Objective To evaluate the clinical effects of lipo-prostaglandin E1 on patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) by 6 min walk test (6MWT). Methods All subjects were in-hospital aged patients with CHF, who were treated with regular anti-heart failure therapy for 5–7 days. They were randomly divided into treatment group (109 cases) and control group (126 cases) after clinic situation was stable. The treatment group was given additional lipo-prostaglandin E1 20 µg intravenous infusion, qd, with 14 days as a treatment course. All subjects were continued to be treated with regular anti-heart failure medication. Before and after 2-week treatment, patients were asked to do 6MWT and echocardiography (LVEDd, LVESd, LVEF were measured). Results There were significant differences of 6MWT, LVEDd, LVESd and LVEF in treatment group after 2-week lipo-prostaglandin E1 infusion, compared to before medication (p<0.05); whereas there were no significant differences of those parameters in control group between before and after 2-week regular medication. 6MWT and LVESd in treatment group after 2-week lipo-prostaglandin E1 medications exhibited a significant improvement, compared to those in control group after 2-week regular medication (p<0.05). The side-effect of lipo-prostaglandin E1 can be ignored. Conclusion Lipo-prostaglandin E1 can further improve 6MWT and cardiac function in old patients with CHF after regular anti-heart failure therapy. The side-effect of lipo-prostaglandin E1 can be ignored.


This paper presents a novel, simple pattern synthesis procedure for linear equispaced arrays which can be characterized by a generalized scattering matrix (GSM) and whose radiated field can be expressed as a weighted sum of shifted spherical waves. It can be viewed as an extension of the classic design techniques of the Fourier series (FS) method or the Woodward-Lawson frequency sampling method, to the case in which the individual antenna elements' patterns and all interelement couplings are taken into account. The design procedure, which yields the excitations needed to achieve the desired pattern, is based on either the FS or the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the spherical mode expansion of the array radiated field, as well as on various properties associated to the FS or DFT coefficients. In this work, to compute the GSM of the array and the spherical mode expansion of the field, a validated hybrid full-wave methodology, based on the finite element method and rotation and translation properties of spherical waves, is used. Numerical results of different synthesized array patterns are presented for different arrays made up of dielectric resonator antennas and cavity-backed microstrip circular patches.


Infant and children mortality caused by infectious disease can be prevented with exclusive breastfeeding among 6 month. The Government has made the regulation and program to support exclusive breastfeeding implementation. But in the reality, trend of exclusive breastfeeding in Magelang from 2010 until 2012 has fluctuative condition that are 10,9%; 9,79%; and 11,72% still low from the target which is 80%. Exclusive breastfeeding achievement is not far from the managerial skill of the midwife in Public Health Center. The goal of research is to analyse the Midwife Coordinator's management function on Public Health Center at breastfeeding program in Magelang. This is a qualitative research use descriptive method. Data collected from indepth interview uses question role. Subject of research are 15 people that consist of 6 Midwife Coordinator in 6 Public Health Center as Mayor informan, and 6 Midwife in 6 Public Health Center, 1 people of Kasie. Kesga Dinkes, also 2 people breastfeeding mother as triangulation informant. Subjects of the research put by purposive method that are from 3 Public Health Center with highest level of exclusive breastfeeding and 3 Public Health Center with lowest level of exclusive breastfeeding average among 3 years. Data analysis use content analyse. Output of the research shows that planning, organizing, actuating, and controlling by Midwifes Coordinator are not optimal. Suggestions for Midwifes Coordinator are making activity plan/plan of action for breastfeeding program, staffing the program, increasing its cooperation with professional organizations, and implementing interventions pattern.


The optimization aims to maximize the film cooling performance while minimizing the corresponding aerodynamic penalty. The film cooling performance is assessed using the adiabatic film cooling effectiveness, while the aerodynamic penalty is measured with a mass-averaged total pressure loss coefficient. Two design variables are selected; the coolant to mainstream temperature ratio and total pressure ratio. Two staggered rows of discrete cylindrical film cooling holes on the suction surface of a turbine vane are considered. The effect of varying the coolant flow parameters on the adiabatic film cooling effectiveness and the aerodynamic loss is analyzed using the optimization method and three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations. The CFD predictions of the adiabatic film cooling effectiveness and aerodynamic performance are assessed and validated against corresponding experimental measurements. The optimal solutions are reproduced in the experimental facility and the Pareto front is substantiated with experimental data. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is coupled with an artificial neural network (ANN) to perform a multiple objective optimization of the film coolant flow parameters on the suction surface of a high pressure gas turbine vane. The numerical predictions are employed to construct the artificial neural network that produces low-fidelity predictions of the objectives during the optimization. The Pareto front of optimal solutions is generated by the optimization methodology.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Although numerous studies have analyzed the temporal characteristics underlying olfactory adaptation at the level of the olfactory receptor neuron, to date, there have been no comparable behavioral measures in an animal model. In this study, odor adaptation was estimated in a group of mice employing a psychophysical technique recently developed for use in humans. The premise of this technique is that extended presentation of an odorant will produce odor adaptation, decreasing the sensitivity of the receptors and increasing thresholds for a brief, simultaneous target odorant presented at different time points on the adaptation contour; adaptation is estimated as the increase in threshold for a target odorant presented simultaneously with an adapting odorant, across varying adapting-to-target odorant onset delays. Previous research from our laboratory suggests that this method provides a reliable estimate of the onset time course of rapid adaptation in human subjects. Consistent with physiological and behavioral data from human subjects, the present findings demonstrate that measurable olfactory adaptive effects can be observed for odorant exposures as brief as 50-100ms, with asymptotic levels evident 400-600ms following adapting odorant onset. When compared with the adaptation contour in humans using the same odorant and stimulus paradigm, some differences in the onset characteristics are evident and may be related to sniffing behavior and to relative differences in thresholds. These data show that this psychophysical paradigm can be adapted for use in animal models, where experimental and genetic manipulations can be used to characterize the different mechanisms underlying odor adaptation.


AIM
To compare the pre-sterilization cleaning of rotary Ni-Ti files of different sizes previously used a. ex vivo and b. clinically by a washer-disinfector, a regular ultrasonic bath, and the same ultrasonic bath in combination with a recently developed cavitation intensifying method.

METHODOLOGY
Two sets of two hundred rotary Ni-Ti files, one previously used ex vivo and another one used clinically, were collected from the undergraduate and postgraduate clinics of the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA). The instruments were immersed in an enzymatic solution and subsequently cleaned either by a washer-disinfector, a regular ultrasonic bath combined with a glass beaker, the same bath combined with a beaker lined with two cavitation intensifying sheets or with two standard plastic sheets. The positive control consisted of used files that did not undergo any cleaning and the negative control included new unused files. The instruments were then stained to reveal remaining protein material and scored under a stereoscopic microscope. The results were analysed by nonparametric statistical tests (α = 0.05).

RESULTS
No significant difference was found between the combination of the ultrasonic bath and the regular glass beaker and the same ultrasonic bath with the beaker lined with the cavitation intensifying sheets. The washer-disinfector left significantly more debris compared to the latter group when clinically used files were evaluated (P ≤ 0.001). The effect of instrument size on cleaning was not consistent.

CONCLUSION
None of the tested methods was able to remove all residual protein material from the files; however, it could be noted that this study did not follow the reprocessing protocol provided by the manufacturer.


Alphavirus nucleocapsids are assembled in the cytoplasm of infected cells from 240 copies of the capsid protein and the approximately 11 kb positive strand genomic RNA. However, the challenge of how the capsid specifically selects its RNA package and assembles around it has remained an elusive one to solve. In this review, we will summarize what is known about the alphavirus capsid protein, the packaging signal, and their roles in the mechanism of packaging and assembly. We will review the discovery of the packaging signal and how there is as much evidence for, as well as against, its requirement to specify packaging of the genomic RNA. Finally, we will compare this model with those of other viral systems including particular reference to a relatively new idea of RNA packaging based on the presence of multiple minimal packaging signals throughout the genome known as the two stage mechanism. This review will provide a basis for further investigating the fundamental ways of how RNA viruses are able to select their own cargo from the relative chaos that is the cytoplasm.


Nutrient contents of foods widely grown and commonly consumed in Morogoro Municipality were determined, aiming at establishing nutrient composition databases of foods in the study area. Data was collected in dry (July to September) and wet (January to March) seasons. A total of 144 respondents were selected from eight wards using simple random technique. Selected nutrient contents of raw and cooked foods were analyzed according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 2000). Results show that majority (93.06%) of the households grew maize and variety of green leafy vegetables namely pumpkin leaves (90.28%), cowpeas leaves (88.89%) and sweet potato leaves (78.47%). Green leafy vegetables are consumed daily (95.13%) with stiff porridge (ugali) (93%) made from refined maize flour as a staple dish sometimes with beans, a major source of protein in the area. Majority (83%) had two meals per day; the rest had three meals a day. Nutrient contents of selected foods compare well with those reported elsewhere, however, major differences were found in carbohydrate contents in raw maize flour (67%), and cooked green banana variety mtwike (18%), these values were lower than reported. Calcium and iron contents were higher in raw amaranthus (0.74%) and cassava leaves (0.012%) than reported (0.011% and 0.003%, respectively). Content of nutrients also differed between raw and cooked food. This was so apparent in leafy green vegetables, whereby difference was found between raw amaranthus (739 mg/100g calcium) and cooked amaranthus (292 mg/100 g calcium). The loss could be due to the practice of throwing away cooking water before the final steps of cooking. Based on these findings, it can be recommended that further studies on ii


Evidence has emerged demonstrating an association between treatment with certain tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and vascular adverse events (VAEs) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). An increase in VAEs has been documented with ponatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib but not with imatinib and bosutinib. We used an endothelial cell (HUVEC) model and an in-vivo hindlimb ischemia mouse model to study TKI-associated VAEs. We show that compared with control-treated cells, ponatinib increased HUVEC apoptosis by 9 7 % and inhibited their VEGF-induced migration by 35%. HUVEC tube formation was signifi cantly abrogated by ponatinib as evidenced by an 8 7 % reduction in tube number, 68% reduction in segment length, 50% reduction in junction number, and 55% increase in the occurrence of isolated segments. Ponatinib's suppressive effect on tube formation was partially rescued by VEGFR2 overexpression, a known ponatinib off-target. Dasatinib also dramatically disrupted tube formation as evidenced by a 9 7 % reduction in tube number, 95% reduction in segment length, 88% reduction in junction number, and 300% increase in the occurrence of isolated segments. Nilotinib was associated with reduced cell viability, whereas imatinib and bosutinib did not affect these processes. Furthermore, HUVECs treated with ponatinib, dasatinib, and nilotinib revealed a differential angiogenesis-related gene expression pattern. The expression profi le of imatinib- and bosutinib-treated cells was similar to that of control-treated cells. In our in-vivo model, unilateral femoral artery excision was performed to induce ischemia and stimulate new blood vessel formation in TKI-treated mice. Imatinib-treated mice showed a similar recovery pattern to that of control mice as assessed via Doppler imager. Bosutinib- and dasatinib-treated mice showed an initial delayed recovery but reached an overall recovery of 85% within 28 days. In contrast, ponatinib-treated mice reached overall perfusion of 60% around day 7 without further improvement. These results are in line with the clinical VAE profi les of ponatinib, dasatinib, and nilotinib, implicating endothelial toxicity related to these TKIs and supporting a direct effect of these TKIs on vascular cells. However, the in-vivo effect of these TKIs on endothelial pathogenesis requires further investigation. Understanding TKI-induced VAE pathogenesis could contribute to the future development of safer next-generation TKIs and could potentially infl uence TKI-personalized tailoring for CML patients. tio n : Prohibitin level was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mai n Outco m e Measures: We reported a signifi cant value of prohibtin level in CML patients and a signifi cant correlation between its level and disease activity and response to treatment. Results: We have demonstrated that prohibitin levels were signifi cantly higher in patients with CML than in the control participants (P=0.002). Prohibitin levels were signifi cantly higher in CML patients with an active disease status (P=0.001). In addition, signifi cantly higher levels of prohibitin in CML patients were associated with poor response to fi rst-generation TKIs (P=0.001). A serum level of prohibitin higher than 289 is a good predictor of poor response to fi rst-generation TKIs as per response assessment by PCR for BCR-ABL (area under the curve=0.6 7 , sensitivity and specifi city 58.33 and 80.56, respectively). Co n clusio n s: Prohibitin is overexpressed in CML patients and has a possible impact on disease activity and response to treatment in CML patients that warrants further investigations. antibodies by a semi-quantitative immunoassay (ELISA) which was considered positive at cut-off index (CI)>1. Other available tests for antibody detection were allowed as well. Results: Nighty-fi ve chronic phase CML patients with a median (Me) age 54 years (range 29-89), received Sputnik V (DEC.2020–JUL.2021), 40(42%) were males. Me CML duration was 8 years (range 0-20), 7 5( 7 9%) patients received TKIs at vaccination, 20(21%) were off-therapy: 1 7 (18%) in treatment-free remission, 3(3%) with CML onset. Seventeen (18%) patients had a prior history of COVID-19. AEs were reported in 53(56%) patients: local pain/discomfort -30(31.5%), weakness/drowsiness -29 (30.5%), fever and/or chills -28(29%), other AEs -10(12%): headache, heartbeat, limbs/back pain, herpes reactivation. General reactions stopped in 1-2 days. No severe or life-threatening AEs were observed. Antibodies were detected in 66(93%) of 7 1 patients by any method, Me time after 2nd injection was 31 days (range 5-1 7 9). ELISA test was positive in 48(94%) of 55 tested patients with Me CI 7 . 7 (range 1.1-12), consistent with values of healthy people. Three of 7 negative by ELISA patients (Me age 58 years (range 40- 7 0)) revealed antibodies by other tests with levels slightly above threshold. A very weak reverse correlation of the antibody levels with post-vaccination time (r =- 0.32) and with age (r =- 0.28) was observed. Co n clusio n s: Sputnik V vaccine showed no unexpected or severe AEs in CML patients. Seroconversion rate of about 93-94% was close to the 3-phase trial data (94-9 7 %). No strong age-dependent/time-dependent correlation of antibody levels was found in the tested time period. Sputnik V vaccination is safe and acceptable in CML patients. vaccination, 9, n=22), intermediate-risk (score 10-15, n=2 7 ) and high risk (score  16, n=24). The low-risk group had a signifi cantly higher rate of CCyR on TKI-3L compared to intermediate or high-risk groups (14/22[64%] vs 7 /2 7 [26%] vs 1/24[4%], p<0.05). There were 19(26%) deaths. Estimated 1-year and 5-year OS was 95% and 65% respectively. All CML-related deaths(n=14), as well as transformation to BC (n=13), occurred in intermediate- and high-risk groups. Co n clusio n s: Nearly a third of pts obtained CCyR on TKI-3L in our study. Most pts were alive at 5 years. Younger pts with any CyR on previous TKIs and at baseline had favorable prognosis. The use of TKI-3L is justifi ed in low-risk groups and may be used in transplant-eligible pts.


General comment on "photolysis": The usage of the term "photolysis" is sometimes confusing. The formation of NO2* is a photo excitation (beyond the dissociation threshold) as, photolysis by definition implies a breakup of the molecule (e.g. P24366 and P24384). Although the authors use consistently photolysis frequency for J(HONO) throughout the text, on page 24367 it is called photolysis rate. If you like to use


Between 1985 and 1989, at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), 101 cases of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) were reviewed in order to evaluate the status of the disease at diagnosis. The cases were obtained from the records of the pathology service of the HCPA. Nodular Melanoma (ND) was the most frequent type (36.6%). In males, the predominant site was in the head, neck and trunk while in females it was in the lower limbs Clark level V was found in 35.6% of the cases. In 23.8%, the tumor was larger than 4mm in depth according to Breslow classification. These results clearly demonstrate that the diagnosis of CMM is established in later stages of the disease.


Partitioning of an image into several constituent components is called image segmentation. Myriad algorithms using different methods have been proposed for image segmentation. Many clustering algorithms and optimization techniques are also being used for segmentation of images. A major challenge in segmentation evaluation comes from the fundamental conflict between generality and objectivity. As there is a glut of image segmentation techniques available today, customer who is the real user of these techniques may get obfuscated. In this paper to address the above described problem some image segmentation techniques are evaluated based on their consistency in different applications. Based on the parameters used quantification of different clustering algorithms is done. .


Different charging zones are found within European airspace. This allows airlines to select different routes between origin and destination that have different lengths and en-route charges. There is a trade- off between the shortest available route and other routes that might have different charges. This paper analyses the routes submitted by airlines to be operated on a given day and compares the associated costs of operating those routes with the shortest available at the time, in terms of en-route charges and fuel consumption. The flights are characterised by different variables with the idea of identifying a behaviour or pattern based on the airline or flight characteristics. Results show that in some areas of the European airspace there might be an incentive to select a longer route, leading to both a lower charge and a lower total cost. However, more variables need to be considered and other techniques used, such as factor analysis, to be able to identify the behaviour within an airline category.


Dependence in the elderly was investigated from an interactional point of view. Observations as well as verbal data of the elderly and professional caregivers were considered. Samples consisted of 14 elderly people receiving regular home health care (M = 78.9, SD = 6.3 years) and 16 elderly people receiving regular nursing home care (M = 81.4, SD = 7.5 years). Results showed a strong tendency toward independence in the elderly. Sense of control in the self-care interactions observed was higher in the home health care group than in the group receiving nursing home care. Division of the elderly into subgroups with high, medium, and low perceived self-efficacy showed that the elderly high in self-efficacy were more independent in terms of observed self-care. Causal explanations of the elderly's competence and their nonuse of competence were significantly different between the elderly and staff.


Eighty Listeria monocytogenes isolates were obtained from Chinese retail ready-to-eat (RTE) food and were previously characterized with serotyping and antibiotic susceptibility tests. The aim of this study was to characterize the subtype and virulence potential of these L. monocytogenes isolates by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), virulence-associate genes, epidemic clones (ECs), and sequence analysis of the important virulence factor: internalin A (inlA). The result of MLST revealed that these L. monocytogenes isolates belonged to 14 different sequence types (STs). With the exception of four new STs (ST804, ST805, ST806, and ST807), all other STs observed in this study have been associated with human listeriosis and outbreaks to varying extents. Six virulence-associate genes (inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, hly, and llsX) were selected and their presence was investigated using PCR. All strains carried inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, and hly, whereas 38.8% (31/80) of strains harbored the listeriolysin S genes (llsX). A multiplex PCR assay was used to evaluate the presence of markers specific to epidemic clones of L. monocytogenes and identified 26.3% (21/80) of ECI in the 4b-4d-4e strains. Further study of inlA sequencing revealed that most strains contained the full-length InlA required for host cell invasion, whereas three mutations lead to premature stop codons (PMSC) within a novel PMSCs at position 326 (GAA → TAA). MLST and inlA sequence analysis results were concordant, and different virulence potentials within isolates were observed. These findings suggest that L. monocytogenes isolates from RTE food in China could be virulent and be capable of causing human illness. Furthermore, the STs and virulence profiles of L. monocytogenes isolates have significant implications for epidemiological and public health studies of this pathogen.


Pontianak is one of the regions that get appreciation from the Government of the Republic Indonesia on various creation innovation program policy in public administration sector. Among the products in the field of innovation is the application bisnis cakep lalu lintas lancar (BCL) and application government and smart city landmark (Gencil). Both applications are used Pontianak City Government to manage the government and public service. All policies or programs implemented by the government must be effective. However, to produce a product effectiveness of a policy or program should do some research. For that we need research that focuses in measuring about how effectiveness of Pontianak City government innovation policy bisnis cakep lalu lintas lancar and government and smart city landmark. This research is conducted qualitatively with the aim to find and search data and information in depth related to how big the effectiveness of product created. Thus will be known how the level of effectiveness of a policy or program that has been implemented by the government of Pontianak City.


In this paper we propose a smart repeater that consumes less energy and is suitable for driving global interconnections in nanometre technologies. When there is coupling between interconnects, the effective capacitance of a given wire is a function not only of the physical geometry, but also the relative switching pattern described by the bits on the wire in question (the victim) and the adjacent wires (aggressors). The drive strength of a traditional repeater is static, resulting in a spread of the propagation delay, with the repeater strength being essentially too much for every bit pattern other than the worst-case pattern. In the proposed SMART repeater, the drive strength is dynamically altered depending on the relative bit pattern, by partitioning it into a Main Driver and Assistant Driver. For a higher effective load capacitance both drivers switch, while for a lower effective capacitance the assistant driver is quiet. By disconnecting part of the repeater when it is not needed, the total load capacitance to the previous stage is reduced, resulting in reduced energy consumption for those instances. It is shown that the potential average saving in energy can be as much 15% with a 18% jitter reduction over a traditional repeater for typical global wire lengths in nanometre technologies.


We present a compact passively mode-locked semiconductor disk laser at 1045 nm. The gain chip without any post processing consists of 16 compressively strained InGaAs symmetrical step quantum wells in the active region. 3-GHz repetition rate, 4.9-ps pulse duration, and 30-mW average output power are obtained with 1.4 W of 808-nm incident pump power. The temperature stability of the laser is demonstrated to have an ideal shift rate of 0.035 nm/K of the lasing wavelength.


Abstract : The primary research question for this study is whether the US can use the concept of system shock to better operate in the Gray Zone. System shock combines ideas from systems theory, chaos theory, and complexity theory to link the ideas of bifurcation and operational shock. System shock is an archetype for military operations that focuses on bifurcating any opposing system to achieve operational shock. This monograph argues that system shock provides military leaders and planners with a framework to fight and win in Gray Zone environments and that this concept nests within Unified Land Operations (ULO) doctrine by testing three claims. The first claim is that system shock is a useful framework to interpret and affect system behavior. The second claim is that the Gray Zone is a complex adaptive system, which allows the system shock framework to apply. The final claim is that system shock nests within current US Army ULO doctrine. The theory of system shock does not dictate specific action. Instead, it proposes a conceptual framework to interpret and understand how operations progress and to train the military planners mind to look for connections in more places and with a greater purpose behind short-term gains. The theory of system shock can help leaders and planners best identify and address the correct problem in the Gray Zone and other military operations. Therefore, this monograph provides operational artists and military practitioners with an additional lens to use when planning and executing operations.


Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the most common cancers diagnosed worldwide. Although genome-wide association studies have effectively identified the genetic basis of CRC, there is still unexplained variability in genetic risk. Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) integrate summary statistics from CRC genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with gene expression data to prioritize these GWAS findings and uncover additional gene-trait correlations. Methods First, we carried out a post-GWAS analysis using summary statistics from a large-scale GWAS of CRC (n = 4,562 cases, n = 382,756 controls). Second, combined with the expression weight sets from GTEx (v7), susceptibility genes were identified with the FUSION software. Colocalization, conditional and fine-mapping analyses, phenome-wide association study (pheWAS), and Mendelian randomization were employed to further characterize the observed correlations. Results In the post-GWAS analyses, we first identified new genome-wide significant associations: three genomic risk loci were identified at 8q24.21 (rs6983267, P = 6.98 × 10−12), 15q13.3 (rs58658771, P = 1.40 × 10−10), and 18q21.1 (rs6507874, P = 1.91 × 10−14). In addition, the TWAS also identified four loci statistically significantly associated with CRC risk, largely explained by expression regulation, including six candidate genes (DUSP10, POU5F1B, C11orf53, COLCA1, COLCA2, and GREM1-AS1). We further discovered evidence that low expression of COLCA2 is correlated with CRC risk with Mendelian randomization. Conclusions We discovered novel CRC risk loci and candidate functional genes by merging gene expression and GWAS summary data, offering new insight into the molecular processes underlying CRC development. This makes it easier to prioritize potential genes for follow-up functional research in CRC.


Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) requires therapeutic interventions during the initial month after being diagnosed for better disease outcomes. International guidelines recommend a duration of 4-12 weeks for an initial antidepressant (IAD) trial at an optimized dose to get a response. If depressive symptoms persist after this duration, guidelines recommend switching, augmenting, or combining strategies as the next step. Premature discontinuation of IAD due to ineffectiveness can cause unfavorable consequences. Hence, we aimed to determine the prevalence and the patterns of strategies applied after an IAD was changed because of a suboptimal response as a primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included the median survival time on IAD before any change; and the factors that were associated with IAD change.Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted in Mental Health Services in Qatar. A dataset between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019, was extracted from the electronic health records. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined and applied. The sample size was calculated to be at least 379 patients. Descriptive statistics were reported as frequencies and percentages, in addition, to mean and standard deviation. The median time of IAD to any change strategy was calculated using survival analysis. Associated factors were examined using three cox regression models.Results: A total of 487 patients met the inclusion criteria of the study, 431 (88%) of them had an occurrence of IAD change to any strategy before end of the study. Almost half of the sample (212 (49%); 95% CI [44% - 53%]) had their IAD changed within less than or equal to 30 days. The median time to IAD change was 43 days with 95% CI [33.2 – 52.7]. Cox regression analysis showed three statistically significant factors were associated with our secondary outcome: age, un-optimization of the dose, and absence of comorbid anxiety.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that clinicians resorted to IAD change within a median time of six weeks. However, this change often occurred without optimization of the IAD dose and might be too late. Future prospective studies with adequate randomization can better investigate the median survival time on IAD and other associated factors.


Three-particle dissociation of high-lying Rydberg states of H{sub 3}, in the immediate vicinity of the ionization threshold, is induced by an external electric field. We observe that the momentum vector correlation map of the center-of-mass motion of the fragments changes rapidly with electronic energy. Near- and above-threshold substantial contributions of fragment orientations which are characteristic of near-linear geometry appear, i.e., two atoms with opposing momenta, the third atom being nearly at rest. This finding is similar to observations by Strasser et al. [Phys. Rev. A 66, 032719 (2002)], who studied dissociative recombination of cold H{sub 3}{sup +} ions with slow electrons. We discuss the likely dissociation paths responsible for the observed correlation.


Nonenzymic deamidation of amides in proteins (lysozyme and albumin) under conditions which imitate physiological ones has been experimentally established with subsequent asparagine-dependent autofragmentation of the polypeptide chain.


We have analyzed the expression profiles of ten genes in terms of testis development and organ specificity in rat, which were selected from 215 round spermatid-specific transcripts listed in a database. Out of the ten genes, we directed our attention to one gene, a germ cell-less like-2 gene (gcl-2), a homolog of Drosophila gcl gene (gcl), which is a component of the germ plasma and required for primordial germ cell formation. Rat genome contains duplicate rat gcl-2 (rgcl-2) genes, rgcl-2A and rgcl-2B, both of which are located at Xq13. RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of the two genes was up-regulated during testis development and that they were predominantly expressed in the testis. Both rgcl-2A and rgcl-2B encode a protein of 498 amino acid residues, showing 90.56% identity at the amino acid level. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that rgcl-2 protein was synthesized in the cytoplasm of elongating spermatids and at least a part of it was integrated into the middle piece of spermatozoa during spermiogenesis. Immunogold electron microscopy uncovered that rgcl-2 was localized at the abaxial (convex) surface of outer dense fibers (ODF) of rat sperm flagella. Therefore, we concluded that rgcl-2 is a new component of ODF in sperm flagella.


[1] Pull-apart basins are narrow zones of crustal extension bounded by strike-slip faults that can serve as analogs to the early stages of crustal rifting. We use seismic tomography, 2-D ray tracing, gravity modeling, and subsidence analysis to study crustal extension of the Dead Sea basin (DSB), a large and long-lived pull-apart basin along the Dead Sea transform (DST). The basin gradually shallows southward for 50 km from the only significant transverse normal fault. Stratigraphic relationships there indicate basin elongation with time. The basin is deepest (8–8.5 km) and widest (∼15 km) under the Lisan about 40 km north of the transverse fault. Farther north, basin depth is ambiguous, but is 3 km deep immediately north of the lake. The underlying pre-basin sedimentary layer thickens gradually from 2 to 3 km under the southern edge of the DSB to 3–4 km under the northern end of the lake and 5–6 km farther north. Crystalline basement is ∼11 km deep under the deepest part of the basin. The upper crust under the basin has lowerPwave velocity than in the surrounding regions, which is interpreted to reflect elevated pore fluids there. Within data resolution, the lower crust below ∼18 km and the Moho are not affected by basin development. The subsidence rate was several hundreds of m/m.y. since the development of the DST ∼17 Ma, similar to other basins along the DST, but subsidence rate has accelerated by an order of magnitude during the Pleistocene, which allowed the accumulation of 4 km of sediment. We propose that the rapid subsidence and perhaps elongation of the DSB are due to the development of inter-connected mid-crustal ductile shear zones caused by alteration of feldspar to muscovite in the presence of pore fluids. This alteration resulted in a significant strength decrease and viscous creep. We propose a similar cause to the enigmatic rapid subsidence of the North Sea at the onset the North Atlantic mantle plume. Thus, we propose that aqueous fluid flux into a slowly extending continental crust can cause rapid basin subsidence that may be erroneously interpreted as an increased rate of tectonic activity.


Ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC) will be the backbone of the upcoming sixth-generation (6G) systems and will facilitate mission-critical scenarios. A design accounting for stringent reliability and latency requirements for URLLC systems poses a challenge for both industry and academia. Recently, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have emerged as a potential candidate to support communications in futuristic wireless systems due to providing favourable channel gains thanks to Line-of-Sight (LoS) communications. However, usage of UAV in cellular infrastructure increases interference in aerial and terrestrial user equipment (UE) limiting the performance gain of UAV-assisted cellular systems. To resolve these issues, we propose low-complexity algorithms for intercell interference coordination (ICIC) using cognitive radio when single and multi-UAVs are deployed in a cellular environment to facilitate URLLC services. Moreover, we model BS-to-UAV (B2U) interference in downlink communication, whereas in uplink we model UAV-to-BS (U2B), UAV-to-UAV (U2U), and UE-to-UAV (UE2U) interference under perfect/imperfect channel state information (CSI). Results demonstrate that the proposed perfect ICIC accounts for fairness among UAV especially in downlink communications compared to conventional ICIC algorithms. Furthermore, in general, the proposed UAV-sensing assisted ICIC and perfect ICIC algorithms yield better performance when compared to conventional ICIC for both uplink and downlink for the single and multi-UAV frameworks.


Between spring 1982 and autumn 1984 the physiological role of Ins(1,4,5)P3 as a calcium-mobilizing second messenger was first suggested and then experimentally established. At the same time the unexpected complexity of inositide metabolism began to be exposed by the discovery of Ins(1,3,4)P3. This article recalls my entanglement with these two inositol phosphates.


Many different phantoms have been proposed as human head models for experimental estimation of the electromagnetic energy field induced in the human head caused by the use of an RF device. Here, a biotic tissue-equivalent solid phantom is introduced as the human head model realizing the same relative dielectric constant and conductivity as brain tissue and skull layer. This brain-equivalent solid phantom and skull-equivalent phantom make it possible to accomplish highly reliable and precise estimation of specific absorption rate (SAR) in the human head. The phantom models of cube, sphere, and realistic human heads are fabricated. Measurements are performed to estimate the SAR in the human head models exposed to microwave sources by using the thermographic method.


abstract Fault dislocation driven by the hoop stress associated with the P wave from an underground explosion is proposed as a mechanism for tectonic stress release. The mechanism is examined in two-dimensional numerical simulations. Determined initial value problems can be posed, from which plots of near-field motion are obtained. If tectonic stress is near the limit allowed by friction, then sliding can explain observed SH amplitudes. The source-time functions of both the explosion and the dislocation are equivalent to step functions at long periods. The corner period for the dislocation is less than 1 sec for low-yield explosions with relative double-couple strengths less than 1.0.


An analysis of the regulations of herbicide use for weed control in non-agricultural/urban amenity areas, including actual pesticide use, was carried out as a joint survey of seven European countries: Denmark, Finland, Germany, Latvia, the Netherlands, Sweden and United Kingdom. Herbicides constitute the major part of the pesticides used in urban amenity areas. Herbicide use on hard surfaces is the largest in terms of volume and potential contamination of surface and groundwater. The aim of the study was to investigate the differences in political interest and public debate on the 'use of pesticides in public urban amenity areas', regulations within each country at national, regional and local levels, possible use of alternative weed control methods and the amounts of pesticides used on urban amenity areas. A comparative analysis revealed major differences in political interest, regulations and availability of statistics on pesticide use. Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany have, or have had, a strong public and political interest for reducing the use of herbicides to control weeds in urban amenity areas and also have very strict regulations. The UK is currently undergoing a period of increasing awareness and strengthening regulation, while Latvia and Finland do not have specific regulations for weed control in urban amenity areas or on hard surfaces. Statistics on pesticide/herbicide use on urban amenity areas were only available in Denmark and the Netherlands. Developing this kind of information base reveals the differences in herbicide use, regulations and policies in European countries and may enhance the transfer of knowledge on sustainable weed control across countries.


Introduction: Early nutrition through maternal diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding was shown to have an impact on obesity in childhood. Experiments on animal models have also indicated alterations regarding taste preferences. In addition, salivary physiology has a documented role in taste preferences and food intake in rodents. The objective of this study was therefore to study the impact of maternal diet on salivary glands' protein profiles of the offspring.
Materials and methods: Female rats received during gestation and lactation either a control (C) or a high fat / high sugar diet (WD for "Western Diet"). 18 offspring rats (9C/9WD) were sacrificed at 25 days of age, i.e. shortly after weaning. Protein expression in their submandibular glands was studied by 2D electrophoresis, and proteins differentially expressed (p<0.05) between the two groups were identified by LC-MS/MS.
Results: Out of 413 spots detected and semi-quantified, 16 spots were differentially expressed between WD and C young rats. The submandibular glands of WD animals were characterized in particular by a higher abundance of proteins with chaperone functions (Hsc70, HSP60, protein disulfide isomerase), annexin A6, proteasome, or enzymes previously described as responding to nutrient intake (2-oxoisovalerate dehydrogenase, adenosylhomocysteinase).
Discussion/conclusion: We here demonstrate the plasticity of offspring salivary glands in response to maternal diet. The link with saliva secretion and ingestive behaviour (sweet and fat preference) deserves further investigation.


We show that the decision problem for p-reinforcement, p-total reinforcement, total restrained reinforcement, and k-rainbow reinforcement are NP-hard for bipartite graphs.


Phospholipase (PL) A2 is involved in signal transduction in the resistance reaction that is induced in potato by inoculation of an incompatible race of Phytophthora infestans, the late blight fungus, or by treatment with fungal elicitor hyphal wall components (Kawakita et al. 1993). In this study, PLA2 in the soluble fraction from potato tuber was purified. The following results suggested that the enzyme was, in fact, patatin: (1) the molecular mass of the purified enzyme was 40 kDa, the same as that of patatin; (2) the pI of the purified enzyme was approximately 4.75, which corresponds to that of patatin; and (3) the amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme showed a high degree of homology to that of patatin. Patatin is known as a storage protein of the potato tuber and it has been shown to have esterase activity. However, other enzymatic activities and the function(s) of patatin are unknown. We investigated the PLA activities of the purified patatin. The PLA2 activity of the patatin was much higher than the PLA1 activity, even though the protein exhibited both activities. The PLA2 activity of the enzyme was particularly apparent when phosphatidylcholine with linoleic acid at the sn-2 position was used as substrate. Lower activity was observed with phosphatidylcholine with palmitic acid, oleic acid and arachidonic acid at the sn-2 position.


Tumour‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are an important component of the immune response to cancer and have a prognostic value in breast cancer. Although several studies have investigated the role of T lymphocytes in breast cancer, the role of B lymphocytes (TIL‐Bs) in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the role of TIL‐Bs in DCIS.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Presentation of the existing experience in the use of Proximal Femoral Nail Synthes (PFN) in trochanteric fractures.

MATERIAL
A prospective study evaluating a group of 41 patients, 12 men and 29 women, average age 68 years (range 21-93 years) operated on between September 1997 and March 2001 by means of PFN. The group comprised 11 unstable peritrochanteric fractures (31-A2), 26 high subtrochanteric fractures (31-A3), 3 low subtrochanteric fractures and 1 pathological fracture.

METHOD
Monitored were first of all preoperative and post-operative complications and final results.

RESULTS
The average duration of surgery was in the whole group of 41 patients 61 minutes (30-100 minutes), in the group of high subtrochanteris fractures 58 minutes (30-80 minutes). Average X-ray exposure including the time necessary of the reduction of the fracture was 2.9 minutes (1-6 minutes). In the group there occurred 3 complications. In the first case distal fixation of the mail failed. However, the fractures healed with any other complications. The second case was a patient with unstable peritrochanteric fracture when a too short lag screw was inserted to the head during surgery. In spite of this the fracture healed in 3 months, however, the resulting varus deformity caused a 1.5 cm shortening of the limb. In the third case, a female patient with a low subtrochanteric fracture, fragments were left in distraction and a large fragment of medial cortex bearing also lesser trochanter remained significantly displaced. Even after 6 months the fractures did not healed and therefore we performed dynamization of the nail and cancellous bone grafting in the region of the defect of medial cortex. Final results were evaluated in patients with a minimum follow-up of 6 months, i.e. in 22 patients, 9 patients did not come, 8 patients died. Most patients healed in 3 months (in total 20 patients of 28 followed up) but we set the minimum follow-up period of 6 months when we checked 22 patients of 39. Within six months 8 patients died and another 9 patients did not appear for the follow up. There were 17 cases of a high subtrochanteric fracture, 3 cases of unstable peritrochanteric fracture, one case of per-subtrochanteric fracture and one case of a low subtrochanteric fracture. Within 6 months the fracture healed in 21 patients, i.e. in 95% of the followed-up patients, of this in 20 cases (91%) in anatomical position.

DISCUSSION
In literature we have found only one publication (Simmermacher et al.--Injury 30, 1999) dealing with PFN which presents very good experience with this implant. Our good results were significantly influenced by preceding experience in the use of Gamma nail. In comparison with it PFN represents an implant of the next generation. However, the basic prerequisite of a good result is a perfect mastering of the surgical technique.

CONCLUSION
PFN is a method of choice in trochanteric fractures, namely in high subtrochanteric fractures (31-A3).


Aims: To compare the effectiveness of vaginally administered misoprostol with extra-amniotic prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) injection for termination of pregnancy. Study Design: Interventional study. Setting: This study was conducted in gynae unit III Nishter hospital Multan over period f 15 months. Material & Methods: Patients admitted to labour ward with pregnancy of less than 20 weeks of gestation requiring termination of pregnancy due to fetal and maternal causes were included in this study. A detailed history was taken followed by clinical examination especially the cervical scoring was done. Sixty patients were randomly assigned to receive either tablet misoprostol (cytotec) intravaginally or extra-amniotic injection of prostaglandin F2a Induction-expulsion interval, need for evacuation and the incidence of side effects were analyzed for both groups. Results: Successful termination was achieved in 98% patients with misoprostol and 94% with PGF2a Induction expulsion interval was < 12 hrs in 80% patients in misoprostol group and 60% in PGF2a group (P value < 0.000). Evacuation rate was 23.3% with PGF2a and 10% with misoprostol group. The incidence of prostaglandin-associated pyrexia, vomiting and diarrhea were significantly increased in the PGF2alpha group (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, vaginal misoprostol has been found to be more effective and associated with a shorter induction to expulsion interval, fewer ERPOC for incomplete evacuation and less side effects when compared with extra-amniotic PGF2alpha. In view of its effectiveness, as shown in this study, vaginally administered misoprostol has the potential to provide a better option for medical abortion in many parts of the world.


Construction cost is a major concern to both clients and contractors. Based on a hypotheticalconstruction project (a six-storey concrete framed office building), cost and otherrelated information was collected through a survey of contractors in Japan, the UK and theUS. Using multiple regression analysis it was found that lower overheads, less prefabricatedcomponents, and fewer design variations could reduce construction cost. Overheadslargely represent indirect costs to contractors and if reduced can lead to increased profitlevels and improved competitiveness. The use of prefabricated components may be problematicwhere there are delays in production, insufficient coordination between design andconstruction, and congested transportation on site. Design variations during constructionbring about uncertainties and are disruptive to the construction process. These factorshave paramount impact on construction cost and demand close attention and consideration.Contractors are advised to reduce the costs of their overheads and utilise prefabricationappropriately, while clients and designers should minimise the number of designvariations during construction if better cost performance is desired.


T he integrity of the published record of scientific research depends not only on the validity of the science but also on honesty in authorship. Editors and readers need to be confident that authors have undertaken the work described and have ensured that the manuscript accurately reflects their work, irrespective of whether they took the lead in writing or sought assistance from a medical writer. The scientific record is distorted if the primary purpose of an article is to persuade readers in favor of a special interest, rather than to inform and educate, and this purpose is concealed. Ghost authorship exists when someone has made substantial contributions to writing a manuscript and this role is not mentioned in the manuscript itself. WAME considers ghost authorship dishonest and unacceptable. Ghost authors generally work on behalf of companies, or agents acting for those companies, with a commercial interest in the topic, and this compounds the problem. For example, a writer employed by a commercial company may prepare an article, then invite an expert in the field to submit the work, perhaps with minor revisions, under his or her own name. The submitting author may be paid, directly or indirectly, for this service. In other circumstances, investigators may pay a professional writer to help them prepare their article but not mention this assistance, gaining credit for writing they have not done. Although editors seek to avoid publication of ghost written articles, these articles are often very difficult to detect. Submitting authors bear primary responsibility for naming all contributors to manuscripts and describing their contributions. Ghost authorship would be avoided if corresponding authors listed everyone else who participated in the work, including those who contributed only to the writing, along with their individual contributions and institutional affiliations, stated explicitly how the work was paid for, and fully disclosed any further potential competing interests. However, responsibility for ghost written manuscripts goes beyond individual authors. Other parties, including companies—such as marketing, communications, and medical education companies who are paid to assist pharmaceutical and medical device companies in disseminating favorable messages about their products—may initiate the sequence of events for which the author is the final and most easily identified participant. These other participants are also responsible for ghost-written manuscripts and addressing their roles should be part of the solution. To prevent some instances of ghost authorship, editors should make clear in their journal's information for authors that medical writers can be legitimate contributors and that their roles and affiliations should be described in the manuscript. When editors detect ghost written manuscripts, their actions should involve both the submitting authors and commercial participants if they are involved. Several actions are possible: 1) publish a notice that a manuscript has been ghost written, along with the names of the responsible companies and the submitting author; 2) alert the authors' academic institutions, identifying the commercial companies; 3) provide specific names if contacted by the popular media or government organizations; and 4) share their experiences on the WAME Listserve and within other forums. Together, these actions would increase transparency and public accountability for ghost writing and its manipulation of the scientific record for monetary gain and deter others from this practice.


One of the structures made of photonic crystal is all-optic filter which these filters are widely used in optic telecommunications systems and networks. In this paper, a method has been presented to design an optic filter based on two-dimensional photonic crystals. The crystal which we suggested, was obtained by FDTD and PWE numeric methods, that influenced different parameters of output wavelength of filter. The result showed that increase of refraction index of Dielectric, leads information in output wavelength of filter.


Understanding mutant evolution in spatially structured systems is crucially important for a range of biological systems, including bacterial populations and cancer. While previous work has shown that the mutation load is higher in spatially structured compared to well-mixed systems for neutral mutants in the absence of cell death, we demonstrate a significantly higher degree of complexity, using a comprehensive computational modeling approach that takes into account different mutant fitness, cell death, and different population structures. While an agent-based model assuming nearest neighbor interactions predicts a higher abundance of neutral or advantageous mutants compared to well-mixed systems of the same size, we show that for disadvantageous mutants, results depend on the nature of the disadvantage. In particular, if the disadvantage occurs through higher death rates, as opposed to lower reproduction rates, the result is the opposite, and a lower mutation load occurs in spatial compared to mixed systems. Interestingly, we show that in all cases, the same results are observed in fragmented patch models, where individuals can migrate to randomly chosen patches, thus lacking a strict spatial component. Hence, the results reported for spatial models are the consequence of population fragmentation, and not spatial restrictions per se. We further derive growth laws that characterize the expansion of wild type and mutant populations in different dimensionalities. For example, we find that while disadvantageous mutant abundance scales with the total population size, N, neutral mutants grow faster (as N2 for 1D, as N3/2 in 2D, and as N4/3 in 3D). Advantageous mutants scale with the cube of N in 1D and with the square of N in higher dimensions. These laws are universal (as long as mutants remain a minority) and independent of "microscopic" modeling details.


Secondary metabolites isolated from plant endophytic fungi have been getting more and more attention. Some secondary metabolites exhibit high biological activities, hence, they have potential to be used for promising lead compounds in drug discovery. In this review, a total of 134 journal articles (from 2017 to 2019) were reviewed and the chemical structures of 449 new metabolites, including polyketides, terpenoids, steroids and so on, were summarized. Besides, various biological activities and structure-activity relationship of some compounds were aslo described.


BACKGROUND
Although transcriptional profiling is a well-established technique, its application to systematic studying of various biological phenomena is still limited because of problems with high-volume data analysis and interpretation. This research project's objective was to create a comprehensive summary of changes in gene expression after hemorrhagic shock (HS), reliant and impartial of multiple variables, such as resuscitation treatments, organ analyzed, and time after impact.

METHODS
Rat model of severe (40% total blood loss) HS was employed. Hemorrhagic shock was treated with 6 different resuscitation strategies: (1) racemic lactated Ringer's (DL-LR); (2) L-lactated Ringer's (L-LR); (3) ketone Ringer's (KR); (4) pyruvate Ringer's (PR); (5) 6% hetastarch (Hex); (6) 7.5% hypertonic saline (HTS). Nonresuscitated and nonhemorrhaged rats served as controls. Ketone and pyruvate Ringer solutions were identical to the lactated Ringer's solution except for equimolar substitution of lactate with beta-hydroxybutyrate and sodium pyruvate, respectively. Total RNA from liver, lung, and spleen was isolated immediately (0 hour) and 24 hour postresuscitation. Each organ, time point and treatment was profiled using individual cDNA array (1,200 genes), to produce 183 separate data files. Methods of analysis included one-way and unbalanced factorial ANOVA, Sokal-Michener average linkage clustering and contextual mapping.

RESULTS
: Unresuscitated HS produced the highest number (56) of upregulated expressions in spleen and lungs. HEX and HTS affected mostly pulmonary genes (22 and 9). Fourteen genes changed in response to combination of all three factors: treatment, organ, and time. Eighteen genes were identified as treatment-specific. Fifteen genes adjusted expression 24 hour post-treatment. The largest number of genes with altered expression (168) responded differently in all three organs. In this study 15 gene clusters were pinpointed. Contextual mapping identified novel and confirmed known pathways contributing to hemorrhage/resuscitation.

CONCLUSIONS
We have reliably identified genes and pathways that are affected by HS and are responsive to resuscitation. Gene expression in various organs is affected differentially by HS, which can be further modulated by the choice of resuscitation strategy.


This paper discusses a model for dissipation in electrical conductors, in which a time-dependent flux X(t) is threaded through a loop. The rate of dissipation is proportional to a constant DE characterizing the diffusion of single-particle energies, and Ohmic dissipation occurs when DE∝Ẋ2. The diffusion constant DE is investigated for a random-matrix model, and compared with the predictions of the Kubo-Greenwood formula. The results agree with the Kubo-Greenwood formula in a physically important regime where other random-matrix models do not show agreement. Numerical experiments also identified another regime of this model which exhibits Ohmic dissipation, with a conductance which does not agree with the Kubo-Greenwood formula.


This paper reviews the theoretical underpinnings of the main procedural choices for merger control enforcement. At each relevant stage we highlight the economic trade-offs behind the corresponding procedural choices: mandatory vs voluntary pre-merger notification, ex ante vs ex post merger review, and the type of decision eventually made, binary or not. The paper also identifies the missing debates that still need formal treatment. Our study provides insight for the optimal procedural design of merger control, and as such may be useful to understand the different choices made by the various jurisdictions for merger policy enforcement.


The patient was a 72-year-old man, who was admitted to our hospital because of cough. Chest X-rays showed a mass shadow in the right lower lung field. Amylase activities in serum and urine were extremely high. Amylase isozyme pattern identified salivary type amylase. Cytological examination of the sputum suggested adenocarcinoma. Amylase activities in serum and urine gradually decreased with the administration of chemotherapy. Afterwards, pleural effusion increased, and the amylase activity in pleural fluid was also extremely high. Pleural fluid also showed adenocarcinoma. Enzyme-labeled antibody method (PAP) on this specimen from pleural fluid proved that tumor cells were producing amylase ectopically.


Abstract Alveolar capillary dysplasia is a fatal disorder of the lung that requires lung biopsy for diagnosis. We reviewed the course of patients with alveolar capillary dysplasia following implementation of an early lung biopsy strategy between 1997–2002. We performed immunohisto-chemical studies on all tissue specimens. We diagnosed 7 cases of alveolar capillary dysplasia. We diagnosed 6/7 cases of alveolar capillary dysplasia pre-mortem by early lung biopsy. Median time between admission and lung biopsy was 6.5 days. All patients survived lung biopsy but died following withdrawal of active therapy after confirmation of the tissue diagnosis. In 1 patient we demonstrated histological findings of alveolar capillary dysplasia and congenital acinar dysplasia. Two patients were first cousins. One patient underwent pulmonary angiography with rapid filling of the pulmonary veins before passage of contrast through the capillary bed. Five patients were supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and 2/5 patients survived decannulation. During the same period 8 patients required ECMO for acute hypoxic respiratory failure. Four out of 8 were diagnosed with alveolar capillary dysplasia. Conclusions: Early lung biopsy was performed with low risk and high diagnostic yield for alveolar capillary dysplasia. Alveolar capillary dysplasia occurs frequently in neonates who require ECMO support for refractory pulmonary hypertension. We have added an additional familial case and suggest a novel angiographic finding.


Are we living in an age of unreason? And what to do about it? Can we combat unreason? We discuss situations in which one may presume to be confronted with unreasonable behavior by an interlocutor: fallacies, changing rules of the game, shifting to some other type of dialogue, and abandonment of reasonable dialogue. We recommend ways that could be helpful to obtain a return to reason. These possibilities lead us to a moderately optimistic conclusion.


beta-Adrenoceptors present in smooth muscles of the cistern wall of teats of lactating cows were identified and characterized by 3H-dihydroalprenolol (DHA) binding. Binding association and dissociation at 37 degrees C were very rapid (t1/2 amounting to 2 min and 1 min 30 sec respectively), stereospecific and saturable. By Scatchard analysis, the mean receptor density was 92 fmol of 3H-dihydroalprenolol bound/mg protein and the dissociation constant was 0.63 nM. The Hill number was 1.01. The order of potency of catecholamines for the binding was (-)-isoproterenol greater than (-)-epinephrine greater than (-)-norepinephrine, indicating a population of mainly beta 2-adrenoceptors. Potency series of 10 antagonists and 15 agonists, determined from binding-inhibition experiments, were composed.


OBJECT
The authors conducted a study to determine how to avoid emergency postoperative reintubation and its associated morbidity in patients who have undergone multilevel anterior-posterior cervical spine surgery.

METHODS
In a group effort between the departments of anesthesia and neurosurgery, a protocol was developed to avoid having to reintubate patients postoperatively. As a preventative measure, patients remained intubated overnight; on the 1st postoperative day or thereafter, based on direct fiberoptic visualization of reactive tracheal swelling, an anesthesiologist extubated the patients. Fifty-eight patients underwent multilevel anterior corpectomy with fusion (ACF; with 41 receiving plates and 17 not receiving plates), posterior wiring and fusion (PWF), and application of a halo. On average, ACF involved three levels, whereas PWF included 6.5 levels. Surgery typically lasted 10 hours, and an average 2.6 U of blood was required. Forty patients were successfully extubated on the 1st, five on the 2nd, three on the 3rd, two on the 4th, two on the 5th, and three on the 7th postoperative day. Three elective tracheostomies were performed on the 7th postoperative day. Risk factors associated with delayed extubation or tracheostomy in 18 patients included: operative time longer than 10 hours (12 patients), obesity greater than 220 lbs (12 patients), transfusion of more than 4 U of blood (10 patients), ACF reoperations (nine patients), ACF including C-2 (seven patients), four-level ACF (five patients), and asthma (five patients). In the only case in which emergency reintubation was required, three risk factors were present.

CONCLUSIONS
Emergency reintubation following anterior-posterior cervical surgery and fusion can be avoided by maintaining intubation overnight and subsequently having an anesthesiologist remove the tube after healing is fiberoptically confirmed. Familiarity with major risk factors contributing to airway compromise, combined with this protocol, should minimize the significant morbidity associated with reintubation following multilevel anterior-posterior cervical fusion.


Schizophrenia interventions incorporate improving quality of life and social functioning. Educational technologies are a potential treatment method for social skills development among individuals with schizophrenia. The objective of the study is to provide an overview of the characteristics and range of approaches of educational technologies in the context of social skills for individuals with schizophrenia. A scoping review methodological framework was applied. Search strategy was conducted on Ovid MEDLINE® and CINAHL Plus. Data were synthesized using a charting form for a logical, descriptive summary of results. The search yielded 771 results and 23 included studies that met eligibility criteria. The data showed persons with schizophrenia respond well to educational technologies to address illness self-management. Using technology in conjunction with traditional evidence-based interventions demonstrates promising results to improve social skills functioning. Occupational therapists can use educational technologies to decrease the gap in health care services and improve social support for individuals with schizophrenia.


Storytelling is an important tool through which to make sense of life experiences. Stories can be classified as personal narratives, historical documentaries and those that inform the viewer about a specific concept or practice. These narratives can be used to promote discussion about current issues in the world. Storytelling can thus be seen as an effective learning tool for students by providing a strong foundation in "Twenty First Century Literacy" skills as well as advancing emotional intelligence and social learning. This project used storytelling to gather information regarding people's encounters with COVID-19 and lockdown, with specific focus on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Employing a content analysis methodology, it attempts to analyze responses to narrative inquiry interviews about the COVID-19 pandemic as conducted by students, as part of their introduction to the methodology of research.  These responses were used to generalize findings, as well as to look at individual reactions that could bring light to, and make sense of the human experience of the pandemic within an educational context. Both negative and positive experiences were related by interviewees and students.


Retinal vascular tumours are congenital and acquired lesions of variable clinical manifestation. They are classified as benign, but their presence leads to vision impairment due to the development of complications. Each retinal vascular tumour possesses characteristic clinical features and is often associated with certain systemic disorders. Thus, a correct diagnosis is crucial for providing individualised treatment and expanded diagnostic management as well as prognostic assessment. The aim of the study was to present retinal vascular tumour cases of patients treated at the Department of Ophtalmology and Ocular Oncology of Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum in Cracow.


The complement fixation microtechnique against PHA blasts has been used to study HLA-DQw1, 2, 3 specificities with sera from multiple transfused patients and/or from multiparous women. Several sera (6 or 7) have been used to define each DQ specificity. The sera have been chosen because of their reactivity with cells from HLA-DR 1, 2 or w6 donors (for DQw1), DR3 or 7 donors (for DQw2,) DR4 or 5 donors (for DQw3). Correlation coefficients between DQ and DR specificities were from 0.56 to 0.91. Correlation coefficients between sera were from 0.51 to 0.92 in each cluster of sera. The segregation of DQw1, 2, 3 specificities has been studied in 46 families with 234 children. This study showed haplotypes lacking DQw1, 2, 3 specificities. The segregation of such 11 DQX haplotypes has been observed in 38 children from 8 families; 5 children were DQX/DQX homozygotes. Up to now, no serological reagent defining the specificity (or specificities) corresponding to DQX has been found. No preferential association was observed between DQX and DR specificities. The gene frequencies observed in 170 haplotypes in these 46 families were as follows: DQw1: 0.400; DQw2: 0.252; DQw3: 0.282; DQX: 0.065. Detecting DQ specificities seems easier by CF on PHA blasts than by lymphocytotoxicity microtechnique against B lymphocytes and monocytes from pheripheral blood. This suggests that PHA blasts express larger quantities of DQ molecules than B lymphocytes and monocytes. The results confirm that complement fixation microtechnique against PHA blasts is efficient for HLA-DQw typing.


This paper analyses an optical packet switch with partial wavelength conversion on output fibres, meaning that a reduced set of full range tuneable wavelength converters is used for contention resolution. The aim is to find a trade off between cost and performance. A simple analytical model is developed to evaluate packet loss probability and throughput. Numerical results, validated by simulation, are presented to show the influence on performance of different design parameters and the significant cost saving obtained while achieving the same packet loss rate of a fully equipped switch.


From the data bank of livestock census in India, the total sheep in the country is 65 million numbers in 2012, declined by about 9.09% over census 2007. The total sheep contributes around 12.7% of the total livestock population. Karnataka (South Indian province) contributes second highest in sheep population first is Andra Pradesh. Growth and development are continuous and dynamic processes require integration of numerous physiological functions, they influenced by nutrition, efficiency of metabolism, respiration, hormonal regulation, immune responses, physiological status, and maintenance of homeostasis. The physiological and endocrinological events involved in the onset of puberty and estrus cycle are of primary importance. Appropriate thyroid glands function and activity of thyroid hormones (TH) are considered crucial to sustain the productive performance in domestic animals (growth, milk, hair fiber production) and circulating TH can be considered as indicators of the metabolic and nutritional status of the animals. A total of 24 female Bannur sheep (age from 3.5 month to 11 month) were used in this study. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein of 24 clinically healthy animals in four groups along with body weight also recorded (GI (>3-5 m), GII (>5-7m), GIII (>7-9m) and GIV (>9-11)). Triidothyroxine and Thyroxine estimation was done using immunoassay test kit method. In the present study, the mean serum Triidothyronine (ng/mL) levels ranged from 1.17 ± 0.01 to 1.80 ± 0.01 ng/mL. Positive correlation was observed between the levels of thyroid hormones (T3) and the age of animal and body weight gain in Bannur ewes. The mean serum thyroxin (μg/dl) levels ranged from 3.98 ± 0.18 to 7.61 ± 0.05 μg/dl. T4 concentrations elevated at premature phase, where during fattening period growing lambs needed to increase the basal metabolic rate, protein synthesis in their muscles and more of energy to achievements these biological functions, therefore plasma T4 and glucose concentrations increased in the two last months of fattening period. The age of sheep influenced statically significantly all the investigated parameters. Blood thyroid hormones levels are considered to be good indicators of the nutritional status of an animal. K e y w o r d s Serum thyroxin, Plasma, Lambs, Hormones and immunoassay Accepted: 26 July 2018 Available Online: 10 August 2018 Article Info International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 08 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2018) 7(8): 4628-4635


Abstract The present study analyzes how and what knowledge constitutes the daily work of tattooing in light of the organizational aesthetic approach. For this purpose, the authors explore the theme of knowledge at work by considering the knowledge produced in the daily life of this practice, analyzing the interaction between different knowings, artifacts, and practices. The study used techniques of participant observation and narrative interviews, with data analysis through thematic analysis of narratives. The practice of tattooing consists of six types of knowledge: (a) creation and/or reproduction of the design; (b) doings and sayings related to each practice; (c) manipulation of artifacts; (d) technique; (e) body movement; (f) activation of the human senses. Shedding light on the knowledge of the practice of tattooing brings to the focus of organizational studies the importance of the aesthetic dimension, proposing an alternative for the logical-rational understanding of the organizational context.


In a discussion it is often easier to staunchly reject or offer resolute support for an idea. This third paper on the niche concept aims to develop a balanced argument by exploring general principles for determining an appropriate level for pitching the niche concept that will guide better use and less abuse of niche concepts. To do this we first have to accept that niche concepts are not necessarily essential for ecology. Rather than to improve niche concepts, our aim should then be to pitch the niche in terms of ecology. This aim helps us develop an 'ultimate goal of the niche' by which we can evaluate the concepts we use. For species distribution modelling, there has been a focus on the niche as an equilibrium outcome that perhaps has less relevance for disequilibrium situations (e.g. climate change projections). As is the case for much of ecology, more causal explanations of species' distributions use alternative terminologies and less frequently use the word 'niche'. We suggest that niche concepts that are better aligned with the rest of ecology could arise from taking more responsibility for our own implementations, and by explaining our models with terms other than niche. A general, holistic niche concept promotes this view and promotes practical thinking about what we are modelling and how we interpret those models, which in turn should help inspire and support innovative modelling approaches in species distribution modelling.


Infection of susceptible strains of mice such as C57BL/6 (B6) with the LP-BM5 isolate of murine leukemia virus (MuLV) leads to an immunodeficiency syndrome similar to HIV-induced AIDS, known as MAIDS. However, other MAIDS-resistant strains such as BALB/c develop protective immunity against the virus after infection. Recently, we used DNA microarray analysis to compare lymphoid organ gene expression in these two mouse strains during the first week post infection. We identified a specific set of proteases and certain chemokines that are highly differentially expressed in BALB/c versus B6 mice after infection. This suggested to us that early changes in lymphoid organ architecture and/or cellular recruitment might help shape the early immune response to the virus. In follow-up experiments using real-time PCR and protein-based assays, we now show that neither protease expression nor lymphatic vascular architecture changes appear to be specifically associated with resistance to MAIDS. This despite the fact that these animals very rapidly control the viral load, showing significantly reduced viremia by five days after infection. In B6 mice, the viral load exponentially rises over the same time-course, with strongly divergent patterns apparent by day 5. We do find that certain chemokines are upregulated in the MAIDS-resistant mice at approximately one week after infection. These findings suggest that differences in cell trafficking might influence disease in this AIDS model system.


Sir, Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is commonly present in the environment, but it is of low pathogenicity. It is widely believed that an underlying immune alteration is required for pathogenicity. Human infection caused by MAC organisms manifest as chronic pulmonary disease, but disseminated types are recognized in immunocompromised patients, especially AIDS su¡erers (1). Cutaneous infection results from either haematogenous dissemination from pulmonary lesions or direct invasion from traumatic inoculation to the skin. It is exceedingly rare to encounter a patient with a purely cutaneous MAC infection; indeed, only few cases have been reported in the literature (2). We describe here a 60-year-old, HIV negative, immunocompetent male who had a primary cutaneous infection with positive culture for MACwithout involvement of other organs.


In this paper, we consider the physics performance of a single far detector composed of a 100 kton next generation Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) possibly located at shallow depth, coupled to the J-PARC neutrino beam facility with a realistic 1.66 MW operation of the Main Ring. The new far detector could be located in the region of Okinoshima islands (baseline $L\sim 658$ km). Our emphasis is based on the measurement of the $\theta_{13}$ and $\delta_{CP}$ parameters, possibly following indications for a non-vanishing $\theta_{13}$ in T2K, and relies on the opportunity offered by the LAr TPC to reconstruct the incoming neutrino energy with high precision compared to other large detector technologies. We mention other possible baselines like for example J-PARC-Kamioka (baseline $L\sim 295$ km), or J-PARC-Eastern Korean coast (baseline $L\sim 1025$ km). Such a detector would also further explore the existence of proton decays.


Abstract In different stages of postulated severe accidents in CANDU reactors, the fuel channels may experience a series of thermomechanical deformations, some of which may have significant impacts on accident progression; however, they have not been mechanistically modeled by integrated severe accident codes such as MAAP-CANDU and SCDAP/RELAP5. This paper focuses on the development and benchmarking of mechanistic models for pressure tube (PT) ballooning and sagging phenomena during the fuel channel heatup phase as well as for the sagging of fuel channel assemblies during the core disassembly phase. These models, which are based on existing phenomena in literature, are coupled with RELAP5 and/or integrated into RELAP/SCDAPSIM/MOD3.6 as new SCDAP subroutines to provide more robust treatment of the deformation phases of severe accidents. The ballooning of a PT will lead to contact with its calandria tube (CT) and occurs during conditions where the coolant pressure is moderately high. At initial contact the high contact thermal conductance and the large temperature difference between the two tubes result in a large transient heat flux that challenges the channel integrity through potential film boiling on the outer calandria surface if moderator subcooling is low. A one-dimensional ballooning and contact model (BALLON) has been developed. BALLON calculates the ballooning-driven transverse strain of PT and CT and modifies the effective conductivity of the annulus before and after contact. Pressure tube sagging is the dominant deformation mechanism at low pressures and occurs at relatively high PT temperatures. A model based on simple beam theory (SAGPT) has been developed. SAGPT calculates the longitudinal strain and the deflection of PT, and it also determines PT-to-CT sagging contact. The sagging and disassembly of the entire fuel channel assembly occur when the fuel channels are uncovered and the moderator heat sink is lost; thus, the entire PT-CT assembly sags together, possibly contacting channels at lower elevations. A model named SAGCH is created to track fuel channel assembly sagging after moderator boil off and also determines the extent of channel-to-channel contact, channel disassembly, suspended debris bed characteristics, and eventual core collapse. This paper presents detailed descriptions of the models, the coupling schemes, and their benchmark against experiments, together with an extensive review of relevant studies in the literature.


The aim of the present study was to establish a new cisplatin-resistant human osteosarcoma cell line and investigate its biological characteristics. The human osteosarcoma cell line SOSP-9607 was exposed to cisplatin by stepwisely increasing the concentrations in the medium to select for the drug-resistant subline, SOSP-9607/CDDP cells. The morphological features were observed using inverted microscopy. The growth curves of SOSP-9607 and SOSP-9607/CDDP cells were drawn to calculate the doubling time. FCM was also used to determine the distribution of the cell cycle. The MTT assay was performed to test the drug resistance of SOSP-9607 and SOSP-9607/CDDP cells. Transwell assay was used to examine the invasive capability of the SOSP-9607/CDDP and SOSP-9607 cells. RT-PCR was performed to determine the mRNA expression levels of drug resistance-related and apoptosis-related genes, MDR1, MRP1, MRP2, LRP, ABCG2, GST-π, Bcl-2 and Bax, in both cell lines. SOSP-9607/CDDP cells exhibited changes in morphology, proliferation rate, doubling time, cell cycle distribution and invasive capability as compared with the SOSP-9607 cells. SOSP-9607/CDDP cells were 6.24-fold resistant to cisplatin in comparison with the SOSP‑9607 cells and also exhibited cross-resistance to methotrexate and adriamycin. SOSP-9607/CDDP cells overexpressed MRP1, MRP2 and GST-π. In conclusion, SOSP-9607/CDDP cells are invaluable tools with which to study the resistance of anticancer drugs and to identify the methods to overcome resistance.


A unique nanotemplate deposition technique is utilized in growth of semiconductor quantum dots which enables precise control over the dot dimensions and nucleation site. Here, we demonstrate tuning of the biexciton binding energy in a single, site-selected InAs/InP quantum dot through manipulation of the nanotemplate dimensions and thus, dot size. A monotonic decrease of the biexciton binding energy from the binding to anti-binding regime through zero is observed with increasing dot size. Piezoelectric fields in large quantum dots are suggested as the mechanism to obtain an unbound biexciton state. The tunability of the biexciton binding energy demonstrated here for a deterministically positioned quantum dot is an important step towards a scalable route in the generation of entangled photon pairs that emit around the telecommunications band of 1.55 μm.


In recent years, many built-in self-test techniques have been proposed based on feedback shift-registers for pattern generation and signature analysis. But in general, these test-registers cannot test several modules of the chip concurrently, and they have to be controlled by external automatic test equipment. The authors propose a method to integrate additional test-control logic into the chip. On the basis of a register-transfer description of the circuit, the test control is derived, and a corresponding finite automation is synthesized. A hardware implementation is proposed, resulting in circuits where the entire self-test only consists in activating the test mode and clocking and evaluating the overall signature.<<ETX>>


Before the COVID-19 pandemic, patients in Ontario who were uninsured due to immigration status faced barriers to hospital care that resulted in preventable illness and death. In March 2020, the Ontario Ministry of Health issued a memo indicating that it would pay for medically necessary hospital services for uninsured patients (Ontario Ministry of Health 2020). Front-line providers and research workers associated with the Health Network for Uninsured Clients (HNUC) set out to ensure that hospitals in Toronto implemented the ministry's memo. In this paper, we demonstrate a model of front-line worker-led knowledge translation informed by real-time data and anchored in clearly articulated values and goals. On April 1, 2023, the Ontario Ministry of Health cancelled this uninsured coverage (Ontario Ministry of Health 2023). Healthcare provider associations, grassroots groups and coalitions - including the HNUC - are mobilizing to see this uninsured coverage reinstated.


In easternmost Australia, the New England Orogen contains a geological record dominated by subduction-related rocks, with plate convergence during the Late Devonian to Triassic being related to a west-dipping subduction system, assuming present-day orientation, at the boundary of eastern Gondwanaland and the Panthalassan Ocean. A well-preserved Late Paleozoic accretionary wedge contains deep-marine turbidites deposited as trench fill, plus infaulted slices of oceanic crust. The turbidites are mostly first-cycle, immature, quartz-poor, volcanic-derived sedimentary rocks, some of which contain detrital hornblende, along with less-common quartz-rich sandstones to the east. In this study, detrital zircons from sandstones in various tectonic blocks of the New England Orogen are dated by the U–Pb SHRIMP and LA-ICPMS techniques and detrital hornblendes by the Ar–Ar technique to constrain the age and provenance of sedimentary rocks in the accretionary wedge. All samples, except two quartz-rich sandstones from the northern Shoalwater Formation, have maximum depositional ages of 355–316 Ma, indicating that the accretionary wedge evolved over a period of at least 40 Ma, with principal sources from a contemporaneous active continental margin volcanic arc. Quartz-rich sandstones from the easternmost part of the accretionary wedge (Shoalwater Formation and eastern Beenleigh Block) contain a greater range of individual detrital zircon ages from Late Paleozoic to Archean (several individual grains >3000 Ma). These ages indicate that, although detritus from Carboniferous volcanic arc sources was involved, quartz-rich detritus mostly derived from the continental interior dominated the depocentres. We suggest that these quartz-rich sandstones accumulated from longitudinal transport along the trench, like the modern-day Barbados Ridge accretionary wedge, along with breaching of the marginal arc by streams draining the continental interior.


In the cosmological paradigm, cold dark matter (DM) dominates the mass content of the Universe and is present at every scale. Candidates for DM include many extensions of the standard model, such as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) in the mass range from $\sim$10 GeV to greater than 10 TeV. The self-annihilation or decay of WIMPs in astrophysical regions of high DM density can produce secondary particles including very high energy (VHE) gamma rays with energy up to the DM particle mass. VERITAS, an array of atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, sensitive to VHE gamma rays in the 85 GeV-30 TeV energy range, has been utilized for the search for this DM signature. The astrophysical objects considered to be candidates for indirect DM detection by VERITAS are dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) of the Local Group and the Galactic Center, among others. This presentation reports on the observations of five dSphs, and the results from a joint DM search from these objects.


This paper is the first attempt to analyze efficiency of building societies in the Czech Republic. We apply non-parametric method Data Envelopment Analysis on data from all building societies in the sector over the period 2002–2008. Having deposits received and administrative expenses as inputs and volume of loans disbursed as output we estimate efficiency scores of all individual building societies as well as calculate the average efficiency in the industry. For this purpose we use two alternative models that allows for constant and variable returns of scale respectively. The results suggest that there is no significant improvement in efficiency of building societies during the estimation period. Furthermore, most of the building societies have not been operating at appropriate size. We also found that Ceskomoravska stavebni spořitelna, a. s. was the most efficient building society in the Czech Republic according to the both models applied. In order to increase efficiency, we suggest reduction in the number of external employees and agents or increase of their productivity, more sophisticated products that can outperform the standard services and effective response to changes in the legislature.


BACKGROUND
DNA methylation can influence histone modification and gene expression. The growth-arrest DNA damage inducible gene 45beta (Gadd45beta) has been reported as a potential diagnostic marker for aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, the synergistic effect of the histone deacetylase inhibitor depsipeptide and the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-azacytidine on the Gadd45beta gene expression in human liver cells was examined.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The effects of depsipeptide and 5-azacytidine in CL-48, HepG2 and Hep3B cells were examined by PCR, cell viability test, Western blot and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay.

RESULTS
Two microM depsipeptide reactivated Gadd45beta gene expression considerably within 4 h in HepG2 cells, but not in CL-48 or Hep3B cells. Up to 10 microM 5-azacytidine had no reactivation effect on Gadd45beta. A sequential treatment of depsipeptide+5-azacytidine (but not 5-azacytidine+depsipeptide) exhibited a synergistic effect on Gadd45beta gene reactivation in the HepG2 cells.

CONCLUSION
The results show for the first time that histone acetylation in sequence with hypermethylation can override transcriptional repression. Our results provide a novel insight into the epigenetics-based strategy for treating human liver cancer.


Graph neural networks (GNNs) are emerging in chemical engineering for the end-to-end learning of physicochemical properties based on molecular graphs. A key element of GNNs is the pooling function which combines atom feature vectors into molecular fingerprints. Most previous works use a standard pooling function to predict a variety of properties. However, unsuitable pooling functions can lead to unphysical GNNs that poorly generalize. We compare and select meaningful GNN pooling methods based on physical knowledge about the learned properties. The impact of physical pooling functions is demonstrated with molecular properties calculated from quantum mechanical computations. We also compare our results to the recent set2set pooling approach. We recommend using sum pooling for the prediction of properties that depend on molecular size and compare pooling functions for properties that are molecular size-independent. Overall, we show that the use of physical pooling functions significantly enhances generalization.


A practical approach to decision aid development is outlined. This approach systematically exploits both the problem-structuring techniques of decision analysis and the incrementally modifiable software architectures found in artificial intelligence. The approach advocates the use of decision analysis modeling techniques for the initial structuring of expert knowledge. At the same time it advocates the use of artificial intelligence software architectures that separate a domain-specific knowledge base from general problem-solving procedures. Two specific aid architectures that reflect specific instantiations of this approach are shown. These aid architectures are drawn from two ongoing decision-aid development efforts.


Combinatorial chemistry is widely used within the pharmaceutical industry as a means of rapid identification of potential drugs. With the growth of combinatorial libraries, mass spectrometry (MS) became the key analytical technique because of its speed of analysis, sensitivity, accuracy and ability to be coupled with other analytical techniques. In the majority of cases, electrospray mass spectrometry (ES-MS) has become the default ionisation technique. However, due to the absence of fragment ions in the resulting spectra, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is required to provide structural information for the identification of an unknown analyte. This work discusses the first steps of an investigation into the fragmentation pathways taking place in electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The ultimate goal for this project is to set general fragmentation rules for non-peptidic, pharmaceutical, combinatorial compounds. As an aid, an artificial intelligence (AI) software package is used to facilitate interpretation of the spectra. This initial study has focused on determining the fragmentation rules for some classes of compound types that fit the remit as outlined above. Based on studies carried out on several combinatorial libraries of these compounds, it was established that different classes of drug molecules follow unique fragmentation pathways. In addition to these general observations, the specific ionisation processes and the fragmentation pathways involved in the electrospray mass spectra of these systems were explored. The ultimate goal will be to incorporate our findings into the computer program and allow identification of an unknown, non-peptidic compound following insertion of its ES-MS/MS spectrum into the AI package. The work herein demonstrates the potential benefit of such an approach in addressing the issue of high-throughput, automated MS/MS data interpretation.


Abstract : Numerical simulation of impact events on fabric-based protective systems requires accurate mechanical characterization of the constituent material at similar strain rates as the impact event. Because Kevlar (Kevlar is a registered trademark of DuPont Company) yarn is woven into fabric to make protective equipment, the strength of the individual filaments may become compromised as a result of the crimping, weaving process, or finishing process. To elucidate and quantify any damage to the fibers as a result of the weaving or post treatment finishing process, single fibers were extracted from the warp and weft directions of plain woven, hydrophobically treated Kevlar cloth and the strength was measured over a wide range of strain rates and compared to the response of fibers extracted from an unwoven yarn. The tensile strength of fibers from the warp, weft, and unwoven Kevlar were evaluated at 0.001 s 1, 1 s 1, and approximately 1000 s 1 using a Bose Electroforce test setup and a Hopkinson tension bar modified for fiber experiments. A wide range of gage lengths from 2 to 150 mm was investigated to find the effect of defect distribution on the tensile strength of the single fibers. The results show that fibers taken from the weft direction of the woven fabric decreased in strength 3% 8% compared to the unwoven fiber. The warp fibers were a minimum of 20% weaker than unwoven and weft fibers at all loading rates. Measured Young s Modulus as a function of strain rate and tensile strength as a function of gage length are also presented in this technical report.


This paper trys to clarify the political economy arguments underlying the big bang and the gradualist approach to economic transition. The big bang approach emphasizes the importance of windows of opportunity when ex ante political constraints are less binding, whereas gradualist programmes are defended because of their higher ex ante political feasibility. Both approaches aim at achieving irreversibility, but through different means. The big bang approach emphasizes how speed in reforms may constrain a successor government, whereas the gradualist approach tries to design the sequencing of reforms so as to build, at each stage of transition, constituencies for further reform.