Hepatic glucose production (HGP) is crucial for blood glucose homeostasis, while an impaired regulation of HGP contributes to hyperglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hepatokines are proteins secreted by hepatocytes, and some of them can directly affect glucose metabolism. Here we examined the role of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) in regulating glucose homeostasis. We generated the liver-specific TGF-beta1 knockout mice and found that hepatic TGF-β1 deficient mice exhibited a lower blood glucose levels. Hepatic TGF-β1 deficiency increased insulin sensitivity and protected mice from diet-induced obesity and hyperglycemia. In vitro studies using mouse primary hepatocytes, TGF-β1 augmented glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis, activated protein kinase A (PKA) signaling, promoted the stability of the O-class of the forkhead transcription factor 1 (Foxo1), and increased the level of key gluconeogenic genes, glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and phosphorenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK). These findings underscore an important role of hepatic TGF-β1 in contribution to blood glucose homeostasis, and hepatic TGF-β1 may serve as an important hepatokine and therapeutic target for glycemic control in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Disclosure Q. Pan: None. Y. Chen: None. H. Yan: None. W. Yang: None. Z. Shen: None. S.A. Dahanayaka: None. S. Guo: None.


A new method, pressurized CEC with end‐column amperometric detection using carbon paste electrode, has been developed for the separation and determination of five phenolic xenoestrogens in chicken eggs and milk powder samples. Efficient separation of five analytes was performed by pressurized CEC using a mobile phase consisting of 60% v/v ACN and 40% v/v Tris buffer (5 mmol/L, pH 8.0), +6 kV of applied voltage and 7.0 MPa of supplementary pressure. Detection limits of 50, 5, 2, 10 and 20 ng/mL for pentachlorophenol, bisphenol‐A, 2,4‐dichlorophenol, 4‐tert‐octylphenol and 4‐nonylphenol, respectively, were achieved using carbon paste electrode as working electrode and +0.8 V as detection potential. Matrix solid phase dispersion extraction method had been employed during sample preparation procedure, and mean recoveries ranged from 79.2 to 102.6% at different concentrations of phenolic xenoestrogens for spiked egg and milk powder samples were obtained.


Work engagement is the positive fulfilling work-related state of mind that is characterised by vigour, dedication and absorption. This study investigated factors that promote work engagement of teachers in schools looking at talent management practices. The talent management practices considered were performance appraisal, training and promotion. Specifically, the study examined the relationship between talent development practices and work engagement of in-service primary teachers at a private university in Western Uganda. In particular, the study sought to establish the relationship between performance appraisal, training, promotion and work engagement of in-service teachers. The study adopted a correlational research design to carry out the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 120 in-service teachers. The study findings revealed that for work engagement aspects, employee vigour and dedication of in-service teachers were high whereas absorption was moderate. With respect to talent management practices, performance appraisal and training were high but promotion was moderate. Regression analysis revealed that performance appraisal, training and promotion had positive and significant relationships with work engagement. It was concluded that performance appraisal, training and promotion are important for work engagement of teachers. Therefore, it was recommended that practitioners and head teachers ensure that the performance appraisal requirement is implemented effectively. Practitioners and head teachers should also ensure that teachers are offered regular training and are encouraged to go for further studies. Additionally, practitioners should implement a transparent promotion process that is regular. Keyword: Work engagement, in-service teachers, performance appraisal, promotion, training.


Introduction: In this study we examined a family with electrophysiological findings of hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) and a mild clinical presentation.Methods: Four members of a family were referred for diagnosis of HNPP. Electrophysiological studies included motor and sensory nerve conduction studies in the upper and lower extremities. Investigations of microsatellites, using polymorphic repeat markers flanking the gene, and multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification (MLPA) were performed for molecular studies. Results: The initial study of microsatellites did not detect any change, but MLPA demonstrated a small deletion of exon 5 in the PMP22 gene. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate the important role of small deletions in the PMP22 gene in the etiology of HNPP with a normal microsatellite study. Muscle Nerve 45: 135–138, 2012


Transport in small-scale biological and soft-matter systems typically occurs under confinement conditions in which particles proceed through obstacles and irregularities of the boundaries that may significantly alter their trajectories. A transport model that assimilates the confinement to the presence of entropic barriers provides an efficient approach to quantify its effect on the particle current and the diffusion coefficient. We review the main peculiarities of entropic transport and treat two cases in which confinement effects play a crucial role, with the appearance of emergent properties. The presence of entropic barriers modifies the mean first-passage time distribution and therefore plays a very important role in ion transport through micro- and nano-channels. The functionality of molecular motors, modeled as Brownian ratchets, is strongly affected when the motor proceeds in a confined medium that may constitute another source of rectification. The interplay between ratchet and entropic rectification gives rise to a wide variety of dynamical behaviors, not observed when the Brownian motor proceeds in an unbounded medium. Entropic transport offers new venues of transport control and particle manipulation and new ways to engineer more efficient devices for transport at the nanoscale.


Particular somatic cells, namely cumulus cells (CCs) that support the oocyte maturation, fertility, and viability by providing the nutrients and energy to the oocyte envelop the mammalian oocyte. In this study, discarded human cumulus tissues were used to reveal the value of hyaluronic acid-rich CCs on several cellular events, including differentiation. Conditioned media, recovered from the primary culture of CCs, were introduced to the human nucleus pulposus cells (hNPCs) which were functionally distorted because of the loss of chondrogenecity. Enlightening the impact of cumulus conditioned media (CCM) on wound healing and angiogenesis was also investigated. In line with these goals, differentiation of hNPCs into chondrocytes with CCM as the basal medium containing traditional differentiation agents was induced upon isolation and characterization of hCCs and hNPCs. The effects were detected by differentiation-specific cell stains and gene expression analyses. Scratch and tube formation assays were performed to detect the effect of CCM on wound healing and angiogenesis. Our results showed that cumulus cell-conditioned media promoted the chondrogenesis and osteogenesis of hNPCs. A significant increase in angiogenesis and ability for wound closure was detected only in groups cultured in CCM compared to the control. These findings demonstrated that CCM might be used in therapeutics.


Sonic artists and listeners to sonic artworks tend to take for granted that how a listener listens to a sonic artwork affects what that listener perceives that sonic artwork to be, through the listener's inclusion, exclusion and interpretation of the sonic events that constitute a given artwork. This tendency leaves the act of perception largely un-theorized in the production of sonic artworks and unquestioned in their reception by listeners. This project seeks to address this problem by making sonic artworks that take criticality of listening as their primary focus, on the part of both artists and listeners. Its aim is to explore structuring sonic artworks around critical discourses on listening and for those artworks to foster critical reflection on listening by their listeners, hinging on the question, "How can sonic artworks be made that form critiques of listening?" Based on an integration of schema theory and immanent critique, the author devises a rationale for making sonic artworks structured as discourses on listening and applies it to the creation of a series of works. This creative method is complemented with an original adaptation of the Heuristic Research method, which is used to determine whether the artworks do indeed foster critical reflection on listening in audience experience, through the collection and appraisal of a group of listeners' descriptions of their experiences of the works.


Hash maps are among the most versatile data structures in computer science because of their compact data layout and expected constant time complexity for insertion and querying. However, associated memory access patterns during the probing phase are highly irregular resulting in strongly memory-bound implementations. Massively parallel accelerators such as CUDA-enabled GPUs may overcome this limitation by virtue of their fast video memory featuring almost one TB/s bandwidth in comparison to main memory modules of state-of-the-art CPUs with less than 100 GB/s. Unfortunately, the size of hash maps supported by existing single-GPU hashing implementations is restricted by the limited amount of available video RAM. Hence, hash map construction and querying that scales across multiple GPUs is urgently needed in order to support structured storage of bigger datasets at high speeds. In this paper, we introduce WarpDrive – a scalable, distributed single-node multi-GPU implementation for the construction and querying of billions of key-value pairs. We propose a novel subwarp-based probing scheme featuring coalesced memory access over consecutive memory regions in order to mitigate the high latency of irregular access patterns. Our implementation achieves 1.4 billion insertions per second in single-GPU mode for a load factor of 0.95 thereby outperforming the GPU-cuckoo implementation of the CUDPP library by a factor of 2.8 on a P100. Furthermore, we present transparent scaling to multiple GPUs within the same node with up to 4.3 billion operations per second for high load factors on four P100 GPUs connected by NVLink technology. WarpDrive is free software and can be downloaded at https://github.com/sleeepyjack/warpdrive.


The term "strategic management accounting" has been in the management accounting literature for more than a decade. Despite many papers on the subject, there still seems to be a paucity of examples of strategic management accounting actually being used. This paper argues that the techniques and elements of strategic management accounting may in many cases already be found in firms. However, the information may not be quantified in accounting figures, and may not be collected and used by management accountants. Rather, the techniques for gathering and using information necessary for survival in a hostile and competitive environment may be part of the operational management of firms.


Late Triassic to middle Liassic (Early Jurassic) basin deposits in Morocco are mainly red-bed-evaporite sequences; a few in the Atlas trends in the southwest are thick detrital fill. Essentially coeval deposits in eastern North America comprise detrital sequences along the inner Alleghenian-Acadian belt, and evaporites on the outer continental margin. In Late Triassic time the two continental terrains lay north of the paleoequator, on opposite flanks of a broad, fracturing cratonic arch. Faulting and detrital basin filling began earlier, in Carnian time, along the Alleghenian and Acadian orogenes and the east-trending Cornwall-South Atlas fracture zone. In southern United States these older deposits record a warm, rather moist climate that induced deposits of coal. Later fracturing and graben development along the central Atlantic trend and on the Moroccan Meseta and adjacent African platform were accompanied by westward spread of Tethys in the Glosscap-Gibraltar fracture zone. The seaway leaked into northern marginal salt basins in Morocco and Atlantic Canada as well as down the central Atlantic belt from which it seeped laterally into marginal Atlantic grabens. During this latest Triassic-early Liassic episode the climate became hotter and drier throughout northwestern Morocco and much of eastern North America. Long after basin filling had begun, basaltic lava was extruded along old basin faults, but without disturbing the balance of basin subsidence and sedimentation. As preserved, the lava is much more widespread in Morocco, thicker in basins, and very thick along landward segments of fracture zones. By middle Liassic time a vast expanse of brine basins and mudflats covered the Tethyan and Atlantic margins of easternmost North America and northwestern Africa, as well as much of interior Morocco. But salt never accumulated along the belt of earlier fracturing on the Alleghenian and Acadian orogenes. In late Liassic time an open-marine flooding from Tethys, with a marginal-sabkha facies, spread westward into most of the Moroccan basins, into the central Atlantic rift, and into all the marginal salt basins in eastern North America, but it never reached the western basins on the Moroccan Meseta or the North American detrital basins. Unlike all of the other basins, the latter were broken up and intruded by cross-cutting dikes during an episode of renewed extensional deformation. This reconstruction of the North Atlantic basin implies that Late Triassic-Liassic salt accumulated largely on continental crust, before appreciable opening of the Mid-Atlantic rift, and that no salt accumulated in the North Atlantic realm after Liassic time.


The system presented here improves stereotactic implantations of deep brain stimulators of Parkinson's patients. The complete system consists of a planning software, a novel 32-channel probe , 32-channel data acquisition hardware (50 kHz and 16 bit data resolution for 32 channels) and software and a database serving as expert system support in the background. While preclinical studies of the complete system are pending, we present details about the probe and an analysis tool to support targeting based on functional recordings. This tool is called histogram flatness and is applied to interspike interval histograms, showing differences of activity within different brain regions, thus enabling automated targeting.


In present study, the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the gravity cast superchargers housing using A356 alloy were investigated. In order to identify the characteristics of superchagers housing casting with heat treatment, Vickers hardness test, electrical conductivity test, opical and scanning electron microscopy were performed. And also, to investigate their mechanical properties, the T6 treated superchagers housing casting in optimum heat treatment condition were carried out tensile test using UTM (Universal Testing Machine).


In this paper the relationship between population growth and technological development, as postulated by Oswalt (1976) and by Boserup (1981), is investigated. Its strength and causation is tested by using an objective measure of technological development, which is relevant for foraging and simple farming societies. It is proven that the functional taxonomy of subsistence equipment, as used by Oswalt, cannot be isolated from its concomitant social context. An increase in functional/social complexity is correlated with population density. Technological complexity, population density and milieu form an indivisable triangle ofinter-relationships which have the potential for joint evolutionary development. These conclusions can be applied to the Western European Mesolithic.


We have developed a highly efficient reaction for catalytic asymmetric addition of malonates to dihydroisoquinolines using chiral Pd(II) complexes. In the reactions, substrates with various substitution patterns were available, and the reactions were complete within several hours (<3 h in most cases) under mild reaction conditions, affording various optically active C1-substituted tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives (up to 98% yield, up to 97% ee). Furthermore, slow addition of DDQ allowed the in situ generation of the reactive intermediate from the corresponding N-Boc-protected amine, and dehydrogenative addition reaction was successfully demonstrated.


The Joint Photographic Experts Group's image compression algorithm has been shown to provide a very efficient and powerful method of compressing images. However, there is little substantive information about which color space should be utilized when implementing the JPEG algorithm. Currently, the JPEG algorithm is set up for use with any three-component color space. The objective of this research is to determine whether or not the color space selected will significantly improve the image compression. The RGB, XYZ, YIQ, CIELAB, CIELUV, and CIELAB LCh color spaces were examined and compared. Both numerical measures and psycho-physical
techniques were used to assess the results. The final resuLts indicate that the device space, RGB, is the worst color space to compress images. In comparison, the nonlinear transforms of the device space, CIELAB and CIELUV, are the best color spaces to compress images. The XYZ, YIQ, and CIELAB LCh color spaces resulted in intermediate levels of compression.


The augmentation of a ballistic process based on solid propellant burning by an electrothermal energy source is the subject of an experimental and theoretical investigation to obtain improved launching techniques. The plasma jet formation method, the internal ballistics modeling approach, and the experimental testbed are described. Experimental results show the enhanced burning rate of a solid propellant ignited and augmented by the injection of plasma jets. Preliminary experimental evidence of the improved performance of the proposed method over that of conventional ballistics using solid propellant alone is presented. >


A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the sero-prevalence of camel and human brucellosis and to assess the association between risk factors and seroprevalence in Fentale Districts of East Shoa Zone of Oromia Regional State from September 2009 to April 2010. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used. In the study 768 camel and 250 human sera were screened for Brucella antibodies using rose Bengal plate test (RBPT). RBPT positive sera were further tested using complement fixation test (CFT) as per OIE recommendation. Moreover, information on individual animal and herd-level risk factors was gathered using pre tested questionnaires. Based on CFT results, the overall individual animal sero-prevalence was 98.6% (among RBPT positives, 70/71). The herd-level sero-prevalence was 36.5% (70/192) and the within-herd sero-prevalence varied from negative animals to at least one positive reactor. The results of binary logistic regression analysis revealed that seropositivity was higher in Dhebiti followed by Kenifa, Ilaala and Saraweba; and sex ways males were more infected than females. However, no statistically significant difference was observed (p=0.872) between sex. The results also indicated that sero-prevalence and seropositivity increase with increment of age and herd size, respectively. In addition herding experience did also affect the status of seroprevalence among the respective categories (p 0.05). History of abortion, fetal membrane retention and stillbirth was found to be significantly (p=0.000, p=0.004 and p=0.000) associated with brucellosis. Watering points /except wet season/ and culling methods of camel management and husbandry related factors were not significantly associated with seropositivity to brucellosis. Out of 250 persons (male and female) tested 15 were RBPT positives and the RBPT positives were tested using CFT accordingly all of them were seropositive, the positive reactor being herdsmen. There was a high risk of acquiring the infection during removal of retained fetal membranes (p=0.000) and in those who were both in contact with animals and drank raw milk (p=0.001). In conclusion the study showed that camel and human brucellosis was prevalent in the study area and appropriate control measures need to be introduced to alleviate the disease problem in the area. Keywords: Brucellosis , CFT, Dromedary Camel, Ethiopia, Fentale, Human, Prevalence, Risk, Factors, RBPT


Both metaphor and hyperbole are akin to lying in saying something that is strictly speaking false (i.e., exhibits no world–word fit) and thus have deceptive potential. How close or distant the relationship metaphor/hyperbole versus lie is seen to be depends on the theoretical approach taken, which is illustrated by brief treatments of classical rhetoric, philosophy, Gricean pragmatics, relevance theory, and cognitive linguistics. From a functional perspective the overlap between metaphor/hyperbole and lying may be small, but nevertheless is present in various politeness functions of hyperbole and in using metaphors for reconceptualization and (euphemistic) disguising. Depending on the forms and contexts chosen, the distinction between hyperbole/metaphor and lying might be blurred or sharpened. The former is found, e.g., by diminishing the recognizability of the contrast between literal and non-literal forms in hyperbole, while the latter happens in case of extreme flouts or metalinguistic marking, which is possible for hyperbole/metaphors but not for lies.


We discuss the behaviour of a thin soap film facing a frame element: the pressure in the Plateau border around the frame is lower than the film pressure, and the film thins out over a certain distance λ(t), due to the formation of a well-localized pinched region of thickness h(t) and extension w(t). We construct a hydrodynamic theory for this thinning process, assuming a constant surface tension: Marangoni effects are probably important only at late stages, where instabilities set in. We find λ(t) ~ t1/4, and for the pinch dimensions, h(t) ~ t−1/2 and w(t) ~ t−1/4. These results may play a useful role for the discussion of later instabilities leading to a global film thinning and drainage, as first discussed by K. Mysels under the name "marginal regeneration".


Background: Inflammation and hypercoagulability play a pivotal role in venous thromboembolism and atherothrombosis. Since venous thrombosis increases the risk of atherothrombotic events and vice versa, common mechanisms may be involved. Objectives: To elucidate the role of neutrophils and coagulation in the occurrence of atherothrombotic events in patients with a history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT or peripheral artery disease (PAD). Materials and Methods: We studied 115 patients from two cohorts (75 DVT, 40 PAD). From those with PAD, 20 patients had progressive disease; from those with DVT, 25 patients had a recurrent DVT and 25 suffered from post thrombotic syndrome (PTS); patients were age and sex matched to DVT and PAD patients without events. Markers of neutrophil recruitment (p-selectin) and activation [nucleosomes, human neutrophil elastase- α1anti-trypsin (HNE-AT)], an anti-inflammatory marker (Lipoxin A4) and a clotting activity marker (d-dimer), were measured with ELISA. Coagulation potential was analyzed by thrombin generation (CAT method). Results: Higher nucleosome levels were found in DVT patients [11.3 U/mL (7.4–17.7)] compared to PAD patients [7.1 U/mL (5.1–13.8)], lower HNE-AT levels were found in DVT patients [33.4 ng/mL (23.5–40.5)] in comparison to PAD patients [158 ng/mL (88.1–283)]. No difference in nucleosome levels was found between DVT patients with cardiovascular (CV) events [12.6 U/mL (8.2–16.1)], and PAD patients with CV events [6.9 U/mL (4.9–11.2)]. Lipoxin A4 levels appeared to be significantly lower in DVT [2.4 ng/mL (1.7–4.8)] vs. PAD [35.6 ng/mL (16.6–80.1)], with similar results in DVT patients with CV events vs. PAD patients with CV events. Thrombin generation showed higher ETP [160.4% (141.1–215.4)], and peak height [292.1% (177.9–330)] values in DVT patients. D-dimer levels were significantly lower in the DVT cohort [330 ng/mL (220–550)] compared to the PAD cohort [550 ng/mL (369–959)]. Conclusion: In DVT patients, neutrophil activity does not appear to be an important driver of CV events. Although neutrophil activity is more pronounced in PAD, its effect is partly dampened by Lipoxin A4. Moreover, no associations were found between NET products and coagulation activity, suggesting that neutrophil activation does not play a pivotal role in the risk of thrombosis in either DVT or PAD.


Using a combination of active Radio-Frequency Identification tracking and staff interviews with members from an aerospace manufacturing company, it was uncovered that over 80 hours per week was spent in the manual movement of goods between departments. On a site of over 1000 employees that uses dedicated build cells in separated departments, this mixed-use facility proves challenging for the adoption of an autonomous delivery system due to its narrow corridors and high occupancy, however by investigating the concerns of employees and suggesting low-cost retroactive solutions, this project seeks to justify the transition from manual to automated onsite logistics. The conclusion found that indeed the company does have the transport yields to justify the use of Autonomous Mobile Robots, that the robots would supplement rather than replace workers and that safety was a key factor to address when using robots on a site of this configuration.


Rabies virus (RABV) causes more than 55,000 human deaths worldwide annually [1, 2]. This is largely because current inactivated vaccines for protection against RABV infection are costly and difficult to administer, and as such not available to the majority of people that are at risk of infection [3-5]. Further, there are no effective treatments for symptomatic RABV infection. Thus, there is a serious need for development of improved vaccines, including safe live vaccines, as well as antiviral drugs. This requires determining the molecular mechanisms underlying viral infection and pathogenicity in detail, and characterising viral protein interactions with the host cell. Among other recent studies that address these aims [6-9], one important publication has demonstrated that regulated nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of the RABV phosphoprotein (P) is essential for viral pathogenicity, as RABV expressing P impaired for nucleocytoplasmic trafficking becomes sensitive to interferon-mediated immunity, and thus, highly attenuated in vivo [10, 11]. This data strongly implies that regulated nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of P represents a potential target for attenuating mutations and development of antiviral therapeutics. RABV P is expressed as a full length protein, P1, and four N-terminally truncated isoforms, P2-P5 [12]. The expression of multiple isoforms from the single P gene is thought to facilitate RABV P serving its multiple functions in viral infection, including as the non-catalytic viral polymerase cofactor that is required for replication, and as an antagonist of the host antiviral immune responses [13-16]. Intriguingly, although RABV replicates in the cytoplasm and the P1 and P2 isoforms are strongly cytoplasmic, P3-P5 are reported to localise mostly in the nucleus [17]. Strongly cytoplasmic localisation of P1 and P2 is widely accepted to be due to the activity of a nuclear export signal (NES) in the N-terminal region of P, while P3-P5, which lack key residues of this NES, are reported to be driven into the nucleus by a nuclear localisation signal (NLS) within the C-terminal domain (CTD) [17]. Importantly however, much remains unresolved about these trafficking signals including mechanisms involved in their regulation and host factors involved in their recognition, and this relatively simple model of P isoform nucleocytoplasmic trafficking has been called into question by subsequent studies which have identified several additional signals that modulate P nucleocytoplasmic shuttling [18, 19]. Further, while several P isoforms are reported to localise to the nucleus, very little is known regarding their specific intranuclear functions and interactions. This PhD project addressed many of these unknowns by analysing the precise sequences and mechanisms involved in nuclear trafficking of P protein isoforms, in particular the strongly nuclear P3, and investigating the nuclear functions and binding partners of this isoform. Quantitative analysis of the subcellular distribution of the five P protein isoforms led to the identification of a novel nuclear localisation signal in the N-terminal region of P3 (the N-NLS) which is recognised by the cellular importin (IMP) α/β heterodimer and requires the presence of P residues K54 and R55 . These key residues are truncated in P4 and P5, which consequently lack N-NLS activity and are diffusely localised throughout the nucleus and cytoplasm. P3 is thus the only strongly nuclear P protein isoform. Further characterisation revealed that activation of the N-NLS also requires truncation of residues P1-52, such that it is not active in P1, but only active in the context of P3. Importantly, P residues 1-52 also contain the NES that drives P1 and P2 into the cytoplasm, which thus overlaps with the N-NLS. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a novel type of trafficking module wherein the activity of two opposing targeting signals are co-regulated through truncation. This study thus redefines the model of P protein nuclear trafficking, revealing a highly efficient regulatory mechanism that drives strong and specific nuclear targeting of P3, consistent with the idea that P3 serves key intranuclear roles in infection. The exact nuclear functions of P3 have remained unknown, however previous reports have suggested that RABV and related viruses such as Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV) target proteins to the nucleus in order to inhibit IFN signalling by antagonising intranuclear STAT1 [20-23]. This was tested directly for the first time in this study using P3 hindered for nuclear trafficking by mutation of key N-NLS residues. The data indicated that P3 nuclear localisation is not critical for its antagonism of STAT1, as both wild type P3 and P3 containing mutations to key N-NLS residues can physically interact with STAT1 and inhibit STAT1 signalling to similar extents. To determine genuine reasons for the strong and specific nuclear targeting of P3, the intranuclear distribution of P3 was examined in greater detail, and this led to the finding that P3 can colocalise with nucleoli, interact specifically with the core nucleolar protein, nucleolin (NCL), and moreover, that NCL is critically required for production of infective RABV particles. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a rhabdovirus targeting the nucleolus and interacting with NCL, and makes RABV one of only a handful of negative stranded RNA viruses known to interact with nucleoli and nucleolar factors. Further analysis indicated that in addition to targeting nucleoli, P3 may target distinct sub-nuclear structures, and serves additional nuclear functions including inhibition of cellular RNA synthesis. The identification if a novel host-virus interaction within the nucleus and of potentially important nuclear functions for P3 is consistent with the premise that nuclear trafficking of P is a promising target for attenuating mutations. Together, the findings of this study indicate that nuclear trafficking of P3 serves critical roles in infection, likely by enabling specific modulation of nuclear and/or nucleolar functions by the virus within infected cells. These data have thus made significant contributions to our understanding of RABV biology, and identified the nucleolus as a new host-virus interface. Identifying host virus interactions, determining where they take place, and characterising the mechanisms and sequences involved is an extremely important prerequisite to develop new targets for attenuation, generate new vaccine strains, and design antiviral drugs against the currently incurable and fatal pathogen RABV, as well as related viruses.


The role of the railways slopes as an ecological niche for rare and endangered plant species was reflected on the example of the Moscow metropolis. A comparative analysis of the information from the database on the flora of the railways in Moscow (Barinov, 2017) and data from the Red Book of Moscow (Red Book..., 2011) was carried out. The database was created on the basis of herbarium materials stored in the Herbarium of the Main Botanical Garden (MHA) and Herbarium of the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MW). It includes information on 480 natural and 606 alien species. The railways were considered in a broad sense (including railway tracks, platforms, stations, adjacent slopes and cuvettes, exclusion zones). The length of the Moscow railways in the old borders of the city (until 2012) is more than 300 km. 480 aboriginal species was registered on the railway, 34 (7%) of them are considered as rare species and were included in the 'Red Book of Moscow'. Two species Botrychium lunaria and Allium angulosum have been receive category 0, four Antennaria dioica, Nonea pulla, Dactylorhiza fuchsii, and Thymus marschallianus – category 1. Labels of all herbarium specimens are given. Some railway's populations of rare species are quite stable. Thus, Allium angulosum on the meadow near the railway station Bojnja, and Thymus marschallianus on the railway embankments with meadow-steppe plant communities in front of Butovo station exist here more than 20 years. The record belonged to Thymus × loevyanus: this hybridogenic taxon grows in the same locality – on the railway embankments with meadow steppe cenoses near the railway station Butovo since 1946 (more than 65 years). Since in Moscow even mosaic meadow communities are extremely rare, it is necessary to use all measures to maintain the remnants these natural phytocenoses, the disappearance of which is the main threat to the reduction of natural biodiversity. The task is to develop measures to preserve indigenous species on the roadside, in spite of the prevailing practice of covering slopes with rolling lawns. The proportion of natural meadow species can be increased with a suitable mode of mowing and abandoning of herbicides and possibly also by artificial seeding of native plants. In a metropolis, such an approach will be the only possible way to increase the ecological significance of roadside habitats that will be able to assume the function of ecological corridors not only for native plants but also insects and even, possibly, animals. It is concluded that in large cities, railway slopes can make up for the lack of suitable habitats for both natural vegetation in general, and for rare and endangered plant species.


This study sought to discover the general self-presentational strategies used by Filipino college students in their effort to establish close relationships. In particular, it focused on the main and interactional effects of gender, social position (initiator and target), and nature of close relationship on one's preference for a particular strategy when initiating friendships or romantic relationships. Results indicate that there are nine (9) general self-presentational strategies employed by college students when initiating close relationships. The following strategies are (1) Active Pursuer, (2) Appearance Manager, (3) Supplicator, (4) Ingratiator, (5) Subtle Initiator, (6) Social Exchanger, (7) Subtle Self-Praiser, (8) Intimacy Generator, and (9) Self-Promoter. With regard to the effect of social position, initiators and targets appear to differ in their preferences for four strategies. In particular, targets find the tactics of Active Pursuers, Supplicators, Subtle Self-Praisers,  and Self-Promoters more appealing than do initiators. When it comes to the effects of gender, male initiators are more inclined to be active pursuers than female initiators. Unpredictably, male initiators  are more likely to be appearance managers than female initiators. Female targets, however, are more inclined to prefer initiators who are active pursuers and intimacy generators than do male targets. Data also show that the nature of relationship has a pervasive effect, particularly on the initiators. It appears that romantic relationship initiators tend to place greater emphasis on the use of self-presentational strategies than do initiators of friendships. In addition, findings suggest that gender and nature of relationship do not share influences on the use of selfpresentational strategies. Therefore, the results of the study undeniably show that initiators of close relationships are prone to put on different "faces" in order to win their targets. In general, the most appealing are those associated with the tactics of the Subtle Initiator and Intimacy Generator; while those that are least appealing come close to the strategies employed by Appearance Managers and Social Exchangers. One highlight of the study that is worth mentioning is the discovery that some tactics, which are regarded as generally appealing were not deemed as important by the research participants. By contrast, supplication, which is typically frowned upon by many, was viewed as favorable in the study. Thus, it is an oversimplification to say that self-presentational strategies are absolutely favorable or not. As evidenced by the results, there are other factors that may account for differences in people's attitudes toward and preference for self-presentational strategies.


Abstract. The satellite remote-sensing aerosol optical depth (AOD) and meteorological elements were employed to invert PM2.5 in order to control air pollution more effectively. This paper proposes a restricted gradient-descent linear hybrid machine learning model (RGD–LHMLM) by integrating a random forest (RF), a gradient boosting regression tree (GBRT), and a deep neural network (DNN) to estimate the concentration of PM2.5 in China in 2019. The research data included Himawari-8 AOD with high spatiotemporal resolution, ERA-5 meteorological data, and geographic information. The results showed that, in the hybrid model developed by linear fitting, the DNN accounted for the largest proportion, whereas the weight coefficient was 0.62. The R2 values of RF, GBRT, and DNN were reported 0.79, 0.81, and 0.8, respectively. Preferably, the generalization ability of the mixed model was better than that of each sub-model, and R2 reached 0.84, whereas RMSE and MAE were reported 12.92 µg/m3 and 8.01 µg/m3, respectively. For the RGD-LHMLM, R2 was above 0.7 in more than 70 % of the sites, whereas RMSE and MAE were below 20 µg/m3 and 15 µg/m3, respectively, in more than 70 % of the sites due to the correlation coefficient having seasonal difference between the meteorological factor and PM2.5. Furthermore, the hybrid model performed best in winter (mean R2 was 0.84) and worst in summer (mean R2 was 0.71). The spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of PM2.5 in China were then estimated and analyzed. According to the results, there was severe pollution in winter with an average concentration of PM2.5 being reported 62.10 µg/m3. However, there was slight pollution in summer with an average concentration of PM2.5 being reported 47.39 µg/m3. The findings also indicate that North China and East China are more polluted than other areas and that their average annual concentration of PM2.5 was reported 82.68 µg/m3. Moreover, there was relatively low pollution in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Tibet, for their average PM2.5 concentrations were reported below 40 µg/m3.


From July 1984 to December 1985, hemihepatectomy was done in 20 liver cancer patients under normothermic interruption of porta hepatis. There were 19 primary and 1 secondary liver carcinomas. Of the former, 17 (89%) were associated with mild or moderate cirrhosis. The peak age ranged 36-60 years. Right hemihepatectomy was performed in 18 and left hemihepatectomy in 2 with an operative mortality of 0%. Hepatic failure or secondary bleeding was not found. In the specimens resected, the largest weight was 2,500 gm. The normothermic interruption of porta hepatis usually lasted 15-25 minutes, a time long enough for hemihepatectomy. This procedure, being simple in manipulation and less detrimental to physiologic and biochemical balance in the human body, is relatively practical and beneficial to hepatectomy.


A number of convergent close-coupling and R-matrix with pseudo-state (RMPS) calculations for H-like, He-like, Li-like and Be-like ions have demonstrated that coupling to the target continuum can have large effects on the electron-impact excitation cross sections of neutral and low-charge species. However, no one has yet attempted such advanced calculations on a system as complex as neutral neon. We report on a series of RMPS calculations of electron-impact excitation of Ne using recently developed parallel Breit–Pauli R-matrix programs. Our largest calculation included 235 spectroscopic and pseudo-state levels in the close-coupling expansion of the target. Although the results clearly reveal the importance of coupling to the target continuum in this atom, the pseudo-state expansion is not yet sufficiently complete to provide reliable cross sections for energies above the ionization limit. However, this is the largest intermediate-coupling calculation that can be performed with present computer resources. Thus, we have also carried out a series of RMPS calculations in LS coupling with different pseudo-state expansions. Comparisons of these results have allowed us to determine the approximate size of the pseudo-state expansion required to achieve convergence in future intermediate-coupling calculations for neon.


AIMS
To clarify long-term changes in global, regional, and diastolic left ventricular (LV) function after intracoronary injection of autologous mononuclear bone marrow cells (mBMCs) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

METHODS AND RESULTS
In the Autologous Stem cell Transplantation in Acute Myocardial Infarction (ASTAMI) study, 100 patients with anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction and percutaneous coronary intervention on the left anterior descending artery (LAD) were randomized to receive intracoronary injection of mBMCs or not. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed at baseline, 3, 6, 12 months, and 3 years. Regional LV function was assessed by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography. From baseline to 3 years, LV ejection fraction changed from 45.7 to 47.5% in the mBMC group, and from 46.9 to 46.8% in the control group (P = 0.87 for difference in change over time between groups). Longitudinal strain in the LAD territory improved from -9.7 to -12.2% in the mBMC group and from -9.9 to -12.8% in the control group (P = 0.45). E/e' decreased from 14.7 to 12.9 in the mBMC group and from 14.8 to 11.9 in the control group (P = 0.31). There were no significant differences between groups in change of LV volumes, global systolic function, regional function, or diastolic function during 3 years follow-up.

CONCLUSION
No differences between groups indicating beneficial effect of intracoronary mBMC injection could be identified. Both groups in ASTAMI experienced improvement of global, regional, and diastolic LV function after 3-6 months, with effects sustained at 3 years.


ABSTRACT Intercropping ensures multiple benefits like enhancement of yield, environmental security, production sustainability, and greater ecosystem services. In order to better understand how mixed crop cultures mitigate stressful conditions, this study aims to highlight the beneficial effect of the intercropping legume–cereal in enhancing nutrient uptake for plant growth and productivity in low phosphorus (P) soils. To address this question, faba bean (Vicia faba L. cv. Sidi Aich) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Rihane 3) were grown as sole- and inter-crops over two growing seasons in 2017 and 2018 in a northern Algerian agro-ecosystem with a semiarid Mediterranean climate. The results showed that the plant growth and nodulation were significantly increased by 18% and 32%, respectively, for intercropping than for sole cropping and so more in 2018 compared to 2017. Moreover, grain yield and resource use efficiency (N and P) were significantly improved, as indicated by higher land equivalent ratio (LER > 1) in intercropping over sole cropping treatments. Also, the P and N concentrations measured in the rhizosphere were increased compared to bulk soil and even more so in the rhizosphere of intercropped species over two seasons. Our findings suggest that intercropping cereals with legumes may achieve high crop productivity and land use efficiency at reduced input levels.


Precursor T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) in children represents a clinical challenge, because relapses are usually fatal. It is thus necessary to identify high-risk patients as early as possible to effectively individualize treatment. We aimed to define novel molecular risk markers in T-ALL and performed array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) and expression analyses in 73 patients. We show that DNA copy-number changes are common in T-ALL and affect 70 of 73 (96%) patients. Notably, genomic imbalances predicted to down-regulate the TGF-beta or up-regulate the PI3K-AKT pathways are identified in 25 of 73 (34%) and 21 of 73 (29%) patients, suggesting that these pathways play key roles in T-ALL leukemogenesis. Furthermore, we identified a deletion at 6q15-16.1 in 9 of 73 (12%) of the patients, which predicts poor early treatment response. This deletion includes the CASP8AP2 gene, whose expression is shown to be down-regulated. The interaction of CASP8AP2 with CASP8 plays a crucial role in apoptotic regulation, suggesting a functional link between the clinical effect of the deletion and the molecular mode of action. The data presented here implicate the TGF-beta and PI3K-AKT pathways in T-ALL leukemogenesis and identify a subgroup of patients with CASP8AP2 deletions and poor early treatment response.


Two effective modifications were introduced for Pastor-Zienkiewicz (PZ) model to improve the prediction of dynamic behavior of granular soils. The first modification was implementation of degradation effect for dense granular soils under cyclic loading, and the second was improvement of ratcheting effect for granular soils under cyclic loading. Three cyclic triaxial tests and three cyclic plane strain test were used to validate the introduced modifications. Predictions of stress versus strain for both of modifications were satisfactory. However, predictions of volumetric strain for the second modification were better than those of the first modification.


A good library is the heartbeat of a law school's operation. As Harvard Law School Dean C.C. Langdell once observed "[t]he law library has been the object of our greatest and most constant solicitude. We have…constantly inculcated the idea that the library is the proper workshop of professors and students alike; that it is to us all that the laboratories of the university are to the chemists and physicists, the museum of natural history to the zoologists, the botanical garden to the botanists." The book collection itself necessarily reflects the mission and character of the school. Perhaps nowhere is this better demonstrated than by the unique collection that once comprised the law library of the Transylvania University Department of Law.Established in 1799, this frontier law school, through the tutelage of some notable faculty, trained many of our young nation's finest lawyers, jurists, legislators and statesmen. For over fifty years the law department flourished. At its zenith, the law department's course of study was more comprehensive than either Yale or Harvard and its law library was reputed to be among the best equipped in the nation. Through a tragic series of events, the law department subsequently began a spiraling decline that lasted more than half a century, terminating in the final locking of its doors in 1912. Amazingly, much of its law library collection has survived the abuses of heavy usage, packing, relocation, the better part of a century in unprotected storage, and exposure to insects and mildew. The Regent University Law Library was fortunate to purchase this unique and valuable collection in 1994. It comprises the major part of Regent Law Library's Founders Collection.This article will examine the Transylvania Law Department's contribution to American legal education in the nineteenth century, discuss the development of the school's historic library collection, and provide an annotated bibliography of a selection of those rare and unique volumes of particular relevance for researchers that contributed most to the Common Law foundation of American law and history. Part II explores the history of the Law Department and briefly reveals what life and legal education were like at the first law school west of the Appalachians. Part III focuses on the development of the collection itself. The annotated bibliography in Part IV offers the reader a glimpse of this historic collection by describing in some detail those rare and unique volumes significant to our modern understanding of the Common Law foundation of American law.


Objective: To review the literature investigating increased lipid concentrations in transplant recipients and the use of lipid-lowering agents in this population. Data Sources: Relevant articles were identified from a MEDLINE search using the terms transplantation, hyperlipidemia, immunosuppression, and therapy including diet, gemfibrozil, bile acid sequestrants, nicotinic acid, probucol, and hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors. Selected literature, including controlled studies, was used in this review. Study Selection: Articles published since 1970 pertaining to hyperlipidemia in solid organ transplant recipients. Emphasis was placed on clinical trials that investigated approaches to the treatment of hyperlipidemia in transplant recipients. Data Extraction: Original articles and reviews were obtained to select material pertinent to the objectives. Data Synthesis: Descriptions of lipid concentrations in the transplant patient and treatment approaches used, including potential complications, were reviewed. Conclusions: Hyperlipidemia is an important risk factor for coronary heart disease in the solid organ transplant patient. Treatment alternatives include diet modification and, in most cases, pharmacologic intervention that should be based on the type of hyperlipidemia. The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors are effective agents in the treatment of hyperlipidemia in the transplant recipient and generally are used as single therapy in low dosages to minimize the risk of myositis or rhabdomyolysis.


The electric performance (breakdown strength, ageing) of industrially manufactured insulation materials is usually far worse than that of laboratory made samples. The main reason of this discrepancy is commonly attributed to various kinds of impurities as, e.g., small metal particles, introduced by the large scale manufacturing process. We have intentionally introduced small elongated metal particles with well defined shape (length varying from 0.1 to 1 mm, diameter from 10 to 100 /spl mu/m) into alumina-filled epoxy insulation, oriented in the electric field direction. We have performed accelerated ageing tests at elevated ac electric fields between 10 and 28 kV/mm. The dependence of the time-to-breakdown as a function of the applied electric field and the particle size can be understood in terms of a field enhancement at the particle ends, leading to charge injection. We find a simple scaling relation between the lifetime and the injected space charge.


While a common pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) pneumonitis is only rarely reported as a cause for respiratory failure in developed countries. We report an adolescent with TB pneumonitis and respiratory failure requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) with eventual survival. With the incidence of TB rising globally, TB should be suspected and treated as early as possible. ECMO should be considered as a treatment option if conventional ventilatory support is inadequate. ECMO survival with TB pneumonia and anti-TB antimicrobial therapy is possible.


Experimental brucellosis with Brucella abortus has been studied in chickens, though antibody response and histopathological changes in the tissues of the birds were conspicuous and noticed consistently, it was not possible to isolate Brucella organisms from lung, liver, spleen and faecal samples of the infected chickens. These observations suggested that birds are resistant to Brucella infection and organisms succumb to death in vivo.


A best seller since 1966, "Purification of Laboratory Chemicals" keeps engineers, scientists, chemists, biochemists and students up to date with the purification of the chemical reagents with which they work, the processes for their purification, and guides readers on critical safety and hazards for the safe handling of chemicals and processes. The Sixth Edition is updated and provides expanded coverage of the latest chemical products and processing techniques, safety and hazards. The book has been reorganised and is now fully indexed by CAS Registry Numbers. Compounds are now grouped to make navigation easier and literature references for all substances and techniques have been added, and ambiguous alternate names and cross references have been removed. The only comprehensive chemical purification reference, a market leader since 1966, Amarego delivers essential information for research and industrial chemists, pharmacists and engineers: '...(it) will be the most commonly used reference book in any chemical or biochemical laboratory' - "MDPI Journal". This is an essential lab practice and procedures manual. The book improves efficiency, results and safety by providing critical information for day-to-day lab and processing work. The improved, clear organization and new indexing delivers accurate, reliable information on processes and techniques of purification along with detailed physical properties. The Sixth Edition has been reorganised and is fully indexed by CAS Registry Numbers. Compounds are now grouped to make navigation easier. Literature references for all substances and techniques have been added. Ambiguous alternate names and cross references are removed. New chemical products and processing techniques are covered. Hazards and safety remain central to the book.


The aim of this paper is, by a precise description of the different existing and developing wireless networks, to determine how all these networks may collaborate together. The example taken is WiMAX which has been able to examine advantages and weaknesses of existing WLAN in order to determine a specific application type. The confrontation of WiMAX and Wi-Fi characteristics will highlight evolutions in wireless networking and will give us keywords of what new networks are attended for


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the course and identify determinants of community integration for up to 3 years following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury.

DESIGN
Prospective cohort study.

PATIENTS
A total of 119 moderate to severe traumatic brain injury patients aged 16-67 years.

METHODS
The Community Integration Questionnaire was completed at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months post-injury. Repeated measures analysis of variance was performed to determine changes over time in the Community Integration Questionnaire and its subscales. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to identify determinants of community integration 36 months post-injury.

RESULTS
Compared with pre-injury, mean home integration, social integration, productivity, and total questionnaire scores decreased 3 months post-injury. Patient scores showed maximal improvement during the first year post--injury. Mean home integration, productivity, and total scores increased to a lesser extent during years 1-3 post-injury. Age, Barthel Index scores, hospital discharge destination, and pre-injury community integration scores were the major determinants of community integration 36 months post-injury (R2 = 60%).

CONCLUSION
After an initial decline, mean community integration scores gradually improve following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Understanding the course and determinants of community integration is necessary in order to determine functional prognosis following traumatic brain injury.


Biochar is a new word for many, but the technology is a traditional one in several regions of the world. Biochar refers to a kind of charcoal made from biomass. Unlike charcoal made for fuel, biochar has properties which make it a valuable soil amendment. The decrease in biomass production, decrease in organic matter supply and increased decomposition rate are the primary factors to reduction in soil organic matter. Biochar is a stable carbon compound created when biomass is heated to temperatures between 300 and 1000  ̊C, under low oxygen concentrations. Biochar is attracting attention as a means for sequestering carbon and as a potentially valuable input for agriculture to improve soil fertility and sustainable production. Biochar, when utilized correctly, can be an important agricultural tool used to increase nutrients and organic resources in depleted soils. This is because the lumps of biochar are full of holes and crevices that help serve as habitats for soil microorganisms. Soil health management with biochar is evaluated globally as a means to improve soil fertility and to mitigate climate change.


Background: Congenital syphilis (CS) in neonates is diagnosed when Treponema pallidum was identified in a laboratory test of neonates infected by mothers with syphilis. Recently, CS is still a significant and growing health problem worldwide despite being preventable. This case report will provide an overview of CS management conducted at our center, Sanjiwani Hospital, Gianyar, Bali-Indonesia.
Case presentation: We report a case of CS in a newborn female neonate with the positive result of TPHA and VDRL titer 1/128 from a mother diagnosed with the latent phase of syphilis infection. On physical examination found subcostal retraction of the chest, grunting on auscultation, and jaundice. The treatments given include oxygen via cannula nasal with 2 liters per minute, intravenous access with dextrose 10%, the antibiotic combination of cefotaxime 125 mg every 12 hours and gentamicin 12.5 mg every 24 hours. For the management of CS, the patient was given Benzathine Penicillin G at a dose of 125,000 IU single dose intramuscularly. Phototherapy was assisted the patient for 48 hours to manage the hyperbilirubinemia. The patient was discharged on the eight days of treatment with oral antibiotic cefixime 12.5 mg every twelve hours for three days.
Conclusion: The entity of CS is a disease suffered by infants with clinical manifestations or examination supporting the diagnosis of syphilis. The mother should do a screening during her pregnancy to prevent untreated syphilis and its complications for her babies.


The case involves a five-year-old female patient with a myelinated retinal nerve fiber (MRNF) layer of the right optic disc. Although this is a rare, benign, and often asymptomatic condition, it is sometimes associated with ocular findings which require early detection and treatment. In this case, the patient presented with strabismus, high myopia, and amblyopia. She was found to have myelinated retinal fiber layer lesions of the superotemporal and inferotemporal retina of her right eye. This case report aims to demonstrate the importance of performing a thorough evaluation of MRNF in the pediatric patient as well as to increase awareness of this entity to avoid misdiagnosis.


As B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) progresses, malignant cells ex-travasate and infiltrate lymphoid tissues. Several molecules, including gelatinase B/MMP-9, contribute to these processes. Although mainly a secreted protease, some MMP-9 is present at the B-CLL cell surface and the function, mode of anchoring, and interactions of this MMP-9 are unknown. Here we show that anti–MMP-9 antibodies immunoprecipitated a 190-kDa CD44v isoform and (cid:1) 4 (cid:2) 1 integrin from B-CLL cells, but not from normal B cells. Function-blocking antibodies to (cid:1) 4 (cid:2) 1 or CD44, or transfection with specific siRNAs, decreased cell-associated proMMP-9 and increased the secreted form. B-CLL cells attached to and bound proMMP-9 and active MMP-9, and this was inhibited by blocking the expression or function of (cid:1) 4 (cid:2) 1 or CD44. The MMP-9 hemopexin domain was critical in these interactions. (cid:1) 4 (cid:2) 1 and 190-kDa CD44v (but not CD44H) formed a complex at the cell surface, since they both coimmunoprecipitated with anti- (cid:1) 4, anti- (cid:2) 1, or anti-CD44 antibodies. Immunofluorescence analyses confirmed that (cid:1) 4 (cid:2) 1 and CD44v colocalized with MMP-9. Binding of proMMP-9 inhibited B-CLL cell migration, and this required MMP-9 proteolytic activity. Thus, we have identified (cid:1) 4 (cid:2) 1 and CD44v as a novel proMMP-9 cell surface docking complex and show that cell-associated MMP-9 may regulate B-CLL cell migration and arrest. (Blood. 2008; 112:169-178)


ABSTRACT Plant distributions are changing at unprecedented rates, primarily due to habitat clearance and the spread of alien invasive species. Landscape pattern and local density can affect plant sexual processes, particularly those mediated by biotic vectors, by acting on the composition and behavior of pollinators and seed dispersers. Ecologists are now grappling with the likely effects of these altered processes on future forest composition as existing plant reproductive mutualisms break down or adjust to new spatial circumstances. Here, we introduce five papers that address pollinator responses and pollination outcomes in a variety of human-dominated landscapes and emphasize the need to better understand the dynamic nature of plant–pollinator interactions.


The esize effecti is a concept studied across various financial asset classes. It describes the relationship between investment performance and a measure size. In the equity market, this involves the shares of smaller capitalised companies delivering higher total returns than shares of mid- and high capitalisation. The underlying theory is that investors demand a 'liquidity premium' as they take the additional risk of not being able to trade at the stated quoted price. With individual property assets, it can be argued that the situation would be reversed. Investors are more able to trade small assets, drawing on a wider range of potential investors, than chunkier, infrequently traded properties. This eliquidity premiumi should be priced into property yields as investors demand a higher premium to compensate for the liquidity risk. This is of particular relevance in the current ehoti and liquid investment markets, where yield differentials have decreased as investors have accepted lower risk premia across the board. This paper analyses the performance of all offices traded in the South-East UK market over the period 1983-2005. It separates the various value bands into subgroups of yield bands, and traces the movement in yields across different lot sizes through time. This research draws on the uniquely constructed IPD/Gerald Eve transactions database, containing the performance of some 20,000 properties over the period 1983-2005.


Punctaria tenuissima (Chordariaceae, Phaeophyceae) is reported for the first time from the Azores. Erect thalli were collected on the Island of Sao Miguel; they were up to 3 cm long, flattened and often twisted. The plurilocular sporangia were formed from surface cells that were quadrate or rectan- gular in surface view. Unilocular sporangia were not observed in the field. In culture, the plurispores of P. tenuis- sima developed into Hecatonema-like, tufted, prostrate thalli that formed plurilocular sporangia. The plurispores of the prostrate thalli cultured at 158C with a long day (LD) pho- toperiod developed into new prostrate thalli, which in turn formed plurilocular sporangia. This cycle was repeated 5 times, resulting in several generations of reproductive pros- trate thalli. When these cultures were cooled to 108C with a short day (SD) photoperiod, new erect thalli developed from the prostrate thalli resembling the thalli collected in the field. These erect blades produced unilocular and plurilocular spo- rangia on the same or on different thalli. The plurispores and unispores produced by the erect thalli at 108C under SD con- ditions once again developed into new prostrate thalli. This is the first report of unilocular sporangia formed in cultures of P. tenuissima. Sexual reproduction was not observed. The culture conditions, particularly temperature and daylength, appeared to influence the formation of erect blades. The Punctaria-like thalli were produced in 108C/SD conditions, whilst the Hecatonema-like thalli were produced under 108-158C/LD and SD conditions. These results are similar to those reported for P. tenuissima from other locations and suggest the occurrence of both direct and heteromorphic life histories in the Azorean algae.


This paper offers a Latourian reading of T.C. Boyle's novel When the Killing's Done. It shows that the novel satirizes contemporary ecological debates and stages the cultural wars of our current ecological culture. It also demonstrates, however, that the novel does not merely point out the impasse of our current ecologies: its fiction intuitively diagnoses the contemporary "crisis of purity" in modern environmental politics and points us towards the kind of entangled ecologies sketched by Latour and other recent thinkers. Like Latour's reinvention of a more hybrid and entangled "politics of nature," Boyle's novel allows us to reimagine a complex and contaminated new ecology, away from the purifications of our contemporary "NaturPolitiks".


Conduction disturbances in the acute phase of an inferior myocardial infarction are frequent. Paroxysmal AV block and ventricular standstill is, on the other hand, an unusual event. We describe a case of paroxysmal AV block precipitated by, and dependent on, the presence of atrial flutter. Concealed conduction of atrial impulses to the AV node is the likely cause of this form of AV block. The transient development, ischaemia related, of a longitudinal and transverse dissociation of the AV node, increased the concealed penetration of atrial impulses and its effect on subsequent impulse formation, given rise to a form of paroxysmal AV block.


The catalytic properties of supported Cu/SBA-15 catalysts prepared by the ion-exchange method were investigated for the hydrogenolysis of glycerol in a fixed-bed tubular reactor. The Cu/SBA-15 catalyst performed higher selectivity to 1,2-propanediol and high stability. We propose that the larger specific surface area and the ordered mesoporous channels of SBA-15 may play important roles in stabilizing highly dispersed copper species, and forming an active and durable catalyst for the title reaction.


Using a fully coupled climate–terrestrial ecosystem model, we demonstrate explicitly that an initial perturbation on vegetation induces not only a direct positive vegetation feedback, but also a significant indirect vegetation–soil moisture feedback. The indirect feedback is generated through either fractional cover change or soil moisture depletion. Both indirect feedback mechanisms are triggered by a vegetation perturbation, but involve subsequent effects of soil moisture and evaporation, indirectly. An increase in vegetation tends to reduce bare‐ground evaporation through either the area reduction in bare ground or the depletion of soil moisture; the reduced evaporation may then counter the initial plant transpiration, favoring a negative net vegetation feedback. Furthermore, grasses are more effective in inducing the indirect vegetation–soil feedbacks, because of their limited plant evapotranspiration and shallower roots that tend to change surface soil moisture, and, in turn, evaporation, effectively. In comparison, trees favor a direct positive vegetation feedback due to their strong plant transpiration on subsurface soil moisture as well as a lower albedo.


The anti-emetic effects of low-dose droperidol (1.25 mg), ultra-low-dose droperidol (0.25 mg) and a placebo were compared in patients admitted for day-case dental anaesthesia. Ultra-low-dose droperidol produced a significant decrease in the subjective feeling of nausea without delaying recovery or discharge from the hospital (p less than 0.05). Low-dose droperidol did not significantly reduce nausea (p greater than 0.05) and prolonged the recovery time (p less than 0.05).


Often the designer of small electro-mechanical systems is willing to sacrifice small size and power consumption for the sake of low cost, ease of processing and enhanced yield.
 We have been working on the utilization of Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic tapes (LTCC) for the implementation of intermediate scale (meso-scale) devices with the simultaneously or secondary task of micro-electronic packaging.
 We have designed and implemented several sensors and actuators having in common the utilization of electro-magnetic forces and interactions as the fundamental working mechanism.
 For this purpose we have designed and constructed a series of coils utilizing LTCC tapes suitable for multiple sensing and actuating tasks.
 As sensors, we have implemented a proximity sensor and a non-contact displacement sensor and a differential pressure sensor with a ferrofluidic core.
 As actuators we have implemented a normally closed valve and a Joule effect heater.


Abstract Thermal neutron activation methods have been applied to the determination of silver content in samples of hail, rain and snow. Hail and rain samples were collected in South Dakota in regions where AgI cloud seeding was being conducted; the snow was collected in the eastern Sierra Nevada in an area where no such seeding was being conducted. No silver was detected in the snow samples analyzed, indicating concentrations on the average less than 2.5 × 10−11 gm ml−1. Eighty percent of the hail and rain samples analyzed contained measurable quantities of silver up to 70 times the minimum detectable amount. Some of these latter samples were collected in nominally unseeded areas, and although the chemical form in which the silver entered the precipitation is unknown—thereby casting doubt on its consequence—the observations raise important questions which deserve answers, particularly as they may affect statistical evaluations of weather modification experiments.


The aim of this study was to introduce and assess a new minimally invasive expansion pharyngoplasty for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) using bilateral new advancement sutures without tonsillectomy. Among 24 patients who had OSA with Friedman stage II or III and type I Fujita, bilateral sutures were performed to advance and stabilize palatopharyngeus and palatoglossus muscles anterolaterally. Mean apnea hypopnea index decreased significantly from 28.6 ± 4.2 preoperatively to 8.9 ± 4.9 postoperatively. The lowest oxygen saturation increased significantly from 79.25 ± 4.12 to 89.29 ± 4.12. Moreover, the visual analog score showed statistically significant reduction in the snoring intensity from a preoperative mean of 8.2 ± 1.4 to 2.1 ± 1.4 at 6 months postoperatively. Significant improvements were also documented in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, as its mean decreased from 11.7 ± 2.9 preoperatively to 5.1 ± 2.2 postoperatively. In conclusion, the described new sutures could significantly correct OSA in patients with retropalatal obstruction and lateral pharyngeal walls collapse with easy applicability and no reported complication.


People often judge the probability of two events occurring together to be more probable than the less probable of each of these events occurring separately, thereby demonstrating the conjunction error. "Correct" responses are those in which participants rank a single-element statement of low probability as more probable than a conjunction consisting of a low-probability statement and an additional statement. We demonstrated in two studies that task structure was related to the number of people who chose the single-element statement as more probable. However, relatively few participants provided a rationale for their answer choice based on the conjunction rule. In a third study, responses on the answer choice and answer justification measures converged. In addition to serving as a sensitive dependent measure, participants' justifications when answering conjunction problems may provide insight into their reasoning.


Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) result in significant patient morbidity and can prolong the duration of the hospital stay, causing high supplementary costs in addition to those already sustained due to the patient's underlying disease. Moreover, bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, making HAI prevention even more important nowadays. The public health consequences of antimicrobial resistance should be constrained by prevention and control actions, which must be a priority for all health systems of the world at all levels of care. As many HAIs are preventable, they may be considered an important indicator of the quality of patient care and represent an important patient safety issue in healthcare. To share implementation strategies for preventing HAIs in the surgical setting and in all healthcare facilities, an Italian multi-society document was published online in November 2022. This article represents an evidence-based summary of the document.


OBJECTIVES
To investigate missed appointments in a South African tertiary hospital.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective, descriptive series with controls.

SETTING
The ENT/Oncology clinic at Tygerberg Academic Hospital, South Africa.

SUBJECT
305 patients with a head and neck malignancy who had follow-up appointments over 4 consecutive months between June and September 2006. A control group of 31 patients who attended the clinic was recruited in September 2006.

METHOD
Analysis of the clinic attendance statistics to identify patients who missed follow-up appointments followed by a file review and interview of these patients. The results were compared with a control group.

OUTCOME MEASURES
1) Incidence rate of failure to attend follow-up. 2) Causative factors.

RESULTS
51 (17%) booked patients missed their appointments. Non-attenders were most likely to miss their follow-up between 6 and 12 months (17/31) after treatment. No correlations were found between diagnosis, disease stage and missed appointments. Reasons include: transport (19 responses), ill-health (6) and financial constraints (5). State transport was unavailable to almost two-thirds of the responders who cited transport as a problem.

CONCLUSIONS
The 17% missed appointment rate is largely due to transport constraints. The commonest time for patients to miss appointments is the 6-12 month follow-up period. The authors seek to identify patients at risk of missed appointments and suggest interventions to decrease this incidence.


We investigate the local stability in equilibrium for an Internet congestion control algorithm proposed by Low (see IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, vol.7, p.861-875,1999). The network consists of multisource and one-bottleneck link with heterogenous time-varying propagation delays. Linear matrix inequality (LMI) stability criteria is presented for discrete congestion control algorithm of TCP/REM dual model, which can be efficiently and easily solved by the LMI toolbox provided by Matlab software. An important feature is to acquire the maximum network delays to guarantee the stability of congestion control algorithm, i.e., the scale stability domain of REM algorithm.


The clinicopathologic features of 32 adult granulosa cell tumors (AGCT) of the testis are presented. The patients were from 14 to 87 years of age (mean 40.0 y) and underwent orchiectomy (n=30) or wedge excision (n=2). None had endocrine-related symptoms. The tumors measured 0.5 to 6.0 cm (mean 2.8 cm) and were predominantly well circumscribed and yellow-tan, except for 1, which had infiltrative borders. The predominant pattern was diffuse, but insular, spindled, microfollicular (Call-Exner bodies), trabecular, corded, watered-silk, palisading, and pseudopapillary patterns were also present. The cells contained round to ovoid nuclei with frequent longitudinal nuclear grooves, indistinct cell borders, and varying amounts of eosinophilic cytoplasm. Most tumors contained limited amounts of fibrocollagenous stroma. The mitotic count ranged from 0 to 18/10 high-power fields (HPF) (mean 4.9/10 HPF, ×400). Two tumors had prominent necrosis, and 1 had vessel invasion. Follow-up information was available for 19 patients, with a mean of 51.0 months (range, 1 to 169 mo). All were without evidence of disease except 1 who had lung metastasis at 24 months. Our findings indicate that the morphologic spectrum of testicular AGCT is similar to that of ovarian AGCT. The majority of testicular examples have a good prognosis (compared with a malignant behavior in 2 of 7 cases in 1 prior series). Lymphovascular invasion, infiltrative borders, and size >4 cm may help in identifying cases with aggressive behavior, as these features were present in the one case with metastasis in our series. Mitotic counts varied and do not appear to be of prognostic significance on the basis of our experience.


Objective: The aim of this study is to examine context effects created by the question order for self-rated health (SRH) by race/ethnicity and language. Method: Differences in SRH estimates for non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics were first examined with multiple observational data that asked SRH in different contexts. To examine context effects by socio-demographics and health-related characteristics, we conducted experiments on SRH question order. Results: While Hispanics reported poorer health than non-Hispanic Whites, this difference, in part, depended on question contexts. With SRH asked after rather than before specific health questions, Hispanics, especially Spanish-speaking Hispanics, reported better health, while non-Hispanic Whites' reports remained consistent. Among Spanish-speaking Hispanics, the context effect was larger for unmarried and less educated persons and those with comorbidities. Discussion: Question contexts influence SRH reports by Spanish-speaking older adults. Cross-cultural inquiries on the meaning of health and its dynamics with question contexts may explain what SRH measures for increasingly diverse populations.


As a further test of the concept of regioexhaustive functionalization, 2-chloro-6-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine, 2-chloro-5-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine and 3-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine were each converted into the three possible carboxylic acids. This was achieved by employing several, but not all of the organometallic qtoolbox methodsq; transformation of a more basic organometallic species into a less basic isomer by transmetalation-equilibration, site discriminating deprotonation with lithium N,N-diisopropylamide or lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide, regio-divergent iodine migration and steric screening of acidic positions by a bulky trialkylsilyl group. [on SciFinder (R)]


Background There is little information on the clinicopathological characteristics of IgM nephropathy (IgMN) in paediatric steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) and its response to calcineurin inhibitors (CNI). Material and Methods This study was conducted at Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, from January 2009 to August 2011. All SRNS children who received renal biopsies were included. Relevant data were compared among minimal change disease (MCD) and IgMN. The response to CNI was analysed in detail in IgMN by groups (group 1: complete or partial remission; group 2: no response). Results The frequency of IgMN in 147 children with SRNS was 13.6%. Compared with MCD, there was a male preponderance in IgMN. Blood urea and serum creatinine both at presentation and at last follow-up were significantly higher in IgMN. Regarding subgroups of IgMN, systolic blood pressure (SBP), blood urea and serum creatinine were significantly higher in group 2 at presentation, while at last follow-up, SBP, diastolic blood pressure and proteinuria were higher in group 2. The prevalence and degree of mesangial proliferation, global glomerulosclerosis, interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy were significantly higher in group 2. Conclusions IgMN is a common cause of paediatric SRNS and is significantly different from MCD. There is also a significant difference in clinical and laboratory parameters among responders and non-responders to CNI in IgMN.


An improved understanding of the arc anode attachment requires the investigation of the involved physical phenomena in the boundary layer. An experimental apparatus has been assembled, consisting of a transferred arc arrangement that allows a variation of the process parameters over a wide range, control of the boundary layer and easy optical access. A new technique to measure plasma velocities is presented. A correlation of video data, plasma temperature, plasma velocity and voltage level accurately describes the involved characteristic features of the anodic boundary layer. Quantitative data are presented. Different modes of the arc-anode attachment have been clearly identified and are explained.


BACKGROUND
Although antidepressant medications have been in use for about 30 years, the question remains about their utility in the prophylaxis of recurrent depression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of maprotiline, a tetracyclic antidepressant, for depression prophylaxis.

METHOD
We conducted a vast, prospective, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 1141 outpatients suffering from depression and treated with maprotiline or placebo for 1 year. The very large size of the study population allowed for the testing of two drug doses. The study design included a pre-inclusion treatment phase that assured that all study patients had recently suffered from a depressive episode and were in remission at the time they were randomized into two treatment groups (1 and 1/2 tablet of maprotiline 75 mg) and two control groups (1/2 and 1 tablet of placebo).

RESULTS
The actuarial relapse rate at 1 year was 16% for maprotiline 75 mg, 1 tablet; 23.8% for maprotiline 75 mg, 1/2 tablet; 31.5% for 1 tablet placebo, and 37.5% for 1/2 tablet placebo. The difference between each group is statistically significant, except for the difference between the two placebo groups. The actuarial incidence of adverse drug reactions during the year was not statistically significant between the treatment and control groups.

CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates maprotiline's prophylactic effectiveness for depressive relapses, the 75-mg dose being more effective than the 37.5-mg dose. The patients' tolerance of maprotiline therapy was satisfactory at both doses with prolonged prescription.


Although fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) plays an important role in cardioprotection and growth, little is known about the signals triggered by it in the adult heart. We therefore examined FGF-2-induced effects on phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) isozymes, which produce second messengers linked to the inotropic and hypertrophic response of the myocardium. FGF-2, administered by retrograde perfusion to the isolated heart, induced an increase in inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate levels in the cytosol, as well as an increase in total PI-PLC activity associated with sarcolemmal and cytosolic fractions. Furthermore FGF-2 induced a time-dependent elevation in cardiomyocyte membrane-associated PLC gamma1 and PLC beta1 activities, assayed in immunoprecipitated fractions, and moreover, increased the membrane levels of PLC beta1 and PLC beta3. Activation of PLC beta is suggestive of FGF-2-induced cross-talk between FGF-receptor tyrosine kinase and G-protein-coupled signaling in adult cardiomyocytes and underscores the importance of FGF-2 in cardiac physiology.


Aims: Genetic variants of the genes encoding Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) chemokine receptors and their ligands may be involved in the susceptibility to HIV-1 infection and AIDS progression. The variants most frequently investigated are CCR5-Δ32, CCR2-64I, and SDF1-3'A. In this study, we investigated the frequency of the above polymorphisms within the Turkish population, evaluating their protective genetic contribution against HIV infection. Methods: A total of 205 participants were recruited among blood donors from Sinop, Turkey. Genotyping was initially performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for the three variants examined and this allowed to analyze 32-bp deletion in CCR5 gene. CCR2 and SDF1 amplicons were further subjected to restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis for genotype determination. Results: The CCR5-Δ32 allele frequency in our population was 3.17% and no homozygous subjects were detected. Genotyping of the CCR2-64I polymorphism revealed 9 homozygous (4.39%) and 55 heterozygous (26.83%) subjects giving an allele frequency of 17.80%. Screening for the SDF1-3'A polymorphism yielded 12 homozygous (5.85%) and 87 heterozygous (42.44%) subjects with a high allele frequency of 27.07%. The frequency of the CCR5-Δ32 allele in our population seems lower when compared to other Caucasian groups, however, CCR2-64I and SDF1-3'A alleles are common. Conclusion: The interaction between HIV and the chemokine system advanced our understanding of the pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS and the investigation of resistance-conferring variants in different populations may be useful for prophylactic measures. Received date: 05/06/2017 Accepted date: 14/06/2017 Published date: 22/06/2017


Understanding how protein folds into a functional native structure is arguably one of the most challenging problems remaining in computational biology. Currently, the protein folding mechanism is often characterized by calculating the free energy landscape in terms of various reaction coordinates such as the fraction of native contacts, the radius of gyration, the RMS deviation from the native and so on. In this paper, we present a wavelet approach towards understanding the global state changes during protein folding. The approach is based on the wavelet analysis on the trajectories of various reaction coordinates to identify the significant intermediate states or structural motifs in the folding process. We demonstrate through an example protein Trp-cage that this approach extracts crucial information about protein folding intermediate states as well as the time correlation among these states. Furthermore, the current approach reveals a meaningful structural pattern that had been overlooked in previous works, which provides a better understanding of the folding mechanism as well as the limitation of the current force fields.


Included in this section of the report on limnology of Lakes in the Snake River Plain are descriptions of the limnological characteristics of the four lakes in reference to their potential effect of growth and survival of juvenile sockeye salmon. Physical parameters included light penetration, Secchi transparency, and water temperature; chemical parameters included oxygen, and both dissolved and particulate forms of nitrogen and phosphorus. Phytoplankton parameters included chlorophyll concentration, biovolume of dominant taxa, and rates of primary production; zooplankton parameters included density and biomass estimate, length frequencies, and the number of eggs carried by female cladocerans. 11 figs., 5 tabs.


A human fecal isolate of hepatitis A virus strain HAS-15 was adapted to rapid growth in FRhK-4 cells by more than 20 7-day passages. A cell culture-derived inoculum of strain HAS-15 was used at a multiplicity of infection of 80 radioimmunofocus-forming units per cell, and a one-step growth curve was determined. Both intracellular production and supernatant release of infectious virions were evaluated. Detection of virus release into the medium directly corresponded to intracellular production of infectious virions. A classical eclipse period was not observed during the growth curve determinations; however, detectable infectious virion production was absent for approximately 20 h after infection. This 20-h period was immediately followed by a 4-day logarithmic phase of virus production. A maximum intracellular virus titer of 10(9) radioimmunofocus-forming units per ml was achieved, and this level remained essentially constant for up to 14 days after infection. The infectious virus and viral antigen produced during the growth cycle were ascertained by a radioimmunofocus assay and by a radioimmunoassay, respectively. Cell culture supernatants were negative for viral antigen as determined by the radioimmunoassay, even though as many as 10(8) hepatitis A virus radioimmunofocus-forming units per ml were found. An adsorption study was also performed with strain HAS-15 by using FRhK-4 cells. More than 99.9% of the infectious virus was adsorbed at 25 degrees C in less than 20 min.


Glutaraldehyde was first synthesized by Harries and Tank in 1908, and first marketed as a chemosterilizer in 1963. Since that time, glutaraldehyde has been used extensively as a disinfectant and chemical sterilizing solution. Even though it is generally agreed that moist heat is the preferred method of sterilization for medical, dental and hospital instruments, glutaraldehyde is a relatively safe, simple-to-use and effective chemical solution that can sterilize heat-sensitive materials. Glutaraldehyde (1,5-pentanedial) has two free aldehyde groups that combine irreversibly with bacterial cell membranes and enzyme systems. These properties give glutaraldehyde its biocidal effect. Contact time with glutaraldehyde is critical if sterilization, rather than disinfection, is to be achieved. Sterilization time ranges from minutes to ten hours, depending upon bacterial type and conditions of the test results. Sterilization with glutaraldehyde solutions usually requires prolonged contact times. Manufacturer instructions must be strictly followed.


Through research on systematic experiment and test, the various physical index of the solidified, fine crushed and rolled red mud are determined and successfully applied in building the dam for ash disposal. This application solved the urgent problems occurred in the production and offered the experiences for the same industries to fully use the existing stacking areas and facilities.


Blood from a California cow naturally infected with Paranaplasma organisms was examined utilizing a scanning electron microscope to study the 3-dimensional morphology of the parasite. Although blood films stained with Wright-Leishman stain revealed that 63% of the red cells were parasitized, the morphology of nonhemolyzed erythrocytes fixed directly in glutaraldehyde gave little indication of the organism's presence. A rapid, simple sample preparation technique which entailed simultaneous hemolysis and fixation of the parasitized red cells in blood films was found highly satisfactory in that it allowed easy viewing of the entire parasite. Dumbbell, comet, ring, and bipolar discoid forms were observed. The tails of the organisms appeared as distinct cylindrical structures intimately associated with the marginal bodies or heads. Viewing in 3 dimensions made apparent the structural complexity of the organism. Boynton (1932), in a study of anaplasmosis in California cattle, observed ring and tailed forms of Anaplasma. The ring and taillike structures associated with the typical marginal bodies of Anaplasma were considered by him to be either erythrocytic substance or a portion of the parasite itself. With phase contrast and electron microscopy, Espana et al. (1959) demonstrated ring, match, comet, and dumbbell-like forms in unstained lysed erythrocytes from both naturally and experimentally infected cattle. Signet ring and comet forms in California calves with acute anaplasmosis were also demonstrated by staining blood films with new methylene blue (Schalm et al., 1962). Tailed organisms were described (Pilcher et al., 1961; Madden, 1962) for the Oregon strain of Anaplasma. Madden (1962), by fluorescent antibody technique, showed that the taillike structures were an integral part of the organism. These observations revealed the existence of two morphologically different forms of Anaplasma: the classical punctate structures located marginally in the erythrocytes, as described by Theiler (1909) and observed in blood smears stained with Romanowsky stains, and the more complex tailed forms. Kreier and Ristic (1963a, b, c) made an extensive comparison of Oregon and Florida isolates of Anaplasma. The Florida isolate was found to consist of only one morphological class appearing as typical round marginal bodies. Three morphological classes were identified for the Oregon isolate; the predomReceived for publication 5 September 1972. inant form was the round marginal body class while th other two classes were those having a marginally situated head with a body and a tail and those of bipolar disc shape. The Florida isolate and the round marginal body class of the Oregon strain were found to be morphologically and antigenically distinct (Kreier and Ristic, 1963b). Kreier and Ristic (1963c), on the basis of sheep and deer passage studies, proposed that the tailed and bipolar disc forms of the Oregon isolate were d stinct organisms and should be designated Paranaplasma caudata and Paranaplasma discoides, respectively. The Anaplasma body found at the margin of the erythrocyte has been the focus of umerous electron micrographic studies (De Rob rtis and Epstein, 1951; Foote et al., 1958; Ristic, 1960a, 1967; Ristic and Watrach, 1961, 1963; Scott et al., 1961; Gates et al., 1967; Simpson et al., 1967; Summers and Padgett, 1970). In comparison, the structural features of the filamentous portion of the tailed organisms have received less attention. In hemolyzed, parasitized erythrocytes, Espana et al. (1959) observed various tailed and ring forms including parasites seemingly joined tail to head and tail to tail. Ritchie (1962), using a dialysis technique to remove the hemoglobin, noted the filamentous portion of the organism to be a saclike structure which had apparently lysed in a manner similar to the erythrocytes. Simpson et al. (1965) carried out both surface and thin section studies of the tails or filamentous portions of Anaplasma which they referred to as bands. The bands appeared as


. The aim of the study is coverage of the conditional "second period" of Fedir Liubartovych's life, which he spent mainly on the Rus lands of Kingdom of Poland (approximately 1406/1407–1431); the establishment of the structure of the prince's possessions, as well as the determination of their state and legal status. The methodological basis of the study includes the principles of historicism, science, objectivity and consistency. Such general and special methods as analysis, synthesis, historical-chronological, comparative-historical, historical-systemic, internal and external criticism of sources, comparative textology were also used. Scientific novelty. In the study, a maximum of information relating to the studied period of the biography of Fedir Liubartovych was collected, analyzed and systematized; a complete and critically verified list of "zhydachivski letters" was compiled (including the use of some unpublished texts contained in the Crown Metric); the state-legal status of possessions belonging to Liubartovych in the territory of Kingdom of Poland was determined. Conclusions. Relations of Fedir Liubartovych with his cousin, King Jagiełło, in the first third of the 15th century (unlike the end of the fourteenth century) were stably benevolent. Most likely, in 1406–1407, Liubartovych received worthy possessions within Kingdom of Poland, namely the towns of Stryi, Zhydachiv and Koropets with their county districts (districtus). However, these were not full-fledged specific principalities, but only lifelong possessions (tenuta), that could be transferred to the close relatives of Władysław Jagiełło. Within them, Liubartovych had the right to jurisdiction over local feudal lords, however, he could not grant land ownership, because the Polish king was the owner of these lands. That is to say, the term "Duchy of Zhydachiv", which can be found in modern literature, is not entirely correct. Fedir Liubartovych remained faithful to Orthodoxy all his life. The prince was officially the holder and ktytor of the Univ Monastery. And after his death, his name was included in several Orthodox commemoratives.


A target structure for implementing fast edge-triggered control units is presented. In many cases, the proposed controller is faster than a one-hot encoded structure as its correct timing does not require master-slave flip-flops even in the presence of unpredictable clocking skews. A synthesis procedure is proposed which leads to a performance improvement of 40% on average for the standard benchmark set whereas the additional area is less than 25% compared with conventional finite state machine (FSM) synthesis. The proposed approach is compatible with the state-of-the-art methods for FSM decomposition, state encoding and logic synthesis.


The diagnosis of GM2-gangliosidosis type 2 (Sandhoff's disease) was made prenatally (23rd week of pregnancy) by amniocentsis. A sibling with "Tay-Sachs disease" had died shortly before. Severe deficiency of total beta-hexosaminidase was found in amniotic fluid and amnion-cell culture. After interruption of the pregnancy the enzyme defect was also found in the fetal brain tissue and the concentration of ganglioside GM2 was three times normal, confirming the diagnosis.