This Innovative Practice Work in Progress Paper presents a strategy of how product design engineering students use mood boards in a systematic way, as a tool to enhance creativity and to gather visual coherence and aesthetic consistency during the concept design stage. In educational practice, mood boards help and improve an engineer's visual thinking. Currently there appears to be a very limited understanding by students on how to incorporate in their design, product features from visual theme boards; and students complain of the lack of precise instructions by teachers, making it difficult to conduct the design process. Being inspired by a perfume bottle for example helps create a systematic approach to mood boards by defining a visual framework to determine the styling outcomes. The findings suggested that the use of an inspiring element facilitates visual and aesthetic connections, resulting in a significantly more motivating process for students, as well as an encouraging guiding process for teachers that seek to achieve design accuracy.


Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC) is an autosomal dominant disease that represents approximately 5-10% of all patients with breast cancer. This syndrome is mainly associated to high-risk pathogenic alleles in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, but only for 25% of HBOC cases. This work aimed to find new pathogenic alleles in a panel of 143 cancer-predisposing genes in 300 Mexican cancer patients with suspicion of HBOC and 31 non-cancer patients with a severe family history of cancer, using massive parallel sequencing. We found 15% (45/300) patients with pathogenic variants in the group of cancer patients; 12% (35/300) harbored variants with unknown clinical significance (VUS) and 73% (220/300) were negative. The non-cancer group had a 32% (10/31) of patients with pathogenic variants, 3% (1/31) had VUS and 65% (20/31) were negative. Moreover, the most recurrent mutation was the Mexican founder deletion of exons 9-12 in BRCA1, found in 5 of 16 cancer patients with alterations in this gene. Private or rare VUS variants with potential impact at protein level were found in 22 genes, being CHEK2 the one with most VUS (6/39). Noteworthy, our results show for the first time in the Mexican population an equal contribution of pathogenic alleles in other susceptibility cancer genes (50%) as in BRCA1/2 (50%). This highlights the high locus heterogeneity of HBOC and the necessity of expanding genetic tests for this disease to broader gene panels. Further studies need to be conducted to define the clinical impact of the pathogenic alleles and VUS identified. Citation Format: Felipe Vaca-Paniagua, Rosalia Quezada-Urban, Clara E. Diaz-Velasquez, Rina Gitler, Maria P. Rojo-Castillo, Max Sirota-Toporek, Andrea Figueroa-Morales, Oscar Moreno-Garcia, Lizbeth Garcia Esquivel, Gabriela Torres-Mejia, Michael Dean, Ivan Delgado-Enciso, Hector Ochoa-Diaz-Lopez, Fernando Rodriguez-Leon, Virginia Jan, Victor H. Hugo Garzon-Barrientos, Pablo Ruiz-Flores, Perla K. Espino-Silva, Jorge Haro-Santa Cruz, Hector Martinez-Gregorio, Ernesto Rojas-Jimenez, Rosa M. Alvarez-Gomez, Luis A. Herrera, Isabelle Romieu, Luis I. Terrazas, Yolanda I. Chirino, Cecilia Frecha, Javier Oliver, Sandra Perdomo. Comprehensive analysis of germline variants in Mexican patients with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1240.


This essay considers an alternative form of reconciliation with my abuelita who passed away unexpectedly from a stroke in 2021. Beginning with her career as a professional singer refuting gender roles in Spain, I consider the trajectory of her life that led to her adulthood as a conservative Jehovah's Witness. Through speculative memory work and queer futurity, this essay queers abuelita in a way that reimagines her life as a musician, performer, and grandmother. I offer this as an example of how queer individuals negotiate and address the contradictions of reconciliation and queerness on their own terms.


Simple Summary Glioblastomas (GBMs) are aggressive brain tumors with frequent genetic defects in TP53 and PTEN tumor suppressor genes, which render tumors refractory to standard chemotherapeutics. Natural and synthetic cannabinoids showed antitumor activity in glioma cells and animal glioma models. Due to differences in the expression of cannabinoid type 2 receptors (CB2), which are abundant in GBMs but absent from a healthy brain, we tested synthetic cannabinoids for their ability to kill numerous glioma cells. We performed multiple biochemical analyses to determine which cell death pathways are activated in human glioma cells. We demonstrate high susceptibility of human glioblastoma cells to synthetic cannabinoids, despite genetic defects contributing to apoptosis resistance, which makes cannabinoids promising anti-glioma therapeutics. Abstract Glioblastomas (GBMs) are aggressive brain tumors with frequent genetic alterations in TP53 and PTEN tumor suppressor genes rendering resistance to standard chemotherapeutics. Cannabinoid type 1 and 2 (CB1/CB2) receptor expression in GBMs and antitumor activity of cannabinoids in glioma cells and animal models, raised promises for a targeted treatment of these tumors. The susceptibility of human glioma cells to CB2-agonists and their mechanism of action are not fully elucidated. We determined CB1 and CB2 expression in 14 low-grade and 21 high-grade tumor biopsies, GBM-derived primary cultures and established cell lines. The non-selective CB receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 (but not its inactive enantiomer) or the CB2-selective agonist JWH133 induced apoptosis in patient-derived glioma cultures and five established glioma cell lines despite p53 and/or PTEN deficiency. Growth inhibitory efficacy of cannabinoids correlated with CB1/CB2 expression (EC50 WIN55,212-2: 7.36–15.70 µM, JWH133: 12.15–143.20 µM). Treatment with WIN55,212-2 or JWH133 led to activation of the apoptotic mitochondrial pathway and DNA fragmentation. Synthetic cannabinoid action was associated with the induction of autophagy and knockdown of autophagy genes augmented cannabinoid-induced apoptotic cell death. The high susceptibility of human glioblastoma cells to synthetic cannabinoids, despite genetic defects contributing to apoptosis resistance, makes cannabinoids promising anti-glioma therapeutics.


Modern crisis management requires that users with different roles and computer environments have to deal with a high volume of various data from different sources. For this purpose, Fraunhofer IOSB has developed a geographic information system (GIS) which supports the user depending on available data and the task he has to solve. The system provides merging and visualization of spatial data from various civilian and military sources. It supports the most common spatial data standards (OGC, STANAG) as well as some proprietary interfaces, regardless if these are filebased or database-based. To set the visualization rules generic Styled Layer Descriptors (SLDs) are used, which are an Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard. SLDs allow specifying which data are shown, when and how. The defined SLDs consider the users' roles and task requirements. In addition it is possible to use different displays and the visualization also adapts to the individual resolution of the display. Too high or low information density is avoided. Also, our system enables users with different roles to work together simultaneously using the same data base. Every user is provided with the appropriate and coherent spatial data depending on his current task. These so refined spatial data are served via the OGC services Web Map Service (WMS: server-side rendered raster maps), or the Web Map Tile Service - (WMTS: pre-rendered and cached raster maps).


Charge transport and glassy dynamics of a variety of glass-forming ionic liquids (ILs) are investigated in a wide frequency and temperature range by means of broadband dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and rheology. While the absolute values of dc conductivity and viscosity vary over more than 11 decades with temperature and upon systematic structural variation of the ILs, quantitative agreement is found between the characteristic frequency of charge transport and the structural alpha-relaxation. This is traced back to dynamic glass transition assisted hopping as the underlying mechanism of charge transport.


This paper summarizes and highlights different approaches to behavioural economics. It includes a discussion of the differences between the "old†behavioural economics school, led by scholars like Herbert Simon, and the "new†behavioural economics, which builds on the work of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky and is best exemplified by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein's recent book, Nudge. These important currents in behavioural economics are also contrasted with the conventional economic wisdom. The focus of this comparative analysis is to examine the implications of these different approaches in behavioural economics for financial literacy.


This contribution deals with an unsupervised system to process digital photomicrographs in order to locate and analyze islets of Langherans in human pancreases. The experiment has been conducted on real data and, though we are still going to complete the evaluation of the whole method, we expect to define a set of proper features (e.g. area, perimeter, fractal dimension, shape complexity, texture and entropy) useful for a fast and reliable counting of healthy cells. In particular, this research aims to measure the advisability of a possible implantation in patients affected by type 1 diabetes mellitus.


Ethiopia has the largest cattle population in Africa. However, the potential of the sector has not fully utilized. Average carcass weight of cattle, per capita meat consumption and annual volume of meat produced were very low. Experience from developed countries indicates that implementing carcass quality audit would aid to identify quality problems, develop strategies and establish an educational plan to improve carcass quality. The audit has helped in benchmarking carcass quality parameters to quantify the progress of the sector at intervals of time. The purpose of this paper is to develop strategy on beef carcass quality audit and indicates the possibilities of implementing it at beef export abattoirs in Ethiopia.

 Key words: Beef, carcass, audit, Ethiopia.


Pittillo, Robert F. (Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Ala.), Mary Lucas, Robert T. Blackwell, and Carolyn Woolley. Modification of radiation damage of bacteria by folic acid antagonists. J. Bacteriol. 90:1548–1551. 1965.—The folic acid analogues, 2,4-diamino-6-methylpteridine, amethopterin, and aminopterin, have been found to sensitize certain bacteria, especially Escherichia coli, to the lethal action of ionizing irradiation. Data are presented which indicate that (i) the compounds must be present during the irradiation period for maximal sensitization to be observed, (ii) the sensitizing effect can be nullified by cysteine or cysteamine, (iii) the sensitizing effect occurs in a number of diverse bacterial genera, and (iv) folic acid neither sensitizes bacteria to irradiation nor prevents the sensitization caused by these antifolic agents.


An anticipated outbreak of corona virus (COVID-19) brings out the severe acute respiratory syndrome and corona-virus-2(SARS-COV-2) attacked in Wuhan city, china beginning of February 2020. World health organization (WHO) announced the outburst of pandemic disease through public health emergency of international concern. A variety of control measures has been taken by the government to control the disease. The investigation can be done about the pathogen and current epidemic. The world healthcare system has a major concern for new infectious diseases like covid-19 and needs new technological support. Deep learning in Artificial intelligence (AI) helps the world by safeguard the people from pandemic disease. Our aim is to investigate the AI based deep learning algorithm to analyze, prevent and prepare to defend against covid-19 and similar infectious disease.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the results obtained from scientific articles concerning research into group rehabilitation for people over 65 years with hearing problems. The interest arose then group rehabilitation was unusual in the audiologists work, even though previous research showed these positive effects. With a group rehabilitation, the participants can easier accept theire hearing loss and hearing aid, compaired with an individual rehabilitation. The method used was a literature study. PubMed and PsycINFO databases were used in the search for literature. Some articles were searched from selected scientific studies reference lists and also advice from the supervisor. The results show that group rehabilitation is an good method for audiologists to use. Meeting other participants could be a way for the patient to easier accept and get a better understanding of their hearing situation. They also get an increased awareness and better selfconfidence. The conclusion showed that it is good to learn the patients communication strategies and give them homework. Likewise it is important to create an individual goal with the patient to get a successful result. Furthermore, the results show on an increased quality of life and decreased experience of hearing handicap in the short term. Another study of group rehabilitation only had seen a little change in experience of hearing handicap. As well as a more positive attitude, group members had a more realistic expectation of the performance on the hearing aid, compared with people who only had received an individual rehabilitation. If the group members use their hearing aid more than others, is not detected improved. The participants in the group allowed each other to be adapted to their hearing handicap and maybe is it easier when they meet others and recognice that they are not alone about their situation.


Abstract Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) constitute a valuable and economical teaching force in many higher education undergraduate programmes. However, student satisfaction with their teaching has attracted little attention in the research literature. This study aimed at examining students' evaluation of teaching of GTAs in discussion groups, as well as exploring the effects of group and GTA variables on these ratings. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered online and completed by 7078 undergraduate students. Participants were enrolled in classes taught by 278 GTAs from four faculties in a major Israeli university. Results indicated that ratings assigned to clarity of instruction were the most salient predictor of students' overall evaluation. Generally, findings were consistent with those reported in the literature for other categories of instructors. Groups taught by GTAs in exact sciences and engineering were rated higher than those in social sciences and business management. Group size and the percentage of men students were inversely correlated with student ratings, while student attendance rate was positively correlated. Women GTAs and GTAs who taught more than one group tended to receive higher ratings. Overall student attendance rate was the most prominent predictor of student ratings. The implications of the findings are discussed.


This study aims to describe the character values contained in the grade 1 student book of the 2017 edition of the My Family theme published by Kemendibud. The research method uses descriptive qualitative research. The research data consisted of (1) orders / tasks, (2) expressions / statements, (3) dialogues / interviews. The source of the data is in the form of reading / content text in the first grade elementary school student book with the theme of my family, published by the Ministry of Education and Culture's revised 2017 edition. Data analysis was carried out using content analysis. Data collection was done using artifact analysis techniques in the form of writing or text. Data processing is done by collecting the character values that have been reviewed in the student book theme My Family. The results of the study were six character values, namely, (1) social care. Social care is able to show students' attitudes to love each other, helping and helping fellow families. (2) tolerance. Tolerance is shown by students discussing in groups. (3) creative. Creative shows students by making handicrafts with their ideas and ideas. (4) self-confidence. Students show their actions in front of the class by appearing bold. (5) communicative. students are able to talk and tell experiences in front of the class and around their environment. (6) religious. The value of religious character shows the attitude of students obeying God's commands and avoiding prohibitions and carrying out worship with family.


The >800-m-thick, Oligocene Ohanapecosh Formation records voluminous sedimentation of volcanic clasts in the Ancestral Cascades arc (Washington State, USA). Most volcaniclastic beds are dominated by angular pumice clasts and fiamme of andesitic composition, now entirely devitrified and altered. All beds are laterally continuous and have uniform thickness; fine sandstone and mudstone beds have features typical of deposits from low-density turbidity currents and suspension settling. Erosion surfaces, cross-beds, and evidence of bi-directional oscillatory currents (i.e., wave ripples and swaley and hummocky cross-stratification) are almost entirely absent. We infer that the setting was subaqueous and below wave base. The abundance of angular pumice clasts, crystals and dense volcanic clasts, and the extreme thickness of several facies, suggest they were derived from magmatic volatile-driven explosive eruptions. The extremely thick beds are ungraded or weakly graded, and lack evidence of hot emplacement, suggesting deposition from subaqueous, water-supported, high-concentration volcaniclastic density currents. Some of the thickest beds contain coarse, rounded, dense clasts at their base and are interbedded with accretionary lapilli–bearing mudstone; these beds are interpreted to be deposits from subaqueous density currents fed by subaerial pyroclastic flows that crossed the shoreline. Shallow basaltic intrusions and mafic volcanic breccia composed of scoria lapilli indicate the presence of intra-basinal scoria cones that may have been partly subaerial. The range in facies in the Ohanapecosh Formation is typical of below-wave-base, continental (lacustrine) basins that form in proximity to active volcanic arcs, and includes eruption-fed and resedimented facies. Extreme instantaneous aggradation rates are related directly to explosive eruptions, and sediment pathways reflect the locations of active volcanoes, in contrast to conventional sedimentation processes acting in non-volcanic environments.


DIPA (C6H15NO2; CAS 110-97-4) is used in a number of commercial, industrial, and household applications. It is known under a variety of synonyms, including bis(2hydroxypropyl)amine, 1,1'-iminobis(2-propanol) and 1,1'iminodipropan-2-ol. It has a molecular weight of 133.19 g·mol, a density of 0.989 g·cm at 25°C, an aqueous solubility of 870,000 mg·L at 25°C, a mean Kd in aquifer materials of 2.2 L·kg, a vapour pressure at 42°C of 2.7 x 10 kPa, and a Henry's law constant of 1.72 x 10 atm·m ·mol.


Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in choroideremia is a rare occurrence. The authors present a case of a 23-year-old man with choroideremia with a near-total rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Fundus examination did not reveal any retinal breaks, but extensive preoperative optical coherence tomography detected a small posterior hole along the superior arcades. The retinal detachment was successfully managed with vitrectomy, perfluorooctane to confirm the absence of any peripheral breaks, endolaser, and 20% sulfur hexafluoride gas. Similar extramacular holes were found in the patient's other eye. Patients with choroideremia may develop posterior retinal breaks leading to retinal detachment.


Developing a virtualized network service does not only involve the implementation and configuration of the network functions it is composed of but also its integration and test with management solutions that will control the service in its production environment. These integration tasks require testbeds that offer the needed network function virtualization infrastructure (NFVI), like OpenStack, introducing a lot of management and maintenance overheads. Such testbed setups become even more complicated when the multi point-of-presence (PoP) case, with multiple infrastructure installations, is considered. In this demo, we showcase an emulation platform that executes containerized network services in user-defined multi-PoP topologies. The platform does not only allow network service developers to locally test their services but also to connect realworld management and orchestration solutions to the emulated PoPs. During our interactive demonstration we focus on the integration between the emulated infrastructure and state-of-theart orchestration solutions like SONATA or OSM.


The site-selective modification of the proteins RNase A, lysozyme C, and the peptide hormone somatostatin is presented via a kinetically controlled labeling approach. A single lysine residue on the surface of these biomolecules reacts with an activated biotinylation reagent at mild conditions, physiological pH, and at RT in a high yield of over 90%. In addition, fast reaction speed, quick and easy purification, as well as low reaction temperatures are particularly attractive for labeling sensitive peptides and proteins. Furthermore, the multifunctional bioorthogonal bioconjugation reagent (19) has been achieved allowing the site-selective incorporation of a single ethynyl group. The introduced ethynyl group is accessible for, e.g., click chemistry as demonstrated by the reaction of RNase A with azidocoumarin. The approach reported herein is fast, less labor-intensive and minimizes the risk for protein misfolding. Kinetically controlled labeling offers a high potential for addressing a broad range of native proteins and peptides in a site-selective fashion and complements the portfolio of recombinant techniques or chemoenzymatic approaches.


This paper examines the effect of mimetic isomorphism on bribery of firms in transitional China. In addition, we also consider whether or not market competition and perceived benefit moderate the effect of mimetic isomorphism. The results show that a given firm's bribing behavior is significantly motivated by other firms' bribing behavior, confirming the existence of mimetic isomorphism. Moreover, market competition and perceived benefit are also found to have a significant and positive effect on firms' bribing behavior. Furthermore, market competition significantly and positively moderates the effect of mimetic isomorphism while perceived benefit does not.


This study was designed to evaluate the role of neutrophils (PMNs) in the pathogenesis of emphysema. After administration of CdCl2 intratracheally to hamsters fed a lathyrogen, beta-amino propionitrile fumarate (BAPN), the classic lesions of emphysema developed. Administration of specific antineutrophil serum markedly reduced the PMN influx into the lungs which followed CdCl2 exposure and produced a substantial decrease in elastase and collagenase content of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL). The degree of emphysema in PMN-depleted hamsters given BAPN and CdCl2 was not different from that in hamsters given BAPN and CdCl2. Furthermore, the degree of acute lung injury following CdCl2, as determined by hydroxyproline content of BAL and by lung lipid peroxidation, was the same in PMN-depleted and non-depleted groups. Thus, PMNs were not necessary for the induction of emphysema in BAPN-CdCl2-treated hamsters. The results suggest that PMNs may not be obligate mediators of emphysema.


Based on the results of monitoring of learning at Post PAUD in Tlogomas region in the 20172018 semester, there are several findings in the development of non-formal education institutions among the following; 1). facilities and learning infrastructure that has not been good, 2). The welfare of teachers is still uncertain, 3). administrative demands from partner institutions, and also 4). different curriculum guide of ECD (Formal) with Post PAUD (non Formal), also related teacher competence. This devotion program helps provide partner problem solving that is; mentoring and training of learning tool preparation, the planning stage begins with visits to several PAUD Post. Implementation of each teacher reviewing learning tools, dilanjudkan accompaniment team as well as training the preparation of personal RPPH preparation, then the results are presented in groups to get input repair and end the evaluation with the team of servants. The results of the teacher program can demonstrate the results of the group's work to make the RPPH hope that the follow-up of this activity will be dilanjudkannya in their respective institutions to improve the quality of learning according to student development.


Renal disease is not uncommon in those infected with HIV. The most common manifestation of HIV in the kidney is HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN). Other HIV- and non-HIV-related causes have been described in the literature. Immunotactoid glomerulonephritis (ITG) is a rare disorder found in 0.06% of renal biopsies characterized by organized tubular immune complex deposits, observed more often in Caucasians. ITG tends to occur in an older age group and in some patients has been associated with a hemopoietic malignancy. In this report, we describe a case of ITG occurring in an HIV-positive, hepatitis C (HCV)- and hepatitis B (HBV)-negative female, who presented with microscopic hematuria and proteinuria. A percutaneous kidney biopsy showed diffuse membranous glomerulopathy, with mild mesangial proliferation and segmental sclerosing lesions containing mainly IgG, Kappa- and C3-positive deposits. Electron microscopy revealed diffuse subepithelial tubular deposits diagnostic of ITG. Out of 5 reported HIV-positive cases and ITG in the literature, 3 were HCV+, 2 were Caucasian and 3 were African-American (AA) without detectable hematologic malignancy. We report another case of ITG in an HCV- and HBV-negative, AA female.


We report quantum molecular dynamics simulations of dense molecular fluids under extreme pressure and temperature. We discuss two applications in the range of recent gas-gun and laser shock compression experiments: the equation-of-state and shock Hugoniots of deuterium and nitrogen; and, the optical reflectivity of fluid deuterium.


Background: Yoga has been shown to have many short-term health benefits, but little is known about the extent to which these benefits accrue over a long time frame or with frequent practice. Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which body mass index (BMI) and medication use in a sample of female yoga practitioners over 45 years varied according to the length and frequency of yoga practice. Materials and Methods: We administered online surveys to 211 female yoga practitioners aged 45 to 80 years. We used regression analyses to evaluate the relationship of extent of yoga experience to both BMI and medication use after accounting for age and lifestyle factors. We also conducted comparisons with 182 matched controls. Results: Participants had practiced yoga for as long as 50 years and for up to 28 hours per week. There were significant inverse relationships between yoga experience and both BMI and medication load. These significant relationships remained after accounting for age and lifestyle factors. When we computed yoga experience in terms of total calendar years, without accounting for hours of practice, significant relationships did not remain. However, there was no obesity in the 49 participants with more than 25 years of yoga practice. Yoga practitioners were less likely than non-practitioners to use medication for metabolic syndrome, mood disorders, inflammation, and pain. Conclusions: A long-term yoga practice was associated with little or no obesity in a non-probability sample of women over 45 years. Relationships showed a dose-response effect, with increased yoga experience predicting lower BMI and reduced medication use.


Day-to-day political life for the most senior national politicians can be very pressurized and exposed. How they as individuals cope with constant challenges and make the most of opportunities for leadership is an underresearched area. This is addressed in this interpretive study of the personal accounts of a small group of prominent U.K. politicians as they reflect, soon after leaving office, on their experiences as national ministers. The article connects generic leadership theory around practice and purpose with political leadership studies as a basis for a thematic analysis of ministers' experiences across three key prominent arenas of ministerial life: relationships with the Prime Minister's office, within their departments, and with their constituencies. Analysis of findings leads to a proposed analytical framework of active leadership in their everyday experience. The article concludes that active leadership practice is difficult but possible for leading national politicians.


Role stress has been a topic of significant research interest to many. It has always been a favourite for academicians and researchers alike owing to the policy implications it could create. The authors of this study have expressed interest in this field especially in the context of India because of the prevailing uncertainties, slow economic growth, increased rate of unemployment and poor growth forecasts. The present study empirically examines Organizational Role Stress (ORS) in the services sector in India by conducting a Principal Component Analysis to arrive at 16 factors. Study reveals that the ORS levels were significantly different across various industries and for the single and married segments as well. But surprisingly, no significant difference in the ORS levels was observed for the male and female segments, thus indicating that apathetic economic situations can equally impact both the genders.


The purpose of this paper was to analyze the internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in relation to international market selection (IMS). To accomplish this, an investigation of the primary factors influencing SMEs' choice when selecting international market in a systematic way was conducted. In addition we sought to understand whether there was a relationship between the systematic approach in IMS and the characteristics of SMEs. Results revealed that the majority of SMEs adopt a non-systematic IMS. However, in the case of SMEs following a systematic approach to IMS, the study pointed out that SMEs are influenced by firm-specific and host country factors, but not by entry barriers like geographic and cultural distance. In addition, results illustrated the existence of a relationship between systematic IMS and firm size.


Abstract Demand for plastic resins in the United States is expected to hit 76 billion pounds by the year 2000 [1]. Consumers like the convenience, strength, and design flexibility that plastics provide. The U.S. currently generates about 320 billion pounds of municipal solid waste (MSW), or postconsumer waste, with about 85 % of this disposed of in landfills. Projections by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimate that MSW will reach 380 billion pounds by the year 2000 while a third of the landfills are expected to close in the next 5 years [2]. While plastics make up only about 7% of solid wastes they are a very visible 30% of MSW. Although recycling efforts may affect the EPA projection for year 2000-especially for metals, glass, and paper in the MSW stream-with only 1 % of plastics recovered in 1989, considerable progress is needed with plastics. With projected throw-away plastics waste of 38 billion pounds for year 2000 (up from 22 billion pounds of plastics waste in 1987) and an expect...


Backdoor attacks, which maliciously control a well-trained model's outputs of the instances with specific triggers, are recently shown to be serious threats to the safety of reusing deep neural networks (DNNs). In this work, we propose an efficient online defense mechanism based on robustness-aware perturbations. Specifically, by analyzing the backdoor training process, we point out that there exists a big gap of robustness between poisoned and clean samples. Motivated by this observation, we construct a word-based robustness-aware perturbation to distinguish poisoned samples from clean samples to defend against the backdoor attacks on natural language processing (NLP) models. Moreover, we give a theoretical analysis about the feasibility of our robustness-aware perturbation-based defense method. Experimental results on sentiment analysis and toxic detection tasks show that our method achieves better defending performance and much lower computational costs than existing online defense methods. Our code is available at https://github.com/lancopku/RAP.


This thesis describes the development of a psychoacoustically optimised bandwidth limitation method for multichannel audio. The proposed method takes advantages from the hierarchical representation of multichannel audio signals. Several hierarchical transform techniques were reviewed and their applicability to be used in the proposed hierarchical bandwidth limitation method were verified using psychoacoustical studies. The Karhunen-Loeve Transform (KLT) outperformed other hierarchical transform techniques due to its ability of rearranging the information in a perceptually hierarchical manner. Another advantage of KLT is that the transform matrices are signal-content-dependent and are adaptive to the actual spatial characteristics of audio material. The perceptual effects of the adaptive KLT-based hierarchical bandwidth limitation were studied. The results showed that applying KLT to short-term multichannel audio signals and updating the KLT transform matrices adaptively over time will result in better audio quality compared with non-adaptive KLT for those multichannel audio programmes that had significantly varying statistical characteristics over time. In addition, the bandwidth allocation strategy in KLT-based hierarchical bandwidth limitation was optimised for 3/2 stereo format for two levels of overall bandwidth: 40 and 60 kHz. An evaluation has been made of the optimised KLT-based hierarchical bandwidth limitation algorithm by comparing it with other bandwidth limitation algorithms. The results showed that the KLT-based hierarchical bandwidth limitation with the optimal bandwidth allocation strategy provided higher audio quality than the other traditional bandwidth limitation algorithms used for the limitation of bandwidth of multichannel sound.


Mathematical Theory of Evidence called also Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST) is known as a foundation for reasoning when knowledge is expressed at various levels of detail. Though much research effort has been committed to this theory since its foundation, many questions remain open. One of the most important open questions seems to be the relationship between frequencies and the Mathematical Theory of Evidence. The theory is blamed to leave frequencies outside (or aside of) its framework. The seriousness of this accusation is obvious: (1) no experiment may be run to compare the performance of DST-based models of real world processes against real world data, (2) data may not serve as foundation for construction of an appropriate belief model.
In this paper we develop a frequentist interpretation of the DST bringing to fall the above argument against DST. An immediate consequence of it is the possibility to develop algorithms acquiring automatically DST belief models from data. We propose three such algorithms for various classes of belief model structures: for tree structured belief networks, for poly-tree belief networks and for general type belief networks.


Internal wars continue to be present in current international affairs with characteristically different conflict dynamics, often centered in economic calculation and emerging as a challenge to policy makers and the international community.

The Angolan civil war is an example of an internal war plagued with economic calculations in sustaining the war and inhibiting the peace process. Such economic calculations are reflected in actions that seek to economically harm others, hence constituting `economic violence'. This research seeks to initially identify the forms of economic violence evident in the Angolan Civil War. After inquiry into the forms and structure of the Angolan civil war, the question posed in this research are targeted to the international response that was formed to actively react to the economic violence in the Angolan civil war. More specifically, how is the shaping and measurement of success of the international response towards Angolan economic violence analyzed using regime theory. Also, how is the shaping of international response analyzed within the internationalism framework and its emphasis on law, organization, exchange and communication?

In identifying the economic violence in Angola, a theory of economic violence derived from David Keen is used. In analyzing international response, a systemic level of analysis is utilized in this research, corresponding to the mainly systemic nature of the regime theory derived from Oran Young and the theory of internationalism derived from Kjell Goldmann that are to be utilized.
This writing argues that the foremost determining factor in international response in the forms of regimes is the systemic forging of knowledge and understanding of economic violence because it shapes all subsequent response.


An intracellular plant pathogen 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus,' a member of the Rhizobiales, is related to Sinorhizobium meliloti, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, nitrogen fixing endosymbionts, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a plant pathogen, and Bartonella henselae, an intracellular mammalian pathogen. Whole chromosome comparisons identified at least 50 clusters of conserved orthologous genes found on the chromosomes of all five metabolically diverse species. The intracellular pathogens 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' and Bartonella henselae have genomes drastically reduced in gene content and size as well as a relatively low content of guanine and cytosine. Codon and amino acid preferences that emphasize low guanosine and cytosine usage are globally employed in these genomes, including within regions of microsynteny and within signature sequences of orthologous proteins. The length of orthologous proteins is generally conserved, but not their isoelectric points, consistent with extensive amino acid substitutions to accommodate selection for low GC content. The 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' genome apparently has all of the genes required for DNA replication present in Sinorhizobium meliloti except it has only two, rather than three RNaseH genes. The gene set required for DNA repair has only one rather than ten DNA ligases found in Sinorhizobium meliloti, and the DNA PolI of 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' lacks domains needed for excision repair. Thus the ability of 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' to repair mutations in its genome may be impaired. Both 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus and Bartonella henselae lack enzymes needed for the metabolism of purines and pyrimidines, which must therefore be obtained from the host. The 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' genome also has a greatly reduced set of sigma factors used to control transcription, and lacks sigma factors 24, 28 and 38. The 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' genome has all of the hallmarks of a reduced genome of a pathogen adapted to an intracellular lifestyle.


The German Academic Web (GAW) is a longitudinal archive of websites from German academic institutions, mainly universities. It can support answering research questions about academia in Germany. Recent discussions about reproducible research have brought the availability and sharing of research data into focus. Collecting, linking, and providing metadata about research data is thus an important task for infrastructure facilities. In this work, we examine how existing datasets are linked and referenced on German academic web pages using the GAW archive. For that, we use the social sciences and economics datasets registered at da | ra as our case study. The results show that academic web pages as presented in GAW are not a good foundation to answer dataset-related questions. But from the few results found, it was obvious that da | ra datasets are usually mentioned using their DOIs and not their URLs.


This paper records some further observations on the reactions of fish to toxic solutions. The method of experimentation resembles that described in a previous paper by the writer (Jones, 1947 b ). In every case the solution is presented as an alternative to the Aberystwyth tap water, which is well aerated, very soft, of pH 6.8. In experiments with sodium sulphide a supply system is arranged in which dilute sodium sulphide solution, brought to pH 6.8 by the addition of sulphuric acid, is automatically made up as it runs into the observation vessel. Gasterosteus aculeatus L. reacts negatively to a 0.001 N solution almost immediately; at greater dilution the 'reaction time' lengthens, at 0.00008 N is about 47 min. Over the concentration range tested the reaction time is always shorter than the survival time. Gasterosteus is positive to 0.04 N lead nitrate. As a positive reaction is also displayed to equivalent concentrations of calcium nitrate, sodium nitrate and sodium chloride it is possible that the osmotic pressure of the solution is its attractive feature. At 0.01 N the positive response to lead nitrate disappears and at 0.004 N is replaced by a very definite negative reaction which is maintained down to 0.00002 N. The minnow ( Phoxinus phoxinus L.) is also negative to dilute lead nitrate and will detect and avoid a 0.000004 N solution. Gasterosteus will avoid water more acid than pH 5.6 or more alkaline than pH 11.4. Over the range 5.8-11.2 the fish are indifferent or very vaguely positive. Gasterosteus is negative to 0.04 and 0.01 N ammonia solution, positive to 0.001 and 0.0001 N. The general result with ammonia is thus the converse of that observed with lead nitrate.


Aalborg University's project-organised and problem-oriented studies were introduced thirty-three years ago. The experience since then has proved this to be an important innovation in higher education. The primary aim is to teach young people, students to become useful members for industry and society. Other primary objectives are to ensure high-quality research and education and to enhance technology transfer and to stimulate industry-university partnerships within the EU and stimulate Inter-University co-operation programmes. In this project we are focusing on the importance of curriculum development, teachers mobility, exchange of students and industrial co-operation.


Datacenter network topologies are inherently built with enough redundancy to offer multiple paths between pairs of end hosts for increased flexibility and resilience. On top, traffic engineering (TE) methods are needed to utilize the abundance of bisection bandwidth efficiently. Previously proposed TE approaches differentiate between long-lived flows (elephant flows) and short-lived flows (mice flows), using dedicated traffic management techniques to handle elephant flows, while treating mice flows with baseline routing methods. We show through an example that such an approach can cause congestion to shortlived (but not necessarily less critical) flows. To overcome this, we propose MiceTrap, an OpenFlow-based TE approach targeting datacenter mice flows. MiceTrap employs scalability against the number of mice flows through flow aggregation, together with a software-configurable weighted routing algorithm that offers improved load balancing for mice flows.


Osmunda regalis is an important plant of traditional systems of medicine. Fronds (leaves) of Osmunda regalis were evaluated for its antibacterial potential and phytochemical contents in various solvent extracts of the plant in increasing polarity towards pathogenic bacterial species. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by disc diffusion method. Petroleum ether, acetone, methanol and water extracts of Osmunda regalis were tested for antibacterial activity towards some pathogenic bacterial strains. Both acetone and methanol extracts exhibited antibacterial activity; maximum activity was shown by acetone extract compared to others. Antibacterial activity was confirmed by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). MIC and MBC values of acetone extract of 12.5mg/ml and 25mg/ml were observed towards Pseudomonas aeruginosa while MIC and MBC values of 25mg/ml and 50mg/ml were observed towards Shigella sonnei. Flavonoids, phenols, steroids were detected in acetone and methanol extracts. The study proves that Osmunda regalis possesses antibacterial principles, soluble in acetone, which hinder the growth and multiplication of some multidrug resistant bacterial strains.


NorthEast India, with its unique geographic location in the midst of the Himalayas and Bay of Bengal, has served as a passage for the movement of modern humans across the Indian subcontinent and East/Southeast Asia. In this study we look into the population genetics of a unique population called the Khasi, speaking a language (also known as the Khasi language) belonging to the Austroasiatic language family and residing amidst the Tibeto-Burman speakers as an isolated population. The Khasi language belongs to one of the three major broad classifications or phyla of the Austroasiatic language and the speakers of the three sub-groups are separated from each other by large geographical distances. The Khasi speakers are separated from their nearest Austroasiatic language-speaking sub-groups: the "Mundari" sub-family from East and peninsular India and the "Mon-Khmers" in Mainland Southeast Asia. We found the Khasi population to be genetically distinct from other Austroasiatic speakers, i.e. Mundaris and Mon-Khmers, but relatively similar to the geographically proximal Tibeto Burmans. The possible reasons for this genetic-linguistic discordance lie in the admixture history of different migration events that originated from East Asia and proceeded possibly towards Southeast Asia. We found at least two distinct migration events from East Asia. While the ancestors of today's Tibeto-Burman speakers were affected by both, the ancestors of Khasis were insulated from the second migration event. Correlating the linguistic similarity of Tibeto-Burman and Sino-Tibetan languages of today's East Asians, we infer that the second wave of migration resulted in a linguistic transition while the Khasis could preserve their linguistic identity.


This paper aims to research the effects of combined application of humic acid and urea on the wheat yield and yield component, and establish rational fertilizer application scheme of wheat. Split plot experiment was adopted. Two types of phosphorus fertilizer (adding humic acid or not) was assigned to the main plot, and four types of top dressing modes (different amount of urea and humic acid urea) were used in subplots. Effects of combined application of humic acid and urea on the wheat yield and yield component were researched. 375 kg/ha ordinary DAP + 150 kg/ha urea was used as base fertilizer; topdressing of 300 kg/ha urea humate could effectively promote the plant height, leaf area coefficient and aboveground dry matter amount. Adding humic acid in urea in topdressing significantly enhanced the wheat yield and economic coefficient of wheat. Adding humic acid in urea in topdressing has better effects of yield increasing than base fertilizer, and can be used for large scale extension.


At the last minute, a separation vessel is adapted in response to an unexpected alteration in its original design. While vessel internals are undergoing fabrication in the shop, a revised external piping layout necessitates changes to the overall vessel design. This vessel is compact and its design takes full advantage of its exact geometry. Specifically, the inlet and outlet orientations, to be modified, are critical to the original design. To keep the project on schedule, a new design, created and validated by an expedited computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study, is proposed for installation in 2005. The steps taken to validate the design are described in this paper.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Background and Aim: Biosecurity practices are a must in broiler farms to reduce the risk of infectious agents. This study aimed to evaluate biosecurity measures in nine broiler farms in the Suez Canal area – Egypt with measuring the seasonal prevalence of salmonellosis. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on randomly selected nine broiler farms of different housing systems based on the ventilation methods from March 2018 to April 2019. A total of 12,600 samples (6480 environmental, 4320 non-environmental, 1080 sera, and 720 live birds) were collected during four successive seasons. Results: Highly significant increases (p<0.01) were recorded in body weight gains in opened and closed-houses during summer; in food conversion ratios in opened-houses during winter and in closed-houses during winter and fall; in performance indices in opened-houses during summer and closed-houses during winter; and in live body weights, carcasses weights, liver, spleen, and bursa's weights in opened-houses during spring and in closed-houses during fall. Highly significant increases (p<0.01) were recorded in total bacterial, Enterobacteriaceae, and Salmonella counts in opened-houses during spring and in closed-houses during summer, in Salmonella Typhi O and H, and Salmonella Paratyphi A and B sera titer in opened-houses during summer and closed-houses during fall. Biosecurity measures scored 34 out of 43 with an average salmonellosis prevalence of 6.0% in closed-house and 24 out of 43 with an average salmonellosis prevalence of 24.67% in opened-house broiler farms. Conclusion: Weak biosecurity measures in broiler houses (opened and closed) were not sufficient to prevent the entrance and multiplication of Salmonella spp. Disciplines, commitment, and regulations of biosecurity need to be enforced in broiler houses to prevent the introduction and spread of diseases.


Centella asiatica L. is widely used as a medicinal herbs and alternative medicine in treating numerous kinds of diseases since prehistoric times. It is a perennial, creeper, faintly aromatic and a valuable medicinal herb of both Old World and the New World. The use of Centella in food and beverages has increased over the years basically due to its beneficial functional properties. Its potential antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, neuroprotective and other activities have been widely claimed in many reports. The requirement of Centella asiatica is now met from natural population, leading to their gradual depletion and thus followed by its placement in the list of threatened species as mentioned by IUCN. It is distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions of World such as Bangladesh, India, China, Nepal, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Indonesia etc. The present review is an up-to-date and comprehensive literature analysis of the chemistry and various heath beneficial functional properties of the Centella plant


German industrialization in the nineteenth century had brought forward a variety of conflicting ideas when it came to the agrarian community. One of them was the agrarian romantic movement led by Adam Műller, who feared the loss of the traditional German peasant. Műller influenced Reichdeutsche Richard Walther Darre, who argued that large cities were the downfall of the German people and that only a healthy peasant stock would be able to 'save' Germany. Under Darre's definition, "Geopolitik" was the defense of the land, the defense with Pflug und Schwert (plow and sword) by Wehrbauern, an 'Űberbauer-fusion' of soldier and peasant. In order to accomplish these goals, new settlements had to be established while moving from west to east. The specific focus of this study is on the original Hegewald resettlement ideas of Richard Walther Darre and how his philosophy was taken over by Himmler and fit into his personal needs and creed after 1941. It will shed some light on the interaction of Darre and Himmler and the notorious internal fights and power struggles between the various governmental agencies involved. The Ministry for Food and Agriculture under the leadership of Darre was systematically pushed into the background and all previous, often publicly announced re-settlement policies were altered; Darre was pushed aside once the eastern living space was actually occupied.


Providing comprehensive care for chronic pelvic pain is impeded by time and resource constraints of the standard health care visit. To provide patient education, psychosocial support, and health care assessment, we developed group visits for women with chronic pelvic pain using an evidence-based, holistic nursing approach. In this article, we describe the structure of group visits, the process of conducting Centering group visits focused on empowerment, and the content of a holistic curriculum for women with chronic pelvic pain.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second largest and progressive neurological disorder caused by selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra pars compacta. Familial PD can be attributed to mutations in different genes. Genetic, environmental and unknown factors may interplay and underlie idiopathic forms of PD. Research on PD is confronted by the long preclinical phase of disease, clinical and genetic heterogeneity and incomplete understanding of disease pathogenesis. It is, therefore, critical to understand the molecular basis of disease, and identify biological biomarkers to diagnose before the onset of irreversible loss of neurons. The current project focusses on identifying mutations in known PD genes to comprehend the underlying molecular mechanisms through genetic and functional studies, and identifying a panel of small molecules which can be used as "probes" to differentiate PD mutations and/or PDs and controls through multidimensional screening. All the experiments described in this project were carried out on human olfactory neurosphere derived (ONS) cells which are primary, unmodified cells previously used to model PD and to identify biologically active small molecules.
First, ONS cells from control and sporadic PD patients were screened for copy number variation in known PD genes by MLPA (multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification) which identified heterozygous deletions in the ONS cells of two sporadic PD patients i.e. 2704 (PARK2 ex 02), and 2509 (PARK2 ex 5-7). The later exhibited heterozygous deletions in the adjacent exons spanning introns 4 and 7. Whole exome sequencing for this sample did not identify additional disease causing mutations in any putative Parkinsonism-related gene.
Alternative splice variant analysis of PARK2 identified four novel alternative splice variants (SV ex 4-7, SV ex 5-7, SVex 5-8 and SVex 3-9) in 2509 (PARK2 ex 5-7) and another PD ONS cell line. Qualitative analysis of PARK2 splice variants showed more alternative variants in the disease group than in the controls. Treatment of ONS cells with mitochondrial toxins, 50 nM rotenone and 10 uM CCCP also showed changes in splicing patterns of PARK2 and SNCA. Overall, this may suggest that splicing of PARK2 and SNCA can be exacerbated on exposure to mitochondrial stressors which can be quantified further by qPCR. Only the full length transcript was observed for DJ1 in the samples tested.
PD ONS cells, exposed to 10uM of the mitochondrial uncoupler CCCP, showed increased susceptibility to cell death, as determined by number of cells surviving treatment compared to control ONS. The SNCA full length transcript level was significantly higher in the LRRK2 G2019S containing cell lines on exposure to 50nM rotenone compared to the controls and idiopathic PDs. LRRK2 containing cell lines manifested an overexpression of SYT-11, increased LysoTracker and increased LC3b intensities; this may suggest autophagosomal and lysosomal impairments that may be linked to the ATP13A2/SYT11 pathway. SYT-11 along with ATP13A2, a lysosomal type 5 P-type ATPase, regulates lysosmal function, the autophagy pathway and alpha-synuclein clearance. The altered expression of PGC-1α may suggest impaired mitochondrial biogenesis in some PD cell lines. Interestingly, cell lines carrying mutations in different regions of PARK2 showed different responses to the toxins which may be due to different pathways involved.
Seven ONS cell lines carrying mutations in different PD genes (LRRK2 G2019S, LRRK2 R1441, PINK1 G411S, PARK2 ex 5-7, PARK2 x02, KCNJ15) were prepared for high content screening of cellular, nuclear, mitochondrial, lysosomal, endosomal and autophagosomal analysis. The statistical suitability of cytological profiling was determined by subjecting previous collected data-sets to combined analyses. We observed a classification accuracy of approximately 90% using the vehicle (DMSO) treated profiles alone from PDs and controls. The lysosomal, mitochondrial and LC3b parameters were found to be the most important variables for discrimination between disease and control cell lines. Future experiments may involve the profiling of early onset cases or by challenging the ONS cells with different toxins to identify different aetiological subtypes.
In the next phase, small molecules which showed some biological activity in one patient cell line were studied in an attempt to identify probes which help to differentiate between PD and control cell lines. This could also lead to the identification of cytological signatures corresponding to the mutations they harbour, or the specific cellular pathways effected, in particular. A probe panel of small molecules was identified by comparing PD mutant ONS and controls, which showed disease or mutation specific cytological profiles. Some small molecules identified in this study have been known previously for their neuroprotective effect e.g. curcumin, Dihydroergocristine mesylate, Iso-tetrandrine, radicicol, berbamine and oxyacanthine sulfate. Little functional evidence is available to ascertain their mechanism of action. Moreover, cytological profiling can be expanded to include other cellular organelles e.g. endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex and the results obtained in this study can be validated by using large number of samples.
In conclusion, this study identified novel PARK2 splice variants in ONS cells, the functional evidence of which can help to comprehend how alternative splice variants can lead to neurodegeneration in PD. The functional evidence on genetic forms of PD may propose mitochondrial and endo-lysosomal impairments which require further investigation. Cytological profiling also suggests that ONS cells from PD patients reflect subtle morphological differences in various cellular organelles which can be pronounced on treatment with stressors or with small molecules which can be used as biomarkers for PD.


University Malaysia Kelantan is a public university in Malaysia that offered various entrepreneurial academic programs to the students to shaping their entrepreneurial knowledge, skills and attitude. Entrepreneurial intention is found to determine students' willingness to engage into entrepreneurial activities in future and it may be affected by many factors. The main purpose of this study is obtain a clear picture of entrepreneurial intention dimension from a student's perspective and how contextual factors and personality traits could influence student's intention to engage in entrepreneurship. The primary data of this study was collected through questionnaire survey. 346 of UMK's undergraduate student from Faculty Entrepreneurship and Business were selected as respondent to do the survey of this research. The data and information that researcher collected were analyzed by using Statistical Package for the Social Science version 21 (SPSS 21). The type of data analysis that was used in this study were reliability analysis, frequencies analysis and descriptive analysis. In additions, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted in this study to observe the relationship and influences between dependent variable ( entrepreneurial intention) and independent variables (perceived support, perceived barriers, close support, openness, conscientiousness, extra version, agreeableness, and neuroticism). Result reveal that despite of the perceived barriers all the variables have significant relationship and influences with entrepreneurial intention. The discussion of this findings implications of study and recommendation are discussed in the end of the study


Observations on munition workers, most of them women, are organized to examine the relationship between their output and their working hours. The relationship is nonlinear: below an hours threshold, output is proportional to hours; above a threshold, output rises at a decreasing rate as hours increase. Implications of these results for the estimation of labor supply functions are taken up. The findings also link up with current research on the effects of long working hours on accidents and injuries.


Abstract Natural surfactant solutions obtained from fruit pericarps of Sapindus mukorossi are shown to solubilize significant quantities of hydrophobic organic compounds and mobilize them from soil matrix. It is very crucial to determine the fate of surfactants employed for soil flushing in the subsurface and also in the effluent recovered. This paper appraises the bioenhancement of soil microorganisms in natural surfactant solutions under anaerobic conditions. Sealed 125 ml serum bottles are used for developing the anaerobic cultures. The cultures are maintained in anoxic conditions by degassing and filling the bottles with nitrogen. Three concentrations of natural surfactant 0.1, 1 and 2% and two different nutrient media, basal salt media (BSM) and heterotrophic media are used in the studies. Natural surfactant solutions can serve as both carbon and energy source for anaerobic microorganisms and also degrade to considerable extent. The growth curves for anaerobic cultures followed similar trends as thos...


We present a high precision Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC) architecture suitable for multi-channel implementations such as in monolithic arrays of single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors for time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and LIDAR applications. The proposed architecture is based on a `coarse' counter and two-stage interpolators, thus reaching a high interpolation factor with moderate chip area consumption. A prototype chip has been fabricated in a 0.35 μm standard CMOS technology and contains smart-pixels with the TDC and the 20 μm diameter SPAD detector with its analog sensing and quenching electronics. The 250 μm × 250 μm smart-pixel reaches a resolution of 10 ps and a dynamic range of 160 ns. It is suitable for imaging arrays aimed at photon timing applications like FLIM, FCS, FRET, but also Time-Of-Flight applications like LIDAR.


Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of male cancer deaths in the developed world. The current lack of highly specific detection methods and efficient therapeutic agents for advanced disease have been identified as problems requiring further research. The integrins play a vital role in the cross-talk between the cell and extracellular matrix, enhancing the growth, migration, invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. Progression and metastasis of prostate adenocarcinoma is strongly associated with changes in integrin expression, notably abnormal expression and activation of the β3 integrins in tumour cells, which promotes haematogenous spread and tumour growth in bone. As such, influencing integrin cell expression and function using targeted therapeutics represents a potential treatment for bone metastasis, the most common and debilitating complication of advanced prostate cancer. In this review, we highlight the multiple ways in which RGD-binding integrins contribute to prostate cancer progression and metastasis, and identify the rationale for development of multi-integrin antagonists targeting the RGD-binding subfamily as molecularly targeted agents for its treatment.


Lead concentrations in major U.S. rivers declined from 1974 to 1985 in two-thirds of the 300 sites tested by the U.S. Geological Survey. The downward trends were statistically significant for 30% of the stations. Preliminary evaluation of more recent data indicates that lead concentrations are continuing to decline.

Higher lead concentrations were measured at some sites in the Texas Gulf and lower Mississippi Valley regions but were due largely to lower river flow. A few water samples exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency established limit of 50 ppb, and none were from sources of drinking water supplies.


Firewalls are crucial elements in enforcing network security policies. They have been widely deployed for securing private networks but, their configuration remains complex and error prone. During the last years, many techniques and tools have been proposed to correctly configure firewalls. However, most of existing works are informal and do not take into account the global performance of the network or other qualities of its services (QoS). In this paper we introduce a formal approach allowing to formally and optimally configure a network so that a given security policy is respected and by taking into account the QoS.


Progressive chronic renal disease is characterized histologically by the accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins within the renal interstitium and progressive tubular atrophy. A number of kidney diseases and their progression to end-stage renal failure are driven by the intercrine, autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine effects of angiotensin II. Growth factors appear to have an important role in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy. Substantial evidence indicates that induction of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is mediated by high levels of glucose. TGF-beta is pivotal for the hypertrophy of mesangial and tubular cells. Other factors such as hypertension, protein glycation products, and other mediators may further amplify the synthesis of TGF-beta and/or the expression of its receptors in the diabetic state. Other cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha also contribute to the progression of chronic renal disease. The overall picture derived from several studies of chronic renal disease suggests that treatment of the progression of the renal fibrosis may require the use of several strategies to prevent the advent of end-stage renal disease.


In a retrospective study, the complications of vesical drainage after gynaecological surgery in 2362 cases was analysed. The suprapubical catheter was found to cause less urinary tract infection than the dwelling transurethral catheter. Less intermittent recatheterisation, owing to vesical emptying disorders, was needed after suprapubical catheter. Due to frequent obstruction, the suprapubical catheter had to be removed earlier in some cases. In this study urinary tract infection was more frequently observed after vaginal hysterectomy than abdominal. Regarding the incidence of microorganisms in the urine, we found, that after Caesarean section Staph. epidermidis occurred more frequently, whereas E. coli prevailed in most of the other cases.


Objective: To determine diagnostic accuracy of MRS for diagnosis of malignant brain lesions taking histopathology as gold standard. Study Design: Cross Sectional Validation study. Setting: Department of Radiology, Lahore General Hospital, Lahore. Material & Methods: A total number of 127 patients who were referred for the diagnosis of focal brain lesions were included. In all patients, MRS was done by consultant radiologist to diagnose malignancy. All patients underwent surgery in the neurosurgery department and after surgery biopsy specimen were taken for diagnosis of malignancy using histopathology findings. Results: Mean age of patients was 40.88±11.37 years. There were 88 (69.29%) males and 39 (30.71%) female patients. On MRS, malignancy was diagnosed in 99 (77.95%) patients and on histopathology malignancy was diagnosed in 102 (80.31%) patients. Regarding diagnostic accuracy, MRS was 97.00% sensitive, 94.10% specific, with PPV of 78.60% and NPV of 88.00%. Conclusion: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) has good sensitivity and specificity in differentiating neoplasm from non-neoplastic focal brain lesions.


Unlike sex steroids, mineralocorticoids have attracted limited attention in ovarian physiology. Recent studies on primates have indicated possible local synthesis and action of mineralocorticoids in the ovary. Here, we examined developmental changes in the levels of mineralocorticoids and expression of genes encoding their biosynthetic enzymes and receptor in the bovine ovary. The follicles and corpora lutea (CL) were collected from F1 heifers. Expression levels of 21α-hydroxylase (CYP21A2), 11β-hydroxylase-1 (CYP11B1), and the mineralocorticoid receptor (NR3C2) in granulosa cells (GC), thecal layers (TL), and CL tissues were quantified by real-time PCR, whereas mineralocorticoids in the follicular fluid were measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). TL and GC expressed CYP21A2 and NR3C2, whereas CYP11B1 was expressed at very low or undetectable levels. The expression levels of these genes were not significantly different among small/large and healthy/atretic follicles but were higher in TL than in GC. CYP21A2 and NR3C2 were expressed in all CL stages with higher expression observed in the mid-stage. CYP11B1 expression was only apparent in the mid-stage CL. Aldosterone was detected in all follicles, and its concentration was not significantly different among the follicular groups. In paired large-healthy/atretic follicles, the concentration of deoxycorticosterone, a precursor of aldosterone, was approximately ten-fold higher than that of aldosterone and not significantly different between healthy and atretic follicles. In conclusion, the presence of mineralocorticoids and expression of NR3C2 in the bovine follicle together with the developmental change in the expression of CYP21A2, CYP11B1, and NR3C2 in the CL suggest possible endocrine/paracrine/autocrine roles of mineralocorticoids in the bovine ovary.


The transfer rate of the glucose pool in sheep was estimated by methods using labeled glucose. Transfer rates ranged from 0.28 to 0.39 g/hr/kg3/4 when estimated 1 or 16 hr after feeding, but were only 0.18 and 0.20 g/hr/kg3/4 when estimated 96 hr after feeding. Comparable values calculated from data in the literature for rats, dogs, and man range from 0.25 to 0.40 g/hr/kg3/4 at 16 hr after feeding, although they are higher for rats only 4 hr after feeding (0.89 g/hr/kg3/4). Comparison of postabsorptive values (4 hr in rats, 16 hr in sheep) or fasting values (16 hr in rats, dogs, and man, 96 hr in sheep) suggests that the over-all rate of glucose metabolism is lower in sheep.


The Re-Os isotope system has been use to further constraint the age of sulphide mineralization in the Iberian Pyrite Belt as well as to get information on the origin of mineralising fluids. Five samples from the Aznalcollar stockwork define an isochron with an age of 350.75 ± 8.52 Ma and a 1B7OsPSBOs initial value of 0.1415 ± 0.0246. The rest of the samples studied, but a Mn-rich rock, plot to the left of the isocrhon, suggesting a later Re loss process. The low radiogenic initial value obtained shows that the mantle play an important role in the genesis of sulphide mineralization in the Iberian Pyrite Belt


While Modernism is recognised as originating in the United Kingdom and the United States, arising from conditions created by the Industrial Revolution and World Wars, the examination  of  Prufrockian  Modernist  elements  in  other  cultural  contexts  can  yield additional insights into the movement and readings of specific works.  Though the Arab world is often considered through the lens of tradition and religion, issues of the modern world have also impacted the Arab culture, as in the work of contemporary Saudi poets, such as Ghāzī Al-Quṣaybī (1940-2010). As evident in the poems, themes and techniques
found in conventional Modernist texts are also present in Al-Quṣaybī's work, within the Arabic  context.  Specifically,  anxiety  and  alienation  arising from  the  mechanisation  of society as a result of the Industrial Revolution will be examined here. This study will, through the technique of comparison and contrast with the works of T.S. Eliot (1888-
1965)  and  Gertrude  Stein  (1874-1946),   examine  the  claim  that Al-Quṣaybī 's  poetry accounts for a modernist shift observable through a change in the intensity with which objects are viewed within the Saudi cultural context. This intensity is in proportion to the industrial  changes  that  have  helped  to  reshape  Arab  society  as  well  as  the  Saudi community. As  in the  Western  context, the  changes  created  through industrialisation have  significantly  impacted  individuals'  and  indeed,  entire  cultures,'  experiences  and romantic relationship with their environment and others, altering dominant expectations of the human experience.


Viedma deracemization is the attrition-induced asymmetric amplification of a conglomerate crystal mixture of achiral or racemizing compounds. There are 13 reported crystalline systems that undergo Viedma deracemization that can be classified as having: (i) achirality in solution, (ii) a racemizing state in solution or (iii) a reversible racemizing reaction in solution. This phenomenon is based on an autocatalytic attrition-enhanced Ostwald ripening process with a requirement for an achiral, or rapidly racemizing state in solution. The concepts of 'chiral amnesia', where a molecule's chiral memory is lost in solution, and 'the common ancestor effect', where the chirality of daughter crystals is the same as the mother crystal, can be used to rationalize the generation of a homochiral solid-state. The involvement of chiral clusters in the overall deracemization mechanism is critical. This research explores the generality of Viedma deracemization for an additional 5 achiral organic molecules: benzil, diphenyl disulfide, benzophenone, butylated hydroxytoluene and tetraphenylethylene. Stochastic chiral crystallization was observed for benzil, however chiral crystallization for butylated hydroxytoluene, diphenyl disulfide, tetraphenylethylene and benzophenone was non-stochastic, likely resulting from a cryptochiral environment. Under standard Veidma deracemization conditions, each system reached homochirality within 2 to 30 hours. A shaking mechanism and liquid assisted grinding conditions were also examined and yielded homochiral benzil crystals as little as 10 minutes. Chiral methylbenzylamine was used to direct the chiral amplification of benzil as an example of implementing 'the rule of reversal' under attrition conditions, where (R)-methylbenzylamine yielded M-form benzil and (S)-methylbenzylamine yielded P-form benzil.


Research into the causes of hurt feelings has generally examined the impact of single predictors. The current article builds on previous literature by examining the interactive effects of several key elements of hurtful events in predicting the intensity of hurt. Two studies using community samples of women examined interactions between the type of hurtful event, the importance of the perpetrator, and victim hurt-proneness in predicting variance in hurt intensity. Study 1 (n = 475) used a series of scenarios as the hurtful stimulus while Study 2 (n = 380) used a number of recalled hurtful events. Both studies replicated previous bivariate relationships between perpetrator importance and hurt-proneness and the intensity of hurt, while the first study also demonstrated a significant effect for type of hurtful event. Both studies also found a significant three-way interaction between these variables, indicating that victim hurt-proneness only predicted the intensity of hurt at lower levels of event severity and perpetrator importance. It is concluded that the experience of hurt is multidimensional and contextual. Future directions for research involving gender differences and interventions for individuals and couples are discussed.


The thermodynamic functions that describe the complexation of a series of four carboxylic acid guests and two related quaternary ammonium derivatives with β-cyclodextrin were measured using flow calorimetry at 298 K in aqueous media in the presence and in the absence of large concentrations of urea. The relative differences of the thermodynamic parameters of complexation revealed the existence of specific interactions between urea and the aromatic surfaces of some of the nonpolar guests. As expected, the relative changes in the complex stability constants upon addition of urea have been found to depend on the balance of opposing enthalpic and entropic contributions. The interpretation as well as the magnitude of the interaction between urea and aromatic surfaces are in line with previous experimental and computational studies. The experimental evidence presented in this work provides insight into the mechanism by which large amounts of urea denature globular proteins in aqueous media.


Based on the marketing mix model, the study aims at exploring current strategies used in private higher education in Syria. This an exploratory study employing sixteen interviews with key participants from two private universities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Findings show high sensitivity to market changes. Reflecting on the marketing mix model for higher education, major modifications were found Two main aspects were evident in shaping these modifications; these were survival strategies and security matters. The findings provide useful information for people in charge of marketing related issues at private higher education in Syria and possibly other countries suffering similar conditions.


Objective . To evaluate whether three-dimensional (3D) musculoskeletal modelling could be effective in assessing the safety and efficacy of exercising on a seated row resistance-training machine. The focus of the evaluation was on biomechanical and anthropometric considerations of the end user. Methods. Three anthropometric cases were created; these represented a 5th percentile female as well as a 50th and a 95th percentile male based on body mass index. Two repetitions, with a resistance equal to 50% of the functional strength of one repetition maximum (1RM) for each anthropometric case, were performed. Results. Results indicate that the default model of the LifeModeler software has important limitations that should be taken into consideration when used to evaluate exercise equipment. Adjustments had to be made to the model to solve the forward dynamics simulations; as a result, no muscle forces or contraction values were obtained. This negatively influenced the value of the results as these parameters are important when analysing an exercise. The seated row resistance-training machine's engineered or manufactured adjustability was sufficient, as it appeared to accommodate the three anthropometric cases adequately during execution of this exercise. Conclusion. It appears that 3D musculoskeletal modelling can be used to evaluate resistance-training exercises such as the seated row; however, the limitations indicated by this study must be taken into consideration, especially when using the default LifeModeler model


There are many literary works which can be elaborated into deep analysis. Literature itself can be classified into songs, drama, plays, poem, short story, and novels. Movie is development of drama. The people can get many benefits from movie. Such us message, lesson, how to face the problems, etc. Therefore, the researcher is interested in analyzing movie "127 Hours".

The objectives of this study were: (1) knowing the ways of Aron's struggle to release himself from the crush of stone, (2) describing the effect of Aron's struggle toward his life.

This study used descriptive qualitative design because this study tries to analysis the movie descriptively with the emphasis on the struggle of the main character to release himself from the crush of stone. In analyzing this movie as an object of the study, the writer used objective approach. The data were collected by watching "127 Hours" movie. Then the data were analyzed based on the classification that refers to the struggle done by the main character (Aron)

The result of this study showed that: First, Aron struggled to release himself from the crush of stone trough 7 ways. They are: 1) Aron pushed the stone, 2) Aron kicked the stone, 3) Aron tried to call his friends who met on the way. 4) Aron collected the tools that he brought in his adventure. 5) Aron tried to release himself with a rope. 6) Aron tried to cut his arm, he did it because he didn't get any idea again and he felt frustrated and gave up with all the ways he had. 7) Aron successfully cut his arm. After he tried many times to cut his arm, finally his arm separated and he could release himself from the crush of stone and made him back to his family. Second, the researcher found that Aron's struggle to release himself to crush of stone give effects toward his life. They were: 1) Aron more appreciates himself and others, 2) Aron more careful in his adventure.


Abstract In this article, the authors review stroke preventive strategies in a diverse group of conditions, namely the nonatherosclerotic cerebral arteriopathies, migraine-associated or migraine-induced stroke, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Although these conditions are less common causes of stroke in the aggregate, they are frequent causes of stroke in teenagers and young adults. Aside from posing unique diagnostic challenges, their management is limited by the absence of randomized clinical trials or high-level evidence that is specific to these conditions. Therapeutic decision-making is largely based on expert opinion, clinical experience, and retrospective studies; it is often empiric. It remains uncertain whether otherwise routine secondary stroke-preventive strategies, such as long-term antiplatelet treatment, lipid-lowering medications, and antihypertensive agents, are applicable to patients with stroke from a cerebral arteriopathy or migraine-associated stroke.


Whole-body leucine and plasma glucose kinetics were simultaneously measured in burned rats after 2 d of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) containing sodium DL-3-hydroxybutyrate or sodium acetate to evaluate the ketone bodies as energy substrates during stress. TPN solutions consisted of dextrose and amino acids [200 kcal/(kg . d); 13 g amino acids/(kg . d)] and contained 34.3 mEq/(kg . d) either as sodium DL-3-hydroxybutyrate (n = 8) or sodium acetate (n = 7). Whole-body leucine appearance, incorporation into protein, release from protein breakdown and oxidation rates, as measured after a constant infusion of L-[1-14C]leucine did not significantly differ between the groups. In contrast, D-[6-3H]glucose appearance rates after constant infusion of this tracer were significantly higher in rats given sodium DL-3-hydroxybutyrate [209.3 +/- 3.8 mumol/(kg body weight . min)] than in those given sodium acetate [162.4 +/- 9.7 mumol/(kg body weight . min)] (P less than 0.01). Since leucine kinetics did not differ, the results suggest that sodium DL-3-hydroxybutyrate infusions increase endogenous glucose production [61.0 +/- 4.6 mumol/(100 kg body weight . min)] by enhancing glucose recycling. However, there was no unique protein-sparing effect of ketone bodies identified during injury.


The work presented in this thesis describes the directed synthesis, structural and magnetic characterisation of new Co(II), Co(II)-4f and 4f complexes, using a range of polydentate ligands. The aim of this work was to synthesise new Co(II)-based complexes, in the presence or absence of 4f ions, where the cobalt centre would adopt different coordination numbers and geometries, in an attempt to tune the magnetic properties. We managed to isolate twenty new complexes and depending on the ligand employed they can be categorised in five groups.
Complexes [CoII(H2bic)Cl] (1), [CoII9(Hbic)4(bic)2Cl4] (2) and [CoII9(Hbic)4(bic)2Cl4]·12H2O (2·12H2O) were synthesised using the ligand bicine (= H3bic, N,N-Bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine) by employing solvothermal and microwave−assisted synthesis. Complexes 1, 2 and 2·12H2O were magnetically characterised and only 2 shows the onset of out-of-phase ac signals at low temperature. The second family consists of three Co(II)/Co(III) complexes with the same triangular motif and with the Co(II) in a trigonal bipyramidal geometry: [CoIICoIII2(μ3-OH)(μ-pz)4(DBM)3]∙2THF (3∙2THF), [CoIICoIII2(μ3-OH)(μ-pz)4(DBM)3]∙2MeCN (4∙2MeCN) and [CoIICoIII2(μ3-OH)(μ-pz)4(acac)3] (5), where Hpz = pyrazole, HDBM = dibenzoylmethane and Hacac = acetylacetone. Magneto-structural analysis showed that complexes 3∙2THF and 4 show field-induced slow magnetic relaxation, while 5 shows only the onset of the out-of-phase signals at low temperature. The third group consists of polynuclear Co(II)-based complexes incorporating substituted phosphonate ligands along with dimethylpyrazole (= Hdmpz), exhibiting nuclearities from two to nine metal centres. These complexes are: [CoII9(tBuPO3)3(dmpz)12(Hdmpz)6]∙xMeCN∙yH2O (6∙xMeCN∙yH2O), [CoII3(tBuPO3)2(Hdmpz)4Br2] (7), [CoII8(EtPO3)3(dmpz)10(Hdmpz)6]∙xMeCN∙yH2O (8(MeCN)), [HNEt3][CoII8(EtPO3)3(dmpz)10(Hdmpz)6][ClO4]∙xDCM∙yH2O (9a(DCM)), [HNEt3][CoII8(EtPO3)3(dmpz)10(Hdmpz)6][ClO4]∙0.75(Hdmpz)∙2.25DCE∙H2O (9b(DCE)), [CoII3(dmpz)4(Hdmpz)2Cl2] (10), [HNEt3][CoII6(PhPO3)3(dmpz)6(Hdmpz)6][ClO4]∙DCM (11∙DCM) and [HNEt4]2[CoII2(dmpz)2Cl4] (12), where tBuPO3H2 = tert-butylphosphonic acid, EtPO3H2 = ethylphosphonic acid and PhPO3H2 = phenylphosphonic acid. Complexes 6 and 7 were magnetically characterised and ac magnetic studies showed only the onset of out-of-phase ac signals for 6, whereas complex 7 does not display slow magnetic relaxation. The next group is a family of six-coordinate mononuclear LnIII complexes which was obtained by utilising the ligand tricyclohexylphosphine oxide (= Cy3PO), with molecular formula [LnIII(Cy3PO)2Cl3(EtOH)]·yEtOH, where LnIII = Tb (13), Dy (14), Ho (15), Er (16) and Y (17), and y = 0.5 for 14 and y = 1 for 13, 15−17. Magnetic studies for complexes Tb (13), Dy (14) and Ho (15) revealed that only Dy (14) displays field-induced slow magnetic relaxation. The last family of complexes incorporates the ligand 2,6-bis[4(1-N-phenyl-3-methyl-pyrazolium-5-one)carbonyl]pyridinium trichloride (= [H5L]·3Cl) leading
to a variety of 4f and Co(II)-4f complexes with nuclearities from one to nine metal centres. These complexes are [LaIII9(L2−)7(NO3)4(CO3)4(OH)(H2O)8]·xMeCN·yH2O (18·xMeCN·yH2O), [HNEt3][CeIII3(HL−)2(NO3)7(H2O)2][Cl]·xMeCN·yH2O·zEt2O (19a) and [HNEt3][CeIII3(HL2−)(H2L)(NO3)7(H2O)2][Cl]·xMeCN·yH2O·zEt2O (19b), [DyIII(HL−)2(H2O)4][Cl]·xMeCN·yH2O (20·xMeCN·yH2O), [CoII2LnIII(L2−)2(NO3)2.3Cl0.7(MeCN)] where Ln = La (21) and Ce (22), [HNEt3][CoIIDyIII2(L2−)4(HL−)(H2O)2]·xMeCN·yH2O (23·xMeCN·yH2O) and [GdIII6(L2−)4(OH)4(O2−)(MeOH)6(H2O)2][NO3]3.75[Cl]0.25∙xMeOH∙yH2O (24∙xMeOH∙yH2O). Magnetic studies were carried out only for the Co(II)-4f complexes, with complex 23 exhibiting field-induced slow magnetic relaxation.


Anaemia constitutes a serious health problem in many tropical countries including Nigeria because of the high prevalence of malaria and other parasitic infections which possibly leads to a decrease in hemoglobin. Fluted pumpkin has been reported to be very good in building the constituents of the blood and replacing them. This study investigated the effects of the methanolic leaves extract of fluted pumpkin on some hematological parameters in 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine-induced anaemic rats. Thirty Wister rats of both sexes were separated into five groups of six rats each. Group 1 serves as normal control, while groups 2-5 were induced with anaemia using 40mg/kg body weight of 2,4- dinitrophenylhydrazine. Group 2 serves as the negative control without treatment, group 3 were given 20 mg/kg (b.w) of standard hematinic drug astymin, and group 4 and 5 were administered with 200 and 400 mg/kg w/w methanolic leaves extract of Telfairia occidentals respectively. All rats were fed with grower's mash and water ad libitum for 21 days. The rats were sacrificed, and blood samples were collected for hematological analysis. All analysis was done using standard methods. The result of this study demonstrated that oral administration of 200 mg/kg and 400mg/kg of the extract increased the haematological parameters under investigation. A significant (p<0.05) increase in haematinic activity was observed in group 3 and 5, and it was concluded that methanolic leaves extract of fluted pumpkin could be effective in ameliorating anaemia. Keywords: Anemia; Telfairia occidentalis; 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine; Haematological


: Absolute and relative dimensions of Ag+-NORs and secondary constrictions (SC) of pig chromosomes were determined. Interchromosomal and interindividual variability of these indices were marked. An attempt was undertaken to standardize the absolute sizes of Ag+-NORs and SC, degrees of chromosome condensation being taken into consideration. A high correlation between the dimensions of Ag+-NOR and of SC was noted.


Hypertension is associated with gut bacterial dysbiosis and gut pathology in animal models and people. Butyrate-producing gut bacteria are decreased in hypertension. RNA-seq analysis of gut colonic organoids prepared from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats was used to test the hypothesis that impaired interactions between the gut microbiome and gut epithelium are involved and that these would be remediated with butyrate supplementation. Gene expressions in immune responses including antigen presentation and antiviral pathways were decreased in the gut epithelium of the SHR in organoids and confirmed in vivo; these deficits were corrected by butyrate supplementation. Deficits in gene expression driving epithelial proliferation and differentiation were also observed in SHR. These findings highlight the importance of aligned interactions of the gut microbiome and gut immune responses to blood pressure homeostasis.


Background Biofilm is an accumulation of cells, which are formed on mucosal surfaces of the host as well as on medical devices. The inherent resistance of Candida strains producing biofilms to antimicrobial agents is an important and key feature for biofilm growth, which can lead to treatment failure. This resistance is due to the regulatory increase of the output pumps, the presence of extracellular matrix, and the existence of persister cells. Persister cells are phenotypic variants that have MICs similar to antibiotic-sensitive populations and are able to tolerate high doses of antibiotics. The current study investigated the possible role of EFG1, BCR1, and CAT1 in the establishment or maintenance of persister cells in Candida albicans strains that produce biofilms. Methods After identifying Candida isolates by molecular methods, C. albicans isolates were confirmed by sequencing. Isolation of persister cells and determination of their MIC were performed by microdilution method. Then, RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis were performed from 60 C. albicans isolates under promoting and inducing conditions. Afterward, the mean expression of BCR1, EFG1, and CAT1 genes in both persister and non-persister groups was calculated using real-time qPCR. Phylogeny tree of persister and non-persister group isolates was drawn using ITS fragment. Results A total of 77 persister isolates were taken from the oral cavity of HIV patients as well as from patients undergoing chemotherapy. Biofilm intensity in persister isolates separated from HIV-infected patients was different from the non-persister group. The mean fold change of BCR1 (10.73), CAT1 (15.34), and EFG1 (2.41) genes in persister isolates was significantly higher than these genes in isolates without persister. Conclusion It can be concluded that the most important factor in the production of persister cells is biofilm binding and production, not biofilm development or mature biofilm production, which was found in the expression of BCR1 gene without change in the expression of EFG1 gene in the persister group. Also, catalase plays an essential role in the production of persister in C. albicans biofilm producers with ROS detoxification.


Objective: To investigate the safety, feasibility and operation key points of whole lung lavage in infants with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Methods: The clinical manifestations, genetic screening, therapeutic interventions and outcome of an infant with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis complicated with respiratory failure who received whole lung lavage in November 2018 in Shanghai Children's Medical Center Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine were reported. Websites including PubMed, Springer Link, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu Database, and Wanfang Database were searched using the key words of "whole lung lavage" "pediatric" and "pulmonary alveolar proteinosis" for articles published from their establishments to April 2019. Relevant literature was reviewed. Results: A 3-month-old boy had experienced cough, shortness of breath and cyanosis for 1 week prior to admission to pediatric intensive care unit. Physical examination showed hepatosplenomegaly. Complete blood cell count showed mild anemia (hemoglobin 96 g/L) and normal white blood cells. The patient had normal C-reactive protein and normal blood platelet. Biochemical panel showed hypoalbuminemia (31 g/L), mildly elevated glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (115 U/L) and blood ammonia (165 μmol/L), extremely elevated lactate dehydrogenase (>6 600 U/L) and hyperferritinemia (>4 500 μg/L). Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed decreased transmittance of both lungs, patchy high density shadow and ground glass opacity. Genetic testing revealed a mutation of c.625+1G>A in SLC7A7. Schiff reaction (PAS staining) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was positive. The patient was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, respiratory failure, lysinuria urinary protein intolerance, and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. The patient received sequential unilateral whole lung lavage in 2 days and was successfully weaned from ventilator. He was discharged home breathing room air. Eleven articles (11 in English and non in Chinese) were reviewed. Twenty-one patients were included. After whole lung lavage, 76% (16/21) of the patients had improvement in respiratory function. Conclusions: Whole lung lavage can effectively improve respiratory failure caused by pulmonary alveolar proteinosis in infant patients. The procedure is feasible and safe.


A mass tagging approach is described for mitochondrial thiol proteins under nondenaturing conditions. This approach utilizes stable isotope-coded, thiol-reactive (4-iodobutyl)triphenylphosphonium (IBTP) reagents, i.e., the isotopomers IBTP-d(0) and IBTP-d(15). The mass spectrometric properties of IBTP-labeled peptides were evaluated using an ESI-q-TOF and a MALDI-TOF/TOF instrument. High energy collision induced dissociation (CID) in the TOF/TOF instrument caused side-chain fragmentation in the butyltriphenylphosphonium moiety-containing Cys-residue. By contrast, low energy CID in the qTOF instrument yielded sequence tags of IBTP-labeled peptides that were suitable for automated database searching. The IBTP labeling strategy was then applied to the analysis of a protein extract obtained from cardiac mitochondria. The relative abundance measurements for identified IBTP-labeled peptides showed an average variability for peptide quantitation of approximately 10% based on peak area ratios of ion signals for the d(0)/d(15)-tagged peptide pairs. The reactivity of the IBTP reagents was further studied by molecular modeling and visualization. The present study suggests that the IBTP reagent seems to show a bias toward highly surface-exposed protein thiols. Hence, the described mass tagging approach might become potentially useful in redox proteomics studies designed to identify protein thiols that are particularly prone to oxidative modifications.


The present study was conducted on the reactions of the rural women about Vasde vihere and Pariwaran Layee programme of Jalandhar Doordarshan regarding the presentation, utility and language etc. in purposively selected two blocks Moga-I and Nihal Singh Wala of Faridkot district of Punjab state. Five villages from each block were selected randomly. A sample of 150 respondents in the age group of 25–35 years who were regular viewers was selected by proportionate random sampling technique. An open-ended questionnaire was prepared. Majority of the respondents (75.00 per cent) expressed that the speed of presentation in the selected TV programmes was normal during the presentation. Pariwaran Jayee programme was telecast on every Monday from 5.30pm to 6.00pm and vasde vihere on Friday (twice a month) from 6.30pm to 7.00pm. The data shows that the time of telecast was suitable to 77.00 per cent of the respondents.