Ecological cues during prenatal and postnatal development may allow organisms to adjust reproductive strategy. The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is a prime candidate for adaptive plasticity as a result of its critical period of birth to 6 mo (B6M) in humans and the role of testosterone in the development and maintenance of costly sexually dimorphic somatic and behavioral traits. We hypothesized that weight velocity specific to B6M would predict male life history characteristics, including maturational timing, reproductive hormones, adult size, strength, and sexual activity. Data come from 770 Filipino men (age 20.5–22.5 y) followed since birth, with predictor variables including birth weight and weight velocities calculated at 6-mo intervals during the first 2 y of life. As expected, infants who were breastfed experienced less diarrhea, lived in wealthier households with better hygiene, and grew faster from B6M. Males with rapid B6M growth reached puberty earlier and, as young adults, had higher testosterone levels, were taller, more muscular, and had higher grip strength. They also had sex earlier and were more likely to report having had sex in the past month, resulting in more lifetime sex partners. Relationships between B6M weight gain and physical outcomes were generally not present or weaker in female subjects. We conclude that rapid weight gain specific to the brief postnatal hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal critical period predicts early maturation and sexual activity, elevated hormone production, and more costly adult somatic characteristics among the male subjects in this sample. These findings provide evidence for early life developmental plasticity in male life history and reproductive strategy in humans.


Large, open, public events, such as marathons and festivals, have always presented a unique safety challenge. These sprawling events, which can take up entire city blocks or stretch for many miles, can draw tens to hundreds of thousands of spectators and in some cases have open admission. As it is impracticable to guarantee the subjection of every event-goer to a security screening, we propose a crowd-based explosive detection system that uses a multitude of low-cost ChemFET sensors which are distributed to attendees. As the sensors offer limited accuracy, we further propose a server-based decision-making framework that utilizes a two-level feedback loop between the sensors and the server and explores spatial and temporal locality of the collected data to overcome the inherent low-accuracy of individual sensors. We thoroughly explore two distinct detection schemes, stressing their performance under a myriad of conditions, thus showing that such a crowd-based detection system comprised of low-cost and low-accuracy sensors can deliver high detection accuracy with minimal false positives.


In the test course of static transfer function of TDI CCD camera, because of the influence that gets environmental and artificial etc. factor, the value of static transfer function measured at any time is between unceasing fluctuation, so, make accuracy reduce. To solve this problem, a kind of accurate measurement technique of static transfer function is put forward. First, before carrying out the measure of static quiet of transfer function, the best test point of transfer function of the TDI CCD camera must be determined, it is parallel to guarantee the rectangle target surface of parallel optical pipe and camera focal plane maintenance parallel, and again guarantee target strip in rectangle target and TDI CCD in camera focal plane maintenance vertical. TDI CCD catches rectangle target image, per 1000 lines of target mark image as a measures sample of static transfer function, exclude because of atmosphere tremble twisted, vague rectangle target mark image, retain 500 distinct and steady target mark image as measure sample set. Then, calculate the static transfer function of each measure sample respectively, take the average of all static quiet transfer function in measure sample set as the static transfer function of camera. Finally, the measure of the static transfer function for TDI CCD camera makes error analysis. Experimental results indicate that the value of the static transfer function of TDI CCD camera measured with this kind of method is 0.2923, with before measurement technique comparison, the value of static transfer function has raised 0.02, makes the accuracy of the measure of static transfer function have gotten raising.


In spite of the grate experience accumulated in vascular repairing, the ideal number of sutures for vascular anastomosis remains controversial. It is generally thought that the more stitches applied in a vascular anastomosis, the lesser resistant the anastomosis will be. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis in 20 rabbits, in which both carotid arteries were cross sectioned and repaired by end-to-end anastomosis with 8 interrupted sutures in one side (G1) and 16 in the other side (G2). After 3 and 15 days, the animals were randomly allocated for tensile strength, hydroxyproline determination (7 animals) and for histologic analysis of the anastomosis (3 animals). Conventional staining procedures (hematoxylin-eosin and Masson methods) and the picrosirius red polarization (PSP) technique for collagen type determination were used. From 3 to 15 days, the tensile strength increased in both groups, from 265.0±-44.4g to 391.2±-49.0g in G1 and from 310.0±-71.5g to 348.7±-84.0g in G2 (p<0.005), with no statistical difference between the groups in each period of study. The hydroxyproline content, expressed as hydroxyproline/protein ratio, varied from 0.04±-0.01 to 0.05±-0.02 in G1 and from 0.05±-0.01 to 0.05±-0.02 in G2, with no significant difference between periods and groups. The histology showed similar inflammatory and reparative aspects in both groups. In both groups and periods the PSP technique demonstrated predominantly type I collagen in relation to type III collagen in the anastomosis. We concluded that even doubling the number of stitches, the healing process and strength did not change in the arterial anastomosis.


QseC is a histidine kinase (HK) receptor involved in quorum sensing, a mechanism by which bacteria respond to fluctuations in cell population. We conducted a structural study of the cytoplasmic domain of QseC (QseC-CD) using X-ray crystallography. The 2.5 Å structure of the apo-enzyme revealed that the kinase domain of QseC retains the overall fold of the typical HK kinase domain. The construct that we used is inactive in the autokinase reaction and its inactivity is most likely caused by its atypical dimerization interface, as compared to that observed in the T.maritima HK cytoplasmic domain structure. Restoration of the activity may require that the entire dimerization domain be present in the protein construct. QseC, which plays an important role in bacterial pathogenesis, is a promising drug target and the structure of QseC-CD provides a platform for developing more potent inhibitors of pathogen virulence.


With the uninterrupted growth, databases are growing very fast and becoming more complex in the Volume, Variety and Velocity and hence management of database has been the biggest challenge. The data collection is currently managed and exploited mostly by using conventional data management tools such Relational Database Management Systems(RDMS), profoundly has its accurate name as SQL or conventional search engines. In the last two decades, the relational databases proved to be powerful and superior because of its highly semantic features and usage. Soon as Big Data stepped into the IT industry, handling large volume of data and variety in data type and structure has lead to a tedious job. To handle such Big Data, relational databases are not suitable because of its strict data constraints, structure, relations and so on. Hence, data aggregation becomes impossible. NoSQL databases provide an efficient and clear framework to aggregate large volumes of data, structures and relations. Now, to stipulate the problem, the modeling and migration of data is required. Currently, there is no tool for the migration of Relational databases to NoSQL databases. This migration requires conversion of relational (sql) database query to NoSQL database query. Relational databases (RDBMS) have struggled to keep up with the wave of modernization, leading to the rise of NoSQL as the most viable database. The aim of this paper is to highlight and evaluate the ways in which NoSQL can be used, Data Modeling concept in NoSQL, migration process in NoSQL


Transgender people can engage in a number of procedures to deal with the incongruence between their physical gender and the one with which they identify. One of the experts involved in the process of gender transition is a speech-language pathologist (SLP), whose role is to collaborate with the client on the goal to develop vocal, language and communication behaviors that match the desired gender identity. This case report presents one such collaboration, which included voice and communication therapy for a male-to-female transgender person aimed at the voice feminization.


Background Zinc (Zn) deficiency is a common condition and could contribute to poor outcomes in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Zn supplementation on serum copper (Cu) to Zn and C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratios (CAR) in HD patients. Methods Seventy-seven HD patients were enrolled in a multicentre simple-blind randomized clinical trial. Only 37 HD patients completed the study; they were randomly divided into two groups and supplemented with zinc sulphate (n=17) or placebo (n=20) for two months. Serum Zn and Cu were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Serum albumin and hypersensitive-CRP were assessed by colorimetric and immunoturbidimetric method, respectively. Determinations were performed before and after supplementation. Results After two months of supplementation, serum Zn significantly increased, and Cu to Zn ratio decreased in Zn supplemented group, but remained unchanged in the placebo group. In parallel, serum albumin concentrations significantly increased, and CAR decreased in Zn supplemented group only. Conclusions Zn supplementation reduces Cu to Zn and CRP to albumin ratios in HD patients. These changes point towards an improvement in nutritional, oxidative and inflammatory status. The study findings suggest that correcting Zn deficiency reduces poor outcomes in HD patients.


In cross-functional teams, team performance depends on how skillfully function managers carry out the cross-function coordination of team members' complementary expertise and activities. In this paper, we argue (i) that function managers' coordination skills develop in part through the coordination experience gained from interacting with managers from other function, (ii) that coordination experience has general and firm-specific dimensions, and (iii) that coordination experience leads to better team performance. Using data on development teams in the electronic games industry, we show that coordination experience and its general and firm-specific components have a positive impact on the commercial success of electronic games. Our results have implications for the theory of learning and coordination in teams and for the practice of team design in project-based organizations. Jelcodes:M00,-


Background: People with profound developmental disabilities have some of the most severe neurological impairments seen in society, have accelerated mortality due to huge medical challenges, and yet are often excluded from scientific studies. They actually have at least 2 layers of conditions: (1) the original disability and (2) multiple under-recognized and underexplored metabolic and nutritional imbalances involving minerals (calcium, zinc, and selenium), amino acids (taurine, tryptophan), fatty acids (linoleic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, arachidonic acid, adrenic acid, Mead acid, plasmalogens), carnitine, hormones (insulinlike growth factor 1), measures of oxidative stress, and likely other substances and systems. Summary: This review provides the first list of metabolic and nutritional abnormalities commonly found in people with profound developmental disabilities and, based on the quality of life effects of similar abnormalities in neurotypical people, indicates the potential effects of these abnormalities in this population which often cannot communicate symptoms. Key messages: We propose that improved understanding and management of these disturbed mechanisms would enhance the quality of life of people with profound developmental disabilities. Such insights may also apply to people with other conditions associated with disability, including some diseases requiring stem cell implantation and living in microgravity.


Kate Granger, a doctor and the founder of the successful "Hello, my name is" campaign, which encourages medical staff to introduce themselves to patients, won a Special Achievement Award at The BMJ Awards 2016 in London on 5 May.

Granger, a consultant in geriatric medicine at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, whose experiences as a patient with cancer led to the campaign, was the first recipient of this one-off award. Her campaign now has 42 000 Twitter followers globally.

Granger was joined by doctors and teams who have excelled in their fields, such as anaesthesia, diabetes, cancer care, cardiology, clinical leadership, dermatology, and gastroenterology.

Competition for this year's BMJ Awards, now in their eighth …


The gastrointestinal helminth fauna of 25 eider ducks (Somateria mollissima L.) in the Netherlands has been described and number of worms counted or estimated. For the most common species maximum worm numbers are given. Five nematode species were found: Amidostomum acutum (max. intensity 1500). Paractiaria formosensis. Streptocara crassicauda, Tetrameres fissispina and Capillaria nyrocinarum (max. intensity 1700). Trematodes were represcrited by 12 species: Cotylurus cormutus, Catatropis verrucosa, Notocotylus attenuatus, Cryptocotyle concavum (max. intensity > 10.000), Psilotrema simillimum (max. intensity > 10.000), Himasthla militaris, Gymnophallus somateriae, G. rostratus, Lacunovermis. macomae, Maritrema gratiosum, Microphallus longicaecum and M. somateriae. The total number of gymnophallid and microphallid digeneans exceded 100.000 in some birds. Other digeneans, not identified at the species level, belonged to the genera Diplostomum, Paramonomum and Levinseniella. Cyclophyllid cestodes (mainly Hymenolepididae) were present in high numbers (max. intensity > 4000), but mostly in the immature stage. One Ligula intestinalis could be identified. Acanthocephalan infections with high numbers (max. intensity 4000) of Profilicollis botulus were very common.


The Extreme Forecast Index (EFI) compares a medium range ensemble forecast (ENS) to climatology to establish the severity of an event. In this paper, the large‐scale influence of the design and configuration of this climatology on the climate distribution and the EFI is examined. The design factors considered are ensemble size (how many ensemble members), sampling frequency (how often per week), lead‐time dependency (from which lead time to draw the climatology), and the sampling length (number of years). The results show that most of the climate configurations with sample size above 50–100 give a relatively good representation of the climate distribution between the 10th and 90th percentiles. For more extreme percentiles (for 1–10% and 90–99%) some care is needed to select the best configuration, whereas the extreme tails of the distribution cannot be well represented by any of the investigated configurations (up to a 14 year, daily, 50 member climate), for which a bigger sample would be needed. Results show that the hindcast length is clearly the superior sampling factor in general, better than the sampling frequency and the ensemble size. In addition, the ensemble size has only very limited contribution to the non‐extreme climate percentiles and the EFI, especially at short range.


Abstract Background Human parechovirus type 3 (HPeV3) and enteroviruses (EVs) are the major viral pathogens causing severe diseases in neonates and young infants. Although two infections typically occur in summer, and initial clinical presentations are similar, differences in clinical and laboratory characteristics of HPeV3- and EV- infections are not well described. Methods From January 2014 to December 2016, we prospectively obtained serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from febrile neonates and young infants < 4 months suspecting sepsis and meningoencephalitis in Niigata, Japan. RNA/DNA were extracted from the samples and viral etiologies including HPeV3, EVs, and/or herpes simplex virus were tested using the real-time PCR, followed by genetic sequencing and typing. The comparison was made between HPeV3- and EVs-infected patients based on their medical records and subsequent questionnaires using appropriate statistical analyses. Results In total, we obtained 212 serum and 170 CSF samples from 222 patients. HPeV3 and EVs were detected for 56 (25%) and 43 patients (19%) (Figure), and their median ages were 29 and 24 days (P = 0.58), respectively. HPeV3-infected patients presented with higher median body temperature (38.9 °C vs 38.5 °C, P < 0.001), heart rates (184/minute vs. 161/minute, P = 0.002), peripheral coldness (72% vs. 34%, P < 0.001), skin mottling (65% vs. 23%, P < 0.001), and grunting (22% vs. 5%, P = 0.014) than EVs-infected patients. Additionally, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) was more frequently observed in HPeV3-infected patients than in EVs-infected patients (82% vs. 58%, P = 0.009). In the laboratory data, median white blood cell count was lower in HPeV3-infected patients than those in EVs-infected patients (5,200/µL vs. 8,900/µL, P < 0.001). The pleocytosis was observed 58% of EVs-infected patients, but none of the HPeV3-infected patients (P < 0.001); however, HPeV3 RNA was frequently detected than EVs in CSF (90% vs 66%, P = 0.012). Conclusion This study showed that HPeV3-infected neonates and young infants presented more severe clinical manifestations than those infected with EVs. Significant tachycardia, poor peripheral circulation, and fulfilling SIRS criteria at the presentation may be the clues considering HPeV3 infection rather than EVs infection. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


Abstract: Ecosystems can simultaneously provide multiple functions and services. Knowledge on the combinations of such multi-dimensional functions is critical for accurately assessing the carrying capacity and implementing sustainable management. However, accurately quantify the multifunctionality of ecosystems remains challenging due to the dependence and close association among individual functions. Here, we quantified spatial patterns in the multifunctionality of alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau by integrating four important individual functions based on data collected from a field survey and remote sensing NDVI. After mapping the spatial pattern of multifunctionality, we extracted multifunctionality values across four types of grassland along the northern Tibet Plateau transect. Effects of climate and grazing intensity on the multifunctionality were differentiated. Our results showed that the highest values of multifunctionality occurred in the alpine meadow. Low values of multifunctionality were comparable in different types of grassland. Annual precipitation explained the large variation of multifunctionality across the different types of grassland in the transect, which showed a significantly positive effect on the multifunctionality. Grazing intensity further explained the rest of the variation in the multifunctionality (residuals), which showed a shift from neutral or positive to negative effects on multifunctionality across the different types of grassland. The consistently rapid declines of belowground biomass, SOC, and species richness resulted in the collapse of the multifunctionality as bare ground cover amounted to 75%, which corresponded to a multifunctionality value of 0.233. Our results are the first to show the spatial pattern of grassland multifunctionality. The rapid decline of the multifunctionality suggests that a collapse in the multifunctionality can occur after the vegetation cover decreases to 25%, which is also accompanied by rapid losses of species and other individual functions. Our results are expected to provide evidence and direction for the sustainable development of alpine grassland and restoration management.


We have described a blog system called Tour de Blog that allows geographical tracking of individual blogs. Our system considers a group of blogs that a user defines as belonging to the same category in chronological order and tracks them as one "Tour". The system oers an easy way to post blogs with location information from a mobile device and displays the transitions in the times and places of posts of a "Tour" in an intuitive manner. The data is also output in RSS, GPX, and KML so that the data collected at the system can also be used interactively with other services that use positional information.


The paper examines the people participatory approach towards executive process of drought management programmes of Mewat region of Haryana. It is an empirical study, based on 93 respondents, taken from three villages, who have been engaged in varied drought management activities within these villages. The study has thrown an adequate light on various levels of benefits and varied degree of satisfaction, derived from the drought management projects, executed in these villages, characterized with different topographical attributes. On the basis of findings of the study, varied inferences have been drawn from the study. This participatory approach has also been testified with correlation technique which shows the results in accordance with responses, responded by the people; belonged to various strata of rural society in their respective villages of Mewat region.


Aims The Department of Health proposes "to offer all adult patients, regardless of their diagnosis … access to high quality palliative care so that they can choose … to die at home." We, therefore, studied those with lung cancer patients who died in our institution during 2010. Results 41 patients (33% of our annual notifications) died in hospital; 26 case records were retrieved complete (all had previously been diagnosed with lung cancer); mean age 70.6 years (53–85). 25 lived in their own dwelling (5 alone; 2 of these with only social care support) and 1 in a nursing home. 5 had been in receipt of radical treatments; 21 were in receipt of palliative interventions and the nursing home resident had no active treatment. Mean time from diagnosis to final admission was 296 (188 for those without radical treatments) days. 13 patients admitted via GP; six through A&E seven from Oncology or Palliative Care outpatients. 12 had acute medical problems (eg, pneumonia, CCF); one had intestinal obstruction; 11 had progressive disease-related symptoms (eg, progressive brain metastases); two had social issues precipitating admission. No clear documentation of preferred place of death was identified at admission; during this final admission 14 indicated their preferred place of death—10 for home; four were too unwell for discharge; one had unaddressed social issues; three families couldn't cope and two were re-admitted by their GP within 24 h of discharge. All patients were in receipt of specialist palliative care during the admission and 15 died on the Liverpool Care Pathway. Conclusion 50% of these lung cancer patients (representing 16% of our annual cases) were admitted with acute medical problems. Those identified as wishing to die at home were unable to be discharged. To prevent the remaining 50% of this population being admitted to hospital will require a significant change in practice by both primary and secondary care teams and an investment in community palliative care services. In-hospital palliative care is of a very high standard.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Introduction: IL-6 has both diagnostic and prognostic significance in pancreatic cancer. We investigated the signaling pathways activated in response to IL-6 in pancreatic cell lines, with a focus on STAT-3 and Pim-1 kinase.

Methods: IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) expression was evaluated by Western blot analysis across a panel of human pancreatic cell lines. Panc-1 and MiaPaCa2 cell lines were serum starved for 24 hrs and then treated with 100 ng/mL of IL-6 for various time courses from 0 to 6 hr. STAT-3 activation and Pim-1 kinase protein levels were assessed in the presence and absence of IL-6 by Western blot analysis. The ability of cucurbitacin B to block both STAT-3 and Pim-1 activation, and inhibit cell proliferation was investigated. Stably transfected Pim-1 kinase over-expressing cell lines were generated and characterized for their response to IL-6 in vitro, and their growth rate in vivo as flank tumors in scid mice.

Results: IL-6R is broadly expressed across multiple cancer cell lines, with the highest expression observed in the Panc-1 cell line. IL-6 stimulation resulted in increased STAT-3 phosphorylation in Panc-1, and MiaPaCa2 tumor cell lines as well as the HP-DEV transformed pancreatic ductal cell line. Treatment with IL-6 resulted in increased Pim-1 protein expression in the Panc-1 but not the MiaPaCa2 parent cell lines. Induction of Pim-1 protein was also observed in both Panc-1 and MiaPaCa2 stably transfected over-expressing cell lines. Pre-treatment with the STAT-3 inhibitor cucurbitacin B resulted in inhibition of STAT-3 phosphorylation and decreased cell proliferation, but was not associated with suppression of Pim-1 protein expression in the Panc-1 cell lines. Over-expression of Pim-1 in the Panc-1 cell line was associated with no significant changes in basal apoptosis rate, cell growth rate in vitro or in flank xenografts, or IL-6 induced expression of VEGF.

Conclusions: IL-6 stimulation activates both STAT-3 and Pim-1 kinase expression in pancreatic cell line models. Induction of Pim-1 kinase was cell line specific, suggesting that the molecular context is essential for this pathway to be activated. Suppression of STAT-3 with a pharmacological inhibitor resulted in exaggerated Pim-1 expression in over-expressing cell lines implying Pim-1 up-regulation may be one of the compensatory and/or stress pathways activated when STAT-3 is inhibited. Stable over-expressing Pim-1 kinase Panc-1 and MiaPaCa2 cells did not exhibit significant changes in growth or apoptosis, unlike previously reported studies in the literature with other pancreatic cancer cell line models. This may be due to the multiple pathways that are dysregulated in these cell lines. Both STAT-3 and Pim-1 kinase have previously been identified as drug targets in multiple malignancies, including leukemia, lymphoma, prostate, and pancreatic cancer. Our study suggests that both pathways may be activated in patients with elevated IL-6 levels.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2930. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2930


A plankton-nutrient interaction model with delayed nutrient recycling is considered. The system consists of three components, autotrophic phytoplankton, herbivorous zooplankton and dissolved limiting nutrient. Distributed delays are used to describe the contribution of phytoplankton and zooplankton that died in the past to the nutrient recycled at the present time. Persistence criteria are derived for the model by using Liapunov-like functionals.


An UML approach to designing Resource Oriented Architecture (ROA) is described in this article along with a case study on Smart Grid Home Area Network (HAN). A set of UML diagrams is presented to illustrate steps from requirements collection, data flow, resource data modeling, to the interface model. The process provides an example on how to design ROA in a standardized way from a modeling perspective and how to link it to an existing Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) environment.


The function word "le" in Chinese serves as both a sentence final particle (le1) and an aspect marker (le2). As an aspect marker indicating the completion of action, "le" has been observed to be frequently misused by learners of Chinese, among which the overgeneralization of "le" a past-tense marker is the most glaring. Based on "NTNU Chinese learners' written corpus", we analyzed the usage and the error types of "le" made by English-speaking learners at the beginning (A2) and the intermediate level (B1).The results show that both A2 and B1 learners acquire le2 before le1, and in terms of error analyses, le1 is the most commonly spotted error type and there is a large number of redundancy of the use of le2 and le(1+2). Therefore, in a similar vein with Teng (1999), this current study sides with the proposition that the use of le2 along with its associated sentence patterns should be taught prior to that of le1. Pedagogical implication as well as the suggestion of the editing of CFL textbooks are also provided.


We propose a novel multicast routing protocol, called hybrid overlay multicast routing protocol (HOMRP) for MANETs (mobile ad hoc networks). Existing overlay and mesh multicast routing protocols in MANETs have the main drawback of low packet delivery ratio and high control overhead, respectively. In order to improve these shortcomings, we integrate multicasting and unicast tunnels for efficient packet delivery. In HOMRP, it creates multiple local multicast trees. Each pair of parent node and child node in a local multicast tree is at a distance of one-hop. It uses multicasting to deliver multicast packets in local multicast trees. This provide efficient data forwarding. Unicast tunnels are used for transmitting packets between local multicast trees. Simulation results have shown that the packet delivery ratio of HOMRP is 50% better than that of AMRoute and is close to that of ODMRP. HOMRP reduces 18% control overhead compared to ODMRP and reduces 9% end-to-end packet delay compared to AMRoute.


Phenyl-pyridine compounds present a high interest for Photodynamic Therapy due to their important anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. In this study, two phenyl-pyridine compounds were investigated BG204 (3-amine, 9-thio [2-N-N-diethylaminoethyl] acridine) and BG 1120 (4,5 bis [thio(2-N-N-diethylaminoethyl)], 9methyl 1,8-diazantracene), because they present modification during UV irradiation. In order to elucidate these modifications FTIR spectroscopy was used. BG204 and BG1120 were UV irradiated using a Xe lamp, with a power density of 11mw/cm 2 , for 1 hour, and 3 hours, respectively. The FTIR spectra, in the range of 4000 cm -1 - 400 cm -1 , were performed by a Nicolet Magna IR 550 spectrometer. The results of the analyzed samples showed that these molecules are photo-reactive, and their therapeutic effects can be improved by UV irradiation.


The nucleotide requirements for microtubule assembly following two different methods of nucleotide removal were defined. Microtubular protein extracted with charcoal in a buffer containing 1 mM EDTA showed an absolute dependence on GTP for assembly, whereas, microtubular protein extracted with charcoal in a buffer containing 1 mM MgCl2 could assemble with the nucleotide analogs, guanosine-5'-(beta,gamma-imido)triphosphate (GMP-PNP) and guanosine-5'-(beta-gamma-methylene)triphosphate. Assembly promoted by the nucleotide analogs proceeded at slower rate and to a lesser extent than the assembly induced by GTP. Furthermore, after the analog-induced assembly had reached a steady state level, the addition of GTP immediately induced further tubulin assembly to the level produced by GTP alone. Microtubules assembled with GMP-PNP or GTP contained approximately 2.8 mol of bound nucleotide per mol of dimer. The two different methods of charcoal extraction produced microtubular protein preparations that differed in their residual nucleotide and Mg2+ content. The EDTA-charcoal-extracted microtubular protein retained 1 mol of tightly bound nucleotide (GDP) and 1 mol of Mg2+ per mol of dimer, whereas, the Mg2+ charcoal-extracted microtubular protein retained 1.4 mol of bound nucleotide (1.0 mol of GDP + 0.4 mol of GTP) and 1.5 mol of Mg2+ per mol of dimer. The results suggest that only that fraction of tubulin subunits containing bound GTP can assemble with the nucleotide analogs and that microtubules may possess a third or polymer binding site for nucleotide.


Objective: Color duplex ultrasound (CDU) imaging is a noninvasive alternative to computed tomography (CT) for the detection of endoleak. This study compared CT and CDU imaging in the detection of endoleaks requiring intervention after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Methods: All EVARs performed at our institution from 1996 to 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. CDU and CT scans <3 months were paired and the presence of an endoleak and its type were recorded. Clinical follow-up was reviewed and interventions for endoleak were recorded. Interventions were performed for type I, for type II with sac enlargement, and for type III endoleaks. The first analysis of clinical test outcomes used the findings of CT scan as a gold standard and the second used the findings at time of intervention as a gold standard. Results: During the time period reviewed, 496 patients underwent EVAR, and 236 of these had CDU and CT follow-up studies paired <3 months of each other. Mean follow-up was 17 months (range, <1-111 months). We reviewed 944 studies or 472 pairs. Eighteen patients (7.6%) required intervention for 19 endoleaks: six type I, 11 type II, and two type III. Early endoleak (<1 month) requiring reintervention was detected in 1 vs late endoleak (mean, 28 months; range, 0.6-88 months) in 18. All type I and III endoleaks were treated with endovascular cuff or limb extension placement. Three type II endoleaks were treated with open ligation, and coil or glue embolization was used in eight. CDU imaging detected endoleaks requiring intervention in 89% of cases, whereas CT detected endoleak in 58% (P < .05). The ability to correctly identify the type of endoleak as confirmed at time of intervention was 74% with CDU imaging vs 42% by CT (P < .05). CDU, for the detection of endoleak requiring intervention, had a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 81%, negative predictive value (NPV) of 99%, and positive predictive value (PPV) of 16%, while CT had a sensitivity of 58%, specificity of 87%, NPV of 98%, and PPV of 15%. Conclusions: CDU imaging has a high sensitivity in detecting endoleaks requiring intervention, is better at identifying the type of endoleak, and is an excellent test for graft surveillance after endovascular aneurysm repair. Compared with CT scan, CDU imaging in our experience is the preferred test on which to base an intervention for endoleak. (J Vasc Surg 2009;50:1012-8.)


Gas exchange parameters, leaf nitrogen content and specific leaf area (SLA) were measured in situ on 73 C3 and five C4 plant species in Mallorca, west Mediterranean, to test whether species endemic to the Balearic Islands differed from widespread, non-endemic Mediterranean species and crops in their leaf traits and trait inter-relationships. Endemic species differed significantly from widespread species and crops in several parameters; in particular, photosynthetic capacity, on an area basis (A), was 20 % less in endemics than in non-endemics. Similar differences between endemics and non-endemics were found in parameters such as SLA and leaf nitrogen content per area (Na). Nevertheless, most of the observed differences were found only within the herbaceous deciduous species. These could be due to the fact that most of the non-endemic species within this group have adapted to ruderal areas, while none of the endemics occupies this kind of habitat. All the species-including the crops-showed a positive, highly significant correlation between photosynthetic capacity on a mass basis (Am), leaf nitrogen content on a mass basis (Nm) and SLA. However, endemic species had a lower Am for any given SLA and Nm. Hypotheses are presented to explain these differences, and their possible role in reducing the distribution of many endemic Balearic species is discussed.


The Transition Movement is based on the premise that the dual threats of Peak Oil and anthropogenic climate change require humans to re-think and re-design how they live, with the focus becoming the creation of resilient, sustainable communities. The first Transition Town was created in Totnes, UK in 2005, and there are now Transition Towns worldwide. Using qualitative research methods, we explore the understudied affective, normative, and religio-ethical motivations of those engaged in the Transition Movement located in Totnes. Our research suggests that the Movement is guided by norms and ethics that are ecocentric, where nature is seen to be sacred and worthy of reverent care, and members can be classified as being part of a larger, emergent terrapolitan citizenry. We also briefly explore how the values and ethics of those in the Transition Movement trigger lifestyle changes which are more ecologically responsible than those offered by contemporary industrial societies.


Microsporidia are obligate intracellular eukaryotic parasites with a broad host spectrum characterized by a unique and highly sophisticated invasion apparatus, the polar tube (PT). In a previous study, two PT proteins, named AlPTP1 (50 kDa) and AlPTP2 (35 kDa), were identified in Antonospora locustae, an orthoptera parasite that is used as a biological control agent against locusts. Antibodies raised against AlPTP2 cross-reacted with a band migrating at ~70 kDa, suggesting that this 70-kDa antigen is closely related to AlPTP2. A blastp search against the A. locustae genome database allowed the identification of two further PTP2-like proteins named AlPTP2b (568 aa) and AlPTP2c (599 aa). Both proteins are characterized by a specific serine- and glycine-rich N-terminal extension with elastomeric structural features and share a common C-terminal end conserved with AlPTP2 (~88% identity for the last 250 aa). MS analysis of the 70-kDa band revealed the presence of AlPTP2b. Specific anti-AlPTP2b antibodies labelled the extruded PTs of the A. locustae spores, confirming that this antigen is a PT component. Finally, we showed that several PTP2-like proteins are also present in other phylogenetically related insect microsporidia, including Anncaliia algerae and Paranosema grylli.


OBJECTIVES
CLIPPER2 was an 8-year, open-label extension of the phase 3 b, 2-year CLIPPER study on the safety and efficacy of etanercept in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), categorized as extended oligoarticular arthritis (eoJIA), enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA), or psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

METHODS
Participants with eoJIA (2-17 years old), ERA, or PsA (each 12-17 years old) who received ≥1 etanercept dose (0.8 mg/kg weekly; maximum 50 mg) in CLIPPER could enter CLIPPER2. Primary end point was occurrence of malignancy. Efficacy assessments included proportions achieving JIA American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 30/50/70/90/100 criteriaand ACR inactive disease criteria, and clinical remission (ACR criteria) or Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score (JADAS) ≤1.

RESULTS
Overall, 109/127 (86%) CLIPPER participants entered CLIPPER2 (n = 55 eoJIA, n = 31 ERA, n = 23 PsA; 99 [78%] on active treatment); 84 (66%) completed 120 months' follow-up (32 [25%] on active treatment). One malignancy (Hodgkin's disease in 18-year-old patient with eoJIA treated with methotrexate for 8 years) was reported; there were no cases of active tuberculosis or deaths. Numbers and incidence rates [events per 100 patient-years] of TEAEs (excluding infections/ISRs) decreased from 193 [173.81] in Year 1-9 [27.15] in Year 10; TE infections and serious infections also decreased. Over 45% of participants (N = 127) achieved JIA ACR50 responses from Month 2 onwards; 42 (33%) and 17 34 (27%) participants achieved JADAS and ACR clinical remission, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Etanercept treatment up to 10 years was well tolerated, consistent with the known safety profile, with durable response in the participants still on active treatment. The benefit-risk assessment of etanercept in these JIA categories remains favorable.

CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDS
CLIPPER (NCT00962741); CLIPPER2 (NCT01421069).


Abstract:  Decay accelerating factor (DAF) is a widely distributed glycoprotein which aids in the inactivation of complement. DAF is also a cellular receptor for certain group B coxsackieviruses (CVB) and is responsible for the viral hemagglutinating activity for human red blood cells (RBC). Healthy, young female volunteers donated blood on days 11 and 22 of the ovarian cycle. Samples were categorized into luteal and follicular phases based on serum progesterone levels (P4 either <2.0 ng/mL, follicular; P4 ≥ 2.0 ng/mL, luteal) and analyzed by flow cytometry for DAF expression on RBC and CD21+ B lymphocytes. Cycling females showed significant variation in CVB‐induced hemagglutination and % RBC or CD19+ cells which were DAF+. There was a strong correlation between serum estradiol levels and % RBC expressing DAF (P < 0.01) in the follicular, but not in the luteal ovarian phase. Infection of white blood cells with green‐fluorescent protein CVB (GFP‐CVB) showed a correlation between infectivity of CD19+ cells and DAF expression. This indicates that women may show differential susceptibility to CVB infection in the luteal and follicular phases of the ovarian cycle.


Current estimates of the HIV epidemic indicate a decrease in the incidence of the disease in the undiagnosed subpopulation over the past 10 years. However, a lack of access to care has not been considered when modeling the population. Populations at high risk for contracting HIV are twice as likely to lack access to reliable medical care. In this paper, we consider three contributors to the HIV population dynamics: at-risk population exhaustion, lack of access to care, and usage of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) by diagnosed individuals. An extant problem in the mathematical study of this system is deriving parameter estimates due to a portion of the population being unobserved. We approach this problem by looking at the proportional change in the infected subpopulations. We obtain conservative estimates for the proportional change of the infected subpopulations using hierarchical Bayesian statistics. The estimated proportional change is used to derive epidemic parameter estimates for a system of stochastic differential equations (SDEs). Model fit is quantified to determine the best parametric explanation for the observed dynamics in the infected subpopulations. Parameter estimates derived using these methods produce simulations that closely follow the dynamics observed in the data, as well as values that are generally in agreement with prior understanding of transmission and diagnosis rates. Simulations suggest that the undiagnosed population may be larger than currently estimated without significantly affecting the population dynamics.


One of the vital practice in the internet is routing of data packets. A routing protocol specifies the method of communication among routers used in the inter connection of networks. A routing table in the memory of a router keeps track of routes to particular network destination. There are varios routing protocols which have application on the internet like Routing Information Protocol (RIPv2), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (IGRP), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Intermediate System To Intermediate System (IS-IS), etc. Every single protocol has its unique way of packet routing. This paper presents a simple relative study of RIP, OSPF, EIGRP and IS-IS dynamic routing protocols. The Routing Information Protocol (RIP) comes under the distance vector algorithm while Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) is an advanced distance-vector routing protocol, the Open Shortest Path First Protocol (OSPF) is a link state routing algorithm. Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS) regulates the superlative route for information through a packet-switched network. The crucial objective of this research work is to illustrate the comparitive performance analysis of dynamic routing protocols and redistribution among the protocols. Cisco routers were used in our simulated network topology.


A compact continuously varactor-tuned low-pass filter using microstrip stepped-impedance hairpin resonators is proposed in this paper. A detailed theoretical analysis for the performance tuning mechanism is illustrated by using equivalent circuit models. The experiment results are provided to validate the proposed filter. From the measured results, it is found that five varactor diodes with two applied bias voltages used in the proposed design work well as a flexible tuning network, which not only provide a wide frequency tuning range of 46% from 1.60 to 2.94 GHz, but also offer an ability of selectivity controlling by using different applied voltages. Furthermore, the proposed filter using multiple cascaded hairpin resonators provides a very sharp cutoff frequency response with low insertion loss in each state, together with a wide and deep stopband with a rejection level greater than 20 dB. Good agreement between the measured and simulated results can be observed finally.


This paper shows the results of quercitrin effects on the structure and biological activity of secretory phospholipase (sPLA2) from Crotalus durissus terrificus, which is the main toxin involved in the pharmacological effects of this snake venom. According to our mass spectrometry and circular dichroism results, quercetin was able to promote a chemical modification of some amino acid residues and modify the secondary structure of C. d. terrificus sPLA2. Moreover, molecular docking studies showed that quercitrin can establish chemical interactions with some of the crucial amino acid residues involved in the enzymatic activity of the sPLA2, indicating that this flavonoid could also physically impair substrate molecule access to the catalytic site of the toxin. Additionally, in vitro and in vivo assays showed that the quercitrin strongly diminished the catalytic activity of the protein, altered its Vmax and Km values, and presented a more potent inhibition of essential pharmacological activities in the C. d. terrificus sPLA2, such as its myotoxicity and edematogenic effect, in comparison to quercetin. Thus, we concluded that the rhamnose group found in quercitrin is most likely essential to the antivenom activities of this flavonoid against C. d. terrificus sPLA2.


Analyzing the bio-power theory, I point out that Foucault's power theory model is different from the juridical-discursive model of the traditional liberalism theory, which is dismissed by him and he doesn't adopt an opposing duality way. Foucault removes of the value foundation which is needed in making an estimation, at the same time who opens out the bio-power with genealogy methodology and considers that the power is purely dormant and productive, hence the bio-power secrets in the social operating mechanism and our living society. Therefore, all this things result in producing the truth and the knowledge that come into being the disciplinary society. Facing this society, how can we break away from this suppressing society and express ourselves actually In the third part, I construe the relationship of the power and the resistance, lately making a distinction between Habermas taking a duality of legality and illegality and also differing from Weber about the outlet of individual subject.Subsequently, according to the above analyzing and reasoning the aesthetic decision, I assume that Foucault may be in the danger of the possibility of underlying the foundation and the confliction of the individual aesthetic decision in the decision theory. In practice, I am also doubt the practical feasibility of the daily resistance of the masses and the desirability of the individual aesthetic resistance.


Corrosion of steel is a worldwide issue which potentially affects structural integrity of bridges.
This research presents the results of comprehensive lab tests on the stress effect on corrosion and the combined effect of stress and corrosion on the mechanical properties of steel bridge elements. G250 mild steel specimens, commonly used for bridge construction, are used for analysis. Both stressed and non-stressed specimens are immersed in acid solutions to simulate corrosion progress. The stress effect on corrosion rate (mass loss) is studied. The combined effect of stress and corrosion on mechanical properties is also studied.
Hydrogen concentration is monitored for stressed and non-stressed steel during corrosion to find the mechanism of the degradation of mechanical properties. The outcome of this research can help bridge engineers and asset managers to better model corrosion and more accurately assess the structural integrity of corrosion affected steel bridges.


Part Eight: Autobiographical Writings, Biographies, and Letters 8A. Autobiographical Writings 8A1. The Autobiographical Documents 8A2. Commentaries on Dickens's Autobiographical Writings 8B. Full-length Biographies 8C. Collections of Letters 8D. Individual Letters and Small Sets of Letters 8D1. Letters Published before 1880 8D2. Letters Published 1880-1938 8D3. Letters Published 1939-1964 8D4. Letters Published 1965-date 8E. Studies of Biographies of Dickens and of Dickens's Letters Part Nine: Obituaries, Eulogies, Reminiscences, Recollections, and Impressions 9A. Obituaries and Eulogies 9B. Reminiscences, Recollections, and Impressions Part Ten: Biographical Studies 10A. General, Specialized, and Miscellaneous Biographical Studies 10A1. Pre-Forster (1845-1872) - Chronological Listing 10A2. Forster to Johnson (1873-1953) 10A3. Post-Johnson (1954-date) 10B. Biographical Studies for the Period 1812-1836 10C. Biographical Studies for the Period 1837-1842 10D. Biographical Studies for the Period 1843-1856 10 E. Biographical Studies for the Period 1857-1870 10 F. Studies of Dickens's Family 10G. Studies of Dicken's Relationships with Friends, Acquaintances, and Associates Index to Volume Two


This article examines the extent to which agglomeration economies in one location affect employment growth and establishment births, using data from the Dutch province of South-Holland. The data are of particular interest because they represent a census, rather than a sample, of all establishments and the location of establishments can be pinpointed to within 416 (postal) zip code areas averaging less than 6 km2 in size. Results suggest that agglomeration economies positively affect employment growth and the location of new establishments, but with the possible exception of manufacturing, this effect dies out quickly with distance. Thus, the main finding is that for many industries, agglomerative forces may well operate at a geographic scale that is smaller than a city.


Aim. To study the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality levels in men and day of the week, season of the year, and change to daylight saving time. Material and methods. This prospective study included the 13-year follow-up data for 2390 men aged 15 years and older. Results. The overall level of CVD mortality in men was 407,1 per 1000, with no associations with day of the week, season of the year, or change to daylight saving time. However, in the spring, the highest and lowest levels of CVD mortality were observed, respectively, on Thursday (21,2 per 1000) and Sunday (10,6 per 1000). In the autumn, the highest and lowest levels of CVD mortality were observed on Sunday (21,1 per 1000) and Monday (7,9 per 1000), respectively. The proportion of men dying from CVD on Monday was twice as high in the winter (33,3%, or 17,8 per 1000) than in the autumn (14,8%, or 7,9 per 1000). The proportion of men dying from CVD on Sunday was twice as high in the autumn than in the spring (38,1%, or 21,2% per 1000 vs. 19,0%, or 10,6 per 1000, respectively). Conclusion. The observed dynamics of CVD mortality during the week and across the seasons should be taken into account by the CVD prevention programmes.


We study the stochastic inclined rod model in a system with different complex potentials and discuss the effect of the spring on the system. The results of the calculation show that the spring, the effective radius of the G-actin and the intermolecular potential play key roles in the motion. The sliding speed is about 4.7×10-6m/s calculated from the model which well agrees with the experimental data.


Wide, thick wiring, clock frequency in the GHz range will require interconnection analysis to consider inductance and inductive coupling effects on interconnect delay and noise. Analytical expressions are preferred because simulation is always expensive and ineffective in use with modem designs containing millions of transistors and wires. However, analytical expressions are not sufficiently accurate and do not consider all of interconnect and driver parameters. In this paper, we try to merge between analytical models and a table lookup approach to easily get the crosstalk peak noise, as well as impact of coupling on aggressor delay. The pulse width of the crosstalk noise, which is of similar importance for circuit performance as the peak amplitude, is also measured. We consider parameters like spacing, length, coupling length, place of overlap (near driver or receiver side), frequency, direction of the signals, load capacitance, rise time of the inputs, wire width for both the aggressors and the victim wires. Also, we consider parameters like shields and shield width to decrease the inductive coupling.


Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) has most important research area in the last couple of years. Image retrieval is the system used for searching out the desired features of a query image. The main purpose of CBIR method is to obtain the accurate and fast results. In this paper, an Query image is retrieved from the database with high accuracy. This going through various steps namely, Pre-processing, feature extraction, Optimization and matching. In pre-processing noise is removed by using filtering and color conversion is performed on the query image. For extracting features SURF (Speedup Robust Feature) descriptor is used. It is the enhanced form of SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature transform) and more speedy than it. For optimization Genetic algorithm (GA) is used which improves the features of the extracted image. For matching Euclidian formula is used. It measures the similarity between the extracted feature and the database image. The simulation is carried out in MATLAB simulator tool with an accuracy of approximately 98 %.


Daily/home hemodialysis is the latest technologic advance in the care of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, and promises improved clinical outcomes and quality of life. Should these benefits prove to be true, an increasing number of patients will be interested in this modality of care, raising challenges and opportunities for providers of care and payers, as well as patients themselves. For patients to have access to this and other new forms of technology to treat ESRD, it will be necessary to re-examine the current care delivery and financing systems and reconfigure these so that the incentives of best clinical practice and outcomes are properly aligned with appropriate and sensible cost constraint.


Background: After a successful primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)/stent placement, performing bypass surgery to an artery with a patent stent during semiurgent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgeries may protect the patient against ischemic complications due to acute stent occlusion. This issue, however, is controversial. Loss of bypass graft function may occur in the early stages due to the competition between native flow and graft flow. In the present study, the effects of bypass surgery to an artery with a patent stent on the outcomes were investigated. Methods: Fifty nine patients who had undergone isolated CABG surgery within 6 weeks after a successful primary PTCA/stent placement were included in the study. Patients who had undergone emergency operation due to suspicion of acute stent occlusion and the redo cases were excluded in the study. Patients were divided into two groups; those with (Group P, protected) and without (Group NP; non-protected) coronary bypass to an artery with a patent stent. Preoperative, operative and postoperative data were collected retrospectively from the patient files. The need for urgent revascularization was recorded postoperatively. Mann-Whitney U test was used for the analysis of continuous variables, whereas categorical variables were analyzed either using Pearson's chisquare test or Fisher's exact test. Results: Of 59 patients, 35 underwent bypass surgery to the artery with patent stent, whereas bypass was not performed on 24 patients. It was observed that dual antiplatelet therapy had been performed on 20% of the patients in Group P and 87.5% of those in Group NP (p = 0.001). No acute ischemic change due to stent occlusion was determined in Group P, whereas it was observed in one patient in Group NP (p = 0.4). The prevalence of hospital mortality was found to be 8.6% and 8.3% in Group P and Group NP, respectively (p = 1). Conclusions: Although it was not statistically significant, it was observed that bypass surgery might have a protective effect against stent occlusion in patients who underwent bypass surgery. However, postoperative dual antiplatelet therapy substantially prevented stent occlusion in those without bypass surgery. On the other hand, stent-supported coronary circulation may be unsafe in case of discontinuation of clopidogrel therapy. Therefore, it was suggested that performing bypass surgery to an artery with a patent stent would be more reasonable in patients who underwent semi-urgent CABG surgery.


Fungal pigments, including melanin, are recognized as promising materials for biomedical, environmental, and technological applications. In previous studies, we have demonstrated that the DOPA-melanin produced by the MEL1 mutant of Aspergillus nidulans exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities without any cytotoxic or mutagenic effects, suggesting its potential use in pharmaceuticals. In order to increase the yield of this pigment and reduce the costs of its large-scale production, the present study aimed to evaluate agro-industrial by-products, sugarcane molasses, vinasse, and corn steep liquor as inexpensive substrates for fungal growth using experimental design methodology. According to the results obtained, the optimal composition of the culture medium was 0.81% (v/v) vinasse and 1.62% (w/v) glucose, which promoted a greater production of melanin (225.39 ± 4.52 mg g−1 of biomass), representing a 2.25-fold increase compared with the condition before optimization (100.32 mg.g−1 of biomass). Considering the amount of biomass obtained in the optimized condition, it was possible to obtain a total melanin production of 1 g L−1. Therefore, this formulation of a less complex and low-cost culture medium composition makes the large-scale process economically viable for future biotechnological applications of melanin produced by A. nidulans.


Objective: In this study, we aimed to assess sharps injuries occuring in a training and research hospital retrospectively and to clarify the current situation in order to reach conclusions and suggestions about the subject. Methods: The data was obtained from the notification forms with 18 questions filled by 124 health workers who were exposed to sharps injuries and applied to the infection control committee unit at the relevant dates. The data was statistically analysed with a p value of <0.05 being considered as significant. Results: At the end of the study, it was found out that 63.7% of the workers exposed to injuries were <30 years old and the average age was 27.9. A statistically significant correlation was found between the relevant age groups and injury prevalence. Injuries in the 16-30 age group were more frequent in clinical services, emergency services and blood sampling unit whereas injuries in >30 age group were mostly observed in clinic services (internal and surgical units) and operating rooms. It was found that hand injuries were the most common and needle sticks were the most frequent (91.1%) cause of injury. Conclusions: The primary way to prevent the sharps injuries is to improve safety and to develop effective employee safety policies. Additionally, taking international measures, regular trainings, reducing staff workload and provision of safe and useful materials can be among the suggestions that can prevent injuries.


Modeling of thermostressed states of a parabolic aluminium mirror covered by radio transparent radome under gravity, wind and temperature effects is performed. A procedure is described to prepare a geometrical model for calculations in the ANSYS


Abstract. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica on the cycling of a wide set of trace elements (Ag, As, Ba, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, Tl, V and Zn). We measured the concentration of these trace elements in different compartments of P. oceanica (leaves, rhizomes, roots and epiphytes) in a non-polluted seagrass meadow representative of the Mediterranean and calculated the annual budget from a mass balance. We provide novel data on accumulation dynamics of many trace elements in P. oceanica compartments and demonstrate that trace element accumulation patterns are mainly determined by plant compartment rather than by temporal variability. Epiphytes were the compartment, which showed the greatest concentrations for most trace elements. Thus, they constitute a key compartment when estimating trace element transfer to higher trophic levels by P. oceanica. Trace element translocation in P. oceanica seemed to be low and acropetal in most cases. Zn, Cd, Sr and Rb were the trace elements that showed the highest release rate through decomposition of plant detritus, while Cs, Tl and Bi showed the lowest. P. oceanica acts as a sink of potentially toxic trace elements (Ni, Cr, As and Ag), which can be sequestered, decreasing their bioavailability. P. oceanica may have a relevant role in the cycling of trace elements in the Mediterranean.


Since 2009, China has become biggest automobile supplier and consumer all over the world. Chinese government and automobile firms have been executed strategic and aggressive industry policy and business strategy for nurturing automobile industry as a core manufacturing industry. However, can we assure that all of these policy and strategy have positive effect on Chinese automobile industry? For fulfilling this gab, our research examined the government policy and firm``s strategy in different development stage of Chinese automobile industry. According to research result, at initial stage(1983-1996), Chinese automobile industry has grown by technological learning and reverse engineering from Soviet Union, Japan and Germany. In rapid growing stage(1996-2009), Chinese automobile firms have succeed to develop and produce own brand product with 100% own technology. And this kind of quantum jump in technology development was conducted by joint venture policy and M&A strategy. However, at the fourth stage(2010-), Chinese government and firms have over invested and focused on Electric Vehicle manufacturing without developing core technology or SW. Overall, the old-fashioned policy and strategy module in manufacturing industry of China could have negative effect on its industry development.


Zakat funds are a mandate of Allah SWT that must be distributed to mustahiq. This study aims to measure the feasibility of a village to be assisted by using zakat funds. The method used is a qualitative method using the Village Zakat Index (IDZ) model. The IDZ measurement includes five dimensions: economy, health, education, humanity, and dakwah. The research was conducted at Curug Depok. Data collection techniques were carried out through interviews, questionnaires, and expert judgment consisting of village officials, RT, and the community. The results showed that the IDZ value in Curug was categorized as functional with a score of 0.79. This finding indicates that Cukug is not prioritized to be assisted by zakat funds. The dimensions with the lowest IDZ value are the economic and human dimensions of 0.61 and 0.78. This data shows that zakat institutions can implement empowerment programs focusing on economic and humanitarian programs.


Backyard birds are small flocks that are more common in developing countries. They are used for poultry meat and egg production. However, they are also implicated in the maintenance and transmission of several zoonotic diseases, including multidrug-resistant bacteria. Enterococci are one of the most common zoonotic bacteria. They colonize numerous body sites and cause a wide range of serious nosocomial infections in humans. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the diversity in Enterococcus spp. in healthy birds and to determine the occurrence of multidrug resistance (MDR), multi-locus sequence types, and virulence genes and biofilm formation. From March 2019 to December 2020, cloacal swabs were collected from 15 healthy backyard broiler flocks. A total of 90 enterococci strains were recovered and classified according to the 16S rRNA sequence into Enterococcus faecalis (50%); Enterococcus faecium (33.33%), Enterococcus hirae (13.33%), and Enterococcus avium (3.33%). The isolates exhibited high resistance to tetracycline (55.6%), erythromycin (31.1%), and ampicillin (30%). However, all of the isolates were susceptible to linezolid. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was identified in 30 (33.3%) isolates. The enterococci AMR-associated genes ermB, ermA, tetM, tetL, vanA, cat, and pbp5 were identified in 24 (26.6%), 11 (12.2%), 39 (43.3%), 34 (37.7%), 1 (1.1%), 4 (4.4%), and 23 (25.5%) isolates, respectively. Of the 90 enterococci, 21 (23.3%), 27 (30%), and 36 (40%) isolates showed the presence of cylA, gelE, and agg virulence-associated genes, respectively. Seventy-three (81.1%) isolates exhibited biofilm formation. A statistically significant correlation was obtained for biofilm formation versus the MAR index and MDR. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) identified eleven and eight different STs for E. faecalis and E. faecium, respectively. Seven different rep-family plasmid genes (rep1–2, rep3, rep5–6, rep9, and rep11) were detected in the MDR enterococci. Two-thirds (20/30; 66.6%) of the enterococci were positive for one or two rep-families. In conclusion, the results show that healthy backyard chickens could act as a reservoir for MDR and virulent Enterococcus spp. Thus, an effective antimicrobial stewardship program and further studies using a One Health approach are required to investigate the role of backyard chickens as vectors for AMR transmission to humans.


Human infection with Colletotrichum species is typically limited to ophthalmologic manifestations. We present the first reported pediatric case of subcutaneous Colletotrichum truncatum infection. This case highlights the potential importance of C. truncatum as an agent of subcutaneous or disseminated disease in immunocompromised children.


The Jabalpur earthquake (23.08° N, 80.06° E, H = 36 km) is the first event in the Indian Peninsular shield region to be well recorded by a newly installed, 10-station, broadband seismographic network. Using these data, we estimate Q of Lg wave in the Indian shield region as Q = 508ƒ0.48 (1 ≦ ƒ ≦ 20 Hz). The corrected source spectrum, with M0 = 5.4 × 1024 dyne-cm (reported in the Harvard CMT catalog) and an ω2-source model, requires a stress parameter, Δσp, of ∼420 bar to explain high-frequency spectral level. The computed seismic energy from the records is 7.4 × 1020 erg, which yields an apparent stress and Brune stress drop of 62 and 270 bars, respectively.
 The analysis of the Jabalpur earthquake provides some elements for the estimation of ground motions during future earthquakes in the Indian shield region. Based on the results of the Jabalpur earthquake and on studies of tectonically similar region of eastern North America, we assume that (1) the sources follow an ω2 model; (2) S waves dominate at R < 100 km, and Lg waves dominate at R ≧ 100 km; (3) Q(f) = 508ƒ0.48; (4) the ground motion is a bandlimited, finite-duration, Gaussian white noise; and (5) the effective duration of the ground motion equals ƒ−1c + 0.05R, where fc is the corner frequency. We apply random vibration theory (RVT) to compute various measures of ground motion, such as Amax and Vmax. At near-source distances, the source finiteness is approximately taken into account. The attenuation curves for 5.5 ≦ Mw ≦ 7 and for Δσp of 100-400 bar are presented. As expected, the predicted values (with Δσp ∼ 420 bar) agree reasonably well with the limited Jabalpur data. An Amax of ∼150 gal is predicted in the epicentral region of this earthquake. The predicted curves imply Δσp ≦ 100 bar for the Latur earthquake of 1993 (Mw = 6.1; H = 2.5 km) to explain Amax < 1 g and the reported isoseismal intensities in the epicentral region. For Koyna earthquake of 1967 (Mw 6.3), the inferred Amax and Vmax from isoseismal intensities and the recorded strong motions at the Koyna dam site are in agreement with the prediction curves for Δσp ∼ 100 bar. The RVT predictions seem reasonable but need validation from more strong-motion data, which is presently lacking.


Recently, we proposed microchannel (MC) emulsification, a novel method for making monodispersed emulsion with a coefficient of variation (CV) less than 5%. In this study, we attempted monodispersed microbubble formation using the MC technique. Monodispersed microbubbles were formed using surfactants and proteins as dispersing agent. The average bubble size ranged from 33.6 to 51.1 μm, and CV values were below 10%. The bubble formation behavior was compared with the droplet formation behavior. The microbubble formation appears to be based on the spontaneous transformation caused by surface tension, as previously shown for liquid–liquid systems. The average bubble size was affected by viscosity, which is consistent with the results for the liquid–liquid system in previous studies. In the case of protein, the effect of surface viscoelasticity was indicated, which was not reported for the liquid–liquid system. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50: 3227–3233, 2004


[eng] The pharmaceutical industry is actively looking for new ways of boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of their R&D programmes. The extensive use of computational modeling tools in the drug discovery pipeline (DDP) is having a positive impact on research performance, since in silico experiments are usually faster and cheaper that their real counterparts. The lead identification step is a very sensitive point in the DDP. In this context, Virtual high-throughput screening techniques (VHTS) work as a filtering mecha-nism that benefits the following stages by reducing the number of compounds to be tested experimentally. Unfortunately the simplifications applied in the VHTS docking software make them prone generate false positives and negatives. These errors spread across the rest of the DDP stages, and have a negative impact in terms of financial and time costs. In the Electronic and Atomic Protein Modelling group (Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Life Sciences department), we have developed the Protein Energy Landscape Exploration (PELE) software. PELE has demonstrated to be a good alternative to explore the conformational space of proteins and perform ligand-protein docking simulations. In this thesis we discuss how to turn PELE into a faster and more efficient tool by improving its technical and algorithmic features, so that it can be eventually used in VHTS protocols. Besides, we have addressed the difficulties of analyzing extensive data associated with massive simulation production. First, we have rewritten the software using C++ and modern software engineering techniques. As a consequence, our code base is now well organized and tested. PELE has become a piece of software which is easier to modify, understand, and extend. It is also more robust and reliable. The rewriting the code has helped us to overcome some of its previous technical limitations, such as the restrictions on the size of the systems. Also, it has allowed us to extend PELE with new solvent models, force fields, and types of biomolecules. Moreover, the rewriting has make it possible to adapt the code in order to take advantage of new parallel architectures and accelerators obtaining promising speedup results. Second, we have improved the way PELE handles protein flexibility by im-plemented and internal coordinate Normal Mode Analysis (icNMA) method. This method is able to produce more energy favorable perturbations than the current Anisotropic Network Model (ANM) based strategy. This has allowed us to eliminate the unneeded relaxation phase of PELE. As a consequence, the overall computational performance of the sampling is significantly improved (-5-7x). The new internal coordinates-based methodology is able to capture the flexibility of the backbone better than the old method and is in closer agreement to molecular dynamics than the ANM-based method.


PURPOSE
Temozolomide is a novel oral alkylating agent with demonstrated efficacy as second-line therapy for patients with recurrent anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). This phase II study was performed to determine the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of concomitant radiation plus temozolomide therapy followed by adjuvant temozolomide therapy in patients with newly diagnosed GBM.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Sixty-four patients were enrolled onto this open-label, phase II trial. Temozolomide (75 mg/m(2)/d x 7 d/wk for 6 weeks) was administered orally concomitant with fractionated radiotherapy (60 Gy total dose: 2 Gy x 5 d/wk for 6 weeks) followed by temozolomide monotherapy (200 mg/m(2)/d x 5 days, every 28 days for six cycles). The primary end points were safety and tolerability, and the secondary end point was overall survival.

RESULTS
Concomitant radiation plus temozolomide therapy was safe and well tolerated. Nonhematologic toxicities were rare and mild to moderate in severity. During the concomitant treatment phase, grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, or both were observed in 6% of patients, including two severe infections with Pneumocystis carinii. During adjuvant temozolomide, 2% and 6% of cycles were associated with grade 3 and 4 neutropenia or thrombocytopenia, respectively. Median survival was 16 months, and the 1- and 2-year survival rates were 58% and 31%, respectively. Patients younger than 50 years old and patients who underwent debulking surgery had the best survival outcome.

CONCLUSION
Continuous daily temozolomide and concomitant radiation is safe. This regimen of concomitant chemoradiotherapy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy may prolong the survival of patients with glioblastoma. Further investigation is warranted, and a randomized trial is ongoing.


Ozone is of considerable importance to mankind because of its role as a shield for the biosphere against the Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the outer space, in particular from the sun. Due to a serious reduction of O3 content in the atmosphere, life-forms on the earth are exposed to a new hazard in the form of an increase of harmful solar UV radiation intensity at the sea level. Atmospheric scientists started taking serious notice of the development of ozone hole in early 1980s. One of the damages is embrittlement in the aircraft that is caused by exposure to UV radiation. Ultraviolet exposure also causes electrical changes in the form of resistively modified and optically affected changes both thermal characteristics and opacity. A particularly UV-sensitive element is the solar array. More specifically the solar cell cover glass and its attendant adhesive are subject to darkening. This results in reduced cell illumination and an enhanced operating temperature both being deleterious (harmful or lethal) to cell operation. In this communication our goal is to enumerate the effects of ozone layer depletion that results in the penetration UV radiation so that the damage of the material of aircraft can be estimated. This estimation may be useful for the characterization of air craft operation from the earth and loss of the earth protection shield. This kind of study also helpful for aeronautical engineers to select proper aircraft materials.


The partitioning of rare earth elements (REE) between zircon, garnet and silicate melt was determined using synthetic compositions designed to represent partial melts formed in the lower crust during anatexis. The experiments, performed using internally heated gas pressure vessels at 7 kbar and 900–1000 °C, represent equilibrium partitioning of the middle to heavy REE between zircon and garnet during high‐grade metamorphism in the mid to lower crust. The DREE (zircon/garnet) values show a clear partitioning signature close to unity from Gd to Lu. Because the light REE have low concentrations in both minerals, values are calculated from strain modelling of the middle to heavy REE experimental data; these results show that zircon is favoured over garnet by up to two orders of magnitude. The resulting general concave‐up shape to the partitioning pattern across the REE reflects the preferential incorporation of middle REE into garnet, with DGd (zircon/garnet) ranging from 0.7 to 1.1, DHo (zircon/garnet) from 0.4 to 0.7 and DLu (zircon/garnet) from 0.6 to 1.3. There is no significant temperature dependence in the zircon–garnet REE partitioning at 7 kbar and 900–1000 °C, suggesting that these values can be applied to the interpretation of zircon–garnet equilibrium and timing relationships in the ultrahigh‐T metamorphism of low‐Ca pelitic and aluminous granulites.


3 Abstract: Salmonella infections are major problems for the poultry farming in Bangladesh. The cultural method to identify avian Salmonella infections is laborious and expensive, thus a rapid, sensitive and cost- effective method for the diagnosis of salmonellosis is anticipated. In the present investigation Salmonella pullorum organisms was obtained from the Department of Pathology and it was characterized by culture, biochemical tests and PCR. A neotetrazolium stained Salmonella pullorum antigen was prepared from local isolate of Salmonella pullorum. The protein concentration of stained antigen was measured by BSA standard curve. Prepared antigen was diluted in 2 fold dilution and minimum 72.5 µg/µl antigen concentration showed the positive reaction. Different preservatives (0.5% phenolized saline, 0.5% formalized saline and 0.09% sodium azide) were used to maintain the shelf life of prepared antigen. All the preservatives showed the similar results up to six months. Slide agglutination tests were carried out with un-diluted and diluted anti- sera having known ELISA titre and end point agglutination titre was determined. Serum titre 13942-21362 gave positive result to 2 fold dilution of serum and serum titre 412-771 showed negative result. Different -5 groups of antigens were developed while antigen group-1 (48 h bacterial culture treated with 24 h in neotetrazolium and 2 h in thiomersal) gave the striking positive result. As Group-1 antigen exhibited highest protein concentration (1240 µg/µl) and gave the best result with positive sera, so it was selected for field trial. The seroprevalence of Salmonella infection was 44.39% in a particular poultry farm. The stained antigen was then stored at 4 C. As all used preservatives revealed similar trend of results, so it may be recommend that o 0.5% phenolized saline as preservative because it is cost effective. In the present study, the slide agglutination test was found easy, sensitive, reliable, cost and time effective and needed very small amount of antigen, sera and as well as accessories. Salmonella pullorum antigen from a local isolate was successfully developed which could be used to screen the Salmonella infection in the poultry flocks at the farm premises. It may also be used to determine the antibody titer of the vaccinated flocks.


CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2008 Abstracts

Abstract #5132

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the skin and heart toxicities of a concurrent adjuvant trastuzumab (T) and radiotherapy (RT) for breast cancer (BC), especially in the case of IMC irradiation. Patients and methods: Prospective study of 57 pts treated at the Institut Curie between 02/2004 and 01/2007 by concurrent T-RT for non-metastatic BC. The perfusion of trastuzumab started either with or after chemotherapy (CT). RT, started at least 4 weeks after the completion of anthracycline-based chemotherapy, consisted of either whole breast (+/- boost) or chest wall normo-fractionated irradiation. When indicated the internal mammary chain (IMC) and supra/infra-clavicular lymph nodes were also irradiated. Left ventricular ejection fractions (LEVF), assessed at baseline, before start of RT (pre-RT), after completion of RT and then every 4-6 months with either echocardiography or multiple gated acquisition scanning, were considered normal if ≥50% or stated so by the cardiologist. A normal LVEF at baseline was one of the inclusion criteria. Skin toxicity was evaluated using CTCAEV3. Results: Median age was 49 years (25-80). CT with anthracycline was administered in 84% (48 pts) with either doxorubicine for 6 pts (median total dose 300 mg/m²) or epirubicine for 42 pts (median total dose 300mg/m²). All but one patient (treated weekly) received T every three weeks (8mg/kg followed by 6mg/kg) for a median duration of 12 months (6-33). The treated breast was the left one in 46% (26 pts). The IMC was irradiated in 88% (50 pts). Median follow-up for LVEF assessment was 13 months (2-33). LVEF at pre-RT were normal in 55 pts (100%, 2 Missing Data), at post-RT in 56 pts (98%, no MD) and at last follow-up in 54 pts (95%, no MD). Overall, there were 2 grade 0, 44 grade I, 11 grade II skin reactions. For the 27 patients with a skin toxicity assessment after 6months, late skin toxicity was grade 0 in 22 pts, grade 1 in 4, grade 2 in 1. There was no skin toxicity graded higher than 2. Conclusion: In this preliminary study of BC patients treated with T-RT with, in most cases, anthracycline-based CT and IMC irradiation, there was no significant increase in the rate of abnormal LVEF after concurrent T-RT and the skin toxicity was acceptable in routine. More patients and a longer follow-up are needed to ascertain that this regimen remains safe.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 5132.


The aim of this study was to describe the stages in the development and results of the validation of the theoretical logical model for food and nutritional surveillance in primary healthcare (PHC). This was a descriptive and exploratory study that involved 20 specialists in food and nutrition, including researchers, policymakers, health professionals, and users based on a consensus technique in two rounds. Participants classified the structural components needed for food and nutritional surveillance and the respective expected results according to pertinence and relevance. The items were defined as consensus when they reached more than 80% agreement among participants, confirmed by the analysis of the median and interval between the first and third quartiles. The results reflect the validated content of the matrices organized according to four technical components: strategic planning, administrative planning, management and organization of practices, and monitoring and evaluation. The structure and necessary processes for conducting food and nutritional surveillance activities in PHC and the expected short-, medium-, and long-term results were described in the theoretical logical model. The validation of the theory of functioning of the intervention met its objective of increasing the content and construct validity and support the analytical generalization of the case-studies method, a strategy adopted to evaluate the implementation of food and nutritional surveillance in a specified context, in addition to creating a space for dialogue between the theory and its critique by involving different stakeholders in the evaluation, as well as providing a useful management tool.


Input models that drive stochastic simulations are often estimated from real-world samples of data. This leads to uncertainty in the input models that propagates through to the simulation outputs. Input uncertainty typically refers to the variance of the output performance measure due to the estimated input models. Many methods exist for quantifying input uncertainty when the performance measure is the sample mean of the simulation outputs, however quantiles that are frequently used to evaluate simulation output risk cannot be incorporated into this framework. Here we adapt two input uncertainty quantification techniques for when the performance measure is a quantile of the simulation outputs rather than the sample mean. We implement the methods on two examples and show that both methods accurately estimate an analytical approximation of the true value of input uncertainty.


Auditory filter bandwidths were estimated in three experiments. The first experiment was a profile-analysis experiment. The stimuli were composed of sinusoidal components ranging in frequency from 200 to 5000 Hz. The standard stimulus was the sum of equal-amplitude tones, and the signal stimulus had a power spectrum that varied up-down ... up-down. The number of components ranged from four to 60. Interval-by-interval level randomization prevented the change in level of a single component from reliably indicating the change from standard to signal. The second experiment was a notched-noise experiment in which the 1000-Hz tone to be detected was added to a noise with a notch arithmetically centered at 1000 Hz. Detection thresholds were estimated both in the presence of and in the absence of level randomization. In the third, hybrid, experiment a 1000-Hz tone was to be detected, and the masker was composed of equal-amplitude sinusoidal components ranging in frequency from 200 to 5000 Hz. For this experiment, thresholds were estimated both in the presence and absence of level variation. For both the notched-noise and hybrid experiments, only modest effects of level randomization were obtained. A variant of Durlach et al.'s channel model ["Towards a model for discrimination of broadband signals," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 80, 63-72 (1986)] was used to estimate auditory filter bandwidths for all three experiments. When a two-parameter roex(p,r) filter weighting function was used to fit the data, bandwidth estimates were approximately two to three times as large for the two detection tasks than for the profile-analysis task.


Software companies often undergo the globalization (g11n) process to expand their business and access the global market. This process involves internationalization (i18n) and localization (l10n). Internationalization refers to designing the software such that it can handle multiple languages and cultural conventions, whereas localization adapts a product to meet the specific linguistic and cultural requirements of a particular country or region. The importance of i18n/l10n testing is emphasized by the fact that i18n/l10n failures are easily noticeable by end-users. However, performing i18n/l10n testing is a challenging task, mainly because testers do not have fluency in all of the target languages. Moreover, given the comparatively lower popularity of i18n/l10n compared to other testing strategies, there is a scarcity of comprehensive guidelines and training materials to support the education of novice i18n/l10n testers. In the context of the real industrial setting that motivated this work, the training of novice testers typically involves their active participation in daily activities and the execution of real test suites. The problem with this approach is that very often the software version used during the training phase is stable and the novice testers might complete the training without observing any real i18n/l10n failure. Motivated by this problem, this work introduces a tool designed to assist in the training of novice i18n/l10n testers. Our tool enables trainers to intentionally seed i18n/l10n faults into a selected set of Android applications, which can then be compiled and installed on the trainees' devices. The fault seeding process can be either manual— trainers have the flexibility to choose which faults to seed and their respective locations— or fully automated— trainers can control the quantity and types of faults while leaving the decision of where to seed the faults to our tool. We conducted a preliminary study to assess the usefulness of our proposed tool during the training of two novice testers who had no prior experience in i18n/l10n testing. The evaluation results demonstrate a positive impact of our tool on the training process: following the training phase, the tester who was first introduced to i18n/l10n failures using our tool was able to find 6 real faults on the real software under test. In contrast, the tester that followed the traditional training approach did not report any faults. Demo video: https://youtu.be/4oiUf70gcdI Website: https://raquelcouto.github.io/L10N-TRAINER/ Figshare: https://figshare.com/s/029f90c767dd4e70e938


The responsibilities of nurse managers are complex. Their actions are crucial to providing the best possible care to patients and to the success of health care organizations. Thus, nurse managers' work engagement is essential. However, understanding of the antecedents of nurse managers' work engagement is lacking. The job demands–resources theory posits that work engagement is contingent upon job resources and demands. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore which job demands and resources exert a major influence on nurse managers' work engagement. Considering the literature, job resources and demands potentially relevant to nurse managers' work engagement were identified. To investigate the associations between these potential antecedents and nurse managers' work engagement, the study employed a cross-sectional survey. The dataset for analyses comprised 408 nurse managers in Germany and was analyzed by multiple linear regression. The study variables accounted for 26% of the variance in nurse managers' work engagement. Positive associations were detected between the job resource of empowering leadership and nurse managers' work engagement. Regarding job demands, lack of formal rewards and work–life interferences had negative effects on work engagement. The findings suggest that the job demands–resources theory can explain nurse managers' work engagement. However, not all job resources and demands considered were determined to be influential. In conclusion, empowering leadership should be promoted in the work environment of nurse managers. Nurse managers should be provided engaging financial and nonfinancial rewards. Work–life interferences should be systematically mitigated.


The effect of experimental conditions on temperature-programmed reduction (t.p.r.) profiles has been studied. In the case of t.p.r. curves that include several reduction steps an inadequate selection of these parameters leads to distorted profiles; these distortions may produce a complete loss of resolution for the different reduction steps. A criterion to select appropriate experimental conditions through a simple parameter that relates heating rate (β), sample size (S0) and hydrogen feed to the reactor (FC0), is given. Finally, the conditions required to obtain reliable activation energies for the reduction processes from the variation in temperature of the t.p.r. maxima with β, without making any previous assumptions about the reduction kinetics, are discussed.


The first commercial bank in Estonia, which was also the first commercial bank in the former Soviet Union, was established in Tartu in 1988. Unfortunately, because of bad loans, Tartu Commercial Bank went bankrupt and was liquidated in 1993. During the transition period after Estonia regained independence a large number of banks were set up, sometimes quite thoughtlessly. Many of these went bankrupt mainly due to mismanagement. The relatively rapid economic development resulted in an ever increasing demand for banking services, and several banks that had been rather small at first (Union Bank of Estonia, Hansabank) saw vigorous growth. Although the Estonian kroon was introduced already in 1992, we can speak about Estonian banking system only since 1995, when the banking system stabilised. The period 1995–2002 is too short for analysing the time series on the yearly data; for this reason the time series are built up on the basis of quarterly data. The present paper is part of a planned series of papers discussing possibilities of using econometric models for analysing banking systems as well as for prognosticating their development. The paper analyses trends in the development of the Estonian banking system and suggests a two-factor regression model. Total income was chosen as the output (dependent) variable, and fixed assets, earning assets, liabilities and equity were used as the factors (explanatory variables). JEL Classification numbers: G21, C22


The ichthyoplanktons were sampled by Bongo net to study the distribution of the eggs and larvae in the West coastal waters of Korea during the study period (February, May, August and October of 2017). Collected fish eggs were divided into Engraulis japonicus and unidentified species. The most dominant species, Engraulis japonicus accounted for 79.52% of the total fish egg, which was followed by unidentified species (20.48%). The total of 36 taxa in fish larvae were identified based on morphological and molecular characteristics. Fish larvae were dominant by Gobiidae species. 48.30% of the total catch in abundance, which was followed by Engraulis japonicus (31.86%). These two taxa composed 80.16% of the total collected fish larvae. The seasonal diversity index of species from the collected fish larvae in the West coastal waters in 2017 was 0.625-1.883 and the evenness index was 0.380-0.865. In addition, dominance index was 0.618-0.920 and richness was 0.573-3.189.


This research developed model foods of gelatine-based gels, where carbohydrates from Agave tequilana Weber var. Azul (agave syrups or/and agave fructans) were incorporated into gel formulations as healthy sucrose and glucose substitutes. The sugars (sucrose and glucose) were substituted by agave carbohydrates (agave syrups and agave fructans), obtaining the subsequent gel formulations: 100% agave syrup (F2 gel), 100% agave fructan (F3 gel), and 50% agave syrup–50% agave fructan (F4 gel). The unsubstituted gel formulation was used as a control (F1 gel). The prebiotic activities, physical properties, thermal stability (HP-TLC), and texture of gelatine-based gels were evaluated. The gel formulations showed translucent appearances with approximately 36 g/100 g of water and water activities values between 0.823 and 0.929. The HP-TLC analysis validated that agave fructans did not hydrolyse during the thermal process of gels production. Gels produced with agave syrup and agave fructan (F2-F4 gels) provided higher hardness, gumminess, and springiness values (p < 0.05) than those produced with glucose and sucrose (F1 gel). Gelatine-based gel formulations displayed prebiotic activities correlated to the ability of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus to use agave carbohydrates as carbon sources. Based on the prebiotic effect and physical and textural properties, the F2 and F4 gel formulations displayed the best techno-functional properties to produce gel soft candies.


A macroscopic yield criterion for porous solids with pressure-sensitive matrices modeled by Coulomb's yield criterion was obtained by generalizing Gurson's yield criterion with consideration of the hydrostatic yield stresses for a spherical thick-walled shell and by fitting the finite element results of a voided cube. The macroscopic yield criterion is valid for negative mean normal stresses as well as for positive mean normal stresses. From the yield criterion, a plastic potential function for the porous solids was derived either for plastic normality flow or for plastic non-normality flow of pressure-sensitive matrices. In addition, elastic relations, an evolution rule for the plastic behavior of the matrices, a consistency equation and a void volume evolution equation were presented to complete a set of constitutive relations. The set of constitutive relations was implemented into a finite element code ABAQUS to analyze the material behavior of rubber-toughened epoxies. The cavitation and the deformation behavior were analyzed around a crack tip under three-point bending and around notch tips under four-point bending. In the numerical analyses, the cavitation of rubber particles was considered via a stress-controlled void nucleation model. The numerical results indicate that a reasonable cavitation zone can be obtained with void nucleation being controlled by the macroscopic mean normal stress, and a plastic zone is smaller around a notch tip under compression than under tension. These numerical results agree well with corresponding experimental results on the cavitation and plastic zones.