Photoluminescence properties of silicate and borosilicate glasses codoped with Tb3+ and Sm3+ions have been characterized by excitation and emission spectroscopies. When excited by ultraviolet light the glasses emit a combination of green and orange-red wavelengths giving white light. The ratio of the intensities of orange-red to green emissions can be tuned by varying both the concentration of the Sm3+ ion and an the composition of the glass matrix. The excitation and emission spectra show a self-quenching effect for the Sm3+ions and an energy transfer from Tb3+ (5D4) to Sm3+ (4G 5∕2).


The Upper Triassic Charlie Lake Formation of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin contains a number of named members. One such unit is the Siphon Member, first used in a publication by Hess (1968). His work was a series of regional cross-sections and descriptions of Upper Triassic strata in northeast British Columbia. In this publication he introduced a number of informal and named members, however, in many instances he did not properly define the members or designate type sections, including the Siphon Member. Many of Hess' (1968) stratigraphic units were identified in the Fort St John area of northeast British Columbia (map-sheet 94A). McAdam (1979) identified and correlated the Siphon Member in a manner similar to Hess, but also failed to designate a type section. This lack of a type section was remedied by Rowley (in Glass, 1990), who designated the 2-18-84-19W6 well (see Fig. 1⇓ for location) as the type section, between log depths 4411 and 4416 ft (1344.5–1346 m).

 Fig. 1.
Location maps: a) location of study area, b) location of cross-section in Figure 2⇓. (Figures 2⇓ to 4⇓⇓ following end of article.)

The Siphon Member presents some problems with how the member has been used and correlated by those in the petroleum industry and in published material. On Hess' (1968) cross-sections it is very obvious the Siphon Member has two very distinct gamma-ray log signatures. In the eastern wells, the log signature is …


Abstract. The sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th activity ratio is emerging as an important proxy for deep ocean circulation in the past. In order to allow for a direct model–data comparison and to improve our understanding of the sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th activity ratio, we implement 231Pa and 230Th in the ocean component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM). In addition to the fully coupled implementation of the scavenging behavior of 231Pa and 230Th with the active marine ecosystem module (particle-coupled: hereafter p-coupled), another form of 231Pa and 230Th have also been implemented with prescribed particle flux fields of the present climate (particle-fixed: hereafter p-fixed). The comparison of the two forms of 231Pa and 230Th helps to isolate the influence of the particle fluxes from that of ocean circulation. Under present-day climate forcing, our model is able to simulate water column 231Pa and 230Th activity and the sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th activity ratio in good agreement with available observations. In addition, in response to freshwater forcing, the p-coupled and p-fixed sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th activity ratios behave similarly over large areas of low productivity on long timescales, but can differ substantially in some regions of high productivity and on short timescales, indicating the importance of biological productivity in addition to ocean transport. Therefore, our model provides a potentially powerful tool to help the interpretation of sediment 231Pa ∕ 230Th reconstructions and to improve our understanding of past ocean circulation and climate changes.


[HIr(IV)W6O24](7-), representing the first Ir-containing Anderson-Evans-type polyanion and the first structurally characterized Ir(IV)-based polyoxometalate, has been isolated as its hydrated sodium salt and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, mass spectrometry, and IR, UV-Vis and EPR spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry indicates that the Ir(IV) ions in [HIrW6O24](7-) can undergo reversible one-electron reduction and oxidation, resulting in Ir(III) and Ir(V) derivatives.


Abstract Observers say that drug production fuels violence in Colombia, but does coca production explain different levels of violence? This article examines the relationship between coca production and guerrilla violence by reviewing national-level data over time and studying Colombia by department, exploring the interactions among guerrilla violence, exports, development, and displacement. It uses historical analysis, cartographic visualization, and analysis of the trends in four high coca-producing and four violent Colombian departments, along with a department-level fixed effects model. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the department-level analysis suggests that coca production is not the driving force of contemporary Colombian guerrilla violence. Instead, economic factors and coca eradication emerge as prominent explanatory factors.


This article discusses the design and architectural structures of Early Medieval rural settlements in Tuscany, covering the period between the 7th and 10th c. It considers hut types, granaries and store-buildings, along with enclosures, roads, courtyards and artisanal structures. The construction of palisades, ditches and stone fortifications is also discussed. Technological characteristics are discussed in detail. A social interpretation of village development is presented. The origin of village settlement seems to be in the reaction of rural populations to the failure of centralised leadership in Late Antiquity, through the formation of communities, of an egalitarian nature, to cope with changed circumstances. The increasing structural complexity of the settlement is connected to the emergence of a resident elite.


Osteotomies on 101 knees in 79 patients were assessed either prospectively or retrospectively. High tibial osteotomy was performed in 54 knees (27 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 27 with osteoarthrosis (OA)) and double (tibiofemoral) osteotomy in 47 knees (25 RA and 22 OA), and were assessed prospectively in 46 and retrospectively in 55. Using a subjective assessment, 65% showed some improvement--70% of the single and 60% of the double osteotomies. Of the four groups (OA single or double, RA single or double), OA knees having a single osteotomy improved most frequently (74%), and OA knees having a double osteotomy least frequently (50%). Significant improvements in pain score and angular deformity were recorded. The mean range of movement of the operated knee was significantly reduced, and was particularly evident in those knees having a double osteotomy. We conclude that double osteotomies tend to have a higher incidence of complications, including impaired movement, and are not more efficient in relieving pain than single osteotomies in either OA or RA.


The major obstacle to the application of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in regenerative medicine is the expansion of the donor-derived cells in vitro to obtain high cell numbers in the shortest possible time. However, MSCs gradually undergo replicative senescence after a variable number of divisions that reduce their therapeutic efficacy, which needs to be determined before administration. The authors developed a fast and simple evaluation assay testing two senescence inducers, mitoxantrone (Mxt) and trichostatin A (TSA), to predict the onset of spontaneous replicative senescence of adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASCs) and have confirmed the correlation between induced senescence and spontaneous replicative senescence in the assay using Mxt. This protocol facilitates the standardization of therapeutic ASCs and MSCs from other origins before application.


Models that involve an outcome variable, covariates, and latent variables are frequently the target for estimation and inference. The presence of missing covariate or outcome data presents a challenge, particularly when missingness depends on the latent variables. This missingness mechanism is called latent ignorable or latent missing at random and is a generalisation of missing at random. Several authors have previously proposed approaches for handling latent ignorable missingness, but these methods rely on prior specification of the joint distribution for the complete data. In practice, specifying the joint distribution can be difficult and/or restrictive. We develop a novel sequential imputation procedure for imputing covariate and outcome data for models with latent variables under latent ignorable missingness. The proposed method does not require a joint model; rather, we use results under a joint model to inform imputation with less restrictive modelling assumptions. We discuss identifiability and convergence‐related issues, and simulation results are presented in several modelling settings. The method is motivated and illustrated by a study of head and neck cancer recurrence. Imputing missing data for models with latent variables under latent‐dependent missingness without specifying a full joint model.


We examined the effect of acute hypotensive hemorrhage on corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in neurons of the rat hypothalamus. Sprague-Dawley male rats were cannulated (femoral artery and vein) and received a 15 ml/kg.3 min hemorrhage on the morning of the fourth day. Time controls received no hemorrhage. After light halothane anesthesia, the rats were decapitated at 1 or 4 h (six to nine rats per group). The hypothalami were removed, frozen, and sectioned at 12 microns. In situ hybridization was performed using two 48-base oligodeoxynucleotide probes for CRH and AVP message, respectively. Hemorrhage led to a fall in arterial blood pressure and heart rate that recovered by 1 h. Plasma ACTH, corticosterone, and AVP were elevated 20, 60, and 90 min after hemorrhage, but returned to near control levels by 4 h. CRH mRNA was significantly elevated 1 and 4 h after hemorrhage, as compared to time controls, in parvocellular neurons of the paraventricular nuclei. However, AVP mRNA was not different from controls at 1 or 4 h after hemorrhage in the magnocellular or parvocellular paraventricular nuclei, or in the supraoptic or accessory nuclei of the hypothalamus. AVP mRNA was also found in neurons of the suprachiasmatic nuclei, but there was no difference in the amount of mRNA between the 1-h hemorrhage and control groups. These data suggest that neural signals, originating for cardiovascular receptors activated by hemorrhage, up-regulate message for CRH but not for AVP in the paraventricular nuclei of the rat hypothalamus.


BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis (HD) patients are at high risk of infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). The present study was designed to determine the impact of quality control measures on the prevention of transmission of blood-borne viruses. METHODS: A total of 6182 adult maintenance HD patients from all HD units in Zhejiang Province were recruited on January 1, 2007. The baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded and all patients were followed up until death or survival at 4 years later. The Quality Control Standards of Hemodialysis were gradually implemented in HD units. The HBV or HCV seroconversion rates of the recruited patients were calculated and compared every year during the observation period. RESULTS: The prevalence of HBV was 8.3% at the beginning of the study, and 6.6% for HCV. With the implementation of the HD quality control measures, the HBV seroconversion rate tended to decrease year by year (χ 2 =6.620, P=0.085), and the HCV seroconversion rate decreased significantly (χ 2 =10.41, P=0.015). Compared with the data in 2007, the HBV seroconversion rate (χ 2 =4.204, P=0.040, relative risk ratio 0.393, 95% CI 0.156-0.991) and the HCV seroconversion rate (χ 2 =7.373, P=0.007, relative risk ratio 0.386, 95% CI 0.189-0.787) decreased significantly in 2010. CONCLUSION: Quality control measures for HD decreased the seroconversion rates of HBV or HCV in HD patients, showing that updated quality control measures reduce the risk for transmission of blood-borne viruses in the HD population.


Aneilema lanceolatum is a weed plant commonly found in farm lands and bushes around tropical African countries. The plant is utilized as livestock feeds and in traditional medicine in northern Nigeria for the treatment and management of pains, infectious diseases and as sexual stimulant. The present study was aimed at establishing microscopic, physicochemical and phytochemical constituents of the plant. The aerial parts of the plant was collected in May, 2021 from Kubanni, Sabon-gari local government area of Kaduna state and were identified and authenticated at the Herbarium unit of the Department of Botany, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria-Nigeria and a voucher number ABU0533 was assigned. The physicochemical parameters, microscopic evaluation and qualitative and quantitative screening of the plant were carried out using standard procedures. The stomatal index of the upper epidermis (18.60±1.91) is lower than the lower epidermis (22.10±2.03) with palisade ratio of 10.07±0.90. The microscopic of the stem and leaf revealed presence of epidermis, xylem and phloem. Moisture content of the powdered plants was 1.23±0.05% with water and alcohol extractives values of 20.40±0.03% and 12.40±0.05% respectively. The total ash, water-soluble and acid-insoluble ash values are 5.52±0.02, 2.05±0.02% and 2.62±0.01% respectively. The microscopic characters revealed presence of wavy and polygonal shapes of epidermal cells with anomocytic type of stomata and unicellular non-glandular trichomes. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical studies revealed presence of saponins (10.61%), alkaloids (0.98%), terpenoids (0.10%) and flavonoids (4.08%). The pharmacognostic parameters of the aerial parts of A. lanceolatum were established.


Processes of a real world manufacturer involve a nurnber of batch-processing operations. Generally, these operations require the decision on batch sizes of products and there is no specific rule to set batch sizes of all products simultaneously so that the sum of the weighted expected cycle times of ali products is minimized. The weights represent different levels of importance for products. In this study, we proposed an efficient genetic algorithm to determine the batch size combination that minimizes this sum. The proposed GA was tested on three different data sets, having number of products ranging trom 7 to 12. The results show that , for sorne cases,the proposed GA 1s etfect1ve in locating the global optimum solutions.


The ability to determine the calcium carbonate polymorphic ratio of calcite, aragonite and vaterite in a mixture is important for a variety of applications, particularly the fields of biomineralisation and crystal engineering. Raman spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction were used to quantitatively determine the polymorphic composition of both binary and tertiary mixtures of calcium carbonate. It was found that the quantitative detection limits of powder X-ray diffraction were superior to both Raman and infrared spectroscopy.


This work aimed to develop a protocol for the in vitro establishment, multiplication, rooting and ex vitro acclimatization of Mimosa pudica L., a species used in folk medicine and with pharmacological activity. Aseptic cultures were established from seeds inoculated in MS medium, without growth regulators, followed by an in vitro stabilization phase in culture medium supplemented with 2.22 μM BAP. The cultures were transferred to MS medium supplemented with different cytokinins, combined or not with an auxin, aiming its large-scale propagation. The culture medium supplemented with 5 µM BAP plus 0.5 µM NAA provided the highest multiplication rate and top quality plantlets. The combination of 0.6 µM TDZ plus 0.05 µM NAA resulted in higher multiplication rates than in response to combination of BAP plus NAA, although the subsequent maintenance of the cultures in a medium without growth regulators has resulted in low regenerative response. In vitro rooting of micro-cuttings was high even in the absence of auxins. Over 90% of plantlets transferred to the greenhouse survived after the acclimatization phase. Acclimatized plants presented normal vegetative and reproductive development. The procedures established in the present study allow a massive production of M. pudica plants for further pharmacological studies.

 Key words: Biodiversity conservation, ex vitro acclimatization, in vitro rooting, micropropagation, Mimosa pudica.


In this study, immunoglobulin variable (Ig V) region genes, c‐myc re‐arrangement and sequence and p53 status were analyzed in clones derived from a Burkitt's lymphoma cell line (LAM) in which it was previously demonstrated that Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection occurred late during lymphomagenesis. Such evidence was based on the finding that 2 groups of cellular clones, characterized by the same c‐myc re‐arrangement but different EBV‐fused termini, were obtained from the LAM cell line. The Ig V gene sequences were identical for the 2 groups of clones with different EBV‐fused termini. The Ig variable heavy (VH) gene sequence displayed a substantial accumulation of point mutations (but no intra‐clonal diversification), whereas the productive Ig V lambda (Vλ) gene sequence was virtually unmutated. Studies on the Ig V kappa (Vκ) locus suggested a receptor revision event (with a switch from κ to λ chain production) prior to EBV infection. Likewise, it was determined that the mutations observed in both p53 alleles and in the re‐arranged c‐myc gene occurred before EBV infection. Based on these findings, we present a model for the various steps of lymphomagenesis. It is proposed that stimulation by an antigen or a superantigen initially favored the clonal expansion and accumulation of other cytogenetic changes, including those involved in receptor editing. These events occurred prior to or during the germinal center (GC) phase of B‐cell maturation. Thereafter, possibly upon exit of the cells from the GC, EBV infection occurred, further promoting lymphomagenesis. Int. J. Cancer 88:744–750, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


INTRODUCTION
Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFWRS) is an acute infectious disease with abrupt onset, high fever, renal failure and frequent hemorragies. HFWRS during the pregnancy has relatively low occurrence, with only few described cases mostly in the region of the former Soviet Union. Although, according to the data from the literature, the disease is less severe during the pregnancy, the eclampsy, stillbirth and fetal infection were also described.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
During the summer period, June-September 2002 in the area of northeast Montenegro, and mainly among people whose job was connected with rural areas, the HFRS was observed more frequently. In that area during the stated period, 12 patients underwent treatment whose disease was confirmed by the IIF method at the Torlak Institute of Virology in Belgrade. Among the patients there were two pregnant women aged 23 and 29 (both in their second pregnancies), in the 23rd and 26th gestational week, respectively. The aim of this study is to present 2 case studies and to show the disease impact on fetal development.

RESULTS
The patients aged 23 and 29 yrs, were previously healthy women in their second pregnancies (23rd and 26th gestational week, respectively). The disease had typical beginning. The predictions made according to the laboratory abnormalities and the level of oliguria were that the disease would have a less severe course. Hemorrraghic syndrome was less prominent, and the laboratory analyses were normalized after 15 to 18 days. The monitoring of pregnancy during the disease period and after recovering showed no fetal suffering. The patients had PV delivery, in 39-th an 40-th, respectively. The newborns blood testing on Hantan viruses was done by ELISA method in Torlak Institute, Belgrade. Only the IgG antibodies (1/512), were detected, the IgM antibodies were not found. Two years later the tests were repeated, and showed negative results.


Henry IV Part 1 might reasonably be expected to be the subject of even more intense critical disagreement than other major Shakespearean plays. For one thing, it belongs to a genre, the history play, for which there exists no critical tradition comparable to those devoted to tragedy and comedy. And for another, the world of the play offers so sweeping a prospect of private life and public, high life and low, war and peace, that almost any critical reading seems likely to do an injustice to some part of the panorama and so invite challenge. Curiously, though, the play actually enjoys an unusually strong critical consensus. Differences of opinion concerning particular points of interpretation are plentiful, of course, but the vast majority of commentators are agreed on two major points. First, that the pivotal figure of the play, its title notwithstanding, is Prince Hal. And second, that the thematic pattern of the play is defined in terms of Hal's relationship to King Henry, Hotspur, and Falstaff.


Addressing the issue of computer processing in the internal spherical screen projection, an internal spherical screen projection algorithm was proposed based on virtual spherical transform and virtual fisheye lens mapping. Concerning the spherical screen output distortion caused by irregular fisheye projection, a sextic polynomial of distortion correction algorithm based on the equal-solid-angle mapping function was presented to approximate any fisheye mapping function to eliminate the distortion. The six coefficients of the polynomial could be obtained via solving a linear algebra equation. The experimental results show this method is able to completely eradicate the spherical screen projection distortion. Addressing the illumination distribution modification stemming from the spherical screen projection, an illumination correction algorithm based on the cosine of the projecting angles was also proposed to eliminate the illumination distribution change. The experimental results show the illumination distribution correction method successfully recovers the originally severely modified illumination distribution into the illumination distribution almost identical to the original picture. This algorithm has theoretical instructive importance and significant practical application values for design and software development of the spherical projection systems.


The use of botulinum toxin A (BTXA) in childhood strabismus is still a matter of debate. This study investigates the indications for and outcome of BTXA therapy in children at our institution. From 1985 to 1995, 237 children up to and including 16 years of age were treated with BTXA for strabismus. We undertook a retrospective study of 163 (69%) children from this group. Factors considered were age; anaesthesia; number of, indication for and outcome of injections; complications and follow-up. There were three major indications for the use of BTXA in children: firstly to improve binocular function, secondly as a post-operative diplopia test or for cosmetic reasons, and thirdly in the investigation or treatment of paralytic and restrictive strabismus. In the first group (54 children), BTXA produced improved binocular function in 54% of all patients treated and in 49% of those with a minimum follow-up of 12 months. In the second group (82 children), 88% showed informative post-operative diplopia tests and 44% had more than one injection to maintain improved cosmetic alignment. The third group comprised 27 children with a range of diagnoses, including 1 third nerve paresis, 12 unilateral or bilateral sixth nerve pareses, 7 unilateral or bilateral Duane's syndromes, 5 lost or fibrosed muscles and 2 others. This group had a range of outcomes which are discussed in the text. BTXA is useful in the treatment of a select group of children with strabismus. If there is evidence of threatened or recently lost binocularity, or risk of creating or worsening diplopia after surgery, it is a useful therapeutic tool. In children with strabismus of unusual cause it has diagnostic value.


In this paper a Decision Tree (DT) algorithm, belonging to the family of rule generation methods, is employed to obtain an Approximate Reliability Expression (ARE) of a network. The main idea is to employ a classification technique, trained on a restricted subset of data, to produce an estimate of the Reliability Expression (RE), which provides reasonably accurate values of the reliability. The algorithm develops a tree by recursively dividing a collection of random examples (training set) for the network at hand, on the basis of the state (operating or failed) of network components. This produces a classifier that can be easily transformed into a set of intelligible disjoint rules. In the examples presented the AREs, built from a very small fraction of the total state space, produce very close reliability estimates, with errors less than 2 %. The excellent results obtained in the experiments show the potential of the method for the evaluation of the reliability of a system through an ARE.


Previously, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) classical ring-banded spherulites with periodic twisted lamellae and nonclassical concentric ringed structures induced by rhythmic growth were obtained by modulating the competition between diffusion flux and spherulitic growth. In this study, the modulation of diffusion flux and spherulitic growth on ring-banded structures is further studied, and hierarchical nested ring-banded patterns with a banded structure nested in the ridge rings of the other concentric ringed structure are prepared during slow solvent evaporation in poly(ethylene adipate) (PEA) solution films. The structural characterizations reveal that the big concentric ringed structure derives from periodic variation of thicknesses and that the small inner banded structure consists of periodic twisted lamellae. A diffusion-induced rhythmic growth mechanism and an unbalanced surface stress induced lamellar twisting model are proposed to illustrate the formation of the big concentric and the inner banded structures, respectively.


Urbanization is the strategic decision made by Chinese government at the turning of the new century. In a short span of six years, the urbanization in China has undergone considerable development. However, there has been a series of problems haunting us with the further development of urbanization. The paper begins with the issues caused by urbanization and explores its deep cause, and proposes the political recommendation from the rural education.


Seventeen sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) lines from the USDA-ARS Ft. Collins sugar beet program were screened for resistance to Beet severe curly top virus (BSCTV) and other closely related Curtovirus species in 2012. Commercial sugar beet cultivars Monohikari and HM PM90 were included as susceptible and resistant checks, respectively. The curly top evaluation was conducted at the USDA-ARS North Farm in Kimberly, ID which has Portneuf silt loam soil and had been in alfalfa in 2011. The field was plowed in the fall and in the spring, fertilized (90 lb N and 110 lb P2O5/A) on 16 Apr 12, sprayed with Ethotron (2 pt/A), and roller harrowed. The germplasm was planted (density of 142,560 seeds/A) on 21 May. The plots were two rows 10 ft long with 22-in row spacing and arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The fields were sprinkler irrigated and hand weeded as necessary. Plant populations were thinned to about 47,500 plants/A on 19 Jun. Plants were inoculated at the four to six leaf growth stage on 22 Jun with six viruliferous beet leafhoppers per plant. The beet leafhoppers were moved twice a day (right after sunrise and just before sunset) for one week by dragging a tarp through the field. The plants were sprayed with Lorsban 4E (1.5 pints/A) on 4 Jul to kill the beet leafhoppers. The plots were rated for foliar symptom development on 10 Jul using a scale of 0-9 (0 = healthy and 9 = dead), with the scale treated as a continuous variable (Plant Dis.:90:1539-1544). Leaf samples were also pulled at the time of disease rating and evaluated in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as described previously (Plant Dis. 94:972-976). Data were analyzed using the general linear models procedure (Proc GLM-SAS), and Fisher's protected least significant difference (a = 0.05) was used for mean comparisons. Disease development was uniform and other disease problems were not evident in the plot area. The disease pressure in the test was severe with good symptom development in the susceptible check. A number of the lines were not significantly different from the resistant check based on both visual symptoms and ELISA, indicating these lines had true resistance to the virus and not just tolerance. The resistant check was not completely resistant since it had symptoms and an ELISA value that was six times higher than the negative background checks. Thus, there is still room for improving resistance to the curly top virus species.


abstract:Decades of archaeological excavations have yielded a large number of bronze mirrors from late prehistoric sites in Xinjiang. Scholarly attention has been invested in fitting these specular discs into a singular origin story of the Chinese mirror. Repositioning them within the context of the eastern Eurasian steppe, this article instead takes Xingjiang mirrors as artifacts indexing both diverse local developments and transregional patterns of circulation. A typological framework is proposed based on shape and structure: knob mirror with a flat rim, knob mirror with a flanged rim, grip mirror with a long handle, tanged mirror with a short protrusion, and knobless and handleless mirror. The presence or absence of zoomorphic décor enables even finer distinctions. ArcGIS mapping is employed to investigate the geo-cultural distributions of the different mirror types across Xinjiang. As a result, this article argues that the circulation of bronze mirrors in late prehistoric Xinjiang entailed four aspects of creative processes of cultural exchange, including diversity, fluidity, connectivity, and adaptability. Diversity is manifest in the richness and variety of Xinjiang mirror types. Fluidity challenges the knob-versus-grip dichotomy long held in academia. Connectivity captures frequent and multiple exchanges across all parts of the steppe that generated pan-regional styles and facilitated transfer of mirror casting techniques and designs. Adaptability foregrounds the agency of local invention and adaptation. The combined local-global perspective brings into focus the intricacies of mirror circulation centered in Xinjiang, a pivotal geographic and cultural hub of East-West exchange long before the Han empire's opening of the Silk Road in the second century b.c.


This paper presents an inverse pedestrian urban design method and an initial set of parametric tools for conceptual design support at the pedestrian urban scale. Inverse pedestrian urban design concerns the derivation of urban design parameters from a local context in order to produce better informed and situated designs. The tools concern the rationalization of street network and building form. Some of the parameters that are used within the tools are view angles (visibility analysis) and distances between target points (accessibility analysis). The paper elaborates on inverse urban design, presents some case studies and tools, and touches upon design patterns and their alignment to design processes.


Between 2005 - 2011. the New Zealand Tertiary Education Consortium (NZTEC) was contracted to the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in the Sultanate of Oman. This long-term, long-distance off-shore education contract committed four New Zealand universities to providing degrees in four discipline areas (as ell as English language support) within the Omani Colleges of Applied Science. As part of this process, AUT University's Bachelor of Communication Studies as redeveloped for delivery in Oman. This case study will focus on the Journalism major and in particular the nature of the courses within this major, the difficulties encountered in redeveloping them and the challenge of delivering them under these particular circumstances in this particular time frame. The wider picture of the type of journalism practised in Oman; what is expected of or indeed possible for - journalists in that society; and journalism as a force for democracy in Arab countries will also be briefly discussed.


[FIRST PARAGRAPHS]

Is vagueness a feature of the world or merely of our representations
of the world? Of course, one might respond to this question by asserting
that insofar as our knowledge of the world is mediated by our
representations of it, any attribution of vagueness must attach to the latter.
However, this is to trivialize the issue: even granted the point that all
knowledge is representational, the question can be re-posed by asking
whether vague features of our representations are ultimately eliminable or
not. It is the answer to this question which distinguishes those who believe
that vagueness is essentially epistemic from those who believe that it is,
equally essentially, ontic. The eliminability of vague features according to
the epistemic view can be expressed in terms of the supervenience of
'vaguely described facts' on 'precisely describable facts':

If two possible situations are alike as precisely described in terms of
physical measurements, for example, then they are alike as vaguely
described with words like 'thin'. It may therefore be concluded that the facts
themselves are not vague, for all the facts supervene on precisely
describable facts. (Williamson 1994, p. 248; see also pp. 201-
204)

It is the putative vagueness of certain identity statements in
particular that has been the central focus of claims that there is vagueness
'in' the world (Parfit 1984, pp. 238-241; Kripke 1972, p. 345 n. 18). Thus,
it may be vague as to who is identical to whom after a brain-swap, to give
a much discussed example. Such claims have been dealt a forceful blow
by the famous Evans-Salmon argument which runs as follows: suppose for
reductio that it is indeterminate whether a = b. Then b definitely possesses
the property that it is indeterminate whether it is identical with a, but a
definitely does not possess this property since it is surely not
indeterminate whether a=a. Therefore, by Leibniz's Law, it cannot be the
case that a=b and so the identity cannot be indeterminate (Evans 1978;
Salmon 1982).


The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of 2 Kobangs. Daecheongryong-tang and Samhwangsasim-tang on to two psoriasis patients each. The improvement of the skin condition was observed by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score. The patient treated with Daecheongryong-tang showed significant improvement after the patient"s state of sweating improved and the PASI score of the patient reduced from 17.6 to 1.8 after five months of treatment. The patient treated with Samhwangsasim-tang showed gradual improvement after the patient"s defecation was improved and the PASI score of the patient reduced from 27.3 to 3.6 after three months of treatment. According to the results, we obtained clinically positive effects from 2 Kobangs applied on 2 psoriasis cases respectively. Although there were few reports on psoriasis treated with Kobang, we can suggest effective treatment on psoriasis.


Changes in systemic and regional hemodynamic during sound-induced convulsions were measured with microsphere technique in genetically epilepsy-prone rats of Krushinsky-Molodkina (KM-rats) strain. Blood pressure increased from 103 till 178 mm Hg and cardiac index rose from 27.3 till 49.3 ml/min/100 g b. w. during convulsions. Blood flow was increased in the brain and in the heart by 140-700%, whereas in most of internal organs it was decreased by 40-94%.


Abstract Objectives: Here, using rat model, we investigated the roles of gardenoside in the chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the ischiadic nerve. Methods: Bennett and Xie's unilateral sciatic nerve CCI model was used in this study. A total of 60 rats were divided into control group (CN), sham group (Sham), CCI group, and gardenoside administrated CCI group. An aliquot of 5 mL gardenoside solution was administrated through gavage once per day for 14 d. Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and the thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were detected. The levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in spinal fluid were detected by ELISA. By using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot, we analyzed the expression of P2X purinoceptor 3 and 7 (P2X3 and P2X7 receptors) in different groups. The expression of p-ERK/ERK and p-p38/p38 were also detected by western blot. Results: We found out that gardenoside could significantly improve the sciatica by partially restore the decrease of MWT and TWL in CCI rats. The levels of iNOS, IL-1β, and TNF-α were higher in CCI group (p < .05). The expressions of P2X3 and P2X7 were significantly increased in the CCI rats compared to control rats (p < .05). The levels of p-ERK/ERK and p-p38/p38 were also obviously increased in CCI group (p < .05). After treated with the gardenoside, these increases were decreased. Conclusions: These results indicated that gardenoside may be able to relief CCI-induced neuropathic pain by regulating the P2X3 and the P2X7 expression on the ischiadic nerve.


About 40-50% of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) patients with locally advanced disease show resistance to therapy and develop recurrent cancer over the course of their treatment. Current CRC staging based on histopathology and imaging has a limited ability to predict prognosis. A major advance has been the elaboration of molecular classifications based on global gene expression profiles, which have defined CRC subtypes displaying resistance to therapy and poor prognosis. We have recently evaluated these molecular classification systems and discovered that their predictive power arises from genes expressed by stromal cells rather than by epithelial tumor cells. Our functional dissection of CRC progression shows that metastasis relies on a tumor cell non-autonomous program driven by TGF-beta in the microenvironment. Virtually all poor prognosis CRC subtypes upregulate this stromal gene program, which confers a survival advantage to metastatic stem cells during organ colonization. Here I will discuss our latest data about the dichotomy of TGF-beta signaling in epithelial versus stromal cells during CRC progression and the use of patient derived tumor organoids and mouse models to test the efficacy of anti-TGF-beta therapies for CRC treatment. Citation Format: Eduard Batlle. Identification and therapeutic targeting of poor prognosis subtypes in colorectal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Developmental Biology and Cancer; Nov 30-Dec 3, 2015; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(4_Suppl):Abstract nr IA32.


Operating experience with a large number of lines of various types, utilizing wood as lightning insulation, has demonstrated that ordinary woods have considerable insulation strength for lightning voltages, and that wood can be used to advantage in combination with other measures for improving the lightning performance of lines. The analyses have contributed materially to the present general conclusion that lightning strokes terminating on conductors and structures are responsible for the majority of lightning flashovers, at least on the higher-voltage lines; also that direct strokes must and can be coped with. The methods offering the greatest promise at present are; (1) diverting the lightning strokes from the conductors and conducting the lightning currents to earth without permitting flashover to the power conductors; (2) draining the lightning from the power conductors through fast operating dynamic follow current interrupting devices, thus avoiding insulator flashovers; and (3), a combination of these two methods. High lightning insulations alone are not generally effective in reducing the number of lightning tripouts of lines, though in the lower-voltage ranges, some decrease in the probability of dynamic current following the lightning arcs may be realized.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the reliability of the histopathologic diagnosis of melanocytic dysplasia among diverse dermatopathologists who had no joint training, agreed to abide by predetermined criteria, and who were provided reference photomicrographs illustrative of the criteria.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
A stratified random sample of 112 melanocytic tumors were chosen from the files of the pathology department of a large staff-model health maintenance organization. The original diagnoses included typical and dysplastic melanocytic nevi and melanoma. A single representative slide for each case was interpreted independently by each of the 5 panel dermatopathologists and 2 melanoma specialists. They had no prior knowledge of the original diagnosis or the diagnoses of the other panel members.

INTERVENTIONS
None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Interrater reliability was measured by intraclass and Pearson correlation coefficients. Each case was graded on a 5-point scale from no dysplasia to melanoma.

RESULTS
The intraclass correlation among the panel members was 0.67 (95% confidence interval, 0.59-0.73). The Pearson correlations of each of the 5 panel dermatopathologists with the mean of the 2 melanoma specialists ranged from 0.67 to 0.84, and the correlations of the mean of the panel with the 2 melanoma specialists were 0.79 and 0.82; the mean reading of the melanoma specialists correlated 0.89 with the mean panel reading. Apparent protocol violations occurred in 6.5% of the readings.

CONCLUSIONS
Agreement was substantial to excellent for the histopathologic diagnosis of 112 melanocytic tumors by dermatopathologists. Using predetermined criteria, melanocytic dysplasia can be reproducibly graded among diverse general dermatopathologists.


In this work, two analytical methods, called homotopy-perturbation method (HPM) and variational iteration method (VIM) are introduced to obtain the exact solutions of an initial value problem of parabolic type. The main objective is to propose alternative methods of solu- tion, which do not require small parameters and avoid linearization and physically unrealistic assumptions. The results show that these methods are very efficient and convenient and can be applied to a large class of problems.


MOTIVATION
Mathematical modeling and simulation, based on biochemical rate equations, provide us a rigorous tool for unraveling complex mechanisms of biological pathways. To proceed to simulation experiments, it is an essential first step to find effective values of model parameters, which are difficult to measure from in vivo and in vitro experiments. Furthermore, once a set of hypothetical models has been created, any statistical criterion is needed to test the ability of the constructed models and to proceed to model revision.

RESULTS
The aim of our research is to present a new statistical technology towards data-driven construction of in silico biological pathways. The method starts with a knowledge-based modeling with hybrid functional Petri net. It then proceeds to the Bayesian learning of model parameters for which experimental data are available. This process exploits quantitative measurements of evolving biochemical reactions, e.g. gene expression data. Another important issue that we consider is statistical evaluation and comparison of the constructed hypothetical pathways. For this purpose, we have developed a new Bayesian information-theoretic measure that assesses the predictability and the biological robustness of in silico pathways.

AVAILABILITY
The FORTRAN source codes are available at the URL http://daweb.ism.ac.jpyoshidar/GDA/ SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


An epidemiological survey for onchocerciasis was carried out in the San Vicente Pacaya area of Guatemala. A total of 2,153 inhabitants were examined by a single skin snip, and 664 (30.8%) were positive for microfilariae. Slit lamp examination of the anterior chamber of the eye revealed microfilariae in 6.2%; the positive rate for microfilariae in the anterior chamber was proportional to the microfilarial density in the skin. The altitude-dependent character of onchocercal infection was shown in this mountainous area, suggesting that transmission occurs principally between 600 and 1,300 m. Of, 1,217 persons examined simultaneously by skin snip and by palpation for nodules, 587 were positive by one or both methods; 101 infections were detected by onchocercal nodules only and these were usually in children or persons living in areas of low endemicity. It was concluded that both the skin snip and a search for nodules are required for accurately determining the prevalence of onchocerciasis in Guatemala.


The ASP pattern's core is to realize on-line rental application software to achieve the win-win of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and software developer. But the commercial recommendation service is the processing, which treats the massive information, filtrates them to provide users with valuable opportunities, and an improvement on the search strategy. Through the definition model and the solution strategy of the commercial recommendation system, the results are obtained by the collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm. Commercial recommendation service and ASP pattern union, display recommendation system's superiority, thus has a bigger profit.


We report synthesis of novel series of amino alcoho l derivatives of 2-methyl benzimidazole. These comp ounds have been synthesized by epoxide ring opening of 2-methy l benzimidazole with different substituted cyclic a mines. These synthesized compounds have been characterized using IR, 1 H NMR and ES-MS spectral data together with their melting point. These compounds (4a-4o) were evaluated for their preliminary in-vitro antib acterial activity against Gram +ve (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram -ve (Esch erichia coli) pathogens. Out of all tested compound s, the compounds 4c, 4j, 4n and 4o showed moderate to good activity compared to stand ard drugs Ciprofloxacin and Norfloxacin. Further, these compounds were screened for their antitubercular activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain by MABA method. The compo und 4c and 4o were found to exhibit moderate antimycobacterial activity compared to standard Iso niazid.


Previous studies have established that mycobacterial infections ameliorate allergic inflammation. However, a non‐infectious approach that controls allergic responses might represent a safer and more promising strategy. The 60–65 kDa heat shock protein (Hsp) family is endowed with anti‐inflammatory properties, but it is still unclear whether and how single mycobacterial Hsp control allergic disorders.


Abstract Today online marketing has become an integral part of marketing mix. Potential real estate customers prefer to make online research themselves. Therefore, real estate companies should be ready that search engines, corporate web pages, profiles on social media sites should strengthen the image of real estate companies and ensure better communication with customers. The aim of this paper is to explore results of qualitative research regarding real estate online marketing activities. It has been found that real estate companies' web sites provide customers with qualitative information. Some companies offer online communication experience. Several companies have created their profiles on Facebook and Twitter but not all of them use social media in an appropriate way. Real estate companies should learn how to use online marketing tools more effectively.


Objective: To evaluate the immediate and long-term clinical outcomes after carotid artery stenting (CAS) with and without protection devices (PDs), compared with carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Methods: A total of 116 patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis underwent CAS; 56 patients (48.3%) underwent CAS-PD; and 137 patients underwent CEA. Results: There were more ipsilateral transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) in the CEA group than in CAS-PD and CAS + PD (4 [3%] vs 1 [1.6%] and 0 respectively, P = 0.02). In the CAS-PD group there were more vertebrobasilar TIAs, ipsi- and contralateral strokes, myocardial infarctions, and death rates in the 30-day postprocedural period. After 8-year follow-up, there were 18 (30%) death cases in the CAS-PD group, 10 death cases (17%) in the CAS + PD patients, and 15 death cases (11%) in the CEA group of patients (P = .02). Conclusion: Our data show that CAS + PD was associated with lower rate of vascular complications and mortality compared with CAS-PD and CEA.


Unexpected circumstances due to the virus or host may emerged in hepatitis B virus (HBV) serology. Atypical serological profiles in HBV infection may cause especially diagnosis and follow-up problems. Isolated positivity of antibodies aganist core antigen (anti-HBc), occult HBV infection, anti-HBc negative chronic HBV infection and concurrent positivity of hepatitis B surface antigen and its antibody can be encountered as an atypical serological profile in the course of HBV infection.


Sinusitis in children has recently received more attention as a possible etiology in chronic or persistent cough, chronic nasal congestion, purulent rhinorrhea, and generalized malaise. Its association with upper respiratory infections and allergy is still sometimes overlooked, however, resulting in prolonged but often inadequate treatment for the young patient. An attempt to better define the anatomy and physiology of the paranasal sinuses, along with a discussion of etiologies and diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, will provide some useful information in the management of this problem.


A report on a survey of employers in Queensland, NSW and Victoria. Prepared for the Queensland Department of Employment and Industrial Relations, NSW Office of Industrial Relations and Industrial Relations Victoria. From the executive summary: We appear to be living in an era where major IR policy initiatives are being driven by a preoccupation with isolated pockets of union militancy. The construction industry in particular has figured prominently in recent Federal Government deliberations. As the data on problems and attitudes revealed, this is not the primary feature of our IR system. There are, however, links between the preoccupation with 'the exceptional case' and the preferences of many employers. Radical policy initiatives have been triggered by the alleged need to deal with exceptional problems such as those in construction. These initiatives then appear to get significant employer support as they engage with their preferences. Few employers have any problems of the kind that necessitate radical IR change – they do, however, clearly have fears and imagined problems which these policies address. Once employers have experienced power in the form of increasingly unrestricted managerial prerogative, this support is likely to solidify. Under the provisions of the Federal Government's Work Choices legislation, this trend can be expected to continue. The end result of changes in both policy and practice over recent years has been a reduction in the role of collectively determined and publicly recognised standards. By definition, this means there has been increased capacity for management determined arrangements to prevail. Sometimes these take the form of registered individual agreements - the most obvious, but smallest manifestation of the change. Far greater has been the increased significance of less public arrangements – things like common law contracts. Whereas once these operated in the context of a vital and encompassing award system, they now operate in a situation where tribunals have limited capacity to act and unions are highly circumscribed. In a situation where workforce reductions are commonplace even at the peak of the business cycle, it is no wonder that 'full employment' today does not mean the same thing for workers as it meant when the official unemployment rate was this low a generation ago. If we want to realise the full benefits of full employment – especially decent jobs worth having – new initiatives that enhance and nurture job quality are needed. The current direction of Federal IR policy is, however, moving in the opposite direction.


While each financial crisis has its own characteristics, there is now widespread recognition that crises arising from sources such as financial speculation and excessive credit creation do inflict harm on the real economy. Detecting speculative market conditions and ballooning credit risk in real time is therefore of prime importance in the complex exercises of market surveillance, risk management, and policy action. This chapter provides an R implementation of the popular real-time monitoring strategy proposed by Phillips, Shi and Yu in the International Economic Review (2015), along with a new bootstrap procedure designed to mitigate the potential impact of heteroskedasticity and to effect family-wise size control in recursive testing algorithms. This methodology has been shown effective for bubble and crisis detection and is now widely used by academic researchers, central bank economists, and fiscal regulators. We illustrate the effectiveness of this procedure with applications to the S&P financial market and the European sovereign debt sector using the psymonitor R package developed in conjunction with this chapter.


This article explores the value of simulation for autonomous-vehicle research and
 development. There is ample research that details the effectiveness of
 simulation for training humans to fly and drive. Unfortunately, the same is not
 true for simulations used to train and test artificial intelligence (AI) that
 enables autonomous vehicles to fly and drive without humans. Research has shown
 that simulation "fidelity" is the most influential factor affecting training
 yield, but psychological fidelity is a widely accepted
 definition that does not apply to AI because it describes how well simulations
 engage various cognitive functions of human operators. Therefore, this
 investigation reviewed the literature that was published between January 2010
 and May 2022 on the topic of simulation fidelity to understand
 how researchers are defining and measuring simulation fidelity
 as applied to training AI. The results reported herein illustrate that
 researchers are generally using agreed-upon terms such as physical
 fidelity, but there is an emerging definition of functional
 fidelity that is being adopted to replace the concept of
 psychological fidelity for training AI instead of
 humans.


Introduction: Cesarean section is a common surgical surgery in women, and post-cesarean pain and stress are the problems which are faced by young women keen to care of their newborns. Post-operative pain management reduces patient's discomfort, enables quicker walking, reduces hospital stay, and increases patient's satisfaction. This study was performed with aim to determine the effect of massage on post-cesarean pain. Methods: This single-blind clinical trial was conducted on 156 primiparous women referred to Amol Emam Ali hospital for elective cesarean section from 2014 to 2015. The samples were randomly divided into three groups including hands and foot massage, foot massage, and control groups (n=52 in each group). The, four hours after receiving analgesics, patients' pain intensity and vital signs were measured before, immediately after, and 90 minutes after the massage. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22) and STATA software (version 12). P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: A significant reduction was observed in pain intensity immediately and 90 minutes after massage in intervention groups (P<0.001), but the difference between two intervention groups was not statistically significant (P=0.98). Moreover, changes in physiological parameters (blood pressure and respiration) were also significant after massage (P<0.001). However, changes in pulse rate were not significant. Also, a significant reduction in level of anxiety was observed after massage (P<0.001). Conclusion: Massage of hands and feet as an effective intervention with no nursing side-effect can be helpful in care and control of postoperative pain in patients.


M enstrual Hygiene Practices (MHP), vary worldwide depending upon the socio-economic status of individual, Personal likeness, traditional beliefs and ease of access to water and sanitation resources. These practices can be unhygienic and inconvenient for women belonging to a poor section of society. The relationship between Urogenital infections (UGI) (bacterial Vaginosis, BV) and Urinary tract infections (UTI) with MHP is not much explored. A hospital based case control study was performed where 159 women participants were investigated. Vaginal Swabs were collected for the possibility to check for BV infections and Urinary culture were asses to check for UTI status. In the study 71 symptomatic cases were and 88 asymptomatic controls were investigated. The socio-economic status, clinical symptoms, reproductive history and availability of good sanitation and water resource among participants were obtained by standardized questionnaire. Women who used reusable absorbent pads are more prone to develop symptoms associated with UGI (AdjOR = 1.9, 95% ), and diagnosed with either BV or UTI, than those which are using disposable pads and following good MHP. The low education status of the participants and lack of sufficient space and resources to adopt safer MHP practices are major factors which leads to unhygienic menstrual practices which exposes women to UGI. There is a dire need to organize awareness camps which can teach women to adopt safer MHP and also use of low cost MHP-material which can save their exposure to pathogenic infections.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the radon levels of groundwater being used for drinking and indoor radon levels in the environs of villages/towns of Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, India, to determine the health hazards. Radon concentrations in the collected water samples were measured with RAD7 an electronic radon detector connected to a RAD- H2O accessory (Durridge Co., USA). In the setup, the RAD7 detector was used for measuring radon in water by connecting it with a bubbling kit which enables to degas radon from a water sample into the air in a closed loop. A sample of water was taken in a radon-tight reagent bottle of 250 mL capacity connected in a close circuit with a zinc sulphide coated detection chamber which acts as scintillator to detect alpha activity and a glass bulb containing calcium chloride to absorb the moisture. Air was then circulated in a closed circuit for a period of 5-10 min until the radon was uniformly mixed with the air and the resulting alpha activity was recorded and it directly gives the radon concentration. The measured radon concentration in drinking water ranges from 2.03 BqL -1 to 6.65 BqL -1 with an average value of 4.27 BqL -1 . The measured values of radon concentration in drinking water are well within the range (4 to 40 BqL -1 ) suggested for radon concentration in water for human consumption by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. The measured values of indoor radon concentration in dwellings of the same area vary from 10 Bqm -3 to 28.2 Bqm -3 with an average value of 20.28 Bqm -3 . The measured values for drinking water and for indoor air for the study area suggest that the area is safe for residents and there is no significant threat to the population as per as radon concentration is concerned.


Development cooperation, humanitarian aid and persons with disabilities Mina Lomuscio, Marta Collu The UNCRPD reaffirms the human rights of persons with disabilities and underlines the need to respect them. In this direction, the Italian Cooperation developed – with the involvement of civil society and beneficiaries in the whole decision- making process – guidelines, manuals, and tools with the aim to operationalize the Convention. In developing countries multiple forms of discrimination are often associated with exclusion and vulnerabilities. In these contexts, it is essential to support local authorities in adopting legislation policies and to build strategies and programmes in favour of persons with disabilities with special attention to situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies, including armed conflicts and natural disasters. All initiatives supported by the Italian Cooperation have been designed according to the idea that any intervention has to be tailored on the needs of the person with disabilities, promoting the highest possible level of autonomy and independence, and enabling them to take an active role in the development of civil society and in the response to emergencies. Having this in mind, it is crucial to build the capacity of local and national institutions, of civil society organisations and humanitarian agencies, to empower persons with disabilities and their organizations and to put in place structured consultation systems in order to facilitate data exchange and good practices among governments and civil society. The path followed by the Italian Cooperation has always been consistent with the provisions of the art. 32 and art. 11. Italy has been among the most active in supporting the rights of persons with disabilities through a participatory and multidisciplinary approach.


Abstract Recent studies take increasingly refined views of how socioeconomic conditions influence political behaviour. We add to this literature by exploring how voters' prospective evaluations of long-term economic and social opportunities relate to electoral contestation versus the stabilization of the political-economic system underpinning the knowledge society. Using survey data from eight West European countries, we show that positive prospects are associated with higher support for mainstream parties (incumbents and opposition) and lower support for radical parties on all levels of material well-being. Our results support the idea that 'aspirational voters' with positive evaluations of opportunities (for themselves or their children) represent an important stabilizing force in advanced democratic capitalism. However, we also highlight the importance of radical party support among 'apprehensive voters', who are economically secure but perceive a lack of long-term opportunities. To assess the implications of these findings, we discuss the relative importance of these groups across different countries.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

The embryonic gene Cripto-1 (Cr-1) is expressed at very low levels in normal adult tissues and detected at high levels in several human tumors. We have previously found that Cr-1 can facilitate the proteolytic intracellular processing of all four Notch receptors. Transgenic mice overexpressing the Notch4 intracellular domain (Int3) in the mammary gland under the control of the whey acidic protein (WAP) promoter rapidly develop mammary hyperplasias and undifferentiated mammary adenocarcinomas in aged nulliparous females and after multiple cycles of pregnancy. Eighty percent of WAP-Int3 females develop mammary tumors by the second pregnancy. To assess the contribution of Cr-1 in the hyperplasias and tumors that arise in transgenic WAP-Int3 mice, we developed a bi-transgenic mouse model lacking one allele of Cr-1, by crossing the knock-in Cr-1/LacZ mice (containing a promoter-less bacterial β-galactosidase gene which disrupts one of the Cr-1 alleles) to WAP-Int3 transgenic mice. We found a 90% reduction in the frequency of mammary hyperplasias in these Cr-1/LacZ/WAP-Int3 mice in comparison to WAP-Int3 mice. Additionally, in the absence of one allele of Cr-1, Int3-induced transformation of mouse mammary epithelial cells was delayed in vivo, and additional cycles of pregnancy were required to observe tumor growth. Notably, only 20% of the Int3/Cr-1 haploinsufficient mice developed mammary tumors by the second pregnancy, as compared to 80% of those mice that preserve two alleles of Cr-1. The few tumors derived from these mice also showed a significantly more differentiated histology in comparison to those tumors that arose from mice preserving both alleles of Cr-1. We are currently generating a mouse model which conditionally lacks the two alleles of Cr-1 in the mammary gland, what should better address our question regarding the functional significance of Cr-1 in the development of Int3-induced mammary tumorigenesis.

Citation Format: Maria Cristina Rangel, Ahmed Raafat, Nadia P. Castro, Malgorzata Klauzinska, Hideaki Karasawa, Alyson Baker, Robert Callahan, David S. Salomon. Mammary tumorigenesis in haploinsufficient Cripto-1 mice. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-261. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-261


Various neural network architectures rely on pooling operators to aggregate information coming from different sources. It is often implicitly assumed in such contexts that vectors encode epistemic states, i.e. that vectors capture the evidence that has been obtained about some properties of interest, and that pooling these vectors yields a vector that combines this evidence. We study, for a number of standard pooling operators, under what conditions they are compatible with this idea, which we call the epistemic pooling principle. While we find that all the considered pooling operators can satisfy the epistemic pooling principle, this only holds when embeddings are sufficiently high-dimensional and, for most pooling operators, when the embeddings satisfy particular constraints (e.g. having non-negative coordinates). We furthermore show that these constraints have important implications on how the embeddings can be used in practice. In particular, we find that when the epistemic pooling principle is satisfied, in most cases it is impossible to verify the satisfaction of propositional formulas using linear scoring functions, with two exceptions: (i) max-pooling with embeddings that are upper-bounded and (ii) Hadamard pooling with non-negative embeddings. This finding helps to clarify, among others, why Graph Neural Networks sometimes under-perform in reasoning tasks. Finally, we also study an extension of the epistemic pooling principle to weighted epistemic states, which are important in the context of non-monotonic reasoning, where max-pooling emerges as the most suitable operator.


BACKGROUND Gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) usually originates in the stomach, followed by the small intestine, rectum, and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. The most common sites of metastasis are the liver and peritoneum, whereas spinal metastases from GIST are extremely rare. CASE SUMMARY We found a case of GIST with the first presentation of multilevel spinal metastases involving the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. A 61-year-old Chinese man presented to our clinic because of pain in his lower back and hip for 10 d without cause. Subsequently, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed abnormal signals in the vertebral appendages of T12 and L4 accompanied by spinal canal stenosis, which was considered as tumor metastasis. As there were no metastases to vital organs, posterior thoracic and lumbar spinal decompression + adnexal mass resection + pedicle internal fixation was adopted to achieve local cure and prevent nerve compression. The results of histopathological studies were consistent with the metastasis of GIST. No local recurrence or new metastases were found at the 6-mo follow-up at the surgical site. The patient has no neurological symptoms at present. It is worth mentioning that a rectal mass was found and surgically removed 1 mo after the patient was discharged from hospital, and the pathological diagnosis of the mass was GIST. CONCLUSION By reviewing 26 previously reported cases of spinal metastasis in GIST, it was found that spinal metastasis of GIST has become more common in recent years, so the possibility of early spinal metastasis should be recognized. CT and MRI are of great value in the diagnosis of spinal metastatic tumors, and pathological biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of metastatic tumors. It is safe and feasible to treat isolated spinal metastasis in GIST by excising metastatic masses, decompressing the spinal canal, and stabilizing the spine.


A fundamental understanding of damage to thin oxides in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching reactors is required to enable their widespread acceptance. XPS, C - V, DLTS and electrical breakdown techniques were used to study damage in a ICP reactor configuration capable of generating very uniform plasma. A Langmuir probe was employed to study the uniformity but any micro-nonuniformity close to the wafer surface could not be clearly identified. Etch induced electrical damage to thin oxide was found to be in good agreement with physical damage. It was observed that the degradation to thin oxide is associated with the high-energy electron bombardment when only the rf coil is powered with a floating rf electrode that holds the wafer. However, when both the coil and the electrode are powered the intensity of damage is a function of rf power.


Petrel seabirds heavily rely on their olfactory sense and are thus appropriate models for the study of avian chemical communication. The uropygial secretions of blue petrels Halobaena caerulea, for instance, have been shown to encapsulate elaborate sociochemical information including species, gender and identity. Yet, it is the plumage, and not preening secretions per se, which acts as the final substrate of avian scents. Importantly, the chemical relationship between secretions from the uropygial gland, located at the dorsal base of the tail, and plumage lipids has been considered in only a handful of studies which reported large qualitative differences. The emission process of avian scents, and the possible participation of the uropygial gland in particular, are therefore not elucidated. In the present study, we examine the early chemical trajectory of blue petrels' social chemosignals by comparing secretion and feather samples using Gas-Chromatography Mass-Spectrometry (GC/MS) and recently developed multivariate statistics. Our results indicate that (1) 85% of the feather lipids come from the uropygial secretions, (2) chemical differentiation between secretions and feather lipids includes qualitative and quantitative variations, which both have interesting implications for scent production, (3) the sociochemical information contained within the secretions (i.e. a sex-specific signal and individual chemical signatures) are present in very conserved forms on the plumage. In the light of these results, it is apparent that the uropygial gland plays a critical role for chemical communication in petrels and possibly other avian groups.


The Suns-VOC technique is used to acquire pseudocurrent-voltage (JV) characteristics of solar cells which are unaffected by their series resistance and, therefore, only reflect generation and recombination. It is well established for inorganic solar cells. In this study, the applicability of the Suns-VOC method on organic solar cells is investigated. In the first part, the necessary assumptions on which the method is based are reviewed. It is discussed to what extent transient effects are caused by long charge carrier lifetimes, and capacitive effects have to be considered. Experiments show that this measurement technique can be successfully applied on organic solar cells based on blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). By comparing pseudo-JV curves and JV curves measured under standard conditions, the series resistance can be extracted. It is composed of an ohmic contribution of the circuitry Rcirc and an injection dependent part caused by the transport of the charge carriers through the photoactive layer Rtransp. The results clearly indicate that the relative contribution of Rtransp is significantly larger than in inorganic solar cells due to the low charge carrier mobilities. By comparing different organic solar cell designs, qualitative information about the recombination processes is acquired.


Virtual prototyping is a more and more accepted technology to enable early software development in the design flow of embedded systems. Since virtual prototypes are typically constructed manually, their value during design space exploration is limited. On the other hand, system synthesis approaches often start from abstract and executable models, allowing for fast design space exploration, considering only predefined design decisions. Usually, the output of these approaches is an "ad hoc" implementation, which is hard to reuse in further refinement steps. In this paper, we propose a methodology for automatic generation of heterogeneous MPSoC virtual prototypes starting with models for streaming applications. The advantage of the proposed approach lies in the fact that it is open to subsequent design steps. The applicability of the proposed approach to real-world applications is demonstrated using a Motion JPEG decoder application that is automatically refined into several virtual prototypes within seconds, which are correct by construction, instead of using error-prone manual refinement, which typically requires several days.


As mobile‐only use has increased over the last decade, research has found that mode of online access (mobile‐only vs. mobile and computer use) is related to digital inequalities. Relying on the literature on affordances and digital inclusion, this study seeks to: (1) examine the effects of mode of access on the number of online activities, over time; and (2) understand how the context of transitioning between modes of access shape how people perceive technologies. We conducted a 3‐year mixed‐methods longitudinal study. First, we ran a two‐wave representative panel survey in Chile (N = 512). People who became hybrid users increased their activities, whereas those who became mobile‐only decreased them. Then, we interviewed a subsample of people who switched mode of access between waves (N = 22). We found that people's relation with devices and their choices evolve over time according to their shifting needs and contexts. These results point to users' agency and the relevance of the concept of affordances. Thus, we propose the concept of transitional affordances to explain how users' perceptions, experiences, and ability to compare between mode of access shape their relation, engagement, and perceived affordances of technologies.


Research article Full text in Russian The article outlines the vector of development of domestic legislation on charity in 2019-2020. The authors focus on stories of the normative regulation of charity activities in Russia, including analysis of separate provisions of the Concept of assistance to development of charity activities in the Russian Federation for the period until 2025, the action Plan for implementation in the 2019 2020 Concept of assistance to development of charity activities in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2025. The authors have identified regulatory mechanisms for stimulating the openness of the work of charitable entities, and made forecasts of the impact of legislative innovations on the well-being of charitable organizations.


Aim: To determine the correlation between Ocular axial length (AL) and body mass index (BMI) in a black population.
Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study carried out in Port Harcourt City LGA, Nigeria. Subjects were selected using multistage random sampling with inclusion criteria of Visual Acuity > 6/18, age greater than 18 years with no history of past ocular surgeries or trauma. Socio demographic data was obtained through an interviewer based structured proforma. Data obtained included age, sex, tribe, occupation and level of education. Weight, height and Body Mass Index (BMI) were measured using a standard height and weight automated scale (SECA 769,220). Ocular examinations done included visual acuity, applanation tonometry and ophthalmoscopy. Axial length (AL) was measured using Amplitude (A) scan ultrasonography (SONOMED PACSCAN 300AP). Data obtained from one eye of the subjects were analyzed using SPSS (Version 17), and p value was set at ≤ 0.05.
Results: Four hundred and sixty six (466) subjects participated in the study made up of two hundred and twelve (212) males (45.5%) and two hundred and fifty four (254) females (54.5%) with M: F ratio of 1:1.2. The age range was 18-92 years and mean age of the subjects studied 43.0±14.2 years. Findings revealed mean AL, Body Mass Index, Height and Weight to be (23.2±1.0 mm), (26.9±6.2 kg/m2), (162.5±9 cm) and (70.5±14.8 kg) respectively. The mean AL was greater in males than females. There was no statistically significant relationship between age and axial length. There was a statistically significant relationship between height and AL in both gender with AL increasing by 0.035 mm (p=0.001, r=0.261) with one centimeter change in height in males and 0.025 mm (p=0.001, r=0.2680) in females and between AL and level of education (p=0.001). There was also a statistically significant (0.009 mm) increase in AL per one kilogramme change in weight in females (p=0.0001, r=0.188). Males had longer AL than females in all the BMI groups with a statistically significant difference found between the different BMI classes.
Conclusion: This study noted that although there is no statistically significant relationship between AL and BMI, there are significant relationships between AL and height and weight respectively. Estimated AL in mm= 16.91 + 0.039 (height in cm).


We empirically study whether systematic over-the-counter (OTC) market frictions affect the large unexplained common factor in yield spread changes. Using transactions data on U.S. corporate bonds, we show that measures of marketwide inventory, search, and bargaining frictions reduce the unexplained common component by 19 percentage points. Systematic OTC frictions substantially improve the explanatory power of yield spread changes and account for one-third of their total explained variation. Inventory frictions are equally important in explaining the dynamics of yield spread changes as search and bargaining frictions combined. Our findings support the implications of leading theories of intermediation frictions in OTC markets.


Hα photometry and spectroscopic data have been obtained for 10 Wolf-Rayet nebulae, representing a wide variety of WN spectral types. We use these data to constrain the ionizing flux of the exciting Wolf-Rayet star, calculating lower bounds for the Lyman continuum flux (Q0) and for the He0- and He+-ionizing fluxes (Q1 and Q2). We find that Q0 appears independent of WN spectral type, and lower bound estimates tend to cluster around 48 dex. Finally, we discuss the effects of potential shock excitation and density bounding on these nebulae and compare our results to recent models. Our results are consistent with the predictions of line-blanketed ISA-wind models and nonblanketed CMFGEN models but are consistent with only some of the line-blanketed CMFGEN models.


Adult primary malignant teratoma of the thyroid is a rare disease that has a poor outcome despite aggressive therapy. A 32-year-old woman underwent a simple lobectomy of the thyroid for a progressively enlarged nodule in August 1990. Pathologic assessment of the tumor revealed a malignant teratoma. The physical examinations and image studies failed to find tumor in other sites. She subsequently received 6 courses of chemotherapy with cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin. She experienced a complete response to chemotherapy and remained disease-free for 6.5 years. This tumor must be included in the differential diagnosis of a thyroid tumor and may be treated as a testicular germ-cell tumor for which chemotherapy may be recommended.


We address extractive summarization of technical documents in the oil and gas industry, a major and urgent task due to the large volume of critical reports in that industry. We examine five distinct state-of-the-art extractive algorithms; to assess performance, a new open dataset was created using the open access Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology (JPEPT). Abstracts for papers in this journal were used as ground truths for summarization. Algorithms were refined to work with these documents in the best possible way. Our most effective algorithm achieved a state-of-the-art ROUGE-2 score of 0.123, taking 83 minutes to summarize the entire JPEPT dataset.


Tanzania has had an interesting history of Environmental Impact Assessments (EA). Few assessments were conducted prior to 2004 leading to a process of voluntary compliance without explicit laws to enforce the process. Even without a comprehensive legal and institutional framework, those EIAs generated useful policy decisions. Fundamental changes came after 2004 when Tanzania adopted the first ever-comprehensive legal and institutional framework – that is, the Environmental Management Act Cap 191. This Act promotes Environmental Assessment, gives it the legal support and defines the institutional set up for the management of the environment. However, Tanzania still grapples with EIA ineffectiveness in guiding development decisions and environmental management arising from various projects. Numerous studies on the effectiveness of EIA have explored governance issues such as stakeholder participation, legislating EIA process, capacity building and institutional arrangement. Few studies have looked at governance issues such as accountability of responsible institutions in enforcing environmental assessments and procedures. This article discusses accountability challenges in enforcing laws for EIA by exploring the experiences of selected development decisions in the post 2004 in Tanzania. The article argues that, inadequate or lack of accountability in enforcing the Environmental Management Act is a governance failure that renders the EIA process ineffective. The article calls for a re-assessment of the theoretical arguments used to understand effectiveness to include sociological and psychological factors that influences accountability actions by environmental agencies and planners.


The main subject of this paper is a detailed description of the reproductive organs of a planarian initially described by Dendy as Geoplana triangulata. Five unusual features are observed in the reproductive system: 1. The vas deferens consists of a series of wide convoluted branching tubes extending from the region of the mouth to the anterior end of the seminal vesicle. 2. The penis is very small and inconspicuous. 3. The atrium masculinum is provided with three pairs of muscular gland-organs or adenodactyli. 4. The paired ovaries are situated one on each side of the seminal vesicle, not in the region of the brain as is usual. 5. Each ovary is a long fusiform body enclosing more than one true ovary or germarium, as well as specialized parovarian and amoeboid cells which are probably nutritive, and are associated with the internal opening of the oviduct. The writer refers Geoplana triangulata Dendy to the genus Artioposthia owing to the presence of adenodactyli in the atrium masculinum. Each adenodactylus encloses a glandular reservoir from which a ciliated duct leads to the atrial cavity. The actual function of the adenodactyli is obscure, but the very small size of the penis and the fact that the adenodactyli are extrusible suggests the possibility of these latter performing the function of a penis.


Teaching and research are often thought to be different enterprises, conducted by different agents. In contrast, when arguments are made for teaching and research to be more aligned, usually it is for the purpose of encouraging teachers to make use of what researchers have to offer teachers by way of insights into language or its learning. This article argues, however, that researchers would benefit from viewing learning the way that teachers do. Indeed, newer research methodologies are now being adopted that feature teachers' retrodictions rather than researchers' predictions as standard practice. In a true relationship, there is reciprocity. Therefore, the article concludes with a call for teachers to cultivate researchers' "attitudes of inquiry."


Epitaxial monolayer and multilayer thin films were successfully grown on GaAs(111) surfaces by molecular beam epitaxy. It was confirmed that these films grew in a close-packed fcc configuration. The lattice parameters of these films were investigated at temperatures from 300 K to 14 K to study the phase transitions of the layers. Anomalies of the lattice parameters were observed in both types of film at the transition temperature . Although the of the monolayer film was 20 K lower than that of bulk crystals, the of the multilayer film was the same as that of bulk crystals. The bulk single crystal under hydrostatic pressure was also observed, to compare the epitaxial strains of the films. The of molecules was shifted lower by epitaxial strain, but was shifted higher by the application of hydrostatic pressure.


Light trap studies on population abundance of Heliothis virescens and Etiella zinckenella on different stages (bloom and pod formation) of pigeon pea were conducted during the growing seasons of 1984, 1985 and 1986. Cultivars Kaki and 2B-Bushy were used. Heliothis virescens was more abundant than E. zinckenella . Both species were detected at the bloom stage, but H. virescens predominated at the bloom and pod formation stage, indicating an early infestation. At the dry pod stage, adults of E. zinckenella were noticeable when the pods approached maturity (full pod stage) reaching a peak number during the dry pod stage. Both pod borers were more abundant at the harvest period (green pods). It is suggested that overlapping generations of both species and their life cycles are synchronous with the phenology of the crop.


The purpose of this study was to obtain information about the influence (1) pedagogical competence of teachers for teaching social studies in SMP Palu, (2) the professional competence of teachers for teaching social studies in SMP Palu, and (3) pedagogical competence and professional teachers to Junior High School social studies lesson in Palu. The method used is survey with descriptive quantitative data analysis techniques. The population in this study are all teachers IPS certified in Palu City Junior High School, as many as 116 people. Number of samples are 58 people using Proportional Stratified Random Sampling technique. Data collection techniques using Likert scale model questionnaires, interviews and documentation. Analysis of the data in this study using Normality Test Instruments, Test Analysis Coefficient of Determination, Validity Test Instruments, Test Reliability Test Instruments and Descriptive. Meanwhile, the first and second hypotheses using simple regression test, and the third hypothesis testing using multiple regression test. The results showed third-normally distributed variables to test for normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test and Analysis of reliability for variables X1, X2 and Y calculated by Cronbach alpha formula. While on the significance test using the t test and F test at significance level with a value of α = 0.05. The results showed that: First, there is positive and significant correlation between pedagogical competence of teachers to learning, with a linear regression equation Y = 23.893 + 0,719X1 with a percentage of 38.6% significance. Secondly, there is a positive and significant impact on the professional competence of learning with linear regression equation Y = 11.032 + 0,954X2 with a percentage of 29.2% significance. Third, there is a positive and significant influence jointly between guruterhadap professional pedagogical competence and learning, with the regression equation y = -1 842 + 0,534X1 + 0,509X2 with the percentage significance of Y = 17.6% (43.8% -38.6 %).


ABSTRACT The morphologies of three unusual tadpoles from slow-flowing, sandy-bottomed, rain forest streams in southeastern Madagascar are described. The large oral apparatus of the tadpole of Boophis picturatus Glaw, Vences, Andreone, and Vallan, 2001 lacks all keratinized structures and has an elaborately-folded lower labium with five, radially oriented, flat-topped ridges. The tadpole of Mantidactylus guttulatus (Boulenger, 1881) lacks all keratinized mouthparts and has three immense papillae where the upper jaw normally occurs. The tadpole of Mantidactylus lugubris (Duméril, 1853) has an ornate oral apparatus involving greatly hypertrophied derivatives of jaw serrations and unique structures on the lower labium that resemble labial teeth.


The incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease have been increasing in recent years in developing countries. The aim of this study was to report the results of a general chronic kidney disease awareness program applied to an urban population in a large Brazilian city. From January 2002 to January 2005 a total of 8883 individuals in the city of Curitiba (PR, Brazil) were screened for hypertension, body mass index, hematuria, and proteinuria. A family history and previous medical diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) were also recorded. Of the 8883 individuals assessed, 56% were women, subject median age was 47 years (range: 17-93 years) and more than 90% were Caucasian. Thirty percent had signs of hematuria, 6% had proteinuria, and 3% had hematuria and proteinuria. The median of mean arterial pressure values was 93 mmHg (range: 71-135 mmHg) and 16% of the population screened had a history of hypertension. A significant positive family history of both hypertension or DM was present in 42% (P < 0.0001; chi-square = 83.18) and 7% (P < 0.0001; chi-square = 161.31) of the hypertensive group, respectively. Finally, the prevalence of hypertension and DM was significantly higher in older individuals with proteinuria. In the present study, a higher prevalence of hematuria and proteinuria was found in older individuals with hypertension and diabetes compared to the general population. These data confirm the need for public awareness of renal disease in high-risk individuals.


The study assessed the quantity and value of food crop outputs of the gender categories in the Anambra state. At this research estimated the quantity and energy content of food stuffs consumed as well as required by each gender headed households, estimated the extent and magnitude of food security and insecurity in the area among the gender categories and examined the determinants of food security in the area among household categories. The samples were drawn from a stratified population which was divided into two gender-headed household categories so as to ensure a homogenous population. Data were collected using questionnaire and interview schedule from 3 communities which were selected using purposive sampling method. Two villages were selected from each of the communities. Ten respondents which comprises of 5 males and 5 females were randomly selected from each village, thus giving a sample size of 60 respondents (30males and 30females) used for the study. Data were analyzed with the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Logistic regression was used to correlate the food security status and socio-economic features of the various gender-headed households. The result shows that the male-headed households produced 5077.17 kg of food crops output as against the female-headed households' 2733.27 kg. Also the male-headed households required 1183.50 kilocalories (Kcal) energy worth of food crops daily to be food secure but consumed 2246.90kcal. This implies that they are food secure since the Kcal consumed was greater than required. The femaleheaded households, on the other hand, required 1161.90kcal daily but consumed 684.72kcal. This implies that the female-headed households are less food secure than male-headed households in the state. Those factors found to affect the food security status of households in the area should be emphasized for effective policy intervention strategy. [Onyemauwa, N. E et al. Gender Differentials in Food Output and Food Security in Anambra State Southeast Nigeria. International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems, 2013; 3(1):5359]


Escherichia coli, the most common Gram-negative bacterium that causes meningitis in neonates, invades human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) by rearranging host cell actin via the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and PKC-α. Here, further, we show that phospholipase (PLC)-γ1 is phosphorylated on tyrosine 783 and condenses at the HBMEC membrane beneath the E. coli entry site. Overexpression of a dominant negative (DN) form of PLC-γ, the PLC-z fragment, in HBMEC inhibits PLC-γ1 activation and significantly blocks E. coli invasion. PI3K activation is not affected in PLC-z/HBMEC upon infection, whereas PKC-α phosphorylation is completely abolished, indicating that PLC-γ1 is downstream of PI3K. Concomitantly, the phosphorylation of PLC-γ1 is blocked in HBMEC overexpressing a dominant negative form of the p85 subunit of PI3K but not in HBMEC overexpressing a dominant negative form of PKC-α. In addition, the recruitment of PLC-γ1 to the cell membrane in both PLC-z/HBMEC and DN-p85/HBMEC is inhibited. Activation of PI3K is associated with the conversion of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) to phosphatidylinositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3), which in turn recruits PLC-γ1 to the cell membrane via its interaction with pleckstrin homology domain of PLC-γ1. Utilizing the pleckstrin homology domains of PKC-δ and Btk proteins fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP), which specifically interact with PIP2 and PIP3, respectively, we show herein that E. coli invasion induces the breakdown of PIP2 at the plasma membrane near the site of E. coli interaction. PIP3, on the other hand, recruits the GFPBkt to the cell membrane beneath the sites of E. coli attachment. Our studies further show that E. coli invasion induces the release of Ca2+ from intracellular pools as well as the influx of Ca2+ from the extracellular medium. This elevation in Ca2+ levels is completely blocked both in PLC-z/HBMEC and DN-p85/HBMEC, but not in DN-PKC/HBMEC. Taken together, these results suggest that E. coli infection of HBMEC induces PLC-γ1 activation in a PI3K-dependent manner to increase Ca2+ levels in HBMEC. This is the first report demonstrating the recruitment of activated PLC-γ1 to the sites of bacterial entry.


In this study, dynamic characteristics of a robot six-axis wrist force/torque (F/T) sensor with crossbeam elastomer are analyzed by two methods of model identification, a method for simultaneous identification of order and parameters of the model (SIM) and a method based on the differential evolution (DE) algorithm. Firstly, by establishing the simplified mechanical model and finite element (FE) model, respectively, natural frequency of the six-axis wrist F/T sensor is calculated. Secondly, dynamic calibration experiment is conducted. Lastly, two dynamic models of the sensor are identified by SIM and DE methods and the dynamic characteristics of the sensor, such as natural frequency and working band, are further analyzed. Comparing experimental values with the theoretical values, the results show that this sensor has a wide dynamic range with the first natural frequency at more than 1600 Hz, working bands (±5%) are more than 400 Hz, and the step response oscillation is intense. This study can provide a reference for the application of the six-axis F/T sensor in the field of dynamic measurement.


The osteology of Lygosoma (Sphenomorphus) quoyii is described in detail from alizarin transparencies. The lizard is prevalent around Sydney and both juvenile and adult specimens were studied. Some comparisons are made with certain lacertilian skeletons described in the literature but the lack of osteological studies of other members of the genus Lygosoma and other genera of the Scincidae makes it difficult to assess the phylogenetic signifcance of the structures encounterd in the present study and impossible to establish the evolutionary position of L. quoyii within the Scincidae. Thus, no conclusions have been reached in this regard, but attention is drawn to those aspects of the skeleton of L. quoyii which may prove to be important phylogenetically.


Successful hair follicle organ culture has been established for some time, but hair growth in vitro is limited and generally terminates prematurely in comparison with in vivo. The reasons why growth stops in culture are as yet unknown. In this investigation, adult rat vibrissa follicles for which growth in culture is limited to about 10 d, were maintained in vitro for a minimum of 20 d after the hair shaft stopped growing. The pattern of fiber growth and long-term follicle pathology reflected the initial hair cycle stage at the time of isolation. Furthermore, there was evidence that a group of follicles put into culture when in late anagen were attempting to cycle in vitro. Microscopy showed that, in spite of widespread pathologic changes to the follicle epithelium, dermal cells in the follicle showed remarkable resilience. Their viability was confirmed when primary cell cultures were established from isolated dermal tissue. These cells labeled positively for alpha-smooth muscle actin, an established marker of hair follicle dermal cell phenotype in vitro. Moreover, isolated dermal tissue induced hair growth when implanted into inactivated hair follicles in vivo. These data confirm that the cessation in hair growth is not due to a loss of the inductive capacity in the dermal component. Long-term organ culture may provide opportunities to investigate factors that are expressed or lost during hair growth cessation. In addition it may be possible to develop this method further to obtain a reliable and predictable model of hair follicle cycling in vitro.


Online resources to support the interdisciplinary Health Studies program at Dickinson College. Some resources are restricted to those currently affiliated with Dickinson.