The intricate relationship between angiogenesis and osteogenesis in vivo must be replicated in bone tissue engineering constructs to ensure the formation of a functional vascular network to support successful bone formation. Although communication between bone marrow stromal cells (MSC) and endothelial cells (EC) is recognized as one of the most important cellular interactions in bone regeneration, the underlying mechanisms of this biological process are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to analyze global gene expression associated with intercellular communication between MSC and EC using HumanWG-6 v3.0 expression BeadChips with a one-channel platform system (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA). Each array contains more than 48,000 probes derived from human genes. A global map of MSC gene expression was generated following co-culture of MSC with EC for 5 and 15 days, in a direct-contact model. The map was used to determine relative alterations in functional processes and pathways. Co-culturing EC with MSC up-regulated genes related to angiogenesis as von Willebrand factor, platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, cadherin 5, angiopoietin-related protein 4, and cell surface antigen CD34, and genes playing important roles in osteogenesis as alkaline phosphatase, FK506 binding protein 5, and bone morphogenetic protein. These findings clearly demonstrated that EC had a significant impact on MSC, particularly the bidirectional regulation of angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Moreover, cell-matrix interactions and TGF-β signal pathways were implicated for a crucial role in endothelial, cell-induced gene regulation in MSCs. A detailed study of the functional correlates of the microarray data is warranted to explore cellular and molecular interactions of importance in bone tissue engineering.


Machines and devices control can be held using keyboard, joystick, touch interface, gesture recognition interface or speech. Completely different control form is biosignals use, such as electromyogram, electrooculogram or electroencephalogram. In the article presented the controller construction of electro-pneumatic servo drive, which control is backed up by biosignals generated by activity patterns in muscles, brain and eye.


We introduce a novel network, called as CO-attention Siamese Network (COSNet), to address the unsupervised video object segmentation task from a holistic view. We emphasize the importance of inherent correlation among video frames and incorporate a global co-attention mechanism to improve further the state-of-the-art deep learning based solutions that primarily focus on learning discriminative foreground representations over appearance and motion in short-term temporal segments. The co-attention layers in our network provide efficient and competent stages for capturing global correlations and scene context by jointly computing and appending co-attention responses into a joint feature space. We train COSNet with pairs of video frames, which naturally augments training data and allows increased learning capacity. During the segmentation stage, the co-attention model encodes useful information by processing multiple reference frames together, which is leveraged to infer the frequently reappearing and salient foreground objects better. We propose a unified and end-to-end trainable framework where different co-attention variants can be derived for mining the rich context within videos. Our extensive experiments over three large benchmarks manifest that COSNet outperforms the current alternatives by a large margin. We will publicly release our implementation and models.


: The Main goal of surfactants in the formation of nanoparticles is due to its high effect on the dispersion. Nanosuspension, as non- crystal systems, present characteristics and properties which depend not only on composition but also on the preparation method. Although interest in nano-Suspension was developed since about 20 years ago, mainly for nanoparticle preparation, it is in the last years that direct applications of nano-suspension in consumer products are being developed, mainly in pharmacy, drugs, personal care, health care, agrochemicals and cosmetics. These recent applications have made that studies on optimization methods for nano- suspension preparation be a requirement. This review is focused on the most recent literature on developments of nano-suspension as final application products and on the optimization of their preparation. The poloxamer polyols are a series of closely related block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide conforming to the general formula The included in the PhEur


The survival of a body of writings by the Emperor Julian, and the intellectual allegiances and aspirations that underpinned his anti-Christian politics, set parameters of sorts for his posthumous reception as a renegade 'Apostate'. This paper discusses a particular aspect of Julian's post-Classical afterlife: it attends to a sequence of learned evocations of his career and person in English works of disputation and satire published over the period ca.1600–ca.1750. Within that time-frame, the focus is restricted to deal only with cases that had a significant political edge, and to privilege evocations that disclose direct engagement by the authors with Julian's own writings. As a preliminary, a brief outline of the early editorial tradition of Julian's own writings is offered, with an eye to the bearing of Continental scholarship on the reading and reception of Julian in England in the selected time-frame. The paper then passes to close discussion of Julian's reception by six selected English authors, and explicates the lines of influence or reaction that connect the English texts and authors at issue. It emerges that certain items and passages in Julian's literary repertoire were repeatedly deployed and 'flipped' as tools of argument, particularly in volatile political contexts.


The oxygen vacancy in WO(3) has previously been implicated in the electrochromism mechanism in this material. Previous theoretical calculations on the oxygen vacancy in WO(3) have not considered the full range of crystal structures adopted by the material. Here we report studies of the oxygen vacancy in seven crystal phases. The use of a very accurate tungsten plane-wave pseudopotential means that a byproduct of this study is a more detailed and complete picture of undefected WO(3) than previously available. Electronic structures of the crystal phases in both undefected and defected systems have been calculated and are discussed. The band gap in WO(3) is dependent upon bonding-antibonding interactions, these being dependent upon overlap in each direction. The effect of an oxygen vacancy is dependent upon the availability of both Op and Wd electrons, this being different for the various phases. A variety of behavior is predicted, which may be explained in terms of O2p-W5d mixing, including the formation of long W-W dimer bonds. It is found that the nature of a polaron in this material is dependent upon both the crystal structure and distribution of oxygen vacancies.


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Islamic finance in the United States is a burgeoning industry. Composed of both retail investors and large international participants, the law applicable to this style of capitalism is beginning to take form. Common law trained, often secular, judges and lawyers are being asked to interpret contracts born out of a system of law that to this day traces several of its primary sources to the same authorities that instruct the private worship of the its participants. As such, courts, administrative bodies, and arbitrators inform themselves of business traditions from Shari'ah-influenced jurisdictions in order to determine the legality of these transactions, as well as to settle disputes arising from such deals. As it turns out, the available case law demonstrates a remarkable ability to engage in such decision-making according to the domestic processes of various United States courts. Other research in the field focuses on particular cases; however, this chapter discusses the process as a whole, citing to specific examples of judicial procedures that are relevant to the discussion of dispute resolution in Islamic finance in the United States.


Applying multiple physical fields to artificial manipulate electromagnetic waves is a highly stirring research. In this paper, we creatively combine light control with microwave scattering, realizing an optically coding metasurface for beam deflection based on anomalous reflection. A photoresistor and a voltage-driven module are connected to control each row of PIN-diode-loaded unit cells, endowing the reflection phase of the elements with a strong dependence on light. Owing to the high sensitivity of photoresistor, the digital element state "0" or "1" can be switched effectively via light variation sensed by the photoresistor. By modulating the light signal, the arrangement of digital elements can be reprogrammed, generating the specific scattering field. Therefore, the electromagnetic field can be determined by the spatial distribution of light, which induces the connect with the optical information and microwave field. The simulated and experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of our design. This light-steering approach provides a dimension for electromagnetic wave modulation.


The frequency response analysis method is more and more frequently used as a diagnostic tool for investigation of electrical device windings. The method is being used for identification of dislocations and deformations of transformer windings. This paper presents a novel application regarding possibilities of the frequency response analysis method in electrical machine windings. Of special importance is the early detection of winding failures in electrical machines, both during the manufacturing process and in operation. The results of investigations of winding faults in electrical machines of different construction are presented in this paper. The influence of turn-to-turn faults between adjacent winding wires on the admittance waveform was investigated.


Children of asylum seekers are at risk for psychosocial problems because of their flight history and exceptional living circumstances. This study aims to assess the association of sociodemographic factors and asylum procedural factors with psychosocial problems of asylum seekers' children, and differences herein by informant (parents, teachers, and children). To this end, we obtained data on psychosocial problems among a random sample of 267 children aged 4 to 16, living in Dutch asylum seekers' centers, using the multi-informant Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. The results show that the prevalence rate of psychosocial problems among asylum seekers' children was high. The occurrence was not associated with asylum-procedural variables but only with child-contextual factors such as mental health of the mother and leaving behind a parent in the country of origin. The associations varied in strength by informant. Therefore, preventive and supportive measures to improve psychosocial health of young asylum-seekers should concentrate on these contextual issues.


Leuconostoc lactis SBC001, isolated from chive, produces glucansucrase and synthesizes oligosaccharides through its enzymatic activity. This study was conducted to optimize oligosaccharide production using response surface methodology, analyze the structure of purified oligosaccharides, and investigate the prebiotic effect on 24 bacterial and yeast strains and the anti-inflammatory activity using RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The optimal conditions for oligosaccharide production were a culture temperature of 30 °C and sucrose and maltose concentrations of 9.6% and 7.4%, respectively. Based on 1H-NMR spectroscopic study, the oligosaccharides were identified as gluco-oligosaccharides that consisted of 23.63% α-1,4 glycosidic linkages and 76.37% α-1,6 glycosidic linkages with an average molecular weight of 1137 Da. The oligosaccharides promoted the growth of bacterial and yeast strains, including Lactobacillus plantarum, L. paracasei, L. johnsonii, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, L. rhamnosus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells were treated with the oligosaccharides, the production of nitric oxide was decreased; the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 was suppressed; and the nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway was inhibited. In conclusion, the gluco-oligosaccharides obtained from Leu. lactis SBC001 exhibited a prebiotic effect on six bacterial and yeast strains and anti-inflammatory activity in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells.


Background: COVID-19 pandemic may affect the surgical teams and patients. Objective: The aim of this report was to describe the changes introduced in the structure and processes of a surgical facility for the safe care of suspected and positive COVID-19 patients, and to describe the initial results of their implementation. Material and methods: We conducted a prospective, descriptive and observational study between April 1 and May 31, 2020. The structural changes and the modifications introduced in the functioning processes within the surgical area of a university hospital adapted to the care of suspected and positive COVID-19 patients, and the activities developed in such area were documented. Results: There was a reduction in the number of scheduled and emergency surgeries performed during the study period. Of the 173 emergency surgeries, 17 (9.8%) were suspected cases and 3 (1.7%) resulted positive COVID-19 patients confirmed by PCR tests. None of the 136 patients undergoing scheduled surgeries were suspected or confirmed cases. Compliance with the checklist was 100%. There were no infections among the personnel working in the facility. Conclusions: The changes implemented in the surgical facility allowed for adequate care of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients during the period, with complete adherence to recommendations and reduced risk of disease transmission in order to provide safety to patients and the health care team. Palabras clave: COVID-19, cirugía segura, área quirúrgica.


A kindred of four generations had eight individuals with known neck masses. Four of these were bilateral and four were unilateral. Five neck masses were proven carotid body tumors by pathological examination of tissue. Two presumptive diagnoses were made on the basis of history and old family photographs. One was made by history, examination, and arteriography. Although these cases suggested a sex-linked genetic trait, previous reports in the literature indicate that this conclusion would be invalid. This genetic study does demonstrate hereditary transmission of carotid body tumors. No case of malignancy has been reported in cases of bilateral carotid body tumors.


Abstract Trichlorosilane, HSiCl3, forms with 3,4-dimethylpyridine in aprotic solvents a crystalline l:2-compound which is stable at room temperature and readily soluble in CHCl3. Colourless crystals of the dicationic complex, [H2Si(3,4-dimethylpyridine)4]2+ 2Cl- · 6 CHCl3 (verified by X-ray structure analysis) are obtained by dismutation of HSiCl3(3,4-dimethylpyridine)2 in CHCl3 within one week at room temperature.29Si NM R indicates that SiCl4 is generated as a second product. H2SiCl2 with 2,4-dimethylpyridine as well as MeHSiBr2 with 3,5-dimethylpyridine in aprotic solvents form 1:2-compounds stable at room temperature. X-ray structure analyses in both cases establish neutral-complexes with a hexa-coordinated silicon atom


The paper aims to provide possible uses of Bakhtin's Philosophy of Language in the document analysis, in the investigation of the history of psychology and other fields. Insofar as bakhtinian's proposals involves indetermination, duplication and ambiguity, it is remarked his propositions should not be conceived as fixed and permanent rules to be applied to a subject as a way to reveal it. Therefore the method and subject should be created each and every investigation. This paper shows concisely the main proposals of his philosophy of language, the problems of authorship, themes, discursive genres and the risks of static and/or displaced analysis of the themes.


Purpose/Objectives: To examine how the eHealth literacy of partners of patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer affects their involvement in decision making, and to identify the factors that influence their eHealth literacy. Design: Cross‐sectional exploratory study. Setting: North Carolina. Sample: 142 partners of men with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer. Methods: A telephone survey and descriptive and multiple linear regression analyses were used. Main Research Variables: The partners' eHealth literacy, involvement in treatment decision making, and demographics, and the health statuses of the patients and their partners. Findings: Higher levels of eHealth literacy among partners were significantly associated with their involvement in getting a second opinion, their awareness of treatment options, and the size of the social network they relied on for additional information and support for treatment decision making for prostate cancer. The factor influencing eHealth literacy was the partners' access to the Internet for personal use, which explained some of the variance in eHealth literacy. Conclusions: This study described how partners' eHealth literacy influenced their involvement in treatment decision making for prostate cancer and highlighted the influencing factors (i.e., partners' access to the Internet for personal use). Implications for Nursing: When helping men with prostate cancer and their partners with treatment decision making, nurses need to assess eHealth literacy levels to determine whether nonelectronically based education materials are needed and to provide clear instructions on how to use eHealth resources.


In recent years several bestselling autobiographies in Germany have reinforced a discourse in which domestic violence in immigrant communities is attributed to a backward, Muslim culture. The media as well as the German state turn to authors such as Necla Kelek and Seyran Ateş as "experts" who claim the right to represent immigrant women's concerns, but their prominence obscures activists' attempt to end both domestic violence and forms of cultural racism. This article contextualizes these autobiographies in a larger discourse of modernity that presumes secularism serves to regulate violence. I then analyze the discursive strategies employed by Kelek and Ateş, and juxtapose their narratives with Fadela Amara's description of the French group Ni Putes ni Soumises (Neither Whores nor Submissives). I argue that the popularity of narratives portraying violence against women as necessarily and intrinsically a part of Islam functions to silence many activists of immigrant heritage, preventing effective activism against violence as well as productive alliances between groups fighting violence in multiple forms. (BMW)


A CMOS injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) with high division ratios and high frequency operation is presented. It consists of a ring oscillator and injection capacitors. An input signal is directly injected through the capacitors into the feedback nodes of the ring oscillator. The proposed ILFD is fabricated in a 0.18 mum CMOS process and has a chip core size of 68 mum times 70 mum. It shows multiple division ratios of 3, 6, and 9. The operation frequency is from 2.2 to 30.95 GHz. At the maximum operation frequency, the ILFD has a locking range of 260 MHz with an input power of less than 0.25 dBm, a division ratio of 9, and a power consumption of 12.5 mW. The locking range increases up to 3.2 GHz as the division ratio and the operation frequency decrease.


Well-defined CoFe2O4 nanoparticles embedded in amorphous SiO2 matrix have been synthesized by sol-gel method, characterized and investigated by Mossbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. The mean particle size was found to increase from 3 to 15 nm by varying the temperature of a subsequent annealing from 800 to 1100 ◦C. The composites exhibited superparamagnetic behavior with the blocking temperature increasing with the mean particle size. The frequency dependent AC susceptibility was found to obey the Neel Arrhenius law. Both observations are compatible with a model of non-interacting randomly oriented single-domain particles.


In this analysis of 2 prospective multicenter, multi-year cohorts of children hospitalized for bronchiolitis in the United States and Finland, 306 rhinovirus infections were genotyped. Rhinovirus-A and -C species were predominant in the US study, while rhinovirus-C species was predominant in the Finland study. In both cohorts, there were no significant between-species differences in clinical characteristics, including acute severity measures.


We study a spin-1/2 system with Heisenberg plus ring exchanges on a four-leg triangular ladder using the density matrix renormalization group and Gutzwiller variational wave functions. Near an isotropic lattice regime, for moderate to large ring exchanges we find a spin Bose-metal phase with a spinon Fermi sea consisting of three partially filled bands. Going away from the triangular towards the square lattice regime, we find a staggered dimer phase with dimers in the transverse direction, while for small ring exchanges the system is in a featureless rung phase. We also discuss parent states and a possible phase diagram in two dimensions.


Mitochondria are subcellular organelles, whose well-known function is to produce ATP through the oxidative phosphorylation system. Alterations in respiratory activity and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) appear to be a general feature of malignant cells. The presence of mtDNA mutations has been reported in various cancer cells, and the abundance of mtDNA damage is consistent with the intrinsic susceptibility to constitutive oxidative stress. Research about the functional aspects of mtDNA mutations in cancer development and therapeutic response is likely to be fruitful and to have significant clinical and prognostic impact. Although many studies to date have been focused on the identification and characterization of altered mtDNA, it is not clear if these accumulated mutations are the cause or the consequence of the carcinogenic process. This article provides a brief summary of our current understanding of mitochondrial pathobiology in cancer development.


WEARPLEX is a multidisciplinary research and innovation action with the overall aim to integrate printed electronics with flexible and wearable textile-based biomedical multi-pad electrodes. It aims to answer the growing need for user-friendly electrodes for pervasive measurement of electrophysiological signals and application of electrical stimulation. It focuses on the development of the printable electronics and manufacturing processes for stretchable textile based multi-pad electrodes with integrated logic circuits that enable a significant increase in the number of electrode pads (channels) and facilitate the creation of new products in the sectors of medical electronics and life-style. The advanced printed electronics integrated in WEARPLEX electrodes will allow the individual pads to be connected in arbitrary configurations to the output leads of the electrode. Therefore, the pads will be flexibly organized into several virtual electrodes of arbitrary position, shape and size that can be connected to any standard multi-channel recording and stimulation system. In addition, software methods will be developed for automatic calibration of these virtual electrodes, to detect stimulation/recording hotspots and adjust the virtual electrodes accordingly. Therefore, the WEARPLEX project will lead to a new generation of smart electrodes that will be able to adapt simultaneously to the user (wearable and stretchable garment), recording/stimulation scenario (movement type and target muscles) and recording/stimulation system (number of channels). This is a paradigm shift in designing the recording and stimulation systems, as the switching electronics is shifted from the custom-made stimulator/recording device to the smart electrode, leading to a universal solution compatible with any system. WEARPLEX is funded under the EU Horizon2020 call ICT-02-2018, the work program is over 3 years starting on the 1st of January 2019; this abstract is therefore an opportunity to introduce the project to the community and discuss research directions and early results for the project. The individual components of the project are at TRL2-4 with the goal of improving and combining them to achieve TRL6-7 industrial demonstrators by the end of the project.


In this study we analyze the production data from 2,755 horizontal wells in the Haynesville Shale. Correlations were generated to predict 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-year cumulative production from initial, 6-, 12-, and 24-month production data. These correlations can help in field-development planning and economic analysis. The residuals (Predicted – Actual Cumulative Production) from these correlations were also analyzed, and this technique can be used to identify wells affected by interference, refracturing, fracture hits, and other factors.
 The cumulative-production estimates from the developed correlations were also compared with the corresponding estimates from the decline-curve-analysis (DCA) equations (seven different DCA methods were used). The accuracy of prediction made on the basis of correlations developed in this study is close to that for various standard DCA methods published and used in the industry. The developed correlations are faster to use and easier to implement for a large number of wells.
 Another of our objectives was to develop P10, P50, and P90 type curves for the Haynesville Shale using the available production data. A subset of the total wells (i.e., 150 wells evenly distributed throughout the study area) was used for predicting type curves. These type curves were generated and compared using different DCA models. The different DCA methods predicted an uncertainty of 5 to 27% for the P10, P50, and P90 production profiles.


The objective of the study was to determine the effects of sex and hunting season on the carcass, meat and fat quality of hunted brown hares (Lepus europaeus). Twenty-two hares of both sexes hunted in winter (December) during two hunting seasons in accordance with the law on hunting in Lithuania were evaluated using reference methods The data were subjected to two-factor analysis of variance in the general linear (GLM) procedure. No significant differences in carcass measurements and muscularity or internal organs between the sexes of brown hares were found; however, the hunting season appeared to affect the size of hares. The biceps femoris (BF) thigh muscle of males had lower (p < 0.05) dry matter content and higher (p < 0.05) drip loss compared with females. The hunting season demonstrated an effect (p < 0.001) on protein and hydroxyproline contents in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and affected dry matter, protein and hydroxyproline contents (p < 0.05, p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively) in BF muscles, and differences in the colour of muscles were also observed. The shear force in the Warner–Bratzler (WB) test was higher (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively) for LTL and BF muscles during the first hunting season. The hunting season did not affect the total SFA in the intramuscular fat (IMF) of all the tissues, but it affected levels of monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids in the muscles. No differences were found in the total saturated fatty acids (SFA) of both muscles between the sexes, but females demonstrated lower (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) and more favourable n-6/n-3 PUFA ratios in the muscles and fat and a lower (p < 0.05) thrombogenic (TI) index in the LTL compared with males.


The main results of A. Zorich and I. Dynnikov regarding plane sections of periodic surfaces are extended to the piecewise linear case. As an application, the stereographic map of a truncated octahedron, extended to all of ℝ3 by periodicity, is analyzed numerically.


This chapter explores the intersection of stress biology, community ecology, and meta-level molecular sciences. The understanding of bacterial life is more sophisticated than that of any other group of organisms, despite the tremendous physiological complexity that is the hallmark of the prokaryotes. Much of microbial cell and molecular biology is based on the assumption that the behaviors of individuals and populations of cells are the same and this is often the case. Communities can be thought of as collections of organisms, each conducting a living in the context of the rest of the community. Metagenomics provides a system-level approach to studying communities of microorganisms. In studies of gene discovery based on functional expression, metagenomics can facilitate analysis of genes in both the culturable and unculturable portions of the community. The gut microbial community is emerging as one of the most influential organs in the human body. The fusion of reductionism and systems biology can be found in metagenetics, which is the application of classical bacterial genetics to understanding communities as systems. An interesting mixture of diffusible signals and direct contact comprises the arsenal of messages used by bacteria and fungi in the mouth. Future research will need to unite metagenomics with many other approaches, including metagenetics. The richness of the interplay is particularly well illustrated by the application of genomics and mutant analysis to community-level events in the oral biofilm.


Ectopic thyroid tissue is a rare entity resulting from developmental defects at early stages of thyroid gland embryogenesis, during its passage from the floor of the primitive foregut to its final pre-tracheal position. It is frequently found along the course of the thyroglossal duct or laterally in the neck, as well as in distant places such as me-diastinum and subdiaphragmatic organs. Pres-ence of thyroid tissue in buccal mucosa is a rare presentation of thyroid ectopia. No such case has been reported in the world literature. We report a case of ectopic thyroid tissue in buccal mucosa in a seven years old male child who presented with a gradually increasing swelling in the right buccal mucosa. Aspiration cytology was sugges-tive of squamous papilloma. This also protects the recurrent laryngeal nerve from damage. Capsular dissection helps in pro-tecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve and also protects the blood supply of parathyroid glands. Minimally invasive transoral excision with CO2 laser was done and the tissue was sent for histo-pathology which revealed heterotopic thyroid tissue with follicular adenoma. Thyroid function tests suggested euthyroidism. Ultrasonography of the neck showed a normal thyroid gland in its normal location.


The paper describes the results of a subjective evaluation experiment: two methods for recording a three-dimensional sound field and for reproducing it through loudspeakers in a proper listening room are compared. The first method is the binaural method known as Stereo Dipole, based on digital filtering of binaural recordings or binaurally synthesized sound tracks: it allows for reproduction over a pair of closely-located loudspeakers. The second method is a software implementation of the well-known Ambisonics methodology, in which a B-format recording made with a Soundfield mic, or a synthesized B-format soundtrack, is reproduced over a 3D array of 8 loudspeakers. The subjective comparisons were made in a listening room fitted with 10 loudspeakers, and the listeners did not know at what of the two systems they were listening. Both reproduction systems were employed for blind evaluation of the sound field generated by audio systems of different cars.


Abstract Simone Weil's work has always been appreciated for its evocative beauty, but not always for its potential contributions to political thought. In this essay, we engage in a reappraisal of her political thought, and of her relevance to contemporary politics, by way of her discussion of the power of words. Weil shares much with contemporary approaches that view the world as a text to be interpreted. But for Weil, the power of interpretation carries with it an illusion, exemplified in Weil's example of Achilles watching over his war-work, in which the world can be seen, measured, and shaped according to one's will. For Weil, the illusion of control that accompanies this perspective is undermined by our encounter with a world of physical causes and sensations that impact us, quite without us being able to control them.


In confrontation with the temptation of assimilation of global culture, our architects either directly play a disarming role or find supports from regionalism. It is easy for us to distinguish these two extremes individual features of Chinese architecture are stepping into, which involve our blind obedience to internationalism and overindulgence in the serious degeneration of traditional value in the depth of our mind in the first regard, and the second one reflecting the reliance on irrational mechanical regionalism resists the attack caused by the assimilation of global culture to make substantial fake antiques in terms of pretension that our traditional culture are booming always. However, neither of those two extremes can shape the change that our designs for architecture are undergoing the depression of national characteristics. Critical regionalism has provided news solutions to problems for us.


Coexisting hermit crabs may competitively interact for shells and microhabitats, mainly when shell availability is habitat-related. Three species of Clibanarius (C. antillensis, C. sclopetarius, and C. vittatus) coexist in the intertidal region of Pernambuco Islet, Araçá Region, São Sebastião Channel, southeastern Brazil. This study evaluated crab preferences for four substrate types used by these species in nature (rocky shore, pebbles, sand, and mud) in allopatric (single species) and sympatric (three species) treatments in simulations of high tide and low tide. The substrate preference of the three hermit crabs did not vary between low and high tide situations. At low tide the crabs either moved into holes in the highly complex rocky substrate or buried themselves in mud. Substrate selection may explain the patterns of substrate use in nature only for C. vittatus. Clibanarius antillensis and C. sclopetarius showed closer similarities in the pattern of substrate selection in the sympatric treatment with the substrate use in nature than in allopatric treatment, indicating a positive influence (dependence) of the presence of one species on the presence of another. Use of sub-optimal substrates, mainly by C. antillensis, may be caused by other factors such as its low desiccation tolerances. If competition for space takes place among these species, it would be more intense between C. sclopetarius and C. vittatus given their higher overlap in substrate preference than between them and C. antillensis.


Objectives: Here, we report a rare case of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) developed a bilateral dendritic epithelial keratitis without retinitisCase presentation: A 58-year-old woman presented to the emergency department of Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran due to dyspnea and dry cough along with weakness, lethargy and weight loss resulting from acute myeloblastic leukemia. She was treated for systemic problem. In a while after developing pain, burning, redness of the eyes and ocular mucopurulent discharge, ocular symptoms began. The patient was initially treated with oral acyclovir with a possible diagnosis of Herpes simplex virus Keratitis. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed on ocular discharge specimens collected by soft-tipped applicators reported as CMV. Then, acyclovir was discontinued and bilateral CMV keratitis treated with IV Ganciclovir and her epithelial lesions gradually disappeared. Conclusions: CMV is capable of generating corneal epithelial engagement without corneal endothelium and retina involvement and demonstrated that CMV keratitis can be a rare cause but an emergent problem of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). Therefore, in any cases with bilateral corneal herpes keratitis, the patient should be evaluated for immune system deficiency.


Abstract Rates of survival and reproductive success in black grouse Tetrao tetrix were assessed during a four-year study at Lake Vyrnwy in North Wales between 1999 and 2003. We used radio-tracking to assess survival rates of 33 individuals. The juvenile (September-February) survival rate was 0.18, compared with 0.66 over the same time interval for adults. Predation by raptors accounted for almost ⅔ of deaths. Broods were surveyed using pointer dogs in late August. Reproductive success was low, averaging 1.0 chicks/hen. Recruitment into the breeding population was insufficient to balance the observed mortality rates, resulting in a 67% decrease in breeding adults during the four-year study. This happened despite the likely immigration into the study area of dispersing juvenile females from adjacent areas with higher breeding success. An equivalent reduction in the abundance of red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus was observed, and this was also associated with years of low breeding success. Management methods that both reduce the impact of raptors on juvenile black grouse survival and improve breeding success are probably required to conserve black grouse in Wales.


To formulate a solid chronology of the northwest Belgian Bronze Age barrow phenomenon, a critical review of the available radiocarbon dates was necessary. The resulting 14 C chronology of the barrows was compared with the 14 C chronologies of the Late Neolithic Bell Beaker graves, the Bronze Age metalwork depositions, the evidence of barrow reuse, and the Bronze Age longhouses. This research revealed interesting patterns concerning the appearance and disappearance of the barrow phenomenon. The earliest 14 C-dated barrows are dated during the Late Neolithic and coincide with the presence of the Bell Beaker culture in the region. The peak of the barrow-building practice occurred between 1700 and 1500/1400 cal BC, a period of flourishing trade networks in the regions along the North Sea basin. The period around 1500 cal BC is characterized by the disappearance of barrow-building practices and the sudden appearance of ritual depositional practices, reflecting changes in society. DOI:  10.2458/56.16959


Introduction: Bortezomib (B) is the first in class proteasome inhibitor that received FDA approval for the treatment of MM patients with relapsed or refractory disease. Despite impressive clinical activity all patients develop resistance to B. The underlying mechanism of resistance to B remains undetermined. Mechanisms to overcome B resistance or development of new therapeutic agent(s) with activity in context of B resistance are limited due to unavailability of established preclinical B resistant MM models. To overcome this challenge we developed a B resistant HMCL. Methods: we chronically exposed the OPM-2 HMCL to sub-lethal doses of B. Surviving cells were harvested, re-cultured and dose of B incrementally increased over prolong period of time. The resulting resistant cells were further characterized using array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH), spectral karyotyping (SKY) and gene expression profiling. Results: After several passages we were able to induce B resistance in this HMCL. Final clone (OPM-2BR) demonstrate resistance to 2 × IC 50 dose of B. While SKY and aCGH analysis demonstrated significant differences when compared with parent OPM-2WT (wild type) HMCL, gene expression profiling of the resistant and parental lines demonstrated significant upregulation in the expression of a number of ATP-binding cassette transporters. For example, the breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2) is upregulated 4-fold in the resistant cell line compared to the parental cell line. This data suggests that drug efflux mediated by drug transporters represents one potential mechanism of resistance to B. Conclusion: Chronic in vitro B exposure results in induced resistance in HMCL-OPM-2BR. Resistant cell line demonstrates cytogenetic variability when compared to the parent cell line. Induction of resistance is stable and provides an important preclinical tool to investigate mechanism(s) of B resistance as well as new drug development for B resistant myeloma patients. Detailed analysis of this cell lines including therapeutic interventions investigating resistance reversal will be presented at the meeting.


As a university student and teacher in Toronto I studied, lived, worked with and taught refugees from almost all over the world. In the mid-1990s I had a pivotal conversation with a colleague who confided, "I lost my surname and aged five years," when he entered Canada as a university student in the late 1960s from South Asia. Upon returning to my hometown I have worked as a Literacy Enrichment and Academic Readiness for Newcomers (LEARN) teacher in St. John's. Since then, I have realized that, like the case of my colleague, errors may exist on refugees' documentation for various reasons. In this discussion, I will explore the context, challenges, and felt experiences of grade level placements for refugee children through integrating my personal experience as a teacher, experiences of diverse newcomers to St. John's, and international literature.


The present study was designed to determine the selected monoamine changes that occur during infantile hydrocephalus. Obstructive hydrocephalus was induced in newborn rats by injection of a suspension of kaolin into the 4th ventricle and cisterna magna. Eleven days later, experimental animals and their sham-operated littermate controls were killed and pieces of frontoparietal cortex, neostriatum, cerebellar vermis, and brain stem were processed for high performance liquid chromatography. Grossly, the lateral ventricles were extremely enlarged, the cerebral cortex was thinned, the neostriatum was compressed, and portions of the tectum and cerebellum were vacuolated. Decreases in norepinephrine (71%), dopamine (73%), and serotonin (50%) were observed in the cerebral cortex, neostriatum, and cerebellum, respectively. Brain stem norepinephrine and serotonin were increased 70% and 50%, respectively. These increases may indicate impairment of axonal transport or damage to projections from the locus ceruleus and raphe region. These preliminary results suggest that infantile hydrocephalus causes perturbations in the levels of different monoamines in several brain regions. Such changes may critically influence neuronal function and development, as well as the therapeutic management of hydrocephalus.


There are studies showing linkages between religious beliefs and health. The importance of religion on health has been examined by studies (Vaux 1976), the dietary beliefs in health and illness (Chan Ho 1985), the role of religion in morbidity and mortalitiy (Jarvis and North Cott 1987), the Religion and other factors influencing health status (Idler and Kasl 1992). In India studies showing the role of caste and religion in terms of specific behaviour of individual groups in the power structure and related this to their healthculture (Banerji 1982), and the role of magic and other beliefs among a south Indian caste in health (Dumont 1986). Based on the concurrency in the issue the present paper focuses its attention on the various aspects of religiosity and health It is observed by various researches that the rural population of India, is very much influenced by religious beliefs. For example cultural formation of individuals closely inter linked with performance of individual's daily routine. Therefore, let us first examine the impact of religious practices and rituals as aspects of religiosity on health with specific reference to rural individuals of India


Results of research of distribution of pressure forces of the brake blocks on wheels during braking in dependance on arrangement of the wheel pair on a freight car are presented. Statistical characteristics of values of the pressure forces for loaded and empty cars, and also probability of appearance of defects on a wheel surfaces are obtained. It is shown that internal wheel pairs are the most loaded.


Resonant frequencies and the associated vibrational modes of multiwall carbon nanotubes are studied in this paper. The analysis is based on a multiple-elastic beam model, considering intertube radial displacements and the related internal degrees of freedom. Especially, van der Waals interaction is modified considering both all interaction between each layers in multi-wall carbon nanotubes and curvature effect. The results show that modified van der Waals interaction could significantly affect the natural frequencies of multi-walled carbon nanotubes. In particular, non-coaxial intertube resonance will be excited at the higher resonant frequencies of multiwall carbon nanotubes.


An unexpected revelation of cancer genome studies has been frequent abnormality in genes for factors that modify chromatin, underscored in this issue of Blood by reports from Score et al and Kroeze et al of inactivating mutations and chromosome loss in SUZ12, EED and JARID2 in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and myeloproliferative disease (MPD).


This article reports the role of actual and observational practice in the learn- ing of a task that required the temporal organization of simple responses. The experiment utilized a task similar to one developed by Pew (1966) in which subjects controlled the position of a continuously moving cursor by alter- nately pressing two response keys. Similar to Pew's findings, our findings demonstrated that, over acquisition trials, subjects exhibited an increase in their rate of responding, an increase in response rhythmicity, and a reduction in position error. More importantly, after a 24-hr retention interval, it was demonstrated that the rate and rhythmicity of responding and error scores for the observation practice group were indistinguishable from those of the actual practice group. These data were consistent with the notion that observation practice was sufficient to organize a response pattern associated with open loop and hierarchical control.


An experiment was undertaken to elucidate the genetic relationship between different quantitative traits for commercial cultivation and to evaluate selection criteria in pea breeding programs in five inbred parents. Their 17 F4's derivatives in pea (Pisum sativum L.) evaluated ten characters during the winter season (November to February) of 2017-18 at the research farm, BSMRAU, Gazipur, Bangladesh. Analysis of variance explored significant differences among the genotypes for all the characters.  Phenotypic coefficients of variation (PCV) were close to genotypic coefficients of variation (GCV) for all the characters indicating less influence on the environment and potentiality of selection. A high heritability relationship with high genetic advance was observed for plant height, pod per plant, hundred seed weight, and seed yield per plot. Pod length showed a highly significant positive correlation with pod width and hundred seeds weight. Only days to first flowering showed a highly negative correlation with pod length and hundred seed weight. Path coefficient analysis revealed that plant height, pod per plant, and seeds per pod had a highly positive effect on yield per plant. Therefore, associating and selecting those traits, yield improvement must be possible in pea, and the days to maturity, plant height, pods per plant, pod length, and seed showed a considerable positive and highly significant correlation with plant height, pod per plant, seed per pod, and yield per plant at both genotypic and phenotypic levels indicating yield could be increased with the increase of days to maturity, plant height, pods per plant, pod length, and seed.


The rapid development of e-commerce has promoted the growth of online auctions business based on C2C context. However, the ever-increasing customer size and auctioned goods cause the problem of information overload, and how to enhance the customer loyalty becomes a critical issue faced by most online auctions websites. One way to overcome the problem is to use recommender systems to provide personalized information services. Since there exist much difference between B2C and C2C context, it is a new challenge for us to apply recommender systems to the latter setting. This paper analyzes the customer behaviors on the auction website and constructs the customer preference model under the C2C context. Then the collaborative filtering technique is used to recommend auction items.


Populations of sturgeon across the globe are threatened due to
unregulated harvest and habitat loss, and the status varies
among species across North America. Ready access to viable
and functional sperm would contribute to recovery programmes
for these species. In this study, we examined the
motility, viability (cell membrane integrity) of cryopreserved
sperm from three North American acipenseriform species and
fertilizing capacity. Milt samples were collected from captive
shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), wild paddlefish
(Polyodon spathula) and pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus)
and cryopreserved using combinations of Modified Tsvetkova
�s (MT) extender, Original Tsvetkova�s extender, and
modified Hanks� balanced salt solution, along with the
cryoprotectants methanol (MeOH) or dimethyl sulfoxide
(DMSO). A dual-staining technique using the fluorescent
stains SYBR-14 and propidium iodide was employed with flow
cytometry to determine the percentages of spermatozoa that
were viable by virtue of having intact membranes. The
percentage of viable spermatozoa ranged from 5% to 12%
in shortnose sturgeon, 30–59% in paddlefish, and 44–58% in
pallid sturgeon. In the first experiment with shortnose sturgeon
sperm, methanol allowed for higher values for dependent
variables than did DMSO, and sperm viability generally
correlated with post-thaw motility. However, fertilization rate,
neurulation, or hatching rates were independent from these
factors. In the second experiment with shortnose sturgeon, 5%
MeOH combined with MT yielded higher values for all
parameters tested than the other combinations: viability was
correlated with motility, fertilization rate, and hatching rate.
Overall, viability and post-thaw motility was not affected by
the use of hyperosmotic extenders (OT) or cryoprotectants
(DMSO), but their use decreased fertilization percentages. For
paddlefish sperm (experiment 3), MT combined with 10%
MeOH was clearly a good choice for cryopreservation;
viability and motility results were correlated, but independent
of fertilization. For pallid sturgeon sperm (experiment 4), MT
with 5–10% MeOH showed significantly higher sperm quality
and fertilization parameters. Membrane integrity can be used
as a predictor of fertilization by cryopreserved sperm, however
additional sperm quality parameters, supplementary to motility
and membrane integrity, would be useful in the refining and
optimizing cryopreservation protocols with acipenseriform
sperm.


SummaryDNA topoisomerases are ubiquitous enzymes which are involved in replication, transcription, recombination and repair of nucleic acids. DNA topoisomerase II of filarial parasite Setaria cervi was purified to homogeneity by use of cation exchange and affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme migrated on SDS-PAGE as a single band with molecular weight of ∼80 kDa and native molecular weight of the enzyme was found to be 175 kDa indicating the dimeric nature of the protein. Topo II of S. cervi required ATP and dATP for its activity and optimal activity was observed at 1.0 mM ATP concentration. The filarial enzyme also utilized nucleotides, namely GTP, UTP and CTP for its activity. The divalent metal ions requirement of the enzyme showed that beside Mg+2 other ions viz., Ca+2, Mn+2, Cu+2 and Sr+2 were also utilized as cofactor for the activity. Antifilarial compounds ivermectin and diethylcarbamazine inhibited 100 % topo II activity at 100 μM concentration but suramin showed similar effect at 20 μM concentration. Nalidixic acid and novobiocin exhibited 100 % inhibition of the enzyme activity while mAMSA and etoposide inhibited the activity to different extents at 100 μM concentration. In view of significant differences in properties exhibited by the filarial topoisomerase as compared to other parasitic and eukaryotic topoisomerases, the filarial topoisomerase can be usefully exploited to devise new antifilarial compounds.


The authors present a new technique for constructing a computer-assisted proof of the reliability of a long computer-generated trajectory of a dynamical system. Auxiliary calculations made along the noise-corrupted computer trajectory determine whether there exists a true trajectory which follows the computed trajectory closely for long times. A major application is to verify trajectories of chaotic differential equations and discrete systems. They apply the main results to computer simulations of the Henon map and the forced damped pendulum.


Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) central nervous system (CNS) infection in children is associated with impaired brain growth and neurodevelopmental delays. Neural progenitors are critical for neurogenesis. Human multipotential neural progenitors grown in culture are permissive for HIV-1 infection, but it is not known if infection of these cells occurs in vivo. Brain tissue from pre-highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era pediatric acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients was examined for evidence of HIV-1 infection of nestin-positive neural progenitors by in situ hybridization; or after laser microdissection harvest, DNA extraction, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HIV-1 or viral DNA was identified in nestin-positive cells in four of seven HIV-1-infected children, suggesting in vivo infection of neural progenitors.


Language deficits represent one of the most relevant factors that determine the clinical phenotype of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The main aim of the research was to study the grammatical comprehension of children with ASD. A sample of 70 well-diagnosed children (60 boys and 10 girls; aged 4.9–8 years) were prospectively recruited. The results showed that language comprehension is the most impaired language domain in ASD. These findings have important clinical implications, since the persistence of grammatical receptive deficits may have a negative impact on social, adaptive and learning achievements. As for the grammatical profiles, persistent difficulties were found during the school-age years in morphological and syntactic decoding in children with relatively preserved cognitive and expressive language skills. These data and the lack of a statistically significant correlation between the severity of ASD symptoms and language skills are in line with the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) perspective that considers the socio-communication disorder as a nuclear feature of ASD and the language disorder as a specifier of the diagnosis and not as a secondary symptom anymore. The presence of receptive difficulties in school-age ASD children with relatively preserved non-verbal cognitive abilities provides important hints to establish rehabilitative treatments.


In this paper, we obtain that if the metric of a three dimensional $(k,\mu)'$-almost Kenmotsu manifold satisfies the Miao-Tam critical condition, then the manifold is locally isometric to either the hyperbolic space $\mathbb{H}^3(-1)$ or the Riemannian product $\mathbb{H}^{2}(-4)\times\mathbb{R}$. Moreover, we also prove that if the metric of an almost Kenmotsu manifold with conformal Reeb foliation satisfies the Miao-Tam critical condition, then the manifold is either of constant scalar curvature or Einstein. Some corollaries of main results are also given.


Thank you very much for reading animal breeding and infertility. As you may know, people have look hundreds times for their chosen readings like this animal breeding and infertility, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they cope with some harmful virus inside their computer. animal breeding and infertility is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our book servers hosts in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the animal breeding and infertility is universally compatible with any devices to read.


This article presented a literature review of research done on a construct that has been widely studied overseas but not yet done in Malaysia, that is, 'teacher's immediacy'. The focus of analysis is research on the relationship of teacher's immediacy to student motivation and student learning. Conclusions drawn from the research shows that teacher's immediacy is good for teachers, students and the teaching process. Method found to be most commonly used in measuring teacher's immediacy is student report. Finally this paper discussed the implications of the findings on the field of research and education in Malaysia.


Let , be the -Bernstein polynomials of a function . It has been known that, in general, the sequence with is not an approximating sequence for , in contrast to the standard case . In this paper, we give the sufficient and necessary condition under which the sequence approximates for any in the case . Based on this condition, we get that if for sufficiently large , then approximates for any . On the other hand, if can approximate for any in the case , then the sequence satisfies .


In radio astronomy obtaining a high dynamic range in synthesis imaging of wide fields requires a correction for time and direction-dependent effects. Applying direction-dependent correction can be done by either partitioning the image in facets and applying a direction-independent correction per facet, or by including the correction in the gridding kernel (AW-projection).
An advantage of AW-projection over faceting is that the effectively applied beam is a sinc interpolation of the sampled beam, where the correction applied in the faceting approach is a discontinuous piece wise constant beam. However, AW-projection quickly becomes prohibitively expensive when the corrections vary over short time scales. This occurs, for example, when ionospheric effects are included in the correction. The cost of the frequent recomputation of the oversampled convolution kernels then dominates the total cost of gridding.
Image domain gridding is a new approach that avoids the costly step of computing oversampled convolution kernels. Instead low-resolution images are made directly for small groups of visibilities which are then transformed and added to the large uv grid. The computations have a simple, highly parallel structure that maps very well onto massively parallel hardware such as graphical processing units (GPUs). Despite being more expensive in pure computation count, the throughput is comparable to classical W-projection. The accuracy is close to classical gridding with a continuous convolution kernel. Compared to gridding methods that use a sampled convolution function, the new method is more accurate. Hence, the new method is at least as fast and accurate as classical W-projection, while allowing for the correction for quickly varying direction-dependent effects.


The Easier English Basic Dictionary" is designed especially for elementary and pre-intermediate students of English. It includes the basic vocabulary needed to understand and study written and spoken English at this level, and is particularly useful for students taking the Preliminary English Test (PET) or the Key English Test (KET) exams. Clear notes on grammar, irregular verbs and easily confused words, as well as pronunciations for all entries make this a valuable aid to students of English."


Purpose Although a comprehensive knowledge of antibiotic/corticosteroid combinations is essential for the appropriate treatment of eye infections, the impact of their co-administration has not been well studied to date. A systematic pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic study to determine the effects of cotreatment with various antibiotics and corticosteroids was conducted. Methods Four bacterial strains, seven antibiotics, and four corticosteroids were used in the analyses. Drug interactions were evaluated by considering antibacterial effects with a checkerboard assay and intracellular concentrations in human corneal epithelial cells. Results The drug combinations that showed the most stable effects against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was levofloxacin-prednisolone. Stable combinations against the three types of Gram-positive bacteria were neomycin-prednisolone, ofloxacin-dexamethasone, ofloxacin-prednisolone, and polymyxin-dexamethasone. The cellular concentrations were changed for the gatifloxacin-fluorometholone, moxifloxacin-fluorometholone, tobramycin-dexamethasone, and tobramycin-prednisolone combinations. Conclusions Loteprednol and fluorometholone reduced the antibacterial effects of all of the tested antibiotics in this study. Dexamethasone and prednisolone showed various effects in this regard, depending on the co-administered antibiotic. Prior knowledge of specific antibiotic/corticosteroid interactions provides valuable information to clinical practitioners by combining data on the antibacterial and intracellular uptake effects of their co-administration. Translational Relevance When using antibiotics and corticosteroids, drug combinations can be selected by referring to the results of this study.


Clonal proliferation of marrow granulocytic progenitor cells (GPC) in vitro and the daily urinary output of granulocytic colony-stimulating factor (CSF) were determined in two patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in remission and one patient with malignant lymphoma receiving monthly pulses of chemotherapy with cytosine arabinoside and 6-thioguanine. During and immediately following therapy, a marked decrease of granulocytic colony-forming capacity (CFC) occurred, with an increase and return to basal levels by 3-4 wk. In the AML patients, the proportion of GPC in DNA synthesis (GPC-S), as determined by the thymidine suicide technique, declined from basal levels (31%-39%) to 0%-26% after 2 days of treatment. This was followed by a sharp rise in GPC-S to 41%-75% 1-3 days posttherapy, with an oscillatory return of GPC-S to basal levels by 3-4 wk. In all courses a marked increase of urinary CSF output occurred during or 1 day posttherapy, concomitant with the rise of the proportion of GPC-S. In the lymphoma patient, an initially high proportion of marrow GPC-S and low CFC anticipated the severe neutropenia which followed therapy. These results provide a basis for determining the efficacy with which cytotoxic drugs destroy proliferative activity of GPC and for assessing the potential for hemopoietic toxicity following chemotherapy.


Domain-specific languages (DSLs) assist a software developer (or end-user) in writing a program using idioms that are similar to the abstractions found in a specific problem domain. Testing tool support for DSLs is lacking when compared to the capabilities provided for standard general-purpose languages (GPLs), such as Java and C++. For example, support for debugging and unit testing a program written in a DSL is often non-existent. The lack of a debugger and unit test engine at the proper abstraction level limits an end-user's ability to discover and locate faults in a DSL program. This dissertation describes a grammar-driven technique to build a debugging and unit testing tool generation framework by adaptations to existing DSL grammars. This approach leverages existing GPL testing tools to indirectly exercise the end-user's debug and test intentions at the DSL level. The adaptations to DSL grammars represent the hooks needed to interface with a supporting infrastructure constructed for an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that assists in debugging and unit testing a program written in a DSL. The contribution represents a coordinated approach to bring essential software tools (e.g., debuggers and test engines) to different types of DSLs (e.g., imperative, declarative, and hybrid). This approach hides from the end-users the accidental complexities associated with expanding the focus of a language environment to include testing tools. During the testing tool generation process, crosscutting concerns were observed in representations of DSL grammars. To address these particular crosscutting concerns, an investigation into the principles of aspect-oriented programming applied to grammars has been conducted. A domain-specific aspect language, called AspectG, has been designed and implemented, which is focused within the domain of language specification. This dissertation outlines the challenges and issues that exist when designing aspect languages that assist in modularizing crosscutting concerns in grammars. The research described in the dissertation addresses a long-term goal of empowering end-users with development tools for particular DSL problem domains at the proper level of abstraction without depending on a specific GPL.


Diradical-generating cyclizations such as the enediyne Bergman cyclization and the enyne allene Myers-Saito cyclization have been exploited by nature in the mechanism of DNA cleavage by a series of potent antitumor antibiotics. Alternative diradical-generating cyclizations have been proposed in the design of selective antitumor agents; however, little information is available concerning the utility of these alternative cyclizations in radical-based DNA cleavage chemistry. One such alternative diradical-generating cyclization, the aza-Myers-Saito cyclization of aza-enyne allenes that are derived from base-promoted isomerization of skipped aza-enediynes, has been recently reported. Here, we report the synthesis and DNA cleavage chemistry of a series of pyridinium skipped aza-enediynes (2-alkynyl-N-propargyl pyridinium salts). Efficient DNA cleavage requires the presence of the skipped aza-enediyne functionality, and optimal DNA cleavage occurs at basic pH. Within this series of compounds, the analogue bearing a p-methoxyphenyl group on the pyridinium 2-alkyne substituents was found to be the most effective DNA cleavage agent, displaying significant supercoiled DNA-nicking activity at concentrations as low as 1 microM. Detailed studies of this analogue show that DNA cleavage occurs through 4'-hydrogen-atom abstraction from the DNA backbone and oxidation of guanine bases. This is the first report of enediyne-like radical-based DNA cleavage by an agent designed to undergo an alternative diradical-generating cyclization.


Background: The periocular region is susceptible to numerous benign and malignant neoplasms. Periocular skin malignancies may present differently, behave more aggressively, and pose more management challenges than malignancies at other cutaneous sites. Extent of skin cancer is often difficult to assess prior to surgery. Microscopically controlled surgery (MCS) aims to assure complete removal of a malignancy with histological confirmation while preserving as much of the adjacent tissues as possible. This retrospective review distinguishes clinical-practice management trends in periocular nonmelanoma skin malignancies. Methods: Retrospective review of 37 medical records of patients with histology proven periocular nonmelanoma skin malignancies seen in Oculoplastic section of the Department of Ophthalmology at Hospital de l'Esperanca - Hospital del Mar between July 2010 and January 2017. Results: Global mean age was 72 with a male: female ratio of 1. Basal cell carcinoma was the most commonly excised tumor (81%) and lower eyelid the most common tumor location (54%) followed by medial canthus (38%). MCS was performed globally in 65% of cases. During 2011-2012 period 38% of malignancies were treated with MCS. MCS was performed in 73% of cases during 2013-2014 and 2015- 2016 periods. Mean horizontal excision size was 13 mm. Flap and flap and graft combination were the most frequent reparation types (24% each). Conclusions: Microscopically controlled surgery for the management of periocular malignancies has increased in our hospital during 2011-2016. It confirms histopathological diagnosis and free margins of excision allowing periocular reconstruction on the same day. Microscopically controlled surgery safes healthy tissues which are essential in the eyelid and it decreases patients' morbidity.


Abstract:
 Xainza County on the Qiangtang Plateau (QP) spans a transitionally climatic and eco-environmental zone and is therefore a very sensitive region. Glaciers in this area are one of the most important kinds of land cover as well as key water resources, yet our understanding of their current status and spatio-temporal change remains limited. Using Landsat images, this study investigated the current distribution of glaciers (2015) in the Xainza Xiegang Mountains as well as the spatio-temporal changes that took place over six time periods between 1976 and 2015. Results show that, in 2015, 131 glaciers covered a total area of 74.59 ± 5.25 km2, mainly located between 5,600 and 6,000 m above sea level (a.s.l). Between 1976 and 2015, the total number of glaciers increased by 12, while their areas decreased by 24.98% (24.83 km2). Glacial retreat has induced a loss of water resources of 11.77 × 108 m3 over the last 39 years, while spatial heterogeneities in glacial changes across various sub-basins, aspects, and altitudinal zones are also clearly observed. Climate warming is the key factor driving this continuous glacial retreat; the high-quality dataset presented in this paper for the Xainza Xiegang study area is crucial for the ongoing assessment of climatic and eco-environmental changes.


With the recent development of IoT technology, a variety of products and services that were previously not implemented due to technical limitations are gradually becoming feasible. Accordingly, in the agricultural field, smart farm implementation is gradually spreading through the use of IoT technology. In this paper, we analyse standard technologies for smart farms through implementation of smart farm devices using IoTivity, an open source software provided by OCF which is a middleware standard technology for logical interoperability between IoT devices.


Acetylation is an important post translational modification of histone that plays a role in regulation of physiological and pathological process in the body. We have recently shown that the inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDAC) by low concentrations of HDAC inhibitors (HDACis), belinostat (up to 0.25 µM) and panobinostat (up to 0.04 µM) promote histone acetylation (e.g., AcH4) and neutrophil extracellular trap formation (NETosis). Clinical use of belinostat and panobinostat often leads to neutropenia and the in vivo concentrations vary with time and tissue locations. However, the effects of different concentrations of these HDACis on neutrophil death are not fully understood. We considered that increasing concentrations of belinostat and panobinostat could alter the type of neutrophil death. To test this hypothesis, we treated human neutrophils with belinostat and panobinostat in the presence or absence of agonists that promote NOX-dependent NETosis (phorbol myristate acetate or lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli 0128) and NOX-independent NETosis (calcium ionophores A23187 or ionomycin from Streptomyces conglobatus). Increasing concentrations of HDACis induced histone acetylation in a dose-dependent manner. ROS analyses showed that increasing concentrations of HDACis, increased the degree of NOX-derived ROS production. Higher levels (>1 µM belinostat and >0.2 µM panobinostat) of AcH4 resulted in a significant inhibition of spontaneous as well as the NOX-dependent and -independent NETosis. By contrast, the degree of neutrophil apoptosis significantly increased, particularly in non-activated cells. Collectively, this study establishes that increasing concentrations of belinostat and panobinostat initially increases NETosis but subsequently reduces NETosis or switches the form of cell death to apoptosis. This new information indicates that belinostat and panobinostat can induce different types of neutrophil death and may induce neutropenia and regulate inflammation at different concentrations.


A review of current therapy for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) (mycosis fungoides and erythrodermic CTCL) is presented. Treatments for mycosis fungoides limited to the skin include topical steroids, mechlorethamine (nitrogen mustard) and carmustine (BCNU), electron beam radiation, low-dose methotrexate, and interferon-alpha (IFN). Treatments for erythrodermic CTCL include low-dose methotrexate, IFN, extracorporeal photopheresis, and single agent or combination chemotherapy. Treatment for systemic CTCL includes IFN, single or combination chemotherapy, and combined modalities. Newer therapies are reviewed. Whereas prognosis for patients with disease limited to the skin is generally good, that for those with nodal or visceral lymphoma is mostly unfavorable. Controversial issues relating to total skin versus local treatment, prolonged maintenance versus intermittent therapy, and aggressive versus conservative treatment of early stage disease are discussed. The UCSF approach to treatment of CTCL and lymphomatoid papulosis is presented.


While e-procurement auction has helped firms to achieve lower procurement costs, auction mechanisms that prevail at present in procurement markets need to address an important issue that concerns the ability to maintain long term relationships with the partners, especially in repeated e-procurement settings. In this paper, we propose a Relationship Preserving Auction (RPA) mechanism that augments the conventional auction mechanism with a bidder relationship scoring model. Our proposed mechanism gives increased chances of winning to the bidders who have bidden at relatively competitive price but had comparatively less wins so far. Keeping these bidders in the auction over time will lead to more competitive bidding prices and eventually reduce the auctioneer's total procurement cost in repeated auctions. From simulation experiments, we show how RPA works under different bidders' behavior. We show that RPA is able to obtain lower procurement cost compared to conventional procurement auctions when bidders bid opportunistically and renege readily to other markets.


abstract:As public (state-dependent) institutions, history museums in Mexico are viewed as embodiments of official history, unable to present history as contested and constructed. This article offers a detailed explanation of how and to what extent official history operates in the construction of historical narratives and visitors' experiences of two history museums in Mexico City. Results showed specific omission strategies, divergences, and inconsistencies in the historical discourse, as well as peoples' autonomous and creative meaning-making of the past, both of which provide strong evidence to advocate for an understanding of official history not as one, but as several competing narratives produced at different times by institutions and professionals affiliated (either directly or indirectly) with the state.


In this paper, we investigate two statistical methods for spoken language understanding based on statistical machine translation. The first approach employs the source-channel paradigm, whereas the other uses the maximum entropy framework. Starting with an annotated corpus, we describe the problem of natural language understanding as a translation from a source sentence to a formal language target sentence. We analyze the quality of different alignment models and feature functions and show that the direct maximum entropy approach outperforms the source channel-based method. Furthermore, we investigate how both methods perform if the input sentences contain speech recognition errors. Finally, we investigate a new approach to combine speech recognition and spoken language understanding. For this purpose, we employ minimum error rate training which directly optimizes the final evaluation criterion. By combining all knowledge sources in a log-linear way, we show that we can decrease both the word error rate and the slot error rate. Experiments were carried out on two German inhouse corpora for spoken dialogue systems.


Rotaviruses (RV) are the leading cause of gastroenteritis in infants, young children, and adults, responsible for serious disease burden. In the period 2012–2018, a cross-sectional study was conducted using stool samples collected from patients with acute gastroenteritis from Vojvodina, Serbia. We described age and gender distribution, as well as seasonal patterns of RV prevalence. Out of 1853 included stool samples, RV was detected in 29%. Hospitalized children between 1–2 years old were especially affected by RV infection (45%). The highest prevalence of infection was observed during the colder, winter/spring months. We compared sequenced representative G and P genotypes circulating in Serbia with vaccine strains and determined their genetic similarity. Genotype combination G2P[4] was the most prevalent (34.6%), followed by G2P[8] (24.1%) and G1P[8] (21.1%). Given that several epitopes were conserved, neutralization motifs among circulating strains can be characterized as sufficiently matching vaccine strains Rotarix™ and RotaTeq™, but existing antigenic disparities should not be overlooked. The present results contribute to a better insight into the prevalence of rotavirus infection in our region and point out the need for epidemiological surveillance of rotaviruses before the introduction of vaccines. These data can help formulate future vaccine strategies in Serbia.


The current study evaluated the efficacy of ethyl alcohol extract in the plant leaves of Carissa macrocarpa in the control of green peach aphid Myzus persicae in vitro. The results showed the effect of using different concentrations of the ethyl alcohol extract of the plant leaves of C. macrocarpa on the mortality average rate of nymphs and adults of green peach aphid M. persicae in the laboratory, as the highest mortality rate on the nymphs and adults reached 64.11% and 53.56% at the concentration of 100 mg/ml, respectively, while the lowest mortality level was 54.11% and 32.78% at the concentration of 50 mg/ml, respectively. There were significant differences in the mortality rate.


Effects of low temperature (-30 degrees C) on the different life stages of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouessart) were studied. Humid cold air at -30 degrees C killed all stages of mites except eggs after 10 min; after 35 min exposure, 20% of the eggs hatched after the incubation period. Dry, cold air at -30 degrees C killed 40% of all stages of mites except eggs after 4 min and 100% after 5 min; all eggs died after 1 min exposure.


Glass and silica beads were precoated with various polymers to obtain steric exclusion chromatography (SEC) supports which are nonadsorbant for hydrophilic macromolecules. The efficiency of this treatment was estimated by subsequent radiolabeled fibrinogen adsorption. The result obtained with a block copolymer was better than with various hydrophilic homopolymers. This ABA type block copolymer, where A is a poly(N-acetylethyleneimine) (PAEI) sequence and B a polyethylene oxide (PEO) sequence was preadsorbed at pH 4.5 and 25 degrees C; the fibrinogen adsorption was reduced to less than 5% of the value observed on untreated solid surfaces. Thus the hemocompatibility of solid supports should be increased by precoating with this block copolymer. Results for nonporous glass beads and porous silica particles were in good correlation.


A high-accuracy error measurement system for calibration of digital-output equipped electronic current transformers (ECTs) is described. The system has been developed in conformity with the requirements for digital information networks in IEC 61850-9-2 and for accuracy class and error measurement procedures in IEC 60044-8. The system has also been designed to achieve simultaneous and synchronous samplings between an ECT/MU and a reference measuring unit, a procedure for capturing and filtering sampled value (SV) packets and data processing using the discrete Fourier transform with error compensations for an integrating analog-to-digital converter. The system employs a prototype commercial digital-output equipped ECT consisting of an optical current transformer (OCT) and a merging unit (MU). The error sources of the system are discussed for the error compensations and uncertainty estimations. Based on the principle of the system, the accuracy and temperature dependence of the prototype OCT/MU are evaluated and are confirmed to be within the limits of errors of accuracy class 0.2S.


During the past several years, results of clinical trials have generated considerable optimism about the prospects for effective treatment of acute central nervous system (CNS) injuries. A multicenter trial demonstrated the effectiveness of methylprednisolone, as well as naloxone hydrochloride, in improving neurologic recovery after spinal cord injury. 1 In ischemic stroke, early treatment with tissue plasminogen activator 2 or treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin 3 led to improved outcome for some patients. To date, however, no effective pharmacotherapy has been developed for head injury. One of the more promising experimental strategies for treatment of acute CNS injury has been the use of antioxidants or free-radical scavengers. This approach is based on the concept that oxygen free radicals are generated in response to the insult, thereby overwhelming endogenous antioxidant or free radical-scavenging systems such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione, ascorbic acid, and α-tocopherol. 4,5 Free radicals are believed to contribute to


Abstract : This report analyzes a survey that the Software Engineering Institute conducted on behalf of the Army Strategic Software Improvement Program (ASSIP). The survey was directed to Army program managers (PMs) and covered four areas of the acquisition system: the acquirer's environment, the developer's environment, communication between the acquirer and developer, and external factors that could affect the acquisition system. The study aimed to discover how PMs perceived major acquisition-related problem areas and to provide preliminary data upon which to base future data- gathering activities. Although the survey results were not conclusive, they indicated that requirements management was a primary area of concern among those who responded to the survey.


Code review is an effective software quality assurance activity; however, it is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Thus, a number of generation-based automatic code review (ACR) approaches have been proposed recently, which leverage deep learning techniques to automate various activities in the code review process (e.g., code revision generation and review comment generation).We find the previous works carry three main limitations. First, the ACR approaches have been shown to be beneficial in each work, but those methods are not comprehensively compared with each other to show their superiority over their peer ACR approaches. Second, general-purpose pre-trained models such as CodeT5 are proven to be effective in a wide range of Software Engineering (SE) tasks. However, no prior work has investigated the effectiveness of these models in ACR tasks yet. Third, prior works heavily rely on the Exact Match (EM) metric which only focuses on the perfect predictions and ignores the positive progress made by incomplete answers. To fill such a research gap, we conduct a comprehensive study by comparing the effectiveness of recent ACR tools as well as the general-purpose pre-trained models. The results show that a general-purpose pre-trained model CodeT5 can outperform other models in most cases. Specifically, CodeT5 outperforms the prior state-of-the-art by 13.4%–38.9% in two code revision generation tasks. In addition, we introduce a new metric namely Edit Progress (EP) to quantify the partial progress made by ACR tools. The results show that the rankings of models for each task could be changed according to whether EM or EP is being utilized. Lastly, we derive several insightful lessons from the experimental results and reveal future research directions for generation-based code review automation.


A an initial diagnostic procedure in diffuse and localized lung disease, transbronchial lung biopsy ( TBB ) offers an attractive alternative to open lung biopsy. In the past, TBB was carried out by inserting a flexible forceps through a rigid, opentube bronchoscope or a catheter.'5 More recently, this technique has been popularized by passing the forceps through the channel of a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope.6 6 Improvement in design of the fiberoptic bronchoscope has greatly facilitated the technique of TBB. Previously, the small biopsy channel severely limited the size of the forceps and, hence, the size of the biopsy specimen. Now the Machida FBS-6TL, Olympus BF-1T, and Pentax FB-19A all have a biopsy channel 2.6 mm in diameter which permits passage of a large "cup" or "crocodile" forceps. Since the biopsy channel of the bronchofiberscope also serves as a route for suction, the effective aspiration of blood, purulent material and secretions is more readily accomplished with the newer fiberoptic instru-


Fore-arc basins, which constitute an important element of a convergent plate margin, are situated between the volcano/plutonic arc and the adjacent accretionary wedge. Based on their tectonic setting, the Indonesian fore-arc basins are classified into four groups comprising (1) fore-arc basins associated with oblique subduction of an oceanic plate beneath an island arc (West Aceh basin, West Sumatra basin, West Bengkulu basin, and South Sunda Strait basin), (2) fore-arc basins generated from normal c.q. perpendicular subduction of an oceanic plat under an island arc (South Java basin and Lombok basin), (3) fore-arc basins developed in an early stage of arc continental collision (Sawu basin and Weber basin), and (4) fore-arc basins formed in a mature stage of continent-arc collision (Gorontalo basin and the Bone basin). The first two groups occur in western Indonesia, which has been only slightly affected by the collision of India and Eurasia. The latter two groups of basins occur in eastern Indonesia where the regular development of a double island arc system was severely interrupted by the collision of the northward advancing Australia-New Guinea plate and the Eurasian plate. The authors will discuss the age, structural lineament, and surface irregularity of the subducting plate, which balancesmore » between sediment input and rate of subsidence of the different basins and migration of depocenters. An overview of the petroleum potential of the fore-arc basins will also be presented with special emphasis on the basins which have been sporadically explored for their hydrocarbon occurrence.« less


The Pierre Robin Syndrome (PRS) consists of a triad of anomalies characterized by micrognathia, glossoptosis and fissure of the palate, usually associated with other syndromes e occasionally associated with ocular variations. In Duane Retraction Syndrome (DRS), there is a failure in the lateral rectus innervation by the VI cranial nerve, with anomalous innervation of the lateral rectus by fibers of the III nerve. Even though PRS has already been associated with more than 50 other syndromes, there is not any report in literature of association with familial DRS. Thus, this work aims to report a case of this association in a 29 years old patient with recurrence of the syndromes in the family.


Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacteria, possesses a great adaptability to hostile environments, one of them is the clinical environment, where it has emerged as a fearful germ which performs a leading role in patients who present bloodstream infections, due to its development resistance mechanisms to different antimicrobial it makes therapeutic management complex, increases mortality and morbidity, hospital stay and health care expenses for these patients are high. A systematic review of available literature was performed to establish the current status of antimicrobial management of bloodstream infection by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.


When regressing or growing (hypertrophic) cells from collagenase-digested ventral prostates were centrifuged on isokinetic Ficoll gradients for 6-8 min, they distributed into four fractions. Because of changes in epithelial cell morphology and density following castration to induce regression and replacement of androgens to cause cell growth, and contrary to results with normal rat ventral prostate, stromal cell fraction 2 was contaminated to a greater extent with regressing epithelial cells, as judged by their morphology and binding of radioactive androgens. However, centrifugation for 3 min increased the purity of epithelial cell fraction 4, although the yield of desired cells was reduced. Most cells from endocrine-manipulated rats were viable, as judged by exclusion of trypan blue and the initial incorporation of 3H-uridine. Cells centrifuged on a similar gradient of Percoll separated by a 'sieving' effect, which inverted the order of cellular fractions and removed red blood cells from fraction 2. Metrizamide offered no advantages, compared with Ficoll or Percoll. Neither physiologic nor pharmacologic amounts of testosterone returned the morphology of isolated epithelial cells to normal. To obtain consistent results with prostates from normal or hormone-manipulated rats, one should take care to select an active preparation of collagenase, avoid the use of very old animals, cool the tissue after it is dissociated, and do not apply undigested clumps of cells or overload the gradient. If attention is paid to these details, populations enriched in viable regressing or growing prostate epithelial or stromal cells can be obtained from hormonally manipulated rats.


Coionies of Montastrea annularis were collected from 10 m deptb at Triangulo Oeste; Alacran, Cayo Arcas, Cayo Arenas, Isla Verde and Anegada de Adentro coral reefs, in tbe soutb of the Gulf of Mexico. Growth rates were determined retrospectively, using tbe conventional radiographic technique (sclerochronology). Contact prints witb good defmition of tbe growth bands were obtained from 53 colonies. The general averages per year showed tbe lowest growth rate for 1972 (0.72 cm/yr) and the highest for 1991 (1.02 cm/yr), witb an average of 0.86 cm/yr for the 53 colonies. Thls·growth rate is similar to those reported for tbe same speeies and depth in otber Atlantic sites.


Hybrid organic-inorganic nanomaterials are the focus of much attention due to their capacity to enhance electronic and conductance properties of both materials. One important feature is the nanostructuration of such composite. We report herein on the synthesis of a polyaniline-Titania TiO2 composite. The chemical characteristics of the composite are discussed and compared to polyaniline and TiO2 characteristics. Innovative was the nanostructuration of the composite in a tubular form and the polymerisation of aniline inside the Titania nanotubes. The as made nanocomposite showed a better dispersibility than the Titania nanotubes.


Following a minor meniscal injury to his right knee, a previously fit and well 58-year-old man developed profound somatisation leading to paraplegia. The patient developed a deep-seated belief that any exercise or walking would cause irreparable damage to his knee. Over the course of 2 years his, mobility reduced from active mountaineering to walking a short distance, and finally to paraplegia. Medical investigations were normal and organic causes were ruled out. Conventional therapy was exhausted, a number of medications were trialled over 5 years, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and antipsychotics without success. Eventually, with a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy, physiotherapy and a novel experimental therapy where the patient rolled dice and acted according to the roll results, the patient was able to literally and metaphorically get back on his feet.


Droplet size is one of the most important parameter which controls the performance of the combustion system using liquid fuel or oxidizer. Droplet formation and its size are mainly affected by the injection velocity and ambient gas density. Recently, droplet size measurement was conducted by PDPA or Malvern particle analyzer using laser light. But at this paper image processing method was developed to measure droplet size. And its validation was investigated with reticle.


A 42-year-old Algerian man presented for binocular oblique diplopia, hypersomnolence with drop attacks, bilateral hearing loss, and thoracic pain. He had a right thalamomesencephalic hemorrhage due to an underlying cavernous malformation treated with subtotal surgical resection. On neuro-ophthalmic examination, the patient had a left relative afferent pupillary defect and a right oculosympathetic efferent pupillary defect (i.e., Horner syndrome) in addition to other thalamomesencephalic eye and neurologic signs (right fourth nerve palsy, hearing loss, hemiparesis, and thalamic pain). Clinicians should recognize the localizing value of this unique constellation of mesencephalic afferent and efferent pupillary defects.


The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is an effort by nine states to constrain carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector using a cap-and-trade program. This paper assesses the importance of long-term electricity contracts under the program. We find that 12.2% of generation will be accounted for by long-term contracts in 2010, affecting select nuclear, hydroelectric, and cogeneration units. The contracts will have a negligible effect on the wholesale marginal cost of electricity and a small effect on retail price. States may want to consider contracts on a case-by-case basis when making decisions about the initial distribution of emission allowances, but they should account for effects on the portfolio of plants owned at the firm level, not the effects on individual facilities. Because of their relatively small effect, it seems unnecessary to allow the existence of long-term contracts to dictate the design of the overall program.


Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely examined for biomedical applications. However, surface functionalization of CNTs with polymers is often required to improve their application performance. To obtain these CNT-based polymer nanocomposites, surface-initiated polymerization strategies are generally adopted. However, all of these methods rely on the surface oxidation of CNTs, which is a rather complex and time-consuming procedure, and involves hazardous reagents. In this work, a facile and efficient bio-inspired strategy was developed for surface PEGylation of CNTs via a combination of mussel-inspired chemistry and the Michael addition reaction. The potential biomedical applications of these PEGylated CNTs were evaluated for intracellular delivery of a normally used anticancer drug (Doxorubicin hydrochloride). Two steps were involved in this strategy, which included the surface coating of CNTs with polydopamine (PDA) through self-polymerization of dopamine, and a Michael addition reaction between the PDA-coated CNTs (CNT-PDA) and amino-functionalized polymers, which were obtained by free radical polymerization using poly(ethylene glycol) methyl methacrylate and N-(3-aminopropyl) methacrylamide as monomers. Results suggested that these PEGylated CNTs are well dispersed in aqueous solution and showed improved biocompatibility toward cancer cells. On the other hand, we also demonstrated that DOX can be effectively loaded on these PEGylated CNTs and delivered into cells for cancer treatment. More importantly, this strategy can also be utilized for surface modification of many other materials with different polymers due to the strong and universal adhesion of PDA and designability of polymerization. Therefore, this method should be of great interest for the fabrication of multifunctional nanocomposites for biomedical applications.


The figure and work of Daisaku Ikeda (1928-) are so strongly inspired by Nichiren's Buddhist doctrine and vision that it seems impossible to distinguish between creed and argument, faith and reason, religion and philosophy. In fact, the concept of philosophy in its speculative sense cannot be used to synthetically resume the meaning and entity of this work and action. As a work and action clearly and explicitly inspired by faith, the unifying religious perspective is its true spiritual, cultural and moral source. Except in the disciplines of peace studies, environmental philosophy and sociology of religion, Ikeda is of little or no significance in speculative philosophy. This is true even in his own country, where he is not even ranked among the Japanese philosophers who connect philosophy and Buddhism. However, we have to introduce another historical approach to evaluate this case as well as we recall that our western history of ancient, modern, and contemporary philosophy is filled with nonacademic and non-rigorous speculative figures who are not of secondary importance. As well, religious philosophers and religious movements in philosophy and philosophical movements in religions are not rare. Among them, a contemporary tradition of Philosophy of Action seems to of particular interest. In this paper we will argument in favour of an interpretation of Ikeda's work as a kind of Buddhist philosophy of action.