circulating liposomal formulations to enhance its biological half-life and antitumor efficacy. Methods: The liposomes were prepared by thin film hydration method and in vitro characterization was carried out to examine the particle size, zeta potential, drug encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release. The optimized formulations were tested for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic efficacy against mice bearing B16F1 melanoma. Also in vivo toxicity studies were carried out. Results and Discussion: The optimum particle size and entrapment efficiency was observed at drug to lipid molar ratio of 1:20. The in-vitro release of plumbagin from the liposomal formulations in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) showed biphasic release with an initial burst release followed by sustained release phase. Elimination half life (T1/2) of pegylated, conventional and free plumbagin was 1305.76 ± 278.16, 346.87 ± 33.82 and 35.89 ± 7.95 min respectively. Further, plumbagin exhibited better antitumor efficacy in vivo when administered as long circulating liposomes with no signs of normal tissue toxicity. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the pegylated liposomes could provide a promising parenteral platform for plumbagin with enhanced plasma half-life and therapeutic efficacy.


Presents the results of calculations of effective weak non-leptonic Hamiltonians for s, c, b and t decay. It covers all aspects of the flavour-changing sector of weak non-leptonics mediated by W exchange in the standard model with n quark generations.


Karyotyping is indispensable for validating genome assemblies whose sequence lengths can be scaled up to chromosome sizes using modern methods and is traditionally performed using cytogenetic techniques. Karyotype reports of chondrichthyans are scarce, mainly because of their unique osmoregulatory mechanism, which hinders cell culture. Here, we focused on carpet shark species and the culture conditions for fibroblasts and lymphocytes. Using this method, we performed high-fidelity characterization of their karyotypes, namely 2n = 102 for the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) and zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum), and 2n = 106 for the brownbanded bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum) and whitespotted bamboo shark (C. plagiosum). We identified heteromorphic XX/XY sex chromosomes for the two latter species and demonstrated the first-ever fluorescence in situ hybridization of shark chromosomes prepared from cultured cells. Our technical solution is applicable to diverse chondrichthyan species and will deepen the understanding of early vertebrate evolution at the molecular level.


This letter presents a comprehensive approach to enhancing spatial orientation for the visually impaired through haptic technology. Our proposed system, designed for portability, incorporates advanced technologies such as Google PyCoral library for computer-vision-based object detection, ultrasonic distance sensors and cameras for sensor fusion, and machine learning algorithms, thereby facilitating independent mobility and environment perception for users. Notably, our solution surpasses existing electronic travel aid systems by offering a dynamic, energy-efficient solution adaptable to various environments. An evaluation of the system was conducted to assess its effectiveness in a real-world setting. Preliminary results suggest a significant improvement in the mobility and spatial awareness of visually impaired individuals, underscoring the system's potential to impact their daily life positively.


Large Language Models (LLMs) have showcased impressive reasoning capabilities, particularly when guided by specifically designed prompts in complex reasoning tasks such as math word problems. These models typically solve tasks using a chain-of-thought approach, which not only bolsters their reasoning abilities but also provides valuable insights into their problem-solving process. However, there is still significant room for enhancing the reasoning abilities of LLMs. Some studies suggest that the integration of an LLM output verifier can boost reasoning accuracy without necessitating additional model training. In this paper, we follow these studies and introduce a novel graph-based method to further augment the reasoning capabilities of LLMs. We posit that multiple solutions to a reasoning task, generated by an LLM, can be represented as a reasoning graph due to the logical connections between intermediate steps from different reasoning paths. Therefore, we propose the Reasoning Graph Verifier (RGV) to analyze and verify the solutions generated by LLMs. By evaluating these graphs, models can yield more accurate and reliable results.Our experimental results show that our graph-based verification method not only significantly enhances the reasoning abilities of LLMs but also outperforms existing verifier methods in terms of improving these models' reasoning performance.


The Hyalella comprises a group of freshwater amphipods endemic to the Americas. In Brazil, the greatest diversity of species known so far is concentrated in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, but recently discoveries were made in the neighboring state of Santa Catarina. The present work describes the first island species of the genus Hyalella in Brazil and the fifth with occurrence in the state of Santa Catarina. The species was found in streams of two watersheds, located at the Monumento Natural Municipal da Lagoa do Peri, an important environmental protection area on the island of Florianpolis, Southern Brazil. Hyalella insulae n. sp. shows the following characters: inner face of propodus of gnathopod 1 with 7 serrate setae, gnathopod 2 with propodus ovate, peduncle of uropod 3 with 10 cuspidate setae, telson rectangular, wider than long, with 6 cuspidate setae and 2 plumose setae laterally close to each distal seta. H. insulae n. sp. differs from the other species with occurrence in Santa Catarina, H. catarinensis, H. rioantensis, H. sambaqui and H. lagoana, mostly concerning to the number and shape of setae of the gnathopods, uropods and telson. A comparison was also made with species from the neighboring states, Rio Grande do Sul and Paran. The description of H. insulae n. sp. in the present study contributes to increasing the knowledge of the Hyalella diversity in the state of Santa Catarina, little known so far.


Different types of fuel which can be recommended for use in cement clinker production are considered. The analysis of specific heat of combustion of selected materials has been carried out, which has allowed to propose tires and plastic waste as the most promising among the possible alternative fuels. The chemical composition of ashes of the proposed types of fuel has been established. High content of iron (III) oxide in ashes from tires combustion and calcium oxide from shredded plastic waste combustion has been observed. The influence of ashes of different types of fuel on a liquid phase formation during the annealing of the Portland cement clinker is considered.


Smith-Johnsen et al. (The Cryosphere, 14, 841– 854, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-841-2020, 2020) model the effect of a potential hotspot on the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS). They argue that a heat flux of at least 970 mW m−2 is required to have initiated or to control NEGIS. Such an exceptionally high heat flux would be unique in the world and is incompatible with known geological processes that can raise the heat flux. Fast flow at NEGIS must thus be possible without the extraordinary melt rates invoked in Smith-Johnsen et al. (2020).


Abstract. Many fundamental phenomena in nature are described by usually nonlinear partial differential equations derived in a rather phenomenological way. Perhaps the most known ones are the Bolzmann equation, the Navier-Stokes equation, the reaction-diffusion equation, Fisher's equation, Vlasov's equation, etc. These equations describe a substance, e.g. gas or liquid, as a whole, without explicit considering its microscopic structure. They are fairly deterministic and operate with such macroscopic notions as pressure, fluid velocity, viscosity, and so on. On the other hand, the systems of large number of interacting microscopic agents (particles) are described by infinite chains of linear differential equations. For example, the systems of interacting gas molecules are described by the Bogoliubov hierarchy of linear differential equations, also called BBGKY (Bogoliubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon) hierarchy. In this case, the motion of the particles and the inter-particle interactions are described explicitly and – due to the huge number of particle – in a probabilistic way. This means that the solutions give the time evolution of the probability distributions on the system's phase space. Since the very appearance of these methods, the problem of deriving the macroscopic description of interacting particle systems from their microscopic statistical mechanical description was considered as a challenging mathematical task. The proposed cycle of lectures presents a number of examples where such derivation can be performed, including also the description on the intermediate (mesoscopic) level. Along with the statistical mechanical models, there will be considered models used in plant ecology, genetics, oceanology, economic and social sciences. In these models, the particles can die, be born, diffuse, perform jumps, etc. The microscopic description is performed in terms of the Markov evolution of states of infinite systems of interacting particles located in the space Rd. Then the mesocopic description, which leads to nonlocal nonlinear differential equations, is obtained by means of a procedure called scaling. In this way, a number of known phenomenological equations are obtained and studied.


Background Altered innate immune responses are observed in HD, with hyper-reactive central and peripheral immune cells producing increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine in HD patients. Bone marrow transplantation studies and KMO inhibitor administration have both shown that the immune system is a modifier of HD progression. However, a mechanistic understanding of how this relates to mHTT expression has been lacking. Aim Characterise the abnormal function of peripheral myeloid cells and examine alterations in signalling pathways responsible for those changes. Results The production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to LPS was elevated in both monocytes and macrophages from HD patients. Induction of mHTT exon 1 expression in a myeloid cell line showed that the hyper-reactive cytokine production is caused by a cell intrinsic effect of exon 1 mHTT expression. Significant changes in the expression levels of several key molecules in the NFκB pathway, such as IRAK1 and AKT1, were identified using PCR signalling arrays. IκB, the endogenous inhibitor of NFκB activity, was more rapidly degraded following LPS stimulation in HD patients compared to controls, potentially leading to increased NFκB activity and altered gene expression. A direct interaction between HTT and IKKγ was demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation, suggesting the possibility of a scaffolding function of HTT in the NFκB pathway that may be altered by an expanded polyQ-repeat. Knocking-down total HTT protein levels using GeRP-delivered siRNA in human HD macrophages led to a reduction of cytokine production by LPS-stimulated HD cells. Conclusions Taken together, these data suggests that the dysfunction of primary myeloid cells from HD patients is directly caused by the expression of mHTT and its effects on the NFκB pathway. Lowering HTT levels in human macrophages can at least partially restore normal cell function, underlining the importance of HTT-lowering as a therapeutic approach.


Abstract New cognitive models of social phobia have been developed based, in part, on a growing number of studies suggesting that people with social phobia process information related to social threat differently than people who are not socially anxious and, in some cases, differently than individuals with other anxiety disorders. In addition to providing an overview of recent models of social phobia, this paper reviews the research literature to date on the following aspects of cognition in social phobia: attention, memory, attributions and appraisals, imagery and perspective, and perfectionism.


Electric-vehicle grid integration has the potential to stress distribution network equipment and increase peak consumption, unless properly managed. In this paper, we use dynamic programming to develop a decision support algorithm and market participation policy for a load aggregator (LA) managing the charging of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) connecting at the same distribution network feeder. The LA submits inflexible and flexible bids to a liberalized hour-ahead power market, while monitoring localized feeder and PEV rate constraints. Flexible bids, which include a bid price or utility, can be cleared as regulation service, cleared as energy, or rejected by the market operator. These market events are probabilistically included within the modeling framework. A case study, based on New York independent system operator data, found that the market participation policy may reduce daily electricity costs for PEVs significantly more than is expected through forecasted electricity-price-based scheduling.


The blue colored males of nine Polyommatine butterfly species were investigated under the aspect of color-structure-species correlation. A large number of individuals from museum collections (in total more than 100) were used to obtain average reflectance spectra to reduce the effect of individual variations as much as possible. Structural characteristics were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The relevant structural data were extracted using the Biophot Analyzer software. It was found that the position of the main reflectance peak is decided primarily by the nearest neighbor distance of holes in the perforated layers constituting the pepper-pot type structure. However, very different value of the 2D filling factor may have a large enough effect on the spectral position and the width and asymmetry of the peak to overrule the classification on taking into account only the nearest neighbor distance. The comparison of the structural and spectral data may indicate that the species Polyommatus amandus may constitute an evolutionary link between different groups of species. The examined pepper-pot type nanoarchitectures show that with the alteration of the structural parameters (first neighbor distance, 2D filling factor) the tuning of the reflectance of such nanoarchitectures may be achieved. These type of nanoarchitectures may be attractive for practical applications as their large scale manufacturing may require less strict conditions as compared with fully regular nanoarchitectures.


The in vitro and in vivo effects of selected pharmacologic agents on cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase in the adult rat testicles were studied. Naltrexone, a narcotic antagonist, significantly inhibited epididymal but not testicular aldehyde dehydrogenase in vitro. Greater in vitro inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase in the epididymal preparation was determined in the presence of diphenyhydramine, a histamine H1‐receptor antagonist and by amantadine hydrochloride, an antiviral/antiparkinsonian agent. The latter drug also inhibited testicular aldehyde dehydrogenase from corresponding controls. The in vitro inhibition was non‐competitive as evaluated by reciprocal plots of the velocity of the reaction as a function of substrate concentrations. Short‐term oral administration of a biologically active metabolite of flutamide, a nonsteroidal antiandrogen, significantly induced testicular aldehyde dehydrogenase without concomitant changes in epididymal aldehyde dehydrogenase from respective controls. Conversely, administration of ethinylestradiol, an estrogenic steroid, inhibited testicular but not epididymal aldehyde hydrogenase in the rat.


Uncertainties in future global trade flows due to changes in trade agreements, transport technologies or sustainability policies, will affect the patterns of global freight transport and, as a consequence, also affect the demand for major freight transport infrastructures such as ports and hinterland networks. Policy makers face the challenge of making robust policies and investments that sustain and promote economic development amidst the various uncertainties. This thesis proposes a set of empirically grounded quantitative models of global freight transport that can support strategic decision making about investments in freight transport infrastructures. We specify, estimate and validate these models for both maritime and hinterland transport, and apply them in comprehensive analyses of the EU's and the global container transport networks.