PURPOSE
We investigated the efficacy of intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF agents in a rat model of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

METHODS
We applied laser-induced photoactivation on the optic nerve head after intravenously administered rose bengal (RB). The rats immediately received an intravitreal injection of either ranibizumab or PBS. The density of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) was calculated using retrograde FluoroGold labeling. Visual function was assessed by flash visual-evoked potentials (FVEP). We investigated TUNEL assays of the retinal sections and ED1 staining of the optic nerve.

RESULTS
After treatment, the RGC densities in the anti-VEGF-treated rats were not statistically significant different from those of the PBS-treated rats (57.0% vs. 40.0% in the central retinas; 39.8% vs. 33.6% in midperipheral retinas, both P > 0.05). Measurements of FVEP showed no statistically significant differences in preserved latency or amplitude of the P1 wave between anti-VEGF and PBS groups (latency 131 ± 15 ms versus 142 ± 14 ms, P = 0.157; amplitude 34 ± 12 μv versus 41 ± 13 μv, P = 0.423). Assays of TUNEL showed that there was no statistical difference in the number of apoptotic cells in the RGC layers between anti-VEGF and PBS groups (7.0 ± 0.8 cells/high-power field [HPF] versus 7.8 ± 1.3 cells/HPF; P = 0.275). In the optic nerves, we did not observe statistically significant differences in ED1-positive cells/HPF between anti-VEGF and PBS groups (P = 0.675).

CONCLUSIONS
Intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF did not have a protective effect in the rat model of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.


This study describes the potential of sharia online business on increasing the income of the company through e-commerce. This research method is a qualitative descriptive approach. Data collection techniques such as observation, documentation and interviews. The results of this study indicate that in online marketing, the business of selling kalamsi liebhy itself goes through the stages as follows: 1. Creating the concept of displaying Liebhy Kalamansi product photos; 2. Displaying Photos of Goods in Realpict; 3. Providing services to prospective customers by establishing two-way communication so that prospective customers decide to close and make payments and direct the Bai 'Assalam contract; 4. A neat packing process and keep the goods sent from being damaged during delivery until it reaches the customer's hands. Some summaries of the results of interviews conducted show sales through e-commerce conducted by liebhy kalamansi on shoppe and instagram. This certainly provides financial benefits to the liebhy kalamansi in an effort to expand sales in a wider market.Keywords: Sharia Online Business, E-Commerce, Kalamansi


BACKGROUND

AIM
To analyze the mechanisms of resistance to carbapenems among imipenem resistant A. baumannii recovered from different wards at Charles Nicolle Hospital.

METHODS
From January to December 2007, 50 carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates were recovered from hospitalized patients. MICs were performed by agar dilution method and interpreted according to CLSI guidelines. Metallo-ß-lactamase production was evaluated using imipenem-EDTA disk synergy test. PCR and DNA sequencing targeting blaOXA genes were performed and pulsed field gel electrophoresis was used for epidemiologic study.

RESULTS
Most of the isolates were obtained from patients hospitalized in surgery (62%) and Intensive Care Units (22%). All strains showed high level of resistance to ticarcillin (MIC50 > 2048μg/ml), ticarcillin-clavulanic acid (MIC50 >1024μg/ml), aztreonam (MIC50 = 512μg/ml), ceftazidim (MIC50 = 512μg/ml), imipenem (MIC50 = 512μg/ml), meropenem (MIC50 =128μg/ml) and cefepime (MIC50 = 256μg/ml). Metallo-ß-lactamase production was negative for all isolates. The co-existence of blaOXA-51-like/ blaOXA-23-like was detected in 82% (n= 41). The genes blaOXA- 24-like and blaOXA-58-like were not found in any isolate. All isolates harboured a blaOXA-51-like gene. Sequencing confirmed the presence of blaOXA-23 and blaOXA-69 genes. Eight distinct patterns were observed (A: 41 isolates, B: 1 isolate, C: 1 isolate, D: 1 isolate, E: 1 isolate, F: 2 isolates, G: 1 isolate, H: 2 isolates).

CONCLUSION
Production of OXA-23 was the important mechanism of resistance to carbapenem among A. baumannii. Strengthening of prevention measures are required to control further spread of carbapenemases in Tunisia.


Abstract : Collective plasma phenomena induced in the ionospheric F-region by intense high-frequency radiation are examined on several time and length scales. The short wavelength, high-frequency turbulence associated with the observed high-frequency enhanced electron density fluctuations at the electron plasma frequency is shown to result from parametric excitation of plasma and acoustic waves by the high-frequency radiation. The wave kinetic equation describing the non-linear evaluation of the turbulence is presented. The time asymptotic spectral intensity is calculated and a formula for the total energy absorption from the incident radiation via nonlinear collective effects is obtained. A radiation induced self-focussing instability is found on a length scale somewhat larger than an ion Larmor radius. and is offered as a possible explanation for the occurrence of magnetic field aligned density filaments, which are associated with the phenomenon of 'artificial Spread-F.' The calculated growth rates are in agreement with the time delay for appearance of spread-F after modifier turn on.


This study investigated the effects of amount and direction of eye contact with the counselor on a student's perceptions. 48 undergraduate and graduate education majors were randomly assigned to one of six conditions in a 2 × 3 factorial design representing two levels of eye direction (eye-to-eye and eye-to-nose/mouth) and three amounts of eye contact (high = 85%, medium = 50%, low = 15%). Subjects had 10-min. standard interviews that differed only according to the six experimental conditions. Interviews were videotaped to assess maintenance of experimental conditions. Following the interview, subjects rated (5-high to 1-low) the interview on seven variables (comfort, attention, interest, ease, helpfulness, eye contact, and willingness to return). Inter-rater reliability for maintenance of experimental conditions was .87 on amount of eye contact and .03 for direction. Scheffé comparisons showed high and medium eye contact produced significantly higher ratings by student clients on attention, interest, eye contact, and willingness to return than low eye contact. There were no differences for direction of eye contact.


METHOD
The influence of age at infection on progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease to different clinical endpoints was studied among 393 HIV-seropositive adults selected from the French SEROCO cohort; follow-up lasted from January 1988 to November 1994. Selected patients had a known date of infection and were enrolled shortly after seroconversion. Age-associated risk ratios (RR) were estimated using the Cox model (age fitted as a continuous variable and RR expressed for each 10-year increment after adjustment for symptomatic primary infection and sexual preference).

RESULTS
Age had a weak influence on progression from the date of infection to the first category B event (crude RR = 1.15; adjusted RR = 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.89-1.36) but a marked influence on progression from the first category B to the first category C event (crude RR = 1.95; adjusted RR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.37-2.79). Similar results were obtained after adjustment for the CD4+ cell count at enrollment. A qualitative CD4+ cell defect could explain the influence of age, but this remains to be confirmed.

CONCLUSION
Age at infection should be included in the definition of CD4+ cell count thresholds for clinical management and treatment initiation. Risk factors for progression should be assessed according to the different clinical endpoints.


Abstract As a part of the bat research in the Děčín district (northern Bohemia, Czech Republic), two automatic detectors were installed at two locations, i.e. in the Labe (Elbe) river canyon near Hřensko and at the Pavlínka pond near Jetřichovice, for a period from April to September 2016. The acoustic recordings were further analysed using the semi-automatic software SonoChiro, which is capable of evaluating a large number of bat signals in a relatively short time. Altogether 942,000 echolocation signals and 18 bat species were determined. The highest values of the identification reliability index were found for the recordings of echolocation signals of the bat genera Pipistrellus, Nyctalus, and Vespertilio. Conversely, species of the genus Myotis, especially those with the peak frequencies above 35 kHz, were identified with a lesser accuracy. Hypsugo savii, a Mediterranean species that has been spreading over the past decade, was identified in both studied localities. This is the northernmost finding of the species in central Europe so far. Significantly higher flight activity of H. savii was detected in the Elbe canyon. The recordings were made in three periods: (1) from mid-April to late May, during the spring migrations, (2) in the second half of July, during the dispersion of individuals after the desintegration of the nursery colonies, and (3) from late August to early September, during the autumn migration, when the highest numbers of signals were detected. In the period of spring migration and summer dispersion, most of the signals come from the bats heading north, downstream the Elbe river. On the contrary, during the autumn migration, most of the signals were recorded from the bats heading south, upstream the river. The echolocation signals of H. savii can be easily identified and thus an acoustic approach in the study of migration phenology would be an appropriate and very effective method in this species.


The present study was carried out to investigate possible antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal activities of ethanol extract of Feronia limonia leaves. Phytochemical analysis of the crude extract was performed to detect presence of different kinds of phytoconstituents. The antibacterial activity was investigated against four Gram positive and four Gram negative bacteria by using disc diffusion method. The plant extract showed moderate antibacterial activity against Gram positive bacteria namely Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus pyogenes and all tested Gram negative bacteria namely Escherichia coli, Shigella boydii, Shigella dysentery and Shigella flexneri in dose dependant manner. The results of castor oil-induced diarrhoeal study showed that Feronia limonia extract significantly reduced the severity & frequency of diarrhoea in mice at a higher dose of 500 mg/kg compared with the standard drug loperamide (25 mg/kg). The present study clearly supports the medicinal value of this plant. The overall results indicate the possibility of presence of some active principles in the plant extract possessing antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal actions.


A case illustrating the potential severity of infection with Chlamydia psittaci (ornithosis) is reported. The importance of considering Chlamydia psittaci as an option in patients with severe respiratory failure is emphasized with a view to early PCR diagnosis of ornithosis.


In this article, we consider the coupled Ginzburg–Landau equation with variable coefficients including the nonlinear gain and obtain the exact solutions of chirped dark vector quasi-solitons via the ansatz method. Next, the propagation of chirped dark vector quasi-solitons is discussed to verify whether they can be transmitted stably in the birefringent optical fiber system. The numerical simulation shows that this can be achieved. We deeply add the small perturbation to the transmission of dark vector quasi-solitons to make the results above more general. The results further prove the correctness of our solutions.


This study examines differential levels of test anxiety, perceived test threat, and performance for females in Kuwait and the United States. The results demonstrated that Kuwaiti females reported higher levels of affective test anxiety, whereas females from the United States characterized tests as more threatening. These differences arose in conjunction with self-reported deficiencies in study skills. The interpretation of results points to cultural variations in views of education as competitive and attributional orientations for test performance.


Background: Irrational prescribing is a global problem. Irrational drug use leads to reduction in the quality of drug therapy, spoilage of resources, raised treatment expenditure, heightened danger for adverse drug reactions, and evolution of drug resistance. Rational use of medicines becomes even more important in developing countries such as India because of scarcity of financial resources and lesser affordability of the patients. Drug utilization research helps in enabling the rational use of drugs in populations.

Aims and Objective: To assess and evaluate the prescribing pattern of drugs among inpatients of orthopedic department and to assess the rationality in prescription of drugs.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out at Medical College Teaching Hospital, Mandya, Karnataka, India The inpatients case files of orthopedic wards from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014 were retrieved from Medical Record Department. Data were collected regarding patient's demography, diagnosis, complete prescription, and adverse drug reactions if any, using a predesigned pro forma over a study frame period of 1 month. Data were analyzed for rationality and the WHO core prescription indicators.

Result: Of the 1,777 study subjects, 1,204 were male and 573 were female subjects. Majority of patients were in the age group of >60 years (35.28%). Fractures of long bones (62.63%) were the most common indication for admission, followed by compression fracture of vertebrae (2.75%) and nonunion (2.3%). Hypertension and diabetes were the most common associated comorbidity in majority of study population. Analgesics were the most commonly prescribed drug constituting about 31.81%, and, among analgesics, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were most commonly prescribed than opioids. Next most commonly used drugs were antibiotics (22.24%), antihistamines (16.48%), and vitamins (4.24%). Average number of drugs per prescription was 5.30, and percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name was 61.90% and from essential drug list was 59.37%.

Conclusion: Analgesics and antibiotics were the most commonly prescribed drugs. Percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name and from essential drug list is less and needs efforts to improve the situation.


By the end of the fifteenth century, if not already by the middle of the thirteenth century, interpretation of the Bible and the practice of theology – though in theory still interrelated – sat uncomfortably with one another. The increasing sophistication of scholastic method after the twelfth century resulted in a theology in which exegesis (and by extension, scripture on its own terms) played a role of diminishing importance. The humanists, especially the biblical humanists of the late fifteenth century and early sixteenth centuries, identified this dichotomy as deeply problematic for sacred studies and decried this state of affairs in their conflict with scholastic theologians. This essay seeks to describe concisely the method of scholastic theologians in order to understand what the biblical humanists were reacting against. The key figures for this discussion are Lorenzo Valla and Desiderius Erasmus, and attention is given both to their criticisms of scholastic method and to the alternative model they set forth. Central to the discussion of both theological models (scholastic and humanist) is the place of scripture, and the relationship between scripture and theology. The fundamental contention is that the biblical humanists were important not only for their development of the tools of grammatical‐historical exegesis, but also of an alternative model of theological method. To the extent that the Protestant Reformers continued this critique and were influenced by it in their own practice, we witness a lesserrecognized connection between the Renaissance and the Reformation. (pp. 39–54)


Purpose Research in communication sciences and disorders frequently involves the collection of clusters of observations, such as a series of scores for each individual receiving treatment over the course of an intervention study. However, little discipline-specific guidance is currently available on the subject of building and interpreting multilevel models. This article offers a tutorial on multilevel models, using notation from the R statistical software, and discusses their implications for research in communication sciences and disorders. Method This tutorial introduces multilevel models and contrasts them with other methods to analyze repeated measures data, such as repeated measures analysis of variance or standard linear regression. It also provides guidance on interpreting the components of a multilevel model and selecting the best-fitting model. Finally, these models are illustrated through an analysis of real data from a study of speech production training in second-language speakers of English. Conclusions As a flexible method that can increase the rigor of modeling for clustered data, multilevel modeling represents an important tool for research in communication disorders. Given their increasingly prominent role in the analysis of experimental data in communication sciences, it is important for researchers to be familiar with the basics of building and interpreting these models.


Aim: In the non-invasive mechanic ventilation (NIMV) using in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), compliance problem is a frequently seen difficulty. Aim in this study is to analyze the compliance of the OSAS patients to the NIMV treatment, and to search the factors affecting the compliance. Method: The patients given NIMV treatment in the sleep laboratory of the university hospital due to moderate or severe OSAS between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2011 were included to our study. Polisomnographic findings of the patients were recorded. A questionnaire about compliance to the NIMV that had been set by our clinic applied to the patients by the phone calls. Results: 75,4% of the 134 included patients were male. The mean age was 49,9±12,3. Mean BMI, Epworth and RDI of the patients were 32,55±5,9, 10,6 ±6,0 and 43± 23,1. Complication related to the NIMV device use was seen in 37 (27%) of the patients. The most frequently seen complications were dryness of mouth, discomfort due to mask, dryness of throat, irritation of the eyes, nasal congestion, bloating, claustrophobia and headache. Sixteen (11,9%) patients was not using the NIMV device due to device discordance. Six of these patients have severe, and 10 of these patients have moderate OSAS. Conclusion: Compliance to the NIMV in the OSAS treatment is still an important problem. Patients treated with NIMV should be kept under close observation and should be informed about the risks of the disease if not used the device.


A novel urea grind combustion (UGC) route was reported in this paper to rapidly prepare the ceria-zirconia nanoparticles (Ce0.8Zr0.2O2). For comparison, the conventional surfactant-assisted (SA) and sol-gel (SG) methods were also employed to prepare Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 nanoparticles. CO preferential oxidation in H2-rich stream (CO-PROX) was chosen as probe reaction to investigate the catalytic performance of these Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 catalysts prepared with different methods to highlight the superiority of UGC. It was found that Ce0.8Zr0.2O2-UGC showed the better reducibility and oxygen mobility than the Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 prepared by SA and SG, because the UGC route favored the more incorporation of zirconia into CeO2, leading to more serious distortion of the structure, and more defective sites in the Ce0.8Zr0.2O2. As a result, Ce0.8Zr0.2O2-UGC exhibited the higher CO conversion, better O2 selectivity, and excellent catalytic stability without any deactivation during 72-h reaction on stream. More importantly, the UGC method, as compared to the relatively complex and time-consuming SA and SG method, is simple, facile, low-cost, time-saving (within 30 minutes) and scalable, thereby, might be very promising for the application in many fields.


Purpose: This research was conducted with the aim of studying the essential components of curriculum social education in the elementary period. Methodology: The statistical population of the study included upstream documents such as the Transformation Document and the National Curriculum, both fully analyzed and analyzed. The statistical population and the statistical sample are equal in this research. The sample was the subject of the research. The results of this research show that social education in upstream documents is not as good as the goals. In the goals, the cognitive dimension is considered more than two other dimensions. Functional dimension has been neglected. To succeed, a program requires full attention to all three dimensions (cognitive, emotional, and functional). Findings: According to the research findings, the essential components of social education are the sense of truth of truth; tendency toward goodness; tendency towards gamal; tendency to creativity; virtue; aestheticism; creativity and innovation; love and worship; an inherent tendency toward worship ; Perfectionism; desire for immortality; truthfulness; desire for goodness; human tendency towards absolute perfection and worship; human tendency toward absolute perfection and worship; nature and freedom; nature and authority; opposition to human humility against one's being with fitting The integrity of jihad and defense; nature and justice; the requirements of nature regarding the homework and social rights of individuals; The integrity of the building of the tomb and its pilgrimage; the nature of truth-seeking and realism and adherence to the right. Discussion: The essential components of social education are the reference to the universe for the subjection of science; the adherence to science; the innate nature of science to the outside world; the innate logic of thought through the compilation of the premises And deduction from it; the nature of love; the nature of the attenuation and the nature of the possibility; the subjection of nature; the nature of the hope and the rhya; the nature of the illness and the nature of the defect and the principle of the principle.


These clinical trials show the efficiency of therapy with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in essential hypertension (EH), chronic heart failure and coronary heart disease (CHD). The SMILE studies have indicated positive results of the early administration (<24 hours) of zofenopril in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). These results have been confirmed in high-risk patients, including those with hypertension and diabetes mellitus, which enables zofenopril to be recommended for clinical use in patients with EH and CHD. Zofenopril has a better safety profile than other agents.


Twelve plant-parasitic nematode genera and 25 species were identified in soil and root samples collected from 17 localities in the soybean production areas of South Africa during the 1995/96 season. Predominant endoparasites found included Meloidogyne incognita , M. javanica , M. hapla , M. ethiopica , Pratylenchus zeae and P. brachyurus . Meloidogyne species occurred in 91% of all root samples, P. zeae in 87% and P. brachyurus in 33%. The occurrence of the three predominant endoparasites was not restricted to sandy soil, but they were also prevalent in soils with high clay contents. Other endoparasitic nematode species were Pratylenchus crenatus , P. teres , P. neglectus , P. thornei , Rotylenchulus parvus and Ditylenchus africanus . Nematodes found in soil included Helicotylenchus dihystera and Scutellonema brachyurus , which occurred in 78 and 71%, respectively, of all soil samples. Other nematodes found in soil samples were Helicotylenchus pseudorobustus , H. digonicus , H. microcephalus , Scutellonema truncatum , Rotylenchus unisexus , Mesocriconema sphaerocephalum , Paratrichodorus minor , Longidorus pisi , Xiphinema vanderlindei , X. elongatum and Tylenchorhynchus goffarti . Highest prominence values (PV) for Meloidogyne species were recorded on cultivars Prima, Bakgat, Tamboti, Hutcheson and Knap and the lowest on cultivars PAN812, SCS1, Nyala, Gazelle and A7119. Eight nematode genera and 19 species extracted during this study are reported for the first time in association with soybean in South Africa.


We studied the effect of some modulators of signal transduction on the erythrocyte Na+/ K+-ATPase. Go6976 and Go6983 (protein kinase C inhibitors) showed a stimulatory effect and calyculin A (protein phosphatase inhibitor) exerted an inhibitory effect on the Na pump activity. Some of the tested modulators of cell-signaling [protein phosphatase(s), phosphodiesterase, calmodulin and some protein kinases] interfered with the lactoferrin (Lf) stimulatory effect on the sodium pump. Lf itself was able to modulate the effect of some agents upon the pump activity. Moreover, an additive effect of stimulation was found when Lf and some agents were used simultaneously. The summarized results showed that: (i) Lf upregulates the Na+/K+-ATPase in erythrocytes and facilitates the K+ influx into the erythrocytes; (ii) the effect of pump stimulation is mediated by phosphorylation processes. These results suggest a potential opportunity for using Lf alone or together with other agents as a stimulator of the erythrocyte Na+/K+-ATPase.


A 38 year old woman with nopast medical or surgical history of interest,derived by occasional dysuria and post voidincontinence by her family doctor, with negativeurine culture...


Introduction: Physicians and other healthcare personnel have an important role during epidemic of public health crises such as COVID-19 pandemic . It has been observed that this pandemic has increased the stress of different communities, hnology;especially medical staff. Since the widespread of this disease, no research has been conducted on the effects of this pandemic on the stress and resilience of pediatric and emergency assistants of Iran. The present research aims to evaluate the association between resilience and stress of coronavirus (COVID-19) in pediatric and emergency assistants of Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2021. Method: The present research is a cross-sectional study. The statistical population included 52 pediatric and emergency assistants of Ali Asghar and Rasoul Akram hospitals in Tehran , 2021. The census sampling method was implemented for selecting the samples. For deliberating content validity and reliability, 30 questionnaires were initially examined and after confirmation , other samples were examined. In the present study, 2 questionnaires were used and 52 people responded to them, and then the two components of content validity ratio and content validity index (CVI and CVR) were evaluated. For determining the reliability , the Cronbach's alpha coefficient formula was implemented, after calculating Conor and Davidson resilience alpha, (CD-RIS) the score 0.90 and for the anxiety scale of coronavirus in pediatric and emergency assistants, digit 0.89 was obtained, and considering that both of them are greater than. 0.7 , appropriate reliability was obtained. Considering the normality of the data, Pearson correlation coefficient was used for analyzing the association between resilience and stress in pediatric and emergency assistants . Results: Since sig was higher than 0.05 (0.1), the null hypothesis was confirmed and the opposite hypothesis was rejected, and no significant association was found among these two variables (P = 0.6). The results also demonstrated that there was no association between resilience and stress in assistants and residents. Since there was no association among the two variables, the intensity and directions were not assessed. The findings showed that most pediatric assistants and residents were stressed about the new coronavirus disease and the health of individuals that are close to them. According to the chi-square test and probability value, it was found that there was no significant association among the demographic characteristics and stress of coronavirus in pediatric and emergency assistants and their resilience scale.


Pixel-wise street segmentation of photographs taken from a drivers perspective is important for self-driving cars and can also support other object recognition tasks. A framework called SST was developed to examine the accuracy and execution time of different neural networks. The best neural network achieved an $F_1$-score of 89.5% with a simple feedforward neural network which trained to solve a regression task.


Poor solubility of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is a great challenge for the pharmaceutical industry and, hence, drug nanocrystals are widely studied as one solution to overcome these solubility problems. Drug nanocrystals have comparatively simple structures which make them attractive for the formulation for poorly soluble drugs, and their capability to improve the dissolution in vitro is easily demonstrated, but turning the in vitro superior properties of nanocrystals to success in vivo, is often demanding: controlled (including enhanced) drug dissolution followed by successful permeation is not guaranteed, if for example, the dissolved drug precipitates before it is absorbed. In this review critical quality attributes related to nanocrystal formulations from production to final product performance in vivo are considered. Many important parameters exist, but here physical stability (aggregation tendency and solid state form), solubility properties influencing dissolution and supersaturation, excipient use to promote the maintenance of supersaturation, and finally the fate of nanocrystals in vivo are the main subjects of our focus.


Semiconductor quantum well structures based on InGaN/GaN materials are characterized by the piezoelectric and spontaneous polarizations. At high level of excitations, fields caused by the polarizations are screened by carriers confined in quantum wells. In our work, we consider additional effect in multiple-quantum wells caused by Coulomb interactions of carriers positioned in neighboring quantum wells. It is shown that inter-quantum-well Coulomb interactions effects on absorption/gain spectra. It is shown that the double-quantum-well InGaN/GaN structure is characterized by reducing of the optical gain due to inter-quantum-well Coulomb interactions.


Crash data of autonomous vehicles (AV) or vehicles equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are the key information to understand the crash nature and to enhance the automation systems. However, most of the existing crash data sources are either limited by the sample size or suffer from missing or unverified data. To contribute to the AV safety research community, we introduce AVOID: an open AV crash dataset. Three types of vehicles are considered: Advanced Driving System (ADS) vehicles, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) vehicles, and low-speed autonomous shuttles. The crash data are collected from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), California Department of Motor Vehicles (CA DMV) and incident news worldwide, and the data are manually verified and summarized in ready-to-use format. In addition, land use, weather, and geometry information are also provided. The dataset is expected to accelerate the research on AV crash analysis and potential risk identification by providing the research community with data of rich samples, diverse data sources, clear data structure, and high data quality.


The ensemble average of the persistent currents of Aharonov-Bohm mesoscopic rings is evaluated in a case where the number of electrons rather than the chemical potential is fixed. The difference between the average currents in these two situations is expressed on general grounds in terms of the fluctuation of the scattering phase shift. It is then shown that in the diffusive regime this difference is (h/2e)-periodic and does not depend on the disorder. Possible extensions of the approach used here are emphasized.


Dendritic cells are the antigen presenting cells that play a central role in regulating immune response. Their migration on airway epithelium in response to antigen challenge is incompletely understood. In this study, we demonstrated that mouse IL-17A is a potent stimulator for primary mouse airway epithelium to secrete chemotactic factors for the migration of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDC) along its gradient. Neutralizing antibody study with anti-mCCL20 demonstrated the inhibition of the migration. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR study demonstrated time- and dose-dependent effects of IL-17A on mCCL20 expression, but not the induction of hBD-2 equivalent messages, in mouse airway epithelial cells. The lack of induction of hBD-2 equivalent messages by IL-17A on mouse cell system is in contrast to that was seen in human, suggesting a species difference in response to IL-17A. Using inhibitor, we observed the inhibition of induced CCL20 expression by an NF-κB inhibitor, isohelenin, suggesting an NF-κB mediated transcriptional mechanism in the induction. Based on these observations, we suggest that IL-17A may be responsible for in vivo dendritic cell migration on airway epithelium through the induction of mCCL20 expression.
 This study is supported by NIH grant HL077315 and HL077902


Properties of a new superconducting quantum election interferometer are investigated. This new interferometer has only one tunnel junction as compared to a classical SQUID which has two junctions. Our measurements have shown that the amplitude of resistance oscillations versus the magnetic field increases as the temperature is lowered.


Quality of Work Life (QWL) of employees is the degree to which employee's value relationship between other employees working culture and concern for welfare of others. Working conditions do play important role in HR attrition in IT field. IT industry is featured by high employment rate and insecure working environment as well. Present research is an effort to bring afloat satisfaction of employees towards QWL in IT units in rural Satara. The study carried out with the help of 5 samples IT units. Primary data from Executives, Managers and Employees was collected by using structured schedule. Data is analyzed with the help of Weighted Average, Rank and Standard deviation while hypotheses are tested by using Spearman Rank Co-relation technique. Present study found that samples are highly satisfied with balanced role of work in total life space and Social Relevance of Work while dissatisfied with Adequate and fair Compensation as well as Quality Awards. The executives are suffered from work life imbalance while managers and employees in sample units feel that there are limited opportunities for career growth and security.Research paper concludes that there is little difference between QWL of different sample units but overall QWL in IT industry of rural Satara is satisfactory.


Nonlinear dependence of the synergetic current by the combined effect of electron-cyclotron current drive (ECCD) and lower-hybrid current drive (LHCD) on the power ratio is shown through the recent simulation research based on common parameters on HL-2A tokamak. Corresponding experiments have been demonstrated on HL-2A tokamak and these experimental results verify qualitatively the simulated ones.


Background. This study investigated whether cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) could reliably be recorded and interpreted using clinical testing equipment, to assess the effects of hearing aid technology on the CAEP. Methods. Fifteen normal hearing (NH) and five hearing impaired (HI) children were included in the study. NH children were tested unaided; HI children were tested while wearing hearing aids. CAEPs were evoked with tone bursts presented at a suprathreshold level. Presence/absence of CAEPs was established based on agreement between two independent raters. Results. Present waveforms were interpreted for most NH listeners and all HI listeners, when stimuli were measured to be at an audible level. The younger NH children were found to have significantly different waveform morphology, compared to the older children, with grand averaged waveforms differing in the later part of the time window (the N2 response). Results suggest that in some children, frequency compression hearing aid processing improved audibility of specific frequencies, leading to increased rates of detectable cortical responses in HI children. Conclusions. These findings provide support for the use of CAEPs in measuring hearing aid benefit. Further research is needed to validate aided results across a larger group of HI participants and with speech-based stimuli.


This paper is about the relationship between research, policy and practice in education. It outlines reasons for the increased interest in research and its impact and describe some of the difficulties in studying this relationship. A conceptualization of the knowledge mobilization process is presented that identifies three overlapping and interacting domains – the production of research, the end use of research, and the intermediary processes that link these two. The paper reviews current research and develops ideas about all three of these aspects, identifying areas of understanding and gaps in current knowledge.

A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/56377921


Abstract Metacognition is the ability to weigh the quality of our own cognition, such as the confidence that our perceptual decisions are correct. Here we ask whether metacognitive performance can itself be evaluated or else metacognition is the ultimate reflective human faculty. Building upon a classic visual perception task, we show that human observers are able to produce nested, above-chance judgements on the quality of their decisions at least up to the fourth order (i.e. meta-meta-meta-cognition). A computational model can account for this nested cognitive ability if evidence has a high-resolution representation, and if there are two kinds of noise, including recursive evidence degradation. The existence of fourth-order sensitivity suggests that the neural mechanisms responsible for second-order metacognition can be flexibly generalized to evaluate any cognitive process, including metacognitive evaluations themselves. We define the theoretical and practical limits of nested cognition and discuss how this approach paves the way for a better understanding of human self-regulation.


Circularly and elliptically polarized high-order harmonics have unique advantages when used in studying the chiral and magnetic features of matter. Here, we studied the polarization properties of high-order harmonics generated from alignment nitrogen molecules driven by cross-linearly polarized two-color laser fields. Through adjusting various laser parameters and targets, such as the relative phase, the crossing angle, the intensity ratio of the driving fields, and the molecular alignment angle, we obtained highly elliptically polarized high-order harmonics with the same helicity in a wide spectral range. This provides a possible effective way to generate elliptically polarized attosecond pulses. Finally, we showed the probability of controlling the spectral range of elliptically polarized harmonics.


This item provide information on alternatives to chemical dental plaque control, considered the cause of the two frequently disease in the mouth: dental caries and periodontal disease. Reference becomes and discussion on the employment of antiseptics, including the quaternary components of the ammonium, phenols, sanguinary and chlorhexidine.


ABSTRACT Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a chronic disorder characterized by unresolving liver inflammation and has a fluctuating clinical course. Standard therapy has been corticosteroids given daily, alone or in combination with azathioprine (AZA). The potential for significant side effects from prolonged corticosteroid use remains high. To date, no pediatric literature describes long-term AZA monotherapy after induction of remission with corticosteroids. We conducted a retrospective chart review from 1990 to 2002, which revealed 8 patients with AIH. Three patients were excluded because of other diseases requiring continued or intermittent use of corticosteroids. The time to complete biochemical remission on corticosteroids and AZA was 230 days (range, 74-288 days). Azathioprine was introduced early following the diagnosis (range, 1-35 days). All 5 patients were successfully weaned off corticosteroids after a median of 378 days and were maintained on AZA monotherapy for a median of 37 months (range, 28-82 months). One patient had a disease exacerbation on AZA monotherapy 75 months after the discontinuation of corticosteroids. She responded quickly to a corticosteroid burst and has been on AZA monotherapy for 7months. One patient relapsed after self-discontinuing all medications. Long-term remission of AIH was possible in our case series with the early introduction and maintenance treatment with AZA as monotherapy.


A new hadronic cascade code (LUCIFER) is introduced, for simulation of relativistic heavy ion collisions at CERN energies and up to RHIC. It is based on a simple, experimentally and theoretically motivated picture of hh interactions. Final state hadrons are produced by decay of intermediate state clusters, or lumps of excited hadronic matter. These are similar to resonances, but have a continuous mass distribution. Clusters are the objects that re-interact in the cascade. Single diffractive dissociation is used to fix the duster properties. The model has just two parameters: r d , the decay time of the clusters, and ~ , f the formation time of the clusters. Comparison is made with recent CERN data in the Pb+Pb system. The first consistent cascade simulation, of J / + production/suppression is presented. It appears likely that a purely hadronic interpretation can be given to recent CERN data on apparently anomalous J / $ suppresion in PbSPb.


The application of a polysaccharide elicitor from yeast extract, YE, to Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy root cultures induced transient release of ATP from the roots to the medium, leading to a dose-dependent increase in the extracellular ATP (eATP) level. The eATP level rose to a peak (about 6.5 nM with 100 mg l(-1) YE) at about 10 h after YE treatment, but dropped to the control level 6 h later. The elicitor-induced ATP release was dependent on membrane Ca2+ influx, and abolished by the Ca2+ chelator EGTA or the channel blocker La3+. The YE-induced H2O2 production was strongly inhibited by reactive blue (RB), a specific inhibitor of membrane purinoceptors. On the other hand, the application of exogenous ATP at 10-100 microM to the cultures also induced rapid and dose-dependent increases in H2O2 production and medium pH, both of which were effectively blocked by RB and EGTA. The non-hydrolyzable ATP analog ATPgammaS was as effective as ATP, but the hydrolyzed derivatives ADP or AMP were not so effective in inducing the pH and H2O2 increases. Our results suggest that ATP release is an early event and that eATP plays a signaling role in the elicitation of plant cell responses; Ca2+ is required for activation of the elicitor-induced ATP release and the eATP signal transduction. This is the first report on ATP release induced by a fungal elicitor and its involvement in the elicitor-induced responses in plant cells.


Objective: We aimed to evaluate the role of brush cytology in the screening of oral lesions with malignant suspicion and compare it with histopathology in north-eastern India. Study Design: Brush cytology samples taken from 48 patients were processed for conventional cytology (CC) and liquid-based cytology (LBC), and biopsy samples were also obtained. LBC samples were also stained to assess the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR). The cytology was compared with histopathology, both individually and in combination with AgNOR. The smear quality was compared with histopathology for evaluating their diagnostic accuracy. Results: The sensitivity of diagnosing oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma by LBC and CC alone was 75 and 85%, respectively, which improved on combining with the AgNOR count, with a cutoff of 6.5. The presence of round cells on cytology was significantly associated with high-grade lesions. LBC provided clearer cytomorphology but compromised the background information in high-grade lesions. Conclusion: Brush cytology is a minimally invasive tool for screening oral lesions with malignant suspicion. LBC and CC are complementary techniques for cytological screening and combining them with AgNOR can increase the diagnostic yield. With objective criteria for assessment, cytology can be an indispensable tool for screening oral lesions in a resource-limited set-up, especially in high-incidence regions.


We have previously isolated, and characterized in vitro, two subsets of CD4hi T cell receptor (TCR)hi single positive (SP) thymocytes: CD8- and CD8lo. In this report, we have analyzed phenotypic, functional, and developmental characteristics of these "late" CD4hi SP thymocyte subsets. The TCRhi phenotype and the elimination of T cells expressing TCR V beta segments reactive with endogenous mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) products suggested that both subsets had undergone positive and negative selection. CD8-4hi thymocytes were functional, as judged by their ability to: (a) induce lethal graft versus host disease (GVHD); (b) survive and expand in peripheral lymphoid organs; and (c) proliferate, rather than undergo apoptosis, in response to in vitro TCR cross-linking. By contrast, CD8lo4hi cells could not induce GVHD, were unable to expand (and perhaps even survive) in peripheral organs and underwent apoptosis upon TCR cross-linking. However, when reintroduced into the thymus, these cells matured into functional, long-lived CD8- 4hi lymphocytes. These results document an obligatory requirement for the thymic microenvironment in the final maturation of the majority of CD4hi SP postselection thymocytes, and demonstrate the existence of a previously unrecognized control point in T cell development.


In this chapter, Christian Barry and Holly Lawford-Smith take up the question of whether there comes a point at which one is no longer morally obliged to do further good, even at very low cost to oneself. More specifically, they ask: under precisely what conditions is it plausible to say that that "point" has been reached? A crude account might focus only on, say, the amount of good the agent has already done, but a moment's reflection shows that this is indeed too crude. Barry and Lawford-Smith develop and defend a nuanced account according to which considerations of three types are all relevant to whether one has satisfied one's duties to assist: "inputs" (types and quantities of sacrifice made), "characteristics" (the beliefs and intentions that informed the donor's decisions), and "success" (the extent to which the donations in question succeeded in generating value).


ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. red beet, RAPD marker, genetic distance, multidimensional scaling ABSTRACT. Genetic relationships among 37 accessions of Beta vulgaris, including 21 table beet, 14 sugar beet, and two Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris ssp. cicla) accessions, were evaluated using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Genetic distance was estimated based on the presence or absence of polymorphic RAPD bands. Multidimensional scaling plots of genetic distance values revealed that table beet inbred lines from the University of Wisconsin Table beet Breeding Program clustered in an intermediate position between sugar beet breeding lines and standard table beet germplasm, likely because of their origin from an introgression program designed to incorporate sugar beet genes.


In humans, tuberculosis is associated with suppression of T-cell responses to antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Recently, the macrophage product, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has been implicated in suppression of T-cell proliferation and cytokine production during tuberculosis. We studied the effect of TGF-beta on production of IL-12, and on the augmentation of M. tuberculosis-induced IFN gamma production by IL-12, in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and by M. tuberculosis. Induction of IL-12 p35, but not IL-12 p40, by M. tuberculosis in monocytes was dependent on prior priming of the cells with IFN gamma. Expression of both IL-12 p40 and p35, however, was suppressed by TGF-beta. Further, TGF-beta interfered with the bioactivity of IL-12 in the enhancement of M. tuberculosis-induced IFN gamma mRNA expression and cytokine production. However, in mononuclear cells from patients with tuberculosis the main effect of TGF-beta on IL-12 appeared to be counter action to IL-12 induced IFN gamma production in response to M. tuberculosis.


This article sheds light on the problematic, but urgent, relation between sport and its environmental effects by focusing on the development of internal policies in the Swedish sport movement as well as on external normative pressures for a sustainable environmental development. The materials in this study portray a passive (and blind) governance in relation to an official environmental policy at macro and meso levels, regardless of the manifestations of individual environmental projects in everyday sport practices. The analysis shows that the ideology of the autonomy of sport and the emphasis on self-regulation, regularly upheld by the Swedish Sports Confederation, is obsolete.


Missionsfrau [en] as a concept defines the dialectic of the white male dominance in the colonial agenda and the status of their female counterparts in this process of change. Yet, in this specific historical situation, and more importantly within the Gold Coast context, the literature gives very little attention to the Missionsfrau for implementing change, let alone the larger body of writings that documents their observations and discourse of the colonial encounter. Drawing from the diary of the German Missionsfrau Rosine Widmann (1826-1908) who lived and worked in the British Settlement on the Gold Coast (West Africa) in the nineteenth century, this article rather than exploring Widmann in terms of the embracing category of cultural change, examines her literary construction of racialized bodies during her encounter with the locals. The analysis shall show that Widmann's diary is not only a means of following the discursive construction of black bodies on the Gold Coast but also a means of finding explanation for her experiences. IFE PsychologIA Vol. 14(2) 2006: 70-99


Abstract The theory of visual attention, "TVA", is an influential and formal theory of attentional selection. It is widely applied in clinical assessment of attention and fundamental attention research. However, most TVA-based research is based on accuracy data from letter report experiments performed in controlled laboratory environments. While such basic approaches to questions regarding attentional selection are undoubtedly useful, recent technological advances have enabled the use of increasingly sophisticated experimental paradigms involving more realistic scenarios. Notably, these studies have in many cases resulted in different estimates of capacity limits than those found in studies using traditional TVA-based assessment. Here we review recent developments in TVA-based assessment of attention that goes beyond the use of letter report experiments and experiments performed in controlled laboratory environments. We show that TVA can be used with other tasks and new stimuli, that TVA-based parameter estimation can be embedded into complex scenarios, such as games that can be used to investigate particular problems regarding visual attention, and how TVA-based simulations of "visual foraging" can elucidate attentional control in more naturalistic tasks. We also discuss how these developments may inform future advances of TVA.


Abstract Lignans are major bioactive secondary metabolites, which are also formed in the heartwood (hW) of Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides). Their biosynthesis pathways are complex and involve many enzymes and intermediates. To evaluate the extent of the genetic components leading to the variety of lignans in Taiwania hW, 35 Taiwania genotypes of four provenances were surveyed using the proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analyses. The metabolite profiles were statistically evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA) and the general linear model (GLM). The broad-sense heritability (H2) was further evaluated by linear mixed model (LMM) analysis. It was demonstrated that the genetic factor is the major contributor to the abundance of lignans, though the environmental factor also has some effect on it. Among the metabolites detected by 1H-NMR, lignans were the major compounds that exhibited high a H2 (0.52–0.82), which was further verified by LC-MS. The conclusion is that 1H-NMR spectroscopy is suitable for quick screenings, predictions and semi-quantitation of lignans. The high H2 is also indicative of the lignan abundances as traits that can be genetically modified to achieve a significant wood quality improvement.


Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified the GAK/DGKQ/IDUA region on 4p16.3 among the top three risk loci for Parkinson's disease (PD), but the specific gene and risk mechanism are unclear. Here, we report transcripts containing the 3' clathrin-binding domain of GAK identified by RNA deep-sequencing in post-mortem human brain tissue as having increased expression in PD. Furthermore, carriers of 4p16.3 PD GWAS risk SNPs show decreased expression of one of these transcripts, GAK25 (Gencode Transcript 009), which correlates with the expression of genes functioning in the synaptic vesicle membrane. Together, these findings provide strong evidence for GAK clathrin-binding- and J-domain transcripts' influence on PD pathogenicity, and for a role for GAK in regulating synaptic function in PD.


Asthma remains one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood, developing already early in life. In the first year of life, children start to present with wheeze, which is currently classified as multi-trigger or viral-wheeze based on specific triggers and their long-term time course. An early prediction of children with wheeze and at risk for subsequent asthma is currently difficult and underlying immune mechanisms of distinct wheeze phenotypes are unknown.
As early priming of the immune system occurs already prenatally, we aim to identify predictive markers for children at risk for subsequent development of childhood wheeze and asthma. From previous work of our research group, innate immune regulation, in particular antiviral immunity (LY75, CD209, IPS1) and Ca2+-signalling pathways, e.g. CALM2 and genes related to store-operated calcium entry (ITPR2, STIM2, ORAI1, ORMDL3 and ATP2A3) have been shown to be differentially expressed between asthmatics and healthy children during disease manifestation at school-age. Here, we aimed to assess these genes at the earliest time point, namely at birth. We investigated gene regulation as potential predictive markers for the development of subsequent wheeze phenotypes.
The mRNA-expression of selected candidate genes of Ca2+-signalling (CALM2, ITPR2, ORAI1, STIM2, ORMDL3, ATP2A3) and innate immunity (CD209, LY75, FPR2, IPS1) was measured in CBMCs of children with subsequent wheeze phenotypes compared to healthy children (HC). Children were selected from the PAULINA/PAULCHEN cohort (n=200). Phenotypic classification in multitrigger, persistent viral or early viral wheeze and healthy control was based on clinical information from questionnaires answered by the parents at age 3 and/or 6 years. Previously, cord blood was taken from healthy neonates with strict inclusion criteria, and CBMCs were isolated within 24 hours, kept unstimulated or were stimulated with PHA or LpA for 72h. Gene expression at mRNA level was assessed via qRT-PCR, and analysed with the Wilcoxon rank sum test.
The following results were obtained and are presented in this thesis:
1. Expression of all candidate genes of calcium signalling and viral innate immunity was detectable and varied significantly or trend-wise between the different wheeze subgroups and healthy controls (mainly ITPR2, CALM2, ORAI1, STIM2, FPR2, IPS1, LY75).
2. Children with persistent viral wheeze showed a lower expression of the candidate 103 genes (ITPR2, CALM2, ORAI1, STIM2, ATP2A3, IPS1, LY75, CD209) than the other wheeze subgroups.
3. Children with persistent multitrigger wheeze showed a distinct pattern of elevated expression for the candidate genes (ITPR2, CALM2, ORAI1, STIM2, ORMDL3, ATP2A3, S100A9 FPR2, IPS1, LY75, CD209). This was visible for the whole calcium-signalling pathway, supporting the view of persistent multitrigger wheeze as distinct entity and suggests a pathophysiological relevance of calcium signalling.
4. Despite parallels in clinical presentation, late-onset multitrigger wheeze share gene expression patterns with persistent viral rather than persistent multitrigger wheeze, suggesting a different underlying pathophysiology.
Taken together, these results affirm the emerging view of childhood asthma as a complex disease and show that differences in immune regulation are already visible at birth. Importantly, especially the findings for persistent multitrigger wheeze could eventually, after suitable validation for example in a larger cohort with higher case numbers, help in the development of specific biomarkers before disease manifestation, which may contribute to closer clinical monitoring and in the long-term potentially to a change in therapy for patients with distinct phenotypes of childhood asthma.


Knowledge is a gift that is transferrable from one person to another. Everyone has it and can transfer it thus making impact on other people's lives. In this paper the authors have come up with an innovative approach of turning potential students in higher education into mentors: Student mentors selected based on certain criteria will support their immediate juniors on their subject content and by evaluating their assessments. Mentors will be continuously monitored for their performance and changes introduced. If required. This approach is expected to benefit the students, mentors and tutors. To a student, the expected benefits are on enhanced learning experiences from peer support and better understanding of the concepts because of dual interaction with tutor and mentor. For a mentor, it may give a strong foundation as they would continue to be in touch with the concepts learnt in the previous academic year and further clarify their own doubts. This mentorship is expected to prepare them to become academic role models and in turn improve upon their soft skills. The experiences drawn from academic guidance and assessment evaluations of juniors will set the mentors towards an improved work in their own assessments. Unlike a tutor, a mentor having an added advantage of writing an assessment in the previous year and now evaluating the same assessment is in a better position to suggest changes should any be needed in the assessments. In the process, students are inspired and are motivated to become mentors. This gives enough time for the tutors to focus upon research and planning of new interesting learning activities for their students due to the reduced workload. This paper will discuss in detail the entire process, starting from selection criteria of a mentor till mentor change. Mentor change would be as a result of quality concern arising from supervision which includes mentor performance evaluation, moderation of scripts and feedback sessions. However, for the system to be successful it is critical that both Students and Mentors be clear of their roles and expectations. There are also some challenges from this approach as mentors may have commitment constraints and issues emerging from student relations particularly in the area of respect and favoritism which will also be discussed.


The origin of a universal and optimal genetic code remains a compelling mystery in molecular biology and marks an essential step in the origin of DNA and protein based life. We examine a collective evolution model of genetic code origin that allows for unconstrained horizontal transfer of genetic elements within a finite population of sequences each of which is associated with a genetic code selected from a pool of primordial codes. We find that when horizontal transfer of genetic elements is incorporated in this more realistic model of code-sequence coevolution in a finite population, it can increase the likelihood of emergence of a more optimal code eventually leading to its universality through fixation in the population. The establishment of such an optimal code depends on the probability of HGT events. Only when the probability of HGT events is above a critical threshold, we find that the ten amino acid code having a structure that is most consistent with the standard genetic code (SGC) often gets fixed in the population with the highest probability. We examine how the threshold is determined by factors like the population size, length of the sequences and selection coefficient. Our simulation results reveal the conditions under which sharing of coding innovations through horizontal transfer of genetic elements may have facilitated the emergence of a universal code having a structure similar to that of the SGC.


Soft toric contact lenses are a good alternative for the optical correction of astigmatism. They provide a wide visual field, quick adaptation process, negligible aniseikonia, together with enhanced comfort and reduced incidence of complications introduced by the lenses for frequent replacement. Still practitioners do not recommend them proactively and the satisfaction obtained by the patients is not high enough. This paper presents two recent studies that investigate the opinions of specialists and contact lens wearers and introduce a new contact lens, with an original design, born after 30 years of domination of only 2 modalities of rotational stabilization: prism ballast and dual thin zones. The lens is manufactured using a silicon-hydrogel material of 2-nd generation that provides sustained comfort and better oxygenation.


The existence, stability, and even the number (capacity) of stable periodic solutions in discrete-time bidirectional associative memory neural networks are investigated in this paper. Some fundamental mathematical techniques instead of the bifurcation method, are employed to prove the existence of periodic solutions and establish the relation of the number of periodic solutions and the magnitude of delays. Our results show that we can simply design a delayed neural network model to store memories or patterns as stable periodic solutions.


On the foundation of an antecedent non-linear meson field theory it is suggested that the π-meson fields may be described in terms of collective motions of the K-meson fields. A particular model of the K-nucleon interaction is considered whose collective π-modes have symmetrical PV coupling with the nucleon system; parity is conserved to a great extent for the π-nucleon system in the absence of strange particles. The direct K-nucleon interactions do not conserve parity; their sign and symmetry are qualitatively acceptable. The masses and coupling constants of the meson fields are determinate in terms of one universal coupling constant and a cut-off. The structure of this model suggests a natural way for the introduction of the 'spurion', describing weak interactions that violate strangeness.


The use of a dual voltage system 14 V/42 V in the electric system of cars has many advantages such as improved fuel consumption, reduced emissions and increased passenger comfort and safety. However, the inclusion of a new power supply introduces new possible short-circuit (SC) situations. The fusing management system (FMS) is responsible for managing the 14 V-ground (gnd), 42 V-gnd and 14–42 V SCs, with the objective of eliminating them as soon as possible in order to reduce the harmful effects on wires, batteries and electrical loads. An FMS implementation in an electric vehicle platform's prototype is shown, using SMARTFETs and the presented Fuse Management strategy in order to substitute actual passive fuses and the controller area network as a communications protocol. The philosophy used in the FMS, its main benefits and the experimental results obtained with 14 V-gnd, 14–42 V and 42 V-gnd SCs are presented. This strategy is also extensible to future electric vehicle architectures.


With the use of fresh cell suspensions, the DNA ploidy of 11 benign and 27 malignant spindle cell soft-tissue lesions was determined by flow cytometry (37 cases) and/or image cytometry (35 cases). Of the 27 malignant lesions, 10 were low- or intermediate-grade sarcomas, and 17 were high-grade sarcomas. In the malignant lesions, the DNA ploidy was correlated with the histologic grade and the clinical outcome. Of the 11 benign lesions, six had a diploid DNA ploidy pattern, and five were nondiploid by either flow cytometry or image cytometry. All benign cases had a favorable outocome regardless of ploidy. Eight of the 10 low- or intermediate-grade malignant lesions were diploid, whereas two were nondiploid. Of the 17 high-grade sarcomas, 15 were nondiploid by either method of measurement and nine by both. Of the 10 diploid malignant tumors, only one had an unfavorable outcome (malignant mesothelioma with biopsy only), whereas of the 17 malignant lesions that were nondiploid, five had no evidence of recurrent disease, three cases recurred, eight patients died of disease, and one patient died of an unrelated cause. We concluded that (1) ploidy does not differentiate benign from malignant spindle cell soft-tissue tumors, (2) the nondiploid DNA pattern is more common in high-grade than in low- or intermediate-grade sarcomas, and (3) there is a statistically significant relationship between nondiploidy and a worse clinical outcome in sarcomas.


Consider a smooth $4$-manifold $X$ and a diffeomorphism $f : X \to X$. We give an obstruction in the form of an adjunction inequality for an embedded surface in $X$ to be isotopic to its image under $f$. It follows that the minimal genus of a surface representing a given homology class and which is isotopic to its image under $f$ is generally larger than the minimal genus without the isotopy condition. We give examples where the inequality is strict. We use our obstruction to construct examples of infinitely many embedded surfaces which are all continuously isotopic but mutually non-isotopic smoothly.


Federal regulations that specify the development of the Transportation Improvement Program charge metropolitan planning organizations with responsiblity for establishing a forum for cooperative transportation decision making. This paper describes an effort by the Chicago Area Transportation Study to perform that role. It focuses on the development of a simple linear weighting scheme for use in ranking federal-aid urban system highway projects for inclusion in the Transportation Improvement Program for DuPage County, Illinois. This approach was developed in close working relationship with local decision makers, who participated in the selection of measures of effectiveness, the weighting of those measures, and the definition of the overall scheme. The results of the method, which combined both traffic and environmental measures for two points in time, were provided to decision makers as a basis for choice rather than as a rule for decision making. The success of the effort was measured by the correspondences between the analytic ranking of projects and the Transportation Improvement Program ultimately chosen by local officials. /Author/


OBJECTIVE
This study is designed to investigate the treatment approach and prognosis of pulmonary ground-glass-like shadow, especially solitary nodular ground-glass opacity (SNGGO).

METHODS
Forty-nine cases of SNGGO that persisted after anti-inflammatory treatment in our hospital were retrospectively studied. These patients received thoracoscopic surgery due to indefinitive diagnosis and a tendency of canceration (some cases were followed up for 1-24 months before surgery). Intraoperative rapid frozen section was performed for pathological diagnosis, and surgery method was chosen according to pathological results and the health status of the patients.

RESULTS
Forty-three cases showed malignancy, among which 36 cases received thoracoscopic total resection of the lung cancer and seven received simple wedge resection or pulmonary segment resection due to poor lung function; two cases were atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) and received wedge resection; and four cases were benign and received lesion resection only. Intraoperative frozen section results were in line with postoperative pathological analysis. No lymph node metastasis was detected in any malignant cases as indicated by lymph node dissection or sampling. All malignant cases were staged Ia by postoperative pathological analysis. Neither recurrence nor metastasis occurred during the 1-30 months' follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
SNGGO that persists after anti-inflammatory treatment tend to be adenocarcinoma, which can hardly be diagnosed in the early stage through non-invasive examination. If there's no contraindication for surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS)-guided resection of the lesion plus intraoperative rapid frozen section should be performed to synchronize diagnosis and treatment, which could achieve satisfactory prognosis.


A fluorinated phosphorus Lewis acid may find application in fluorocarbon remediation. [Also see Report by Caputo et al.] Lewis acids are electron-pair acceptors that readily bind electron-rich molecules and anions. Examples include fluorinated organoboranes such as 1 (see the first figure), which are widely used in synthesis, small-molecule activation, and catalysis (1–4), and silylium cations such as 2+,which are powerful anion abstractors (5). Pentavalent group 15 fluorides such as PF5 are another class of strong Lewis acids (6, 7), but they react with water to release hydrogen fluoride, making them corrosive. In principle, these inconvenient properties could be tamed by introducing organic substituents, a strategy validated in the development of boron Lewis acids such as 1. By analogy with silylium cation chemistry, the Lewis acidity of group 15 derivatives could be further enhanced if they were cations. Putting these ideas into practice, Caputo et al. report, on page 1374 of this issue, the synthesis and properties of the Lewis acid [(C6F5)3PF]+ [3+ (see the first figure)] (8).


The arrangement of I-picture starting times of multiplexed VBR MPEG videos may significantly affect the cell loss characteristics of superposed traffic. This paper presents a starting time selection method of a new request so that the minimum and maximum cell loss ratios (CLRs) of superposed traffic including the new request are expected. For this purpose, both single and superposed VBR MPEG video traffic are modeled as a time-varying periodic picture-type dependent rate envelope sequence. Through experiments and observations, we show that the average power of superposed VBR MPEG video traffic is a good measure for the burstiness of the traffic. The proposed starting time selection method is derived from these properties. The efficiencies of the proposed method are tested by comparison with other scheduling methods for the smoothness of the peak rate and the CLRs of the scheduled-superposed stream, and, we also provide connection admission control (CAC) methods applicable to ATM multiplexers which can manipulate the starting times of sources and video on demand (VOD) servers which can do that.


The main objective of this paper is to review the evolution of management theory,
overview of strategic management theory and its linkage with the resource-based view
(RBV) of the firm's competitive advantage. A review of the relevant literature was
conducted and a connection between management theory, strategic management theory and
competitive advantage from the RBV of the firm was identified. It was found that the RBV
of the firm's competitive advantage is one of the main strategic management theories
applicable to explain organizational performance, and it is also a part of the larger
management theory family which has evolved to suit the managerial needs of the
organizations and also the business environments organizations are operating in.
Examining organizational competitive advantage from the RBV allows the organization to
gauge the magnitude of importance placed upon its internal firm resources and capabilities
in particular towards attaining a competitive advantage level, thus providing further support
and extension to the RBV.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Breast cancer patients' outcome and survival depends on the timely diagnosis of early malignant lesions. The lack of molecular understanding of the early changes in breast tissue that facilitate tumor progression has limited the development of tools to non-invasively distinguish early stage disease from normal breast tissue. Therefore, probes to target and better understand early breast tumors are much needed. Our laboratory has pioneered in vivo screening of phage libraries to identify peptides that specifically recognize tumor vessels, including breast cancer vasculature. These peptides have been employed to specifically deliver drugs, diagnostic agents, and nanoparticles to breast tumors.

Breast cancer progression constitutes a multistep process through a series of intermediate hyperplastic and neoplastic stages to invasive carcinoma. In this study, we aimed to identify peptides that specifically recognize premalignant lesions in the mammary tissue. To achieve this goal, we utilized the power of phage display to probe hyperplastic lesions associated with premalignant disease in a transgenic MMTV-PyMT animal model. After multiple ex-vivo and in-vivo rounds of selection, we identified a peptide, Prem-1, that on intravenous administration, specifically homed to premalignant mammary lesions. Prem-1 also homed to fully developed breast tumors in the same animal model, suggesting that the putative receptor for Prem-1 is expressed throughout the progression of the disease. Interestingly, Prem-1 did not show any affinity to normal breast tissue. Furthermore, we also identified 2 other candidate peptides that showed significant homing to premalignant lesions with a very different binding pattern as compared to Prem-1. We hypothesized that all three peptides recognize early changes in the breast tissue microenvironment but each bind a different target receptor in the tissue. We are currently investigating these receptors and analyzing their expression in breast cancer progression. Secondly, we are testing the peptides identified herein for the delivery of therapeutic nanoparticles as a mode of early intervention in breast cancer progression. This project utilized the natural environment in the early breast tumor to probe for new markers for detection of early disease. Methods to detect and study early premalignant mammary lesions will expand our understanding of the natural history of the disease, especially the changes in breast tissue that likely lead to tumor development. Hence, the knowledge gained from this study would provide a basis for therapies aimed at suppressing or eradicating premalignant breast lesions. This would be particularly beneficial for women at high-risk of breast cancer based on their genetic predisposition (mutations in BRCA genes).

Citation Format: Aman P. Mann, Ramana Kotamraju, Tambet Teesalu, Erkki Ruoslahti. Targeting premalignant lesions for early breast cancer detection and intervention. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3258. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3258


Background: In the present study, a biocompatible drug delivery system was prepared by using chitosan-gelatin nanofibers based on electrospinning method. Methods: The nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning and cross-linked by glutaraldehyde to stabilize in aqueous medium. The surface morphology and approximate size of nanofibers were investigated by the scanning electron microscopy and optical microscope. Results: The nanofibers were characterized and the interaction types of drug-nanofiber matrix were evaluated by using FT-IR spectrum. The swelling of nanofibers was about 3.88% and the stability of nanofibers about 3 days was estimated. Conclusion: The drug release experiment in phosphate buffer (PBS pH=7.4) showed that quick release occurred in early hours and then release rate was decrease and controlled release was continued for three more days. The results showed that the triamcinolone drug delivery system was well implemented and could be used as a functional patch in the future. Keyword: Nanofibers, Drug Delivery System, Swelling, Drug Release, Controlled Release


Summary form only given. In 1987, it was suggested that the electronic bandgaps in semiconductors could have an optical analogy-the so-called photonic bandgaps (PBGs), which could be found in periodic dielectric structures. This suggestion initiated research activities that the past few years have lead to a new class of optical fibers, in which the cladding structure consists of a periodic system of air holes in a matrix of dielectric material-typically silica. These fibers have been given several names ranging from holey fibers, microstructured fibers, photonic crystal fibers, to photonic bandgap fibers. These fibers have today reached a level of maturity where they may be used as building blocks for a variety of new applications. Today's research is focusing increasingly on applications of the fibres, thus redirecting earlier focus on crystal fibers themselves and their unique guiding mechanisms. Some of the new applications that are receiving a significant amount of attention are based on nonlinear effects-super continuum generation and applications of such being highly studied examples. In this presentation, we will discuss the basic properties of photonic crystal fibers and highlight their unique features. Furthermore, we will point towards the future of this technology and address a number of potential applications of the fibers.


PC-904, sodium 6-{d(−)-α-(4-hydroxy-1,5-naphthyridine-3-carboxamido) phenylacetamido}-penicillanate, is a novel semisynthetic penicillin derivative that possesses a broad spectrum of in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activities. In low concentrations, PC-904 inhibits growth against large proportions of the gram-positive and gram-negative organisms susceptible to carbenicillin and gentamicin. In addition, PC-904 is several times more potent than carbenicillin against organisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Shigella, Salmonella, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Bacteroides fragilis. Most striking are the inhibitory effects of PC-904 against P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae. Against these two clinical isolates, PC-904 is, respectively, 35 and 100 times more active than carbenicillin. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of PC-904 against P. aeruginosa are comparable to those of gentamicin. PC-904 acts bactericidally. The effect of inoculum size on the antibacterial activity is often small and generally comparable to carbenicillin. The rate of binding to serum protein is high (88 to 98%), but the effect of the addition of serum on the drug's activity is not marked, because such binding is reversible. It is confirmed that PC-904 has a very potent in vivo antibacterial activity against gram-negative and gram-positive organisms. Against systemic infections with P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae, and E. coli in mice, PC-904 is 7 to 10 times, over 8 times, and 2 to 15 times more active than carbenicillin, respectively.


This article borrows Juno Salazar Parreñas's concept of the "semi-wild" as an entry point into an analysis of Malaysian Chinese author Zhang Guixing's novels Elephant Herd (1998) and Monkey Cup (2000). Set in Sarawak, both works feature a relatively simple plotline interwoven with an intricate web of flashbacks. More specifically, each work's primary plotline features an ethnically Chinese protagonist searching for a relative who has disappeared into the rainforest, while also becoming romantically interested in a young Indigenous woman whom he meets during his quest. In each case, a fascination with the relationship between humans and Sarawak's various "semi-wild" flora and fauna is paralleled by an attention to the relationship between the region's ethnic Chinese and its various Indigenous peoples—and particularly two subgroups of Sarawak's Dayak ethnicity, the "Sea Dayaks" (also known as the Iban) and the "Land Dayaks" (who are often simply called "Dayaks"). Each work uses a set of quasi-anthropomorphized plants and animals (including silk-cotton trees, Nepenthes pitcher plants, elephants, crocodiles, rhinoceroses, and orangutans) to reflect on humans' relationship to the local ecosystem, while simultaneously using Indigenous peoples to reflect on the way in which overlapping colonial legacies have shaped the region's sociopolitical structures.


CMOS image sensors are today challenging the existing Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) in several application fields. Improved architecture and processes have to a large extent overcome early weaknesses of CMOS imagers, namely with respect to noise and sensitivity. Todays "Active Pixel Sensors" are typically based on sub-micron technologies that have been optimized for optical sensing and can rival CCD in most aspects. In addition CMOS imagers offer significant advantages in terms of low power, low voltage and monolithic integration, allowing for example the manufacture of miniaturized single-chip digital cameras. The integration of added functionality on the chip or even at the pixel level also opens up completely new opportunities. This paper gives a short review of the advantages and weaknesses of both CMOS and CCD technologies for imaging applications.


The vanY gene of vancomycin-resistant enterococci encodes a D,D-carboxypeptidase. By using a PCR detection strategy, a VanA Enterococcus faecium clinical isolate was found to have an insertion sequence (IS)-like element designated IS1476 in vanY. The activity of the VanY D,D-carboxypeptidase in this isolate was decreased in a fluorometric fluoraldehyde o-phthalaldehyde assay with diacetyl-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala as the substrate. This, to our knowledge, is the first report of an IS-like element in a vancomycin resistance gene.


Invasive papillary carcinoma of the breast is a rare form of breast carcinoma. Hereby we report a case of invasive papillary carcinoma of the breast in a 76-year-old otherwise healthy male, who presented at our department with the complaint of left subareolar masses. Mammography demonstrated two masses that were oval and round shaped, sharply demarcated and with micro calcifications on the internal structure. Ultrasonographic (US) analysis revealed solid mass lesions in the left subareolar location. These lesions had cystic areas in the interior structures. Color Doppler US revealed a high resistant vascularization in the central and peripheral parts of the lesions. Pathological examination of the specimen revealed the intracystic component to be invasive papillary carcinoma. In focal areas there was also findings of neuroendocrine differentiation. The patient underwent total mastectomy following an excisional biopsy, as the surgical margin after biopsy was positive for carcinoma. Axillary dissections had negative lymph nodes. After adjuvant chemotherapy and at the 2-year follow-up examination there were no recurrences or metastases. A high index of suspicion is necessary in male patients with solid lesions with cystic components.


Background

The pathogenesis and clinical behaviors between solitary uterine leiomyoma (SUL) and multiple uterine leiomyomas (MUL) vary, which lead to the difference in management for childbearing-aged patients. Herein, we aim to find the potential miRNAs involved in the development of SUL and MUL.
Results

The top 5 differentially expressed miRNAs, Wnt signalling pathway and its two central molecules APC and CTNNB1 were screened out according to microarray analysis and bioinformatics. MiR-142-3p was selected for further exploration. In validation of qRT-PCR, MiR-142-3p was significantly upregulated in SUL, while downregulated in MUL, CTNNB1 and sequencing target AXIN-2 were expressed at higher level in MUL than SUL. Overexpression of MiR-142-3p resulted in lower transcription level of CTNNB1 and AXIN-2, and lower cell proliferation level.
Conclusions

MiR-142-3p may be involved in the development of SUL and MUL by interacting with CTNNB1 and AXIN-2 through Wnt signaling pathway. MiR-142-3p could serve as a potential biomarker for individualized treatment between SUL and MUL in the future.


OBJECTIVE: This research aims to identify the epidemiological features of Turkish men who seek medical help for their childlessness. STUDY DESIGN: 474 men attending to the out-patient urology clinics of our hospital between January 2005 and January 2006 were questioned in aspects of age, fertility, occupation, chronic diseases, surgical history, trauma, and drug usage, smoking, alcohol intake, substance abuse and exposure to gonadotoxins. RESULTS: The majority of the participants were 25 to 35 year-old Caucasian men who had primary infertility. 91.4%, 98.3%, 87.6% of these subjects did not reveal any disease, trauma and drug usage associated infertility. 41.1% of the study population had scrotal operations. %62.9 of these participants was smokers yet only 7.6% of them consumed alcohol. Although %67.7 of the patients did not have any jobs that might be associated with infertility, 32.9 % of patients were exposed to occupational gonadotoxins; mostly heat. 10.8% and 8.0% of the study population were drivers and farmers exposed to heat and pesticides respectively. CONCLUSION: Many childless men represent as young males who are at obvious risk due to congenital and acquired genital abnormalities and silent exposure to environmental and occupational hazards. Men chronically exposed to heat and pesticides due to either sedentary or agricultural work are considered to be at utmost risk for infertility.


Melioidosis is the clinical disease caused by the Gram‐negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei and is endemic to Northern Australia and Southeast Asia. It is commonly referred to as the 'great mimicker' because of its wide range of clinical presentations, often making diagnosis challenging. Isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy as the presenting feature of melioidosis is rare and can be indistinguishable from tuberculosis or malignancy. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is the preferred technique for evaluating undifferentiated mediastinal lymphadenopathy but its role in the diagnosis of mediastinal melioidosis remains sparsely reported in the literature. In this case series, we present four cases of mediastinal melioidosis, and the role that EBUS guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) played in the diagnosis and management.


The Nordstr\"om-Vlasov system describes the dynamics of a self-gravitating ensemble of collisionless particles in the framework of the Nordstr\"om scalar theory of gravitation. We prove existence and uniqueness of classical solutions of the Cauchy problem in three dimensions and establish a condition which guarantees that the solution is global in time. Moreover, we show that if one changes the sign of the source term in the field equation, which heuristically corresponds to the case of a repulsive gravitational force, then solutions blow up in finite time for a large class of initial data. Finally, we prove global existence of classical solutions for the one dimensional version of the system with the correct sign in the field equation.


Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are highly abundant non-autonomous retrotransposons that are widespread in plants. They are short in size, non-coding, show high sequence diversity, and are therefore mostly not or not correctly annotated in plant genome sequences. Hence, comparative studies on genomic SINE populations are rare. To explore the structural organization and impact of SINEs, we comparatively investigated the genome sequences of the Solanaceae species potato (Solanum tuberosum), tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), wild tomato (Solanum pennellii), and two pepper cultivars (Capsicum annuum). Based on 8.5 Gbp sequence data, we annotated 82 983 SINE copies belonging to 10 families and subfamilies on a base pair level. Solanaceae SINEs are dispersed over all chromosomes with enrichments in distal regions. Depending on the genome assemblies and gene predictions, 30% of all SINE copies are associated with genes, particularly frequent in introns and untranslated regions (UTRs). The close association with genes is family specific. More than 10% of all genes annotated in the Solanaceae species investigated contain at least one SINE insertion, and we found genes harbouring up to 16 SINE copies. We demonstrate the involvement of SINEs in gene and genome evolution including the donation of splice sites, start and stop codons and exons to genes, enlargement of introns and UTRs, generation of tandem-like duplications and transduction of adjacent sequence regions.


This paper presents adaptive predistortion techniques based on a feed-forward neural network (NN) to linearize power amplifiers such as those used in satellite communications. Indeed, it presents the suitable NN structures which give the best performances for three satellite down links. The first link is a stationary memoryless travelling wave tube amplifier (TWTA), the second one is a nonstationary memoryless TWT amplifier while the third is an amplifier with memory modeled by a memoryless amplifier followed by a linear filter. Equally important, it puts forward the studies concerning the application of different NN training algorithms in order to determine the most prefermant for adaptive predistortions. This comparison examined through computer simulation for 64 carriers and 16-QAM OFDM system, with a Saleh's TWT amplifier, is based on some quality measure (mean square error), the required training time to reach a particular quality level, and computation complexity. The chosen adaptive predistortions (NN structures associated with an adaptive algorithm) have a low complexity, fast convergence, and best performance.


This dissertation concerns the ethics of responding to transgressors of morality through means available to us as members of society (as opposed to the question of how the state ought to respond to wrongdoers). I focus on the question of how firms should respond when an employee is the subject of mass outrage due to performing some allegedly immoral conduct outside the workplace. Since managers often feel pressure to respond swiftly in such scenarios, it is important that they have clarity about the normative issues. The first step of the argument involves defending the claim that firings in certain contexts constitute expressions of blame. The second step of the argument discusses the nature and ethics of blame. In particular, I argue that since blaming is a communal practice, there are coordination problems that prospective blamers must attend to and that the appropriateness of an act of blame depends on how much others blame. I conclude that there is strong moral reason against firing an employee in response to outside of work immoral conduct that generates mass outrage. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Legal Studies & Business Ethics First Advisor Alan Strudler Second Advisor Kok-Chor Tan


Abstract Cereal straw is an important biomass source in Europe. This work assessed: 1) the morphological and energetic characteristics of culms of spring and winter cereals, 2) the energy deposited in the different aboveground parts of cereals, 3) losses of energy due to different cutting heights. The straw of winter and spring cereals was collected from arable fields during the seasons 2009/10 and 2010/11 in southern Poland. Detailed biometric measurements of culms and internodes were performed. The losses of straw biomass and energy were assessed during simulation of cutting the culm at different heights, up to 50 cm. Longer and heavier culms were developed by winter wheat and triticale and oat. Cutting of straw up to 10 cm did not lead to significant losses in straw yield. The total amount of energy in the culms was as follows: triticale > winter wheat > oat > spring wheat > winter barley > spring barley. Cutting the culms above 20 cm led to significant differences in terms of biomass energy between cereal species. The smallest losses of energy were recorded for spring and winter barley. Oat and barley accumulated the highest energy in grains.


Short-time solid-state reaction and spark plasma sintering method (SS-SPS) were combined to prepare single-phase polycrystalline Ca3Co2O6 ceramic bulk, and effects of preparation condition and sintering technology were investigated in detail. Single-phase polycrystalline Ca3Co2O6 powders with dendritic grains of about 1-3µm and Ca3Co2O6 ceramic bulk with grain size of about 2µm were obtained respectively under 950C for 2h in the solid reaction process and spark plasma sintering under 900C for 5min. The ZT values of the polycrystalline product tend to increase sharply with increasing temperature and is 0.02 at 700C, it is expected to possess high conversion efficiency and is considered to be a potential candidate for use as a thermoelectric materials at high temperatures.


Introduction: infant's healthy development acquisition is related to sensorial and motor experiences acquired in their first living year. As a walking stimulating aid, parents believethat baby walker may anticipate walking. Objective: check the frequency of the use of child walker for infants and the influence of this procedure on the sensory motor development, and correlate the daily time spent with the acquisition of independent walking at 13 months. Methods: Initially, parents answered a questionnaire regarding the use or no use of the baby walker. Infants who used it developed walking skills earlier than those who did not use it (p = 0.044). Results: Daily time of use influenced in the walk acquisition time (p = 0.005); and there was no association between the groups who used or did not use the baby walker compared to their current motor development assessed by Alberta Infant Motor Scale (p = 0.566). Conclusion: We concluded that the vesting period of the march is on the daily use of the walker, which is an important factor for this acquisition.


The goal of our project was to investigate Hg(II) reduction in the deep subsurface. We focused on microbial and abiotic pathways of reduction and explored how it affected the toxicity and mobility of Hg in this unique environment. The project's tasks included: 1. Examining the role of mer activities in the reduction of Hg(II) in denitrifying enrichment cultures; 2. Investigating the biotic/abiotic reduction of Hg(II) under iron reducing conditions; 3. Examining Hg(II) redox transformations under anaerobic conditions in subsurface sediments from DOE sites.


CONTEXT
Excess sodium consumption increases the risk for hypertension, which is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. For children and teenagers, school meals are a significant source of sodium consumption.

OBJECTIVE
To describe the environmental change strategies that were implemented to reduce sodium in the school meals of a rural California school district.

DESIGN
Descriptions of the environmental strategies, with an emphasis on staff training and infrastructure improvements.

SETTING
School district of approximately two thousand 9th- to 12th-grade students in rural, northern California.

PARTICIPANTS
School administration and food service staff at the 5 high schools in Anderson Union High School District.

INTERVENTION
Shasta County Public Health partnered with Anderson Union High School District to (1) facilitate changes to meal preparation practices, (2) improve cafeteria infrastructure, and (3) provide training and technical assistance to improve procurement strategies.

RESULTS
Environmental strategies to reduce sodium in school meals were implemented in 2011. Anderson Union High School District has continued to successfully implement scratch cooking and improve procurement strategies to reduce sodium in school meals.

CONCLUSION
Using an approach that includes environmental change strategies can lead to sodium reduction in a school setting.