The typical costs associated with parasitism have led to the suggestion that immunosuppression in the host may be an important mechanism mediating the life history cost of reproduction, defined as a decrease in residual reproductive value as a consequence of parental effort. More immunocompetent individuals have therefore been predicted to reveal higher fitness through more optimal reproductive decisions and increased survival. In this study, we simulated a challenge to the immune system of male and female great tits (Parus major) by injecting a novel but harmless antigen, sheep red blood cells (SRBC), and related the elicited immune response to (long-term) survival and reproductive traits, relevant to the determination of lifetime reproductive success in this species. In females, we could not detect any relationships between humoral immunocompetence and laying date, clutch size, or mean fledging mass during the breeding season following the winter period during which we assessed the immune response. Furthermore, immune response to SRBC did not predict survival of male and female great tits until the following breeding season as well as until the breeding season the year after. Overall, humoral immunological quality measured during winter did not predict important fitness components in great tits.


Japanese and Chinese immigrants in the United States have traditionally been characterized as hard workers who are hesitant to involve themselves in labor disputes or radical activism. How then does one explain the labor and Communist organizations in the Asian immigrant communities that existed from coast to coast between 1919 and 1933? Their organizers and members have been, until now, largely absent from the history of the American Communist movement. In ""Japanese and Chinese Immigrant Activists"", Josephine Fowler brings us the first in-depth account of Japanese and Chinese immigrant radicalism inside the United States and across the Pacific.Drawing on multilingual correspondence between left-wing and party members and other primary sources, such as records from branches of the Japanese Workers Association and the Chinese Nationalist Party, Fowler shows how pressures from the Comintern for various sub-groups of the party to unite as an ""American"" working class were met with resistance. The book also challenges longstanding stereotypes about the relationships among the Communist Party in the United States, the Comintern, and the Soviet Party.


Abstract Signal transduction pathways play key roles in the initiation, progression and dissemination of cancer. Thus, signaling molecules are attractive targets for cancer therapeutics and enormous efforts have gone into the development of small molecule inhibitors of these pathways. However, regrettably, there has been only moderate progress to date, primarily in connection with the RAS signaling pathway. Oligonucleotide-based drugs potentially offer several advantages for addressing signaling pathways, including their exquisite selectivity and their ability to exploit both enzymatic and nonenzymatic targets. Nonetheless, there are problems inherent in the oligonucleotide approach, not the least being the challenge of effectively delivering these complex molecules to intracellular sites within tumors. This survey article will provide a selective review of recent studies where oligonucleotides were used to address cancer signaling and will discuss both positive aspects and limitations of those studies. This will be set in the context of an overview of various cancer signaling pathways and small molecule approaches to regulate those pathways. The survey will also evaluate the challenges and opportunities implicit in the oligonucleotide-based approach to cancer signaling and will point out several possibilities for future research.


In this paper, we present a novel coarse-to-fine visual localization approach: contextual visual localization. This approach relies on three elements: (i) a minimal-complexity classifier for performing fast coarse localization (submap classification); (ii) an optimized saliency detector which exploits the visual statistics of the submap; and (iii) a fast view-matching algorithm which filters initial matchings with a structural criterion. The latter algorithm yields fine localization. Our experiments show that these elements have been successfully integrated for solving the global localization problem. Context, that is, the awareness of being in a particular submap, is defined by a supervised classifier tuned for a minimal set of features. Visual context is exploited both for tuning (optimizing) the saliency detection process, and to select potential matching views in the visual database, close enough to the query view.


Introduction: Over the centuries, the genus Euphorbia was known to be toxic to humans and animals. Recently, in a primary study significant suppressive activity against phytohemagglutinin activated T-cell proliferation has been reported from this plant. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of different parts of E. kopetdaghi against cancer cell lines. Methods: Filtration and in vacuo concentration resulted in a green gum which was subjected on silica gel CC (hexane/Acetone, 0→50) to several fractions: F1-F8. The inhibitory effects of obtained fractions with 5, 50, and 500 μg/ml concentrations were evaluated on proliferation and viability of cancer cells (OVCAR and EJ-138) in 48 hours treatment. Finally, cell viability was determined at a wavelength of 570 by 3-4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. Results: Based on studies of microscopic observation and viability testing, F1, F2, F4, F5, F6, and F7 showed significant cytotoxic effect at concentration of 50 and 500 μg/ml against EJ-138 and OVCAR-3 cell lines. These fractions inhibited growth of EJ-138 and OVCAR-3 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Fraction of F8 induced tumor promotion significantly in EJ-138 and OVCAR-3 cells, respectively. Conclusion: Due to the inhibitory properties of E. kopetdaghi extract and its fractions on cancer cells of OVCAR3 and EJ-13, isolation, purification and identification of compounds presented in the fractions possessing cytotoxic effects are recommended which were the area of our future research.


In the last few years, thanks to the evolution of data processing, we attended a rather important evolution of the systems of speech recognition. The developed systems depend for applications; it has systems of isolated words recognition and continuous speech recognition systems. The systems of isolated words recognition have as application the vocal order while the systems of continuous speech recognition systems have like principal application the vocal dictation. For the disabilities people the absence of the data bases and diversity of the articulator handicaps are major obstacles for the construction of reliable speech recognition systems, which explains poverty of the market in systems of speech recognition for disabilities people. The work developed consists in adapting some of the existing systems of speech recognition to the people who have articulator handicaps. For the systems of isolated words recognition, we used a dynamic approach of training which makes it possible the system progressively to adapt to the users during his use. this approach makes it possible for disabilities user to use the system without passing by a long phase of training which is generally heavy and painful for these people, it also allows the system recognition to use a training base under the same test conditions. For the continues recognition systems we used two approaches: (1) a dynamic adaptation of the phonetic models of the continues recognition systems for the disabilities people, this approach makes it possible to adapt the system of recognition to the user and can be to use for people normal speaking. (2) Use of independent language segmentation (ALISP) for the recognition. This approach consists to use the correspondence between ALISP segmentation and the phonetics and the models of segments ALISP to build the system of recognition. For the word recognition system we used the dynamic training with DTW


This paper is concerned with a novel model of multi-group models with dispersal and stochastic perturbation, in which dispersal among groups and stochastic perturbation are considered at the same time. By combining graph theory with Lyapunov method, some sufficient criteria are derived to guarantee global exponential stability of the model. Furthermore, a criterion is successfully applied to stochastic coupled oscillator systems described by two digraphs. Finally, we offer a numerical example to illustrate the effectiveness of the main results.


The conflict between Italy and Ethiopia in 1935–36 has been framed as a prelude to the Second World War and as a watershed towards 'Total War'. One perspective has so far been neglected: the assessments of foreign military observers. This article examines American, British, German, and Austrian views on the operations and thereby also analyses the mindset of European officers at the time. The core argument emerging from these reports is that the war was perceived as a rather 'normal' colonial conflict. Neither the use of gas, nor the employment of aircraft against civilians was seen as a taboo or created significant outrage among the military observers. Instead, they lauded the Italians' steady logistical efforts and employment of artillery and airpower to overcome nature and the enemy's resistance.


SiO2 supported NaVOx catalysts have raised interest due to reports showing an increase in the selectivity to propene in propane oxidation; a process that may become an alternative to conventional petrochemical routes for producing this valuable olefin. In this work, the effects of pH, the concentration of vanadium in solution, [V]Sol, and of their interaction; i.e., non-additive effect, over the properties of Na-SiO2 used for the oxidation of propane under oxygen rich conditions were studied. In general, the studied experimental factors had no net effects over the difference between the nominal and final loadings of vanadium in the catalysts, the surface area, and porosity. However, all catalysts presented a ~50% decrease in surface area due to partial mesopore blocking reflected by a ~30% increase in the average pore diameter. On the other hand, NaVO3 microcrystals and particles constituted -NaVO3 and -NaVO3 were formed at acidic pH, whereas Na metavanadate nanoparticles were formed at pH=9.0. These nanoparticles transformed into an -NaVO3 type phase upon dehydration. The reducibility of the catalysts was a function of the impregnation pH, where the catalysts synthesized at pH=3.8 and 9.0 displayed similar reduction patterns but lower reducibility than those synthesized at pH=1.5. The produced patterns were correlated to the existence of a mixture of V5+ and V4+ species among which V4+ was prevalent for the catalysts synthesized at pH=3.8 and 9.0. Consequently, the basicity of the catalysts decreased with the increase in pH. The surface concentration of vanadium increased with the increase in the concentration of vanadium in solution, while the pH had a weak negative effect over the former. On the other hand, it was established that chemical surface state of oxygen in the synthesized catalysts was influenced weakly by the synthesis pH and, more importantly, by non-additive effects between the pH and the concentration of vanadium in solution. The latter was coherent with the detection of surface oxygen species related to the partial dissolution of the Na-SiO2 support; a phenomenon that seemed to be favored at acidic pH. The latter properties were correlated to changes in basicity. Concerning the catalytic performance, the catalysts synthesized at pH=9.0 displayed the best steady state performance in terms of the selectivity to propene and oxygen consumption. The collected evidence allowed corroborating that both the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propene and its combustion to CO and CO2 are kinetically controlled by the initial activation of one of the C-H bonds of propane. But, the production of CO2 depended on the level of consumption of O2; where, a surplus of the latter compared to the conversion of propane combusted the hydrocarbon into CO2. Such a finding agreed with what has already been established for supported vanadium oxides for hydrocarbon oxidation. An analysis of the Raman spectra of the spent catalysts suggested that under the applied reaction conditions, all catalysts were provided of an active phase mostly constituted by -NaVO3 type structures. Therefore, the observed differences in catalytic behavior were rather associated to changes in particle size, reducibility, and acidity.


Jeju Island is a Quaternary shield volcano built upon the Yellow Sea continental shelf off the Korean Peninsula. Decades of borehole drilling reveals that the shield‐forming lavas of the island are underlain by extensive hydrovolcanic deposits (the Seoguipo Formation), which are about 100 m thick and show diverse depositional features. This study provides criteria for distinguishing between hydrovolcanic deposits formed by primary (pyroclastic) and secondary (resedimentation) processes in subaerial and submarine settings based on the observations of several selected cores from the formation. Five facies associations are identified, including: (i) primary hydrovolcanic deposits formed by pyroclastic surges and co‐surge fallouts in tuff rings (facies association PHTR); (ii) primary hydrovolcanic deposits formed by Surtseyan fallout and related pyroclastic transport processes in tuff cones (facies association PHTC); (iii) secondary hydrovolcanic deposits formed by debris flows, hyperconcentrated flood flows, sheet floods and rill flows in subaerial settings (facies association RHAE); (iv) secondary hydrovolcanic deposits formed in submarine settings under the influence of waves, tides and occasional mass flows (facies association RHMAR); and (v) non‐volcaniclastic and fine‐grained deposits formed in nearshore to offshore settings (facies association NVMAR). The primary hydrovolcanic facies associations (PHTR and PHTC) are distinguished from one another on the basis of distinct lithofacies characteristics and vertical sequence profiles. These facies differ from the secondary hydrovolcanic and non‐volcaniclastic facies associations (RHAE, RHMAR and NVMAR) because of their distinctive sedimentary structures, textures and compositions. The depositional processes and settings of some massive and crudely stratified volcaniclastic deposits, which occur in many facies associations, could not be discriminated unambiguously even with microscopic observations. Nevertheless, these facies associations could generally be distinguished because they occur typically in packets or sequences, several metres to tens of metres thick and bounded by distinct stratigraphic discontinuities, and comprise generally distinct sets of lithofacies. The overall characteristics of the Seoguipo Formation suggest that it is composed of numerous superposed phreatomagmatic volcanoes intercalated with marine or non‐marine, volcaniclastic or non‐volcaniclastic deposits. Widespread and continual hydrovolcanic activity, together with volcaniclastic sedimentation, is inferred to have persisted for more than a million years in Jeju Island under the influence of fluctuating Quaternary sea‐levels, before effusion of the shield‐forming lavas. Extensive distribution of hydrovolcanic deposits in the subsurface of Jeju Island highlights that there can be significant differences in the eruption style, growth history and internal structure between shelfal shield volcanoes and oceanic island volcanoes.


The present study was performed in order to examine the effect of using marjoram extract as a natural growth promoter on performance and intestinal bacteria of broiler chickens. Marjoram extract was prepared by the maceration method. Then, an in vitro trial was conducted to determine the antibacterial activity of marjoram extract against six bacterial strains. The results of the antibacterial disk diffusion test showed that marjoram extract has a high inhibitory effect against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Later on, an in vivo feeding trial was done using 90 dayold Ross broiler chicks. The chicks were divided into two groups of three replicates each. The first group served as a control without any supplementation while the second group was supplemented with marjoram extract as a growth promoter. The results showed that addition of marjoram extract led to a significant (p<0.05) improvements in final live body weight, total weight gain and total feed intake of broiler chickens. On the other hand, the relative weights of internal organs were not affected by marjoram extract supplementation. The total aerobic intestinal bacteria count of the broilers fed the marjoram extract supplemented diet was significantly lower (p<0.01) than that of the control group. The overall results suggest that marjoram extract could successfully be used as a natural growth promoter alternative to antibiotic in broilers' diets.


The late Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation in South China contains several exceptionally preserved biotas in its cherts, phosphorites, and black shales (Xiao et al., 1998b, 2002; Zhang et al., 1998). The three taphonomic windows—silicification, phosphatization, and carbonaceous compression—responsible for most of the preservation of nonbiomineralizing organisms in geologic history are all open in the Doushantuo Formation. In combination, these three taphonomic windows have the potential to give us a clearer and more complete picture of late Neoproterozoic biodiversity. Comparison across the three also allows us to evaluate possible taphonomic biases and paleoecological heterogeneity. To accomplish these, however, a more thorough paleontological investigation of each taphonomic facies is necessary.

Monographic studies on Doushantuo shales, cherts, and phosphorites (Steiner, 1994; Zhang et al., 1998; Xiao et al., 2002) demonstrate that macroscopic (millimeter to decimeter) fossils are typically preserved as carbonaceous compressions, while microscopic (micrometer to submillimeter) fossils are preserved as permineralized (silicified and phosphatized) forms. Published reports also indicate that, although both the silicification and phosphatization windows preserve microscopic organisms, taxonomic compositions of the silicified and phosphatized biotas appear significantly different. Doushantuo phosphorites contain a plethora of multicellular eukaryotes (algae and animals), a moderate diversity of acritarchs, and relatively few cyanobacteria filaments. In contrast, coccoidal and filamentous cyanobacteria and acritarchs are abundant and diverse in Doushantuo cherts; multicellular eukaryotes are comparatively rare in Doushantuo cherts (Table 1).

View this table:

Table 1 —List of prokaryotes, acritarchs, multicellular algae, and animal fossils from upper Doushantuo chert nodules in the Yangtze Gorges area and upper Doushantuo phosphorites at Weng'an and elsewhere in South China (updated from Zhang et al., 1998). Synonyms are not listed

Since the monographic study of permineralized microfossils in Doushantuo cherts and phosphorites (Zhang et al., 1998), several reports of new microfossils and new localities have appeared in the literature …


The effectiveness of intermittent administration of rifapentine (RPT), with or without isoniazid (INH), for preventive therapy of tuberculosis was evaluated in immunocompetent (normal) and nude mice. After infection with a small inoculum of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, normal mice developed a chronic and nonfatal infection, and the bacterial population became relatively stable after an initial period of limited multiplication. On the other hand, nude mice developed an acute and fatal infection, and all untreated mice died within 5 wk, with very high colony-forming-unit (CFU) counts in their organs. Various degrees of bactericidal activity were shown in normal mice after daily treatment with rifampin (RMP) plus pyrazinamide (PZA) for 13 wk, INH daily for 26 wk, or RPT once weekly for 13 or 26 wk or once fortnightly for 26 wk. The activity of RPT was significantly enhanced when INH was added at the same dosing frequency. In nude mice the response of M. tuberculosis infection to certain regimens was less favorable than that in normal mice, suggesting that preventive therapy may be less effective in severely immunodeficient hosts even during treatment. After chemotherapy was stopped, virtually all nude mice relapsed within 12 wk regardless of the regimen administered, whereas no or very few relapses were observed in normal mice that had been treated with RMP+PZA daily for 13 wk, or RPT alone or RPT+INH once weekly for 26 wk. The latter three regimens and RPT+INH once weekly for 13 wk may be applied for fixed-duration preventive therapy in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


In this paper, we propose a spatial coded modulation (SCM) scheme, which improves the accuracy of the active antenna detection by coding over the transmit antennas. Specifically, the antenna activation pattern in the SCM corresponds to a codeword in a properly designed codebook with a larger minimum Hamming distance than its counterpart conventional spatial modulation. As the minimum Hamming distance increases, the reliability of the active antenna detection is directly enhanced, which in turn improves the demodulation of the modulated symbols and yields a better system reliability. In addition to the reliability, the proposed SCM scheme also achieves a higher capacity with the identical antenna configuration compared to the conventional spatial modulation technique. Moreover, the proposed SCM scheme strikes a balance between spectral efficiency and reliability by trading off the minimum Hamming distance with the number of available codewords. The optimal maximum likelihood detector is first formulated. Then, a low-complexity suboptimal detector is proposed to reduce the computational complexity, which has a two-step detection. Theoretical derivations of the channel capacity and the bit error rate are presented in various channel scenarios, i.e., Rayleigh, Rician, Nakagami-m, imperfect channel state information, and spatial correlation. Further derivation on performance bounding is also provided to reveal the insight of the benefit of increasing the minimum Hamming distance. Numerical results validate the analysis and demonstrate that the proposed SCM outperforms the conventional spatial modulation techniques in both channel capacity and system reliability.


Coal fly ash has been used to synthesize X-type zeolite by alkali fusion followed by hydrothermal treatment. The synthesized fly ash based zeolite (FAZ) has been characterized by various analytical techniques. Copper(II), Nickel(II) and Zinc(II) complexes of N,N-ethylenebis (salicylamide) encapsulated in the supercages of FAZ have been prepared by flexible ligand method and characterized by Fourier Transform infra red spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), Ultra Violet – Visible spectroscopy and Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). These complexes have been found to catalyze the liquid phase hydroxylation of phenol with hydrogen peroxide to yield catechol. It appears to be the first report of catalysis of metal complex encapsulated in fly ash based zeolite. Copyright © 2013 VBRI press.


In this work the mechanism of migration of positive charges through donor−DNA−acceptor systems is studied using a quantum mechanical model based on the tight-binding approximation. For DNA bridges containing only adenine-thymine (AT) base pairs the difference in ionization potential between the donor moiety and the AT base pairs (i.e., the injection barrier) is shown to determine the mechanism by which the charge migrates from the donor to the acceptor. For an injection barrier of 0.55 eV, corresponding to a guanine radical cation as the hole-donor, a β-value of 0.85 A-1 is found. This agrees reasonably with the value of β = 0.7 A-1 deduced from experimental studies on these sequences. For this injection barrier (0.55 eV) the charge density on the AT bridge was found to be very small, which is characteristic for charge transfer by single-step tunneling. For lower injection barriers the charge density on the AT bridge becomes substantial and the charge moves through the bridge according to a bandlike mecha...


AbstractThe number of tropical cyclones (TCs) in the Australian region exhibits a large variation between different ENSO regimes. While the difference in TC numbers and spatial distribution of genesis locations between the canonical El Nino and La Nina regimes is well known, the authors demonstrate that a statistically significant difference in TC numbers also exists between the recently identified negative-neutral and positive-neutral regimes. Compared to the negative-neutral and La Nina regimes, significantly fewer TCs form in the Australian region during the positive-neutral regime, particularly in the eastern subregion. This difference is attributed to concomitant changes in various large-scale environmental conditions such as sea level pressure, relative vorticity, vertical motion, and sea surface temperature.


We would like to offer the following comments concerning the interesting paper by Shapiro et al (Chest 1980; 77:138). Even though we agree, in general terms, with their statement that venous admixture ( va/Qt) should increase when a patient breathes 100 percent 02, measured either by Berggien's classic methodl or with the inert gases technique,2 we have observed that it does not always do so because the increase depends upon multiple factors. When Qva/Qt is measured breathing room air, the final value will reflect gas exchange abnormalities caused either by VA/Q inequalities, diffusion impairment or shunt (Qs/Qt); and if F1o2 is gradually increased reaching 100 percent, final findings will depond upon the interrelationship between the correction of the first two factors and the eventual occurrence of true shunt that ventilation with 100 percent 02 usually provokes. That explains the significant correction of QVa/Qt in conditions with only moderate inequalities of A/Q when F102 is increased slightly. Besides, alterations of gas exchange produced by VA/Q inequalities at F1o2 greater than 50 percent do not play an important role.2 At this F1o2 level, Qva/Qt modifications are possibly due to very important A/Q mismatching (log normal distribution of VA/C, log SD(u)> 1.5)2 and/or eventual diffusion impairment with concomitantly increasing shunt. It seems clear to us that in patients with slight A/Q inequalities and no diffusion impairment F1o2 increments will enhance true shunt caused by the absorption atelectasis that high 02 administration would produce. the other hand, in cases with severe A/Q inequalities and eventual diffusion impairment. the correction of these defects can counterbalance the shunt increment caused by a high F1o2 and Qva/Qt decrease accordingly. In this context it is interesting to report our results in 16 patients with bacterial bronchopneumonia who were mechanically ventilated with different F1o2 ( Fig 1 ). When Qva/Qt with maintenance F1o2 was compared with the Qva/Qt on pure oxygen, no significant differences were found. If the patients were divided in two groups (those with Qva/Qt less than 0.20, and those with Qva/Qt >0.20), we observed that in the former group Qva/Qt did not change significantly when on 100 percent oxygen (0.16 vs 0.17, n =7), while it decreased significantly in the other group (0.57 vs 0.41, P< 0.05, n = 9). These findings demonstrate the existence of two different populationswith dissimilar Qva/Qt response to F1o2 increments. These Qva/Qt reductions on F1o2 increments have been reported earlier by other authors. The above mentioned data do not agree with the conclusion of Shapiro et oil that "the original intent of administration of 100 percent oxygen . . . is not valid since . . . results in an increase in the calculated shunt." This assertion is possibly true in their particular group of patients with moderate alterations in gas exchange ( Qva/Qt =0.17), but it is not applicable at all to more severely affected patients, eg, Qva/ Qt> 0.40 in which the relationship of altered mechanisms of gas exchange are probably different. We also disagree with thefr statement, "We feel confident that there is no clinical advantage to making this measurement at an F1o2 of 1.0." In this context we find it very interesting that King' when referring to patients with catastrophic pulmonary failure, points to the usefulness of measuring shunt modifications with different FIo2. In the case of no change of shunt when F1o2 IS modified, this could be reduced withouta significant decrease of Pa02. On the contrary, if Qs/Qt decreases 0.70 1-


At present, the output from the dimensional variation of an assembly is often in the form of a statistical process control chart or histogram. Such output, while informative, is not particularly suited to the evaluation of dimensional variation behaviour in complex kinematic assembly systems. This paper presents a graphical method of visualising the 3D dimensional variation behaviour of any chosen point feature in a kinematic assembly system by the use of 3D bounding surfaces. The bounding surfaces describe a volume such that there is a known probability that the chosen point is contained within the volume. The bounding surfaces and the volume they describe visualise the dimensional variation behaviour of the chosen point feature as it traverses one or more of the kinematic assembly system's movement ranges. This paper demonstrates that the visualisation allows the dimensional variation behaviour of the chosen point to be presented in a compact and readily comprehensible manner that enables evaluation of the analysis output within the context of the original simulation model geometry. An example of the method applied to a simple kinematic system is also shown.


The stria vascularis of young albino guinea pigs was examined by scanning electron microscopy at intervals of 30, 60, and 240 minutes after the intracardiac administration of ethacrynic acid (70 mg/kg). Results from this study showed that the appearance of large intercellular spaces in the intermediate region of the stria vascularis was due to acute separation of these cells rather than atrophy, as described by previous investigators. It was probable that these spaces were due to an accumulation of extracellular fluid. In some marginal cells, extrusions of cytoplasm into the endolymphatic space were noted in the 240-minute group of animals. The importance of these extrusions is not apparent at this time.


Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an oncogenic virus that causes lifelong infection in humans by establishing latency after primary infection. Latent infection is a prerequisite for both persistent infection and the development of KSHV-associated cancers. While viral lytic genes are transiently expressed after primary infection, their expression is significantly restricted and concomitant with the binding of host epigenetic repressors Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 and 2 (PRC1 and PRC2) to lytic genes. PRC1 and PRC2 mediate the repressive histone marks H2AK119ub and H3K27me3, respectively, and maintain heterochromatin structure on KSHV lytic genes to inhibit their expression. In contrast to PRC2, little is known about the recruitment and role of PRC1 factors on the KSHV genome following de novo infection. Thus, the goal of this study was to examine the function of PRC1 factors in the establishment of KSHV latency. To address this question, we performed an shRNA screen targeting 7 different components of the canonical and non-canonical PRC1 complexes during primary KSHV infection. We found that RYBP, a main subunit of the non-canonical PRC1 complexes, is a potent repressor of KSHV lytic genes that can bind to the viral genome and inhibit lytic genes as early as 4 hours post infection. Surprisingly, our ChIP analyses showed that RYBP binds to lytic viral gene promoters in a PRC1-independent manner, does not affect PRC1 activity on the KSHV genome, and can reduce the level of histone marks associated with transcription elongation. Our data also suggest that RYBP can repress the viral lytic cycle after primary infection by inhibiting the transcription elongation of the lytic cycle inducer KSHV gene RTA. Based on our results we propose that RYBP uses a PRC1-independent mechanism to block KSHV RTA expression thereby promoting the establishment of KSHV latency following de novo infection.


We report a rare presentation of adult-onset Still disease (AoSD) with flagellate dermatosis and unknown trigger. Atypical skin findings have been increasingly reported for AoSD and may be associated with worse prognosis and systemic complications. Increased awareness of nonclassic skin findings in AoSD may lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment.


It is biologically and clinically important to understand and explain the functional properties of cartilage, such as its load bearing and lubricating ability, in terms of the structure, organization, components and their interactions. Our approach tries to explain functional material properties of these tissues as arising from polymeric interactions between and among the different molecular constituents within the tissues at different hierarchical lengthscales. We treat the tissue effectively as a complex molecular composite containing highly charged polysaccharide microgels trapped within a fine collagen meshwork. We have been developing a multi-scale experimental and theoretical framework to explain key material properties of cartilage by studying those of its constituents and the interactions among them at a variety of length and time scales. We use this approach to address important biological questions. One novel application we highlight here is the use of non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to characterize different components and compartments within cartilage and the different water environments associated with each one, in an attempt to provide a comprehensive picture of the mechanical/chemical state of cartilage.


The flipped classroom, where learners access teacher-talk and other material, e.g. in the form of web-based mini-lectures, and come to class to apply the knowledge gained from the mini-lectures with support from their teacher and peers, rather than listening to the teacher in class and being left to struggle alone at home with exercises, has gained popularity. This paper argues that flipped classroom thinking is particularly suited to language learning as it uses digital tools to give learners access to extensive, individualised input, including information about target language environments and cultures, acknowledges their target language practices outside the classroom and offers regular engagement with the target language materials while optimising the use of classroom time for communicative interaction in the target language with teacher and peers. The operation of the flipped language classroom is set against current theories of language learning and teaching.


Web servers are ubiquitous, remotely accessible, and often misconfigured. In addition, custom Web-based applications may introduce vulnerabilities that are overlooked even by the most security-conscious server administrators. Consequently, Web servers are a popular target for hackers. To mitigate the security exposure associated with Web servers, intrusion detection systems are deployed to analyze and screen incoming requests. The goal is to perform early detection of malicious activity and possibly prevent more serious damage to the protected site. Even though intrusion detection is critical for the security of Web servers, the intrusion detection systems available today only perform very simple analyses and are often vulnerable to simple evasion techniques. In addition, most systems do not provide sophisticated attack languages that allow a system administrator to specify custom, complex attack scenarios to be detected. We present WebSTAT, an intrusion detection system that analyzes Web requests looking for evidence of malicious behavior. The system is novel in several ways. First of all, it provides a sophisticated language to describe multistep attacks in terms of states and transitions. In addition, the modular nature of the system supports the integrated analysis of network traffic sent to the server host, operating system-level audit data produced by the server host, and the access logs produced by the Web server. By correlating different streams of events, it is possible to achieve more effective detection of Web-based attacks.


Full-length masses of histones were analyzed by mass spectrometry to characterize post-translational modifications of bulk histones and their changes induced by cell stimulation. By matching masses of unique peptides with full-length masses, H4 and the variants H2A.1, H2B.1, and H3.1 were identified as the main histone forms in K562 cells. Mass changes caused by covalent modifications were measured in a dose- and time-dependent manner following inhibition of phosphatases by okadaic acid. Histones H2A, H3, and H4 underwent changes in mass consistent with altered acetylation and phosphorylation, whereas H2B mass was largely unchanged. Unexpectedly, histone H4 became almost completely deacetylated in a dose-dependent manner that occurred independently of phosphorylation. Okadaic acid also partially blocked H4 hyperacetylation induced by trichostatin-A, suggesting that the mechanism of deacetylation involves inhibition of H4 acetyltransferase activity, following perturbation of cellular phosphatases. In addition, mass changes in H3 in response to okadaic acid were consistent with phosphorylation of methylated, acetylated, and phosphorylated forms. Finally, kinetic differences were observed with respect to the rate of phosphorylation of H2A versusH4, suggesting differential regulation of phosphorylation at sites on these proteins, which are highly related by sequence. These results provide novel evidence that global covalent modifications of chromatin-bound histones are regulated through phosphorylation-dependent mechanisms.


The transport properties of edge dislocations comprising a symmetrical 6° [001] tilt grain boundary in weakly acceptor-doped SrTiO3 were investigated by means of various experimental and computational techniques. Oxygen transport along the dislocation array was probed by means of (18)O/(16)O exchange experiments under (standard) oxidising conditions (pO2 = 5 × 10(-1) bar) and also under reducing conditions (pO2 = 7 × 10(-22) bar) at T = 973 K. In both cases, isotope profiles obtained by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) indicated no evidence of fast diffusion along the dislocation array. Charge transport across the dislocation array was probed in equilibrium electrical conductivity measurements as a function of oxygen partial pressure, 10(-23) ≤ pO2/bar ≤ 1 at temperatures of T/K = 950, 1050, 1100. A significant decrease in the conductivity of the bicrystal (relative to that of a single crystal) was observed under oxidising conditions, but not under reducing conditions. These studies were complemented by static lattice simulations employing empirical pair-potentials. The simulations predict, that the tilt boundary comprises two types of dislocation cores, that the formation of oxygen vacancies is energetically preferred at both cores relative to the bulk, and that the migration of oxygen ions along both cores is hindered relative to the bulk. Combining all results and literature reports, we present a comprehensive and consistent picture of the transport properties of dislocations in SrTiO3.


Intravascular lymphomatosis (IL) is known as a rare and fatal disease characterized by massive intravascular proliferations of B or T lymphoid cells and manifests in the nervous system and skin. However diagnosis is usually made at the time of autopsy because of the lack of characteristic clinical or laboratory findings. Therefore, IL may be confused with various forms of neurological diseases including demyelinating disease, encephalitis, vasculitis or stroke. We report a case of post-mortem confirmed IL presenting as demyelinating disease.


Around 25% of patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) show some evidence of tracheobronchial colonization. It is, however, probable that the vast majority of patients become colonized at some time during the course of the disease. A variety of factors including current smoking and viral infections predispose to bacterial colonization and subsequently acute exacerbations. In fact, infectious aetiologies account for around 50-75% of acute COPD exacerbations. Bacterial pathogens are present in around 50% of patients, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae being the most frequently encountered pathogens. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and probably also Gram-negative enteric bacilli are more frequently found in patients with more severe airflow limitation. Viral infections are present in around 10-20%, with Influenzavirus representing the most frequent viral pathogen. Only recently, evidence for infection by Chlamydia pneumoniae has been found in 5-20% of patients. Predictors of distinct aetiologies have only infrequently been studied so far. Thus, it currently remains difficult to make adequate predictions on clinical grounds in the individual patient. Nevertheless, we would advocate to tentatively stratify the initial antimicrobial treatment according to the severity of the acute exacerbation episode and the presence of individual risk factors. The validation of such an approach may result in significant progress in our understanding of the role of infection and infectious agents in different subgroups of patients with acute exacerbations.


Osteoarthritis is the leading musculoskeletal cause of disability in the Western society. Despite this, it is still difficult to gain a precise definition of what osteoarthritis actually is. The methods used for the study are narrative review and viewpoint focussing on the knee. It is well known that there is a modest correlation between X‐ray changes and pain. Improvements in imaging have shown that osteoarthritis should be regarded as an umbrella term for a number of pathophysiological processes leading to pain and/or cartilage loss. If these are inside the joint (such as bone marrow lesions, cartilage defects or meniscal tear) then they can be considered osteoarthritis, while those outside the joint (such as obesity, weak muscles and vitamin D deficiency) could be considered the osteoarthritis syndrome. These improvements in basic science are leading to lesion‐specific therapies indicating the importance of trying to pinpoint causes of pain in the individual.


Traditional comparative private law scholars have a firm grasp of laws in several countries, but rarely of those in more than one hundred countries. Quantitative comparative private law scholars have placed dozens of countries into a legal family genealogy, but not based on a systematic understanding of legal substance around the world. Using a unique, hand-coded data set on 108 property doctrines (transformed into 170 binary variables) in 129 jurisdictions, we ran supervised and unsupervised machine-learning algorithms. Some of our findings confirm the conventional wisdom: French and German property laws are influential; mixed jurisdictions like South Africa and Scotland are one of a kind; common law jurisdictions form a group of their own; and a handful of formerly socialist countries, led by Russia, cluster together. Unlike the prior literature, however, we do not find that East Asian jurisdictions warrant a category of their own; but belong to distant groups. Spain and many Latin American countries form a separate group. Rather than finding a clear-cut common versus civil law division, we observe that the France-inspired group is one supercluster, separate from other jurisdictions.


In the age of a global competition environment, the accurate costing measurement is important for planning and decision-making. To achieve this goal, contemporary costing methods are tested and applied such as the Activity Based Costing (ABC) in conjunction with the use of modern Information Technology (IT). The review study attempts a comparative analysis of both ABC and Traditional Costing Accounting (TCA), examining the main themes emerging from academic research and practitioners concerning the challenges, benefits, and barriers of ABC, analyzing the impact of the integration between ERP and ABC systems and its effect on management performance. A review of the literature generated an initial pool of 322 studies. Upon extensive review, 38 studies were found to be relevant to this topic. It appears from the review and analysis of the academic literature and professional sources that a successful integration among ERP and ABC minimizes the operation costs, enhances competitiveness, improves the management of the enterprise, due to its abilities to provide more accurate costing information for a strategic decision. However, practical implications in adopting ABC under ERP could be very challenging, requires a huge amount of internal resources, commitment among employees, and top management. In closing, additional research studies employing both qualitative and quantitative methods as well as case studies are needed in order to provide insights into the impact of ERP and detailed implications of how the ABC accounting system is adapting to the ERP environment and its effect on firm performance.


Use of many Ni-based and Cu-based alloys requires deposition of a Ni overlayer prior to the deposition of the seed layer in order to obtain better epitaxy. In this work, Ni overlayers have been deposited by DC sputtering on biaxially textured NiW and Cu substrates. Films were characterized by x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy as a function of temperature, film thickness and deposition rate. The optimum temperature range for deposition was found to be around 400?500??C, which results in relatively smooth films with a good cube texture on both substrates.


This paper presents our findings from participating in the SMM4H Shared Task 2021. We addressed Named Entity Recognition (NER) and Text Classification. To address NER we explored BiLSTM-CRF with Stacked Heterogeneous embeddings and linguistic features. We investigated various machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, SVM and Neural Networks) to address text classification. Our proposed approaches can be generalized to different languages and we have shown its effectiveness for English and Spanish. Our text classification submissions have achieved competitive performance with F1-score of 0.46 and 0.90 on ADE Classification (Task 1a) and Profession Classification (Task 7a) respectively. In the case of NER, our submissions scored F1-score of 0.50 and 0.82 on ADE Span Detection (Task 1b) and Profession span detection (Task 7b) respectively.


Abstract Objective: Benralizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against human IL-5 receptor alpha, is effective in treating eosinophilic severe asthma. However, patients' response to benralizumab varies widely. In this study, we aimed to identify a new serum biomarker to accurately predict benralizumab response. Methods: Seventeen benralizumab-treated patients with severe eosinophilic asthma were enrolled. Blood samples were collected; pulmonary function tests were performed and questionnaires were disseminated at baseline and after 1, 2, 4, and 6 months of treatment. Blood cytokine levels were measured. Response was defined as an elevation in forced expiratory volume in 1 s of at least 10.4% from baseline after 4 months of treatment. Results: There were nine respondents and eight non-respondents. The non-responders showed significantly higher baseline serum interferon-γ; interleukin (IL)-4, -5, -6, -7, and -12p70; IL-17/IL-17A; IL-17E/IL-25; IL-18/IL-1F4; chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL)3/macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α; CCL4/MIP-1β; CCL11/eotaxin; matrix metalloproteinase-12; tumor necrosis factor-α, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin levels. After benralizumab administration, the serum CCL3/MIP-1α and CCL11/eotaxin levels significantly and persistently increased in the responders (CCL3/MIP-1α, responders: 144.5 ± 37.9 pg/ml (baseline) vs. 210.3 ± 59.4 pg/ml (4 months), p = 0.009; non-responders: 270.8 ± 139.8 pg/ml (baseline) vs. 299.5 ± 159.9 pg/ml (4 months), p = 0.33; CCL11/eotaxin, responders: 167.9 ± 62.6 pg/ml (baseline) vs. 326.7 ± 134.4 pg/ml (4 months), p = 0.038; non-responders: 420.9 ± 323.1 pg/ml (baseline) vs. 502.1 ± 406.0 pg/ml (4 months), p = 0.30). Conclusion: Low baseline serum inflammatory cytokine levels may be useful in predicting a good benralizumab response. Supplemental data for this article is available online at at www.tandfonline.com/ijas .


Methods for the numerical simulation of dynamic mathematical models have been the focus of intensive research for well over 60 years, and the demand for better and more efficient methods has grown as the range of applications has increased. Mathematical models involving evolutionary partial differential equations (PDEs) as well as ordinary differential equations (ODEs) arise in diverse applications such as uid ow, image processing and computer vision, physics-based animation, mechanical systems, relativity, earth sciences, and mathematical nance. This textbook develops, analyzes, and applies numerical methods for evolutionary, or time-dependent, differential problems. Both PDEs and ODEs are discussed from a unified viewpoint. The author emphasizes finite difference and finite volume methods, specifically their principled derivation, stability, accuracy, efficient implementation, and practical performance in various fields of science and engineering. Smooth and nonsmooth solutions for hyperbolic PDEs, parabolic-type PDEs, and initial value ODEs are treated, and a practical introduction to geometric integration methods is included as well. The author bridges theory and practice by developing algorithms, concepts, and analysis from basic principles while discussing efficiency and performance issues and demonstrating methods through examples and case studies from numerous application areas. Audience: This textbook is suitable for researchers and graduate students from a variety of fields including computer science, applied mathematics, physics, earth and ocean sciences, and various engineering disciplines. Gradute students at the beginning or advanced level (depending on the discipline) and researchers in a variety of fields in science and engineering will find this book useful. Researchers who simulate processes that are modeled by evolutionary differential equations will find material on the principles underlying the appropriate method to use and the pitfalls that accompany each method. Contents: Preface; 1 Introduction; 2 Methods and Concepts for ODEs; 3 Finite Difference and Finite Volume Methods; 4 Stability for Constant Coefficient Problems; 5 Variable Coefficient and Nonlinear Problems; 6 Hamiltonian Systems and Long Time Integration; 7 Dispersion and Dissipation; 8 More on Handling Boundary Conditions; 9 Several Space Variables and Splitting Methods; 10 Discontinuities and Almost Discontinuities; 11 Additional Topics; Bibliography; Index.


Diagnosing the cause of abdominal pain in a young type 1 diabetic can be a challenging task and involves a wide array of differential diagnosis. Most commonly the pain is thought to be secondary to diabetic neuropathy. It becomes even more problematic if there is significant weight loss, if extensive investigations have not found any organic pathology and if the pain does not fit into any pattern of diabetic neuropathy. We present such a case where a young 21-years-old female diabetic had lost 16 kgs in 6 months due to diffuse left sided abdominal pain with radiation to the back. It was also associated with a very poor diabetic control with a HbA1C of 150 mmol/l. Despite trying a wide variety and combination of different pain killers (Amitriptyline, Paracetamol, Codeine, Duloxetine, Pregabalin, TENS machine, oral Morphine and Tramadol), there was no relief and the patient continued to lose weight. The investigations which included Short Synacthen test, contrast CT of the abdomen/pelvis, MRI of the abdomen, capsule endoscopy, OGD (with normal duodenal biopsies) and MRI of the spine were all normal. Also anti TTG antibodies were negative. She proceeded to have Left iliopsoas muscle block after liaising with the pain control team. This resulted in complete resolution of the pain. She began to regain the lost weight and her weight has remained stable at 49 kgs. This was a case of iliopsoas syndrome masquerading as a surgical pathology.


Rain attenuation is the dominant fading mechanism for Future Broadband Satellite Communication Systems (operating at Ku band and above). In this paper, hitting time statistics of rain attenuation process are presented using a well accepted dynamic model. Hitting time gives the time needed for a stochastic process to exit an interval of thresholds given the initial value. The expression to compute analytically the Complementary Cumulative Distribution Function (CCDF) of hitting times for rain attenuation is given. Moreover, the employment of hitting time statistics in designing Fade Mitigation Techniques (FMTs) is proposed and a discussion of how these statistics can be used for the FMT control loop is made. The FMTs under consideration for the application of hitting time statistics are the power control, adaptive coding and modulation (ACM) and time diversity. Furthermore, numerical results are presented showing that the theoretical model actually reproduces the hitting time statistics and finally some useful conclusions are drawn.


CRISPR/Cas系统(Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated)是广泛存在于细菌及古生菌中的,由细菌体长期进化而形成的,能够降解入侵病毒或噬菌体DNA的适应性免疫系统。由于CRISPR/Cas的Ⅱ型系统比较简单,因此成为目前应用最为广泛的方法。本文主要介绍了CRISPR/Cas系统的基本结构、作用原理、技术特点、研究进展以及该技术可能的应用前景等方面内容。CRISPR/Cas (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated) refers to an adaptive immune system that is gained from the long-term evolution of the organism which is widespread in bacteria and archaea. The system is able to degrade the invading virus or phage DNA. TypeⅡ of CRISPR/Cas system has become the most popular method due to its simplicity. This paper summarizes the basic structure, principle, technical characteristics and the progress of CRISPR/Cas, as well as the application prospect of the technology.


Background The upward trend in industrial nations in the incidence of male genitourinary (GU) conditions may be attributed to increased exposure to endocrine disruptors. Polybrominated biphenyl (PBB), a brominated flame retardant, is one such suspected endocrine disruptor. Objective We investigated the relationship between maternal serum levels of PBBs and GU conditions among male offspring exposed in utero. Methods In this cohort study of sons born to women accidentally exposed to PBBs during 1973–1974, we examined self-reported data on GU conditions among male offspring in relation to maternal serum PBB levels. We used generalized estimating equations to calculate odds ratios (ORs), controlling for gestational age at birth. Results Of 464 sons, 33 reported any GU condition (13 hernias, 10 hydroceles, 9 cryptorchidism, 5 hypospadias, and 1 varicocele). Four reported both hernia and hydrocele, and one both hernia and cryptorchidism. After adjustment for gestational age at birth, sons of highly exposed women (> 5 ppb) were twice as likely to report any GU condition compared with sons of the least exposed women [≤1 ppb; OR = 2.0; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.8–5.1]. This risk was increased when we excluded sons born after the exposure but before the mother's serum PBB measurement (OR = 3.1; 95% CI, 1.0–9.1). We found evidence of a 3-fold increase in reported hernia or hydrocele among sons with higher PBB exposure (test of trend p-value = 0.04). Neither hypospadias nor cryptorchidism was individually associated with PBB exposure. Conclusions Although cryptorchidism and hypospadias were not associated with in utero PBB exposure, this study suggests that other GU conditions may be associated with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during development.


The space vector modulation (SVPWM) of Brushless DC motor (BLDC) is different from that of permanent magnet synchronous motor for its turn-off phase and trapezoidal back electromotive force. To overcome these problems, a SVPWM method is presented in this paper. The application of SVPWM to Brushless AC drives has been investigated extensively. This paper describes its application to BLDC drives and highlights the essential differences in its implementation, as regards torque estimation and the representation of the inverter voltage space vectors. In order to control the torque effectively and directly, the torque is calculated according to the back electromotive force and three phase current. According to the torque error between the given torque and actual torque, the best voltage vector is selected and the dynamic performance of BLDC motor direct torque control system is guaranteed. MATLAB/Simulink is used analyse the simulated results and is shown that SVPWM results in a faster dynamic response.


Abstract. Dinoflagellate cyst assemblages present a valuable proxy to infer
paleoceanographic conditions, yet factors influencing geographic
distributions of species remain largely unknown, especially in the Southern
Ocean. Strong lateral transport, sea-ice dynamics, and a sparse and uneven
geographic distribution of surface sediment samples have limited the use of
dinocyst assemblages as a quantitative proxy for paleo-environmental
conditions such as sea surface temperature (SST), nutrient concentrations,
salinity, and sea ice (presence). In this study we present a new set of
surface sediment samples (n=66) from around Antarctica, doubling the
number of Antarctic-proximal samples to 100 (dataset wsi_100)
and increasing the total number of Southern Hemisphere samples to 655
(dataset sh_655). Additionally, we use modelled ocean
conditions and apply Lagrangian techniques to all Southern Hemisphere sample
stations to quantify and evaluate the influence of lateral transport on the
sinking trajectory of microplankton and, with that, to the inferred ocean
conditions. k-means cluster analysis on the wsi_100 dataset
demonstrates the strong affinity of Selenopemphix antarctica with sea-ice presence and of Islandinium spp. with
low-salinity conditions. For the entire Southern Hemisphere, the k-means
cluster analysis identifies nine clusters with a characteristic assemblage.
In most clusters a single dinocyst species dominates the assemblage. These
clusters correspond to well-defined oceanic conditions in specific Southern
Ocean zones or along the ocean fronts. We find that, when lateral transport
is predominantly zonal, the environmental parameters inferred from the sea
floor assemblages mostly correspond to those of the overlying ocean surface.
In this case, the transport factor can thus be neglected and will not
represent a bias in the reconstructions. Yet, for some individual sites,
e.g. deep-water sites or sites under strong-current regimes, lateral
transport can play a large role. The results of our study further constrain
environmental conditions represented by dinocyst assemblages and the
location of Southern Ocean frontal systems.


Previous chapters, watermarking, fingerprinting, and forensic engineering have been discussed for resolving various ownership-related problems. This chapter discusses structural obfuscation approaches to thwart IP piracy and reverse engineering (RE). This approach, when effective, can save billions of dollars of revenue losses in CE and semiconductor industry. Especially, a multi-high-level transformation-based structural obfuscation process has been presented for DSP IP cores as hardware-hardening technique. The chapter is structured as follows: Section 7.2 highlights the fundamentals of obfuscation with stress on structural obfuscation; Section 7.3 discusses different compiler transformation-driven structural obfuscation methodology. Section 7.4 discusses low-cost structurally obfuscated design exploring technique. Section 7.5 demonstrates a multistage structural obfuscation technique through a motivational example. Section 7.6 presents the results of a case study.


This paper analyses the wage effect of educational and skills mismatches using cross-sectional data related to the twenty-eight European countries. The results show that over-education leads to wage penalties, but also that interactions between educational and skills mismatches suggest that the maximum of the wage penalty is reached when the worker is both over-educated and over-skilled.


For more than forty-nine years (since 1968) the federally-funded TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) programs have served disadvantaged students across the United States of America by providing wrap-around services to further the progress of their enrollment in postsecondary educational opportunities. The SSS program aims to assist students with disabilities, and who identify as low-income and first-generation (LIFG) college students, towards the successful completion of certification in a technical program and an undergraduate level degree from either a two or four-year college or university. This study evaluated the needs and aspirations of [ten] first-generation college students at the point-of-entry of enrollment into the TRIO SSS program as participants of the summer bridge program in 2017 at a community college in rural Kentucky. The summer bridge program provides student participants of the TRIO SSS program a jumpstart on their college experience and serves as an additional boost to students who enrolled in the program during the 2017 spring semester. The primary investigator (PI) employed a grounded theory research methodology to analyze the needs and aspirations of the ten TRIO SSS students at the point-of-entry into the SSS program and how the perspective of the student directly aligns with the objectives of the community college's SSS program grant. There are four major themes which emerged from the analysis of the individual interview sessions and personal statements taken from the student's SSS application at the point-of-entry into the program. The first theme is the focus on self and the specific goals of wanting to accomplish postsecondary enrollment (PSE) and postsecondary degree attainment (PSA). The second theme is the focus on family, with one-fourth of the students articulating the desire to be a role model for present and future generations. The third theme is the enthusiasm of the student and the pride that comes from being a first-generation college student. The final theme is the perspective of the student about their future which extends beyond postsecondary enrollment and postsecondary degree attainment. The implications of the themes and the resulting theory for TRIO SSS program management and federal policy are presented for the benefit of potential modification of program services in the next fifty years. Suggestions for further research are also provided.


This study aimed to assess the acceptability of two preparations of Argentine anchovy with 69 untrained panelists of a university in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, given the importance of fish consumption for health, the need to increase fish consumption by the Brazilian population and the possibility of using a new self-sustaining fishery resource. Acceptability was assessed using a scale of 7 points and purchase intent by a 5-point scale. Chemical composition of preparations was analyzed in the laboratory, following the methodology of Adolfo Lutz Institute. The results showed that the pizza and baked rice with anchovy had excellent acceptability, 92% and 86%, respectively. There was a significant difference between the averages of preparations, in which the pizza achieved better acceptability and better purchase intent than the baked rice with anchovy. In the analysis of the chemical composition of preparations, the pizza had a higher content of protein and fat due to use of other ingredients with high protein content and vegetable oil. It was concluded that both preparations with anchovy could be an excellent vehicle to include fish more often in people's diet and increase the consumption of fish in Brazil.


Here, we report a new photosensitive metal–organic framework (MOF) that was constructed via the modification of UiO-66-NH2 with diarylethene molecules (DAE, 4-(5-Methoxy-1,2-dimethyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-3-(2,5-dimethylthiophen-3-yl)-4-furan-2,5-dione). The material that was obtained was a highly crystalline porous compound. The photoresponse of the modified MOF was observed via UV–Vis and IR spectroscopy. Most of the DAE molecules inside of the UiO-66-pores had an open conformation after synthesis. However, the equilibrium was able to be shifted further toward an open conformation using visible light irradiation with a wavelength of 520 nm. Conversely, UV-light with a wavelength of 450 nm initiated the transformation of the photoresponsive moieties inside of the pores to a closed modification. We have shown that this transformation could be used to stimulate hydrogen adsorption–desorption processes. Specifically, visible light irradiation increased the H2 capacity of modified MOF, while UV-light decreased it. A similar hybrid material with DAE moieties in the UiO-66 scaffold was applied for hydrogen storage for the first time. Additionally, the obtained results are promising for smart H2 storage that is able to be managed via light stimuli.


This paper presents a model for the calculation of Murphree point efficiencies in distillation on non-ideal multicomponent fluid mixtures from information on tray hydrodynamics and diffusivity data for the constituent binary pairs in the mixture. A two-zone model is used to describe the hydrodynamic behaviour of the tray. Zone I consists of a formation zone, just above the tray floor, with the gas issuing as a cylindrical gas jet through the perforations. Above this zone is the bulk froth zone, Zone II, where the gas is dispersed in the form of rigid spherical bubbles of varying size populations. The interfacial mass transfer rate relations are based on the generalized Maxwell-Stefan diffusion equations and take proper account of differences in the binary pair Maxwell-Stefan diffusion coefficients in the vapour and liquid phases. Non-equimolar transfer effects are taken into account by invoking an energy balance at the vapour—liquid interface. Calculations based on the model are used to demonstrate the strong influence of froth hydrodynamics (bubble sizes, size distributions and rise velocities) on the relative values of the component efficiencies. Using a particular example for distillation of ethanol—tert butanol—water, it is shown depending on the bubble size and residence time, the efficiency of tert butanol, could attain efficiency values in the range —20% to + 50%. Channelling of the gas phase via fast-rising bubbles is also shown to have an effect on the extent of diffusional coupling experienced in the system. The model developed in this paper could form the basis of an a priori method for the estimation of multicomponent distillation efficiencies.


Nearly circular-, oval- and irregular-shaped holes are present in a collection of Late Cretaceous ammonoid cephalopods from southern Nigeria. Two competing hypotheses have been advanced to explain these holes: one is they were produced by diagenetic crushing of limpet home scars and the other is that they are predator's teeth marks. The latter explanation appears to be the best explanation for some of the damage seen in the Nigerian specimens. The suspected predator for some of the specimens was probably an unidentified reptile based on the diameters of the holes. Insofar as we are aware, this is the first recorded predatory damage reported on Cretaceous ammonoids from West-Central Africa.


Funding shortages are a persistent issue, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and the problem tends to worsen cyclically. The market for factoring and invoice discounting aims to address delays in payment for commercial invoices. These involves sellers present unpaid invoices to financial organizations, typically banks, who provide an advance payment. The implementations of the factoring services without intermediaries in blockchain of the state of the art are all based on the publication on-chain of all the invoices, use know your customer (KYC) mechanisms, and over-collateralize the invoices. This article proposes a new, decentralized approach to lending services that completely eliminates intermediaries and does not require strong KYC, yet it is reasonably resilient. The approach uses liquidity pools and associated heuristics to create a model of risk compensation. In this model, a formula measures the contributed collateral to an invoice and the risk of a late invoice or non-payment, using the Kelly criterion to calculate the optimal premium for funding said invoice in the liquidity pool. The algorithm's performance is tested in many scenarios involving several invoice amounts, collaterals, payment delays, and non-payment rates. The study also examines premium distribution policies and hack scenarios involving bogus, non-payable invoices. The outcome is a decentralized market that uses the Kelly criterion and is reasonably resilient to a wide range of invoicing scenarios, including 5% non-payment rates and 10% bogus invoices, yet provides a sound profit to liquidity providers. The algorithm's resilience is enhanced by several premium distribution policies over partially collateralized invoices from 50 to 70%, resulting in optimal premium withdrawal policies every 30 days, making it the first protocol for loanable funds that does not require over-collateralization to be profitable and resilient.


"Poor Mickiewicz"The journalistic paper by Dmitri Filosofov presented here was written during his long stay in Poland. It clearly shows ways in which this brilliant editor and a 'political thinker' referred to literary texts crucial for Poles, their culture and self-awareness. In this paper he dealt with stereotypical ways in which Mickiewicz's poem "Do Przyjaciół Moskali" ("To Our Rus- sian Friends") was treated in this period. Filosofov, returned to the poem's primordial meaning and asked questions, still valid today, about possibilities of Polish-Russian dialogue, but he also warned his readers that a dialogue with Bolshevik authorities would never be identical with a dialogue with Russians of anti-Bolshevik social, cultural and political views.


During an acid fracturing treatment in a carbonate reservoir, acid is injected into the formation, thus creating hydraulic fractures and opening existing natural fractures. As the acid flows into natural fractures that intersect hydraulic fractures (main fractures), it etches the walls of the natural fractures, which then increases the natural fractures' width and generates conductivity. On the other hand, because of the increased acid leakoff into natural fractures, the acid volume in the main fracture decreases, resulting in less conductivity for the main fracture. Existing acid fracturing models estimate the fracture conductivity by assuming that the acid flows and reacts in the hydraulic fractures only. To accurately predict the performance of acid fracturing in naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs, the acid etching of natural fractures should be taken into account when calculating the overall fracture conductivity.
 A model was developed to predict the acid fracturing performance in naturally fractured reservoirs. The model assumed that the main fracture was intersected by transverse symmetric natural fractures. The model simulated the acid transport, acid/rock reaction, fracture width increase resulting from etching of the fracture walls, and acid leakoff through natural fractures. The model also assumed that the flow (into natural fractures) and the leakoff were pressure–dependent and were changing with time. The conductivity calculation was based on the previously developed correlation that accounts for the heterogeneous nature of carbonate rock.
 The effect of the natural fractures' geometry on leakoff and created fracture conductivity was investigated. The results showed that length and dynamic width, as well as the natural–fracture spacing, played a significant role in defining the leakoff rate and the conductivity of the hydraulic fracture and the natural fractures. It was also found that the position of the natural fractures along the hydraulic–fracture length affected the etching of the natural fractures and the resultant conductivity.
 The aim of the model is to enable better prediction of the acid fracture conductivity for naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs and improve the feasibility of acid fracturing applications for this type of formation.


OBJECTIVE
To sum up the clinical characteristics, surgical management, and effectiveness of pressure sore of sinus type.

METHODS
Between January 2009 and April 2013, 17 patients with 19 pressure sores of sinus type after traumatic paraplegia were treated, and the clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. There were 11 males and 6 females with an average age of 27.4 years (range, 17-49 years). The median disease duration was 1.5 years (range, 6 months to 7 years). Of 17 cases, there were 14 primary cases and 3 recurrent cases; 10 focuses of 8 cases were classified as simple sinus type, and 9 focuses of 9 cases as complex sinus type, which had a false synovial sheath complicated with one to four "second sinus". The pressure sore of sinus type majorly located at the ischial tuberosity. The size of pressure sore ranged from 1.5 cm x 1.0 cm to 3.0 cm X 2.0 cm, and the length of "second sinus" ranged from 8 to 32 cm with an average of 17 cm. After the false synovial sheath was totally excised, the wound was repaired by local sliding or rhombus flaps at the first or second stage in patients with simple sinus type pressure sore. On the basis of excising the false synovial sheath, the "second sinus" was totally removed in the patients with complex sinus type pressure sore.

RESULTS
Wound dehiscence occurred in 1 case of simple sinus type pressure sore at 4 days, which was cured after it was sutured again. Wound infection occurred at 9, 17, and 23 days respectively in 3 cases of complex sinus type pressure sore, which was cured after second debridement and necrosis tissues removal. The other wounds healed by first intention, and the flaps totally survived. All patients were followed up 6-12 months (mean, 9.3 months). No recurrence was observed.

CONCLUSION
According to the clinical characteristics, pressure sore of sinus type could be divided into simple sinus type and complex sinus type. The key of successful treatment is to thoroughly excise false synovial sheath and "second sinus".


Authors analyze stress-strain distribution within slope using the shear
 stress reduction technique based on finite element method, which was
 previously confirmed to provide approximately the same results as the
 Janbu's corrected limit equilibrium method. Results obtained indicate that
 the largest vertical displacements occur at the slope base and crest, while
 central part of the slope is exposed to the largest horizontal
 displacements. Normal and shear stress show maximum values in the middle
 part of the slope. It was also determined that separate stress-strain
 relations could be derived for the exact upper and lower part of the rupture
 surface. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 37005]


This is an analysis of state management of Primary Health Care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bahia. It is a qualitative case study with interviews with managers and regulatory documents analyzed according to the categories of government project and government capacity. State PHC proposals were debated in the Bipartite Intermanagerial Commission and in the Public Health Operational Emergency Committee. The scope of the PHC project focused on the definition of specific actions to manage the health crisis with the municipalities. The institutional support of the state to the municipalities modulated inter-federative relations and was decisive in the elaboration of municipal contingency plans, training of teams and production and dissemination of technical standards. The capacity of the state government was dependent upon the degree of municipal autonomy and the availability of state technical references in the regions. The state strengthened institutional partnerships for dialogue with municipal managers, but mechanisms for articulation with the federal level and social control were not identified. This study contributes to the analysis of the role of states in the formulation and implementation of PHC actions mediated by inter-federative relationships in emergency public health contexts.


Background Perinatal brain injury results in neurodevelopmental disabilities (neuroDDs) that include cerebral palsy, autism, attention deficit disorder, epilepsy, learning disabilities and others. Commonly, injury occurs when placental circulation, that is responsible for transporting nutrients and oxygen to the fetus, is compromised. Placental insufficiency (PI) is a reduced supply of blood and oxygen to the fetus and results in a hypoxic-ischemic (HI) environment. A significant HI state in-utero leads to perinatal compromise, characterized by fetal growth restriction and brain injury. Given that over 80% of perinatal brain injuries that result in neuroDDs occur during gestation, prior to birth, preventive approaches are needed to reduce or eliminate the potential for injury and subsequent neuroDDs. Sulforaphane (SFA) derived from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli sprouts (BrSps) is a phase-II enzyme inducer that acts via cytoplasmic Nrf2 to enhance the production of anti-oxidants in the brain through the glutathione pathway. We have previously shown a profound in vivo neuro-protective effect of BrSps/SFA as a dietary supplement in pregnant rat models of both PI and fetal inflammation. Strong evidence also points to a role for SFA as treatment for various cancers. Paradoxically, then SFA has the ability to enhance cell survival, and with conditions of cancer, enhance cell death. Given our findings of the benefit of SFA/Broccoli Sprouts as a dietary supplement during pregnancy, with improvement to the fetus, it is important to determine the beneficial and toxic dosing range of SFA. We therefore explored, in vitro, the dosing range of SFA for neuronal and glial protection and toxicity in normal and oxygen/glucose deprived (OGD) cell cultures. Methods OGD simulates, in vitro, the condition experienced by the fetal brain due to PI. We developed a cell culture model of primary cortical neuronal, astrocyte and combined brain cell co-cultures from newborn rodent brains. The cultures were exposed to an OGD environment for various durations of time to determine the LD50 (duration of OGD required for 50% cell death). Using the LD50 as the time point, we evaluated the efficacy of varying doses of SFA for neuroprotective and neurotoxicity effects. Control cultures were exposed to normal media without OGD, and cytotoxicity of varying doses of SFA was also evaluated. Immunofluorescence (IF) and Western blot analysis of cell specific markers were used for culture characterization, and quantification of LD50. Efficacy and toxicity effect of SFA was assessed by IF/high content microscopy and by AlamarBlue viability assay, respectively. Results We determined the LD50 to be 2 hours for neurons, 8 hours for astrocytes, and 10 hours for co-cultures. The protective effect of SFA was noticeable at 2.5 μM and 5 μM for neurons, although it was not significant. There was a significant protective effect of SFA at 2.5 μM (p<0.05) for astrocytes and co-cultures. Significant toxicity ranges were also confirmed in OGD cultures as ≥ 100 μM (p<0.05) for astrocytes, ≥ 50 μM (p<0.01) for co-cultures, but not toxic in neurons; and toxic in control cultures as ≥ 100 μM (p<0.01) for neurons, and ≥ 50 μM (p<0.01) for astrocytes and co-cultures. One Way ANOVA and Dunnett's Multiple Comparison Test were used for statistical analysis. Conclusions Our results indicate that cell death shows a trend to reduction in neuronal and astrocyte cultures, and is significantly reduced in co-cultures treated with low doses of SFA exposed to OGD. Doses of SFA that were 10 times higher were toxic, not only under conditions of OGD, but in normal control cultures as well. The findings suggest that: 1. SFA shows promise as a preventative agent for fetal ischemic brain injury, and 2. Because the fetus is a rapidly growing organism with profound cell multiplication, dosing parameters must be established to insure safety within efficacious ranges. This study will influence the development of innovative therapies for the prevention of childhood neuroDD.


Bandit based methods for tree search have recently gained popularity when applied to huge trees, e.g. in the game of go [6]. Their efficient exploration of the tree enables to return rapidly a good value, and improve precision if more time is provided. The UCT algorithm [8], a tree search method based on Upper Confidence Bounds (UCB) [2], is believed to adapt locally to the effective smoothness of the tree. However, we show that UCT is "over-optimistic" in some sense, leading to a worst-case regret that may be very poor. We propose alternative bandit algorithms for tree search. First, a modification of UCT using a confidence sequence that scales exponentially in the horizon depth is analyzed. We then consider Flat-UCB performed on the leaves and provide a finite regret bound with high probability. Then, we introduce and analyze a Bandit Algorithm for Smooth Trees (BAST) which takes into account actual smoothness of the rewards for performing efficient "cuts" of sub-optimal branches with high confidence. Finally, we present an incremental tree expansion which applies when the full tree is too big (possibly infinite) to be entirely represented and show that with high probability, only the optimal branches are indefinitely developed. We illustrate these methods on a global optimization problem of a continuous function, given noisy values.


In recent years, microencapsulation technology has drawn much attention due to its wide applications. Added to the coating as a dry powder, the microcapsules contain a liquid that can repair the film if released into the cracks. However, there is still a lack of synthesis strategies for microcapsules with excellent strength, solvent resistance and thermal stability. Herein, organic–inorganic hybrid nano/microcapsules loaded with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) were prepared via interfacial polymerization in Pickering emulsion. The diameter of the resultant capsules ranged from 468 nm to 1106 nm, and the thick shells were densely packed with silica nanoparticles. To evaluate the resistance properties of the nano/microcapsules, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) tests showed that the capsules have a high initial evaporation temperature at about 340 °C; titration tests indicated that the capsules exhibited outstanding resistance to xylene and acetone. For capsules characterized by AFM, the compressive modulus could reach up to 16–19 GPa, which proved their excellent mechanical property. The morphology of the nanocapsules in different preparation periods was also studied, and it was found that the shell wall was closely packed with silica nanoparticles. The structure of the shell wall and the chemical reaction between organic and inorganic materials improved the hardness of the nano/microcapsules. Furthermore, the resultant capsules exhibited self-healing ability in an organic silicon resin coating.


The assessment of cassava clones across multiple environments is often carried out at the uniform yield trial, a late evaluation stage, before variety release. This is to assess the differential response of the varieties across the testing environments, a phenomenon referred to as genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI). This phenomenon is considered a critical challenge confronted by plant breeders in developing crop varieties. This study used the data from variety trials established as randomized complete block design (RCBD) in three replicates across 11 locations in different agro-ecological zones in Nigeria over four cropping seasons (2016–2017, 2017–2018, 2018–2019, and 2019–2020). We evaluated a total of 96 varieties, including five checks, across 48 trials. We exploited the intricate pattern of GEI by fitting variance–covariance structure models on fresh root yield. The goodness-of-fit statistics revealed that the factor analytic model of order 3 (FA3) is the most parsimonious model based on Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). The three-factor loadings from the FA3 model explained, on average across the 27 environments, 53.5% [FA (1)], 14.0% [FA (2)], and 11.5% [FA (3)] of the genetic effect, and altogether accounted for 79.0% of total genetic variability. The association of factor loadings with weather covariates using partial least squares regression (PLSR) revealed that minimum temperature, precipitation and relative humidity are weather conditions influencing the genotypic response across the testing environments in the southern region and maximum temperature, wind speed, and temperature range for those in the northern region of Nigeria. We conclude that the FA3 model identified the common latent factors to dissect and account for complex interaction in multi-environment field trials, and the PLSR is an effective approach for describing GEI variability in the context of multi-environment trials where external environmental covariables are included in modeling.


Morphological and cytogenetic changes associated with evolution from wild plant to cultivar have been explored for many crop plants, but the physiological adaptations are less well known. Selection for better performance as crops has not been associated with increase in relative growth rate or photosynthetic rate. In fact, photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area has fallen during the evolution of some crops, but this has been counterbalanced by greater leaf area and duration of photosynthetic activity. The capacity to transport assimilates to the storage organs has increased, due mainly to additional phloem differentiation rather than to closer proximity of source and sink organs. Greater size or number of storage organs, together with their more compact arrangement and more synchronous development, have all contributed to their predominance as a sink for assimilates and mobile nutrients towards the end of the life cycle, attracting progressively more substance to the organs harvested by man.


Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome poses a significant clinical challenge. Its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. In recent years, numerous studies have shown that podocyte-specific gene mutations may play important roles in the development of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome. Among the identified genes mutated in podocytes include NPHS2, NPHS1, WT1, TRPC6, MDR1, PLCE1, LMX1B, and LAMB2. This review aims to summarize the characteristics of these mutated genes in podocytes. The putative role for these podocyte-specific mutated genes in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome is also discussed.


Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy line profiles with Ångstrom resolution, we uncover novel core-shell fine structures in a series of catalytically active dealloyed Pt(x)Ni(1-x) core-shell nanoparticles, showing the formation of unusual near-surface Ni-enriched inner shells. The radial location and the composition of the Ni-enriched inner shells were sensitively dependent on the initial alloy compositions. We further discuss how these self-organized Ni-enriched inner shells play a key role in maintaining surface lattice strain and thus control the surface catalytic activity for oxygen reduction.


This paper deals with the problem of dynamic stability of angle-ply laminated cylindrical shells subjected to impact hydrostatic pressure is described. First of all, the motion of cylindrical shells subjected to impact hydrostatic pressure is defined as an axially symmetric motion. Following this definition, certain perturbations are superimposed on this motion and their effect on the behavior of the shell is investigated. The symmetric state of the motion of the shell is called stable if the perturbations remained bounded. The solutions for the prebuckling motion and the perturbed motion are obtained using the Galerkin's method. Stable regions are determined by utilizing the Mathieu's equation. The inevitability of dynamically unstable behavior is proved analytically and the effects of various factors, such as hydrostatic pressure ratio, lamination angle and dynamic unstable mode, are clarified.


PURPOSE/METHODS
Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome is a constellation of clinical findings characterized by mental and motor retardation, broad thumbs and broad first toes, marked growth retardation, microcrania, typical facies, high-arched palate, and cryptorchidism in males. Ocular and adnexal abnormalities are quite common and include antimongoloid slant of the palpebral fissures, epicanthal folds, congenital obstruction of the lacrimal excretory system, ptosis, strabismus, and severe ametropia. Macrocornea, microophthalmos, colobomas of the iris and of the optic nerve head, congenital cataract, and optic nerve atrophy have also been described. Congenital glaucoma is a rare complication. We examined a patient with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome with bilateral congenital glaucoma.

RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS
Examination of this patient revealed bilateral antimongoloid slants of the palpebral fissures, and bilateral congenital glaucoma. Gonioscopic examination revealed the iris to be inserted flatly into the trabecular meshwork. This case emphasizes the importance of detailed, complete ocular examinations in patients with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, and also highlights the occurrence of ocular abnormalities rarely associated with this disease.


An inverse correlation between vegetable consumption and the incidence of cancer has long been described. This protective effect is stronger when cruciferous vegetables are specifically consumed. The beneficial properties of vegetables are attributed to their bioactive components like fiber, antioxidants vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and phenolic compounds. Cruciferous vegetables contain all these molecules; however, what makes them different are their sulfurous components, called glucosinolates, responsible for their special smell and taste. Glucosinolates are inactive biologically in the organism but are hydrolyzed by the enzyme myrosinase released as a result of chewing, leading to the formation of active derivatives such as isothiocyanates and indoles. A considerable number of in vitro and in vivo studies have reported that isothiocyanates and indoles elicit chemopreventive potency through multiple mechanisms that include modulation of phases I and II detoxification pathway enzymes, regulation of cell cycle arrest, and control of cell growth, induction of apoptosis, antioxidant activity, anti-angiogenic effects, and epigenetic regulation. Nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) are key and central regulators in all these processes with a main role in oxidative stress and inflammation control. It has been described that isothiocyanates and indoles regulate their activity directly and indirectly. Today, the metabolic syndrome (central obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension) is responsible for a majority of deaths worldwide. All components of metabolic syndrome are characterized by chronic inflammation with deregulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, MAPK/EKR/JNK, Nrf2, and NF-κB signaling pathways. The effects of GLSs derivatives controlling these pathways have been widely described in relation to cancer. Changes in food consumption patterns observed in the last decades to higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, with elevation in simple sugar and saturated fat contents and lower consumption of vegetables and fruits have been directly correlated with metabolic syndrome prevalence. In this review, it is summarized the knowledge regarding the mechanisms by which cruciferous glucosinolate derivatives (isothiocyanates and indoles) directly and indirectly regulate these pathways. However, the review places a special focus on the knowledge of the effects of glucosinolates derivatives in metabolic syndrome, since this has not been reviewed before.


Abstract In the information age, students must learn to navigate and evaluate an expanding network of information. Highly effective teachers model this process of information analysis and knowledge acquisition by continually learning through collaboration, professional development, and studying pedagogical techniques and best practices. Many teachers have extended their learning by developing online professional learning networks (PLNs). PLNs connect teachers to other individuals worldwide who can offer support, advice, feedback, and collaboration opportunities. PLNs also allow teachers to collect information from various Web sites and access it in one organized area so they can efficiently stay up to date on the latest teaching techniques, pedagogies, and changes in the field of education. This paper reviews three popular PLNs created for educators—Edmodo, Classroom 2.0, and The Educator's PLN—and provides an analysis of how teachers use the PLNs for learning, sharing, and communicating.


The energy expenditure of endotherms is influenced by body size, climate, and food habits. Body size is the most important factor determining basal rates of metabolism and thermal conductances. The interaction of these two parameters produces a temperature differential between an endotherm and its environment at the lower limit of thermoneutrality that normally increases with body weight. Greater basal rates of metabolism than expected from weight are found in temperate and arctic species; low basal rates are found in desert species. Low basal rates are also found in species that have a periodic food supply, in species that harvest food in an indescriminate manner, or in species that use food of low available energy content. Geographic limitations in the distribution of endotherms and the use of such evasionary tactics as torpor or migration may also be responses to a limited energy availability. Thermal conductances are low in temperate and arctic species, but high in tropical endotherms. Thus, the temperature differentials maintained by endotherms tend to vary with both climate and food habits. The weight-independent variations in metabolism and conductance permit an endotherm to compensate for a small body size, making temperature differentials independent of body weight. High intensity species compensate for a small size by an increase in the basal rate of metabolism beyond that expected from the standard weight-metabolism curve; low intensity species compensate for a small size by a decrease in thermal conductance. It therefore appears that the energy expenditure of endotherms is sensitive to their economic roles and to the physical conditions they face. Organisms require energy for their maintenance and, if they are to persist, energy income must balance expenditure. This requirement places restraints on organisms, because the parameters that set the cost of maintenance are different from those that determine energy availability. Ultimately, energy expenditure Manuscript received February 8, 1974 (#74-27). THE OHIO JOURNAL OF SCIENCE 74(6): 370, November, 1974 No. 6 THE ENERGETICS OF ENDOTHERMS 371 and complexity of maintenance are determined by the availability of energy in the environment. The environmental limitations to energy expenditure are striking in the most expensive homeostatic mechanism, endothermic temperature regulation. Endothermy is found in most mammals and birds, in a few fish, and intermittently in at least one reptile and certain insects. Many laboratory measurements of the energetics of mammals and birds have been made in the belief that the measurements reflect differential responses in the field. It is gratifying to see that when the energetic equivalent of behavior is multiplied by the time period over which the behavior occurs in the field, the resulting estimate of the total energy budget is similar to that measured in the field with D2O 18 (Utter and LeFebvre, 1973). Nevertheless, it is important to realize that the energy expenditure of animals in the laboratory is not equal to that in the field. This paper will attempt to examine how the energy expenditure of endotherms varies as a function of the ecologically important variables of body size, climate, and food habits. ENDOTHERMIC ENERGETICS For an endotherm to maintain a constant body temperature (Tb), heat production (M) must equal heat loss: (1) M = C(Tb-Ta) + LE where C is the "dry" thermal conductance, Ta ambient temperature, L latent heat of vaporization, and E amount of water lost by evaporation. (Thermal conductance might be more appropriately called the coefficient of heat transfer, or thermal coefficient.) Since it is often difficult to measure heat production by oxygen consumption, and evaporative water loss simultaneously (Lasiewski, et al., 1966), a "wet" thermal conductance, O, can be defined for convenience:


Coaching psychology (and coaching generally) perceives itself, and wishes to be seen as, an activity that is widely valued. To do so, it has mimicked many of the features of other activities perceived of as being highly valued: the traditional professions. A key influence in the development of coaching has been status anxiety. This paper considers how this might be influencing the development of coaching psychology.