The pathogenesis of inoculation cutaneous tuberculosis requires a break in the skin, through minor abrasions or injury, allowing the entry of tubercle bacilli. We report a 33‐year‐old man who presented with erythematous papules over a tattoo on the right upper arm, 1 month after undergoing a tattoo procedure. Histology and cultures revealed infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. He was started on a 9‐month course of antituberculous medication and 3 months after initiation of the drugs all the papules had subsided. He has since completed the course of therapy and there has been no recurrence 1 year after treatment was started.


Although the new criminology held a mandate to advance novel critical genres, it developed a radical program at the expense of studying the bases of its critique. In this article, I argue that by overlooking the latter, influential strands of radical criminology (e.g. left realism) have inadvertently succumbed to the lure of an insubstantial critical pragmatism. Here, critique claims legitimacy either on the basis of an ability to secure universal emancipation, or increase managerial efficiency. Both claims are problematic since contemporary knowledge-producing arenas no longer embrace the certainties driving modernity's critical genres and technical efficiency disallows fundamental critique. As such, critique has been immoderately abridged. By not paying sufficient attention to such issues, many critical criminologists have not appreciated the extent to which their favored critical genres are ill-suited to an ethos wracked by uncertainty. In trying to recover legitimate genres of critique, I refer to recent developments within critical criminology and I explore how Lyotard's work can help us to reconceive critical practices in criminology. The discussion concludes with a prologue outlining an alternative critical genre that might claim legitimacy through 'paralogy.'


Biocombinatorially selected solid-binding peptides, through their unique material affinity and selectivity, are a promising platform for building up complex hierarchical assemblies of nanoscale materials and molecular probes, targeted to specific practical solid surfaces. Here, we demonstrate the material-specific characteristics of engineered gold-binding and silica-binding peptides through co-assembly onto micro- and nano-patterned gold surfaces on silica substrates. To build hierarchical nanostructures on patterned solid surfaces, we utilize peptides as molecular tools and monitor their behavior by either conjugating biotin to them for specific affinity to streptavidin-coated QDot nanoparticles or labelling them with small fluorescent labels. This biomimetic peptide-based approach could be used as an alternative to conventional chemical coupling and surface functionalization techniques with substantial advantages, allowing simultaneous assembly of two or more inorganic nano-entities and/or molecular probes onto patterned inorganic solid substrates. The results have significant implications in a wide range of potential applications, including controlled assembly of hybrid nanostructures in bionanophotonic and biosensing devices.


Abstract The expression of many genes during the postmeiotic stages of spermatogenesis is largely regulated by germ cell-specific RNA-binding proteins at the level of posttranscription. One of these RNA-binding proteins, YBX2, participates in mRNA storage and regulation of translation in haploid spermatids. How YBX2-stored mRNAs become translationally competent during spermiogenesis remains unknown. In the present study, we report for the first time that YBX2 interacts with PAIP1, a protein translation enhancer, in vitro and in vivo. In murine testes, PAIP1 is highly expressed and colocalizes with YBX2 in round spermatids. Using sequential RNA immunoprecipitation and sequence analysis, we identified a group of spermiogenic mRNAs indirectly bound by PAIP1 through YBX2. Translation of mRNAs bearing the YBX2 target sequence was significantly blocked by YBX2 protein, but was reinitiated when YBX2 was coexpressed with PAIP1 in vitro. Taken together, these results indicate that PAIP1 regulates the translation of YBX2-masked mRNAs during spermiogenesis, and we propose this YBX2–PAIP1 interaction plays an important role in male germ cell development. Summary Sentence PAIP1 interacts with YBX2 in the testis and stimulates translation of spermiogenic mRNAs stored by YBX2.


Three experiments were conducted concurrently to determine the effect of maxigrain supplementation of isocaloric diets with or without rice offal, the effect of maxigrain supplementation of diets containing rice offal at two levels of energy and the effect of maxigrain supplementation of diets in which the maize content was substituted with rice offal on a weight to weight basis. The experiments were conducted with 210 broilers from 2-5 weeks of age. Results showed that maxigrain supplementation did not have any effect on broiler performance when broilers were fed isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets with or without rice offal. Maxigrain supplementation improved the performance of broilers when added to low energy diets. The improvement in broiler performance was same at 0.1 and 0.2% maxigrain supplementation. The study confirmed earlier recommendations that rice offal can be fed at levels of up to 15% in broiler chick diets without adverse effect on growth performance and concluded that maxigrain enzyme supplementation may be beneficial only when added to diets containing lower than recommended energy and protein levels.


Portulaca oleracea L. is known to have many biological benefits such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-tumor. The objective of this study is to explore the neuroprotective effect of P. oleracea L. against glutamateinduced oxidative stress in mouse hippocampal HT22 cells. P. oleracea L. 70% ethanol extract and solvent fractions have the potent neroprotective effects on glutamate-induced nerotoxicity by induced the expression of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 in HT22 cells. Especially, ethyl acetate fraction showed higher protective effect. In HT22 cell, P. oleracea L. treatment with ERK inhibitor (PD98059) and c-JUN N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor (SP600125) reduced P. oleracea L. ethyl acetate fraction induced HO-1 expression and P. oleracea L. ethyl acetate fraction also increased ERK and JNK phosphorylation. Furthermore, we found that treatment of P. oleracea L. caused the nuclear accumulation of Nrf2. In conclusion, the ethyl acetate fraction of 70% ethanol extract of P. oleracea L. significantly protect glutamate-induced oxidative damage by induction of HO-1 via Nrf2, ERK and JNK pathway in mouse hippocampal HT22. Taken together these finding suggest that P. oleracea L. ethyl acetate fraction is good source for taking active compounds and may be a potential therapeutic agent for brain disorder that induced by oxidative stress and neuronal damage.


An active electro-optical dipole and loop probe have been developed to measure electromagnetic near-fields. For the assembly of the probes attention has been paid to the sensitivity of the probe, to the susceptibility of the probes to interfering electromagnetic fields and to their high-frequency behaviour. The electro-optical loop probe (1 cm/spl times/1 cm) has a sensitivity comparable to that of conventional loop probes of the same size, can measure magnetic fields up to 0.1 mA/m and has a linear dynamic behaviour of at least 60 dB. The electro-optical dipole probe (h/sub eff/=1 cm) has a sensitivity that is better than that of conventional dipole probes of comparable size, can measure electric fields up to 30 mV/m and has a linear dynamic behaviour of at least 60 dB. In contradiction to most of the reported near-field probes with an optical link there is no conversion of the antenna signal to a DC-signal which means that all the spectral information of the electromagnetic field is preserved. This makes these probes excellent instruments for diagnostic EMC-measurements.


In this paper the ideal coupler is introduced, negative inductance concepts are justified and, several equivalences between circuits are established. Hence, energy based iterative method of design for the equivalent circuit of an n-input magnetic system is presented. The leakage transformer concept is presented. Simplifications are examined based on identical windings and dominant coupling. This is illustrated by the design of an equivalent circuit for a three-column-six-winding transformer. It is known that open and short circuit measurements lead to more accurate values of leakages. Extension of this approach to more than two windings is included. It should be noted that inductance matrix elements satisfy many inequalities that have practical consequences.


Impaired decision-making has been observed in suicide attempters during the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Decision-making performance is influenced by somatic markers and explicit knowledge, but it is still unclear of the influencing role on decision-making performance in suicidal individuals. We aimed to investigate whether there is a decision-making deficit in suicide attempters, suicide ideators, as well as the distinct roles of somatic markers and explicit knowledge wherein. Thirteen suicide attempters, 23 suicide ideators, and 19 healthy controls performed the IGT. Both somatic markers (by the skin conductance responses, SCRs) and explicit knowledge (by the subjective experience rating and a list of questions) were recorded. No significant differences were found among the three groups on IGT performance, explicit knowledge, and anticipatory SCRs. IGT Performance of suicide attempters was positively correlated with explicit knowledge index while behavior performance was positively associated with the SCRs in healthy controls. These results indicate that the suicide attempters seem to apply a compensatory strategy by mostly utilizing explicit knowledge to perform normally as healthy controls in the IGT.


This report describes two cases with obstructive jaundice caused by poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma. Computed tomography scans showed circumferential stenosis in the hilar bile ducts. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed dilatation of the bilateral hepatic ducts and stenosis of the common hepatic ducts from the bifurcation of the bilateral hepatic ducts. The first diagnoses were hilar cholangiocarcinoma and biliary drainage decreased serum bilirubin; however, both patients died of cancer within a short period of time. Autopsies revealed lymphatic vessel invasion and possible subepithelial invasion by gastric adenocarcinoma into the hilar bile ducts. A differential diagnosis should thus be required in suspected cases of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.


Assessment centers (AC) have become a mainstay of promotion systems for both the private and public sectors--police agencies included. (1) While costly to develop and implement, their track record of validity and legal defensibility has justified their increased use. (2) Similarly, the use of personality trait measurement in personnel decisions has also shown a substantial increase in use based on its validity in predicting a range of employee and managerial job behaviors. (3) Unlike ACs, police agencies have used personality assessment primarily for entry level officer screening and fitness for duty assessments. (4) The use of personality assessment in police officer promotional decisions has rarely been reported. Personality trait scores have shown incremental validity, however, when combined with cognitive ability tests in predicting a range of employee and managerial behaviors, (5) but not for state police recruits. (6) In addition, incremental validity has been found for personality measures when combined with biodata (7) and ACs. (8) Other than the attempt of Cortina, Coherty, Schmitt, Kaufmann and Smith, (9) who found no evidence of incremental validity, there have been no other reported studies of incremental validity for personality trait scores when used in combination with any other predictor of police officer or supervisor performance. Evidence of Assessment Center Validity There is substantial literature which documents the validity of ACs in predicting on-the-job performance, especially for managers. (10) In addition to its proven validity, based on candidate reactions and court challenges, the AC method has been labeled fair and legally defensible. (11) The validity of ACs used for police officer selection and promotion has been shown to be commensurate with that found in other organizational settings. For example, AC performance ratings have been shown to be significantly related to supervisor ratings of officer performance, (12) valid for high ranking police officials (13) and accurate in prediction over a 19-year time span. (14) Evidence of Validity for Personality Measurement While early reviews of the literature indicated that personality assessment yielded poor validity in predicting job performance, (15) more recent work has established personality as a bona fide predictor of a range of job-related behaviors across a variety of organizational settings and employee groups, including police officers. (16) A number of meta-analyses have provided reasonable support for the use of personality assessment in selection. (17) The decision to use personality assessment by itself within an employee selection context should be made with caution, given the greater validity shown by other predictor measures, such as cognitive ability tests and assessment centers. The resurgence of personality assessment as a valid predictor of job performance is due in large part to the fact that: 1. Personality has been shown to be a valid predictor of work-related outcomes; 2. Personality measures do not generally display adverse impact against demographic subgroups (e.g., racial, gender, ethnic, etc.); 3. The validity of personality measures is not affected by intentional faking; (18) and 4. The construct of personality has become more structured with the acceptance of the "Big Five" personality traits (e.g., conscientiousness and extraversion) and the consistency with which they are measured. (19) Many studies have dealt specifically with the ability of personality trait scores to predict police officer performance, both on the job and while in training. Personality traits have been measured through traditional clinical self report inventories as well as instruments designed to assess the Big Five dimensions (e.g., the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; (20) the Inwald Personality Inventory; (21) the California Psychological Inventory; (22) the Eyesenck Personality Inventory, the SCL-90, and the Bender-Gestalt; (23) the 16PF; (24) and the NEO Personality Inventory (25)). …


Interactions of Deaf Preschoolers: A Comparison of the Communicative Behaviors of Deaf Children of Deaf Parents and of Deaf Children of Hearing Parents This exploratory study examined the communicative behaviors of deaf children of deaf parents (DCDP) and of hearing parents (DCHP) by observing child-child dyads in free-play situations. DCDP-DCDP pairs were compared with DCHP-DCHP pairs. Dyadic peer interactions were recorded on videotape. The finding indicated that there were no differences between DCDP and DCHP connected with communicative competence from the point of view of Polish Sign Language (PJM). However, statistically significant differences were found between the two groups with regard to some basic additional categories of communicative behaviors and of pragmatically non-manual behaviors. For example, DCDP were much more likely to form communicative utterances categorized in reference to absent objects, events, and persons. The results of this study suggest a change in the program of educating deaf children, taking into account the positive role of sign language in their psychological development.


The objective of this study is to explore the relationship of structural hole and personal innovativeness in a bureau of health. The subjects were the employees in the bureau of health and three health stations. They were asked about the personal innovativeness and the relations with their colleagues including the director, and vice director. The questions to uncover important network relationship included knowledge awareness, access, and problem solving. UCINET6 was applied to analyze the social network data and constraint and efficiency were used as the indicators of structural hole. Of the 118 questionnaires distributed, a total of 81 effective responses were received, showing a 68.6% response rate. The result showed that the higher efficiency the more innovativeness. It is concluded that social network with rich structural holes provides opportunities for having time and energy to be innovative. Managerial implication and future research were discussed.


The presence of interfaces causes the hybridization of LO and TO modes in non-polar material and of LO, TO and interface polaritons (IP) in polar material. Hybridization arises as a consequence of the necessity to satisfy simultaneously electromagnetic and mechanical boundary conditions. Optical mode analogues of surface Rayleigh waves appear in non-polar slabs, and in polar superlattices the involvement of interface polaritons causes significant dispersion and anisotropy. Results from a continuum theory are shown to describe experimental results reasonably well. Hybridization affects the quantum properties due to the coherent mixing of LO, TO and IP, and this, in turn, affects the interaction with electrons. Estimates of the electron-hybridon scattering rate in GaAs quantum wells are presented.


In the six years since The Men's Sheds Movement book in 2015, the Movement has broadened to include many other nations and also Women's Sheds, encompassing almost 3,000 Sheds worldwide to 2021. Shoulder to Shoulder: Broadening the Men's Shed Movement shines a light on the transformational experiences and positive impact that Sheds have had on the lives, health and wellbeing of men, women, families and communities. The book's many powerful Men's and Women's Shed case studies highlight how shared, hands-on social activity by 'shedders' can reduce the potentially destructive forces of loneliness and social isolation, even during a global pandemic. It's about the universal value of "having somewhere to go, something to do, and someone to talk with," as envisaged in the very first Australian Men's Shed in 1998. Informative, insightful, easy to read and carefully researched, Shoulder to Shoulder provides a well-documented tour de force of this globally expanding and broadening international movement.


Bitumens are currently modelled as a colloidal system and are the most used materials for road paving. Despite this large application, asphalts are still affected by some inconveniences that bring to road deterioration. This is prevalently due to temperature cycling which is related to the given local climate conditions and to the incident traffic load. In the last decades bitumen performances have been improved by means of different types of additives in order to match various expectations. This improvement is often the result of the indications given by traditional empirical standardized tests like penetration grade, temperature ductility and Fraas breaking point. The comprehension of the chemical mechanism that regulates the action of the used additives can greatly help in designing new and better performance materials. By means of a Stress Controlled Rheometer we present a laboratory evaluation of the rheological properties of a 70/100 bitumen which has been doped by different percentage of Polyphosphoric acid (PPA). In addition 1H-NMR measurements of proton transverse relaxation time (T2) have been exploited in order to corroborate the rheological data. As a novel approach to the knowledge of bitumen macro-structures, we applied an Inverse Laplace Transform (ILT) to the measured echo decay. The results show the effect of PPA addition on bitumen mechanical behaviour.


We report on dielectric susceptibility measurements for the glass-forming systems toluene and 1-propanol, both of which exhibit slow secondary relaxation (Johari β-process). We present a complete lineshape analysis for both α- and β-process covering the real and imaginary parts. The observation of secondary relaxation in the rigid molecule toluene shows that this process is not of intramolecular origin. The β-process is well resolved in the supercooled liquid and in the glass. Above Tg a strong temperature dependence of the relaxation strength Δeβ is observed. For the activation energy Eβ of many glass-forming systems we find the relation Eβ Tg.


OBJECTIVES AND METHODS
To investigate the relationship between the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and clinical characteristics in patients with epithelial ovarian tumors, we examined the expression of MMP-2 in 26 epithelial benign ovarian tumors (EBOT) and 41 epithelial ovarian carcinomas (EOC) using semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. We also analyzed pro-MMP-2 and activated MMP-2 in epithelial ovarian tumors using Western blot. RESULTS The expression levels of MMP-2 mRNA and overall protein were higher in EOC than in EBOT, but the differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). MMP-2 mRNA and immunoreactive protein for MMP-2 were not significantly associated with clinicopathological features in EOC. The positive percentages of the active form of MMP-2 were 71% in EOC and 42% in EBOT, respectively (P < 0.05). The positive percentage of the active form of MMP-2 in stage III and IV EOC was significantly higher (81%) than that (33%) in stage I and II EOC (P = 0.01). The expression of activated MMP-2 was significantly related to disease progression in EOC (P = 0.02). The percentages of active MMP-2 in positive immunoreaction tumor cells and fibroblasts were, respectively, 96 and 89%. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.54). The positive and negative predictive values of active MMP-2 for disease progression were 65 (19/29) and 75% (9/12), respectively, and the accuracy was 68% (28/41).

CONCLUSION
MMP-2 generally appears in epithelial ovarian tumors and there is a tendency to express more MMP-2, and especially activated MMP-2, in EOC. MMP-2 mRNA and pro-MMP-2 are not associated with the clinicopathological features in patients with EOC. There was a significant relationship between activated MMP-2 and invasiveness, metastasis, and disease progression in EOC and activated MMP-2 is a potential marker of prognosis.


Introduction Firm geographical boundaries between yourself and competitors can often be beneficial but when you live on an Island it can make things difficult when in need of resources such as volunteers. Aims of the project Expand the volunteer role to encompass the workforce available at HMP and to provide meaningful tasks that engage prisoners with the local community in a positive manner. Approach used Lots of meetings with HMP to work through as many options as possible to engage the workforce with a range of projects: recycling of newspapers into bags, upcycling furniture, and production of concrete garden ornaments and hanging/sizing/steaming of clothing. Working together through the processes and procedures required when dealing with a high security environment. Promotion of the project was important and branding and signage has been developed to inform and engage customers. Results Fortnightly deliveries/collections to HMP allow sufficient time for processing items in the various workshops and different projects. Financially we both benefit with different remuneration for different items. Community engagement is positive with customers timing their visits to our shops to coincide with deliveries of the latest stock. The prisoners look forward to receiving before and after photos of the upcycled items and are making a display in the workshop to encourage participation from others and increasing the drive to learn more skills and take on increasingly difficult items. Conclusion The best solutions are often simple, yet unexpected - Julian Casablancas Although it took time to sort out the processes required it is now routine and as easy as outsourcing to any supplier. The initial reluctance of some to involve with HMP was quickly overcome and very positively received by our community. I would encourage everyone to look locally for solutions; in a world that has become smaller through the internet we often lose sight of the skills and opportunities right under our noses.


Abstract : To gain insight into the high-pressure behavior of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (C(CH2ONO2)4), single crystal Raman spectroscopy results were obtained for hydrostatic/quasi-hydrostatic and non-hydrostatic compression in a diamond anvil cell. Detailed analyses of the pressure-induced changes in the single-crystal/neon hydrostatic media revealed the splitting of several vibrational modes and many intensity fluctuations, which provide strong evidence for a pressure-induced symmetry modification from S4 to D2 rather than a high-pressure phase transition. Near 14.8 GPa, many vibrational features disappeared or significantly broadened. These spectral modifications were coincident with the appearance of cracks in the single crystal, which are believed to result from an elastic-plastic deformation attributable to slip plane activation. The effect of pressure media on the high-pressure behavior was also studied. The onset pressure of the S4 to D2 symmetry modification was found to be strongly dependent on the pressure media, but all single crystal samples that survived to 14.8 GPa were subject to the elastic-plastic deformation. If the pressure in the diamond anvil cell did not exceed 14.5 GPa, the samples could be quenched and recovered at ambient pressure; however, once the pressure exceeded 14.5 GPa and the slip planes became activated, the samples decomposed upon return to ambient conditions.


Medical devices historically have been monolithic units --- developed, validated, and approved by regulatory authorities as standalone entities. Despite the fact that modern medical devices increasingly incorporate connectivity mechanisms that enable device data to be streamed to electronic health records and displays that aggregate data from multiple devices, connectivity is not being leveraged to allow an integrated collection of devices to work together as a single system to automate clinical work flows. This is due, in part, to current regulatory policies which prohibit such interactions due to safety concerns.
 In previous work, we proposed an open source middleware framework and an accompanying model-based development environment that could be used to quickly implement medical device coordination applications --- enabling a "systems of systems" paradigm for medical devices. Such a paradigm shows great promise for supporting many applications that increase both the safety and effectiveness of medical care as well as the efficiency of clinical workflows. In this paper, we report on our experience using our Medical Device Coordination Framework (MDCF) to carry out a rapid prototyping of one such application --- a multi-device medical system that uses closed loop physiologic control to affect better patient outcomes for Patient Controlled Anelgesic (PCA) pumps.


An operating system compiler written in PASCAL allows the programmer to write operating systems for a very general abstract mini-computer, and produces code for the mini-computer of his choice. This approach provides global optimization, good documentation and improved reliability of operating systems, as well as complete portability. One such portable operating system called SOD has been written and runs on Nova and PDP-11 mini-computers


This review of Annual General Meetings (AGMs) as they evolved historically in English parishes and early joint-stock companies shows the manner in which they provided valuable opportunities to fulfill organizational accountability. AGMs enabled members to call elected governors to account and, in generating forums for organizational construction, supplied models which were foundational in early company law. As faceto- face meetings, AGMs were heterogeneous and presented non-financial information to augment publicly available financial information. Whilst low attendance at AGMs indicates apathy and modern technological advances may enable their replacement, recent calls to revise the legal requirement for an AGM have not gained traction. This paper therefore suggests a recommitment to the process of AGM accountability as practiced in early public sector and profit-oriented organizations. This will enable today's organizations to utilize the potential of the AGM as a formal and transparent mechanism to deliver accountability.


E-learning plays a key enabling role in knowledge management for individuals, schools, and enterprises. Nevertheless, the lack of standards in content and learning management systems (LMSs) makes the reusability and interoperability of learning resources infeasible. The emergence of the SCORM specification has shed light on the standardization of e-learning. Unfortunately, the existing SCORM-compliant asset model is simplified; only a few asset types are allowed. On the other hand, W3C's declarative-style SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) is becoming prevalent in designing Web-based instructions with the consideration of temporality and spatiality of presentations. In addition, advances in real-time multimedia technologies can vitalize further these instructions. In this study, we propose an SMIL-enabled asset model with the enhancement of multimedia streaming. To render SCORMcompliant SMIL-enabled streaming contents, a Java applet-based SMIL RTP/RTSP LMS system is designed. We develop the proposed system in the Java EJB environment to tackle the issue of platform interoperability. The resulting system demonstrates an encouraging direction towards a more vivid and interactive SCORM-compliant e-learning.


The evaluation of a patient with a suspected colorectal malignancy is well defined; however, the preoperative work-up of a patient who is a candidate for second-look surgery is controversial and based less on scientific evidence than on empiric or anecdotal grounds. The preoperative assessment of these patients can be divided into two phases. Phase I consists of a thorough history, physical examination, and routine laboratory tests as the most logical and traditional starting point. Phase II consists of specific tests aimed at evaluating the extent of the recurrence and the resectability of the tumor. Of the various modalities available, the enhanced computerized tomogram is currently the method most likely to provide significant information prior to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) -directed second-look surgery. The results of the preoperative evaluation together with a thorough understanding of the natural history of the disease will offer a clear perspective as to the most likely outcome.


Surface modification techniques based on the grafting of chemical functional groups and immobilization of bioactive molecules have been used to improve biocompatibility and clinical performance of bioabsorbable scaffolds in tissue engineering and medicine regenerative applications. This study aimed at developing and characterizing a biomimetic surface to stimulate bone regeneration by a simple and low-cost method of surface biofunctionalization of the poly (L-co-D,L lactic acid)-PLDLA scaffolds. The method was obtained by grafting reaction of carboxyl groups (-COOH) on their surface via acrylic acid (AAc) polymerization process, followed by immobilization of collagen type I (Col). Such approach resulted in a surface morphology markedly modified after treatment, with increase of pores and roughness on PLDLA-AAc surfaces and a network of fibrillar collagen deposition in non-specific areas of PLDLA-Col surfaces. The cytocompatibility of collagen-immobilized scaffolds was significantly improved in terms of cellular adhesion, proliferation, collagen synthesis and maintenance of osteoblast-like phenotype, indicating, therefore, the fundamental role of collagen protein over the biological interactions that occur by bio-recognition mimetic mechanisms at biomaterials interface. These results indicate that the surface modification method used here may be useful as a strategy to develop biofunctional scaffolds, which provide a more successful clinical application of biomaterials in the tissue engineering field.


Massively obese patients are at increased risk for heart disease. Blood volume and capillary flow are increased to supply the excess body mass, and there is a concomitant increase in preload and, often, afterload. The heart compensates for the expanded blood volume by increasing stroke volume and cardiac work to provide increased cardiac output. The result is left ventricular dilatation followed by eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy. Cardiac compensatory reserve is limited, leading, at times, to overt congestive failure. After reduction of the excess body fat, most of the cardiovascular derangements appear to reverse. The authors review the effect of massive obesity on the heart and the cardiovascular consequences of weight reduction.


This study proposes the implementation of risk management as recommended in ISO 31000, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness in achieving one of the strategic objectives of the National Telecommunications Agency, namely: Expand the access and use of services, with quality and suitable price. As a specific goal sought to the provisions of the Brazilian Budget Plan, known as PPA 2016-2019, with the target set for mobile broadband reaches 90% of mobile accesses in 2019. Thus, materials were collected and theoretical basis to start the management process risk based primarily on ISO 31000, integrated with practices available to the public service as well as the regulations and others issues. By this work, it will be determined the internal and external context so that in a next step can be identified, evaluated and managed the risks involved in this process through specific tools described in ISO 31010. This paper shows that the structured process risk management can contribute to better governance and the achievement of its strategic objectives.


[1] This paper presents an innovative method for obtaining a daily estimate of a quality-controlled aerosol optical thickness (AOT) of a vertical column of the atmosphere over the continents. Because properties of land surface are more stationary than the atmosphere, the temporal dimension is exploited for simultaneous retrieval of the surface and aerosol bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) coming from a kernel-driven reflectance model. Off-zenith geometry of illumination enhances the forward scattering peak of the aerosol, which improves the retrieval of AOT from the aerosol BRDF. The solution is obtained through an unconstrained linear inversion procedure and perpetuated in time using a Kalman filter. On the basis of numerical experiments using the 6S atmospheric code, the validity of the BRDF model is demonstrated. The application is carried out with data from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infra Red Imager (SEVIRI) instrument on board the geostationary Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite from June 2005 to August 2007 for midlatitude regions and from March 2006 to June 2006 over desert sites. The satellite-derived SEVIRI AOT compares favorably with Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) measurements for a number of contrasted stations and also similar Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products, within 20% of relative accuracy. The method appears competitive for tracking anthropogenic aerosol emissions in the troposphere and shows a potential for the challenging estimate of dust events over bright targets. Moreover, a high-frequency distribution of AOT provides hints as to the variability of pollutants according to town density and, potentially, motor vehicle traffic. The outcomes of the present study are expected to promote a monitoring of the global distributions of natural and anthropogenic sources and sinks of aerosol, which are receiving increased attention because of their climatic implications.


The success of conventional hearing aids and electrical cochlear implants have generally been limited to hearing in quiet situations, in part due to a lack of localized (i.e., frequency specificity) sensorineural activation and subsequent impaired speech discrimination in noise. Laser light is a source of energy that can be focused in a controlled manner and may provide more localized activation of the inner ear, the cochlea. Compound action potentials have been elicited using 2.12 µm laser pulses through activation of auditory nerve fibers (Izzo et al. 2006). Laser stimulation (813 nm) of the cochlea has shown to induce basilar membrane motion and cochlear microphonic potentials (Fridberger et al. 2006). We sought to assess if visible light (green, 532 nm, 10 ns pulses) could be used to consistently activate the cochlea. The laser parameters were selected based on our initial attempt to induce an optoacoustic effect as the energy transfer mechanism to the cochlea. Click evoked auditory brainstem responses (AABRs) were recorded preoperatively in ketamine-anesthetized guinea pigs to confirm normal hearing. The bulla and then the cochlea were exposed. Optically evoked ABRs (OABR) were recorded in response to laser stimulation with a 50 µm optical fiber (532 nm, 10 ns pulses, 500 repetitions, 10 pulses/s; Nd:YAG laser) at the round window (RW) directed towards the basilar membrane (BM). OABRs similar in morphology to acoustically evoked ABRs, except for shorter latencies, were obtained for stimulation through the RW with energy levels between 1.7-30 µJ/pulse. The OABRs increased with increasing energy level reaching a saturation level around 13-15 µJ/pulse. Furthermore the responses remained consistent across stimulation over time, including stimulation at 13 µJ/pulse for over 30 minutes, indicating minimal or no damage within the cochlea with this type of laser stimulation. Overall we have demonstrated that laser light stimulation with 532 nm has potential for a new type of auditory prosthesis that can activate the cochlea without any apparent functional damage. Further studies are needed to determine the optimal laser parameters and fiber placement locations for localized and tonotopic activation.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex genetic trait. Analyses to identify genetic variants that increase susceptibility to MS have primarily focused on candidate genes, either in family linkage investigations or in association (linkage disequilibrium) studies in sporadic cases and control subjects. Most of the candidate genes considered to date either influence immune function or encode structural myelin proteins. Recently, three preliminary whole genomic surveys were completed, and they reveal multiple loci of possible genetic linkage that are worthy of further study. No convincing evidence for a single strong locus has emerged from analysis of the three studies. Linkage promises to focus the future choice of candidate genes for further investigation.


This article describes a study of the impact of strategic mission on the relationships between firm performance and selected strategic, structural, and tactical variables. Moderated regression analysis and subgroup analysis were used to analyse data collected from 91 advanced technology manufacturing companies. Results indicate that firms with build-oriented strategic missions, relative to those with more hold- and harvest-oriented strategic missions, performed better when they: (1) adopted entrepreneurial strategic postures; (2) had organic organization structures; (3) offered relatively low product prices; (4) employed relatively large sales forces; (5) offered relatively generous customer credit; and (6) offered relatively broad product lines. On the other hand, firms with hold- and harvest-oriented strategic missions, relative to those with more build-oriented strategic missions, performed better when they emphasized R&D activity geared toward the development and refinement of existing products. Strategic mission did not moderate the effectiveness of the firms'advertising expenditures or their new product development activity.


BACKGROUND
Recent reports have demonstrated that binge-like ethanol (EtOH) drinking leads to an increase in hypothalamic orexin (OX) signaling and that suppressing this signaling via systemic administration of an orexin receptor (OXR) antagonist blocks this behavior; however, the specific OX pathways that modulate this behavior remain unknown. The goal of this study was to further elucidate the role of the OX system in binge-like EtOH drinking using behavioral, molecular, and pharmacological techniques.

METHODS
The drinking-in-the-dark (DID) paradigm was used to model binge-like drinking behavior in male C57BL/6J mice. Experiment 1 examined changes in the OX precursor, prepro-orexin, within the hypothalamus following multiple cycle EtOH or sucrose DID using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. In experiments 2a and 2b, we used site-directed infusion of an OXR antagonist to examine the individual contribution of each OXR subtype within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), respectively, in binge-like EtOH or sucrose drinking.

RESULTS
Findings from our PCR study revealed that multiple cycles of binge-like EtOH drinking did not lead to changes in prepro-orexin mRNA as a function of binge-like EtOH drinking. However, data from site-directed pharmacology studies indicate that the orexin-1 receptor (OX1R) is the predominate receptor subtype within the VTA and CeA that regulates binge-like EtOH drinking. Interestingly, inhibition of OX1Rs did not affect binge-like sucrose intake, which suggests that these OX circuits are specific for EtOH consumption.

CONCLUSIONS
As a whole, these data suggest that the VTA and CeA are important regions in which OX regulates binge-like EtOH drinking behavior. Moreover, these findings identify OXR antagonists as a potential treatment option that may be used to ameliorate problematic drinking behavior while leaving responding to natural rewards relatively intact.


This chapter reports the concept development and evaluation results from the project LANCELOT (LANguage learning with CErtified Live Online Teachers). LANCELOT is funded by the Leonardo da Vinci program of the European Commission. LANCELOT, a training program for live online language teachers, covers the technological, methodological, and intercultural aspects of live online language training. Concepts for the use of current online communication technologies and suitable language teaching methods in a virtual language classroom have also been developed within the project. These concepts are integrated by means of an innovative pedagogical concept for online teaching and learning called Web-Didactics. In order to verify that it is ready for the market, the training program recently underwent thorough testing and evaluation.


Abstract Background : Falls from height are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Injuries to the extremities and head are common. However, little has been reported on abdominal injuries or their treatment. This study aims to assess the abdominal injuries, treatment, and mortality after falls from height. Methods : We searched our hospital's Trauma registry from January 2004 through December 2007 and identified all patients who fell from five meters or higher. Additional data was extracted from medical records, radiology reports, and operation reports. Results : One hundred and thirty-nine patients (median age 31 years) were included. There were 106 men and 33 women. Forty-one patients had abdominal injuries. Thirteen patients had a retroperitoneal hematoma, eleven had a liver laceration, nine had a kidney laceration, and eight had a spleen laceration. Eleven patients required emergency laparotomy and/or endovascular stenting or coiling to stop the bleeding. Patients with abdominal injuries had a tenfold higher mortality than those without abdominal injuries (19.5% versus 2.0%). Conclusion : Abdominal injuries were common and associated with a tenfold increase in mortality.


Sir, Selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) aims to prevent exogenous and secondary endogenous infections in patients in the intensive care unit by means of eradicating the potentially pathogenic microorganisms while preserving the intestinal anaerobic flora. SDD consists of four components: parenteral cefotaxim, hygiene, surveillance cultures of the throat and rectum, and the topical application of polymyxin E, tobramycin, and amphotericin B. These three topical antibiotics were chosen because they act only in the intestinal tract and are non-absorbable. However, administration of SDD may lead to detectable and even potentially toxic serum tobramycin concentrations in patients with renal failure. We describe a patient without a medical history who underwent a sigmoid resection because of carcinoma that was complicated by ischemia and subsequent resection of the remaining colon and creation of an ileostomy. A few weeks later, he developed a small bowel perforation, probably due to erosion caused by a drain. At that time, enteral feeding was stopped and parenteral feeding was started. From the day of admission onwards, our patient received enteral SDD. At the time the perforation of the small bowel was discovered, we wondered whether amphotericin B and tobramycin would be absorbed. Therefore, blood samples were collected. Serum tobramycin was measured 10 times in 3 days and the median level was 0.8 mg/l (range 0.8–1.0). Serum amphotericin B was measured twice and was 0.10 and 0.25 mg/ l. At that time, the estimated glomerular filtration rate was 60 ml/min (MDRD). Our finding of detectable tobramycin serum levels during SDD has been reported before. However, tobramycin levels equal to or higher than 1.0 mg/l have exclusively been shown in patients with impaired renal function or acute renal failure. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a potentially toxic serum level of tobramycin in a patient with normal renal function. In addition, detectable amphotericin B levels after usage of SDD have only been reported by Gastinne et al. in five patients receiving SDD, all with impaired renal function. Enteric absorption of tobramycin and amphotericin B may take place in patients with damaged intestinal mucosa, especially in patients with intestinal ischemia and impaired renal function. We hypothesize that tobramycin and amphotericin B in our patient have been absorbed by the peritoneum after leakage through the perforated small bowel and in this way reached the systemic circulation. Absorption of tobramycin by the peritoneal membrane leading to detectable serum levels has been described in animal studies where tobramycin was administered to pigs intraperitoneally. Moreover, peritoneal absorption of tobramycin has been reported in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis when tobramycin was added to the dialysate for treatment of peritonitis. In conclusion, SDD may lead to detectable serum levels of tobramycin and amphotericin B not only in patients with renal failure but also in patients with bowel perforation and normal renal function. We therefore recommend that serum levels of tobramycin and amphotericin B should be assessed in patients with a perforation in the bowel receiving SDD for more than a week, especially when renal failure is present.


Abstract:  The Northwest Forest Plan was implemented in 1994 to protect habitat for species associated with old‐growth forests, including Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentailis caurina) in Washington, Oregon, and northern California (U.S.A.). Nevertheless, 10‐year monitoring data indicate mixed success in meeting the ecological goals of the plan. We used the ecosystem management decision‐support model to evaluate terrestrial and aquatic habitats across the landscape on the basis of ecological objectives of the Northwest Forest Plan, which included maintenance of late‐successional and old‐growth forest, recovery, and maintenance of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), and viability of Northern Spotted Owls. Areas of the landscape that contained habitat characteristics that supported these objectives were considered of high conservation value. We used the model to evaluate ecological condition of each of the 36, 180 township and range sections of the study area. Eighteen percent of the study area was identified as habitat of high conservation value. These areas were mostly on public lands. Many of the sections that contained habitat of exceptional conservation value were on Bureau of Land Management land that has been considered for management‐plan revisions to increase timber harvests. The results of our model can be used to guide future land management in the Northwest Forest Plan area, and illustrate how decision‐support models can help land managers develop strategies to better meet their goals.


Reading plays an important role in learning a language because it needs students to know and understand what they are reading. This paper is to investigate if there is a strong correlation between vocabulary size and the students' ability to comprehend reading passages by senior high school students in a private school in Surabaya. Knowing the amount of words, the students have will help teacher to predict their ability in understanding reading passages in the foreign language. The instrument used in this study is Nation's Vocabulary Level Test (level 3000) and the participants were senior high school students in a private school in Surabaya.


An azimuth‐dependent dispersion curve inversion (ADDCI)method is applied to Rayleighwaves to extract 3D velocity and azimuthal anisotropy. The synthetic tests show that the ADDCI method is able to extract azimuthal anisotropy at different depths. The errors of the fast propagation direction (FPD) and the magnitude of the anisotropy (MOA) are less than 10° and 1–2%, respectively. The 3D anisotropic model shows large variations in the FPDs and MOAs with depth and blocks; strong contrasts are observed across major faults, and the average MOA in the crust is approximately 3%. The FPDs are positively correlated with the GPS velocity direction and the strikes of regional faults in most of the blocks. The low‐velocity zones (LVZs) in middle to lower crust are widely observed in the Songpan‐Ganze terrane, the north Chuan‐Dian block, and surprisingly in the Huayingshan thrust and fold belt. The LVZs in middle crust are also positively correlated with a region of low velocities in the uppermost mantle. These observations may suggest that large‐scale deformation is coupled vertically from surface to uppermost mantle. Crust shortening by the pure shearing process, which involves the thrusting and folding of the upper crust and the lateral extrusion of blocks, may be the major mechanism causing the growth of the eastern Tibetan Plateau.


Sugar–acetic acid–ethanol–water mixture (SAEWM) trapping has initially shown the potential efficacy for monitoring or trapping insects. It is unknown how SAEWM-baited traps affect field number of oriental fruit moth (OFM), Grapholita molesta (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), the female/male ratio trapped, and the type of natural-enemy insects captured. This study investigated changes in seasonal population dynamics and diurnal flight rhythm of OFM, the number and female/male ratio of OFM and the numbers of Coccinellidae and Chrysopidae trapped by SAEWM in peach–apple mixed-planting orchards. The SAEWM performed well in trapping OFM, most of which were adult females, with the maximum trapping at 2.5 m above ground. The daily trapping peak occurred between 18:00 and 20:00, during each continuous monitoring period, with another peak occurring at 4:00–8:00, after the second monitoring period (2–5 July). However, the use of SAEWM also resulted in the trapping of Coccinellidae and Chrysopidae, of which peak trapping time partially overlapped with the second and third peak trapping times of OFM. We suggest the cessation of SAEWM trapping during the peak activity time of Coccinellidae and Chrysopidae, or application of alternative attractive mixture that do not trap the natural enemy insects, in order to protect the ecological balance in the field.


A three-year-old boy with unusually flattened facies, multiple joint dislocations and eye abnormalities suggesting the presence of Larsen syndrome presented with a broad mediastinum on routine chest radiography. Computed tomography revealed a huge dilated tortuous aortic arch. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated aortic valve dilation, aneurysmal dilation of the ascending aorta with a high aortic arch and a kink in the arch at the isthmus level. Aortography showed a dilated elongated aorta with two acute curves, one at the ductal level and the second at the diaphragmatic level. These aortic lesions may have prognostic significance for the future risk of rupture or dissection. The present article reports the presence of a tortuous aorta in a child with Larsen syndrome.


Advances in both scientific computing and machine learning have led to techniques to improve, replace, or speed up methods to solve problems in the physical sciences. For many nonlinear systems, traditional methods of calculation often carry a heavy computational burden due to complex dynamics, physical constraints, or multi-scale behavior. We introduce a machine learning approach to vastly decrease computational complexity of modeling spatiotemporal systems, leveraging prior physical knowledge of the system with flexible reduced representations of the underlying dynamics. We demonstrate this technique on three-dimensional turbulent fluid flow, wherein the modeling of such systems continues to be a formidable problem for engineers and physicists. We merge convolutional layers with a Neural ODE approach to form a differentiable ML architecture to build a system model. Here, we test the applicability of this method to model homogeneous isotropic turbulence, as well as the effect of different architectural elements on turbulence statistics. We find that the largest scales of the flow, which are relevant to engineering applications, are well-approximated and some dynamic characteristics of interest are maintained.


Based on eighteen months of ethnographic research in a high school E.L.L. classroom, this study contributes to the fields of new literacies studies and critical pedagogy by showing how transnational Black youth theorize and negotiate intersections of racism, justice, and education. Drawing on a multidimensional approach for understanding how racism is reproduced and resisted across various domains of power (Collins, 2009), I show on how two young men from Haiti theorize the U.N. and INGO occupation of post-earthquake Haiti; a disjuncture between how Africa and Haiti are (mis)known in the U.S. and students' lived realities in their respective countries of origin; and finally, students' analysis of structural racism in the U.S. through a Justice for Trayvon unit I co-taught from March-May 2012, when Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, and Stand Your Ground became household names. I conclude by suggesting that we move toward a global l.a.w.s. (lessons against white supremacies) framework for critical pedagogy. Such an approach draws on centering counter-narratives and thinking through the notion of de-colonial love to reframe everyday classroom praxis. Throughout this dissertation I argue that culturally informed, antiracist pedagogies must begin with students' theoretical work and experiential knowledge. Such an approach transforms classrooms into spaces for students to not only interrogate racism but also create (counter)texts that represent their subjectivities as young Black people in the 21st century. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Shaun Harper


The proportions of sand and mud that make up a river-dominated delta strongly determine its topset morphology, which in turn controls its internal facies and clinoform stratigraphy. Here we show how these relationships allow one to predict the stratigraphy of a delta from the character of its topset or reconstruct its planform from measures of clinoform geometry. We used Delft3-D to simulate nine self-formed deltas having different sediment loads and critical shear stresses required for re-entrainment of mud. The deltas prograded into a shallow basin absent of waves, tides, Coriolis forcing, and buoyancy. Model results indicate that sand-dominated deltas are more fan-shaped and mud-dominated deltas are more bird-foot in planform because the sand-dominated deltas have more active distributaries and a smaller variance of topset elevations, and thereby experience more equitable distribution of sediment to their perimeters. This results in a larger proportion of channel facies and autogenic parasequences in sand-dominated deltas, and more uniformly-distributed clinoform dip directions, steeper dips, and greater clinoform concavity. These conclusions are consistent with data collected from the Goose River Delta, a coarse-grained fan delta prograding into Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada. These results allow a re-interpretation of the Kf-1 parasequence set of the Cretaceous Last Chance Delta, a unit of the Ferron Sandstone near Emery, UT. Inversion of Ferron grain size data, clinoform dips, clinoform concavity, and variance of dip directions suggests that the Kf-1 Last Chance Delta was more fan-delta than bird-foot, and therefore more consistent with Cotter (1976) and Thompson (1986) than Gardner (1995) and Anderson et al. (2004). It likely possessed numerous distributaries with at least five orders of bifurcation, and would be a high quality reservoir.


Abstract Objective To investigate the relationship between the intake of sugar-containing beverages (SCB) at the age of 13 years and adult weight status 24–30 years later. Design A longitudinal study with 30 years of follow-up from adolescence (age 13 years in 1976) to adulthood (up to 2000 and 2006). Dietary intake was assessed through cross-check dietary history face-to-face interviews by a dietitian. Beverages were divided into two categories: (i) total SCB and (ii) SCB excluding 100 % fruit juices. Percentage of total fat (%total fat) and percentage of trunk fat (%trunk fat) were obtained through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements; body weight and height were measured by trained staff. Setting Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study, the Netherlands. Subjects One hundred and fourteen males and 124 females. Results In males, but not in females, each additional daily serving of SCB excluding 100 % fruit juices at 13 years was associated with 1·14 % higher %total fat (95 % CI 0·04, 2·23 %; P = 0·04) and 1·62 % higher %trunk fat (95 % CI 0·14, 3·10 %; P = 0·03) in adulthood after correction for confounders. No statistically significant relationship was found between the intake of SCB excluding 100 % fruit juices at the age of 13 and BMI in both sexes. In addition, no statistically significant relationships were found between the intake of total SCB and all measures of adult weight status in both sexes. Conclusions Intake of SCB excluding 100 % fruit juices at the age of 13 years was positively associated with adult %total fat and %trunk fat in males, but not in females.


Employing in vitro selection techniques, we have generated biostable RNA-based compounds, so-called Spiegelmers, that specifically bind n-octanoyl ghrelin, the recently discovered endogenous ligand for the type 1a growth hormone secretagogue (GHS) receptor. Ghrelin is a potent stimulant of growth hormone release, food intake, and adiposity. We demonstrate that our lead compound, L-NOX-B11, binds ghrelin with low-nanomolar affinity and inhibits ghrelin-mediated GHS-receptor activation in cell culture with an IC(50) of 5 nM. l-NOX-B11 is highly specific for the bioactive, n-octanoylated form of ghrelin. Like the GHS receptor, it does not recognize the inactive unmodified peptide and requires only the N-terminal five amino acids for the interaction. The i.v. administration of polyethylene glycol modified l-NOX-B11 efficiently suppresses ghrelin-induced growth hormone release in rats. These results demonstrate that the neutralization of circulating bioactive ghrelin leads to inhibition of ghrelin's secretory effects in the CNS.


Ultrasonic mid-air tactile displays offer a unique combination of high spatial and temporal resolution and can stimulate a wide range of tactile frequencies. Leveraging those features, a new modulation technique producing spatially distributed tactile sensations has recently been introduced. This new approach, referred to as Spatiotemporal Modulation (STM), draws lines, curves and shapes on users' palm by moving a mid-air tactile point rapidly and repeatedly along the path. STM parameters and their impact on tactile perception are yet to be studied systematically. In this work, we first study how varying the draw frequency and the size of a simple shape affects the participants perception of texture and their emotional responses. In the second part of our study, we used the most salient tactile patterns of the first study to extend the results within a multimodal context. We found that tactile patterns' perception was consistent within both studies. We also found instances when the tactile patterns could alter the perception of the audio and visual stimuli. Finally, we discuss the benefits of our findings and conclude with implications for future work.


Topicality. The constant decrease in the level of schoolchildren`s physical qualities and physical health development is the main issue of modern Ukraine. Therefore, the involvement of schoolchildren to the new interesting types of health physical culture and the promotion of exercises is the value task for a contemporary PE teacher at secondary schools. The Purpose of the Research is to substantiate the effectiveness of the implemented Floor Work Methodology for the educational process optimization at PE lessons for senior schoolchildren. The Research Organization. The study involved high school children of main medical group. The proposed methodology increases the motor and overall density of PE. The use of the power part of Floor Work was introduced into each lesson (at the end of the main part of the lesson), regardless of the topic. The Research Results. There was an improvement in the results of both experimental groups (EG): pull up strength-endurance – in 2,7 times (males); flexion and extension of the arms at bent-arm leaning rest – in 1,7 (ma- les) and female – in 2,0 times; raising the legs at a 90-degree angle – in 3,1 (males) and female – in 3,8 times; rope skipping – in 3,2 times (males) and female – in 1,5 times. The highest increase in the results of the static strength endurance development is observed performing the following exercises: hanging bent to an angle – in 2,5 times (males); angled position – in 2,5 times (males) and females – in 3,2 times; half squats with feet shoulder-width apart – in 3,3 times (females). The results of the survey indicate the formation of positive motivation of EG high schoolchildren for PE attendance. Conclusions. Comparison of the results before and after the experiment allowed establishing a positive trend in both EGs with symbolic significance for all indicators of testing, which signifies the effectiveness of the implemented Floor work Methodology into the PE classes.


QED-model for the multichain qubit system with interactions of qubits and chains between themselves on the example of the system of $\sigma$-polarons in carbon zigzag nanotubes, interacting with quantized EM-field, is considered analytically. The possibility of experimental detection of Rabi waves in conventional stationary optical experiments for any quasi-1D system with strong electron-photon interaction is predicted.


The current study concerns an investigation of diffusion mechanism of different kinds of water into thermoplastic material (type unplasticised PVC, (UPVC)) that is often used as pipes for healthy draining purposes and other services. After preparation of samples from this material, they were immersed in glass containers which contain (sea water, river water, rain water, distilled water, and tap water), the weights of these samples are measured at periodic time of soaking. The aim of this work is introducing an idea about the diffusion behavior and the penetration of water through the material under study, then, the values of diffusion coefficient (Dx) are evaluated for each type of water mentioned above. After comparing the obtained results from these tests, it is found that the distilled water has the higher value of (D X) into the (UPVC) material, it is followed by the sea water and then the rainwater, while each of the river and tap water record the lowest values.


Shape analysis is of great importance in many fields of medical imaging and computational biology. In this paper, we consider the shape space as the set of smooth planar immersed curves in R2 (parameterized curves) and, using the property of being isometric to a classical manifold immersed in a Euclidean space, we introduce a new extrinsic sample mean and a new extrinsic variance for a finite set of shapes, which are not necessarily star shaped. This is a fundamental tool in medical image analysis, for instance, to assess uncertainties that arise in locating anatomical structures such as the prostate and the bladder. We apply it to a dataset consisting of parallel planar axial CT sections of human prostate, in order to study the variability between boundaries that have been manually delineated by several observers.


Economic growth is important to reduce poverty even though its effect are varies across countries and over times. Two factors that can affect it are the initial level of inequality and the change in inequality; if a country has high inequality, poverty reduces slowly rather than a country which has low inequality given the same growth rate; on the other hands, economic growth may be related by an increase or decrease in inequality, in which case, changes in inequality play an important role in explaining the interrelation between growth and poverty. Low inequality may expose them to the costs of contraction. Reducing inequality may give triple effective. In this work, the author analyze how much the changing on economic growth and inequality is affecting the changing on poverty reduction for twenty five provinces in Indonesia using the headcount and Gini Ratio data and per capita growth regional domestic product (GRDP) for each twenty five provinces on year 2001 and 2005. Through this study, it can be said that even though at provincial level the Gini ratios are fluctuate over time, Indonesia is one of the country having lower inequality rate.


Melanoma specific anti NG2 antibody conjugated with iron oxide nanoparticles that have been developed to isolate, detect, and culture CTCs from melanoma xenograft models and blood from patients with metastatic melanoma. The enrichment process involved, lysis of RBC from blood samples using RBC lysis buffer enhances the cancer cell recovery by immunomagnetic labeling and separation. Efficient cell capture was validated using fluorescently labeled cancer cells spiked into healthy human blood and clinical utility was demonstrated in specimens from patient with metastatic melanoma. The spiking experiment results with greater than 70% recovery in four sets of experimental. Spontaneous metastasis melanoma model, found that the number of CTCs increased during the tumor progression and correlated to lymphatic as well as lung metastasis development in vivo. CTCs were detected in 6 out of 7 patients' blood samples that contained metastatic melanoma. The CTCs were positive for melanoma specific molecular markers such as S100, HMB45, MelaA, MITF and the CTCs were positive for anti NG2-Q-dot and pERK2-Q-dot staining. The BRAFV600e gene expression pattern resulted that the CTCs were expressed BRAFV600e similar to the control melanoma cells. The iron oxide antibody nanoparticle isolation method is a highly reliable and cost effective detection method of CTCs from patients with metastatic melanoma and CTCs cells can be culture for additional analytical studies or potential drug sensitivity testing.


The problem of spectrum scarcity and inefficiency in spectrum usage will be addressed by the newly emerging cognitive radio paradigm that allows radios to opportunistically transmit in the vacant portions of the spectrum already assigned to licensed users. For this, the ability for spectrum sensing, spectrum sharing, choosing the best spectrum among the available options, and dynamically adapting transmission parameters based on the activity of the licensed spectrum owners must be integrated within cognitive radio users. Specifically in cognitive radio ad hoc networks, distributed multihop architecture, node mobility, and spatio-temporal variance in spectrum availability are some of the key distinguishing factors. In this article the important features of CRAHNs are presented, along with the design approaches and research challenges that must be addressed. Spectrum management in CRAHNs comprises spectrum sensing, sharing, decision, and mobility. In this article each of these functions are described in detail from the viewpoint of multihop infra-structureless networks requiring cooperation among users.


An important argument in favour of recognising the cultural relativism and against universality of dignity and human rights, is the claim that the concept of dignity is a genuinely modern one. An analysis of a passage from the Demiurge's speech in Timaeus reveals that Plato devoted time to reflecting on the question of what determines the qualitative difference between certain beings (gods and human being) and the world of things, and what forms the basis for the special treatment of these beings – issues that using the language of today can be described reasonably as dignity. The attributes of this form of dignity seem to overlap with the nature of dignity as we know it today. Moreover, Plato proposes a response both to the question of what dignity is like, as well as the question of what dignity is. It is existential perfection, rooted in a perfect manner of existence, based on a specific internal unity of being. Dignity is therefore primordial in regard to particular features and independent of their acquisition or loss. Plato's approach allows him to postulate that people be treated as ends in themselves; an approach therefore that prohibits the treatment of people as objects. Both the state and law are ultimately subordinated to the good of the individual, rather than the individual to the good of the state.


Objective: To evaluate the effects of different surgical procedures on allergic fungal sinusitis. Methods: Thirty-one patients with allergic fungal sinusitis under endoscopic sinus surgery(24 cases) and Caldwell-Luc operation( 7 cases) after medical treatment were investigated. Results: No complication was observed during one year's follow-up. No patient who conducted endoscopic sinus surgery reacurred and 3 patients who received traditional surgery required a second operation. Conclusion: This confirmed endoscopic sinus surgery provided a minl-traumatic and effective treatment. Combined treatment of surgical and medical ways was useful to the development of allergic fungal sinusitis.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of human umbilical cord blood stem cells on flash visual evoked potentials (F-VEP) of the traumatic optic neuropathy rats.

METHODS
Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into an injury group (Group A) and 3 treatment groups (Groups B, C, and D). A traumatic optic neuropathy model was built in Group A, and the rats in Groups B, C, and D were injected with the neurotrophic factor, human umbilical cord blood stem cells, and the mixture of the neurotrophic factor and human umbilical cord blood stem cells, respectively. F-VEP was recorded in both eyes of rats at the 1st h, 1st week, 2nd week, 3rd week, and 4th week after the optic nerve injury.

RESULTS
At all time points, there were significant difference in the wave latency and amplitude between Group A and normal control eyes (P<0.01). The differences of the wave latency and amplitude between Group A and Groups B, C, and D were statistically significant at various time points after the injury except for the wave latency at the 1st h post-operation (P<0.05). The amplitude in Group D was higher while the latency was shorter than those of Group B at all time points since the 1st week (P<0.05). The comparisons at the same point in the remaining treatment groups were not significantly different (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
The mixture of human umbilical cord blood stem cells and neurotrophic factor has a promotion effect for the recovery of F-VEP of optic nerve in traumatic optic neuropathy in rats to some degrees.


This paper focuses on the ways in which activism is undermined in the water and sanitation wars in South Africa. The paper extends previous work that has focused on the politics of water and sanitation in South Africa and is based on an analysis of talk between activists and stakeholders in a television debate. It attempts to make two arguments. First, activists who disrupt powerful discourses of active citizenship struggle to highlight water and sanitation injustices without their actions being individualised and party politicised. Second, in an attempt to claim a space for new social movements, activists paradoxically draw on common sense accounts of race, class, geography, dignity and democracy that may limit activism. The implications for water and sanitation activism and future research are discussed.


A 2-year-old male Pekingese dog was referred to Shiraz University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital for anorexia and depression. The case had no history of surgery. Physical examination revealed no abnormalities except mild depression and fever. Small, coccoid, epicellular bacteria were detected on erythrocytes by microscopic examination of the Giemsa-stained blood smears. Abnormalities noted in the complete blood count included regenerative anemia characterized by a marked reticulocytosis. Examination of the plasma showed visual evidence of slight intra vascular hemolysis. In addition, Howell-Jolly bodies, nucleated RBCs, increased immature neutrophils and thrombocytosis were found in this case. The urine was strongly positive for bilirubin, and the urine sediment had abundant bilirubin crystals. For polymerase chain reaction (PCR) purpose, total DNA was extracted from blood sample collected from dog. PCR was positive and phylogenetic analysis of concatenated data showed our isolate clustered within Candidatus Mycoplasma hematoparvum group. Treatment was performed by oral ciprofloxacin and prednisolone. The clinical signs improved after three days. Two month follow-up showed no recurrence. In conclusion, hemoplasmosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis in dogs with hemolytic process and pyrexia. The PCR evaluation for hemoplasma DNA should be included in the investigation of such cases to enable the rapid detection of this infection, which may be more common than previously estimated. Besides, ciprofloxacin might have an effect on treatment of hemoplasma in dogs, however, conducting further case studies are necessary to recommend successful treatment.


During the perinatal period, prostaglandin (PG) E2 levels show parallel changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood which may be important for the adaptation of the fetus to extrauterine life. It is not known, however, whether PGE2 in the CSF originates from a local or a peripheral source. Experiments were carried out in term fetal and newborn sheep chronically instrumented with a cannula inside the third ventricle and vascular lines. Indomethacin was given intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) (50 or 100 micrograms at hourly intervals), alone or in combination with intravenous (i.v.) PGE2 (1 or 1.5 micrograms/kg/min). In the fetus, i.c.v. indomethacin reduced PGE2 levels in both CSF and plasma. Conversely, no significant change was noted at either site when indomethacin was given i.c.v. to the newborn. At both ages, PGE2 increased in the CSF during i.v. infusion of the compound, but this elevation was proportionately smaller than in plasma. We conclude that, in the perinatal period, brain and peripheral circulation function as separate compartments with respect to PGE2, though there is passage of the compound across the blood-brain barrier. Results provide indirect evidence that perinatal brain produces PGE2 in measurable amounts.


Although national Human Rights Commissions (NHRCs) are institutional mechanisms suitable for advancing the domestic implementation of socioeconomic rights, traditional approaches to the advancement of these rights have more readily focused on the role of courts. This process has witnessed the prioritisation of the justiciability of these rights above other non- and quasi-judicial means for their realisation. As a result, contemporary scholarship has barely noticed the role and practical efforts of NHRCs in this regard. To fill this gap, this article evaluates the mandate, activities, and effectiveness of NHRCs in three selected Commonwealth African countries - Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda - and identifies four factors which either impair or enhance their effective performance of this role: the explicit provision of socio-economic rights as justiciable guarantees in the constitutional framework of states; the granting of an explicit legal or constitutional mandate on socio-economic rights to NHRCs; the provision of adequate institutional, functional, and financial independence for NHRCs; and a high level of institutional support from other institutions that ensure states' accountability for human rights.


Vascular erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share common risk factors including obesity, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, and smoking. ED and CVD also have common underlying pathological mechanisms, including endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and atherosclerosis.1 Despite these close relationships, the evidence documenting ED as an independent predictor of future CVD events is limited.We therefore leveraged the MESA study (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis), an ethnically diverse, community-based, multisite prospective cohort study, to examine the value of self-reported ED for predicting incident coronary heart disease (CHD) and CVD in those free of these CVD events at baseline. Details of MESA have been described previously.2 Male MESA participants who attended visit 5 and answered the single Massachusetts Male Aging Study question3 on ED symptoms were considered for our analysis (n=1914). A participant was considered to have ED if he responded "never able" or "sometimes able" to the Massachusetts Male Aging Study question. After excluding 155 participants with a CVD event before visit 5, 1757 participants were followed for 3.8 years (interquartile range, 3.5-4.2) and outcomes of hard CHD and CVD events were assessed. Hard CVD events included all hard CHD events (myocardial infarction, resuscitated cardiac arrest, and CHD death), plus stroke and stroke death. Participants provided informed consent, and each study site obtained approval from their institutional review board.


As endothelial dysfunction is one of the earliest signs of atherosclerosis, which is accelerated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we assessed whether vascular responses of the cutaneous microcirculation are disturbed in SLE patients and influenced by Raynaud's phenomenon (RP). Laser Doppler fluxmetry (LDF) was used in combination with iontophoresis of acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilator respectively. 42 SLE patients with inactive disease, 12 of whom had RP and 19 age- and sex-matched controls were included. Furthermore, traditional and non-traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) were assessed, and markers of inflammation and endothelial activation were measured. Vascular responses of SLE patients without RP did not differ from controls. However, SLE patients with RP exhibited decreased vasodilatation compared with controls. SLE patients with RP also had longer arrival times of ACh and SNP than controls. Markers of inflammation and von Willebrand factor were increased in SLE patients. Smoking, the presence of SLE and RP were negatively associated with vascular responses in univariate analysis. In multivariate analyses, the only independent variable of vascular responses to ACh and SNP was the presence of RP. Despite signs of endothelial activation, SLE patients with inactive disease do not have altered vascular responses in the microcirculation compared with controls. In SLE patients with RP, cutaneous vascular responses to both ACh and SNP are impaired. Therefore, LDF of the microcirculation seems not to be the appropriate method to distinguish those SLE patients with an increased risk to develop CVD.


It has been established that a dominant factor controllingthe ground-state properties and shapes of disparate finitefermion systems ~such as nuclei and simple-metal clusters,whose nature of bonding and cohesion are of very differentorigins with widely differing characteristic energetic andspatial scales! are the shell effects resulting from level de-generacies in conjunction with the Pauli principle ~e.g.,for nuclei see Ref. 1; for simple metal clusters see Refs. 2and 3!.In contrast to heavier noble-gas clusters,


We compute diffractive structure functions for both protons and nuclei in the framework of color glass condensate models with impact parameter dependence. These models have previously been shown to provide good agreement with inclusive ${F}_{2}$ measurements and exclusive vector meson measurements at DESY's Hadron-Electron Ring Accelerator (HERA). For nuclei, they provide good (parameter free) agreement with the inclusive ${F}_{2}$ data. We demonstrate good agreement of our computations with HERA measurements on inclusive diffraction. We extend our analysis to nuclei and predict the pattern of enhancement and suppression of the diffractive structure functions that can be measured at an electron-ion collider. We discuss how the impact parameter dependence crucially affects our analysis, in particular for large invariant masses at fixed ${Q}^{2}$.


The COVID-19 virus is one of the most significant challenges of humanity and is causing thousands of deaths worldwide. Drugs active against the virus are being developed and tested, but it appears that lung lesions are the lethal ones that lead to the patient's death. The experimentation of new drugs has led to a few positive results, but an effective vaccine will soon become available, as the virus is further studied. People with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, are critically ill, and ongoing therapies can lead to management difficulties with many subsequent clinical complications in the pandemic period. Glycemic control and appropriate measures for a diabetic patient are key priorities, especially in patients that tested positive for COVID-19. This article describes the current evidence in the literature regarding the risks of the possible administration of antidiabetic drugs in the COVID-19 patient, as well as analyzing the blood glucose data and its homeostasis, which are fundamental data to combat a viral infection.


This paper describes the characteristics of optical fiber sensors with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at 1,310 nm in which the scattering loss of silica optical fiber is low. SPR operation in the infrared wavelength range is achieved by coating a thin tantalum pentaoxide (Ta2O5) film. The novelty of this paper lies in the verification of how the hetero-core scheme could be operated as a commercial base candidate in the sense of easy fabrication, sufficient mechanical strength, and significant sensitivity as a liquid detector under the basis of a low loss transmission network in the near infrared wavelength region. The effect of Ta2O5 layer thickness has been experimentally revealed in the wavelength region extending to 1,800 nm by using the hetero-core structured optical fiber. SPR characterizations have been made in the wavelength region 1,000–1,300 nm, showing the feasible operation at the near infrared wavelength and the possible practical applications. In addition, the technique developed in this work has been interestingly applied to a multi-point water-detection and a water-level gauge in which tandem-connected SPR sensors system using hetero-core structured fibers were incorporated. The detailed performance characteristics are also shown on these applications.


Previous studies of the host galaxy of Haro 11 have suggested an extreme red color of V-K=4.2+-0.8 which cannot be reconciled with any normal stellar population of reasonable metallicity. We present the deepest V and K band data to date of the blue compact galaxy (BCG) Haro 11 and derive a new V-K color for the host. Our new data suggest a much more modest value of V-K=2.3+-0.2, which is in the same range as V-K colors measured for several other BCGs. The new Haro 11 color is not abnormally red and can be attributed to an old metal-poor stellar population with a Salpeter initial mass function.


A 59-year-old man with past histories of bronchial asthma and chronic sinusitis underwent transanal resection of anorectal malignant melanoma with general anesthesia. On the third day after surgery, he presented with subacute weakness with right dominant hypoesthesia in the bilateral lower limbs. Tendon reflexes were diminished without pathological reflexes. Blood examination showed increased eosinophils (2,058/μl) and elevated serum immunoglobulin E (675.0 IU/ml). Cerebrospinal fluid examination showed elevated protein (200 mg/dl) without pleocytosis (<5/μl). A nerve conduction study suggested multiple mononeuropathy with motor and axonal dominance in the right tibial, peroneal, and sural nerves. Because of eosinophilia and his past medical history (i.e., bronchial asthma and chronic sinusitis), we initially suspected eosinophilic polyangiitis granulomatosis (EGPA) as the cause of postoperative polyneuropathy. However, his neurological symptoms did not improve despite the decreased eosinophil count after tumor resection, which was inconsistent with EGPA. We biopsied the left sural nerve to exclude EGPA and make a diagnosis. Pathological findings revealed no demyelination, axonal degeneration, or eosinophil infiltration with granuloma formation; however, lymphocyte-dominated inflammation was observed around the epineurial small vessels. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with early onset post-surgical inflammatory neuropathy (PIN) based on his clinical course and the pathological findings. On post-surgery day 48, oral administration of prednisolone (40 mg/day) was started. His neurological symptoms improved quickly and remarkably. Our case suggests that, when multiple mononeuropathy develops early after surgery, PIN should be considered as a differential diagnosis to initiate appropriate treatment based on the pathological condition of neuropathy.


Current approaches to gifted identification suggest collecting multiple sources of evidence. Some gifted identification guidelines allow for the interchangeable use of performance and nonperformance identification methods. This multiple criteria approach lacks a strong overlap between the assessment tools; however, interchangeable use of the instruments (replacing one for another) entails high regularity. This meta-analytic review investigated the consistency of using performance and nonperformance identification methods by examining the influence of three moderators in two different study analyses. Study 1 focused on correlational and comparison studies by using Pearson r as the index of effect size within a three-level multilevel design. Study 2 was conducted with three diagnostic proportional metrics: efficiency, effectiveness/sensitivity, and specificity. Results from Study 1 indicated the overall correlation between the performance and nonperformance gifted identification methods was medium (r = .30). Teacher ratings yielded significantly higher consistency with performance measures than teacher or parent nomination and self-ratings. Study 2 showed that nonperformance methods are relatively strong in terms of specificity (70%) and effectiveness/sensitivity (59%) but not very efficient (39%). Analyses of four diagnostic quadrants indicated that performance and nonperformance gifted identification methods, when used alone, tend to identify different students who would not be identified otherwise despite some amount of convergence between the two. Our findings indicated that nonperformance and performance gifted identification methods cannot replace each other. They should be used concurrently rather than be used alone or consecutively.


Abstract We developed a computerized image-analysis system, PlanktoMetrix, the first system to conduct all steps of conventional microscope-based phytoplankton and zooplankton analyses (counting, measuring sizes, entering data, computations, storage in database) simultaneously using real-time digital imaging. The microscope field that displays the sample is continuously scanned by a digital camera and screened on a computer monitor, on which cell counts and measurements of linear dimensions are made by mouse clicks. When the microscope tasks are completed, computations of species abundances, estimates of biovolume per individual, species biomass per unit volume, and total assemblage biomass concentration are made automatically and stored into a database. All raw and computed data are exportable to common spreadsheet platforms. PlanktoMetrix offers the production of high-quality data in less time, with lower user fatigue and fewer typing errors; therefore, more time can be devoted to data analysis rather than generation. Furthermore, PlanktoMetrix allows collecting organism size data regularly, thus offering plankton ecologists a tool for following seasonal, ontogenetic, and other well-documented but generally ignored changes in plankton size and morphology. An example of PlanktoMetrix-generated cell size time series shows that the dinoflagellate Peridiniopsis elpatiewskyi undergoes a distinct annual cycle with larger cells in winter and smaller cells in summer. PlanktoMetrix is distributed free to interested users and will likely be available in the future as an open-source platform.


The principle of a lightweight acousto-optic receiver and fast spectrum analyzer, capable of reception and analysis of electromagnetic signals in the VHF-UHF range, is described. The principle consists of first converting electromagnetic signals to ultrasonic signals that propagate in a solid transparent medium and subsequently separating these signals into many channels by light diffraction techniques. A multitude of diffracted light beams are formed, each of which contains an up-converted segment of the RF input signal band. Simultaneous signal detection in all channels is accomplished with an array of photodiode detectors. A detailed analysis of this signal reception technique is presented, along with a description of a laboratory model of the receiver-analyzer. Experimental data obtained on the performance of both this model and its component parts is described. Good agreement is found between theory and experiment. The experimental model operates over a frequency range from 200 to 500 MHz, with a 5.3-MHz continuous wave frequency resolution.


Abstract Data from the hailpad network of the National Hail Research Experiment were examined in relation to the equivalent radar reflectivity factors recorded in the lowest level sweeps of the radar beam over the pads during hailstorms in 1972 and 1976. The relationship between hail detected at the ground and reflectivity factor was examined for both areal coverage and on a point-by-point basis for each hailpad. The comparisons show that reflectivity factors of 55 dBZ are often measured when no hail is observed at the ground. Rain alone can give rise to reflectivities of this magnitude. The results of the study show that in northeastern Colorado low-level equivalent radar reflectivity factors alone cannot be used to determine the region of hailfall at the ground, nor are they likely to augment quantitative measurements by a ground network of hail sensors. The results found in northeastern Colorado are compared to results from other geographical regions.


Previous studies using anti‐CD45R monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have shown that normal CD4+ T cells can be separated into virgin and memory cells basedon their level of expression of CD45R. CD45Rhi (virgin)T cells secrete interleukin (IL)‐2 whereas CD45Rlo (memory) T cells secrete both IL‐2 and IL‐4. In contrast to these results, studies using cultured T cell lines haveshown that IL‐2‐secreting T helper cell type 1 (Th1) cells are CD45Rlo and IL‐4‐secreting Th2 cells are CD45Rhi. To resolve this discrepancy, and to determine how the Th1 and Th2 cell lines relate to memory CD45Rlo and virgin CD45Rhi CD4+ T cells, we have isolated CD45Rlo cells from alloantigen‐primed mice and developed allospecific Th1 and Th2 cell lines. The lymphokinessecreted by these lines were then evaluated. Our results show that as CD45Rlo T cells develop into in vitro cell lines which secrete IL‐4, they become CD45Rhi. In contrast, CD45Rlo cells that develop into lines which secrete IL‐2 maintain their CD45Rlo phenotype. Thus, although both Th1 and Th2 cells arise initially from CD45Rlo cells, Th2 cells become CD45Rhi during prolonged in vitro culture but, Th1 cells do not.


Senggarang is one of the coastal villages in Tanjungpinang City which has a river that flows from the upstream downstream into the sea. The flow of the Senggarang river has distinctive characteristics that are commonly found in small island waters, namely having a relatively short upstream to downstream distance, and the downstream part is influenced by tidal conditions. Various activities along the Senggarang river flow would cause changes in water quality which would impact the presence of macrozoobenthic. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the macrozoobenthic community and the water quality of the Senggarang river. Macrozoobenthic sampling, and environmental parameters were carried out using random sampling methods. The results of this study were obtained 27 species from 6 phylum, namely phylum Arthropoda 13 species, phylum Ciliophora 3 species, phylum Echinodermata 1 species, phylum Mollusca 4 species, phylum Nematoda 5 species, and phylum Tardigrada 1 species. The average macrozoobenthic density is 172 ind./ m3 for freshwater and 704 ind./ m3 for brackish waters. The average diversity value for freshwater is 1.29 and 2.16 waters with medium salinity, the average uniformity value of 0.85 freshwater and 0.94 of high in brackish waters, the average dominance value of 0.32 freshwater and 0.13 of low in brackish waters. The relationship of macrozoobenthos with the quality of freshwater based on PCA analyses related to temperature and dissolved oxygen, in brackish waters to temperature, dissolved oxygen, and current.Keywords: Macrozoobenthic community, PCA, River flow, Water quality


ABSTRACT East Asia's Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement was concluded in a time of heightened uncertainty in the global economy and in the middle of the largest economic downturn in almost a century from a pandemic-induced global recession. The agreement consolidated the 10 member ASEAN's free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, and the three northeast Asian economic powers China, Japan and South Korea. RCEP's economic cooperation agenda incorporates ASEAN processes which go beyond helping countries to implement the agreement and has potential to expand cooperation to new areas. This economic cooperation process makes RCEP a living agreement that can serve the needs of members as they evolve. It can also be used to embrace non-RCEP members, especially India, around particular agendas. The agreement is an important opportunity for China to use the RCEP framework to trial reforms and demonstrate its commitment to broader international multilateral liberalisation and economic cooperation.


Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with a generalized hemostatic defect, in which platelet dysfunction seems to play a central role. The present study was designed to elucidate whether the potential procoagulant activity of platelets, detected as annexin V binding, was altered during coronary bypass surgery, using non-coated and heparin-coated extracorporeal circuits. Thirty patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting were prospectively randomized using either a standard untreated extracorporeal circuit (n = 15) or a heparin-treated extracorporeal circuit (n=15). Besides measurement of the procoagulant phospholipid activity, the mediastinal blood loss after surgery, and the blood transfusion requirements were also monitored. CPB induced a decrease in the percentage of activated platelets in whole blood, manifest directly after start of CPB, which was significantly attenuated using a non-treated system. Postoperatively, the percentage of activated platelets recovered in both systems, reaching a point of significance 24 hours after the operation, compared to the values 2 hours after the operation. The differences among the groups for mediastinal blood loss during the first 2 and 24 postoperative hours coincided with the differences in procoagulant phospholipid activity. Furthermore, there was no statistical difference among the groups for blood transfusion requirements. The platelets in both groups showed a significantly lower ability to generate ionomycin-induced procoagulant activity after blood-material interaction when compared to the baseline values. These observations are compatible with the notion that during CPB, irrespective of the heparin coating, platelets become modestly activated.