The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended, authorizes the siting, construction and operation of a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility. The MRS is intended to be used for the temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel from the nation`s nuclear power plants beginning as early as 1998. Pursuant to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator was created. On October 7, 1991, the Nuclear Waste Negotiator invited the governors of states and the Presidents of Indian tribes to apply for government grants in order to conduct a study to assess under what conditions, if any, they might consider hosting an MRS facility. Pursuant to this invitation, on October 11, 1991 the Mescalero Apache Indian Tribe of Mescalero, NM applied for a grant to conduct a phased, preliminary study of the safety, technical, political, environmental, social and economic feasibility of hosting an MRS. The preliminary study included: (1) An investigative education process to facilitate the Tribe`s comprehensive understanding of the safety, environmental, technical, social, political, and economic aspects of hosting an MRS, and; (2) The development of an extensive program that is enabling the Tribe, in collaboration with the Negotiator, to reach an informed andmore » carefully researched decision regarding the conditions, (if any), under which further pursuit of the MRS would be considered. The Phase 1 grant application enabled the Tribe to begin the initial activities necessary to determine whether further consideration is warranted for hosting the MRS facility. The Tribe intends to pursue continued study of the MRS in order to meet the following objectives: (1) Continuing the education process towards a comprehensive understanding of the safety, environmental, technical, social and economic aspects of the MRS; (2) Conducting an effective public participation and information program; (3) Participating in MRS meetings.« less


In the Value Added Tax (VAT) system some goods and services, such as banking services, are exempted from taxes. Based on theoretical foundations, exempt treatment leads to several distortions and inefficiencies in the economy. In order to understand the importance of exemption on macroeconomic fluctuations as well as the fundamental role of financial intermediaries in economy shocks, this study using a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model provides an empirical analysis for policy simulations with consideration of VAT on financial services under different scenarios. Accordingly, the values of model parameters was estimated via calibration method and also the model accuracy were evaluated by Brooks & Gelman test and impulse-response functions. Simulation results of the policy exercise suggest that shifting from exemption to full taxation, reduces the cost of bank, and increases the bank free resources leading to higher investment and output through more bank loans.


A superconducting magnet was designed based on the requirements of high magnetic field nuclear magnetic resonance. The superconducting coils are fabricated with the various diameters of superconducting wire to improve the performance and reduce the weight in the magnet. The superconducting magnet with the available-bore of ¿54 mm and center field of 11.75 T is cooled by the liquid helium. To reduce the liquid helium evaporation, a two-stage 4 K pulsed tube refrigerator is employed to cool the system. The actively shielded magnet has a high pure copper quench band to reduce stray field burst during a quench of the shield superconducting coil. The paper presents the electromagnetic design, and stress and protection in detail.


Fetal cervical teratoma is a rare congenital neck tumor. Here, we report a case of a fetus with an anterior solid neck tumor that was confirmed to have an immature teratoma by histology. A duplication was found at chromosome 14q24.1-q24.3 of the fetus in chromosome microarray (CMA) and whole exome sequencing (WES), which was a copy number variation (CNV) and a probably new-onset. Ultrasound coupled with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be considered to be a relatively reliable diagnostic tool, whereas ex-utero intrapartum therapy or resection of the tumor mass on placental support may improve the chances of the newborn's survival. Strangely, the same duplication occurred on her next fetus that was found with complex congenital heart malformations. CNV at chromosome 14q24.1-q24.3 needs to be paid more attention.


Abstract In this paper, different considerations on atoms, pseudo-atoms and minimal atoms are given for several types of non-additive set functions. In this sense, their properties, different relationships, examples and counterexamples are given.


The game system 1, the center server 3, and the center server 3 in provided with a plurality of game terminal GT can be connected via a network (5), provided by the ranking information with the game outcome of each game terminal GT There as the game system, each of the plurality of game terminal GT, the GPS function of transmitting the self-location information to the center server 3 is provided, in the center server 3, on the basis of the position information of each game terminal GT extracting a portion of the game result from the game results of a plurality of game terminal GT, and to provide a limited portion of the ranking in the game result is extracted, limited to the game result of the extracted part and executes the predetermined processing.


Protein Z (PZ) is a 6.2 kDa vitamin K-dependent protein, synthesized in the liver. The gene for human PZ is localized to chromosome 13 at band 34 q. The structure of PZ is very similar to that of factors VII, IX, X and protein C. Very low plasma levels of protein Z were observed under oral anticoagulant treatment. The cause of this phenomenon might be increased protein Z binding on the surface of endothelial cells. Protein Z is consumed during coagulopathy. About 60% of humans suffering from a bleeding tendency of unknown origin presented with decreased plasma levels of protein Z. PZ forms a Ca(2+)-dependent complex with activated factor X (Xa) on phospholipid surfaces, that leads to the inhibition of factor Xa and decrease in thrombin generation. Inhibition of factor Xa may be caused directly by protein Z or indirectly by the activity of protein Z-dependent protease inhibitor (ZPI). ZPI is a 72 kDa member of the serpin family of proteinase inhibitors, synthesized in the liver. ZPI circulates in plasma in complex with protein Z. ZPI in the presence of Ca2+ and phospholipids inhibits factor Xa. The presence of protein Z enhances this process by more than 1000 times. ZPI also inhibits activated factor XI in the absence of protein Z, Ca2+ or phospholipids. Protein Z deficiency may induce bleeding as well as prothrombotic tendencies and might occur as an inherited disorder. Protein Z deficiency may aggravate mild bleeding tendency in subjects with diagnosed borderline decrease in von Willebrand factor and factor VII activity. Patients presenting with factor V Leiden mutation and low protein Z levels show earlier onset and higher frequency of thromboembolic events comparing to patients with normal protein Z levels.


We present an algorithm for test-time combination of a set of reference predictors with unknown parametric forms. Existing multi-task and transfer learning algorithms focus on training-time transfer and combination, where the parametric forms of predictors are known and shared. However, when the parametric form of a predictor is unknown, e.g., for a human predictor or a predictor in a precompiled library, existing algorithms are not applicable. Instead, we empirically evaluate predictors on sampled data points to measure distances between different predictors. This embeds the set of reference predictors into a Riemannian manifold, upon which we perform manifold denoising to obtain the refined predictor. This allows our approach to make no assumptions about the underlying predictor forms. Our test-time combination algorithm equals or outperforms existing multi-task and transfer learning algorithms on challenging real-world datasets, without introducing specific model assumptions.


Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a severe neuropsychiatric complication of liver failure, in which there is injury to brain cells, particularly neurons and glia. Brain cells and their function are greatly influenced by omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, essential components of cell membrane phospholipids in the brain that are crucial to normal function. This study assessed the effect of chronic fish oil (FO) supplementation (rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) on behavior and oxidative stress of Wistar rats subjected to HE due to a liver failure caused by thioacetamide (TAA) intoxication. The FO supplementation started in an early phase of brain development, that is, at the 21st day of life, and extended to the 122th day of life. The results indicated that cognitive function, specifically spatial memory, was markedly affected in the group that received TAA. Most notably, the ill effects caused by TAA administration were counteracted by FO supplementation. In addition to behavioral improvements, FO also promoted reduction in levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and superoxide dismutase activity in hippocampus and cerebral cortex. In summary, FO protected against spatial memory deficits and oxidative stress caused by HE in rats subjected to liver lesion due to TAA intoxication. Further studies are necessary to understand the mechanism underlying FO behaviors in rats subjected to encephalopathy.


We describe an experimental study of convection in liquid gallium in the presence of an applied magnetic field. We find evidence for a codimension-2 bifurcation corresponding to the intersection of a line of secondary Hopf bifurcations with a line of period-doubling bifurcations.


A high-order locally corrected Nystro/spl uml/m (LCN) solution of a combined volume-surface integral equation is presented for the electromagnetic scattering by complex targets that consist of composite homogeneous and inhomogeneous materials and conducting objects. It is found that, for general scattering objects, the use of mixed-order basis functions accelerates the convergence of the LCN solution, eliminates spurious charges, and significantly reduces the condition number of the resulting linear system of equations. Fast iterative solvers based on a multi-level fast multipole method (MLFMM) and the quadrature sampled pre-corrected FFT (QSPCFFT) are also employed to enable the practical solution of large complex targets.


The purpose of this study is to determine how the people`s view on afterlife affects their perception about shrouds. As part of analytical research, the survey was carried out to take a look at the basic thoughts that average persons have on afterlife. This paper also performed the survey on what the shroud reminds the subjects of. Specifically, the questionnaire survey was conducted to see what the people think the necessity and appropriate cost of shroud and see if they have any plan to get it provided in detail. Data from this work were statistically processed and empirically analyzed. Findings of this study can be summarized as follows. As to the funeral methods, the subjects in this work preferred cremation to burial. It was found that they recognized shrouds as necessary, but they did not have a thought in a serious manner that the suit for the dead would affect the repose of the dead and guide his or her soul to the heaven. Those respondents did not have any immediate plan to purchase shrouds, either. However, they considered the price of shroud as most important when they might come to choose the garment. With regard to the quality, it turned out that they preferred the domestic shrouds whose material are natural to those from foreign country. Also, they opted for such a kind whose shape is not so different from that of casuals they would usually wear and whose color is same to the main material of the original garment. The common material preferred most by the subjects was a hemp. The subjects` view of afterlife was not greatly related not only to how much they recognized shrouds as necessary but also to their preference for materials and patterns. On top of this, their unique taste for particular types of shroud was found to be significantly dependent on whether their view of afterlife is positive or negative, whether they firmly believe in afterlife, whether they take the absolute predestination and whether they accept the prayer-effect relationship in terms of psychology.


Scarcity of data and technological limitations for resource-poor languages in developing countries like India poses a threat to the development of sophisticated NLU systems for healthcare. To assess the current status of various state-of-the-art language models in healthcare, this paper studies the problem by initially proposing two different Healthcare datasets, Indian Healthcare Query Intent-WebMD and 1mg (IHQID-WebMD and IHQID-1mg) and one real world Indian hospital query data in English and multiple Indic languages (Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Gujarati) which are annotated with the query intents as well as entities. Our aim is to detect query intents and corresponding entities. We perform extensive experiments on a set of models which in various realistic settings and explore two scenarios based on the access to English data only (less costly) and access to target language data (more expensive). We analyze context specific practical relevancy through empirical analysis. The results, expressed in terms of overall F-score show that our approach is practically useful to identify intents and entities.


Questions about the method of delivery in incomplete pregnancy always remained and would remain relevant. One of the main causes of perinatal mortality in preterm infants is a generic injuries, largely due to inadequate maintenance of preterm birth. Selection of the optimum tactics of perinatal risk factors — the most important reserve for improving the health status of newborns.


A simple but effective method for extracting periodic signals from noise is discussed, and experimental results of its implementation are given. This method (integration or storage), while only one of many ways in which such signals may be recovered from noise, has the advantage that it is easy to explain and to mechanize and thus is particularly useful in undergraduate signal theory courses and laboratory work. While certain of the components must be designed and constructed, most of the required equipment is readily available in the typical electrical engineering laboratory. The amount of design that is required can be varied and is consistent with undergraduate training. This allows the student to become involved in the planning and construction of the signal extraction system and should be helpful in stimulating the student's interest in random processes which continue to receive increased emphasis. Using the simple system described, it is possible to recover signals that are far below the noise level. A noise-to-signal power ratio of 100:1 presents no difficulties (provided the signal amplitude is sufficiently large) and limited results are given where the noise-tosignal ratio is 2500:1.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore nurses' access and use of information resources and to identify the barriers and competency to evidence based practice (EBP). This study used descriptive method to identify baseline data for the purpose of developing strategies for establishing EBP in clinical nursing practice. Methods: Participants in this study were 278 nurses from five hospitals in Daegu and Kyungsangbukdo. The data were collected by self administered questionnaires and SPSS/WIN 15.0 program was used to analyze the data with descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and ANOVA. Results: Nurses reported most frequently using paper and human resources. The mean score of barriers was 3.02±0.41, and competency was 2.70±0.50. The reported competency was correlated with nurse factors (r=-.31, p<.001) organization factors (r=-.20, p<.001) and research factors (r=-.12, p<.040) as the barriers to evidence based practice. Conclusion: To promote competency in EBP and to decrease the barriers, it would be necessary to develop the organizational culture that encourages nurses to be involved in research activities. In addition, the development of systemic methods to introduce and establish an education program for facilitating EBP in the clinical settings is needed.


A series of ultafine Ni−P, Ni−B, and Ni−P−B amorphous alloy catalysts with various atomic ratios were prepared by a chemical reduction method. The catalysts were characterized with respect to elemental analysis, nitrogen sorption, XRD, TEM, XPS, and hydrogenation activity. Conventional Raney nickel was included for comparison. The Ni/P/B molar ratio in the starting material significantly affected the concentration of boron and phosphorus bonded to the nickel metal, subsequently affecting the surface area, the amorphous structure, and the hydrogenation activity and selectivity of the catalyst. The different electron transfer between nickel metal and the metalloid elements in Ni−P and Ni−B powders (phosphorus draws electrons and boron donates electrons) results in the extremely different hydrogenation activity of furfural (specific activity per surface area: Ni85.0P15.0 ≫ Ni71.4B28.9). By regulating a suitable P/B ratio, the ultrafine Ni−P−B catalyst dramatically revealed a markedly higher hydrogenation act...


Aeronautical Ad-Hoc Networking (AANET) aims to provide a dynamic, feasible, and sustainable communication system above the clouds. The fundamental function of AANETs is to transfer data via clustered aircraft network. However, the unstructured and ultra-dynamic characteristics of aircraft make clustering challenging in the AANET environment. Here, these two characteristics reduce the stability of AANET clusters by decreasing the connection life of air-to-air links between aircraft. Therefore, we should obtain more organized and structured clusters consisting of durable air-to-air links to increase the Internet connectivity success efficiency of AANETs. This paper proposes a customized K-means algorithm to cluster the aircraft in a more organized and structured form. This algorithm achieves this stability by considering the position (longitude-latitude), direction, angle, and altitude information during clustering. Accordingly, we can group the aircraft having more similar flight characteristics in the same cluster. Here, we use the Haversine formula to determine the distance between aircraft by utilizing longitude-latitude and angle information. Also, we take North Atlantic as our base airspace to obtain real-time flight traffic data. After creating clusters through customized K-means, we also utilize the Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) to map the newly arrived and unlabeled aircraft to labeled clusters. Results reveal that we can achieve the aircraft label rate higher than 85% level with the customized K-means algorithm and observe 75% reduced cluster change compared to the standard K-means algorithm.


Autism is a rare, severe and puzzling disorder of childhood which has aroused and maintained considerable professional and research interest since it was identified by the American child psychiatrist Kanner in 1943. In its 'pure' form, autism is found in less than 2 children per 10 000; in its less stringently defined form, the incidence is still only about 4 in 10 000. Like most developmental disorders it is much more prevalent in boys. The disorder is characterized by: extreme aloneness, or self-isolation and withdrawal from social contact from very early in development; an obsessive need for sameness in the environment and in daily routine; a preoccupation with objects which are often used in peculiar non-functional ways; ritualistic and stereotyped behaviours such as rocking, spinning or manipulation of objects; extreme resistance to new learning; severe language disability which for more than half of cases means muteness, and in those who do speak, non-functional and idiosyncratic language. Until recently, autism was considered the earliest form of psychosis in childhood and it was often bracketed with childhood schizophrenia. However, in the latest edition of the DiagnosticandSfatisticalManualof MentalDisorders(DSM Ill) by the American Psychiatric Association it has been reclassified as a 'Pervasive Developmental Disorder'; a move which has met with widespread, if not uncritical, acceptance. Autism is pervasive because it severely affects most basic areas of psychological functioning, and developmental in that it begins very early in life, and development is not only distorted but notably delayed. DSM 111 offers these (necessary and sufficient) criteria for the diagnosis of autism: (1) Onset before 30 months of age. (2) Pervasive lack of responsiveness to other people


This study compared the influence of depressive rumination and negative rumination on depression. In a longitudinal study with a 4-week interval, undergraduates completed measures of depressive rumination, negative rumination, and depression at Time 1, and measures of depression and stressors during the study at Time 2. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that depressive rumination, but not negative rumination, predicted depression at Time 2, even after controlling both for depression at Time 1 and for stressors. These results indicate that depressive rumination is a useful concept for research and clinical practices involving depression.


This presentation will review the key aspects of advanced photomask manufacturing and highlight the major technical challenges facing the mask industry. The bulk of the discussion will focus on mask technology for optical (248nm - 193nm wavelength) lithography, seen industry wide as the front up approach for 250nm to 180nm wafer dimension processing. After briefly establishing the business environment in which advanced optical mask development is done, current and future mask specifications are presented, the basic chrome on glass mask process is reviewed, and the major technical challenges facing each process segment are discussed in the context of high resolution lithography requirements. The basic principles involved in the two most mask intensive resolution enhancement techniques, optical proximity correction and phase shifted masks (alternating as well as attenuated) are reviewed and their specific technology challenges presented. A brief discussion of mask challenges in proximity x-ray lithography, the only viable near in alternative to optical lithography for this resolution range, will close out this presentation. The material is targeted at the general VLSI manufacturing and development community, it is not intended as a training course for mask development engineers.


A procedure of reversible immortalization of primary cells was devised by retrovirus-mediated transfer of an oncogene that could be subsequently excised by site-specific recombination. This study focused on the early stages of immortalization: global induction of proliferation and life span extension of cell populations. Comparative analysis of Cre/LoxP and FLP/FRT recombination in this system indicated that only Cre/LoxP operates efficiently in primary cells. Pure populations of cells in which the oncogene is permanently excised were obtained, following differential selection of the cells. Cells reverted to their preimmortalized state, as indicated by changes in growth characteristics and p53 levels, and their fate conformed to the telomere hypothesis of replicative cell senescence. By permitting temporary and controlled expansion of primary cell populations without retaining the transferred oncogene, this strategy may facilitate gene therapy manipulations of cells unresponsive to exogenous growth factors and make practical gene targeting by homologous recombination in somatic cells. The combination of retroviral transfer and site-specific recombination should also extend gene expression studies to situations previously inaccessible to experimentation.


31 male Ss performed 2 bouts of hand-gripping exercise on a hand ergograph. The first exercise consisted of isotonic contractions performed for 3 min. at the rate of 30/min. The second bout was an isometric contraction held maximally until strength was depressed to the level established in the isotonic exercise. Recovery in both conditions was followed for 10 min., during which maximal strength tests were performed every 60 sec. The only significant difference observed during recovery was at the end of the first min. at which time the strength level following isotonic exercise was higher than that after the isometric bout Mathematical differences were found in the recovery curve constants after the first min, the recovery rate being approximately 35% faster following isometric exercise.


Cell-free hemolymph (serum) of the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, agglutinated Vibrio cholerae, including all O1 serovars and biovars. Seventy-nine other strains of bacteria, including 14 genera and 26 species, were not agglutinated. The A, B, and C factors of O1 antigen were not involved in agglutination. Bacterial agglutinating (BA) activity was demonstrated for oysters inhabiting different environments of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Oyster serum BA titers showed high individual variation. The serum component(s) involved in BA was inhibited by 80 degrees C heat, pronase, EDTA, mucin, and fetuin treatments. N-Acetylneuraminic acid (10 mg/ml) weakly inhibited BA activity. Ligands of V. cholerae were sensitive to neuraminidase and resistant to 80 degrees C and pronase. High salinities (24 and 30%) enhanced BA. Cross-adsorption tests with V. cholerae and human O+ erythrocytes indicated that BA and hemagglutinating activities may involve different serum components. These results imply that the ecology of V. cholerae in C. virginica is influenced by agglutinating activity of oyster serum.


Import is traditionally considered as a source for saturation of a home market with scarce commodities or goods non-manufactured in an importing country. However, the larger is the share of import in the total volume of deliveries, the greater is the hazard for economic security of the region and for the state upon the whole. The analysis has revealed the fact that in the regional industry there is a real situation of absolute import dependence. It means that enterprises have been functioning only based on import deliveries to manufacture some single components for products of production-technical purposes.


The stance toward big business was a heated topic during Britain's 2015 legislative campaign that led to the triumphal, albeit slightly unexpected, reelection of David Cameron, as Prime Minister. More profoundly, it raises the issue of the economic impact of corporate tax cuts and the nature of business-friendly policies in the UK. Firstly, we investigate the electoral arguments on both sides of the political spectrum. These discussions are framed within the overarching approach known as supply-side economics, which has been prevalent in English-speaking countries since the neoliberal revolution in the late 1970s. Secondly, we put forward the idea that widening inequalities, as suggested recently by the IMF, might be destabilizing, and that pushing the supply stance too far with disregard for issues such as tax avoidance could possibly hamper long-term economic growth prospects.


A 60-year-old woman presented with a 10-cm hepatic cyst that was anechoic on ultrasound and a serum carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 concentration of 50.7 U/ml. Ultrasonography six months later revealed that the diameter of the cyst had increased to 12 cm, accompanied by a small papillary region arising from the cyst wall and intracystic echoes representing debris. The serum CA19-9 level had increased to 89.2 U/ml. At this time, abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and colonoscopy did not reveal any intracystic tumors. Intracystic hemorrhage was diagnosed based on cyst fluid cytology, but the patient had no abdominal pain or anemia. Ultrasonography at nine months showed growth of the papillary region and the serum CA19-9 level was 385.7 U/ml. Serum CA19-9 peaked at 1014.0 U/ml at 12 months, but ultrasonography showed no remarkable changes


Abstract This article examines aspects of the avant-garde poetic practice of Johannes R. Becher up to the end of the First World War. Taking issue with critical approaches that either read Becher's work with hindsight from the perspective of his later engagement with Stalinism or that interpret it in reductive biographical terms, this essay instead acknowledges the variety and originality of Becher's poetic project. It explores aspects of Becher's self-presentation as 'Dichter' in this period, as well as his radical demolition and reconstruction of the humanist tradition.


An autonomous navigation with proven collision avoidance in unknown and dynamic environments is still a challenge, particularly when there are moving obstacles. A popular approach to collision avoidance in the face of moving obstacles is based on model predictive algorithms, which, however, may be computationally expensive. Hence, we adopt a reactive potential field approach here. At every cycle, the proposed approach requires only current robot states relative to the closest obstacle point to find the potential field in the current position; thus, it is more computationally efficient and more suitable to scale up for multiple agent scenarios. Our main contribution here is to write the reactive potential field based motion controller as a hybrid automaton, and then formally verify its safety using differential dynamic logic. In particular, we can guarantee a passive safety property, which means that collisions cannot occur if the robot is to blame, namely a collision can occur only if the robot is at rest. The proposed controller and verification results are demonstrated via simulations and implementation on a Pioneer P3-AT robot.


Global demand for high-quality rice and healthy food has increased, especially to the affluent and health-conscious consumers. Red rice has been consumed because of its health benefits. Red rice has met the concepts of productivity and quality that emerged to supply the demands for products that improve the eating pattern of its consuming population. Red rice is based on food industries especially for nutrition-based food products and baby food products. For the case on Malaysia, limited domestic supplies of red rice have led to full dependency on imported red rice supplies in the country. Recent statistics showed that the Sarawak state can be one of the potential areas for the development of red rice production due to its vast land resources; proper guidelines which suit the agroecosystem in Sarawak for cultivation of red rice are essential. As for rice production in general, proper application of fertilizers enhances the yield and to a certain extent sustains soil productivity. Considering the needs to establish a proper fertilizing program especially for red rice production in Sarawak, a preliminary study was conducted to evaluate the yield and yield components of red rice variety (MRM 16) with three levels of NPK fertilizers (Treatment 1, control; Treatment 2, 60 : 35 : 40; Treatment 3, 120 : 70 : 80; and Treatment 4, 180 :105 : 120 (proportions of N, P2O5, and K2O·ha, respectively)). ,e experiment was conducted in the pot trial during main season 2016 (December 2016–April 2017). ,e yield parameters including rice yield, panicle no./m, 1000-grain weight, spikelet number per panicle, and percentage of filled spikelets were collected.,e results showed that yield was not significantly affected by the increment of the NPK fertilizer added at a rate of more than 60 kg/ha N, 35 kg/ha P, and 40 kg/ha K (T2). From the study, it was observed that the yield and yield components of red rice variety (MRM 16) were best in T2 (60 kg/ha N, 35 kg/ha P, and 40kg/ha K).


Objective: This study aimed to test whether resilience mediates the association between self-rated health and life satisfaction and the moderated effect of upward intergenerational support among elderly migrants in China. Method: We used self-reported data collected from 654 elderly migrants in Nanjing. The regression analysis using bootstrapping methods was conducted to explore the mediating and moderating effects. Results: Resilience mediated the relationship between self-rated health and life satisfaction among elderly migrants in China. The moderated mediation analysis indicated that the upward intergenerational support moderated the path between self-rated health and resilience. Specifically, compared with those with a low level of emotional support, the self-rated health of elderly migrants with a high level of emotional support has a stronger effect on resilience. Moreover, the self-rated health of elderly migrants with a low level of financial support has a stronger effect on resilience than those with a higher level of financial support. Conclusion: Resilience could partially mediate the effect of self-rated health on life satisfaction among elderly migrants in China, and upward intergenerational support moderated the indirect relationship between self-rated health and life satisfaction via resilience.


Recent events, such as Hurricane Katrina, have revealed the need for coordinated and effective disaster responses. An optimal distribution of available resources is essential for disaster response effectiveness. Emergency responders are faced with the challenges of increased size and complexity of critical infrastructures that provide vital resources for disaster response operations. In this paper, we propose a simulation-based tool to assist emergency responders in finding the optimal distribution of available resources during a disaster event. The proposed tool utilizes the Disaster Response Network Enabled Platform (DR-NEP) which is an infrastructure interdependencies simulation platform for disaster response support. DR-NEP is a simulation network platform that integrates different simulators for different infrastructures to form a universal simulation platform. We employ a new concept in Discrete Event Systems optimization called Ordinal Optimization to address the problem of resources allocation during a disaster event. The objective of the optimization problem is maximizing the operational capacity of a critical infrastructure, a hospital in this case. Due to the huge combinatorial feasible search space, an Ordinal Optimization based approach is used to solve the problem using two main concepts: goal softening and order comparison. This approach aims at finding a Good Enough solution set (G) with an acceptable probability and efficient computational effort. This paper describes early results of our work that shows the use of our approach in optimizing resources allocation in a simulated disaster event.


There are numerous literature reports of oral contraceptive-induced (estrogen and progesterone) ischemic bowel disease. However, Premarin-induced (equine conjugated estrogen) intestinal ischemia has rarely been reported. We describe three cases of Premarin-induced ischemic colitis. In contrast to oral contraceptive-induced ischemic colitis, Premarin-induced ischemia is restricted to the colon, has not required surgical therapy, can have a chronic or chronic intermittent course, may be reversible despite continued usage of Premarin, and may present with nonspecific abdominal and colonic symptoms.


The fusion of myoblasts into multinucleate syncytia plays a fundamental role in muscle function, as it supports the formation of extended sarcomeric arrays, or myofibrils, within a large volume of cytoplasm. Principles learned from the study of myoblast fusion not only enhance our understanding of myogenesis, but also contribute to our perspectives on membrane fusion and cell-cell fusion in a wide array of model organisms and experimental systems. Recent studies have advanced our views of the cell biological processes and crucial proteins that drive myoblast fusion. Here, we provide an overview of myoblast fusion in three model systems that have contributed much to our understanding of these events: the Drosophila embryo; developing and regenerating mouse muscle; and cultured rodent muscle cells.


The aim of this work was the determination of the pedalling rate on the gross and net mechanical efficiency in efforts with the same intensity (250 W) as well as checking if the HR grows linearly along with the pedalling rate. Twelve students of AWF took part in the study. Examined subjects performed four, lasting for 3 min efforts on a cycle-ergometer (Monark E 824) joined with the computer. Exercises were done with the space of 7 days between them. The effort load equalled 250 W and the amount of performed mechanical work – 45 kJ. The pedalling rate amounted in efforts 40, 60, 80, 100 rotations per min respectively. The gas analyser (SensorMedics company) with 2900/2900c Metabolic Measurements Cart/System programme was used as for the determination of the oxygen intake during exercises and while resting (until the resting value of VE occurs). The gross mechanical efficiency (GE) was calculated as a mechanical work and total energy ratio and the net mechanical efficiency (NE) as the mechanical work and total net energy ratio (the total energy diminished by the resting energy value). Pulse measurement was calculated during and after every effort using the POLAR-SportTester. A capillary blood was taken from a fingertip to the heparinized capillary tubes as for the estimation of an acid-alkali balance. It was done before the effort, immediately after it and in every 2 min of the 8 min rest. Following acid-alkali balance values were analysed in the blood gas analyser Ciba-Corning 248: BE, HCO3act, pCO2, pH. Average (±SD) mechanical efficiency gross values for pedalling rate of 40, 60, 80 and 100 rpm equalled respectively: 14.2±2.2, 14.9±2.6, 15.3±2.1, 12.3±1.5% and net values: 21.8±2.8, 22.6±2.1, 23.1±2.1, 19.0±2.7%. Gross and net values obtained by 100 rpm were significantly different from averages reached by 40, 60 and 80 rpm. In case of the pulse value the minimum HR occurred by the pedalling rate of 60 rpm. However, in the case of ∆HR (difference between HR value observed in the test and the resting one) the circulatory system reaction grew along with the pedalling rate. The HR values obtained by various pedalling rates did not differ crucially. (Biol.Sport 21:51-66, 2004)


The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a high-performance space particle detector launched in orbit on 17 December 2015 by a collaboration of Chinese, Italian and Swiss scientific institutions, coordinated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It consists of a high-resolution segmented BGO electromagnetic calorimeter with a depth of 32 radiation lengths, a silicon-tungsten tracker-converter that reaches an angular resolution below 0.2°, an anti-coincidence shield and ion detector made of segmented plastic scintillators and a neutron detector made of boron-doped plastic scintillators. An overview of the experiment and a summary of the latest results coming from the observation of cosmic rays up to 100 TeV, of gamma-rays up to 10 TeV and of cosmic electrons up to 5 TeV is presented.


The planned upgrade of the Jefferson Lab energy to 12 GeV will greatly expand capability of the facility to make profound contributions to the study of the nuclear and nucleon structure, and the strong interaction. In particular, it will allow direct exploration of the quark-gluon structure of hadrons and nuclei, and of quark confinement. The physics potential is illustrated with selected examples. The instrumentation under design to carry out the research program is also presented. The plan for an upgrade beyond 12 GeV is briefly discussed.


Multicore processors are now prevalent in all major domains of signal processing. Many laptop and desktop computers today are shipped with dualcore and even quad-core processors. The number of cores is even higher for the Sony PlayStation 3, which is equipped with an 8-core IBM CELL Broadband Engine processor, Nvidia GeForce 9800 GX2, which has 256 stream processors, and SUN UltraSPARC T1/T2 processor, which has 8 cores. Technology predictions indicate that this trend will continue and that the number of cores per processor can easily double around every two or three years.


Techniques used for the diagnostic of upper and lower respiratory tract viral infections Techniques used for the diagnostic of upper and lower respiratory tract viral infections include conventional procedures and the new molecular tools. Serology has no interest for diagnosis. Antigen detection can be carried out by simple, easy and cheap tools. They are available at hospital and in community practice as well for the detection of influenza virus, RSV, hMPV, parainfluenza virus and adenovirus. To look for viruses which are non detectable by antigen detection assays (rhinovirus, coronavirus, bocavirus, polyomavirus...) or in severe or complicated respiratory lower infections, the use of molecular tools is highly indicated.


Molecular Dynamics (MD) is used in computational heat transfer to determine the thermal response of nanostructures. Finding basis in classical statistical mechanics, MD relates the thermal energy of the atom to its momentum by the equipartition theorem. Momenta of atoms in an ensemble are determined by solving Newton's equations with inter-atomic forces derived from Lennard-Jones potentials. Statistical mechanics always assumes the atom has thermal energy, or equivalently the capacity to absorb heat. Otherwise, the temperature of the atoms cannot be related to its thermal energy, the consequence of which is atoms in nanostructures have the same heat capacity as those at the macroscale. For bulk materials, MD heat transfer is performed for an ensemble of atoms in submicron computation boxes under periodic boundary conditions. Consistent with statistical mechanics, MD simulations of the bulk are valid because atoms having heat capacity in discrete submicron boxes under periodic boundary conditions are equivalent to those in the bulk that do indeed have heat capacity. Quantum mechanics (QM) differs. Unlike MD simulations of the bulk with atoms having heat capacity, QM precludes atoms in discrete nanostructures from having heat capacity. Nevertheless, the literature is replete with MD simulations of discrete nanostructures with atoms having heat capacity. Although consistent with statistical mechanics, MD of discrete nanostructures is invalid by QM. By QM, atoms in discrete nanostructures lacking heat capacity cannot conserve heat by an increase in temperature, and therefore the classical modes of heat transfer – convection, radiation, and conduction that depend on temperature have no meaning. Instead, conservation at the nanoscale proceeds by the creation of non-thermal QED induced EM radiation that charges the discrete nanostructures by the photoelectric effect, or is emitted to the surroundings. QED stands for quantum electrodynamics and EM for electromagnetic. Examples of MD simulations are presented that by QM are valid or invalid and recommendations made for how invalid MD heat transfer of discrete nanostructures may be consistent with QM. For interacting nanostructures, MD heat transfer simulations consistent with QM are computationally intractable, and therefore finite element (FE) simulations are proposed using estimates of QED radiation from the nanostructures in programs such as ANSYS and COMSOL


To establish a system to study differentiation therapy drugs, we used the androgen-independent human prostate PC-3 tumor cell line as a target and mycophenolic acid (MPA), tiazofurin, or ribavirin, which are inhibitors of IMP dehydrogenase, as inducers. These inhibitors evoked replication arrest, caused an increase in cell size, and triggered vacuolization of the cytoplasm. By Northern and Western blotting and immunostaining, we demonstrated MPA-induced expression of 12 proteins reported to reside in prostasomes, organelles released by secretory luminal prostate cells. Additional MPA-induced proteins were identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Among these was keratin 17, a prostate cell differentiation marker. By Northern blotting, we also demonstrated the constitutive expression of keratins 8 and 18 and induced expression of keratin 19, three other prostate cell differentiation markers. In addition, we established that cells were committed to differentiate after the 2nd day of MPA treatment using guanosine, which can abrogate the effects of MPA. Based on the expression patterns of prostasomal proteins and keratins and the presence of tentative secretory vacuoles, we hypothesize that IMP dehydrogenase inhibitors induce androgen-independent PC-3 cells to mature into cells with a phenotype that resembles normal prostate luminal cells, but at their intermediate state of differentiation.


Aims: To determine the impact of advanced endometriosis (EMS) on in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection and frozen–thawed embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-FET) outcomes and analyze the influencing factors. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on sterile women with ovarian endometriomas (OMAs), including patients who underwent laparoscopic cystectomy (n = 224, 224 IVF/ICSI cycles, 205 FET cycles) and aspiration (n = 139, 139 IVF/ICSI cycles, 148 FET cycles); peritoneal EMS (n = 96, 96 IVF/ICSI cycles, 89 FET cycles); and tubal factors (n = 360, 360 IVF/ICSI cycles, 474 FET cycles). Our main outcomes included the number of MII oocytes retrieved, fertilization rate, the number of viable embryos, viable embryo rate per oocyte retrieved in oocyte retrieval cycles, and clinical pregnancy rate per transfer, live birth rate per transfer, and cumulative clinical pregnancy rate of this oocyte retrieval cycle in FET cycles. Finally, binary logistic regression analysis was performed to generate a prediction model for cumulative clinical pregnancy. Results: The results showed that significantly fewer MII oocytes retrieved and viable embryos and lower viable embryo rate and cumulative clinical pregnancy rate were observed in women with EMS compared with the control. Women with peritoneal EMS had lower fertilization rate and viable embryo rate per oocyte retrieved than patients with OMA (all p < 0.05). However, the pregnancy outcomes were not significantly different between the two phenotypes. The patients who underwent laparoscopic cystectomy had fewer MII oocytes retrieved and viable embryos compared with those with intact endometrioma(s) but no significant difference in pregnancy outcomes between the two types of OMA patients. By binary logistic regression analysis, antral follicle count (AFC) was found to be an independent factor associated with cumulative clinical pregnancy in this oocyte retrieval cycle (odds ratio = 1.054; 95% confidence interval, 1.011–1.100; p = 0.014), and the AFC prediction model of cumulative clinical pregnancy was established, with an area under the curve of 0.60. Conclusions: Our data supported that advanced EMS has negative effect on cumulative clinical pregnancy per oocyte retrieval cycle, and AFC is an independent predictor, which is mainly caused by poor ovarian response associated with OMA per se or its surgery and the damage of peritoneal EMS to oocyte maturation.


In this study, a new biochar was produced from mandarin peel residues by dehydration with 50% sulfuric acid followed by decoration with oxidation then reaction with TETA. The effect of the obtained new biochar on the ability to remove AR35 dye from the aqueous solution was investigated. The prepared Mandarin Biochar-TETA (MBT) was characterized by FT-IR, BJH, BET, SEM, DSC, TGA, XRD and EDX analyses. The optimum pH value for AR35 dye adsorption was determined as 1.5. The highest removal percentage of AR35 dye was 97.50% using 300 mg L−1 AR35 dye initial concentration and 2.5 g L−1 MBT dose. The MBT had a maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) of 476.19 mg g−1. The data obtained were analyzed with Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin, Dubinin-Radushkevich and Jovanovic isotherm models. In addition, the data obtained from these isotherm models were tested using different error functions (hybrid error function (HYBRID), average percent errors (APE), the sum of the absolute errors (EABS), Chi-square error (X2), the root mean square errors (RMS) and Marquardt's percent standard deviation (MPSD)) equations. The Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm model was best fitted to the experimental data of MBT. Kinetic data were evaluated by pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), elovich, intraparticle diffusion and film diffusion models. The adsorption rate was primarily controlled by a pseudo-second-order rate model with a good correlation (R2 > 0.99). The adsorption mechanism process of AR35 dye by MBT mainly involves the adsorption of anions via the electrostatic attraction forces that develop with the increase in the number of positively charged regions at acidic pH values. The results indicate that MBT is promising for the removal of AR35 dye from water and could be repeatedly used without significant loss of adsorption efficiency.


Compared with the conventional nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ), return-to-zero (RZ), carrier-suppressed return-to-zero, and chirped RZ signals by numerical simulation, a higher dispersion tolerance in the presence of fiber nonlinearities and amplifier noise has been obtained in this letter by using the phase-modulated NRZ signals. This scheme aims to improve resistance to residual dispersion by an adapted phase modulation at the transmitter.


A flow-through chamber was developed for toxicity testing of mobile species that require microscopic observation to assess viability and development; no sub-sampling was required in this method. Organisms were held in 1.5 mL volumes in 30 mm plastic petri plates adapted with two side sections containing 35 microm screening to provide drainage. Test solutions continuously entered via a drip tube; five 1.5 mL volumes were exchanged per hour. The 30 mm organism dish was housed in an outer dish (60 mm petri plate) that captured effluent for water quality measurements. Direct observation of organisms in the thin water layer occurred without refocusing the microscope. The flow-through chamber was used to test the toxicity of copper to Mercenaria mercenaria (hard clam) as they developed from free swimming larvae (approximately 80 + microm) through metamorphosis to the settlement stage (approximately 200 microm). The flow-through chamber performed well and good water quality was maintained throughout the assay. Metamorphosis occurred at the appropriate developmental time with relatively low variability between replicates. Copper, at a concentration of 14 microg/L Cu, was shown to significantly increase mortality and inhibit metamorphosis after 36 h of exposure.


AbstractAdult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were previously described as multipotent cells that could differentiate into bone, cartilage, muscle, and other mesenchymal tissues. New information suggests that MSCs can be found in every tissue of the body because they function as perivascular cells—pericytes—found outside all blood vessels. When these vessels break or are inflamed, pericytes are detached and form MSCs, which are activated by their local microenvironment of injury. Such MSCs function to secrete powerful immune-modulatory and regenerative agents; more than 450 clinical trials are now ongoing, covering a huge spectrum of clinical conditions. How such activated MSCs affect menstrual cycle, menopause, or osteotrophic cancers has only recently been studied. This article outlines these issues and challenges the scientific and medical community to use this newfound knowledge to uncover new clinical logics and medial solutions for women.


B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) with genetic alterations leading to overexpression of CRLF2 (CRLF2 B-ALL) is associated with poor outcomes. CRLF2 B-ALL is 5 times more common in Hispanic children than others making it a significant biological component of pediatric cancer health disparities. CRLF2 is a component of the receptor complex that is activated by the cytokine, TSLP. Receptor signaling induces Jak/STAT5 and PI3/AKT/mTOR pathway activation and plays a role in the proliferation and differentiation B cell precursors. We found that primary human bone marrow (BM) stroma express TSLP providing an in vivo source of TSLP to stimulate CRLF2 B-ALL cells. Our goal was to develop patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of CRLF2 B-ALL for studies to understand disease mechanisms and identify therapies to treat CRLF2 B-ALL and reduce the health disparities for Hispanic children with this disease. PDX models are possible because many cytokines produced in the mouse show cross species activity on human cells. However, available data suggests that mouse TSLP does not activate human CRLF2-mediated signals. Using phospho flow cytometry we show that mouse TSLP was unable to induce increases in pSTAT5, pAKT and pS6 observed in CRLF2 B-ALL cells stimulated with human TSLP. We developed a human TSLP +/- PDX model system by transplanting immune deficient NSG mice with HS-27 stroma transduced to express human hTSLP (hTSLP+ mice) or with control vector (hTSLP- mice). Human TSLP was present at normal human serum levels in hTSLP+ mice but undetectable in hTSLP- mice. To identify genes targeted by TSLP in CRLF2 B-ALL and verify pathway activation, we transplanted primary leukemia cells from a Hispanic patient into hTSLP+ and hTSLP- mice. Whole genome microarray was performed on CRLF2 B-ALL cells isolated from the BM of the hTSLP+ and hTSLP- PDX mice. Microarray identified 280 genes that are upregulated and 281 genes that are downregulated in vivo in leukemia cells from hTSLP+ as compared to hTSLP- PDX mice. Evaluation of microarray data by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis showed that genes downstream of mTOR pathway activation were upregulated in hTSLP+ as compared to hTSLP- mice, confirming hTSLP activity in the hTSLP+ PDX mice. Our next question was whether cells expanded in hTSLP+ vs. hTSLP- mice would exhibit changes in their ability to respond to TSLP. When we subjected PDX-expanded primary CRLF2 B-ALL cells to ex vivo TSLP stimulation ∼1/3 fewer gene targets were up- and downregulated in the leukemia cells expanded in hTSLP- mice as compared to cells from hTSLP+ mice. This suggests that CRLF2 B-ALL cells expanded in xenograft without TSLP lose some of their ability to respond to TSLP. The hTSLP+ CRLF2 B-ALL PDX mice described here provide a novel preclinical model for studying disease mechanisms and identifying therapies to target signaling pathways activated by TSLP in CRLF2 B-ALL and reduce cancer health disparities for this disease. Citation Format: Olivia L. Francis, Parveen Shiraz, Terry-Ann Milford, Ineavely Baez, Jacqueline S. Coats, Karina Mayagoitia, Elizabeth Ginelli, Katherine R. Salcedo-Concepcion, Shannalee Martinez, Xiaobing Zhang, Valeri Filippov, Ruijun J. Su, Ross Fisher, Christopher L. Morris, Sinisa Dovat, Kimberly J. Payne. A novel patient-derived xenograft model for evaluating the role of TSLP in CRLF2 B-ALL. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3295. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3295


We designed and implemented single carrier-frequency domain multiple access (SC-FDMA) based system by using software defined radio (SDR) nodes. We aimed to investigate the performance of an LTE system against smart jamming attacks, which target synchronization and channel estimation processes. Cyclic prefix (CP) based jamming attacks and pilot jamming attacks are evaluated and observed for both uplink and downlink directions of an LTE-like system. Based on error vector magnitude measurements, we observed that an SC-FDMA system is more sensitive to CP and pilot jamming attacks when compared to OFDMA.


Phatic communion and small talk in fictional dialogues are governed by two opposing tendencies which coexist in dialogic structure known as verisimilitude and defamiliarization (see Fowler 1996). On the one hand, fictional dialogues make use of features present in authentic, spontaneous face-to-face conversation, e.g. loose syntactic structure, ellipsis, interjections, informal phraseology etc., to sound close to real-life situations. On the other hand, however, the author utilizes casual exchanges to create new, unconventional meanings frequently carrying differing points of view which are expressions of heteroglossia defined as "polyphony of social and discursive forces" (Holquist 1994.69). My findings present the results of an analysis of fictional dialogues in the novel Heat Wave by Penelope Lively. Phatic communion and small talk are understood as two different, though mutually related notions. Small talk seems to reflect a broader concept of socialization, while phatic communion is considered to be part of small talk.


Abstract Bovine brain mitochondrial hexokinase type I, undergoes a concentration-dependent dimerization in presence of its product inhibitor glucose 6-phosphate. The effectiveness of this ligand in inducing the aggregation of brain hexokinase closely parallels its kinetic behavior as an inhibitor of this enzyme. ATP and inorganic phosphate known to antagonize the inhibitory effect of glucose 6-phosphate also cause a reversal of this dimerization process. ADP, another inhibitor of brain hexokinase, however, has no effect on the sedimentation behavior of the enzyme. It is suggested that the conformational alteration underlying the formation of hexokinase dimer in presence of glucose 6-phosphate has physiological significance.


PR-2 XIAP is a central apoptosis regulator that inhibits apoptosis by binding to and inhibiting the effectors caspase-3/-7 and an initiator caspase-9 through its BIR2 and BIR3 domains, respectively. Smac/DIABLO (second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase or direct IAP binding protein with low pI), a protein released from mitochondria in response to apoptotic stimuli, in its dimeric form effectively antagonizes XIAP by concurrently targeting both its BIR2 and BIR3 domains. We designed, synthesized and evaluated a series of non-peptide, cell-permeable, bivalent small-molecules which mimics Smac protein for targeting XIAP. SM-164 is one of the most potent Smac mimetics we have designed. Our binding and gel filtration studies shows SM-164 concurrently targets both the BIR2 and BIR3 domains in XIAP and binds to XIAP containing both BIR domains with an IC50 value of 1.39 nM, being 300 and 7000-times more potent than its monovalent counterparts and the natural Smac AVPI peptide, respectively. In our cell-free caspases functional assays, SM-164 completely restores the activity of caspase-9 and caspases-3 and -7 inhibited by XIAP at the same molar concentraction as XIAP. In cell-based assays, SM-164 effectively induces apoptosis at concentrations as low as 1 nM in several cancer cell lines and has a minimal toxicity to normal cells at 10,000 nM. The potency of SM-164 in binding, functional and cellular assays is 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than its corresponding monovalent Smac mimetics.


Due to worldwide regulations on electric motor manufacturing, the energy efficiency of these devices has to be constantly improved. A solution may reside in the fact that high quality materials and adequate cutting technologies should be carefully chosen. The magnetic properties of non-oriented electrical steels are affected by the cutting methods, through induced plastic, and thermal stresses. There is also an important correlation between chemical composition and different magnetic properties. In this paper, we analyze different industrial grades of non-oriented electrical steels, used in electrical machines' core manufacturing as M800-65A, M800-50A, M400-65A, M400-50A, M300-35A, and NO20. The influence of the cutting methods on the normal magnetization curve, total energy loss and its components, and relative magnetic permeability is investigated in alternating currents using a laboratory single sheet tester. The chemical composition and grain size influence are analyzed and correlated with the magnetic properties. Special attention is devoted to the influence of the increased cutting perimeter on the energy losses and to the way it relates to each chemical alloy constituent. The final decision in what concerns the choice of the proper magnetic material and the specific cutting technology for the motor magnetic cores is imposed by the desired efficiency class and the specific industrial applications.


Kalman Filter is an extremely effective and versatile procedure for combining noisy sensor outputs to estimate the state of a system with uncertain dynamics . In this paper, the algorithm of UFK(Unscented Kalman Filter ) is developed. By simulated experiment, EKF(Extended Kalman Filter ),UKF without and with GPS latency compensation are compared. In result,the UKF algorithm is unbiased and minimum variance. A UKF-based integrated navigation for GPS/INS provides precise position and orientation to the photogrammetric adjustment. In turn, the photogrammetric adjustment provides position updates to the UKF.


A method for the radical chlorodifluoromethylation of (hetero)arenes using chlorodifluoroacetic anhydride is reported. This operationally simple protocol proceeds under mild photochemical conditions with high functional group compatibility and complements the large body of literature for the trifluoromethylation of (hetero)arenes. Introduction of the chlorodifluoromethyl motif enables rapid diversification to a wide array of aromatic scaffolds. This work showcases the chlorodifluoromethyl group as an attractive entryway to otherwise synthetically challenging electron-rich difluoromethyl(hetero)arenes. Furthermore, facile conversion of the CF2Cl moiety into the corresponding aryl esters, gem-difluoroenones, and β-keto-esters is demonstrated.


Mobile data acquisition technology in the hands of computer-proficient college students provides opportunities to transform electronics laboratory education into a more ubiquitous model. The use of virtual instruments (VIs), handheld data acquisition (DAQ) modules, and supporting portable hardware can (a) encourage students to work outside of the classroom on procedural hands-on learning activities and (b) promote students' higher-level thinking via instructor and student interactions during follow-on meeting times. This project, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) program, explores ways to implement this more ubiquitous education model. The project team will (1) develop inexpensive mobile laboratory tools, (2) create new laboratory protocols, (3) assess the impact of these learning experiences, and (4) disseminate these tools and assessment results. This paper focuses on tasks (2) and (3) for four courses in the East Carolina University (ECU) General Engineering program and the Kansas State University (KSU) Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) programs.


Little consensus exists about the status of language varieties heard in the speech of Chicanos, and in particular, the linguistic status of Chicano English. This criticism can be extended to many ethnic sociolinguistic settings. Critical commentary on certain controversies about the dialects of Chicanos is presented in this article. A model of the languagesldialects setting used by Chicanos that goes beyond recent typologies is proposed, made on the basis of explicit assumptions about the nature of the speech setting of Chicanos. On the basis of these assumptions, Chicano English is characterized as the autonomous vernacular dialect of native-English-speaking Chicanos. Four examples of this Chicano language setting model are presented, using recent national and three statewide demographic figures.


ABSTRACT The upper respiratory tract (URT) is a distinct microbial niche of low-density bacterial communities and, also, a portal of entry for many potential pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae. Thus far, animal models have been used to study the dynamics of and interactions between limited numbers of different species in the URT. Here, we applied a deep sequencing approach to explore, for the first time, the impact of S. pneumoniae acquisition on URT microbiota in a mouse model, as well as potential age-dependent effects. Young-adult and elderly mice were inoculated intranasally with S. pneumoniae, and nasal lavage samples were collected for up to 28 days postcolonization. Bacterial DNA extracted from lavage samples was subjected to barcoded pyrosequencing of the V5-to-V7 hypervariable region of the small-subunit rRNA gene. We observed highly diverse microbial profiles, with the presence overall of 15 phyla and approximately 645 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). We noted differences in the composition of microbiota between young and elderly mice, with a significantly higher abundance of Bacteroidetes in the young mice. The introduction of S. pneumoniae into the URT led to a temporary dominance of pneumococci in the microbiota of all mice, accompanied by a significant decrease in microbial diversity. As mice gradually cleared the colonization, the diversity returned to baseline levels. Diversification was accompanied by an early expansion of Bacteroidetes, Staphylococcus spp., and Lachnospiraceae. Moreover, the Bacteroidetes expansion was significantly greater in young-adult than in elderly mice. In conclusion, we observed differences in URT microbiota composition between naive young-adult and elderly mice that were associated with differences in pneumococcal clearance over time.


Open access: http://isainsmedis.id/ The oxidative-stress level determine patient's outcomes with a severe head injury at Sanglah General Hospital, Denpasar, Indonesia I Made Bagus Wirawan1*, I Nyoman Golden2, I Wayan Niryana2 Background: In secondary brain injury, oxidative stress will occur due to a balance disorder between pro-oxidants with antioxidants. The antioxidant activity that is often used to assess oxidative stress, such as malondialdehyde (MDA), is superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). This study aims to evaluate the level of oxidative stress, reflected by the MDA serum level and SOD level to determine the outcomes of patients with severe head injury. Method: A cross-sectional analytic study was conducted among 40 patients with severe head injury within 24 hours post-trauma at Emergency Ward, Surgery Department, Sanglah General Hospital Denpasar from January June 2017. MDA and SOD levels were assessed using ELISA at Clinical Pathology Laboratory, Sanglah General Hospital. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 16 software. Results: This study found significant differences on elevated MDA levels (p-value < 0.05) in patients who died or had a persistent vegetative state, patients with severe disability and those with a good recovery/moderate disability. The statistical analysis also found a significant difference in MDA serum levels among patient with severe disability and patients with a good recovery/moderate disability (P=0,028). Meanwhile, there was no significant correlation between SOD serum levels and patients outcome (P>0.05). Conclusion: Increased MDA serum levels is a significant factor in predicting outcomes of patients with severe head injury.


This paper presents a conceptual design of a multizone HVAC controller based on a wireless sensor network that aims to optimize energy consumption while maintaining the comfort level of users. The proposed system is capable of learning the occupancy pattern of the residents in the building. Moreover, it is transparent (requires no manual configuration). Wireless sensor network technology is used to collect the required measurements for the control system, simulation results are used to demonstrate the system performance in terms of power consumption and comfort level Additionally, a comparison between the proposed system and other HVAC control systems is presented. The results show that the proposed system is capable of providing a major energy savings.


Clustering analysis is a widely used technique in bioinformatics and biochemistry for variety of applications such as detection of new cell types, evaluation of drug response, etc. Since different applications and cells may require different clustering algorithms combining multiple clustering results into a consensus clustering using distributed clustering is a popular and efficient method to improve the quality of clustering analysis. Currently existing solutions are commonly based on supervised techniques which do not require any a priori knowledge. However in certain cases, a priori information on particular labelings may be available a priori. In these cases it is expected that performance improvement can be achieved by utilizing this prior information. To this purpose in this paper, we propose two semi-supervised distributed clustering algorithms and evaluate their performance for different base clusterings.


The effect of the chemotatic peptide, N- formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (FMLP), on actin conformation in human neutrophils (PMN) was studied by flow cytometry using fluorescent 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (NBD)-phallacidin to quantitate cellular F-actin content. Uptake of NBD-phallacidin by fixed PMN was saturable and inhibited by fluid phase F-actin but not G-actin. Stimulation of PMN by greater than 1 nM FMLP resulted in a dose-dependent and reversible increase in F-actin in 70-95% of PMN by 30 s. The induced increase in F-actin was blocked by 30 microM cytochalasin B or by a t- BOC peptide that competitively inhibits FMLP binding. Under fluorescence microscopy, NBD-phallacidin stained, unstimulated PMN had faint homogeneous cytoplasmic fluorescence while cells exposed to FMLP for 30 s prior to NBD-phallacidin staining had accentuated subcortical fluorescence. In the continued presence of an initial stimulatory dose of FMLP, PMN could respond with increased F-actin content to the addition of an increased concentration of FMLP. Thus, FMLP binding to PMN induces a rapid transient conversion of unpolymerized actin to subcortical F-actin and repetitive stimulation of F-actin formation can be induced by increasing chemoattractant concentration. The directed movement of PMN in response to chemoattractant gradients may require similar rapid reversible changes in actin conformation.


What are the ripple effects from structured deliberation sessions? To better understand the potential aggregate consequences of these (somewhat limited) opportunities, we focus on the social networks of participants, looking for the informational consequences of second-hand exposure. We report on the results of a field experiment in which randomly selected constituents attended a deliberative session with a U.S. Senator. Pre and post session data were collected from participants – as well as control subjects – regarding interpersonal political discussion networks. We evaluate whether the encounter spurred increased political discussion among named discussants, and whether certain factors moderated these rates of political talk. Our results indicate that attending the deliberative session increased discussion of specific issues, and that spouses were especially likely targets for discussion. Importantly, follow-up surveys indicate that these ripple effects lasted for months after the initial encounter.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate fibronectin synthesis in SD rat mesangial cells after transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is silenced by the short interfering RNA (siRNA) expressed by reconstructed pGEFP-C1 vectors.

METHODS
Depending upon the 538th - 556th (A) and 895th - 913th (B) nucleotides of rat TGF-beta1 gene, a nucleotide (A or B) was constructed into a small hairpin nucleotide which was separately (A or B) or together (A plus B) inserted into a pGEFP-C1 vector with three reconstructed pGEFP-C1 vectors separately expressing the siRNAs for A or/and B. TGF-beta1 and fibronectin were dynamically investigated for their interrelationship by ELISA in the supernatant and RT-PCR in their extracted total RNA.

RESULTS
The siRNA hairpin-like molecules were constructed according to the 538th - 556th nucleotides of rat TGF-beta1 gene were able to markedly silence the expression of TGF-beta1 mRNA (P < 0.01) and protein (P < 0.01) at 48 h. Lipfectamin 2000 transfection stimulated the peak secretion of fibronectin at 24 h in the control and the experimental group whose TGF-beta1 was not silenced, but the silence of TGF-beta1 in both experimental groups delayed the top values of fibronectin to 48 h (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION
The silence of TGF-beta1 by siRNA decreased the fibronectin expression, but the latter was possibly not completely TGF-dependent.


This paper presents language practices of some trilingual undergraduate students of mathematics as they engaged with a mathematics task. The paper draws from a larger study that was recently completed. The aim in this paper is to explore whether, how and why the trilingual students use languages in their repertoire to make sense of an algebra task. The two languages in focus are the home languages of the students and the Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT), English. Research shows that there is a research gap on language practices in trilingual contexts. The study adapted a qualitative inquiry process. It was conducted in one public university with a focus on first year students undertaking mathematics in their programs. Data was collected using questionnaires, clinical and reflective interviews. Analysis followed Discourse analysis (Gee, 2005) with a focus on mathematical Discourses. Findings show that the students engaged with competent mathematical Discourses. Furthermore they used their home languages as resources in their repertoire to interpret and understand the task. There were multiple purposes for code switching between the two languages in their solitary engagement. The findings are important to inform Language in Education Policy (LiEP) in Kenya how and why some undergraduate students of mathematics position the home languages when they engage with mathematics. In the global perspective, the findings contribute to the field of mathematics education in trilingual contexts.


Abstract Background: Use of dideoxynucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (dNRTIs) may lead to increased mitochondrial toxicity. We compared nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) use as part of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in two HIV clinics: one in a low-middle income (HIV Centre Belgrade [HCB], Serbia) and one a high income (ICDC, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK) country. Methods: Antiretroviralnaïve patients starting ART from 2003 to 2005 were included. Specifi c NRTIs were compared between centers, focusing on dNRTI use. Kaplan-Meier estimates of the percentage of patients making changes to their NRTI backbone (a) for any reason or (b) for mitochondrial toxicity (peripheral neuropathy, pancreatitis, lactic acidosis) were calculated. Results: Of 287 HCB patients, 89 (31.0%) received didanosine (ddI)-containing, 39 (13.6%) stavudine (d4T)-containing, and 39 (13.6%) ddI+d4Tcontaining regimens; for 539 ICDC patients, these were 18 (3.3%), 66 (12.2%), and 0 (0.0%), respectively (p < .0001). After 12 months, 57.5% and 52.6% at HCB and ICDC had switched their NRTI backbone. This was reduced to 34.5% at HCB after excluding changes due to drug supply interruption and to 11.2% and 1.3% at HCB and ICDC after changes were made for mitochondrial-related reasons. At 6 months, 73/80 (91.3%) and 385/488 (78.9%) had viral load below 50 copies/mL at HCB and ICDC, respectively. Conclusion: Patients treated at HCB faced higher levels of mitochondrial-related toxicity, likely due to greater dNRTI use.


Nicol C, Komi PV, Marconnet P. Fatigue effects of marathon running on neuromuscular performance. I. Changes in muscle force and stiffness characteristics. Scand J Med Sci Sports 1991: 1: 10-17. Nine experienced endurance runners performed individual marathon runs that involved several tests of neuromuscular performance before, during and after the marathon. The tests were performed with special force platform and dynamometer techniques. The results showed an overall decrease in performance from the marathon. The maximal sprint velocity decreased parabolically during the marathon, reaching the final value of 84% of the pre-marathon one. Similarly, the other test results after marathon indicated that maximal isometric knee extension torque was 78%, the performance in a special rebound test (drop jump) 84% and the 5-jump performance 92% of the pre-marathon values. These reductions were accompanied by alteration in the ground reaction force curves in the sprint and jump tests, suggesting reduced tolerance to stretch load as well as loss in the recoil characteristics of the muscles. Repeated strech-shortening cycle (SSC) exercises induce fatigue that is likely to affect force production both in isometric and dynamic type performances. In fact, force reduction has been demonstrated in prolonged exercises of primarily aerobic type such as 85-km skiing race (1) or marathon running (2) as well as in shorter periods of intensive repetition with the arm muscles (3). Because of the successive stretching loads, the decreased performance may result partly from alterations in stiffness regulation. Thus, repeated and fatiguing SSC efforts may modify neuromuscular behavior so that, depending on the test load, the regulation either increases the muscle stiffness or favors damping mechanisms. These changes may be specifically reflected by disturbances in the interaction person-(shoe)-surface. To investigate further the effects and adaptations induced by this type of fatigue, we examined the short-term influences of a marathon race. The run was performed individually in a research situation, simulating as closely as possible a real competitive race. The parameters covered several aspects of neuromuscular functioning. This report deals primarily with the force production measured by the dynamometer and force platform techniques.


In this work we propose a Lyapunov based design of velocity observers and the controller for stable trajectory tracking by a robotic manipulator. It is shown how the proposed design is exponentially stable over a finite domain, and, in the high gain approximation, exponentially stable in the large domain. Moreover, the design proposed leads naturally to a reduced order observer structure, with considerable implementation advantages.


Sophorae Flavescentis Radix,derived from the root of Sophora flavescens in the Leguminosae family,has been widely used in the medicine,agriculture,animal husbandry,and daily chemical industry. A pharmacophore model-based method for rapid discovery of tyrosinase inhibitors( TIs) from S. flavescens was established by molecular docking under Lipinski rules,and verified by enzyme assays. Briefly,the chemical constituent database of S. flavescens( CDSF) was established based on the previous papers. Theoptimal pharmacophore model( OPM) was constructed by DS 2019 on the basis of known active TIs. Eighty-three hits predominated by flavonoids having higher fitting scores with OPM than the positive control were screened out,and subjected to molecular docking based on the three-dimensional structure of tyrosinase crystal protein. The potential TIs such as kurarinone and nor-kurarinone were rapidly discovered from the compounds with higher docking scores than the positive control under the Lipinski rules. The results were verified by the in vitro enzyme assays. The inhibition activities of tyrosinase from non-medicinal parts of S. flavescens were also tested to explore the relationship between the inhibition activity and chemical compositions. This study is expected to provide data support for the comprehensive application and development of S. flavescens and also a new method for the rapid discovery of active substances or functional constituents in the complex systems.


An important unanswered question within the evolution of intelligence is how evolved learning efforts relate to environmental characteristics. Through simulated evolution of simple learning agents, we study two different models of the relationship between environmental variability and evolved learning. We begin with a recently proposed model (the "pqmodel"), which suggests that 1) unreliable reinforcing feedback select against learning and 2) a fixed environment selects for innate strategies, whereas a changing environment selects for learned strategies. The other model we study proposes that, in contrast with point 2 above, intermediate values of environmental stability select for learning, whereas both too stable and too variable environments will select against it. We harmonize these seemingly conflicting models by evolving learning agents across a wide range of environments, varying in levels of stability and reliability of stimuli. Based on our findings, we propose a revised model for how learning evolves under different levels of environmental variability.


Objective: Pediatric surgery is one of the departments treating some pediatric dermatology diseases. In this study, experience of pediatric surgeons were assessed for skin diseases. In addition, the interaction between the pediatric surgery and other relevant sections were examined.  Material and Methods: Pediatric surgery documents between 2005 and 2011 were examined. Diagnoses, consultations, and changes in diagnosis were evaluated for dermatologic problems of the patients.  Results: Three hundred and fifty-two pediatric surgical patients were examined due to dermatologic complaints. Seventy-five patients were consulted eighty times totally to other clinics. four patients were consulted twice and one patient was consulted three times. The diagnosis of 68 patients was changed after examination in different clinics.  Conclusion: Clinical disciplines for the integration of pediatric visits are rarely evaluated in dermatological patients. In our opinion, these evaluations may assist in selection of pediatric dermatologic units and medical members. Clinics of possible integrations between the common treatments for these patients may be important to design.


For plant species reproducing both sexually and vegetatively, the spatial distribution of clones generally affects the levels of biparental inbreeding and apparent selfing rate, produced via mating by proximity through limited pollen dispersal. We used allozyme loci, join-count statistics, and Moran's spatial autocorrelation statistics to separate the spatial genetic structure caused by clonal reproduction from that maintained in sexually reproducing individuals in a population of Lycoris sanguinea var. koreana. Join-count statistics showed that there were statistically significant clustering of clonal genotypes at short distances 2 m. Both the entire population and the set of sexually reproduced individuals exhibited significant spatial autocorrelation on a scale of 2-6 m in an isolation-by-distance manner due to the limited seed and pollen dispersal, which is consistent with a neighborhood size of about 25.


A systematic analysis of the adsorption of water monomers, small water clusters and water thin films on α -Al2O3(0001) surfaces on the basis of density functional theory calculations is performed. In agreement with most existing studies, our calculations favor the dissociative adsorption for low coverages.

For water-rich conditions, however, the formation of hexagons of alternating dissociatively and molecularly adsorbed water monomers is predicted. Accordingly, the adsorption energy per water molecule decreases from about 1.5 eV for single adsorbed molecules to about 1.2 eV for thin films. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


With society focusing more and more on environmental issues, the recycling of materials of all types has become an important concern. In this paper, optimization method is developed for reducing cost and improving quality in mill scale recycling. An experimental investigation into the process parameter effects is presented to determine the optimum configuration of parameters for performance, quality and cost. Taguchi's optimization approach was used to obtain the optimal parameters. The significant parameters were identified and their effects on mill scale recycling were studied. As a results, a confirmation experiment with the optimal levels of process parameters was carried out in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Taguchi method.


On validating the feasibility of the antenna program, automatic or extreme tracking on the condition of mutibody dynamics, in order to overcome mutual disturbance caused by antenna driving, an adaptive variable structure control is adopted and solves the model uncertainty of feed-forward compensation in antenna pointing control effectively. This adaptive variable structure attitude control scheme reduces the attitude change caused by modeling error, and has capacity of attitude control with usual feed-forward compensation as well. The paper presents adaptive variable structure control system design method for large-scale satellite antenna and full physical simulation results.


Most claims of global biodiversity loss,while they appear to be reasonable, suffer from the problem of scale. Reliance is placed on data from islands and other restricted localities and extrapolated to the size of the entire globe. It is possible to avoid the scale effect by relying on direct information about extinctions, rather than indirect approximations as indicated by habitat decline, the species-area curve, and invasive species. Aside from isolated islands or space-restricted freshwater habitats, there is a lack of evidence indicating an abnormal loss of species diversity on the EarthÂ's continents and oceans. Instead, speciation apparently continues to provide the world with gains in biodiversity, leaving little justification for claims of unusual global losses. The worldÂ's major conservation problem is not the loss of species, it is the plight of thousands of threatened populations, remnants of larger ones that have been over-exploited or restricted by loss of habitat. This means that our conservation attention needs to be shifted from alarm over unsubstantiated global biodiversity loss, to the current problem of the rescue of small populations that are under threat.


Large area (up to 4 squared inches) epitaxial VO 2 films, with a uniform thickness and exhibiting an abrupt metal-insulator transition with a resistivity ratio as high as 2.85 × 10 4 have been grown on (001)-oriented sapphire substrates by electron beam evaporation. The lattice distortions (mosaicity) and the level of strain in the films have been assessed by X-ray diffraction. It is demonstrated that the films grow in a domain-matching mode where distortions are confined close to the interface which allows to grow high-quality materials despite the high film-substrate lattice mismatch. It is further shown that a post-deposition high-temperature oxygen annealing step is crucial to ensure the correct film stoichiometry and provide the best structural and electrical properties. Alternatively, it is possible to obtain high quality films with an RF discharge during deposition, which hence do not require the additional annealing step. Such films exhibit similar electrical properties and only slightly degraded structural properties.


We analyzed the temporal and spatial variation in water quality in the Huaihe River Basin influenced by the high level of fluctuation in rainfall and river flow in this transitional climate zone. To do so, we examined the relationship between water quality as measured by NH3-N concentrations and the precipitation and river discharge at key hydrological stations within the basin. The results indicate that flow regulation by hydraulic facilities had a significant negative effect on aquatic environment, but that including the preservation of environmental flows in management objectives could mitigate the problem. The existing hydraulic facilities should become the key tool to attain the multiple objectives that balancing the water utilization with the protection of environment and ecosystem health.


A solution is presented for the mutual coupling between the modes of different-sized circular coaxial aperture arrays, which are used as direct radiators and feed antennas. This solution is expressed in terms of integral transforms and the mutual admittances for the cross coupling between all three mode types, TE, TM, and TEM, are obtained. The accuracy of this new integral formulation is demonstrated by comparing computed results with measured data for a three-element test array. Excellent agreement is obtained between theory and experiment for both coupling coefficients and radiation patterns. Results are also presented for a coaxial feed array for the Lovell radio telescope.


The diagrammatic solution to a (sequentially coupled) one-electron three-level system in an intense laser field is derived. The solution is in the form of a continued-fraction expansion and is equal to the Floquet state that is adiabatically connected to the ground state. The formalism used is a recently presented diagrammatic many-body theory by Jonsson that can be used for non-perturbative calculations in strong fields. The purpose of the calculation is to demonstrate how a non-trivial one-electron problem can be solved exactly within the formalism.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Mitochondrial respiration is the most efficient form of energy production in the cell; however, in the absence of oxygen, such as within a solid tumor mass, cells rely on glycolysis as the main source of energy. Under hypoxic conditions the end product of glycolysis, pyruvate, is reduced to lactate by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which is then exported out of the cell. This reduction is essential to regenerate NAD+ consumed by the earlier steps of glycolysis. Recent evidence suggests that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), the only known ligand for the c-Met receptor, causes an increase in glycolysis. This led our laboratory to hypothesize that glycolysis may be required for HGF-induced phenotypic changes in cancer cells. HGF signaling through the c-Met receptor induces an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), including loss of cell-cell adhesions through down-regulation of E-cadherin expression, as well as increased motility and cell scattering characteristic of the initiating steps leading to cancer cell invasion and metastasis.

Using DU145 prostate cancer cells, we have found that inhibitors of glycolysis (2-DG) and lactate production via LDH activity (oxamate), were able to inhibit HGF-induced cell scattering. Using a wound healing assay, we observed that oxamate was able to prevent HGF-induced cell migration, suggesting a role for glycolysis in cell motility. Additionally, lactic acid was able to rescue cell scattering and wound healing blocked by oxamate, but not by 2-DG. Lactic acid measurements showed that oxamate prevented an increase in glycolysis stimulated by HGF. Measurement of ATP levels also suggested that 2-DG was able to block cell motility due to a reduction in ATP, while oxamate appeared to work through a yet undetermined method. Western blot analysis indicated that oxamate caused a decrease in HGF-induced phospho-Met and downstream phospho-Akt levels. Using H1993 lung cancer cells with constitutively active c-Met, we were able to determine that oxamate deactivated c-Met, while not affecting total c-Met levels. The ability of oxamate to reduce phosphorylation levels appeared to be Met specific based on its inability to block phosphorylation of other activated receptors. Oxamate not only inhibits LDH, but also aspartate aminotransferase (AAT), an enzyme involved in the malate-aspartate shuttle. Our data suggest, however, that the ability of oxamate to inhibit HGF-induced signaling and cell scattering is not through its ability to inhibit AAT.

Taken together, our data suggest the c-Met/HGF signaling axis is dependent on glycolysis and perhaps lactic acid levels. Our long-term goals are to elucidate the specific mechanism for this dependence as a means of defining novel targets for preventing c-Met-mediated cancer cell invasion and metastasis.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2914. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2914


In reply: Dr Jolobe draws attention to the likely possibility of latent vitamin B12 deficiency in older patients with iron deficiency. Whereas the hematological expression of B,, deficiency may be totally masked, suspicion should be aroused by an MCV higher than expected for simple iron deficiency or a dimorphic red cell picture with some macrocytes, or the presence of hypersegmented neutrophils, or a suboptimal response to iron therapy.' The significance of neutrophil hypersegmentation in this situation is probably controversial in that it has been attributed by some to iron deficiency per se. It would be of interest to know if any of the above features were noted in Dr Jolobe's patients with iron deficiency anemia and low serum B,, concentration.


Traditionally nurses have used one of two drawing up techniques for the administration of intramuscular (i.m.) injections. In the first, the injectable is drawn up using one needle, which is then discarded before administration using a new needle. Alternatively, the injectable is drawn up and administered without changing the needle. Advocates of the two-needle technique suggest that this method reduces pain at the injection site. In the present study, 70 subjects completed an independently validated pain scale following administration of an i.m. depot neuroleptic. The conclusion, that there is a significant reduction in injection site pain, using the two-needle technique, is not supported by the data obtained in this study.


This study was designed to discover blood biomarkers of cancer susceptibility using invasive multiple (n = 21), single primary breast cancer (n = 21), and control subjects (n = 20). Heparinized whole blood was incubated at 37 °C for 2 hours after 0–10 Gy of radiation, then cell cycle arrest marker CDKN1A and apoptosis marker BBC3 mRNA were quantified. This epidemiological study was practically feasible because radiation-induced mRNA was preserved for at least 1 day whenever blood was stored at 4 °C (r2 = 0.901). Moreover, blood could be stored frozen after radiation treatment (r2 = 0.797). Radiation- induced CDKN1A and BBC3 mRNA were dose dependent, and the degree of induction of CDKN1A was correlated with that of BBC3 (r2 = 0.679). Interestingly, multiple primary cases showed higher induction of CDKN1A mRNA than single primary and control groups, whereas BBC3 did not show such differences. The results suggested that cancer susceptibility represented by the multiple primary breast cancer cases was related to over-reaction of CDKN1A mRNA, not BBC3. The study also suggests that ex vivo gene expression analysis could potentially be used as a new tool in epidemiological studies for cancer and radiation sensitivity research.


OBJECTIVE
To determine and compare the effects of 4 oral replacement therapy (ORT) solutions on acid-base balance, abomasal emptying rate, and plasma volume expansion in calves with naturally acquired diarrhea and moderate dehydration.

DESIGN
Prospective study.

ANIMALS
20 calves.

PROCEDURES
20 calves up to 45 days of age were randomly allocated (n = 5/group) to receive 2 L of 1 of 4 treatments via oroesophageal intubation: sodium bicarbonate (150 mmol/L or 300 mmol/L) or sodium acetate (150 mmol/L or 300 mmol/L). The 4 test solutions contained acetaminophen (50 mg/kg [22.7 mg/lb]) and 50 g of glucose monohydrate. Jugular venous blood samples were obtained periodically before and after administration of the ORT solution. Abomasal emptying rate was determined by use of the time to maximal plasma acetaminophen concentration.

RESULTS
Plasma bicarbonate concentration increased more rapidly in calves administered bicarbonate-containing ORT solutions, whereas the rate of systemic alkalinization, as assessed via blood pH, did not differ consistently among treatments. The 300 mmol/L ORT solutions were emptied at a significantly slower rate from the abomasum than 150 mmol/L ORT solutions, with no difference in emptying rate between acetate and bicarbonate-containing ORT solutions of similar molality. The 300 mmol/L sodium acetate ORT solution significantly increased plasma volume.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Clinically important differences in the resuscitative response to 300 mmol/L or 150 mmol/L ORT solutions of sodium acetate or sodium bicarbonate were not identified.


This paper presents high quality factor (Q) microwave inductors (up to 20) fabricated on a high-resistivity substrate with a thick-metal layer integrated by using only CMOS double-metal interconnection technology for 2 GHz RF ICs applications. A quality factor Q of 20.1 at 3.25 GHz for 11.9 nH-inductor has been achieved. Also we report a low-loss substrate bias technique to improve the Q of the inductors.