The vast majority of soil N 2 O flux data reported in the literature was obtained using non-flow-through non-steady-state (NFT-NSS) chambers. Considerable variation in chamber methodology may influence N 2 O flux measurements, however, raising concerns about the reliability and accuracy of these measurements. The objectives of this study were to determine criteria for assessing the quality of soil N 2 O flux measurements made using NFT-NSS chambers, to evaluate NFT-NSS chamber methodologies used in the scientific literature, and to propose a minimum set of criteria for NFT-NSS chamber design and deployment methodology. We identified 16 characteristics of chamber methodology and developed four factors contributing to the quality of N 2 O flux measurements made using NFT-NSS chambers. We compiled a data set of 356 studies and evaluated the quality of each study against the set of characteristics and factors to determine the confidence in the reported N 2 O flux. Confidence in the absolute flux values reported in about 60% of the studies was estimated to be very low or low due to poor methodologies or incomplete reporting. The confidence in flux measurements improved with time; however, there were still about 50% of recent studies (2005-2007) with low or very low confidence levels. This study has shown that the quality of soil N 2 O flux measurements reported in the literature is often poor. While the flux data obtained may be valid for comparisons between situations (e.g., treatments) within a given study, they are often biased estimates of actual fluxes. We propose a minimum set of criteria for reliable soil N 2 O flux measurements using NFT-NSS chambers.


Semantic role labeling (SRL) is a task to recognize all the predicate-argument pairs of a sentence, which has been in a performance improvement bottleneck after a series of latest works were presented. This paper proposes a novel syntax-agnostic SRL model enhanced by the proposed associated memory network (AMN), which makes use of inter-sentence attention of label-known associated sentences as a kind of memory to further enhance dependency-based SRL. In detail, we use sentences and their labels from train dataset as an associated memory cue to help label the target sentence. Furthermore, we compare several associated sentences selecting strategies and label merging methods in AMN to find and utilize the label of associated sentences while attending them. By leveraging the attentive memory from known training data, Our full model reaches state-of-the-art on CoNLL-2009 benchmark datasets for syntax-agnostic setting, showing a new effective research line of SRL enhancement other than exploiting external resources such as well pre-trained language models.


In this paper we discuss the genesis and early international expansion of the bank issued credit card. Empirical evidence documents the limits of a single firm building a proprietary network, because success came to a constellation of participants that combined three characteristics namely a critical mass of both retail customers and retail merchants; the capacity to adopt and implement new technological solutions; and the ability to forge resilient collaboration across national borders. This evidence provides further support to the importance of collaboration in retail financial services as means to appropriate network externalities. We also argue that initial conditions for this industry had greater implications for long-term success than has been acknowledged by other conceptual and empirical studies (in particular the literature around two-sided markets, which has focused attention on the determinants of the interchange fee).


Urethral coitus is a very rare entity which usually presents as urethral incontinence during intercourse and is most commonly seen with intact vagina. Only about 24 cases have been reported in the literature. A presentation in vaginal agenesis is exceedingly rare and poses the surgical challenge of restoring continence without interfering with sex life. Here we report a case of urethral intercourse with vaginal agenesis presenting with incontinence that we treated with McIndoe's vaginoplasty and urethral plication in a single stage, with satisfactory result. To the best of our knowledge, this method of reconstruction has not yet been reported for this condition.


Bullous pemphigoid (BP) has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the exact time course is unclear, and no previous studies have been reported in the Asian population. This nationwide population‐based cohort study examined the risk of VTE among BP patients in Taiwan between 2007 and 2018. A total of 12 692 BP patients were 1:2 matched with non‐BP patients by age, sex, and propensity score of comorbidities. Cumulative incidence and Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the risk of VTE. The BP cohort had a significantly higher VTE rate than the non‐BP cohort (0.17% vs. 0.08%, p = 0.015) in 1 year; the finding was more prominent within the first 6 months after diagnosis. BP was a significant risk factor for VTE (hazard ratio [HR], 2.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–4.06); the association mildly diminished but remained significant after extending the follow‐up period to 2 years (HR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.06–2.81). Other significant risk factors for VTE included cancer, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and female sex. In conclusion, this study revealed a 2.02‐fold increased risk of VTE in patients with BP in Taiwan.


Cyclosporine and FK506 have been shown with two experimental models to influence liver structure, function, and the capacity for regeneration. Both drugs augment the liver regeneration in rats that is the normal response to partial hepatectomy (1). In addition, the increase in hepatocyte replication that is caused by portacaval shunt in dogs is more than doubled by intrahepatic infusion of these drugs via the tied-off central portal vein. Also, the atrophy and organelle disruption caused by portacaval shunt is prevented (2, 3). Immune modulation of lymphocytes and NK cells as an explanation for these so-called "hepatotrophic" effects has been ruled out by direct experimentation in nude rats (4).

The foregoing findings, as well as observations of manifold metabolic effects in patients treated either with FK506 or with cyclosporine, have led to a hypothesis that these drugs modify signal transduction in a variety of cells, not limited to those of the immune system (3, 5). Consistent with the hypothesis is the recent demonstration that FK506 and cyclosporine inhibit signaling processes in the mast cell at concentrations similar to those used to block signaling pathways in T cells (6; also Schreiber SL, et al., unpublished observations). Central to the signal transduction hypothesis was the discovery that the cytosolic receptors for FK506 and rapamycin (FK506-binding protein, FKBP)* and cyclosporine (cyclophilin) are distinct proteins that exhibit peptidyl-prolyl cis trans isomerase (rotamase) activity (7, 8). Rotamases have been shown to facilitate protein folding (9, 10) and to catalyze the interconversion of rotamers of peptidyl-prolyl bonds in vitro (11, 12). However, the inhibition of this enzymatic activity is not related to the action of these drugs in the T cell (13) or the mast cell (Schreiber SL, Hohman RJ, et al., unpublished observations). Instead, these proteins are envisioned as members of a class of small molecular weight cytoplasmic proteins (collectively called immunophilins) that modulate a wide variety of calcium-dependent signal transduction pathways by forming complexes with immunosuppressive drugs (13, 14). The potential importance and pleiotropism of the immunophilin network is emphasized by the ubiquitous distribution of cyclophilin as detected by immunocytochemical techniques in the cytoplasm of virtually all cells in the body, and in the nuclei of some (15, 16).

How the immunophilins are activated by immunosuppressive agents is not known, nor is it known if modulation of the immunophilin's activity requires binding of an exogenous (drug) or endogenous ligand. With the cloning and overexpression of FKBP in bacteria (17), it became possible to test the intrinsic activity of FKBP, free of drug. Briefly, with the use of the expression cassette polymerase chain reaction (18), the proper sequences were added to the FKBP cDNA that allow for its overexpression in E. coli. Following a simple purification protocol (17), recombinant human FKBP was demonstrated to be pure by SDS-PAGE analysis.

The recombinant FKBP was dissolved in normal saline modified by the addition of 5 mM ammonium acetate and 5 mg/L bovine serum albumin (to prevent adhesion to the plastic tubing). After performing completely diverting portacaval shunt, an infusion catheter was inserted into the tied-off left portal vein for pump-driven constant infusion of the FKBP over the next 4 days. At the end of 4 days, the animals were injected with 0.2 mci/kg intravenous 3H-thymidine (New England Nuclear, Boston) and killed 2 hr later. Specimens were obtained for comparison of the hepatocytes in the left (infused) and right (not infused) liver lobes using previously described morphometric and autoradiographic techniques (3, 19). Autoradiography was carried out with Kodak NTB2 liquid emulsion with an exposure time of at least 30 days. The number of replicating hepatocytes as an index of hepatocyte regeneration was determined by counting the number of 3H-thymidine-labeled nuclei per 1000 hepatocytes. The size of individual hepatocytes (index of hypertrophy or atrophy) was determined by tracing out at least 500 midzonal liver cells projected on standard-thickness paper, cutting out the individual silhouettes, and weighing each. This method has been shown to be accurate for determining hepatocyte cell size and has been validated by planimetry and by studies of unicellular organisms, the size of which has been determined directly. An insulin infusion, which we use to verify the integrity of the test system (2, 19), prevented the usual hepatocyte atrophy and increased the hepatocyte proliferation in the directly infused lobes only (Table 1).

TABLE 1

Effect of cloned FKBP infusion in left portal branch for 4 days after canine ECK fistula

Because it has been assumed that immunophilins are activated by binding with a drug or other ligands, it was suspected when these experiments were planned that the cloned FKBP would be inert. Instead, a substantial dose-related hepatotrophic response was caused (Table 1), with partial prevention of the hepatocyte atrophy and augmentation of hepatocyte proliferation in the directly infused lobes only. This is the first demonstration of a physiologic action of an unbound immunophilin, and one with important implications. One possibility for resolving the discrepancy that a cytosolic protein has a physiologic activity outside of the cell is that there may be a secretory variant of the FKBP family that has hepatotrophic effects. Thus, one could argue that the extracellular concentration of this putative hormone has been increased by infusing a closely related protein into the liver. An alternative possibility is that the recombinant FKBP bound with a natural circulating ligand, and that the complex activated regulatory growth factors, possibly including cytokines.


ABSTRACT The (re)production and persistence of inequalities in male-dominated organizations is an ongoing issue. This paper aims to further examine how banter in male-dominated industrial organizations can be understood as meaningful in relation to the gendered processes of organizations. The male-dominated mining industry in Sweden—more specifically the shop floor of this setting—serves as the empirical context and twenty interviews with both men and women miners were conducted. The findings suggest that the informal interactions underground function as an informal power system carrying important meaning in relation to gendered processes of the organization. Banter has a dual function as both an including and excluding practice and with its inherent ambiguity, it has the potential to both maintain and challenge existing gendered relations underground.


To preserve or augment revenues there must bee meanes: the meanes are wrought by knowledge; knowledge had by experience; experience by view and due observacon of the particulars by which revenues doe or maie arise. To know the present state of my whole diocess before I would enter upon my triennial visitation; I thank God I find no cause to say upon the whole account, he that encreaseth knowledge, encreaseth sorrow . I have been so ravished with the study of numbers, that if any man will ask me, what is the chiefest Good next to God, that in this life I take delight in? I must answer, Number; if, what is the second? Number; if, what the third? Number. The making of surveys was always important to those who governed England. Collecting and processing information had long been a tried and trusted governing strategy, and medieval manorial record-keeping, with its lengthy surveys of tenants, holdings and obligations, provided solid grounding for later times. But beyond doubt, the practice of surveying became more vital in all government fields in the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and information cultures and systems became more sophisticated and widespread with the emergence of what Peter Burke calls the 'paper state'. Deep-seated, long-lasting change made the difference. The English state was transformed by the start of the eighteenth century. The apparatus of governance had to adapt, alter and grow in response to the seismic shifts of the two centuries after 1500: a population boom, religious revolution, economic and commercial transformations in town and country, empire, and root-and-branch reforms of financing and administering the state (to name just five). The precise nature of the 'Tudor revolution in government' remains debatable, but this sustained scope and scale of information use by the state had not been seen before. A full list might fill a short book, but we can start with Henrician muster counts; the mountain of paperwork in fiscal returns to the Great Subsidy (1524–5); Wolsey's corn surveys; enclosure commissions; a nationwide system to register births, marriages and deaths (1538); the Valor Ecclesiasticus , which took stock of Church wealth in the wake of Henry VIII's royal supremacy (1535); and a string of state-sponsored surveys in later decades.


In vitro studies have shown a schedule-dependent synergism between Tomudex and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Incubation of different types of head and neck and colorectal cancer cells with levofolinic acid (LFA) plus 5-FU for 4 or 24 h, after 24-h incubation with Tomudex, produces a clear synergism. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tolerability and activity of a combination of Tomudex, LFA, and 5-FU in advanced head and neck and colorectal cancer. Furthermore, the potential for 5-FU pharmacomodulation by Tomudex was also evaluated through an intrapatient assessment of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) activity and 5-FU AUC with and without pretreatment with Tomudex. Eligible patients were treated with Tomudex at the starting dose of 1.5 mg/m2 on day 1, LFA at a fixed dose of 250 mg/m2 on day 2, immediately followed by bolus 5-FU at the starting dose of 600 mg/m2. Tomudex and 5-FU doses were alternately escalated. Courses were repeated every 2 weeks. In the second course, LFA and 5-FU were administered on day 1 and Tomudex on day 2; further treatment was given according to the sequence used in the first course. Plasma 5-FU concentrations were analyzed on courses 1 and 2 using a high-performance liquid chromatography assay with UV detection. DPD activity was measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells on courses 1 and 2 using incubation of cytosol with [14C]FU and quantitation of metabolite formation. Fifty-eight patients were enrolled in the study. Dose escalation was stopped at step 8, because of the occurrence of dose-limiting toxicity in two of three patients. The dose level immediately before (3 mg/m2 Tomudex, 1050 mg/m2 5-FU) was selected for further evaluation. Tomudex and 5-FU mean dose intensities actually delivered at the seventh step were 1.32 and 462 mg/m2/week, respectively. Six of 40 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer obtained an objective response (15%; 95% confidence interval, 6-30%). In particular, three complete responses and three partial responses were observed. Six of 17 patients with locally advanced or metastatic head and neck cancer obtained an objective response (1 complete response + 5 partial responses; 35%; 95% confidence interval, 14-62%). Median duration of response in colorectal cancer patients was 12 months. 5-FU AUC was not significantly different between the two courses (median intrapatient difference, 9.3%; P = 0.28). DPD activity in course 1 was significantly higher than course 2 (P = 0.041) in the 16 patients in which values were evaluable. The combination of Tomudex, LFA, and 5-FU is well tolerated and active in colorectal and head and neck cancer. The Tomudex mean dose intensity actually delivered is higher than usually achieved in monotherapy. The absence of a clear pharmacokinetic interaction suggests that the synergism of Tomudex and 5-FU might occur at the cellular level.


Of cosolutes found in living cells, urea denatures and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) stabilizes proteins; furthermore, these effects cancel at a 2:1 ratio of urea to TMAO. Interestingly, cartilaginous fish use urea and TMAO as osmolytes at similar ratios at the ocean surface but with increasing fractions of TMAO at increasing depths. Here, molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous solutions with different urea:TMAO ratios show that the diffusion coefficients of water in the solutions vary with pressure if the urea:TMAO ratio is constant, but strikingly are almost pressure independent at the ratio found in these fish as a function of depth. This suggests that this ratio may be maintaining a homeostasis of water dynamics. In addition, diffusion is determined by hydrogen-bond lifetimes of the different species in the solution. Based on these observations, a dynamical model in terms of hydrogen-bond lifetimes is developed for the hydrogen bonding propensities of cosolutes and water in an aqueous solution to proteins. This model provides an explanation for both the counteracting effects of TMAO on urea denaturation and the depth-dependent urea:TMAO ratio found in cartilaginous fish.


Living a life free from daily bone pain or joint discomfort is something most people take for granted. Our bones, joints, and connective tissues are the structure upon which all other systems of the body depend. They give us strength, mobility, protection, and stability, and they permit us to perform a great variety of physical activities that shape our daily lives.

Our musculoskeletal structure is a complex system of tissue and bone that is regularly subjected to trauma, metabolic and genetic processes, and the gradual wear and tear of an active life. When these bones and tissues become damaged or diseased, they can create chronic conditions that may seriously impede and sometimes permanently affect one's health and well-being.

In …


The current research on self-resonating cavitating waterjet(SRCW) mainly focuses on the generation mechanism and structure optimization. Researches relating to the influences of disturbances at nozzle inlet on the characteristics of the jet are rarely available. In order to further improve the performance of SRCW, effects of area discontinuity(enlargement and contraction) are experimentally investigated using three organ-pipe nozzles. Axial pressure oscillation peak and amplitude as well as aggressive erosion intensity of the jet are used to evaluate the effects. The results reveal that area enlargement and contraction affect the peak differently, depending on the inlet pressure, nozzle geometry, and standoff distance; while area contraction always improves the amplitude regardless of these factors. At inlet pressures of 10 MPa and 20 MPa, area discontinuity improves the peak at almost all the testing standoff distances, while this only happens at smaller standoff distances with the inlet pressure increased to 30 MPa. The capability of area discontinuity for improving the amplitude is enhancing with increasing inlet pressure. Moreover, the cavitation erosion ability of the jet can be largely enhanced around the optimum standoff distance, depending on the type of area discontinuity and nozzle geometry. A preliminary analysis of the influence of area discontinuity on the disturbance waves in the flow is also performed. The proposed research provides a new method for effectively enhancing the performance of SRCW.


A b s t r a c t. This paper describes the development of an embedded real-time system devoted to microclimate control in a complex greenhouse. The control system is capable of managing multiple, independent poly-tunnel units (PTUs). Both the internal temperature and humidity of PTUs as well as the external temperature, rainfall and wind conditions are monitored and regulate decisions of the control system. The control system is directed by parameters entered at configuration time through a user-friendly graphical interface. The realization depends on the use of Java technologies and on a specific methodology suited to the development of real-time systems. The approach is based on hierarchical state machines extended with timing constraints, and a supporting toolbox which enables graphical modelling, automatic code generation, simulation and real-time execution of a system. The paper discusses design and implementation aspects of the control system and reports information collected from real operation.


More than thousand years of mining and metallurgical engineering in the Harz mountains is the reason why heavy metal contamination in soil and air by arsenic, cadmium and lead is a problem in parts of the Harz region. Risk assessment is the duty of the district community physician. Checkup of sanitary conditions in habitat planning is very important and the basis for the development of healthy cities.


In this paper we investigate several methods for reducing the bit rate of a segment vocoder [1] by 35% to 150 b/s. In the original vocoder we used a random sample of vectors as a set of templates for vector quantization. We demonstrate in this paper that this random quantizer is near-optimal by comparing it with quantizers that use clustering algorithms for quantizing speech segments. The reduction of the bit rate of the segment vocoder was achieved primarily by using a segment network, i.e., not all segment templates are allowed to follow a given segment template. The spectral continuity of speech is used to determine the subset of templates, that can be used to quantize an input segment. To achieve the low rate of 150 b/s, we also reduced the bit rate for coding pitch, gain, and segment duration. Finally, we present the bit allocation used for transmitting speech at 150 b/s as a single speaker segment vocoder.


Nostalgia induced by savoring precious past experience helps a person feel loved and protected and may help them cope with loneliness. Generally, these positive, prosocial functions, which nostalgia provides, are derived from the content of the memories. However, recent research shows that the process of recalling nostalgic memories could have an important, but different impact on consumers' behavior.
When people face nostalgia through the recollection of positive experience and become aware of its non-repeatability, they seek to enjoy and prolong the experience. Due to the motivation to savor nostalgic experiences, people are likely to be more tolerant of waiting. To this extent, the inclination to reminisce about past experiences motivates people to be more accepting of, thus less dissatisfied with service failure.
Unlike other research focusing on social functions of nostalgia, we examine the effect of nostalgia to a particular service failure: delayed shipping. Nowadays, on-line retailers that use a delivery service is commonplace. Therefore, we believe our research will give critical implications about the effects of nostalgia on service failure. We theorize that nostalgia could have a positive effect on consumer patience, especially for delayed shipping, and the distance to a nostalgic memory affects consumer patience and dissatisfaction. Two studies have confirmed these effects.


A modified quarter-wavelength (
 λ
/4) stepped-impedance resonator (SIR) is proposed to design a miniature dual-band bandpass filter (BPF). The proposed λ
/4 SIR has two individually controllable resonances for constructing dual passbands. Moreover, two independent geometrical parameters are adopted to realise individual adjustment of the coupling strengths between two adjacent λ
/4 SIRs at the dual passbands. As a result, both the centre frequencies and bandwidths of the two passbands of the filter can be individually designed. Furthermore, multiple transmission zeros are created by the introduced source-load coupling, which improves highly the selectivity of both passbands. The dual-band BPF is designed at 2.35 and 5.8 GHz, and its simulated and measured responses are presented and show good agreement.


This paper reports a comprehensive study on an image processing and feature extraction tool particularly for 3-D range image applications in manufacturing processes. The library of the algorithms developed in this study is formatted into an easy-to-use imaging tool that consists of many useful algorithms and functions. The objective of this study is to produce a library of 3-D range imaging algorithms that can effectively employ imaging and vision techniques and be applied to industrial automation environments. A group of new algorithms have been developed and tested in manufacturing applications.


We explore the possibility of simultaneous determination of neutrino mass hierarchy and the CP violating phase by using two identical detectors placed in Kamioka and Korea for the J-PARC neutrino beam. We demonstrate, under reasonable assumptions of systematic uncertainties, that the two-detector complex with each fiducial volume of 0.27 Mton has potential of resolving neutrino mass hierarchy up to sin2 2θ13 > 0.03 (0.055) at 2σ (3σ) CL for any values of δ and at the same time has the sensitivity to CP violation by 4 + 4 years running of νe and ν̄e appearance measurement. The significantly enhanced sensitivity is due to cancellation of systematic uncertainties between two identical detectors which receive the neutrino beam with the same energy spectrum in the absence of oscillations.


Power system stability is one of the major factors for the reliable operation of electric utilities. Factors resulting power system instability are the sudden increase in load or insufficient reactive power support. Efficient Voltage regulation methods enable the system to operate in a stable operating condition. Many methods reported in the literature for voltage stability assessment of the power system such as optimization method, continuation power flow method, Indices based method and Artificial Intelligence based methods. Several iterative methods are used for the solution of load flow problems. The major disadvantages of iterative methods are larger iteration and increase in convergence time which depends on size of the power system. This paper proposes new method for voltage profile assessment on distribution system using Generalized Regression Neural Network. The Power System Analysis Toolbox (PSAT) is used for Distribution power flow solution. The proposed method is tested using 52 buses, distribution system of Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu India. The technical feasibility of the proposed method is verified by comparing the results of proposed method and PSAT


Background: Conventional treatment of systemic sclerosis with drugs for symptom control and broad-spectrum immunosuppression has remained unsatisfactory. Depletion of B-lymphocytes, which are a crucial element in pathogenesis, with rituximab (RTX) has produced encouraging results. Objective: This study aimed to retrospectively analyze the safety and efficacy of RTX in systemic sclerosis. Materials and Methods: Baseline, 6- and 12-month follow-up data of 13 systemic sclerosis (11 diffuse and 2 limited) patients (10 adult and 3 adolescent) who received 4 infusions of 500 mg RTX at 2-weekly intervals was accessed and retrospectively analyzed. Results: Modified Rodnan Skin Score progressively improved from a baseline of 22.2 ± 7.97 to 17.7 ± 7.95 at 6 months (P < 0.05) and 14 ± 7.12 at 12 months (P < 0.05 vs. baseline and 6-month), and mouth opening increased from 2.23 ± 0.44 fingers to 3.5 ± 0.52 fingers at 12 months (P < 0.05). Pruritus and melanoderma improved in all those affected. Raynaud's phenomenon improved in 12/13, whereas digital ulcers improved significantly in 9/12 patients. Arthritis remitted in the six affected patients, and percentage predicted forced vital capacity improved from a baseline of 70 ± 9.09 to 76.54 ± 7.5 at 12 months (P < 0.05). There were no serious adverse effects. Conclusion: RTX showed good outcome in cutaneous, joint, and pulmonary features of systemic sclerosis without any significant adverse event.


This study explores how email is partly shaped by writers' positions within a corporate structure. This stylistic variation is measurable at scale and can be described by messages' rhetorical organizations and orientations. The modeling was carried out on a subset of the Enron email corpus, which was processed using the dictionary-based tagger DocuScope. The results identify four stylistic variants (Trained/Technical Support, Decision-Making, Everyday Workplace Interaction, and Engaged Planning), each realizing distinctive combinations of features reflective of their communicative functions. In Trained/Technical Support emails, for example, constellations of words and phrases associated with informational production and facilitation are marshaled in fulfilling routine guidance-seeking and guidance-giving tasks. While writers' positions motivate stylistic tendencies (e.g., members of upper-level management compose a majority of their messages in the Decision-Making style), all writers avail themselves of a variety of styles, depending on audience and purpose, suggesting that learners might benefit from developing adaptable communicative repertoires.


There is an impression that Theatre looks like an 'illegitimate child' There 19 no I'heatreClass but Drama in the formal educational institutions of non-art departments The discussionin the learning process of Drama is not going up to Theatre 'I'here is no research on Theatre in .thesis and dissertation It can be found that only some of the formal educational institutions ofart deparltnents wh~ch has Department that arranges a 'Theatre Class and Subject of 'TheatreYet, they both are only matter of choice, and cons~deredn othing more than a material ofart creation or art analysis Meanwhile, the Theatre groups do not consider them as a scientifictidy, but as a result of the creative process of writing dramatic text and transferring it intoperformance text on stage as performing art (theatrical production) Theatre has been 'placed'so far fro111 Drama, and even in the educational institution of non-art department, Theatre hasbeen lefi in the process of learning Drama 'untouched' Moreover, as a collective art, Theatrepresents the implementation of Drama In the process of learning Drama, Theatre maycontribute various educational values. In other words, The Theatre constitutes a media ofEducation in school. That is why the assumption that Theatre 'placed' beyond the field ofLiterature and Drama studies cannot be accepted


Traditional software synthesis systems, such as Music V, utilize an instance model of computation in which each note instantiates a new copy of an instrument. An alternative is the resource model, exemplified by MIDI ''mono mode'', in which multiple updates can modify a sound continuously, and where multiple notes share a single instrument. We have developed a unified, general model for describing combinations of instances and resources. Our model is a hierarchy in which resource-instances at one level generate output which is combined to form updates to the next level. The model can express complex system configurations in a natural way.


BACKGROUND
CD14 is a pattern-recognition receptor that has a central immunomodulatory role in proinflammatory signaling in response to a variety of ligands, including endotoxin. CD14 protein is present in 2 forms: soluble (sCD14) and membrane bound. Here, we studied the implications of increased sCD14 levels in hemodialysis patients. We hypothesized that sCD14 level increase may link to cytokine activation and protein-energy wasting, predisposing to increased mortality risk.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective observational study of prevalent hemodialysis patients.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS
211 prevalent hemodialysis patients, median age of 65 years, with 29 months of vintage dialysis time followed up for mortality for a median of 31 months.

PREDICTORS
Tertiles of baseline circulating sCD14 levels corresponding to less than 2.84, 2.85 to 3.62, and greater than 3.63 microg/mL.

OUTCOME
The major outcome of interest was all-cause mortality.

MEASUREMENTS
sCD14 and endotoxin, together with other markers of inflammation and protein-energy wasting.

RESULTS
Median sCD14 level was 3.2 microg/mL (25th to 75th percentile, 2.7 to 3.9). sCD14 level correlated positively with C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, endotoxin, and pentraxin 3 levels and negatively with serum albumin level, muscle mass, and handgrip strength. Patients with increased sCD14 levels had lower body mass index and increased prevalence of muscle atrophy. Patients within the highest sCD14 tertile had a crude morality hazard ratio of 1.94 (95% confidence interval, 1.13 to 3.32) that persisted after adjustment for multiple confounders (hazard ratio, 3.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.49 to 6.46). In patients with persistent inflammation, the presence of a concurrent sCD14 level increase gradually increased mortality risk, but this effect was less than multiplicative and failed to show a statistical interaction.

LIMITATIONS
Those inherent to an observational study.

CONCLUSIONS
sCD14 level is associated with inflammation and protein-energy wasting in hemodialysis patients. It is a strong and independent predictor of mortality that warrants further assessment in the clinical setting regarding its usefulness as a complementary prognosticator to other general inflammatory markers.


The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of low-dose dobutamine on left ventricular (LV) functional and coronary flow reserves using transthracic echocardiography. The study group consisted of 30 children aged from 5 months to 16 years (mean 4.8 +/- 4.4 years). Echocardiographic studies were repeated before and during dobutamine infusion (5 microg/kg per minute). The peak diastolic velocity in the left descending coronary artery (LAD) was recorded by pulsed-Doppler under the guidance of color Doppler flow mapping. The coronary flow velocity (CFV) response was calculated as the ratio of LAD peak flow velocity at dobutamine infusion to basal LAD peak flow velocity. Left ventricular contractility was calculated by two-dimensionally directed M-mode echocardiography. The rate-corrected mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (mVcfc) and LV end-systolic wall stress (ESS) were used as indices of contractility. Adequate spectral Doppler recordings of the LAD peak flow velocity for the assessment of CFV response were obtained in 26 of 30 patients (87%). The LAD peak flow velocity at dobutamine infusion increased significantly compared with the basal values. The CFV response in the younger children was low and increased significantly with age. The CFV response did not show significant correlations with the changes in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, rate-pressure product, nor ESS during dobutamine infusion. However, a significant relationship between the CFV response and the percent change of mVcfc was observed. In the present study using high frequency transthoracic echocardiography, we demonstrated the age-related changes in CFV response and LV functional reserve by dobutamine infusion. Responses of LV contractility and coronary flow to dobutamine are less sensitive in youngerchildren and increased with increasing age.


The purpose of this study was to find out how the implementation of inclusive education services, especially ABK with ADHD at SDN PETIR 2 Tangerang City. The type of research that the researcher finally chose was qualitative research. During the data collection process, it was carried out in several ways, namely observation, interviews, and documentation in the form of photos and sound recordings. Then the analysis technique goes through several stages, namely selection, simplification, classification, concentration, linking, and drawing conclusions. The results of the interview revealed that SDN PETIR 2 KOTA TANGERANG implements inclusive education with the same curriculum and evaluation as other students, only slightly simplified. This makes students with special needs get the same education but according to their abilities.


Hundreds of epidemiologists and technical experts are pouring into Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world, to help fight an unprecedented plague epidemic. By 20 October, 1297 people had been infected and 102 had died, and cases are doubling weekly. Worries are high that the outbreak will spread to nearby countries and territories in Africa and the Indian Ocean, where governments are scrambling to prepare. Madagascar is one of the few countries in the world still hard hit by plague, which decimated Europe9s population during the Black Death in the Middle Ages. The disease is endemic in the central highlands, where small outbreaks occur most years. Most are bubonic plague, transmitted from rats to humans by the bite of a flea. Now, for the first time, plague is hitting urban areas, including Antananarivo, the capital, and the port city Toamasina, and it has taken an unusual and especially menacing form: pneumonic plague, which is spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Without treatment, pneumonic plague is 100% fatal. Infectious disease experts say the outbreak underscores one lesson of the Ebola epidemic of 2 years ago: As cities burgeon and populations become more mobile, once-isolated diseases are increasingly likely to reach cities, where they can race out of control.


This paper deals with a scheduling problem for two-machine flow shop, in which the preceding machine is a batch processing machine that can process a number of jobs simultaneously. To minimize makespan of the system, we present a mixed integer linear programming formulation for the problem, and using this formulation, it is shown that an optimal solution for small problem can be obtained by a commercial optimization software. However, since the problem is NP-hard and the size of a real problem is very large, we propose a number of heuristic algorithms including genetic algorithm to solve practical big-sized problems in a reasonable computational time. To verify performances of the algorithms, we compare them with lower bound for the problem. From the results of these computational experiments, some of the heuristic algorithms show very good performances for the problem.


The purpose of this review is to review the current state and achievements in poultry production in Serbia and worldwide, primarily the EU. Particular emphasis is placed on impacts of different rearing system, i.e. housing and fattening, on the production and the quality of the poultry meat and eggs and, simultaneously, on the welfare of poultry and environmental protection according to EU standards. According to the latest available data, total number of poultry produced in Serbia in 2015 was 17,450,000 units and production of meat amounted to around 86,000 t, while consumption was 12.12 kg per person. Egg production in 2015 was approximately 1.7 billion eggs, which is around 202 eggs per hen. A total of 13.1 million tons of poultry meat was produced in EU in 2015. It is evident from the literature that the poultry production in EU and worldwide has undergone significant changes, and clear criteria have been established to improve the quality of the products (meat and eggs), to guarantee the safety of the food, to protect the environment, and to ensure animal welfare in line with the relevant ethic norms. For these reasons, many countries within EU and worldwide, including Serbia, attach importance to housing systems for laying hens, with particular concern for animal welfare. Alternative housing systems (floor, aviary, free range and organic production) are increasingly used in the production of poultry meat and eggs instead of conventional systems. This is because it is considered that alternative housing systems may have positive effect on the productive traits of the poultry and, consequently, on the production of the quality organic meat. Furthermore, it is evident from research that pure (indigenous) breeds and strains are given growing importance in the production of organic meat and eggs in semi-intensive, semi-extensive and even in extensive rearing systems.


The biological clock affects aging through ras-1 (bd) and lag-1, and these two longevity genes together affect a clock phenotype and the clock oscillator in Neurospora crassa. Using an automated cell-counting technique for measuring conidial longevity, we show that the clock-associated genes lag-1 and ras-1 (bd) are true chronological longevity genes. For example, wild type (WT) has an estimated median life span of 24 days, while the double mutant lag-1, ras-1 (bd) has an estimated median life span of 120 days for macroconidia. We establish the biochemical function of lag-1 by complementing LAG1 and LAC1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with lag-1 in N. crassa. Longevity genes can affect the clock as well in that, the double mutant lag-1, ras-1 (bd) can stop the circadian rhythm in asexual reproduction (i.e., banding in race tubes) and lengthen the period of the frequency oscillator to 41 h. In contrast to the ras-1 (bd), lag-1 effects on chronological longevity, we find that this double mutant undergoes replicative senescence (i.e., the loss of replication function with time), unlike WT or the single mutants, lag-1 and ras-1 (bd). These results support the hypothesis that sphingolipid metabolism links aging and the biological clock through a common stress response


We acquired and analyzed 3-D multicomponent groundpenetrating radar (GPR) data to better understand the subsurface flow conduits at a hydrologic experimentation site. Previous workers conducted a set of shallow (< 2.5 m) subsurface hydrology experiments during simulated rainfall events within fractured and karsted limestone of the Edwards Aquifer region near San Antonio, Texas. They observed at an observation trench located on the down slope side of the site that lateral subsurface flow is guided by open joints, bedding planes and karst features. They also utilized tracer experiments, which showed a high degree of variability in tracer recovery, advection speed, and concentration depending on the location of the application of the tracer. We utilized the 3-D multicomponent GPR data in an attempt to identify the main conduits of flow within the experimentation site in order to explain the observed tracer experiments. The GPR revealed that the most obvious conduits run nearly parallel with the observation trench, with some conduits able to quickly move water away from the trench. This information helps explain the high spatiotemporal variability in the tracer data. Our study demonstrates that multicomponent GPR provides a technique that can improve future subsurface hydrologic experimentation.


Purpose: To investigate the effect of intracellular melanin content on cell survival of G361 human melanoma cells following exposure to UV radiation. Materials and methods: Cells were cultured in medium containing elevated concentrations of L tyrosine phosphate and L glutamine to increase their melanin content. Cell survival was assessed by colony-forming ability in treated and untreated cells following exposure to 254nm germicidal UVC radiation (0-60 J m -2) , 311nm UVB radiation (0-5 kJ m -2) , or broadband UVA radiation (Sellamed 4000, maximum output between 350 and 450nm) (0-1.2 MJ m -2) . Results: Treated cells, with a 2-fold increase in total melanin concentration and an increased ratio of eumelanin to pheomelanin, were marginally more resistant than untreated control cells to cell killing by 311nm UVB radiation, but treatment had no effect on killing by germicidal UVC or broadband UVA radiation. Conclusions: There was no evidence of any photosensitizing effect of increased melanin on human melanoma cell survival following exposure to UVC, UVB or broadband UVA radiation. The slight protective effect seen following exposure to UVB radiation may have been due to increased scavenging of reactive-oxygen species, particularly by eumelanin, at this wavelength.


Why heavily parameterized neural networks (NNs) do not overfit the data is an important long standing open question. We propose a phenomenological model of the NN training to explain this non-overfitting puzzle. Our linear frequency principle (LFP) model accounts for a key dynamical feature of NNs: they learn low frequencies first, irrespective of microscopic details. Theory based on our LFP model shows that low frequency dominance of target functions is the key condition for the non-overfitting of NNs and is verified by experiments. Furthermore, through an ideal two-layer NN, we unravel how detailed microscopic NN training dynamics statistically gives rise to an LFP model with quantitative prediction power.


The local composite gluon-ghost operator ( 1 2 AA μ + αcc ) is analysed in the framework of the algebraic renormalization in SU(N) Yang-Mills theories in the Landau, CurciFerrari and maximal abelian gauges. We show, to all orders of perturbation theory, that this operator is multiplicatively renormalizable. Furthermore, its anomalous dimension is not an independent parameter of the theory, being given by a general expression valid in all these gauges. We also verify the relations we obtain for the operator anomalous dimensions by explicit 3-loop calculations in the MS scheme for the Curci-Ferrari gauge. Research Assistant of The Fund For Scientific Research-Flanders, Belgium. firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com firstname.lastname@example.com firstname.lastname@example.com


alpha-Conotoxins from marine snails are known to be selective and potent competitive antagonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Here we describe the purification, structural features and activity of two novel toxins, SrIA and SrIB, isolated from Conus spurius collected in the Yucatan Channel, Mexico. As determined by direct amino acid and cDNA nucleotide sequencing, the toxins are peptides containing 18 amino acid residues with the typical 4/7-type framework but with completely novel sequences. Therefore, their actions (and that of a synthetic analog, [gamma15E]SrIB) were compared to those exerted by the alpha4/7-conotoxin EI from Conus ermineus, used as a control. Their target specificity was evaluated by the patch-clamp technique in mammalian cells expressing alpha(1)beta(1)gammadelta, alpha(4)beta(2) and alpha(3)beta(4) nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. At high concentrations (10 microm), the peptides SrIA, SrIB and [gamma15E]SrIB showed weak blocking effects only on alpha(4)beta(2) and alpha(1)beta(1)gammadelta subtypes, but EI also strongly blocked alpha(3)beta(4) receptors. In contrast to this blocking effect, the new peptides and EI showed a remarkable potentiation of alpha(1)beta(1)gammadelta and alpha(4)beta(2) nicotinic acetylcholine receptors if briefly (2-15 s) applied at concentrations several orders of magnitude lower (EC(50), 1.78 and 0.37 nm, respectively). These results suggest not only that the novel alpha-conotoxins and EI can operate as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibitors, but also that they bind both alpha(1)beta(1)gammadelta and alpha(4)beta(2) nicotinic acetylcholine receptors with very high affinity and increase their intrinsic cholinergic response. Their unique properties make them excellent tools for studying the toxin-receptor interaction, as well as models with which to design highly specific therapeutic drugs.


Epoxy molded IC packages with copper wire bonds are decapsulated using mixtures of concentrated sulfuric acid (20%) and fuming nitric acid in an automatic decapping unit and, observed with minimal corrosion of copper wires (0.8-6 mil sizes) and bond interfaces. To attain maximum cross-linking of the molded epoxies, the post mold cured packages (175 degC for 4 h) were further, aged at high temperature of 150 degC for 1000 h. These packages are decapsulated using mixtures of higher ratio of concentrated sulfuric acid (40%) along with fuming nitric acid. The shear strength of copper wire bonds with 1 mil (25 mum) diameter of the decapsulated unit is higher than 5.5 gf/mil2. The present study shows copper stitch bonds to Au, Cu, Pd, and Sn alloy plated surfaces are less affected on decapping, with a few grams of breaking load on stitch pull test, while stitch bonds on silver plated surfaces reveal lifting of wire bonds on decapping


AIM
The aim of this study was to compare two protocols to examine bacterial colonization in teeth associated with chronic apical periodontitis with acute episodes (ap), using light microscopy (LM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

METHODOLOGY
Nine root samples (seven teeth) were processed using either Eastman Dental Institute (EDI) (n = 4 teeth/4 roots) or Zurich (n = 3 teeth/5 roots) protocols. The roots were sectioned longitudinally; one root portion was viewed with SEM, descriptively dividing its length into apical, middle and coronal; semi-thin and ultra-thin transverse sections were viewed under LM and TEM from each third of the other root portion. Each root was therefore examined using all microscopy techniques. Observations of bacterial presence, description and distribution within the root canal lumen and root dentine were systematically recorded using pre-determined criteria.

RESULTS
The Zurich technique gave a more predictable division of the root, but the surface was slightly smeared and demineralization was incomplete. The Eastman Dental Institute (EDI) approach appeared to provide better ultrastructural detail. Bacteria were detected in eight of the nine roots. Bacterial biofilms were commonly seen adhering to the root canal surface, containing various cellular morphotypes: rods, cocci, filaments and spirochaetes. Bacteria were more evident apically than coronally, associated with the canal wall but were more commonly evident coronally than apically within the dentinal tubules. Polymorphs (PMNs) were found in all the root thirds, especially apically, often numerous and walling off the bacterial biofilm from the remaining canal lumen.

CONCLUSIONS
Both protocols had merits and de-merits. The combination of microscopy techniques offered complementary views of intra-radicular bacterial colonization. The perception of confinement of the host/microbial interface at the apical foramen is not entirely correct; PMNs may be found even in the coronal third of root canals containing necrotic pulp tissue.


In this letter, we develop a fully automatic robust linear receiver technique for joint space-time decoding and interference rejection in multi-access MIMO systems that use orthogonal space-time block codes and erroneous channel state information (CSI). The proposed receiver does not need any a priori knowledge of channel estimation errors and has a simple closed form. Numerical examples show that our method usually gives good performance in case of non-perfect CSI and/or low sample sizes when compared with other tested linear receivers.


Emerging from the Paris surrealist group, the English-born writer and painter Leonora Carrington (England, 1917—Mexico, 2011) was perpetually suspicious of orthodoxy. She often pokes fun at, parodies, and ultimately upsets traditional hierarchies of power. In her work animals impart wisdom, Goddesses loom large, and domestic spaces become sites of occult power. In this article, I investigate Carrington's suspicion of gurus with claims to esoteric truth. Carrington participated in Fourth Way groups run by students of G. I. Gurdjieff (Christopher Fremantle) and P. D. Ouspensky (Rodney Collin). However, while she had a deep interest in the teachings, Carrington remained suspicious of the group practices of the Fourth Way, as can be seen in Elena Poniatowska's fictionalized biography Leonora (2015). This article explores Carrington's contact with the 'Work' in order to shed light on the character of Dr. Gambit in her 1950 novel, The Hearing Trumpet, commonly thought to be a parody of Gurdjieff. In doing so, it will investigate Carrington's feminist objections to the role of the guru, while also contributing to a discussion of the unease some felt toward the praxis of the Fourth Way, despite their attraction to the philosophy.


Effective and accurate prediction of key motor parameters, such as winding flux, back electromotive force, inductance and core losses, is crucial for design of high-performance motors. Particularly, for electrical machines with new materials and nonconventional topology, traditional design approaches based on the equivalent magnetic circuit, empirical formulas and previous experiences cannot provide correct computation. The paper presents accurate determination of major parameters of a three-phase three-stack claw-pole permanent-magnet motor with a soft magnetic composite (SMC) stator core by finite-element analysis of the magnetic field. The effects of magnetic saturation and armature reaction are considered. The theoretical results by numerical analysis are validated by the experiments on the claw-pole SMC-motor prototype.


Abstract The metaphysics of gender and race is a growing area of concern in contemporary analytic metaphysics, with many different views about the nature of gender and race being submitted and discussed. But what are these debates about? What questions are these accounts trying to answer? And is there real disagreement between advocates of differ- ent views about race or gender? If so, what are they really disagreeing about? In this paper I want to develop a view about what the debates in the metaphysics of gender and race are about, namely, a version of metaphysical deflationism, according to which these debates are about how we actually use or should use the terms 'gender' and 'race' (and other related terms), where moral and political considerations play a central role. I will also argue that my version of the view can overcome some recent and powerful objections to metaphysical deflationism of- fered by Elizabeth Barnes (2014, 2017).


In the article dedicated to the 110th anniversary of beginning of teaching pediatric surgery in the medical faculty of Kazan Imperial University, the historical events, that promoted the development of pediatric surgery and urology as a medical specialty are described in the single text for the first time. Stages of pediatric surgery formation, system of student's training in pediatric surgery, contribution of famous professors surgeons, pediatricians and obstetrician to development of pediatric surgery in Kazan are covered. Results of joint researches of author and Kazan pediatric surgeons and urologists in field of live issues of pediatric urology-andrology are described in the second part of the article. Possibility to solve a most burning pediatric urology-andrology issues, based on systematic approach and multiple-factor analysis is demonstrated. Scientific newness and positive effect of introduced organizational, medical and medical-technical solutions are confirmed by results of long-term clinical trials in pediatric surgery and urology departments in Tatar Republic and Russian Federation, as well as by numerous of certificates of authorship and patents for an inventions.


This paper explores why previous research failed to find any empirical evidence confirming the success of "Communist affirmative action" in reducing inequality in access to secondary and tertiary education in Bulgaria, the Czech republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia between 1948- 1989. I argue that scholars have too narrowly focused on ultimate educational attainment of each cohort and have thus overlooked important life-course and historical dynamics of educational stratification in former socialist countries. In this paper I study detailed information on educational careers from the Social Stratification in Eastern Europe after 1989 survey, distinguish the stratification of early and delayed school transitions and compare the differential degree of stratification of early and delayed transitions across cohorts. I show that delayed school transitions were usually stratified less on socioeconomic background than delayed transitions, yet this life-course differential was by no means stable over time. It turns out that delayed school transitions were stratified more strongly in cohorts, in which early transitions were stratified less as a result of the "Communist Affirmative Action". These two offsetting tendencies were overlooked by previous research and combined to produce and overall stable effect of SES on school transitions. I conclude that delayed education careers worked against the success of the egalitarian policies and offered a highly selective second chance for socioeconomically advantaged and politically disadvantaged students. This finding is statistically robust and is identified even in models that control for unmeasured individual-level heterogeneity. I argue that scholars should pay more attention to detailed educational careers and should not only study highest degree completed as otherwise their results may be biased and/or incomplete.


Submitted: 04-04-2019 Revised: 10-04-2019 Published: 01-05-2019 Background: Epilepsy is a disease of suffering. Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) takes a heavy toll on patients, family and society in the form of prolonged treatment, expenditure, unemployment and disability. Successful treatment depends on appropriate antiepileptic drug (AED) use in appropriate dosage, which varies in different parts of the world. Aims and Objectives: To find out AED efficacy in Indian subcontinent and factors affecting seizure freedom. Materials and Methods: We explored many characteristics of DRE patients, compared in between seizure-free and seizure-persisting patients to find out the variables more affecting seizure-freedom. We measured minimum effective dose and maximum tolerable dose of different AED in child and adult subgroups in patients of the Indian subcontinent. Results: Lamotrigine was most efficacious in various seizure-types and phenytoin was the least one as first add-on AED. Clobazam was efficacious and good-compliance second add-on AED. AED compliance was significantly reduced as the number of AED was increased above two. AED monotherapy was most effective and the effectiveness decreased as subsequent AED was added as per need. Conclusion: Our study enlightened about various aspects of drug-resistant epilepsy patients in Indian sub-continent and their treatment.


Sufficient evidence of a correlation between infrequent coitus and Down syndrome (DS) has now accumulated to warrant reevaluation of the suggested biological mechanisms. The evidence provides no support for delayed fertilization as the mechanism responsible for this correlation, as was originally proposed by German [Nature 217:516-519, 1968]. A better explanation of this association is provided by the sperm aging hypothesis, which gains its support from both animal studies and chromosomal findings of a paternal contribution to DS. The animal studies supporting this hypothesis show an increased incidence of sperm-derived trisomies resulting from sperm stored for prolonged periods in the male tract. The chromosomal findings show a paternal origin in 20% of DS infants; the sperm aging hypothesis concerns the biological mechanism in this 20%. In addition to explaining the excess of DS for older mothers, the sperm aging hypothesis explains the excess for teenage unwed mothers and indicates that sperm aging from decreased ejaculatory frequency may be a cause of DS in all age groups. Testable directly in humans against German's delayed fertilization hypothesis, the sperm aging hypothesis has immediate clinical implications. It suggests 1) an approach to reduce the incidence of DS and miscarriages and 2) clinical research that will increase knowledge of the circumstances indicating a need for antenatal monitoring.


This paper considers the details and results of a pilot study into the use of the Effective Lifelong
Learning Inventory, ELLI, with those undertaking higher education at a distance. It explores the
practicalities of using a tool primarily designed for face to face discussions in a context where this is not
possible and shows how it might be of particular use to groups of new distance learning students. The
kinds of benefit these students might experience are described.

This tool provides a description of a learner's profile in terms of seven dimensions of learning. A profile
is plotted on a chart and used to seed and inform a reflective and exploratory discussion that may lead to
the individual deciding on actions intended to promote change. By relating this work to a range of
similar studies in higher education in the UK, the way in which this pilot study contributes to a broader
understanding of the use of ELLI in higher education will be discussed. Particular attention is paid to
how some groups exhibit characteristic strengths in this seven dimensional space.

ELLI, whose development and effectiveness is well documented, was trialed with four groups of
students covering two subject areas (arts and engineering) and including those at the beginning and end
of their degree studies. The results show those closest to the beginning of their study reporting the
greatest benefit from using ELLI to reflect on their learning, and the ways they learn.


Cardiac memory is an electrophysiological property that is expressed as persistent electrophysiological changes in response to variations in the rate and sequence of cardiac electric activation and is defined as the persistent changes of the T wave on the electrocardiogram after a period of rhythms of wide QRS widened, and that becomes evident once the normal ventricular activation pattern is restored.1 The first evidence of its existence arises from case reports where changes in the polarity of the T wave were observed after transient episodes of tachyarrhythmias. Subsequently, it was demonstrated how ventricular activation by external sources in a prolonged way induces persistent changes in the electrocardiogram, and those changes persist after eliminating this source.6,8 Electrical memory can occur in a short and long term, when it is short-term, the changes are due to the modulation of the electrical activity of individual cardiac cells or cell to cell interaction, while long-term memory involves the synthesis of proteins and / or structural changes.8


The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of stress in the association between people's perceived haze and negative emotions in daily life. Using ecological momentary assessment, 95 college students reported their perceived haze, stress, and negative emotions twice a day over the course of 2 weeks. The results showed a positive relationship between perceived haze and negative emotions. More importantly, this association was significantly mediated by levels of stress. Findings suggested that people who perceived more severe haze may report higher stress levels, which in turn may lead to increases in negative emotions.


In a recent paper with R. A. Parker we classified the points at maximum distance from the Leech lattice (the 'deepest holes' in that lattice), and showed that there are 23 classes of such holes, the classes being in one: one correspondence with the 23 Niemeier lattices in 24 dimensions. We now present 23 constructions for the Leech lattice, one for each class of hole or Niemeier lattice. Two of these are the usual constructions of the Leech lattice from the Golay codes over GF(2) and GF(3).


Understanding the physics of small bodies such as asteroids, comets, and planetary moons will help us understand the formation of the solar system, and also provide us with resources for a future space economy. Due to these reasons, missions to small bodies are actively being pursued. However, the surfaces of small bodies contain unpredictable and interesting features such as craters, dust, and granular matter, which need to be observed carefully before a lander mission is even considered. This presents the need for a surveillance spacecraft to observe the surface of small bodies where these features exist. While traditionally, the small body exploration has been performed by a large monolithic spacecraft, a group of small, low-cost spacecraft can enhance the observational value of the mission. Such a spacecraft swarm has the advantage of providing longer observation time and is also tolerant to single point failures. In order to optimize a space-craft swarm mission design, we proposed the Integrated Design Engineering & Automation of Swarms (IDEAS) software which will serve as an end-to-end tool for theoretical swarm mission design. The current work will focus on developing the Automated Swarm Designer module of the IDEAS software by extending its capabilities for exploring surface features on small bodies while focusing on the attitude behaviors of the spacecraft in the swarm. We begin by classifying space-craft swarms into 5 classes based on the level of coordination. In the current work, we design Class 2 swarms, whose spacecraft operate in a decentralized fashion but coordinate for communication. We demonstrate the Class 2 swarm in 2 different configurations, based on the roles of the participating spacecraft.


Background Robust ethics consultation services cannot be sustained by all hospitals; consultative service from a high-volume center via teleconferencing is an attractive alternative. This pilot study was conceived to explore the feasibility and understand the practical implications of offering such a service. Methods High-definition videoconferencing was used to provide real-time interaction between the rounding clinicians and a remote clinical ethicist. Data collection included: (1) evaluation of the hardware and software required for teleconferencing, and (2) comparison of ethics trigger counts between the remote and on-site ethicist during rounds. Results Issues with audio represented the majority of technical problems. Once technical difficulties were addressed, the onsite ethicist's count of "triggers" was not statistically different from the count of the remote ethicist. Conclusion Remote clinical ethics rounding is feasible when the equipment is optimized. Remote ethicists can identify similar numbers of "triggers" for possible ethical issues when compared to on-site ethicist numbers.


Dynamic models of power plants may change during its operation due to physical processes and human error. Inaccurate dynamic power plant models may affect the operation and planning of power systems. Hence, keeping the model updated is crucial. Traditionally, dynamic models of power plants are calibrated by offline staged tests. Recently, PMU based remote calibration techniques are developed in attempt to calibrating the dynamic models remotely and reducing the frequency of offline calibration. This paper presents the implementation of PMU based dynamic model calibration of Type-4 Wind Turbine Generators by using the Ensemble Kalman Filter. The implementation is done by using PSS®E in PythonTM environment, and validated by using WSCC-9 Bus System.


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

Background: The establishment of tumor cell lines in penile carcinoma (PeCa), a rare and high morbidity disease, is essential to conduct functional genomic and epigenomic studies. However, penile cancer cell line is not commercially available. In addition, xenograft in immunodeficient mouse is a valuable model between in vitro testing and pre-clinical trials.

Aim: This study aimed to establish and characterize PeCa primary cultures and xenografts by using large-scale gene expression analysis.

Methods: Primary tumor cultures were established from one untreated verrucous PeCa sample (HPV- negative). Tumor tissue was minced and digested with 0.2% trypsin for 30 minutes at 37°C. After extensively washing with 3 KSFM (GIBCO):1 DF12 (GIBCO). After passage 5 (36 days), two cell cultures with distinct morphologies were isolated and implanted subcutaneously on the right (epithelial cells) and left (fibroblast-like cells) flanks of BALB/C nude mouse. Analyses of AE1AE3(ABCAM), Vimentin (ABCAM), Desmin (DAKO), Myogenine (SIGMA), HHF35 (DAKO), 1A3 (SIGMA), 34βE12 (ABCAM) and CD44 (DAKO) by immunohistochemistry and ALDH (ABCAM) by flow cytometry were performed in xenograft tissues. Total RNA was extracted from cell cultures and xenograft tissues in duplicate and evaluated for gene expression by using Human Transciptome Array (HTA) 2.0 (Affymetrix). Expression Console (Affymetrix), SAM, hierarchical clustering analysis, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA).

Results: After 5 passages of verrucous PeCa cells, distinct epithelial and fibroblast-like cell morphologies were observed. After four weeks of inoculation of both cell types into right and left flanks of nude mouse, tumor growth was observed in both flanks. Both tumor tissues obtained from the patient and xenograft showed positive immunostaining for epithelial cell markers (AE1AE3, 5-10% of cells and high molecular weight cytokeratin 34βE12, 15% of cells), for mesenchymal cells (vimentin, 95%; myogenin, 95%; desmin, 80-90%; HHF35, 10%; 1A4, 95%) and also for stem cells (CD44, 5% of cells). ALDH activity was evaluated by flow cytometry and high ALDH activity was detected in vitro and in vivo cells. Preliminary results from transcriptome analysis showed 485 differentially expressed genes between primary tumor and Pre Xenograft passage 1; 502 genes in primary tumor and Pre Xenograft passage 5; 468 genes in verrucous PeCa sample vs xenografts passage 1 and 2; 402 genes in verrucous PeCa sample vs xenograft passage 3. It was verified upregulation of STAT3, IFNg, KRT14 and IFNA2 genes as well as genes involved in ROCK2 signaling networks.

Conclusions: We successfully established a primary tumor cell culture and xenograft derived from a verrucous penile carcinoma. Our data also support that despite cell cultures showed different morphologies compared to primary tumor, they present genotypic and phenotypic features similar to the tissue of origin.

Citation Format: Juan Jose Augusto Moyano Munoz, Sandra A. Drigo, Tiago Goss, Hellen Kuasne, Fabio Marchi, Gustavo Guimaraes, Ademar Lopes, Cristovam S. Neto, Silvia R. Rogatto. Establishment and characterization of primary penile carcinoma cell culture versus xenograft by using transcriptome analysis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3248. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3248


This Research work evaluates the ability of ultrasonic guided waves to detect several types of defects in cylindrical structures with different pre-selected wave modes. It will also demonstrate ultrasonic guided wave method [1& 2] as an alternative to standard ultrasonic techniques and how to address their deficiencies. This approach is based on the use of ultrasonic guided waves. In this work the use of ultrasonic guided waves for thickness mapping of large, partially accessible areas was investigated. The problem of interest is to evaluate the minimum remaining plate thickness over a large area. Guided waves [3 & 4] have multiple properties that can be used for thickness mapping over large areas. Firstly, the dispersive nature and variation of the phase velocity as a function of the frequency thickness product of guided waves [5 &6] make them potentially suitable for thickness mapping by time-of-flight tomography and diffraction tomography based on the variation of the velocity in the in homogeneities [7] . The experimental result was validated with FE (Finite Element) profile to arrive at the conclusion. Diffraction tomography can reconstruct a map of the velocity from the scattered field produced by the interaction of an incoming wave field and a velocity in homogeneity. It has been shown that Diffraction tomography with low frequency guided waves can be used for thickness reconstruction of plates or large diameter pipes. Low frequency guided waves can be used for thickness reconstruction of plates or large diameter pipes. It has been shown that the scattering from the array of transducers needs to be minimized in order to reconstruct thickness accurately. However when the scattering from the array of transducers is large it is possible to use guided wave diffraction tomography in a structural health monitoring approach and obtain accurate thickness reconstruction.


Nonlinear fractional differential equations (FDEs) constitute the basis for many dynamical systems in various areas of engineering and applied science. Obtaining the numerical solutions to those nonlinear FDEs has quickly gained importance for the purposes of accurate modelling and fast prototyping among many others in recent years. In this study, we use Hermite wavelets to solve nonlinear FDEs. To this end, utilizing Hermite wavelets and block-pulse functions (BPF) for function approximation, we first derive the operational matrices for the fractional integration. The novel contribution provided by this method involves combining the orthogonal Hermite wavelets with their corresponding operational matrices of integrations to obtain sparser conversion matrices. Sparser conversion matrices require less computational load, and also converge rapidly. Using the generated approximate matrices, the original nonlinear FDE is converted into an algebraic equation in vector-matrix form. The obtained algebraic equation is then solved using the collocation points. The proposed method is used to find a number of nonlinear FDE solutions. Numerical results for several resolutions and comparisons are provided to demonstrate the value of the method. The convergence analysis is also provided for the proposed method.


Alveolar echinococcosis is a zoonosis caused by tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is its principle definitive host. Effective decrease in E. multilocularis prevalence is a result of baiting red foxes with the anthelmintic praziquantel. Recently, introduced raccoons (Procyon lotor) are increasing in Hokkaido, Japan. If they frequently consume fox bait, the baiting campaign may not be effective on red foxes. With camera trap, we examined seasonal consumption of fox bait by raccoons in Memuro, Tokachi District, Hokkaido, Japan from May to October, 2018. Raccoons have been reported in Memuro since 2014. We photographed red foxes, raccoons, raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes viverrinus albus), domestic cats (Felis catus), weasels, murids, Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), sika deer (Cervus nippon), bats, and birds. Proportions of animal species photographed significantly differed among seasons. Red foxes, raccoons, raccoon dogs, domestic cats, and murids consumed fox bait. Proportions of animals consuming fox bait were significantly differed among seasons. In summer and autumn, raccoons frequently appeared at baiting sites and consumed fox bait. We recommend removing raccoons from the area, before baiting campaign. How to cite this article: Arisawa H., Uraguchi K., Kouguchi H., Oshida T. 2020. Note on consumption of fox bait by alien raccoons in eastern Hokkaido, Japan // Russian J. Theriol. Vol.19. No.2. P.178–182. doi: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.19.2.08.


A field experiment was carried out with 20 genotypes of Transplant Aman (T. Aman) rice at the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Salna, Gazipur-1706, Bangladesh. The study was performed to evaluate the genetic deviation, trait association, and path coefficient (PC) based on grain yield (GY) and different yield-contributing agronomic characters. Variance analysis displayed extensive traits-wise variations across accessions, indicating variability and the opportunity for genetic selection for desirable traits. The high mean, range, and genotypic variances observed for most of the characters indicated a wide range of variation for these traits. All the characters indicated the minimum influence of environment on the expression of the trait and genetic factors had a significant role in the expressivity of these characters. High heritability in broad sense (h2b) and high to moderate genetic advance in percent of the mean (GAPM) were recorded for all the characters except for panicle length (PL). Based on mean, range, and all genetic parameters, the selection of all the traits except for PL would contribute to the development of T. Aman rice genotypes. A correlation study revealed that selection based on plant height (PH), number of effective tillers per hill (NET), PL, number of filled spikelets per panicle (NFS), flag leaf length (FLL), spikelet sterility (SS) percentage, and harvest index (HI) would be effective for increasing the GY of rice. Genotypic correction with grain yield (GCGY), PC and principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that direct selection of NFS, HI, SS%, and FLL would be effective for improving the GY of rice in future breeding programs.


Collaborations that involve the sharing of medical and biométrie data between government and industry partners present particular ethical challenges. In this paper, ethical implications of data sharing and recommendations for data management in these collaborations are identified. Recommendations for adhering to privacy laws and examples of government-industry collaborations using medical or biométrie data are also discussed. Conflicts of interest, ownership, and the purpose of the collaboration are identified as pertinent ethical issues. These issues and recommendations are intended to contribute to international debate and consensus-building among experts. This investigation contributes to the European Union's FP7 ETHICAL Project, which aims to encourage international discussion on medical and biometric data ethics.


That Wole Soyinka"s activism both nationally and internationally assumes an epic proportion can as well be taken for granted, what with his roles in the making of Nigeria"s post-independence history, his poetic intervention in apartheid South Africa, and his unflinching fidelity to the cause of Pan-Africanism. But it is to his autobiographies one must turn in order to assess the great impact of his childhood influence on his activism, which sometimes almost inverts his status as first and foremost a writer and Nobel laureate. For, indeed beyond the derogation of autobiographies" vulnerability to flutters of exaggerated emotions and mawkish romanticism, there definitely remains a validation of the truism that they more often than not reflect with profound acuity how much of adult configuration and accomplishment are extracted from the influence of innocent, impressionable childhood. This paper therefore seeks to explore first the representations of some adult activist characters in his autobiography of childhood, Ake: The Years of Childhood (1981). Of deserved mention are his parents and their role in anti-colonial struggle. But perhaps more important are the duo of Reverend and Mrs. Kuti and their much more direct activism coupled with their revolutionary tendencies, especially by Reverend Kuti to initiate the little boy into the domain of global consciousness through analyses and debates of international news items and publications to the extent of alerting him to the subtle nuances of imperialism and racism on the global stage. On the other hand, the paper will consider the transmutation of the child in Ake into a remarkable adult political activist in Ibadan: The Penkelemes Years (1994), arguing that his adult activism owes so much to the adult activist characters of his childhood autobiography.


Plant polysaccharides, as prebiotics, fat substitutes, stabilizers, thickeners, gelling agents, thickeners and emulsifiers, have been immensely studied for improving the texture, taste and stability of fermented foods. However, their biological activities in fermented foods are not yet properly addressed in the literature. This review summarizes the classification, chemical structure, extraction and purification methods of plant polysaccharides, investigates their functionalities in fermented foods, especially the biological activities and health benefits. This review may provide references for the development of innovative fermented foods containing plant polysaccharides that are beneficial to health.


Images from scanning electron microscopy are now quite common and they can be of great value in archaeology. Techniques such as secondary electron imaging, backscattered electron imaging and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis can reveal information such as the presence of weevils in grain in Roman Britain, the composition of Roman coins and the burial of an Iron Age warrior on a sheep's fleece that has long since rotted away.


The literature shows that divorced, separated, and widowed individuals in Africa are at significantly increased risk for HIV. Using nationally representative data from 13 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, this paper confirms that formerly married individuals are at significantly higher risk for HIV. The study goes further by examining individuals who have remarried. The results show that remarried individuals form a large portion of the population - usually larger than the divorced, separated, or widowed - and that they also have higher than average HIV prevalence. This large number of high-risk remarried individuals is an important source of vulnerability and further infection that needs to be acknowledged and taken into account in prevention strategies.


In the current world of high technology and glorification of "hard" science, the study of a child9s reactions to his parents9 problems may seem a bit archaic or sentimental. One might wonder what new information could have been learned in the past several decades about these age-old human problems for which common sense, rather than new data, might seem to serve as the best guide. However, the more rigorous applications of scientific methods of psychiatry, psychoanalysis, epidemiology, cybernetics, and psychology have shed new light on this age-old problem. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of addressing the issue of a child9s reaction to his parents9 problems is the bewildering diversity of possible responses. To propose that one kind of parental problem gives rise to one kind of reaction in a child obviously in nonsense. Although there seem to be some reactions that are more likely to occur in response to some specific parental problems, children can and do respond with the entire repertoire of emotional and behavioral reactions that are available to them as human beings. The following case illustrates the complexity and diversity of a child9s reactions to his parents9 problems. DG was an 8-year-old boy who was referred for a psychiatric evaluation by his pediatrician because of concerns about DG9S poor attention span, excessive activity, and provocative behaviour.


Emotional intelligence dictates that individuals react in a certain way because they are wired to respond emotionally to certain triggers. These emotional triggers can be either positive or negative. Those who understand the use of negative emotional intelligence can channel manipulative behavior into concrete outcomes as a direct result of the feelings created. Negative emotional intelligence thus can be used to perpetuate groupthink, which leads to bias, prejudice, stereotypes, and stigmatization.

Bias, both deliberate and implicit, is still prevalent with regard to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ("LGBT') community despite the strides and advances that have occurred since the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. This proposition is demonstrated in "religious freedom" arguments presented in the Supreme Court case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. It is also apparent in the Department of Defense's "national security" approach to transgender individuals. The use of these terms — "religious freedom" and "national security" — allows people to mask their implicit bias and permits marginalization of this minority group.

This Article will demonstrate that by using the lenses of religious freedom, religious speech, and national security, anti-LGBT bias can be disguised and the dignity of LGBT individuals harmed. These lenses allows individuals to argue that it is not homophobic to refuse to bake a cake or take wedding photos, or that it is not transphobic to ban transgendered individuals from military service, but rather it is a principled stand based on religious beliefs and national security. To counter these negative attacks, positive emotional intelligence must be reinforced through reiterating and reflecting on how values such as equality and dignity should uphold the social good and not be used to harm a disenfranchised and minority group.


Tanning materials used for production of leathers may vary according to the properties required and the field of use. Since different tanning materials react with different reactive groups of the collagen, this results changes in the reactive groups available for the chemicals that will be used in further processes. Simple acid dyes are the most common used dyestuffs in the leather industry, generally without considering the type of tanning. Starting from this point, it has been investigated the consumption and fastness properties of the simple acid dyes on the leathers tanned with various tanning materials. Chromium and aluminium from mineral tanning materials; tara, gambier and valonea from vegetable ones were selected for the trials. Simple acid dyes gave good consumption and fastness values for dyeing of mineral tanned leathers however the values for vegetable tanned leathers were relatively bad. 1:1 metal complex dyes were tried as an alternative, and the results of the trials were rather good for both the mineral and vegetable tanned leathers.


Abstract:With the increasing availability of electronic devices, social media platforms are pervasive in adolescents' lives. Much of adolescents' peer interactions occur virtually—to the point that the line between online and off-line relationships has become blurred. This article aims at sharing starting points with researchers who are in the initial stages of incorporating social media into their program of research on peer relationships in the context of adolescent development. We first present promising theoretical frameworks to contextualize research questions on this topic, and we then provide an overview of empirical work documenting the motivations for adolescents to use social media, followed by risks of social media use for adolescents' well-being. Last, as we propose directions for future research, we highlight novel realities that have emerged from the social media, and we suggest methodological approaches to deepen our understanding of adolescents' peer relationships and adjustment in the social media era.


The influence of some parameters on the electrical conductivity of polycristalline stanic dioxide has been studied in use of gas detection. A first various samples were obtained by changing sintering parameters (temperature, atmosphere...) they have been caracterized by scanning electron microscopy (grain size), measure of thr specific surface area and the porosity. Then the influence of various grain sizes on the electrical conductivity is studied. These measures were done under different hot gaseous atmospheres. The conditions of the preparation of the samples influence the selectivity and more especially the stability of such detectors. Above all the control of grain boundaries in such material is important.


This paper reports the results of a study on the estimation of the deformation of the Italian Campotosto Lake dams and bridge due to the earthquake series recently occurring in the Central of Italy and still ongoing. The analysis is performed by processing a stack of 180 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometric images, observed by the Italian satellite system COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) and 74 interferometric SAR images, collected by the European Space Agency (ESA) satellite system Sentinel. Results show an ongoing negative subsidence at the location of the main Campotosto lake dam infrastructure and the main bridge connecting two opposite roads. The work reveals information about the Earth surface deformation, which might be useful in order to track the subsidence caused by the recent earthquake series occurring in the center of Italy and, hence, for a correct administration of the dam and an efficient technical maintenance of the local territory.


The binary phase diagram of water–C12E5 has been studied with emphasis on the L3 and dilute lamellar phases, which were found to swell to approximately 99.5 and 98.8 wt % of water, respectively, much further than has been reported previously. Focusing on these two phases, we have carried out static light and small-angle neutron scattering and electrical conductivity measurements. The repeat distance in the lamellar phase was found to exceed 3000 A. A small, but significant deviation from ideal one-dimensional swelling was observed. This deviation may be explained in terms of flexibility of the bilayers that are flat only on average. Electrical conductivity and small-angle neutron scattering data from the isotropic L3 phase are, over most of the stability range, consistent with a three-dimensional continuous bilayer structure. However, at large water contents an increase in the conductivity indicates a breakup of the structure into smaller fragments. Our results show that the simpler binary system exhibits the same characteristic features as the more complex multicomponent systems, involving brine, ionic surfactant and cosurfactant.


Nitric Oxide (NO) can promote apoptosis in some cells, whereas it inhibits apoptosis in others. This complexity is an indication of the importance of NO source (NO donors vs. endogenous), location of that source, NO concentration and cell type in understanding the role of NO. Current experiments examine NO-dependent pathways involved in tumor cell survival from a new perspective of Nitric Oxide synthase (NOS) dysregulation. Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is a necessary cofactor of NOS and can be readily oxidized to BH2 in an inflammatory environment, such as that found in solid tumors. When BH4 levels are low, electron transfer in the active site of the enzyme becomes uncoupled from L-arginine oxidation resulting in the production of O 2 − instead of NO. The uncoupled enzyme therefore becomes a generator of peroxynitrite (ONOO − ), which is produced rapidly by the reaction of O 2 − with NO. In normal tissue the ratio of BH4 to BH2 (which when utilized by NOS the enzyme is uncoupled) is 40-70:1 and sometimes greater. We examined BH4 levels by HPLC in MCF7 and MDA-231 cells in tissue culture and in flank tumor xenografts. Our experiments showed that the BH4:BH2 ratio in tissue culture and flank tumor xenografts is around 1. These findings show that NOS in tumor cells as compared to normal cells is uncoupled. Subsequent experiments focused on the ability to manipulate BH4 levels through exogenous sepiapterin (SP), converted to BH4 through sepiapterin reductase and dihydrofolate reductase, or through overexpression of GTP cyclohydrolase I, the rate-limiting enzyme in BH4 production. Both tissue culture cells and flank tumor xenografts showed a 10-15-fold increase in BH4:BH2 when given SP in the tissue culture media or in the drinking water of mice. To ensure that increasing the BH4:BH2 ratio leads to enhanced NOS coupling, the production of NO was measured by cGMP formation and O 2 − levels were assessed by HPLC. As hypothesized NO levels went up and O 2 − levels went down. To directly examine the effects of manipulating the BH4:BH2 ratio cells were treated with varying concentrations of SP. MCF7 cells when exposed to SP showed a 2-fold decrease in colony formation and after 3 days of treatment had no viable cells, which was assessed by the MTT assay. Effects of SP on MDA 231 cells were not as dramatic, but by using the MTT assay we were able to show that the growth rate of the cells was cut in half. To assess the effects of SP on xenografts, we used an ex-vivo clonogenic assay. This assay also showed that colony formation is significantly reduced upon treatment of the animals with SP. Previous studies in colon cancer cells have shown that when PKG, the major pathway activated by NO, is activated β-catenin levels are reduced. In our experiments MCF7 xenografts showed a significant decrease in β-catenin levels after treatment with SP. These results represent a potential new therapeutic strategy in the treatment of solid tumors. 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 2057. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2057


Methadone treatment can reduce illicit drug use, needle sharing, and the social costs and health risks of heroin addiction. It is superior to no treatment, detoxification, or treatment programs lasting less than 3 months. For most patients, the optimal methadone dose is 50 to 120 mg daily. Supervised, random urine drug specimens should be collected at least twice weekly. Long-term counseling is essential and should include information on the risks of needle sharing and on screening for HIV and hepatitis B and C.


The most recent (2010–2011) drought in the arid and semiarid lowlands (ASAL) of the Horn of Africa has rendered over 13 million people in need of food, and caused a devastating famine in southern Somalia. The drought has also raised concerns that pastoralist livelihoods in this region are no longer viable or sustainable, thereby justifying strategies that aim to sedentarize and diversify these livelihoods. Countering this view are advocates of wholesale protection of pastoralist livelihoods. Yet despite these very contrasting views on economic development in the region, very little research directly addresses this big picture question of where public resources should be invested. In this paper we argue that both economic theory and the existing evidence base warrant a more balanced development strategy involving movement out of pastoralism (intersectoral transformation), modernization of pastoralism (intrasectoral transformation), and cross-cutting transformations of the demographic, social, and political structure of ASAL populations. We then explore the empirical basis for balancing investments across these kinds of transformations. While the available evidence base is weak in some respects, we find that most nonpastoralist livelihoods in ASAL yield lower incomes than pastoralism, with the exception of urban livelihoods and irrigated farming. However, both irrigation and urban migration have a limited capacity to absorb growing populations. Additional irrigation investments in pastoralist regions, for example, appear to be capable of profitably absorbing only about three percent of the estimated pastoralist population in 2020. Migration is more promising, but only provided that it comes on the back of much larger investments in education and meaningful urban job opportunities.


Bone tissue engineering provided a promising approach for treatment of large bone defects resulting from maladies such as birth defects, trauma, or tumor resection. In vitro culture of a porous scaffold seeded with osteoprogenitor cells may enhance its bone regeneration potential. In this chapter, we describe the design of a novel perfusion bioreactor system with oscillatory flow for cultivating multiple 3D cellular constructs with clinical applicable size. It can perfuse culture media in a small volume repeatedly through out the scaffolds. The mixing effect of the oscillatory flow may enhance the uniform growth of cells in the scaffold in prolonged culture in vitro. The system was characterized. Mouse osteoblast-like cells, MC 3T3-E1, were dynamically seeded and cultured in large porous ceramic β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds by the oscillatory perfusion system, and then the cell growth within the scaffolds was evaluated by fluorescent study. The oscillatory perfusion system could be a simple and effective bioreactor for bone tissue engineering.