There is a pressing need for an ecologically relevant behavioral task that would enable the study of elementary aspects of episodic memory. In everyday life, episodic memories are acquired incidentally in a single-encounter fashion and are composed of sub-events separated by time gaps. We designed a behavioral task called One-Trial Trace Escape Reaction (OTTER), in which rats incidentally associated two temporally discontinuous stimuli. In OTTER, rats associate a neutral acoustic cue (conditioned stimulus, CS) with an aversive stimulus (unconditioned stimulus, US) which occurs two seconds later: we call this sequence CS-2s-US. In the first few sessions, rats are habituated to two similar environmental contexts (A and B); each context consists of interconnected dark and light sub-areas. Next, in the pairing session, rats experience CS-2s-US in the dark sub-area of one of the environmental contexts (either A or B). The US is terminated immediately after a rat escapes into the light sub-area. During the recall session 24 hours later, rats are presented with only the CS in the alternate environmental context (B or A) and their behavioral response is observed. Our results show that 50% of handled rats and 14% of non-handled rats responded to the CS by escaping to the light sub-area although they experienced only a single CS-2s-US pairing. The capacity to acquire a CS-2s-US association in a single CS-2s-US pairing indicates that rodents are able to form incidental temporal associations. The OTTER behavioral task offers a flexible high throughput tool to study memories acquired incidentally after a single experience.


UNLABELLED
Periprosthetic fractures have had an increasing incidence in the past decades; their resolution is a difficult challenge even for the most experienced orthopedist surgeons. The Vancouver classification has contributed to a great extent to their better characterization and therapeutic guidance. The purpose of this paper is to make a review of the most recent advances on the topic and present our experience in the treatment of these fractures.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We describe the characteristics of a sample of 20 patients with periprosthetic femur fractures treated at our hospital from March 2008 to March 2010 and typed according to the Vancouver classification.

RESULTS
Mean age was 74.5 years with a range of 65-87 years. Females were predominant (70%). Five cases were type A in the classification, 10 cases type B, and 5 cases type C. Nineteen underwent surgical treatment. The mean total length of stay was 7 days, with a range of 5-12. The mean healing time for types B and C was 4 months (range 3-6 months). Four patients had complications. The resolution was assessed as excellent in 5 cases (25%), good in 11 cases (55%), and poor in 4 cases (20%).

CONCLUSIONS
A thorough individual assessment based on the Vancouver classification, age and the patient's functional requirements are the major parameters for treatment success.


Calibration is a crucial procedure in electron temperature (Te) inference from a typical electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostic on tokamaks. Although the calibration provides an important multiplying factor for an individual ECE channel, the parameter ΔTe/Te is independent of any calibration. Since an ECE channel measures the cyclotron emission for a particular flux surface, a non-perturbing change in toroidal magnetic field changes the view of that channel. Hence the calibration-free parameter is a measure of Te gradient. BT-jog technique is presented here which employs the parameter and the raw ECE signals for direct measurement of electron temperature gradient scale length.


Rearrangements of genes and other syntenic blocks have become a topic of intensive study by phylogenists, comparative genomicists, and computational biologists: they are a feature of many cancers, must be taken into account to align highly divergent sequences, and constitute a phylogenetic marker of great interest. The mathematics of rearrangements is far more complex than for indels and mutations in sequences. Inversions have been well characterized through 20 years of work, but transpositions still await comparable results. We can compute inversion and DCJ (a combination of inversions and block exchanges) distances, and bounds on the transposition distance. The first has been extensively used in comparative genomics and phylogenetics, the second is quite new, and the third has not seen significant use to date. We present here a detailed experimental study of these three distance measures within the context of genome comparison (pairwise distances) and phylogenetic reconstruction. We used data generated through simulated evolution along various trees, using various evolutionary rates and various mixes of inversions and transpositions. Our main finding is that inversion and DCJ measures return very similar results even on data generated using only transpositions, while the measure based on Hartman's bound is often too loose to provide comparable accuracy in genomic comparisons or phylogenetic reconstruction


Objectives: the study aims to assess nurses' practices toward chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) for children at the hematology center, and to determine the effectiveness of the health education program on nurses' practices toward CIPN, and to find out the relationships between the effectiveness of Health education program and demographic characteristics of nurses.
Methodology: Use quasi-experimental design in the study (a design that divides the sample into two groups, a study group and a control group, with data collection in three stages). This study was conducted at a hematology center in Baghdad city for the period (from December 16th, 2019 to 8th May 2020), to find out the effectiveness of the health education program on nurses' practices toward CIPN, a targeted (non-probability) sample was purposive consisting of (50 nurses) divided into two groups (25) nurses for the study group and (25) control group nurses working in the hematology center.
A questionnaire was constructed as a tool to collect data and consisted of two parts:
Demographic characteristics of the nursing (age, gender, years of experience in nursing, years of experience in hematology center, marital status, level of education, and Participation in training courses toward CIPN).
assess of nurses' practices towards CIPN consisting of four domains (41) checklist. Validity of the study instrument to the educational program was verified by presenting it to (11) experts, reliability of the questionnaire done by test and re-test approach on six nurses at Hematology center interval period of 21 days.
Results: The study showed that a clear changing in nurses' practices toward CIPN at hematology center, where the value (P-value =0.00) for a pre-test and a post-test I), as well as  a post-test II in the study group.
 While a little difference changing in nurses practices, where the value (P-value =0.46) for a pre-test and a post-test I, as well as a post-test II where the value (P-value =0.46) in the study control.
Recommendations: Based on the results of the mentioned study, the researcher recommends implementing this educational program in all hospitals and centers for pediatric hematology, oncology and bone marrow in Iraq


Background: Lassa fever disease is endemic in Edo State, Nigeria. A national upsurge in Lassa fever cases and death occurred in January 2019, with Eguare community in Esan West Local Government Area, Edo State having an unusual increase in number of reported cases. We investigated the outbreak to determine factors associated with being a confirmed Lassa fever case and the health seeking behaviour of the community members. Methods: We conducted an unmatched 1:4 case control study. We defined a confirmed case-patient as any person from Eguare community with febrile illness and PCR positive for Lassa fever between January and March, 2019; and control as anyone from Eguare community without febrile illness within the same period. Structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on exposures from both cases and controls. Univariate and bivariate analysis was done and confidence level set at 95%. Results: A total of 10 case-patients and 40 controls were recruited. The mean age of case-patients was 45.8years ± 15.2 and controls 35.6years ± 14.6. Forty percent of case-patients and 52.5% of controls were females. Having contact with suspected case-patients and having dumpsites close to homes (p<0.01) were associated with Lassa fever infection among case-patient. Eighty-six percent of the respondents would report at health facility if presented with febrile illness. Conclusion: Avoiding contact with a suspected Lassa fever case-patients and improved waste management system may prevent and interrupt the spread of Lassa fever virus.


Echinometra mathaei is a species complex with its constituent reproductively-isolated species informally called A, B, C and D based on studies done in Okinawa and the Red Sea. Little research has been done on this genus, and to our knowledge no studies have been done on the E. mathaei complex in the Philippines. To help clarify species delineations in the E. mathaei complex, a comparative study was done between two localities in Western Visayas, Philippines: the Taklong Island National Marine Reserve, in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras and Barangay Unidos in Nabas, Aklan. Morphological characteristics (spine color, milled rings, and skin around the peristome) and tubefeet and gonad spicules were observed. Two or possibly three species of Echinometra were found in the two sites based on their morphology and spicules, namely: Echinometra sp. A, Echinometra sp. C, and Echinometra affinity C, which resembles sp. C but differs in the milled rings and gonad spicules. Echinometra sp. C and E. affinity C cannot be distinguished on the basis of field-visible characters, thus the two morphs are referred to as Echinometra VC for the purpose of field surveys. Echinometra VC and Echinometra sp. A exhibited differences in abundance (VC was much more common) and microhabitat (VC was restricted to rocky shores and never observed in coral communities). To study the abundance and distribution of Echinometra VC, 50 m by 2 m belt transects were surveyed along the rocky shores of both sites: two parallel transects (at 0 m and at 0.9 m) and a perpendicular transect (only in Nabas), each with three replicates. The transect data showed that the mean densities for 0 m and 0.9 m in Nabas are significantly higher in Taklong yielding p-values of 0.001 and 0.002, respectively, when analyzed using t-test.Of the two sites, only Nabas showed a significant difference between the mean densities at 0 m and 0.9 m, with the mean density at 0.9 m significantly higher than that of 0 m yielding a p-value of 0.02 when analyzed using two-sample t-test. A Poisson regression on the perpendicular transect data from Nabas showed a trend of increasing Echinometra density with increasing distance from the shore. In the future, DNA barcoding and cross-fertilization studies should be performed in order to confirm the species of Echinometra observed. Many factors can affect the density and distribution of Echinometra, so further studies must be conducted to explain observed differences in their distribution and abundance.


A fully micromachined millimeter-wave module for power combining is proposed and demonstrated. The proposed module consists of a monolithic-microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) RF sources, a finite ground coplanar (FGC) line-to-micromachined waveguide transition, and a section of micromachined waveguide, and thus can be fabricated cost-effectively using modern micromachining techniques. The module is tested with two types of GaAs monolithic frequency doublers as the RF source and shows excellent performance with an RF power efficiency of up to 25% at the output frequency of 72.2 GHz.


Broader policy research and debate on the issues related to the planning of National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Africa (SA) need to be complemented by case studies to examine and understand the issues that will have to be dealt with at micro and macro levels. The objective of this article is to use caesarean section (CS) as a case study to examine the health systems challenges that NHI would need to address in order to ensure sustainability. The specific objectives are to: (i) provide an overview of the key clinical considerations related to CS; (ii) assess the CS rates in the SA public and private sectors; and (iii) use a health systems framework to examine the drivers of the differences between the public and private sectors and to identify the challenges that the proposed NHI would need to address on the road to implementation.


The article considers whether support for multicultural ideology by the ethnic majority leads to a more inclusive sociocultural context for ethno-cultural minorities. We investigate the role of common superordinate identity in these relations on the example of Soviet identity in Armenia. A socio-psychological survey was conducted among 213 representatives of the ethnic majority of Armenia using the scale of multicultural ideology of J.W. Berry (2020), the scale of Soviet identity by K. Velkova (2020) and the scale of the permeability of social boundaries as adapted by M.R. Ramos et al. (2016). The results show that support for multicultural ideology by Armenians is positively associated with the permeability of social boundaries for Russians only if the Soviet identity is highly important for Armenians. To conclude, recategorization is influential for building inclusive sociocultural context and harmonizing intercultural relations.


The deep and darkweb (d2web) refers to limited access web sites that require registration, authentication, or more complex encryption protocols to access them. These web sites serve as hubs for a variety of illicit activities: to trade drugs, stolen user credentials, hacking tools, and to coordinate attacks and manipulation campaigns. Despite its importance to cyber crime, the d2web has not been systematically investigated. In this paper, we study a large corpus of messages posted to 80 d2web forums over a period of more than a year. We identify topics of discussion using LDA and use a non-parametric HMM to model the evolution of topics across forums. Then, we examine the dynamic patterns of discussion and identify forums with similar patterns. We show that our approach surfaces hidden similarities across different forums and can help identify anomalous events in this rich, heterogeneous data.


Investigations into the factors that affect management of educational facilities on students 'enrolment have attracted the interest and concern of researchers, universities administrators and planners as well as stakeholders in educational sectors in Nigeria. Different factors are capable of influencing the enrolment of students in the Nigerian Universities. Such factors range from the school library, school building, uncondusive classroom environment and the school laboratory. The Study adopted a survey research design of ex-post facto type. Population consisted of 300 participants in which about 50% of the target population was sampled. Multi- stage sampling technique was used to get the sample size in South – western Nigeria. A Standardized research Instrument was used: Managing Educational Facilities and Students Enrolment Questionnaire (MEFSEQ). The Instrument was content, construct and face validated while its reliability co- efficient was established through the test -retest method of 0.84. Inferential Statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Multiple Regression were used to analyses the stated Hypotheses at 0.05 level of Significance. The result showed classroom environment as a major determinant of student enrolment. There was a strong positive significant relationship between the School building and Student Enrolment (0.634; P< 0.05). It was recommended among other that parents should pay full attention to their wards education while the necessary educational facilities should be provided by the school authorities, government as well as the stakeholders in other to aid students' enrolment as well as learning activities. Key Words : Students Enrolment, Managing, Educational Facilities, Nigeria Universities, South- Western States.


In this paper we propose two novel methodologies to incorporate spatial information into ensemble classification systems to process hyperspectral data acquired over urban environment. We introduce the methodologies for extending Hierarchical Binary Decision Tree Classification structure based ensemble (HBDTC) and Class probability Membership value based Ensemble (PMVE) structures with capability to use information from the spatial domain while optimizing the classification structure. In current study a Canny edge detector based clustering and region growing based image segmentation are combined to obtain image object features and after optimizing the ensemble structures in the spectral domain a further optimization is carried out using the identified image objects and refinement in the labelling is done. The obtained classification results show great potential to use spectral-spatial ensemble classification structures for generic mapping of the urban environment. In the paper we demonstrate on two different scenes that both HBDTC spatial algorithm and PMVE spatial algorithms outperform ensemble classification without spatial extension, even if coupled with spatial post.


As earlier, the main activity of the Commission was performed by the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT), effectively directed by Dan Green. These three years were a difficult period for the Bureau and thus for the Commission because the Bureau unexpectedly had to move from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, its home since 1965, to the Harvard University's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. This move caused many serious administrative and logistical problems, effectively solved by the CBAT Director, Dan Green, and CBAT Director Emeritus, Brian Marsden. A great shock, not only for our commission but for the whole astronomical community, was Brian's death on November 18, 2010.


In recent years, a range of brief protocolised psychological interventions like Problem Management Plus have been developed. Such "scalable psychological interventions" are meant to be delivered by nonspecialists which can greatly increase access to psychological therapies for people affected by adversity, including forced displacement. However, embedding new interventions into mainstream practices is challenging. Novel interventions can remain in the research phase for a long time or stop altogether, which minimises their intended impact and reach. In this conceptual paper we propose a "system innovation perspective" on scaling up new psychological interventions for refugees and argue that existing mental health systems often need to change to integrate new interventions in a sustainable way. We present a conceptual framework, which includes ideas on cycles of deepening (learning by doing), broadening (repeating and linking), and scaling up (embedding) and the multilevel and constellation perspective. This framework has been operationalised in our scalability research as part of the STRENGTHS study in which we increase our understanding of the opportunities for scaling up four new psychological interventions in eight countries hosting Syrian refugees, including in Europe (Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland) and the Middle East (Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon). Key implications for practice Researchers and practitioners involved in implementing and evaluating scalable psychological interventions such as Problem Management Plus should consider the inclusion of scalability assessments to increase understanding about the potential for integrating such innovations into mainstream services. A system innovation perspective views scaling up as the integration of an innovation into mainstream practices and suggests that mental health systems commonly need to change in order to effectively adopt new interventions, allowing them to reach their desired impact at scale and in a sustainable way. An improved understanding of the scalability of novel psychological interventions, including the potential (systemic) barriers and facilitators for scaling up, will provide essential knowledge for those involved in decision-making, implementation and evaluation of the further scale up of such interventions.


Coupling remote sensing data with crop model has been shown to improve accuracy of the model yield estimation. MOSICAS model simulates sugarcane yield in controlled conditions plot, based on different variables, including the interception efficiency index (i). In this paper, we assessed the use of remote sensing data to sugarcane growth modeling by 1) comparing the sugarcane yield simulated with and without satellite data integration in the model, and 2) comparing two approaches of satellite data forcing. The forcing variable is the interception efficiency index (Εi). The yield simulations are evaluated on a data set of cane biomass measured on four on-farm fields, over three years, in Reunion Island. Satellite data are derived from a SPOT 10 m resolution time series acquired during the same period. Three types of simulations have been made: a raw simulation (where the only input data are daily precipitations, daily temperatures and daily global radiations), a partial forcing coupling method (where MOSICAS computed values of Εi have been replaced by NDVI computed Εi for each available satellite image), and complete forcing method (where all MOSICAS simulated Εi have been replaced by NDVI computed Εi). Results showed significant improvements of the yield's estimation with complete forcing approach (with an estimation of the yield 8.3 % superior to the observed yield), but minimal differences between the yields computed with raw simulations and those computed with partial forcing approach (with a mean overestimation of respectively 34.7 and 35.4 %). Several enhancements can be made, especially by optimizing MOSICAS parameters, or by using other remote sensing index, like NDWI.


Due to a worldwide increase in obesity and metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, synthetic sweeteners such as aspartame are frequently used to substitute sugar in the diet. Possible uncertainties regarding aspartame's ability to induce oxidative stress, amongst others, has led to the recommendation of a daily maximum dose of 40 to 50 mg per kg. To date, little is known about the effects of this non-nutritive sweetener on cellular lipid homeostasis, which, besides elevated oxidative stress, plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, treatment of the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y with aspartame (271.7 µM) or its three metabolites (aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol (271.7 µM)), generated after digestion of aspartame in the human intestinal tract, resulted in significantly elevated oxidative stress associated with mitochondrial damage, which was illustrated with reduced cardiolipin levels, increased gene expression of SOD1/2, PINK1, and FIS1, and an increase in APF fluorescence. In addition, treatment of SH-SY5Y cells with aspartame or aspartame metabolites led to a significant increase in triacylglycerides and phospholipids, especially phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamines, accompanied by an accumulation of lipid droplets inside neuronal cells. Due to these lipid-mediating properties, the use of aspartame as a sugar substitute should be reconsidered and the effects of aspartame on the brain metabolism should be addressed in vivo.


Start-up SMEs are very important to employment creation, poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development of South Africa. One of the challenges facing start-ups is non-availability of debt financing. The government of South Africa has put in place various intervention efforts to improve access to debt finance by start-up SMEs. This study investigates empirically the effectiveness of Business Development Services providers (BDSs) in improving access to finance by start-up SMEs. Data was collected through the use of self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis. The results indicate that most start-up SMEs are not aware of the programme. The results furthermore indicate that start-up SMEs that are aware and use the programme have improved access to debt finance. The recommendations focused on improving the awareness of the programme by start-up SMEs.


Being a traditional institution of culture, knowledge preservation and transfer, a relatively stable form of organizing social life, ensuring strength of ties and relationships within a society, in the context of its systemic transformations, developing digitalization of resources and communications, the library has the potential, the implementation of which can determine new models of action. In this regard, it becomes important to develop a model for adapting the activities of libraries in the region to the modern system of communications. For to elaborate a specific strategy, it is important to comprehend the development of library and information systems in the context of the historical and cultural development.The libraries of Uzbekistan served as the research object of the paper. The process of their systematic formation in this region started in 1918. The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic, which entered the USSR, was created in October 24, 1924. Since that time, there began active creation of mass, special scientific, university and scientific technological libraries. The policy of mass library centralization carried out in the USSR in the 1970s–1980s contributed to the centralized collection acquisition, improvement of library services for different population segments, and raising the library personnel qualification. The library system was formed in the republic, which was systematically supported by the state.The article object is, basing on previously published and new information obtained from statistical collections and documents of state archives, which were not examined by specialists, to concretize concepts about forming and developing libraries in Uzbekistan as a part of the USSR library system for to determine future regularities and trends in the republican library and information system development.


The paper presents a kernel for learning from ordered hypergraphs, a formalization that captures relational data as used in Inductive Logic Programming (ILP). The kernel generalizes previous approaches to graph kernels in calculating similarity based on walks in the hypergraph. Experiments on challenging chemical datasets demonstrate that the kernel outperforms existing ILP methods, and is competitive with state-of-the-art graph kernels. The experiments also demonstrate that the encoding of graph data can affect performance dramatically, a fact that can be useful beyond kernel methods.


SUMMARY This paper investigates artificial neural network (ANN)-based simulators as an alternative to physics-based approaches for evolving controllers in simulation for a complex snake-like robot. Prior research has been limited to robots or controllers that are relatively simple. Benchmarks are performed in order to identify effective simulator topologies. Additionally, various controller evolution strategies are proposed, investigated and compared. Using ANN-based simulators for controller fitness estimation during controller evolution is demonstrated to be a viable approach for the high-dimensional problem specified in this work.


We investigated chikungunya outbreaks in South India and observed a high attack rate, particularly among adults and women. Transmission was facilitated by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in peridomestic water containers, as indicated by a high Breteau index. We recommended vector control measures and health education to promote safe water storage practices.


In modern genomics, mapping reads to a single reference genome is common practice. However, a reference genome does not necessarily accurately represent a population or species and as a result a substantial percentage of reads often cannot be mapped. A number of graph-based variation-aware mapping methods have recently been proposed to remedy this. Here, we propose an alternative multi-reference approach, which aligns reads to large collections of genomes simultaneously. Our approach, an extension to our pangenomics suite PanTools (https://git.wur.nl/bioinformatics/pantools), is as accurate as state-of the-art tools but more efficient on large numbers of genomes. We successfully applied PanTools to map genomic and metagenomic reads to large collections of viral, archaeal, bacterial, fungal and plant genomes.


Following 689 percutaneous renal biopsies, membranous glomerulonephritis was proved in 68 patients. In 16 (23.5%) an underlying primary disease was verified, and thus the glomerulonephritis the secondary form. The primary disease was SLE in 5 cases, diabetes mellitus in 5 cases, rheumatoid arthritis in 3 cases, chronic active hepatitis in 2 cases, an ulcerative colitis and eosinophilic angiolymphoid hyperplasia in 1 patient. As initial sign, nephrotic syndrome emerged in 87.5% of the 16 cases. Microscopic haematuria was observed in half of the patients, as was hypertension, while acute renal failure presented in only 1 case. Histologically, in 13 cases the predominance of early glomerular alterations was characteristic, while in 9 cases the picture proved to be equivocal and accompanied by some degree of interstitial alterations. During combined treatment, remission was achieved in 75%. Two patients with SLE died, but not as a consequence of renal failure. Transient side-effects of the treatment were registered in 5 cases. The principal pathogenetic and clinical differences between the individual secondary nephritis forms, and the difficulty of their differentiation from the idiopathic cases, even on repeated examination, are emphasized. In 3 patients the possibility of secondary renal processes was suggested by the histological picture, and this was proved by the detailed clinical findings.


A system which allows magnetic resonance (MR) and ultrasound (US) image data to be acquired simultaneously has been developed. B-mode and Doppler US were performed inside the bore of a clinical 1.5 T MRI scanner using a clinical 1–4 MHz US transducer with an 8-metre cable. Susceptibility artefacts and RF noise were introduced into MR images by the US imaging system. RF noise was minimised by using aluminium foil to shield the transducer. A study of MR and B-mode US image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as a function of transducer-phantom separation was performed using a gel phantom. This revealed that a 4 cm separation between the phantom surface and the transducer was sufficient to minimise the effect of the susceptibility artefact in MR images. MR-US imaging was demonstrated in vivo with the aid of a 2 mm VeroWhite 3D-printed spherical target placed over the thigh muscle of a rat. The target allowed single-point registration of MR and US images in the axial plane to be performed. The system was subsequently demonstrated as a tool for the targeting and visualisation of high intensity focused ultrasound exposure in the rat thigh muscle.


A Simrad EM300 multibeam sonar was used to attempt to resolve small (/spl sim/5 m high) targets in 450 m of water. The targets had previously been surveyed using a deeply towed 59 kHz sidescan sonar. Using multisector active yaw, pitch and roll compensation, together with dynamically altering angular sectors, the sonar is capable of maintaining sounding densities of as tight as 10 m spacing in these water depths. This is significantly smaller than the largest dimension of the projected beam footprints (16-64 m). The observed data suggest that the targets are intermittently resolved. The field results compare well to the output of a numerical model which reproduces the imaging geometry. Possible variations in the imaging geometry are implemented in the model, comparing equiangular and equidistant beam spacings, differing angular sectors and all the different combinations of transmit and receive beam widths that are available for this model of sonar. While amplitude detection is significantly aliased by targets smaller than the across track beam footprint, under conditions where the signal to noise ratio is favorable, phase detection can be used to reduce the minimum size of target observed to about the scale of the across track beam width. Thus having the beam spacing at the scale is justifiable. The phase distortion due to smaller targets, however, is generally averaged out.


There are many public health benefits of participation in outdoor sporting activities. However, extended exposure to the sun is a significant risk factor for skin cancer. As there is limited information available on the factors that facilitate the implementation of sun protection measures and policies within sporting and recreation organisations, a study was conducted to investigate this in Queensland. This study was exploratory in nature and utilised a cross sectional design involving a telephone survey methodology. The study participants were chosen from state sporting and recreational associations to provide an insight into sun protection activities undertaken by their affiliated clubs. The study results indicate that these state associations were active in promoting sun protection to their clubs, that the clubs with sun protection policies tended to have a more comprehensive approach to sun protection, but that additional sun protection measures are needed at a club level. Consequently, it is important to continue encouraging local clubs to adopt sun protection policies and this appears more likely with the assistance of the state sporting and recreational associations.


Electrical Tomography System has gained much attention these recent years as the ultimate
solution of multiphase flow analysis and multiphase level analysis. It offers a Non-Destructive
Testing (NDT) method that produces real-time images of cross-sectional area of an enclosed
space. This provides the solution to problems involving non-conductive processes where
hydrocarbon-based environment are of interest. Problems ranges from variation in the velocity
profile, uneven phase distribution and flow characterization and by analyzing the multiphase
flow patterns and multiphase level patterns, an accurate model of the fluid transportation could
be attained. Distribution profile of the different phases are present in the multiphase
transportation system can be determined across the cross sectional area during the transportation
process at varying velocity and pressure. The chosen Electrical Tomography System to be
developed in the project is the Electrical Capacitance Tomography System (ECT) as it has no
hazardous radiation emission, low cost, able to be used in high temperature and pressure
environment and its high accuracy [13]. The system is also very advantageous to be used in the
measurements involving non-conducting processes and it have been proven to be very stable and
accurate [13, 14]. The project will focus on the development of ECT system with some
additional improvement made based on the current development of the technology. The main
focus of the project is to develop a Data Acquisition System for UTP's own Electrical
Capacitance System. Major focus will be given in increasing the efficiency of the Data
Acquisition System by having to implement several techniques that suppress the common
problems faced by the conventional Electrical Capacitance Tomography. Associated issues
include the existence of stray capacitances, switching problems and speed of the system. The
research will first proceeds with a comparison profile of all prior conventional Data Acquisition
System developed for Electrical Capacitance Tomography and then a newer Data Acquisition
System layout have been designed based on prior systems. Several test measurements involving
multiphase flow analysis will be done in order to justify the accuracy and reliability of the ECT
system developed. Finally, a profile of the accuracy and the reliability of the ECT system
developed will be tabulated to be compared with other current developments of the system.


The main contributions of this paper is twofold. First, our primary concern
 is to suggest a new iterative algorithm using the P-?-proximal-point mapping
 technique and Nadler?s technique for finding the approximate solutions of a
 system of generalized multi-valued nonlinear variational-like inclusions.
 Under some appropriate conditions imposed on the parameters and mappings
 involved in the system of generalized multi-valued nonlinear
 variational-like inclusions, the strong convergence of the sequences
 generated by our proposed iterative algorithm to a solution of the aforesaid
 system is proved. Second, the H(.,.)-?-cocoercive mapping considered in [R.
 Ahmad, M. Dilshad, M. Akram, Resolvent operator technique for solving a
 system of generalized variational-like inclusions in Banach sapces, Filomat
 26(5)(2012) 897- 908] is investigated and analyzed, and the fact that under
 the assumptions imposed on H(., .)-?-cocoercive mapping, every H(.,.)-?-cocoercive mapping is P-?-accretive and is not a new one is pointed
 out. At the same time, some important comments on H(.,.)-?-cocoercive
 mapping and the results given in the above-mentioned paper are stated.


BACKGROUND
Auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) were designed to restore hearing in deaf patients with auditory tumors or those unable to receive cochlear implants. Although ABIs may help some patients, their long-term outcomes have been rarely studied.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the long-term benefits and safety of ABIs in nontumor patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).

METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the histories of 15 deaf patients (8 females, 7 males; mean age, 15.5 yr; range, 1-56 yr) who received ABIs for treatment of SNHL at our hospital from July 2008 to November 2015. These included 11 children with narrow internal auditory canals and 4 deaf adults with severe cochlear ossification. In each patient, a 12-channel ABI electrode was placed in the cochlear nucleus complex via a retrosigmoid approach. Auditory performance was evaluated using the Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) index and sound detection and word identification tests.

RESULTS
One year after ABI placement, 13 of 15 patients showed adequate or significantly improved auditory function based on the CAP scores at the last follow-up. Generally, adult patients tended to show better CAP scores (3.50) than pediatric patients (2.15), but the difference was not significant (P = .058). Postoperative complications included electrode migration, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, nonauditory stimulation, and minor seizures without severe sequelae or mortality.

CONCLUSION
ABIs show favorable functional outcomes and long-term safety in nontumor deaf patients with limited treatment options. Collectively, our data indicate that ABIs represent an important treatment option for SNHL.


We analyze the impact of a natural experiment in Indonesia that allocated certain district governments with a windfall revenue from natural resource production. Our identification is based on a comparison between bordering districts in provinces that received the windfall with those that did not receive it, before and after the fiscal reform in 1999. We study the impact on a range of outcome variables such as regional GDP, infrastructure quality, employment, education, and household consumption. Our results demonstrate a "flypaper effect" in the sense that the increased revenue led to higher spending without any lowering of local taxes. We argue that the large relative increases in spending on public services contributed to a very strong increase in local GDP levels, led by the agricultural sector. A 100-dollar windfall further increased literacy by about 2 percent and non-food consumption by 67 USD. The strong general tendency of positive effects from the reform stands in contrast to the negative effects emphasized in the resource curse literature.


Although chlorites are an important source of Mg and micronutrients in soils, little is known about their weathering behavior in acidic environments. The effect of organic (acetic, oxalic, citric) and inorganic (hydrochloric, nitric, sulfuric) acids on the dissolution of ripidolite was studied at 25°C over an acid concentration range of 0.03 to 10 mM. The increasing ripidolite dissolution with increasing acid concentration can be described by the same empirical equation for all six acids used in this study. Because proton and ligand promoted dissolution mechanisms are additive, the influence of ligands can be calculated by subtracting the influence of protons from the total dissolution of ripidolite. We assume that the influence of Cl - in HCI systems can be neglected. Greater dissolution of ripidolite in the presence of the other acids at the same pH is attributed to the accompanying anion. At pH 3.5 and an anion concentration of 10 -35 mol L -1 , the relative effectiveness of the acids used in this experiment in promoting dissolution was nitric (enhancement factor: 0.97) = hydrochloric (1.00) ≅ acetic (1.01) < sulfuric (1.19) < citric (2.70) < oxalic acid (3.27). The dissolution of ripidolite was nonstoichiometric with a preferential release of Si relative to Al, Fe, and, in some cases, Mg at low proton and ligand concentrations for all six acids. At higher acid concentrations the dissolution becomes almost stoichiometric in the presence of inorganic acids, whereas in the presence of oxalic acid Al, Fe, and Mg were released preferentially relative to Si. In the presence of citric acid, Fe is released preferentially relative to Si. The alteration of chlorites in soils and the amount of released elements into the soil solution therefore depends on the composition of acidifying agents in soils.


One of the most discussed dilemmas in the present accounting world is the Human Resource Accounting (HRA). Many theories have been given and many techniques have been proposed for valuing human resource. The main purpose of preparing this paper is the accumulating these techniques and methods and discussing the various aspects of these techniques and methods. The first phase of the paper I have given a detail discussion that have been proposed for valuing human resource till now. And in the second phase of the report I have discussed the accounting treatment and effect of these calculated human resources.


Background: The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 created concern regarding the preparedness of the US Health Care System. One major concern was the availability of mechanical ventilators. Consequently, the US government and many state and local health care systems called upon manufacturers of existing mechanical ventilators as well as entrepreneurs, innovators, and scientists to rapidly manufacture or develop devices to provide assisted ventilation. The Partners HealthCare System developed an Innovation center with one group devoted to ventilator innovation that met regularly. We present here the results of our evaluation of 2 of two "bag squeezer" types ventilators. Methods: We evaluated the performance of near final prototypes of the RISE and a version of the MIT "bag Squeezer" type ventilators using the Michigan Instruments TTL adult patient lung simulator. A NICO respiratory monitor (Philips) was used to assess the difference between ventilator settings and actual delivered gas volume. The primary outcome was the ability of each ventilator to perform to its specification, and secondary outcomes included alarm system response. Each device was tested through the same range of specified ventilation and lung simulator conditions. A greater than 10% deviation of actual delivered from device set parameter in a given setting was considered unacceptable. Results: Neither the MIT nor RISE ventilator were able to perform to their specification. Both were unable to maintain delivery of set tidal volume as respiratory rate and inspiratory time were varied (Figure 1a and 1b). However, both performed best when the compliance was 50 mL/cm H2O and the resistance 5 cm H2O/ L/s. Specifically, the MIT ventilator was unable to provide the set tidal volume in 86% of the respiratory rate trials (1a) while the RISE ventilator was unable to provide the set tidal volume 75% of the time (1b). Similar finding occurred with inspiratory time variation vs. set tidal (79% vs, 82% respectively MIT then RISE). Alarms inappropriately sounded in 100% of trials with MIT ventilators and 66% of trials with the RISE ventilator, with numerous alarms sounding unrelated to the clinical condition tested. However, it should be remembered that these ventilators were developed over 4 to 6 weeks. Conclusions: These ventilators were unable to meet specification. This data was provided to the manufacturers. Before these type ventilators are put into use their performance should be carefully evaluated.


The primary production of steel in integrated mills commonly uses Pugh-type railroad cars to transport molten iron from the Blast Furnace process to the Basic Oxygen Furnace Process. Thermal imaging and analysis can be used to monitor the condition of the refractory within these railroad cars. This results in the avoidance of molten metal breakouts on the cars and the maximization of the refractory campaign life. An additional benefit is the significant savings on the maintenance costs of this equipment and greater production efficiencies through planned maintenance practices. These railroad cars are football shaped with an opening at the top and are commonly known as 'subs' or 'bottle cars' in the steel industry. The shell of the vessel serves as both the reservoir for the molten metal and as the structural frame of the car. The interior of the shell is typically lined with ceramic refractory. Periodic applications of gunnite material maintain the integrity of the refractory. Other combinations of materials are also used within the shells of these cars to provide an insulating barrier between the molten iron and the steel shell. In the past these cars were pulled from service for maintenance inspection and repair based on the tons of metal passed through the car during normal production. The refractory condition could not be assessed until the car had cooled down enough for an internal visual inspection. Thermal imaging equipment is now being used to monitor the radiated heat from the shells of these railroad cars to assess the need for maintenance. High and low temperatures are recorded in several different areas of the vessel and are compared with benchmarks developed through several years of measurements and experience. Not only is the hottest temperature of the shell important but also the difference between this and the coldest temperature on the shell. The hottest temperature gives an indication of the thickness of the refractory in a certain area. The difference between the hottest and coldest temperatures gives an indication as to the amount of thermal growth induced stress the shell is exposed to. When the shell temperatures breach the established limits, the car is pulled from service for inspection and refractory lining maintenance. The planning and efficiency of refractory lining maintenance is greatly improved through a well established thermographic monitoring program. Problems that arise earlier than anticipated are quickly noted and rectified, avoiding the cost of product loss and equipment repair or replacement. Refractories that last longer than expected may be left in service to maximize the campaign life of those linings.


The equations governing the variational principles for Love wave spectra are investigated. It is shown that assumptions used by earlier authors are not necessary to the validity of the variational techniques.

Moreover it is demonstrated that except for a homogeneous plate, these assumptions are false for plane multilayered media and lead to incorrect expressions for group-velocity perturbations. The correct expressions are determined and examples of their use are given.


Computer competency is no longer a skill to be learned only by students majoring in technology-related fields. All individuals in our society must acquire basic computer literacy to function successfully. Despite the widespread influx of technology in all segments of our society, the literature often report high levels of anxiety and negative attitudes about using computers. Monitoring the computer attitudes and developing an understanding of the variables that affect computer attitudes will assist educators and adult trainers in providing appropriate learning experiences in which learners can succeed. This study examined the relationship between computer attitude and experience, demographic/education variables, personality type and learning style of 214 students enrolled in a university computer literacy course.


Summary The Tertiary stratigraphy and tectonics of the Carpathian foothills, north of Bucharest, are briefly described. Apart from slow movements during sedimentation there are two major folding phases, in pre-Burdigalian and post-Levantine times respectively. Normal salt plugs, similar to the "salt domes" of other countries, occur usually in the core of anticlines. Elsewhere along faults intrusions of salt-breccia have been observed. In the vicinity of Campina an intrusion of clayey salt-breccia, along bedding-planes in the Sarmatoid sequence is described in detail. This body of salt-breccia does not represent an ancient mud-flow contemporaneous with the Sarmatoid beds, but an intrusion at a later date of foreign sedimentary material. Rock-salt, although present near the surface in its immediate vicinity, has not been observed in the above-mentioned intrusion, for which tlie author uses the term "sedimentary laccolith".


Chitosan/cellulose acetate multimicrospheres (CCAM) with or without ranitidine (RT) were prepared by the method of W/O/W emulsion with no toxic reagents and had the size interval of 200-280 microm. The angles of repose were only a little more than 30 degrees and the maximum angles of one-plane-critical-stability (OPCS phi) were about 20 degrees . The CCAM had good suspension ability for the tapped density of CCAM was less than 0.127g/mL. The pH value affected the swelling ability of CCAM and the relative humidity had little effect on the characteristics of CCAM when it was not more than 75%. The CCAM system had good effect on the controlled release of RT in vitro and the release rate was almost 60% during 48 h. Furthermore the release of RT was not affected by pH value of release medium. The mucoadhesive tests showed that CCAM could retain in gastrointestinal tract for an extended period of time. There were 53.7% of CCAM remained in stomach after administered for 2(1/2) h and 98.9% of CCAM remained in stomach and small intestine after administered for 3(1/2) h. These results suggest that CCAM is a useful dosage form targeting the gastric mucosa or prolonging gastric residence time as a multiple-unit mucoadhesive system.


Objectives Radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy is recommended for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients with microscopic extrathyroid extension (ETE). Patients with a low preablative stimulated thyroglobulin (ps-Tg) level have a more favorable prognosis. It remains uncertain whether low-activity RAI could have the same efficacy in patients with low ps-Tg. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of low-activity RAI therapy in low-level ps-Tg DTC with ETE. Patients and methods The inclusion criteria for this retrospective study were as follows: (a) age 18 years or older, (b) DTC after total or near-total thyroidectomy of DTC, (c) no distant metastasis after thyroidectomy and before RAI therapy, (d) American Joint Committee on Cancer pT3 stage (with microscopic ETE) with any American Joint Committee on Cancer N stage, (e) ps-Tg level of 5 ng/ml or less, and (f) after the first time of RAI therapy. The response of patients was assessed at 20–24 months after RAI therapy and considered an excellent response (ER) or non-ER. Results A total of 132 patients were included, 69 patients in low activity (1100 MBq) and 63 in high activity (≥3700 MBq). ER was observed in 86.9% of patients in the low-activity group (60/69), which did not differ from the high-activity group (P=0.165) at 20–24 months' assessment. For patients with different N statuses (N0, N1a, N1b), a noninferior response could also be achieved under low-activity RAI therapy compared with the high-activity group (P=1.000, 0.286, 0.722, respectively). Conclusion Low-activity RAI therapy is not inferior to high-activity therapy in achieving an ER in microscopic ETE DTC with ps-Tg less than 5 ng/ml irrespective of the lymph node metastases.


Mobutu or Chaos? is the latest product of the Foreign Policy Research Institute's study on 'friendly tyrants.' Like its predecessors, it tackles the thorny question of how to deal with the pro-U.S. authoritarian regimes that have bedeviled U.S. foreign policy for the better part of forty years. The book chronicles the U.S. relations with Mobutu from their beginnings in the sixties when support for the ruler was justifiable by higher goals, through to the present when the degeneration of his regime into incompetence and severe brutality raises new questions both practical and moral as to the justification of continued relations. This volume is important to all those interested in Zaire, Africa, and the general workings of U.S. foreign policy. Co-published with the Foreign Policy Research Institute.


This quasi-experimental designed work investigated the effects of an intervention focused on the exploration and planning of the professional/academic future of public high school students. This Dantas, M., A., Azzi, R., G. 736 Trends Psychol., Ribeirão Preto, vol. 26, no 2, p. 735-749 Junho/2018 intervention was based on Social Cognitive Theory of Career and intermediated by the book O Futuro está Logo Ali, Elpídio – Entre nesta Conversa sobre Pensar o que Vem Adiante. The investigation happened through analyses of occupational self-effi cacy of formation, and students occupational interests. There were a pre and a post-test. One hundred sixty-six students participated. They go to the second year of high school in two public schools in São Paulo State. The materials used were the instruments: (a) characterization questionnaire and (b) the Occupational Self-Effi cacy of formation and occupational interests Scale. It was conducted in a collective way, through periodic meetings at the schools and with the teachers ́ support. The results of the correlations analyses (Spearman) between occupational selfeffi cacy of formation and occupational interests indicated similarities between the categorizations of occupations for both groups, having the experimental group presented more correlations. The results brought contributions to support life projects as to career planning of public high school students, guided by the Social Cognitive Theory of Career.


This paper presents an overview of the System Dynamics methods and the existing knowledge and practices for the development Management Flight Simulators. Management Flight Simulators constitute the ultimate cybernetic method for learning and testing strategies prior to implementation. The main issues and trends in the field are identified, and new views to the development of System Dynamics simulation models are suggested. Having gone through a review process of relevant sources, a conceptual framework for the development of System Dynamics Management Flight Simulators is proposed. The proposed framework would be particularly useful for researchers in the field but also for practitioners and developers of decision support systems.


A particle system technique to model, render, and animate realistic fireworks displays is presented. The attributes of the fireworks display that the particle system models are color, brightness, shape, trial, size, particle dynamics, blinking, mousing, star effect, spinning, and elasticity. A rendering engine that consists of various modules which individually handle a particular property of the particle is described. >


Abstract Acardia is the most severe complication in monozygotic twinning. Acardius acormus is an uncommon phenotype among acardias. We report on an acardius acormus using thorough gross and light microscopic examination of the brain. Neuropathological examination revealed a severely disorganized cerebral cortex, agenesis of cerebellum and brain stem, and undeveloped basal ganglia and thalamus. In particular, the cerebral cortex was characterized by no clear lamination, almost complete loss of neurons, extensive gliosis, angiogenesis and focal mineralization. Neurohistology of the acardius acormus clearly demonstrated two types of lesions: developmental arrest of the brain and hypoxic-asphyxic damage to the brain with reactive gliosis and angiogenesis. Both types of lesions may be induced by the same teratogen: early onset of persisting hypoxia due to a reversed arterial perfusion. The quality of the description contributes valuably to a better understanding of the basic mechanism underlying the acardius phenotype.


The authors present the case-history of a patient with a cystic retroperitoneal lymphangioma. Its diagnosis was established only by histological examination of the resected tissue. The authors draw attention to the symptomatology, diagnosis, therapy and discuss contemporary views regarding the cause of this disease.


Background: Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a frequent problem in Indonesia but its treatment is still limited. This type of hearing loss is related to oxidative stress and decreased vascularization, which can damage the hair cell. The intra-arterial heparin flushing (IAHF) is a procedure that can recover circulation and its agent, namely heparin, also has antioxidant activity. Therefore, the IAHF procedure has the potential to improve hearing function and can be considered an alternative therapy for SNHL. Objective: The study evaluates the effect of the IAHF on hearing improvement based on the difference in hearing threshold values before and after the procedure. Methods: This experimental study used a Pretest-Posttest One-Group Only design. A total of 17 patients with sensorineural hearing loss who met inclusion and exclusion criteria were subjected to pure tone audiometry tests before and 4 hours after the IAHF procedure. The mean difference in hearing threshold was analyzed using paired Students t-test for normally distributed data and Wilcoxon for non-normally distributed data. Results: There was a decrease in the means of hearing threshold in the right and left ear 4 hours after the IAHF procedure. However, based on the paired Students t-test, there was not a significant difference in hearing threshold before and after the procedure (p-value > 0.05). Conclusion: There was hearing threshold improvement 4 hours after the IAHF procedure. This study showed that the IAHF procedure can have a therapeutic effect on sensorineural hearing loss patients.


Background: Contradicting studies have shown that increased macrophages infiltration in colorectal cancer (CRC) could either result in anti-tumoral or in pro-tumoral effects. Because of these inconsistencies, we sought to determine the role of conditioned medium from macrophages, in particular classically activated macrophages, on the development of the CSC phenotype in CRC cells, which is believed to mediate tumor growth and chemoresistance. Methods: Murine (CT26) and human (HCP-1) CRC cell lines were treated with conditioned media (CM) from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated murine macrophages. Viability studies were performed using the MTT assay, annexin V-FITC assay, and Western blot analysis. The CSC population was assessed using the sphere-forming assay and aldehyde dehydrogenase assay. Results: The results showed that 1) murine LPS-activated macrophage CM induced apoptosis in murine and human CRC cells, 2) murine and human LPS-activated macrophage CM secreted paracrine factors that promoted the CSC phenotype in murine and human CRC cells via the Sonic hedgehog (SHH)-Gli signaling pathway, which is known to drive self-renewal and 3) these effects were blocked by depletion of SHH in macrophage CM. Conclusions: Our data show that LPS-activated macrophages play an active role in promoting the CSC phenotype through activation of the SHH-Gli signaling pathway. Citation Format: Fan Fan, Rui Wang, Delphine R. Boulbes, Huiyuan Zhang, Stephanie S. Watowich, Rajat Bhattacharya, Ling Xia, Xiang-Cang Ye, Lee M. Ellis. Macrophage conditioned medium promotes colon cancer stem cell phenotype via the hedgehog signaling pathway [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2887. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2887


California's budgetary crisis has prompted calls for major institutional reform. We evaluate the argument that adoption of a mixed-member proportional (MMP) electoral system for the California state legislature would result in a more representative party system with potentially greater governing capacity. Party fragmentation is modeled as a function of district magnitude and assembly size, and these institutional constraints are then integrated with voting data on state initiatives to predict what the emergent party system would look like. While the Democratic Party would lose its dominant status in the state legislature, it would still be a major player in a two-coalition system dominated by the two major parties. The composition of the legislature would more accurately reflect the diversity of the California electorate, which could facilitate governing capacity, dependent on related reforms to California's hybrid democracy.


We propose an efficient nonparametric strategy for learning a message operator in expectation propagation (EP), which takes as input the set of incoming messages to a factor node, and produces an outgoing message as output. This learned operator replaces the multivariate integral required in classical EP, which may not have an analytic expression. We use kernel-based regression, which is trained on a set of probability distributions representing the incoming messages, and the associated outgoing messages. The kernel approach has two main advantages: first, it is fast, as it is implemented using a novel two-layer random feature representation of the input message distributions; second, it has principled uncertainty estimates, and can be cheaply updated online, meaning it can request and incorporate new training data when it encounters inputs on which it is uncertain. In experiments, our approach is able to solve learning problems where a single message operator is required for multiple, substantially different data sets (logistic regression for a variety of classification problems), where the ability to accurately assess uncertainty and to efficiently and robustly update the message operator are essential.


PREcision Timed (PRET) machines often use multithreading to achieve high CPU resources utilisation and time-determinism. Multithreading enables sharing most of the pipeline resources between threads, except the register file (RF), which is used to store thread context. Traditional multithreading on PRET machines uses large RF. We propose a register file management (RFM) technique suitable for multithreaded PRET machines, reducing the RF size. Our RFM has software-controlled RF partitions for each thread with support for runtime repartitioning. We evaluate the design on the PRET uRISC processor with a 55% average reduction of FPGA resource utilisation and show performance tradeoff on a selection of TACLeBench benchmarks.


TRU-016, under development by Trubion Pharmaceuticals Inc and Facet Biotech Corp, is an intravenously administered anti-CD37 IgG fusion protein for the potential treatment of B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), as well as for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. TRU-016 was created by humanizing SMIP-016, a mouse/human chimeric protein that demonstrated antitumor activity against lymphoid malignancies in preclinical studies, including in human B-cell tumor mouse xenograft models. In addition, TRU-016 demonstrated synergistic or additive activity in NHL cells in combination with rituximab, rapamycin, doxorubicin and bendamustine. In a phase I/II clinical trial in refractory or relapsed patients with CLL or small lymphocytic lymphoma, TRU-016 was well tolerated, with clinical benefit and a reduced absolute lymphocyte count observed in all cohorts dosed at > 0.1 mg/kg. TRU-016 is a promising therapeutic agent for patients with B-cell lymphoid malignancies, especially patients refractory to standard treatment.


SUMMARY When eucalypt mycorrhizal fungi were separated from eucalypt roots by interposing membrane filters, the fungal hyphae grew directly through these to contact the host root apices. The same mycelia grown on membrane filters over various agar media always remained above and readily detachable from the membranes, with no evidence of penetration. More significantly, these same eucalypt fungi did not grow through membranes towards the roots of several non-host plants under the same circumstances, and mycorrhizal fungi of other plants such as birch and pine failed to penetrate membranes overlying eucalypt roots. It seems likely that there is a selective chemotropic attraction of these mycorrhizal fungi to substances diffusing from compatible host root apices. Such chemotropism could provide the signal which initiates the ectomycorrhizal infection process in the root cap region, and guides the inward growth of the hyphae through that tissue during the early stages of sheath formation.


There is something mesmerizing about space that has captivated humanity for generations and inspired artists, scientists, and engineers alike. However, it was not until the late 1950s that humans were able to design and build a rocket capable of breaking through the force of gravity to reach space. Early on, most space activities were carried out by the governments from a few nations; in recent years, we have seen many commercial and educational initiatives that are making space more accessible to everyone. This issue of IEEE Potentials is dedicated to topics of space exploration, highlighting projects and ideas fueling the current and future generations of explorers.


In order to study quantitative aspects of the isoflavones metabolism in the rumen, it is neccesary to quantify accurately their levels in rumen fluid. The objective of the study was to optimise and validate the HPLC method for the determination of isoflavones genistein, daidzein, glycitein and metabolite equol in bovine rumen fluid. The experiment was carried out on three lactating Holstein cows fitted with rumen cannulas. The experiment lasted 14 days and was divided into an adaptation period (10-d) followed by a 4-d collecting period. Cows were fed individually twice daily the diet based on maize silage, lucerne hay and supplemental mixture that contained extruded full-fat soya as a source of isoflavones. During the collecting period individual samples of ruminal fluid were taken in five time intervals – T0, T1, T2, T3 and T4, it is prior feeding and 2, 4, 7, 10 h post feeding, respectively. Extruded full-fat soya used in the study contained 377.9 mg/kg of daidzein, 558.2 mg/kg of genistein and 129.6 mg/kg of glycitein, resulting in average total isoflavones intake of 1330,8 mg/d (it is 456.0 mg/d of daidzein, 693.3 mg/d of genistein, 181. 5 mg/d of glycitein). Concentration of daidzein in the rumen fluid varied from 88.8 ug/L (T2) to 102.3 ug/L (T1) with an average value of 95.8 ug/L. Mean concentration of equol, a metabolite of daidzein, in rumen was 41.1 ug/L. The lowest concentration (19.4 ug/L) was found at T1 and then raised up to 56.2 ug/L (T3). Average concentration of genistein in rumen fluid was 237,4 ug/L. The lowest concentration (209.5 ug/L) was determined prior feeding (T0). Concentration of genistein in other collection times was relatively stable ranging from 241.6 to 248.0 ug/L. Concentration of glycitein was on average 22.4 ug/L and did not vary greatly among collecting times.


Affecting more than half of menstruating women, dysmenorrhea is a cramp which causes abdominal or lower back pain just before or during a menstruation. In western medicine, non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are normally used to treat primary dysmenorrheal symptoms. Despite their rapidity in relieving pain, NSAIDs have many serious side effects on the liver, kidney, and gastrointestinal tract. Thai traditional medicines comprise many preparations for treating dysmenorrhea, especially Prasaplai preparation which has been listed in the Thai traditional common household drug list since 2006. The use of Prasaplai was originated about 100 years ago and is still being used in the present time to treat dysmenorrhea. This review focuses on the history of the preparation, active ingredients, and biological activities especially on cyclooxygenase inhibitor, artifacts occurred in the preparation, quantitative analysis, and clinical trial of Prasaplai formulation.


Broadly neutralizing antibodies are not commonly produced in HIV-1 infected individuals nor by experimental HIV-1 vaccines. When these antibodies do occur, it is important to be able to isolate and characterize them to provide clues for vaccine design. CAP206 is a South African subtype C HIV-1-infected individual previously shown to have broadly neutralizing plasma antibodies targeting the envelope gp41 distal membrane proximal external region (MPER). We have now used a fluoresceinated peptide tetramer antigen with specific cell sorting to isolate a human neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) against the HIV-1 envelope gp41 MPER. The isolated recombinant mAb, CAP206-CH12, utilized a portion of the distal MPER (HXB2 amino acid residues, 673–680) and neutralized a subset of HIV-1 pseudoviruses sensitive to CAP206 plasma antibodies. Interestingly, this mAb was polyreactive and used the same germ-line variable heavy (VH1-69) and variable kappa light chain (VK3-20) gene families as the prototype broadly neutralizing anti-MPER mAb, 4E10 (residues 672–680). These data indicate that there are multiple immunogenic targets in the C-terminus of the MPER of HIV-1 gp41 envelope and suggests that gp41 neutralizing epitopes may interact with a restricted set of naive B cells during HIV-1 infection.


We present an extension of the applied pi-calculus that can be used to model distance bounding protocols. A range of different security properties have been suggested for distance bounding protocols; we show how these can be encoded in our model and prove a partial order between them. We also relate the different security properties to particular attacker models. In doing so, we identify a new property, which we call uncompromised distance bounding, that captures the attacker model for protecting devices such as contactless payment cards or car entry systems, which assumes that the prover being tested has not been compromised, though other provers may have been. We show how to compile our new calculus into the applied pi-calculus so that protocols can be automatically checked with the ProVerif tool and we use this to analyse distance bounding protocols from MasterCard and NXP.


We report a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) experimental method that is able to quantify dye concentration in a laminar three-dimensional flow. The geometry of interest is a stirred tank reactor agitated by three impellers. The method is employed to reveal the spatial structure of the evolving mixing patterns and its statistical properties. For chaotic flow conditions, the statistics of the passive scalar reveals a non-Gaussian concentration probability density function with an exponential tail. We find that the concentration patterns, once established, do not change with time; i.e., they are self-similar. This LIF method also provides detailed flow structures that are of importance to the study of mixing. Flow structure varies considerably as a function of Reynolds number (Re). However, we find that the mixing patterns are structurally invariant and they slowly decay as a result of a nonequilibrium state between stretching and diffusion.


Knowing the most likely reasons for suicide might increase the chances to identify the early signs of suicide. Folkloric tales on suicide among animals are a possible source of such information, since people probably explain animal suicide using the same reasons they would apply to their kin. Modern naturalistic studies have found little evidence of self-harming conduct among nonhuman species. Nevertheless, mythological accounts often report suicidal behaviour among animals. Claudius Aelian's De natura animalium, a classic in its genre, written in the 2nd century AD, reports 21 cases of suicide among animals. In Aelian's tales, the severing of social ties emerges as an important motive for suicide, together with incest and rage caused by adultery. Paying attention to the mechanisms leading to suicide described in ancient mythology may help us understand unusual and uncommon motives for suicide and the reasons people feel suicidal.


Ideological and political education, as its name implies, has distinctive political and ideological character. It is a process in which governors spread the political concepts and ideologies of a particular society to members of society to maintain the ruling orders of the society. China and the United States, though in different polities and national conditions, use ideological and political education as a tool of political socialization. The contents of American ideological and political education are basically embodied in the connotation and denotation of civic education. Therefore, this article equates the ideological and political education in the United States with American civic education. Based on the history and development of the ideological and political education in China and United States, by analyzing their differences in terms of contents, approaches, and students' subject status, this article focuses on highlighting the difference in cultivating the subjective consciousness of college students between the two modes of education. In addition to possessing the scientific knowledge and technological abilities necessary for the development of China, the talents serving the socialist modernization construction should also be equipped with the qualities of modern citizens. As the important institution for cultivating modern talents,apart from undertaking the responsibility of imparting professional knowledge, universities should also play the role of modern civic education and integrate modern civic education into the ideological and political education of college students. The modern civic education in universities and the cultivation of university students' subjective consciousness are mutual cause and effect, promoting each other, and developing together. Therefore, in order to promote the construction and perfection of students' subjective consciousness and the development of modern civic education in universities, by drawing lessons from the relevant experience in cultivating the subject consciousness of college students in the United States, this article puts forward the three approaches of "reforming the educational pattern by respecting students' subjective value", "broadening the educational channels by integrating students' surroundings" and "enhancing the effectiveness of education by mobilizing the subjective initiative of students" to cultivate students to become socialist modernization builders who are not only knowledgeable and competent, but also independent and socially responsible, embracing both individualistic and collectivist values.


The smart distribution system is the critical part of the smart grid, which also plays an important role in the safe and reliable operation of the power grid. The self-healing function of smart distribution network will effectively improve the security, reliability and efficiency, reduce the system losses, and promote the development of sustainable energy of the power grid. The risk identification process is the most fundamental and crucial part of risk analysis in the smart distribution network. The risk control strategies will carry out on fully recognizing and understanding of the risk events and the causes. On condition that the risk incidents and their reason are identified, the corresponding qualitative / quantitative risk assessment will be performed based on the influences and ultimately to develop effective control measures. This paper presents the concept and methodology on the risk identification by means of Hidden Semi-Markov Model (HSMM) based on the research of the relationship between the operating characteristics/indexes and the risk state, which provides the theoretical and practical support for the risk assessment and risk control technology.


Newcastle disease is a contagious and often fatal disease, capable of affecting all species of birds. A velogenic Newcastle disease virus (vNDV) outbreak occurred in an Israeli zoo, in which Little owls (Athene noctua) and African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) were found positive for presence of NDV. Some of them have died. The diagnostic process included: post-mortem examination, histopathology, real-time RT-PCR assay, virus isolation, serology, intracerebral pathogenicity index and phylogenetic analysis. A vNDV was diagnosed and found to be closely related to isolates from vNDV outbreaks that occurred in commercial poultry flocks during 2011. All isolates were classified as lineage 5d.


The hands of healthcare workers (HCWs) are considered to be important for colonisation and infection of Candida spp. The objective of this study was to evaluate the rate of Candida carriage on the hands of the hospital personnel the potential risk factors. Samples were collected from the hands of 214 (139 female and 75 male) hospital personnel working at Duzce Medical Faculty Hospital, Duzce, Turkey. Of these, 88 were nurses, 62 resident doctors, 21 laboratory workers, 30 officers and 13 dining room personnel. The hands of all participants were tested by culture with the broth wash technique. Overall, 34.1% of the people analysed were found to harbour Candida spp. on their hands: 30.7% were nurses, 25.8% resident doctors, 28.6% laboratory workers, 84.6% dining room personnel and 43.3% officers. Candida carriage rates of the dining room personnel were higher than found in the other groups (P = 0.001). Isolated Candida species were C. parapsilosis (38.4%), C. tropicalis (26.0%), C. albicans (23.3%), C. kefyr (11.0%) and C. globosa (1.4%). Candida carriage rate was higher in the glove‐using group (35.1%) than the non‐glove using group (7.1%, P = 0.031). We concluded that carriage of Candida species on the hands of personnel was common especially in non‐medical staff. Wearing gloves was found to be related to increased rates of Candida carriage in the nurse group. Candida parapsilosis was the most frequently colonising species that may be a predisposing condition for nosocomial infections transmitted with the hands of HCWs. Hospital personnel should be educated for regular hand washing practice for preventing Candida colonisation.


This paper provides a general framework for understanding targeted search. It begins by defining the search matrix, which makes explicit the sources of information that can affect search progress. The search matrix enables a search to be represented as a probability measure on the original search space. This representation facilitates tracking the information cost incurred by successful search (success being defined as finding the target). To categorize such costs, various information and efficiency measures are defined, notably, active information. Conservation of information characterizes these costs and is precisely formulated via two theorems, one restricted (proved in previous work of ours), the other general (proved for the first time here). The restricted version assumes a uniform probability search baseline, the general, an arbitrary probability search baseline. When a search with probability q of success displaces a baseline search with probability p of success where q > p, conservation of information states that raising the probability of successful search by a factor of q/p(>1) incurs an information cost of at least log(q/p). Conservation of information shows that information, like money, obeys strict accounting principles.


Osteoarthrosis (OA) is a common joint disease, char acterized by degenerative changes in articular cartilage and reactive prolife ration of bone and cartilage around the joint. The evaluation of the histologica l and biochemical changes were investigated on the articular cartilage of knee joi nt during development of osteoarthritis in rabbits following anterior crucia te ligament transsection (ACLT). A total of 12 New Zealand White (NZW) male rabbits wi th closed epiphyses underwent ACLT of knees and healthy control knees arthrotomy. The animals were killed at 9 weeks after surgery. The parameters tested were gro ss morphology, histology as well as urinary pyridinoline (Pyr) and creatinine. Morph ological changes in osteoarthritic femoral condyles were seen on both, medial and lateral region, but markedly on medial condyle of the ACLT knee. The ar ticular cartilage was characterised by a rough and hypertrophic appearanc e with severe erosions. The gross morphological examination of healthy control revealed no changes. Histological evidence for cartilage degeneration wa s observed in the ACLT knees. In OA femoral condyles the articular cartilage showed degenerative changes, including: rough surface, loss of superficial layer , erosion, fissures, irregular arrangement and form of chondrocytes. Biochemical d eterminations showed significantly higher concentrations of urinary Pyr in the OA rabbits compared to healthy rabbits during the whole period of the stud y (9 weeks), indicating a higher collagen degradation of cartilage and subchondral b one in the osteoarthritic animals.


Four variants (modifications) of the method of surgical treatment of condylar process fracture, defended with the author certificate on invention, are described. Indications to application of each variant are determined, their detailed descriptions are given. One analyses 124 cases of using the method in clinic.


The term "normal urine" has conveyed different meanings as it has been employed by writers in the last fifty years, since more or less exact analyses of the excretion have been available, and even to-day a comparison of the clinical literature, on the one hand, with the special research literature, on the other, would show a very great lack of harmony in the use of the term. For one class of writers, by no means small, the conception of a normal urine was apparently that of an excretion from healthy individuals consuming a rather large weight of food in nearly constant quantity from day to day; the important products in the excretion were supposed to appear in proportions varying within pretty narrow limits. This old idea grew up at a time when our notions of the protein metabolism were rather obscure, and when foods in general and the proteins in


Oil-extracted, desolveritized soy flour without additional heat treatment was used to prepare protein supplements for calf milk replacers by extrusion processing. Various combinations of temperature, moisture, calcium concentration, sulfur, and acid were used to prepare 32 different products. These products were tested for trypsin inhibitor and antigenic activity and the most promising one was chosen for further testing. This product alone or with supplementary amino acids or amino acids and citric acid was used to provide 70% of the protein in experimental milk replacers. These replacers were compared to an all-milk replacer, using growth and metabolic responses of young Holstein bull calves. The extruded soy protein was inferior to milk protein but calf performance was sufficient to indicate a potential for this kind of product in areas where milk products are prohibitively expensive. Amino acid supplementation of this soy product was not beneficial. Acidification had some benefit in the young (<3 week>old) calf, but was not beneficial later.; Dairy Day, 1987, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 1987;


Buruli ulcer, caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, is a chronic ulcerative skin disease, found predominantly in central and west Africa and Australia. A boy of 2.5 years of age from Angola was admitted to our hospital with severe kwashiokor and a large ulcer with undermined edges on the left side of the thorax. Further examination revealed anaemia, hypoproteinaemia, bacterial superinfection of the ulcer and intestinal parasites. Histological analysis showed acid-fast bacilli and histopathological changes typical of Buruli ulcer. M. ulcerans was detected by PCR and culture. The patient was treated by surgical excision of diseased skin, followed by split-skin grafting. He also received antibiotic therapy (ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, rifabutin, and dapsone). After six months, the child was discharged from hospital in good condition. This is the first published case of Buruli ulcer from Angola.


Objectives: The objectives of our study were to determine the effect of strenuous physical training on the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA), iron deficiency (ID) with normal hemoglobin (Hb), and anemia without ID. Methods: Our study was a prospective observational study. We followed 115 healthy male recruits in the Israel Defense Forces elite units during 15 months of training. Blood samples were collected at recruitment and at 6-, 9- and 15-month follow-ups. Results: Upon recruitment, anemia (Hb < 14 g/dL), ID, and ID anemia (IDA) were diagnosed in 28, 31, and 9% of individuals, respectively. Sixty-three subjects (54%) were followed for 6 months; 9 of them (14%) developed new-onset IDA. Among them, the prevalence of anemia rose from 19 to 52%, and ID from 33 to 35%. At the 15-month follow-up, 29% had developed new-onset IDA and 65% showed evidence of ID. Conclusion: We report a high prevalence of anemia, ID, and IDA among young healthy males participating in prolonged strenuous training programs. These findings can be partly explained by the physiological changes associated with strenuous physical activity. Further investigations aiming to develop specific diagnostic guidelines for this unique population are warranted.


One of the approaches to study the role of the brain hormonal signaling systems in the regulation of biochemical and physiological processes is their shutdown using the antibodies generated to peptides corresponding to extracellular regions of receptors. The brain type 3 melanocortin receptors (M3R) play an important role in the central regulation of the metabolism and the endocrine system. However, the influence of prolonged inhibition of M3R on energy metabolism, insulin resistance, and thyroid gland (TG) function is practically not studied. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of prolonged repeated immunization of male rats with the BSA-conjugated peptide Ala-[Pro-Thr-Asn-Pro-Tyr-Cys-Ile-Cys-Thr-Thr-Ala-His269-280]-Ala (A[269- 280]A) corresponding to the third extracellular loop of M3R on their metabolic parameters and functional activity of TG. 9 months after the first immunization, the weight of rats was reduced and after 12-13 months was significantly lower than in controls. The weight of abdominal and brown adipose tissues, on the contrary, increased. At the same timeline there was an increase in the fasting glucose and insulin levels, and increase of the HOMA-IR index (by 75%) indicating that immunized animals develop insulin resistance. The rats have increased glucose utilization due to an increase of insulin production by pancreatic β-cells. 12 months after the first immunization, the increase of the triglycerides level (by 74%) and the ratio of LDL- and HDL-cholesterol (by 36%) were revealed. 13 months after the start of immunization, the levels of free and total thyroxine and total triiodothyronine significantly decreased. In the TG plasma membranes of immunized rats the weakening adenylyl cyclase stimulating effect of thyroid-stimulating hormone was detected. Thus, long-term decrease in the bra- in M3R activity due to repeated immunization of rats with BSA-conjugated peptide A[269-280]A induces the disturbances of the peripheral metabolism and TG function.


Building clusters are settlements that are gradually formed by people living in cold regions after long-term resistance to the cold climate. For those facing extreme living environments, building clusters can effectively produce a cluster effect to generate a more comfortable outdoor microclimate for humans. In this paper, building clusters are summarized into 4 types, and a comparative study on the outdoor microclimates of the different types of building clusters is provided. In the study, the microclimate-based equivalent temperature (MBET) is used as the main parameter, and the micro-climate simulation software ENVI-met is used as a simulation tool. The results validate the important role of the building cluster type in producing the microclimate and provide a new basis for the type selection and design of building clusters in cold regions.


To characterize pentazocine (PTZ) transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the cerebrovascular permeability-surface area product (PS(inf)) of PTZ was determined by a well-established in situ rat brain perfusion technique. The uptake kinetics of PTZ by the rat brain exhibited saturability, which indicates the simultaneous mechanisms of carrier-mediated transport and passive diffusion. The kinetic parameters were estimated as follows: maximal influx rate (V(max)), 27.2 +/- 5.2 nmol/s/g brain; apparent Michaelis constant (K(m)) for the saturable component of PTZ uptake, 2.9 +/- 0.5 mM; nonsaturable uptake rate constant (K(d)), 1.5 +/- 0.3 microL/s/g brain. BBB transport of PTZ was significantly inhibited by cationic drugs such as diphenhydramine, propranolol, and eptazocine (a narcotic-antagonist analgesic), but not by choline, suggesting that the PTZ transport system is shared by cationic drugs. Furthermore, co-perfusion of verapamil caused a significant (two-fold) increase in the BBB permeability to PTZ. This finding indicates that PTZ may be a substrate of the endogenous BBB efflux transport system, P-glycoprotein. These findings demonstrate that the primary mechanism governing the uptake of PTZ by the brain is carrier-mediated transport, not passive diffusion.


Spectrum splitting is an approach to increasing the conversion efficiency of a photovoltaic (PV) system. Several methods can be used to perform this function which requires efficient spatial separation of different spectral bands of the incident solar radiation. In this paper several of holographic methods for implementing spectrum splitting are reviewed along with the benefits and disadvantages associated with each approach. The review indicates that a volume holographic lens has many advantages for spectrum splitting in terms of both power conversion efficiency and energy yield. A specific design for a volume holographic spectrum splitting lens is discussed for use with high bandgap InGaP and low bandgap silicon PV cells. The holographic lenses are modeled using rigorous coupled wave analysis, and the optical efficiency is evaluated using non-sequential raytracing. A proof-of-concept off-axis holographic lens is also recorded in dichromated gelatin film and the spectral diffraction efficiency of the hologram is measured with multiple laser sources across the diffracted spectral band. The experimental volume holographic lens (VHL) characteristics are compared to an ideal spectrum splitting filter in terms of power conversion efficiency and energy yield in environments with high direct normal incidence (DNI) illumination and high levels of diffuse illumination. The results show that the experimental VHL can achieve 62.5% of the ideal filter power conversion efficiency, 64.8% of the ideal filter DNI environment energy yield, and 57.7% of the ideal diffuse environment energy yield performance.


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005

683

Tumor-targeting immunotoxins are composed of the variable regions of an antibody linked to a bacterial, fungal or plant toxin. Although several trials have shown promising clinical benefits, the induction of a human anti-toxin antibody response (HATA) is still a major limitation to achieving therapeutic success. At Viventia, VB5-845, a Fab version of an anti-EpCAM scFv antibody, was genetically linked to a de-immunized form of bouganin (de-bouganin), a potent, plant-derived, type I ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP), to create the antibody-toxin construct VB6-845. To determine the optimal antibody-de-bouganin orientation, several forms of a dicistronic expression unit were generated, expressed and tested for potency. In each case, the dicistronic unit was cloned into the pING3302 vector under the control of the arabinose-inducible araBAD promoter and transformed in E104 E.coli . Upon induction, the presence of the PelB leader sequence directed the secretion of the Fab-de-bouganin fusion protein into the culture supernatant. Two of several constructs tested comprised a pelB leader sequence adjacent to either the VH-CH or VL-CL domains linked to de-bouganin by a protease-sensitive linker. Immediately following was the second unit comprising either, pelB-VL-CL or the pelB-VH-CH domain as well as an N-terminal histidine affinity tag. For constructs where de-bouganin was re-positioned to the N-terminal end, Western-blot analysis showed no detectable product and only C-terminal linked de-bouganin yielded an intact soluble protein. Similarly, the addition of a second de-bouganin domain in the molecule with the optimal orientation did not yield product. A competition assay with Proxinium™, a scFv version of VB6-845, but containing a variant of Pseudomonas exotoxin A, demonstrated that the Ep-CAM specificity of VB6-845 was unaltered when engineered into a Fab format. In addition, cell-free and MTS assays demonstrated that de-bouganin retained its potency when conjugated to the Fab fragment. Using Ep-CAM positive cell lines, CAL-27 and OVCAR-3, the IC50 of VB6-845 was 1 to 2 nM. The development of VB6-845, comprising a tumor-targeting antibody fragment linked to de-immunized bouganin should permit repeat systemic administration of this drug and hence offer a greater clinical benefit.


Ground impedance for the large grounding system is measured according to the IEEE Standard 81.2 which is based on the revised fall-of-potential method of installing auxiliary electrode at a right angle. When the auxiliary electrodes are located at an angle of , the ground impedance inevitably includes the error due to earth mutual resistance. In this paper, in order to accurately measure the ground impedance of vertically-driven ground electrodes, error rates due to earth mutual resistance are evaluated by ground resistance and ground impedance measuring devices and compared with calculated values. As a result, the measured results are in good agreement with the computed results considering soil layer with different resistivity. The error rates due to earth mutual resistance decrease with increasing the length of ground electrode in the case that the ratio of the distance between the ground rod to be measured and the auxiliary electrodes to the length of ground electrode(D/L) is same. The ground impedance should be measured at the minimum distance between the auxiliary electrodes that will have an estimated measurement accuracy due to earth mutual resistance.


Drug development targeting GPCRs often utilizes model heterologous cell expression systems, reflecting an implicit assumption that the membrane environment has little functional impact on these receptors or on their responsiveness to drugs. However, much recent data have illustrated that membrane components can have an important functional impact on intrinsic membrane proteins. This review is directed toward gaining a better understanding of the structure of the plasma membrane in health and disease, and how this organelle can influence GPCR structure, function and regulation. It is important to recognize that the membrane provides a potential mode of lateral allosteric regulation of GPCRs and can affect the effectiveness of drugs and their biological responses in various disease states, which can even vary among individuals across the population. The type 1 cholecystokinin receptor is reviewed as an exemplar of a class A GPCR that is affected in this way by changes in the plasma membrane.


Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of motivational regulation strategies (MRSs) on cognitive learning and academic performance. Methods The participants were a total of 510 pre-medical and medical students. Survey instruments assessed the use of MRSs and cognitive learning strategies. Students' grade point averages were used for academic performance. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data, using Mplus ver. 7.4 (Muthén & Muthén, Los Angeles, USA). Results Confirming the measurement model validity, the results of structural model indicated the followings: (1) MRSs had a significant impact on cognitive learning, while these strategies negatively affected academic performance; (2) cognitive learning significantly influenced academic performance and mediated the effect of MRSs on academic performance; and (3) only academic levels had a significant effect on cognitive learning. Conclusion The findings from this study confirmed that MRSs were highly influential to predicting students' cognitive learning which affects their better learning performance. Thus, instructional design and practice to support learning motivation is needed to promote cognitive learning and training programs to practice the effective methods of using MRSs in learning need to be provided.