Background
Until now, the traditional procedure to treat intralobar pulmonary sequestration (ILS) in adults has been a lobectomy performed by open chest surgery. We have reviewed our data to determine whether the surgical management of these lesions has evolved over the last years.

Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who were operated on for an ILS by either posterolateral thoracotomy (PLT group), or by thoracoscopy (TS group) between 2000 and 2016.

Results
Eighteen patients were operated on for a ILS during this period. Before 2011, all resections were performed by thoracotomy (n=6) and after 2011 the approach was either a thoracotomy (n=5) or a thoracoscopy (n=7). There was one conversion because of dense pleural adhesions and this patient was integrated in the PLT group for further analysis. ILS presented more frequently on the left side (n=12, 66.7%) than on the right one (n=6, 33.3%) and exclusively in the lower lobes. All the PLT group patients underwent a lobectomy. In the TS group, five patients underwent a sublobar resection (2 segmentectomies S9+10, 1 basilar segmentectomy and 2 atypical resections). There was no mortality. In the PLT group, 5 patients (45%) had complications versus one patient (14%) in the TS group. The mean hospital stay was 7.4 days in the PLT group versus 5.4 days in the TS group.

Conclusions
These data confirm that ILS can be safely treated by a sublobar resection that should be performed, whenever possible, without opening the chest.


A test group of 40 patients and a control group of 20 matched controls with pulmonary cancer and suppuration were exposed to preoperative and postoperative electromyostimulation (EMS) with adjuvant intravascular laser radiation of the blood (ILRB) to prevent thromboembolism versus conventional chemotherapy, respectively. At the preoperative examination all the patients exhibited secondary immunodeficiency. It was found that introduction of EMS and ILRB corrects immunity and activates fibrinolysis. A positive trend in coagulation is also attributed to immunomodulating effects of EMS and ILRB.


Roads are the main part of our ecology. Rapid increase in urbanization leads to the increment in the construction of roads. However, they impart both good as well as hazardous effects on our society. This review is related to climatic effects of roads on our ecology. Our main concern of this review is about socioeconomic and health associated impact of roads in Pakistan. Roads are increasing the air pollution by addition of particulate matters due to roads activity. However, Edge effect is reducing the population by disturbing its breeding behavior, nesting behavior, breeding cycles, movement of species and many other factors. Moreover, heat increase due to elimination of Green House Gases (GHG), gases eliminating for green house, causes the diseases and even deaths of individuals. We cannot ignore the importance of roads on our economy but we have to use preventive measures for reducing their harmful effects and increasing their useful aspects. We have to use eco-friendly vehicles and there should be proper rules and regulations for the construction of roads.


This article analyzes the meanings and practices of corporate personhood through ethnographic examination of the changing relationship between the Shell oil company and residents of the neighborhood surrounding the company's refineries in Argentina. The article scrutinizes the Shell public relations staff's work to remake the company into a good corporate citizen and caring neighbor with a benevolent public "face." It argues that Shell's shift from corporate philanthropy to corporate social responsibility (CSR) reconfigured the "legal fiction" of corporate personhood and the historical relations of patronage and paternalism. This reconfiguration was achieved through the regendering of the public face of the company.


Significant insights into the biology of Plasmodium vivax have been gained from the ability to successfully adapt human infections to non-human primates. P. vivax strains grown in monkeys serve as a renewable source of parasites for in vitro and ex vivo experimental studies and functional assays, or for studying in vivo the relapse characteristics, mosquito species compatibilities, drug susceptibility profiles or immune responses towards potential vaccine candidates. Despite the importance of these studies, little is known as to how adaptation to a different host species may influence the genome of P. vivax. In addition, it is unclear whether these monkey-adapted strains consist of a single clonal population of parasites or if they retain the multiclonal complexity commonly observed in field isolates. Here we compare the genome sequences of seven P. vivax strains adapted to New World monkeys with those of six human clinical isolates collected directly in the field. We show that the adaptation of P. vivax parasites to monkey hosts, and their subsequent propagation, did not result in significant modifications of their genome sequence and that these monkey-adapted strains recapitulate the genomic diversity of field isolates. Our analyses also reveal that these strains are not always genetically homogeneous and should be analyzed cautiously. Overall, our study provides a framework to better leverage this important research material and fully utilize this resource for improving our understanding of P. vivax biology.


During a study of bacterial diversity in forest soil, strain G-3-2T, a Gram-stain-negative, light brown-coloured, non-motile, rod- or coccoid-shaped bacterium, was isolated. It was able to grow at 15-37 °C, at pH 5.5-10.0 and at 0-0.5 % (w/v) NaCl concentration. The strain was taxonomically characterized by a polyphasic approach. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain G-3-2T belongs to the genus Ramlibacter and is closely related to Ramlibacter ginsenosidimutans BXN5-27T (98.69 % sequence similarity), Ramlibacter henchirensis TMB834T (96.98 %), Ramlibacter tataouinensis TTB310T (96.49 %) and Ramlibacter solisilvae 5-10T (96.42 %). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The predominant fatty acids of strain G-3-2T were C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 : 1ω6c), C17 : 0 cyclo, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 : 1ω6c) and C10 : 0 3-OH. The genomic DNA G+C content of this novel strain was 68.9 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain G-3-2T and R. ginsenosidimutans BXN5-27T was 44.7 %, which falls below the threshold value of 70 % for the strain to be considered as novel. The morphological, physiological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses clearly distinguished this strain from its closest phylogenetic neighbours. Thus, strain G-3-2T represents a novel species of the genus Ramlibacter, for which the name Ramlibacter monticola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is G-3-2T (=KEMB 9005-573T=KACC 19175T=JCM 31918T).


This study examined the endorsement of cognitive distortions in child pornography offenders (CPOs), using an established assessment tool, the Abel and Becker Cognition Scale. The scale was expanded to include cognitions specific to child pornography offending, extracted from Howitt and Sheldon's Children and Sexual Activities Inventory (C&SA). Three samples of CPOs, child sex offenders and offenders with both offence types responded to the cognition items. An exploratory Principal Component Analysis suggested six main components of the scale. CPOs were significantly less likely to endorse these statements in general, and this was more pronounced on items that project blame onto the child or other people, describe a need for power and consider children as sexually active. The statements extracted from C&SA did not differentiate between the groups. These findings are discussed under consideration of the relationship between cognitive distortions and contact sex offending, and in reference to the general criticism concerning the definition and appropriate measurement of cognitive distortions.


Pseudopapilledema is used for pathologies that mimicking the optic disc edema. Among these, pseudo papilledema is commonly produced by optic disc drusen (ODD). A 17-year-old female patient was referred to the ophthalmology department from child neurology department with papilledema diagnosis because of bilateral elevated and blurred optic disc. Following ophthalmologic evaluation with fundus examination, B-scan ultrasound, red-free fundus photography with revealed autofluorescence the diagnosis of papilledema was excluded in the case and optic disc drusen was diagnosed. Swelling of optic disk and blurs of the optic disk margins is not equal papilledema. It is important to keep up pseudopapilledema in the differential diagnosis of papilledema.


Introduction: a descriptive transversal and prospective study was carry out on biscuits been marketed (over 5 years) within the Douala urban city area so as to elucidate the potential toxicological risks from biscuits consumers (cookies) with regard to product information.Material and method: A4 white sheets, Disposable gloves, a data analyzing tool (Microsoft Excel 2010), ruler and pens, temporal analysing space (Laboratory), desk and table, spray sheet, questionnaire, plastic bags to easy transportation, rubber trays, hand lens and data collection sheets.A pilot survey was carryout, followed by data collection of 40 biscuits that had been highly commercialized for over five years within the city markets in the Douala urban city area. A randomized sampling method was employed to purchase 40 biscuit samples from the 02 major markets of Douala urban area; 'marche centrale' and 'marche Mboppi'. In the laboratory space arrange for the purpose of the study, the various components of each of the biscuits were identified.Results: From our finding, 3 group of biscuits were indentified; dry simple biscuits (52%), sandwich biscuits (43%) and waffle biscuits (5%). 29 basic different food additives principally made of; colorants; E110(13%), conservators; E223(25%) emulsifiers E471(21%), antioxidant E322(67%) and pH regulators E500(71%) were identify as the most used form of additives. 12(41%) of the food additives indentified had proven toxic potential to its consumers; E223, E471, E110 and E102 been the most recurrent respectively. As per the origin of these biscuits, 3 major countries top the list; 16 biscuits (40%) of which 11(69%), 7 biscuits (18%) of which 05(71%), 4 biscuits (10%) of which 3(75%) had potential health risk were from Cameroon, Nigeria and India respectively.Conclusion: The high demand for biscuits as food is becoming a preliminary public health risks. Cameroon therefore is in need to implement strategic measures on food security policies.


Three-photon microscopy has been increasingly adopted for probing neural activities beyond the typical two-photon imaging depth. In this review, we outline the unique properties that differentiate three-photon microscopy from two-photon microscopy for in vivo imaging in biological samples, especially in the mouse brain. We present a systematic summary of the optimization of three-photon imaging parameters for neural imaging, based on their effects on calcium imaging quality and perturbation to brain tissues. Furthermore, we review the existing techniques for volumetric imaging and discuss their prospects in mesoscale three-photon imaging in deep tissue.


We consider partially gapped one dimensional (1D) conductors connected to normal leads, as realized in fractional helical wires. At certain electron densities, some distinct charge mode develops a gap due to electron interactions, leading to a fractional conductance. For this state we study the current noise caused by tunneling events inside the wire. We find that the noise's Fano-factor is different from the tunneling charge. This fact arises from charge scattering at the wire-leads interfaces. The resulting noise is, however, universal it depends only on the identification of the gapped mode, and is insensitive to additional interactions in the wire. We further show that the tunneling charge can be deduced from the finite frequency noise, and yet is interaction dependent due to screening effects.


Wahyuning Widhiati, S891208057. 2016. Enhancing Students' Ability in Generating Idea in writing Recount text Through Round Table Technique ( A Classroom Action Research at 8 E of SMPN 2 Banjarnegara in the Academic Year of 2015/2016). Thesis. 1st consultant: Dr. Abdul Asib M.Pd.; 2nd consultant: Dr. Sumardi, M.Hum. English Education Department, Graduate School, Teacher Training and Education Faculty, Sebelas Maret University Surakarta The research is intended to: (1) describe whether or not and to what extent Round table technique can enhance the students' ability in generating ideas to write recount text; and (2) identify the class climate when Round table technique is implemented in the writing class. This action research was carried out at SMPN 2 Banjarnegara for the students of class 8 E in the academic year of 2015/2016. It was held from March – August 2016. The research method was Classroom Action Research and it was conducted in two cycles. In collecting the data, I used interviews, observation, questionnaire, diaries, document, and test. Having collected the data, I analyzed them both qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative data were analyzed by using Constant Comparative Method. Meanwhile, the quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The finding of the research showed that the implementation of Round Table Technique enhanced: (1) students' ability in generating ideas including: (a) writing main ideas; (b) writing more supporting ideas; (c) using correct cohesive devices; (d) using correct vocabularies; (e) using correct mechanics. The enhancement of the students' scores could be proved that the mean score of the pre-test was 50.93; the post-test 1 was 64.63; the post-test 2 was 79.23. Twenty eight students or 82.35% from 32 students had fulfilled the criteria of passing grade (KKM) which was 78 and (2) enhanced the class climate including: (a) students' attention to the teaching and learning process was getting better; (b) students got more alive condition; (c) the students' participation was more active; (d) the time needed to write a text was shorter than before the research was conducted. Considering the inspiring result of this research, it is recommended that the English teachers are able to use this research for: (1) guiding the students to explore the students' ideas through Round table technique; and (2) being creative to make the class climate interesting by using Round table technique in writing. Key words: generating idea, Round table, recount text, classroom action research


It has been widely asserted that TDM PON technology will not be able to effectively cope with future increases in subscriber bandwidth demand, and that WDM PON architectures must succeed it. In this article we compare the historical trend of TDM PON bandwidth supply and the growth of residential bandwidth demands to the end of this decade, and conclude that bandwidth supply is growing much faster than the demand, calling into question the need for WDM PON. Further, we distinguish between sustained bandwidth demand and burst bandwidth demand, and further conclude that TDM PON will deliver future ultra-high speed services more efficiently than WDM PON.


To improve cleanliness in steel requires a reduction in total oxygen content. The combined EAF-LF-RH-CC process of manufacturing utilized several technologies which reduce total oxygen content. In high carbon chromium bearing steels, total oxygen content has decreased annually and is now 5 ppm on the average.1) Along with reduced oxygen conent, reduction of the number of oxide inclusions larger than 10 μm has further extended the fatigue life of bearing steel, which was once considered close to the completion. The fatigue life in bearing steels with these smaller inclusions is 5 times longer than that of conventional steels.A recent study showed that large inclusions can be reduced in size by preventing ladle contamination, air oxidation and flow out ladle slag.


The rapid development of emerging vehicular edge computing (VEC) brings new opportunities and challenges for dynamic resource management. The increasing number of edge data centers, roadside units (RSUs), and network devices, how-ever, makes resource management a complex task in VEC. On the other hand, the exponential growth of service applications and end-users makes corresponding QoS hard to maintain. Intent-Based Networking (IBN), based on Software-Defined Networking, was introduced to provide the ability to automatically handle and manage the networking requirements of different applications. Motivated by the IBN concept, in this paper, we propose a novel approach to jointly orchestrate networking and computing resources based on user requirements. The proposed solution constantly monitors user requirements and dynamically re-configures the system to satisfy desired states of the application. We compared our proposed solution with the state-of-the-art networking embedding algorithms using real-world taxi GPS traces. Results show that our proposed method is significantly faster (up to 95%) and can improve resource utilization (up to 76%) and the acceptance ratio of computing and networking requests with various priorities (up to 71%). We also present a small-scale prototype of the proposed intent management framework to validate our solution.


ABSTRACT Directly monitoring the stress response of microbes to their environments could be one way to inspect the health of microorganisms themselves, as well as the environments in which the microorganisms live. The ultimate resolution for such an endeavor could be down to a single-cell level. In this study, using the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana as a model species, we aimed to measure gene expression responses of this organism to various stresses at a single-cell level. We developed a single-cell quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) protocol and applied it to determine the expression levels of multiple selected genes under nitrogen, phosphate, and iron depletion stress conditions. The results, for the first time, provided a quantitative measurement of gene expression at single-cell levels in T. pseudonana and demonstrated that significant gene expression heterogeneity was present within the cell population. In addition, different expression patterns between single-cell- and bulk-cell-based analyses were also observed for all genes assayed in this study, suggesting that cell response heterogeneity needs to be taken into consideration in order to obtain accurate information that indicates the environmental stress condition.


The Electrical Engineering program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute was evaluated by ABET under the Engineering Criteria 2000 Pilot Visit program in the fall of 1996. This paper reviews the current status of implementation of the outcomes-based EE curriculum at WPI and highlights some specijic means of conducting assessment of educational outcomes of our courses. This ongoing assessment plan is critical to preparations for the next ABET EC2000 visit in the fall of 2002. Index Terms ABET EC2000 accreditation, electrical engineering, outcomes assessment, curriculum innovations.


Representation learning promises to unlock deep learning for the long tail of vision tasks without expansive labelled datasets. Yet, the absence of a unified yardstick to evaluate general visual representations hinders progress. Many sub-fields promise representations, but each has different evaluation protocols that are either too constrained (linear classification), limited in scope (ImageNet, CIFAR, Pascal-VOC), or only loosely related to representation quality (generation). We present the Visual Task Adaptation Benchmark (VTAB): a diverse, realistic, and challenging benchmark to evaluate representations. VTAB embodies one principle: good representations adapt to unseen tasks with few examples. We run a large VTAB study of popular algorithms, answering questions like: How effective are ImageNet representation on non-standard datasets? Are generative models competitive? Is self-supervision useful if one already has labels?


Abstract: Positive law, as presented in scholarship and in jurisprudence, rarely addresses the concept of the legal power. When the term 'power' does appear, its scope is limited: it serves as a mere synonym for capacity or competence or to define an individual right. However, the Civil Code of Québec, through its codification of the rules governing the administration of the property of others, reveals the power to be an independent category, distinct from the right. It is a prerogative granted in order to achieve a purpose. The concept of the power justifies a specific regime governing its exercise and specific remedies that sustain it. The category of the power, furthermore, has a scope of application that extends well beyond the administration of the property of others.
The development of a general theory of the private power, for which the Title on the Administration of the Property of Others represents a first step, is a useful response to criticisms levelled against rights-centric theories. It also provides a framework for considering which interventions may legitimately be made by one person in the juridical sphere of another.


AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA

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APO866 (formerly FK866), an inhibitor of the enzyme nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NMPRTase), has been shown to inhibit the growth of an array of cancer cell lines in vitro and human tumor xenografts in vivo. The mechanism of action involves depletion of intracellular NAD+, resulting in apoptosis. During an in vitro screen of cancer cell lines to identify potential clinical targets, Myla-2059 cells, derived from a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), were found to be particularly sensitive to this agent (IC50=5.6 nM, n=3) as determined by FACS analysis with annexin/PI staining. In order to compare the efficacy of this agent with other agents shown to be active against CTCL in vivo, recipient female Balb/c nude mice were implanted subcutaneously with a Myla-2059 tumor fragment (approximately 50 mm3). When tumors reached treatment size (200 mm3), mice were treated with APO866 (20 mg/kg i.p., twice daily on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11), methotrexate (0.3 mg/kg, i.v. on days 1 and 8), gemcitabine (120 mg/kg, i.v. on days 1, 4, 7 and 10) or with vehicle alone. Futhermore, the effect of combining APO866 with gemcitabine was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Both APO866 and the combination of APO866 with gemcitabine significantly reduced tumour growth compared to the control (p<0.01, one way anova) and in 3/9 animals in the APO866 and combination treatment groups, no regrowth of tumors was observed 45 days after start of treatment. Treatment with methotrexate and gemcitabine alone did not affect tumor growth. In summary we have shown that (i) Myla-2059 cells are sensitive to APO866 both in vitro and in vivo and (ii) this agent is more effective than other agents know to be active against CTCL. In conclusion these data support the clinical evaluation of APO866 in the treatment of CTCL.


Despite an evolving understanding of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a group of heterogeneous diseases with a common feature of abnormal levels of myeloblasts in bone marrow and in circulation, the current standard of care including chemotherapy and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation results in less than 40 % cure rate with little progress over the last decades. One of the most extensively investigated approaches in targeted therapy of AML are FLT3 inhibitors that address the population of patients harboring FLT3 mutations that result in high relapse rate and decreased overall survival when compared to patients lacking such mutations. Therefore inhibition of the constitutively active mutants of FLT3 is a promising therapeutic approach. Unfortunately, the clinical development of selective or multitargeted FLT3 inhibitors turned out to result in rapid, but very transient responses followed by disease progression. One of the main reasons for development of resistance was selection of clones harboring both ITD and tyrosine kinase mutations (TKD). In parallel, the role of PIM kinases, especially PIM1 in FLT3 mediated leukemogenesis attracted attention of the pharmaceutical industry with currently two phase I programs targeting PIM kinases in hematological malignancies. PIM kinases are important downstream effectors of FLT3 signaling and play a crucial role in cell survival and inhibition of apoptosis upon expression. For that reason, PIM kinases represent an emerging therapeutic target class in AML with promising preliminary data from clinical trials. Due to the heterogeneous nature of AML, dual inhibition of FLT3 mutant kinase and PIM kinases could lead to improved efficacy and constitute a promising approach to overcome rapid resistance development to targeted therapies. Selvita has developed a potent and selective dual PIM/FLT3 mutant kinase inhibitor - SEL24-B489 which is highly active in in vitro and in vivo AML models. The compound shows high inhibitory activity against mutated FLT3 (FLT3-ITD and TKD mutations such as D835H, D835Y, N841I) and all three PIM kinase isoforms, comparable to activity of selective inhibitors of FLT3 (A220) and PIM (AZD1208). A head to head comparison of SEL24-B489 in cellular models reveals high activity across tested cellular AML models and biomarker inhibition in line with the expected kinase activity profile. Most importantly, SEL24-B489 showed strong synergistic effect in combination with the current standard of care in AML - cytarabine, and with other targeted inhibitors in advanced clinical development. The activity of B489 in vivo in xenograft models of AML and lymphomas after oral administration was higher than compared to selective PIM inhibitor and led to remissions in certain models. SEL24-B489 is a successful example of rational drug design and is currently in preclinical development. It represents a promising therapeutic approach which addresses alternative survival pathways downstream of FLT3 in addition to the activity on resistant FLT3 mutant kinases, which hopefully will translate into improved survival of AML patients in clinical trials. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C257. Citation Format: Wojciech Czardybon, Michal Galezowski, Pawel Guzik, Magdalena Zawadzka, Renata Windak, Izabela Dolata, Magdalena Salwinska, Radoslaw Obuchowicz, Krzysztof D. Brzozka. Preclinical development of a potent dual PIM/FLT3 mutant kinase inhibitor for the treatment of AML and other hematological malignancies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C257.


Dynamic properties of the metastable interface between two miscible solutions are investigated by the collision of two droplets. A clear interface is observed between the two colliding droplets. The interface moves in the colliding droplet toward the side where the original droplet has a lower surface tension. The interface is set to the middle of the colliding droplet by controlling the surface tension of the droplets to observe the chemical reactions at the droplet interface by cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. This study provides a foundation for further research on the initial process of the chemical reactions of two miscible solutions.


In this letter, we study the maximum edge augmentation problem in directed Laplacian networks to improve their robustness while preserving lower bounds on their strong structural controllability (SSC). Since adding edges could adversely impact network controllability, the main objective is to maximally densify a given network by selectively adding missing edges while ensuring that SSC of the network does not deteriorate beyond certain levels specified by the SSC bounds. We consider two widely used bounds: first is based on the notion of zero forcing (ZF), and the second relies on the distances between nodes in a graph. We provide an edge augmentation algorithm that adds the maximum number of edges in a graph while preserving the ZF-based bound, and also derive a closed-form expression for the exact number of edges added to the graph. Then, we examine the edge augmentation while preserving the distance-based bound and present a randomized algorithm that guarantees an $\alpha $ –approximate solution with high probability. Finally, we numerically evaluate and compare these edge augmentation solutions.


Toxic-hygienic examinations of water reclaimed from peroxide-containing technical fluids have shown that the water needs further purification using sorbents that contain a reducing agent. In the absence of the latter the reclaimed water exerts adverse effects on certain hematological parameters.


Terrorism is a well Known term. It is means any action whitch creats harassment and fear amind the people of same region or a country and the perpetrator who fabricate the problem are called Terroists , Terrorism is considered the most serious threat in any society.This has become a huge security challenge for a country to sustain its sovereighty. Terrorism has also had a profound effect on world literature of urdu literature simultaneously i.e Ghazal,Nazam,Novel and short stories Many Urdu fiction writers have generated the best literature in contaxt of terrorism Dr Rashid Amjad is also a well Known name in urdu fiction . He has written important short stories regarding terrorism in which he has adopted symbolic style. In this article we discuss the terrorism as a theme in Dr Rashid Amjad fiction.


The length-weight relationship and the relative condition in the ribbon fish Trichiurus lepturus were studied in 185 males in the size range 355-960 mm and 143 females in the size range 352-1090 mm collected during the period August 1966 to May 1969. Analysis of covariance of the two regressions showed no significant difference in the slopes. Apparently the sexual cycle does not seem to affect the relative condition of the fish, at least directly, while high intensity of feeding influences the K" There is a sudden fall in the value of relative condition at 625 mm fish length, and maturity studies indicate that over 90% of fish attained sexual maturity at this length.


Understanding and predicting transgene linkage relationships is required to utilize efficiently transformation technologies in breeding programs. This study was conducted to determine the co-transformation frequency of three gene sequences by means of a three-plasmid co-transformation system and to determine the mode of inheritance for two genes of interest. Twenty-five independently transformed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants were produced by microprojectile bombardment of 1080 immature embryos with a three-plasmid system. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses of T1 progeny from each of the 25 T0 plants indicated co-transformation of all three plasmids at a frequency of 36%. Two of nine transgenic families containing all three plasmids were characterized for the segregation of the two genes of interest in T1, T2, and T2 testcross generations by PCR. These data suggest that the two genes of interest are linked in both families studied. On the basis of the inheritance of the two genes of interest, one transgenic family would be desirable for use in a breeding program because it contained tightly linked genes, whereas the other family studied would not be desirable for use in a breeding program because the two genes segregated aberrantly.


This is an important new scholarly study of the roots of capitalism. Jane Whittle's penetrating examination of rural England in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries asks how capitalist it was, and how and why it changed over the century and a half under scrutiny. Her book intelligently relates ideas of peasant society and capitalism to a local study of north-east Norfolk, a county that was to become one of the crucibles of the so-called agrarian revolution. Dr Whittle uses the rich variety of historical sources produced by this precocious commercialized locality to examine a wide range of topics from the manorial system and serfdom, rights to land and the level of rent, the land market and inheritance, to the distribution of land and wealth, the numbers of landless, wage-earners, and rural craftsmen, servants, and the labour laws.


Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in the United States is a system comprised of regulatory, administrative, market, technology, and social subcomponents, and can only be understood in the context of its historical evolution. American cities lacked organized public works for street cleaning, refuse collection, water treatment, and human waste removal until the early 1800s. Recurrent epidemics forced efforts to improve public health and the environment. The belief in anticontagionism led to the construction of water treatment and sewerage works during the nineteenth century, by sanitary engineers working for regional public health authorities. This infrastructure was capital intensive and required regional institutions to finance and administer it. By the time attention turned to solid waste management in the 1880s, funding was not available for a regional infrastructure. Thus, solid waste management was established as a local responsibility, centred on nearby municipal dumps. George Waring of New York City organized solid waste management around engineering unit operations; including street sweeping, refuse collection, transportation, resource recovery and disposal. This approach was adopted nationwide, and was managed by City Departments of Sanitation. Innovations such as the introduction of trucks, motorized street sweepers, incineration, and sanitary landfill were developed in the following decades. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA), is the defining legislation for MSWM practice in America today. It forced the closure of open dumps nationwide, and required regional planning for MSWM. The closure of municipal dumps caused a 'garbage crisis' in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Private companies assumed an expanded role in MSWM through regional facilities that required the transportation of MSW across state lines. These transboundary movements of MSW created the issue of flow control, in which the US Supreme Court affirmed the protection of garbage under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. Thus MSWM in America today is largely managed by municipalities, and operated by a relatively small number of private companies. It consists of a mixture of landfill, incineration, recycling, and composting, and is regulated under RCRA, the Clean Air Act and other related federal and state laws.


Cationic polyelectrolyte doped hollow nanofibers prepared via facial coaxial electrospinning technology have been used for positional assembly of two enzymes, glucose oxidase (GOD) and Candida antactica lipase B (CALB), at two different positions, namely, in their lumen and on their surface. Therefore, the result is four combinations, including lumen (GOD+CALB), surface (GOD+CALB), surface (GOD)-lumen (CALB), and lumen (GOD)-surface (CALB). Surface attachment of enzymes was achieved by layer-by-layer (LbL) technology, which is based on the ion-exchange interactions between oppositely charged enzymes and polyelectrolyte that was doped in hollow nanofibers; whereas placing enzymes inside the lumen of hollow nanofibers was realized by in situ encapsulation during coelectrospinning. The hollow nanofibers-based biencyine systems were used for a cascade reaction in an oil-aqueous biphasic system, in which glucose was oxidized by GOD to generate H2O2, which was used as substrate and oxidant for CALB-catalyzed epoxidation of oleic acid in the second step. The bienzyme nanofibers membrane was found to float spontaneously at the O/W interface, which is advantageous to biphasic biocatalysis. Assembly strategies of the two enzymes affect their biocatalytic efficiency significantly by influencing the utilization efficiency of H2O2 in the reaction process. The highest reaction rate was attained by lumen (GOD)-surface (CALB), corresponding to 114.45 times enhancement as compared to that of the free bienzyme system.


I am studying a species of lizards called Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris collaris). I will be monitoring a single population that is located on the outside edges of Stillwater, Ok. I investigate the abnormal pre-productive coloration of male hatchlings. My main question is if these orange bars relate to the over all fitness of the males.  My study explores the pros and cons associated with hatchlings having these bars based on how predators react to these bars. Since the bars stand out against the lizards natural habitat I assume this will lead to a heavier predation rate by Coachwhip snakes (Masticophis flagellum). My hypothesis is that Coachwhips will predate the male hatchlings with vivid orange bars more than drab colored hatchlings. These bars are important, because they show themselves before the hatchling reach an age of production.  Their appearance, before productive age, is highly confusing since animals should not display sexual dimorphism during non-sexual years. Dimorphism is the occurrence of gender specific formations found in one species.


In this paper, the ordered single-open-chain (SOC) method in combination with the principle of virtual work is adopted to model and solve the forward dynamics of a single degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel mechanism (PM), featuring one translation and two rotations (1T2R), which is applied in spatial vibrating screen (i.e., parallel vibrating screen mechanism, PVSM). Afterwards, the dynamic performances of the PVSM is optimized using differential evolution algorithm. Based on the kinematics of the PM, the forward dynamic model is derived and the dynamic response equation is built, of which the coefficient matrix is determined by means of the generalized velocity equation. Moreover, the Euler method was adopted to solve the numerical solution of the differential equation of motion to characterize the motion law and dynamics of the screen surface of the PVSM, which is verified with ADAMS simulation. With the parametric model, the dynamic optimization of PVSM is carried out to maximize the energy transfer efficiency, subject to the constraints on the link mass. The comparison of the dynamic performances of the PVSM with and without optimization reveals the improvement of the PM.


Recently the renewable energy has been used widely and the importance of renewable sources is bigger than before. And the government enforced a law to the public buildings to install the renewable energy facilities. The capacity of facilities was 5% of total construction cost until April 13, 2011. Since then, the government changed the law from 5% of total construction cost to 10% of predicted energy usage for the resonable use of the renewable energy facilities. In this study, the comparative analysis is conducted according to the law to the building installed PV system through the Energy Plus simulation. And the method for improving renewable energy supply ratio was analyzed using existing PV array. Adjusting the PV array angle is the best way to generate more electric power without additional fee. When applying the month optimum angle, 3,600kWh of electric power are more generated compared to the existing angle.


This study examines the effect of two potential sources of ethical principles on earnings quality: corporate social responsibility (CSR) and membership in a Shariah index. We define membership in a Shariah index as the adherence to an ethical code that relates to Islam. Our sample comprises firms in ten European Union countries for the period from 2003 to 2013. The empirical results show that firms with a high degree of CSR are less likely to manage earnings. In contrast, membership in a Shariah index leads to earnings manipulation. Our results are robust after using several alternative quality metrics for earnings. Furthermore, our empirical results indicate that highly rated CSR firms that are not Shariah-compliant are less likely to engage in earnings manipulation. Further, institutional factors are also important in determining the link between CSR, Shariah-compliance, and the quality of financial reporting.


Dynamic IP router table schemes, which have recently been proposed in the literature, perform an IP lookup or an online prefix update in O(log2|T|) memory accesses (MAs). In terms of lookup time, they are still slower than the full expansion/compression (FEC) scheme (compressed next-hop array/code word array (CNHA/CWA)), which requires exactly (at most) three MAs, irrespective of the number of prefixes |T| in a routing table T. The prefix updates in both FEC and CNHA/CWA have a drawback: Inefficient offline structure reconstruction is arguably the only viable solution. This paper solves the problem. We propose the use of lexicographic ordered prefixes to reduce the offline construction time of both schemes. Simulations on several real routing databases, run on the same platform, show that our approach constructs FEC (CNHA/CWA) tables in 2.68 to 7.54 (4.57 to 6) times faster than that from previous techniques. We also propose an online update scheme that, using an updatable address set and selectively decompressing the FEC and CNHA/CWA structures, modifies only the next hops of the addresses in the set. Recompressing the updated structures, the resulting forwarding tables are identical to those obtained by structure reconstructions, but are obtained at much lower computational cost. Our simulations show that the improved FEC and CNHA/CWA outperform the most recent O(log2|T|) schemes in terms of lookup time, update time, and memory requirement.


Poor response and resistance to cisplatin (DDP)-based chemotherapy frequently leads to treatment failure in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The underlying molecular mechanism is extremely complex and currently remains unclear. The overexpression of cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) indicates poor prognosis and promotes the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis. The EMT has been reported to promote drug resistance in numerous previous studies. CIP2A and its downstream protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway also plays a role in mediating DDP resistance. Polyphyllin I (PPI) and polyphyllin VII (PPVII) are natural components extracted from Paris polyphylla that display anti-cancer properties. In the present study, the chemosensitizing effects of PPI and PPVII were investigated in the DDP-resistant NSCLC cell line A549/DDP, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. The results demonstrated that PPI and PPVII could significantly inhibit cell proliferation and enhance the sensitivities of A549/DDP cells to DDP. When assessing the underlying molecular mechanism, it was revealed that PPI and PPVII enhanced DDP-induced apoptosis in A549/DDP cells via p53 upregulation and the caspase-dependent pathway. Furthermore, PPI and PPVII reversed the EMT and suppressed CIP2A and its downstream AKT/mTOR signaling cascade in A549/DDP cells. Overall, the results from the present study demonstrated that PPI and PPVII may function as chemosensitizers by enhancing apoptosis via the p53 pathway, reversing EMT and suppressing the CIP2A/AKT/mTOR signaling axis, and the combination with DDP may be a promising strategy for the development of new therapeutic agents.


Sacred Groves, one form of nature worship, are considered as "Sacred Natural Sites". Indian sacred groves represent a diverse spectrum of ecosystem. Groves are present amidst the barren landscape or grassland (e.g., in Meghalaya), hill slope (Nagoni in Himalaya), amidst the agricultural landscape (in West Bengal, Karnataka), coastal plain (e.g., Edayilekkadu in Kerala) and Rajasthan desert. With the rapid ongoing changes in society and land use patterns, nowhere except groves one can expect regional ecosystem characteristics which can be served as models or replica for researchers and educators. The importance of sacred grove in nature conservation has been increased manifold in recent time especially after the declaration of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Community based conservation initiatives are one of the prime agendas for CBD for which sacred grove tradition can be portrayed as role model. The importance of sacred groves in socio-religious life as well as livelihood security has been felt by the indigenous communities from time immemorial which are actually substantiated by numerous local customs, folk lore, social and religious taboos throughout India.


Controversy exists in the United States regarding the proper evaluation and management of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) and equivocal (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASCUS, now ASC-US]) cervical cytologic interpretations. To address this issue, the National Cancer Institute initiated the ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study (ALTS). ALTS is a multicenter, randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate 3 alternative methods of management, namely, immediate colposcopy, cytologic follow-up, and triage by human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing. This article summarizes the major findings of ALTS that have been published to date. Patients with ASCUS (n = 3488) or LSIL (n = 1572) were randomly assigned to research arms between November 1996 and December 1998, and were monitored for 2 years. The disease outcome was histologic cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 3/cancer. The prevalence of oncogenic HPV was too high to permit effective triage of LSIL using HPV DNA testing by Hybrid Capture 2. However, for the women referred with a cytologic interpretation of ASCUS, HPV triage proved useful, with sensitivity equivalent to immediate colposcopy and a halving of colposcopic referrals. Among older women with ASCUS, HPV testing remained sensitive for detecting CIN 3 and cancer, but the referral percentage was dramatically lower compared to younger women. ALTS yielded insight into the performance of cytology and histopathology; experienced pathologists differed significantly in their interpretations of cervical abnormalities, especially histologic CIN 1 and cytologic ASCUS. Nonetheless, it was possible to distinguish a relatively uncommon type of ASCUS, equivocal for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, that has a high positive predictive value for identifying women with underlying high-grade CIN. Many additional analyses are underway.


For several years, several drugs have been used to treat different types of cancer; however, some of these drugs can cause side effects, such as high blood pressure, liver damage, and erectile dysfunction. In the search for new therapeutic alternatives, some compounds have been developed for the treatment of this clinical pathology; however, the interaction of these drugs with some biomolecules involved in the development of cancer is very unclear. Analyzing this data, this investigation aimed to evaluate the possible theoretical interaction of some pyrimidinone derivatives (compounds 1 to 27) on the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) involved in cancer using the Docking model. The results showed that some pyrimidinone derivatives (1-6, 10, 11, 14, 15, 22-24, 26, and 27) could interact with the XIAP protein surface. In conclusion, these data suggest that some pyrimidinone derivatives can produce changes in the biological activity of XIAP. Therefore, these pyrimidinone derivatives could be good candidates to treat cancer.


The recent trend of herbal drug delivery has been focused on developing
novel drug delivery carriers to address problems related to solubility, oral bioavailability, skin permeation
and stability. The phyto-phospholipid complex (phytosomes®) technology has been used to
overcome the problems associated with many conventional herbal extracts.

The present work aimed to formulate phospholipid-complex of the flavanoid Hesperidin to
enhance its dissolution leading to enhanced oral bioavailability.

The complex was prepared by refluxing various molar ratios of hesperidin and PC followed
by solvent evaporation. The prepared complexes were evaluated for saturation solubility,
partition co-efficient and drug content. The free drug and phospholipid complexes were analyzed in
DSC. Surface morphology of the prepared complexes was viewed using SEM images. Selected
formulations were subjected to in vitro drug release study. Antioxidant effect was examined by free
radical scavenging method.

Solubility and partition coefficient of the prepared complexes were improved in comparison
to free drug. Based on the results of solubility, partition coefficient and drug content, formulation
F2 was selected as an optimized batch. DSC thermograms confirmed the formation of phospholipid
complex. Free Hesperidin and Hesperidin-phospholipid complex (F2) showed 46.9 % and
78.20 % of drug release, respectively, at seven hours phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). The optimized
formulation showed concentration-dependent anti-oxidant property.

Results of the present study suggested that the phospholipid complex of Hesperidin
possesses the antioxidant potential and may be of potential use for improving the dissolution of
hesperidin and hence oral bioavailability.


Following the declaration of the COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic in March 2020, a state of alarm was decreed in Spain. In this situation, healthcare workers experienced high levels of stress, anxiety and depression due to the heavy workload and working conditions. Although Spain experienced a progressive decline in the number of COVID-19 cases until the last week of May (when a flattening of the case curve was achieved) and the work overload among health workers was substantially reduced, several studies have shown that this work overload is associated with the later emergence of psychological symptoms induced by stress. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of stress, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and compassionate fatigue in health professionals. The sample consisted of 973 health professionals 16.5% men, 82.9% women, and one non-binary person. The data were collected through an online questionnaire sent to the participants by e-mail. DASS-21 was used to measure anxiety, stress and depression, PCL-C to measure post-traumatic stress and ProQOL -vIV to measure compassion fatigue. In addition, other descriptive variables that could be related to these levels of psychological symptomatology were evaluated. The results reveal that after the work overload experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers report psychological symptoms, post-traumatic stress and compassion fatigue. It is therefore recommended that these professionals be provided with psychological help in order to reduce the emotional impact of COVID-19, and consequently improve their mental health.


AIM
This paper is a report of a study exploring nurses' views and experience regarding their working lives in Mainland China.

BACKGROUND
The widespread nursing shortage and high turnover has become a global issue. Job satisfaction among nurses is a key factor in nurse turnover. Although several models of job satisfaction have been suggested in Western countries, these require further development and testing in Mainland China, where the social context of the labour market is different.

METHOD
A survey design using questionnaires was adopted. A total of 512 hospital nurses in Beijing participated in the study in 2004, representing a response rate of 81%.

FINDINGS
There was a negative relationship between nurses' job satisfaction and intention to leave their current hospitals, which was mediated by age (P < 0.05). About 40% of the variance in job satisfaction could be explained by the set of independent variables including organizational commitment, occupational stress, professional commitment, role conflict, role ambiguity, educational level, age and working years (R2 = 0.396). Organizational commitment had the strongest impact on job satisfaction, which explained 31.3% of the variance in this, followed by occupational stress and role conflict (5.5% and 1.9% respectively). In addition, both nurses' role perception and actual role content influenced job satisfaction as well as occupational stress, role conflict and role ambiguity (P < 0.05). Nurses' educational level was also a factor related to role perception, professional commitment and role conflict (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Nurses' job satisfaction could be increased through promoting organizational and professional commitment and reducing occupational stress, role conflict and role ambiguity.


We have incorporated the IRT assay for CF to our newborn screening program, relying heavily on electronic data processing to optimize the test results in order to provide the most reliable data possible from the specimen at hand. We have established an internal cut-off of 100 ng/mL and an external referral of 180 ng/mL; this virtually eliminates the possibility that analytical imprecision will result in misidentifying a positive patient specimen. The relationship between IRT levels and various mutant forms of CF are not well established, and it is possible that various forms of CF may exhibit different levels of IRT in the first few days of life. We believe that IRT screening for CF could be a useful procedure for early identification of potential CF. However, by comparison with other newborn screening tests, its sensitivity, 90%, presents a concern. The expectation for PKU, hypothyroidism, MSUD, and galactosemia screening is 100% sensitivity. A false-negative usually results in litigation. The use of IRT in routine newborn screening will require considerable education of the general public and physicians receiving test results. Our program, along with many others, is anxiously watching the developments in the area of gene testing. We feel the relatively inexpensive IRT, used for mass screening can be successfully coupled with the more definitive (and expensive) gene test on a selected population to identify CF at the earliest possible age in a more effective manner. It is possible that in the near future gene probe tests will be applied in a cost effective manner to the initial filter paper specimen.


Prospecting allows individuals to gather information on the local quality of potential future breeding sites. In a variable and heterogeneous environment, it plays a major role in breeding habitat selection and potentially helps individuals make optimal dispersal decisions. Although prospecting movements, involving visits to other breeding sites, have been observed in many species at relatively fine spatial scales, little is known about their occurrence at larger scales. Furthermore, the adaptive value of dispersal strategies in response to environmental changes remains poorly investigated. Here, our main objective is to highlight in what ways tracking devices could constitute powerful tools to study prospecting behaviour at various spatial scales. First, we stress the importance of considering prospecting movements involved in breeding habitat selection and we detail the type of data that can be collected. Then, we review the advantages and constraints associated with the use of tracking devices in this context, and we suggest new perspectives to investigate the behavioural strategies adopted by individuals during breeding habitat selection processes and dispersal decisions. The rapid development of new powerful electronic tools for tracking individual behaviour thus opens a wide range of opportunities. More specifically, it may allow a more thorough understanding of the role of scale‐dependent dispersal behaviour in population responses to environmental changes.


The attractor of a chaotic dynamical system may have a multi-fractal measure which can be described by a spectrum of fractal dimensions. These dimensions do not characterize local geometrical structures that may exist within the attractor and in physical situations these may be important. It is therefore of interest to have a more effective means of characterizing the local structure of fractal sets and it is this problem that is addressed in this thesis. The problem is approached by considering the statistical distributions of the size and shape of very small triangular constellations of points sampling the fractal measure. The approach is illustrated, and validated, using fractal clusters of particles formed by advection and diffusion in a two-dimensional compressible random flow, which models turbulence.

Our numerical simulations show that as the compressibility parameter of the fluid passes through a critical value the distribution of the flatness of constellations undergoes a phase transition. We develop a theoretical model for this phenomenon which correctly predicts the critical value of the compressibility. Also, by representing the effects of the flow as a stochastic matrix process, we show that for a range of values of compressibility the probability density of the size of constellations is a modified power law. For a fractal cluster generated by the random flow we derive an expression for the Renyi dimension of order three, D3, in terms of the probability density of the size of constellations and find it is in agreement with the results of other authors, obtained using other methods.


The chemotherapy magnetically controlled under Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is currently one of the active areas of cancer research. This paper proposes a precise model of a therapeutic microrobot magnetically steered in blood vessels. This modeling approach takes into account the non-Newtonian behavior of blood, as well as wall effect on the blood's profile and robot-to-wall interaction forces. A backstepping approach law is used to ensure a null error between the real trajectory and an optimal reference trajectory deduced from the highly nonlinear model. The strengths and limitations of the overall study are evaluated by simulations.


This essay shows the evolution of the Italian Electrical system identifying four phases: the origins (1880s-1920s); the phase of the great "grids" (1920s-40s); that of the integrated national system (1950s-1970s); the rise of new technologies of generation and the opening of the market for electricity (from the 1980s). The essay shows also that each technological phase corresponds to an organizational formula (local private or municipal firms in the first phase, regional private firms in the age of "grids"; big firms, usually publicly owned, in the phase of the integrated systems) and to a specific practice of tariffs (from a simple forfait tariff in the first phase, to sophisticated shadow marginal price in the eve of national integrated systems, in the third phase; to a price cap approach in the current phase of privatization). The essay describes how this general, complex dynamics of the electrical systems shows also original national features. For example, the phase of "grids", in Italy, shows a regional pattern instead of a national one, because of the prevalence of the hydro generation, of the conflict among financial groups with different strategies of growth and of many municipally owned firms controlling some large market like Turin, Milan and Rome. The third phase shows a great time lag in Italy in comparison with France or United Kingdom, which is essentially due to the private property still prevailing, but after the nationalisation of 1962, it proceeds to a very rapid integration of production, transmission and distribution. In Italy, the regulatory system is very original and quite uneffective as a whole. It is in operation in different forms since the Post World War I, and shows a great range of purposes: it goes from a simple price control during the periods of inflation, to anti-monopolistic intervention, up to considering energy policy as a part of economic planning in the Sixties.


Summary 1. Twenty-six out of 28 out-patients with agoraphobia and social phobias who had originally been treated with phenelzine or placebo in a double-blind clinical trial were followed up for a mean period of one year. During the follow-up period patients received further pharmacotherapy or behaviour therapy, except that those patients originally receiving placebo were not allowed therapy with monoamine oxidase inhibitors. 2. Ratings of phobic and additional symptoms, social adjustment and degree of personality disorder were made after one year by one of the authors (D.S.) who had no prior knowledge of the treatment each patient had received. 3. There were no significant differences in any of the ratings between the patients of the two groups, but those originally receiving placebo had more additional treatment in the follow-up period. Patients continuing to receive phenelzine frequently experienced a return of symptoms if the drug was withdrawn before six months treatment had elapsed. 4. Degree of personality disorder showed a significant negative correlation (p = –0.6) with improvement in the phenelzine group but not in those receiving placebo originally. 5. Improvement in social adjustment items was less than improvement in symptoms at follow-up. The implications of this are discussed. 6. The results suggest that phenelzine is of comparable efficacy to other symptomatic treatments for agoraphobia and social phobias, but that it acts mainly by symptom suppression. Prolonged treatment in patients with personality disorders is not indicated, for improvement is less likely and the dangers of dependence are greater.


The present work aims at evaluating the effectiveness of the use of porous materials for reducing airfoil turbulence-impingement noise. To pursue this objective, a porous NACA-0024 profile filled with melamine foam has been designed for comparison with a solid model. The porous media constituting the airfoil has been fully characterized in order to determine the parameters that describe the material. The two profiles have been tested in a rod airfoil configuration in the anechoic chamber of von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics. A free-stream velocity of 30 m/s (corresponding to a chord-based Reynolds number of 3.2·105) and an angle of attack of 0◦ have been considered for the tests. Hot-wire anemometry measurements have been performed with the aim of characterizing the boundary layers around the two airfoils and investigating the eventual nose mitigation mechanisms that occur due to the porous treatment. Moreover, the static pressure distributions along the two surfaces have been studied to find correlations with the velocity profiles. The results show that the use of a porous treatment leads to a decrease of turbulence-impingement noise in the low-frequency range and to an increase in the high-frequency one, mostly due to surface roughness noise. The application of an inverse beamforming technique has lead to a qualitative comparison of noise distribution maps at different one-third octave band frequencies for the two cases. Furthermore, the pressure values of each map point within a rectangular region surrounding the leading edge have been summed in order to retrieve the integrated one-third octave band spectra.


The induced lipogenesis and its regulation in C2C12 myoblasts remain largely unclear. Here, we found that the cocktail method could significantly induce lipogenesis through regulating lipid metabolic genes and Erk1/2 phosphorylation in myoblasts. Meanwhile, the expression and secretion of CTRP6 were increased during ectopic lipogenesis. Moreover, CTRP6 knockdown down-regulated the levels of lipogenic genes and phosphorylated Erk1/2 (p-Erk1/2) in the early lipogenic stage, whereas up-regulated p-Erk1/2 in the terminal differentiation. Interestingly, the effect of CTRP6 siRNA was attenuated by U0126 (a special p-Erk1/2 inhibitor) in myoblasts. Furthermore, AdipoR1, not AdipoR2, was first identified as a receptor of CTRP6 during the process of mitotic clonal expansion. Collectively, we suggest that CTRP6 mediates the ectopic lipogenesis through AdipoR1/Erk/PPARγ signaling pathway in myoblasts. Our findings will shed light on the novel biological function of CTRP6 during myoblast lipogenesis and provide a hopeful direction of improving meat quality of domestic animal by lipogenic regulation in skeletal muscle myoblasts.


Over the past two decades the ideology of shareholder value has become entrenched as a principle of corporate governance among companies. A well-established corporate governance system suggests effective control and accounting systems, stringent monitoring, effective regulatory mechanism and efficient utilisation of firms' resources resulting in improved performance. The object of the research presented in this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the effects of corporate governance on shareholder value maximization of the listed companies in Ghana. Data from ten companies listed on Ghana Stock Exchange covering the period 2003 –2007 were used and analysis done within the panel data framework. The dependent variables, dividend per share and dividend yield are used as a measure of shareholder wealth maximization and the relation between corporate governance and shareholder wealth maximization is investigated. The regression results show that both the board size and the independence have statistically significant relationship with shareholder wealth maximization.


Drift waves in a rotating toroidal plasma are considered for an axisymmetric, large aspect-ratio tokamak with concentric, circular magnetic surfaces. The analysis performed is based on rigorously derived eigenmode equations, coupled in poloidal mode numbers through the toroidal effects. Plasma rotation is driven by the radial electrostatic field typical for the H confinement mode of plasma in tokamaks. The strong and weak coupling approximation that takes into account the toroidal coupling of normal modes centered on the neighbouring rational surfaces are considered. The derived eigenmode equation of the Weber type has two classes of solutions giving either marginally stable global drift modes or propagating drift waves which experiences shear damping Analytical dispersion relations for both global and propagating drift waves are obtained and their simple solutions are found for some limiting cases.


For the first time, the total yield and inclusive spectra of the $\Delta^{++}(1232)$isobar are measured in $\nu p$ and $\nu n$ charged-current interactions. An indication is obtained that the $\Delta^{++}(1232)$ production mainly results from the neutrino scattering on the valence d- quark of the target nucleon. The total yield of $\Delta^{++}(1232)$ in $\nu p$ interactions is compatible with that measured in hadronic interactions of the same net charge and net baryonic number. The yield of $\Delta^{++}(1232)$ in $\nu n$ interactions is significantly suppressed as compared to the case of the proton target. The form of the squared transverse momentum distributions, both in $\nu p$ and $\nu n$ interactions, is found to be compatible with the available data on the neutrinoproduction of $\Lambda$ hyperon. The experimental data are compared with the LEPTO6.5 model predictions.


In Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS), a large number of tenants share DBaaS resources (CPU, I/O and Memory). While the DBaaS provider runs DBaaS to "share" resources across the entire tenant population to maximize resource utilization and minimize cost, the tenants subscribe to DBaaS at a low price point while still having resources conceptually "isolated" according to service level agreements (SLAs). To optimize this dichotomy of goals, we propose a dynamic resource allocation framework that periodically re-allocates resources to tenants to maximize resource utilization while tolerating a low risk of SLA violations. We model the resource allocation problem as a modified unbounded knapsack problem. The model introduces an additional fairness constraint to assign residual resources to active tenants, while avoiding that few tenants consume all residual resources. Performed experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed allocation algorithm for a synthetic workload with burstiness and predicted tenant behavior.


1. Newly germinated seedlings of six tree and shrub species with very small seeds (31–460 μg dry mass), one light-demanding and five shade-tolerant at the stage of establishment in the wild, were grown for 5 months in neutral shade houses with 0·5, 1, 3·5 and 7·5% daylight.

2. The ratio of yield in 7·5% to that in 1% was 8:1 for the light-demanding Melastoma malabathricum but only 2:1 for the confamilial shade-tolerator Pternandra echinata. The Pternandra, Urophyllum hirsutum, Ficus chartacea, Ficus grossularioides and Pellacalyx saccardianus showed a graded series of responses to irradiance, generally consistent with their apparent demands for light in the wild. In contrast, survival of very deep shade was not clearly related to light demand in nature.

3. The results support the conclusion drawn from observational studies that large seed size is not primarily adaptive in resisting shade but in resisting the associated risks of burial by litter, desiccation during dry spells, uprooting by birds and other kinds of damage by animals or falling debris.


Spleen cells from Nippostrongylus brasiliensis‐infected mice produce large amounts of histamine in response to adult worm antigen. This phenomenon results from the production of HCSF (histamine‐producing cell‐stimulating factor, probably related to IL3) by sensitized lymphocytes. This factor acts on its target cells (presumably mast cell precursors) by inducing a rapid increase in histamine synthesis. Similarly, parasite infection generates enhanced histamine production by spleen cells in response to concanavalin A (Con A). This results from increases in both HCSF production and the HCSF sensitivity of its target cells. In all cases, maximal histamine and HCSF productions are obtained on day 8 after infection and coincide with parasite rejection. Methyl prednisolone suppresses HCSF production by infected mouse spleen cells in response to worm antigen or Con A. HCSF activity is found in vivo on day 8 in the sera of infected mice, 4 h after they are challenged with an i. v. injection of adult worm antigen. No activity is detected in the sera of normal mice with or without antigen injection. Sera from infected mice that did not receive the antigen exhibit a slight HCSF activity on day 8. Our data bring the first evidence of the existence of an in vivo production of HCSF.


Although the significance of curiosity in motivating and directing learning has received substantial scholarly support, little information exists about curiosity's importance in adult learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate curiosity's possible relevance in an adult learning context, the workplace. Specifically, this study was an examination of adult curiosity's relationship to socialization-related learning, and ultimately job performance. one job performance instrument (developed to assess technical and interpersonal job performance) were administered in four service-industry organizations. Demographic data were also collected and the final sample included 233 employees. Two-, three-, and four-factor curiosity models were examined to clarify the nature of the curiosity construct. Curiosity factor scores were subsequently used as independent variables in multiple regression equations to assess their research utility. Three a priori determined, recursive path models suggesting a causal influence of curiosity on socialization-related learning and job performance were tested as well. Standardized partial regression coefficients were calculated from a combination of the correlational matrix containing the three main study variables (curiosity, socialization-related learning, and job performance), and their standard deviations, using the EQS for Windows 5.4 routine. Multiple loadings of several of the curiosity subscales on the curiosity factors indicate a conceptual overlap between the Sensation Seeking and Venturesomeness curiosity factors; thus, the nature of curiosity may be best represented by a Cognitive Curiosity and Sensation Seeking factor interpretation. The findings also suggest that the two-factor curiosity model may have had the best research utility for the purposes of this study. The three-and four-factor curiosity solutions did not explain a significant amount of additional variance in the multiple regression models predicting socialization-related learning and job performance. Results suggest, too, that curiosity has both a direct and an indirect causal influence on job performance. This research indicates that curiosity or the desire for information has a weak but significant direct effect on total job performance, and its effect on total job performance can also be mediated by the learning associated with the socialization process. When examining curiosity's effect on the two separate job performance dimensions, i.e., technical and interpersonal, curiosity's only significant effect on both job performance dimensions was mediated through the socialization-related learning variable. Overall, this study's findings suggest support for adult curiosity as being relevant in the socialization process and in job performance as well. iv To my children, Stephanie, Brooke, and Dillon, with all my love v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take …


Jatropha is a pioneer plant that can easily grow even on marginal lands and has high potential as an oil-producing plant for renewable fuels. This plant is an annual plant that can grow until the age of 50 years, in the form of a bush and begins to produce at 6 months after planting with a productivity varying from 0.5 to 12 tons/ha/year with an oil yield of 25-30% and maximum production will be achieved after planting. Plants 4-6 years old. Jatropha has the potential to become an alternative energy source and become a biofuel with renewable energy sourcesor renewable green energy; in addition to other benefits in traditional medicine for various types of diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the increase in the initial growth of Jatropha cuttings by giving organic growth regulators. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded as follows: There was no significant interaction in the treatment combination between the concentration of organic growth regulators and the factor of internode location on all dependent variables observed in the early growth of Jatropha stem cuttings. The internode location factor showed a significant effect on the variable number of leaves, shoot length, root length, number of roots, root wet weight, root dry weight, and the location of the 12th internode (R2) gave better results than the 10th internode location. (R1). The concentration factor of organic growth regulators also showed a significant effect on the variables of leaf number, shoot length, root length, root number, root wet weight, root dry weight and K2 treatment (5 ml per liter of water) gave better and more efficient results. compared to other treatments.


The literature on retailers' range rationalization is limited and focuses primarily on the consequences thereof from a consumer perspective. Drawing on the extant research on buyer-supplier relationships, brand management, and market orientation (MO) in business-to-business (B2B) markets, our research explores the antecedents of product de-listing in retail channels. It unlocks the link between relationship duration and product de-listing by examining the role of MO and brand diffusion. Using a combination of primary data with both objective and perceptual measures and proprietary objective data from a sample of suppliers to a large British supermarket, we find that the supplier's brand diffusion is an essential means of utilizing relationship duration between suppliers and retailers to reduce product de-listing in retail stores. Additionally, we find that MO plays opposite moderating roles in the links between relationship duration, brand diffusion, and product de-listing. It strengthens the negative influence of relationship duration on product de-listing, while it weakens the positive influence of relationship duration on brand diffusion. Our study contributes to research on marketing channels and B2B marketing by highlighting the limitations of relational view theory and unveiling the role of brand diffusion and MO in explaining the outcomes of buyer-supplier relationships in retail channels.


This paper was designed to investigate and examine the problems encountered by private residential property developers in developing their residential accommodation in Makama Jahun neighbourhood of Bauchi Metropolis Two hundred respondents were selected through stratified random sampling. Data were presented using simple percentage distribution tables and complete theoretical analyses were used to analyze data that are not numerical in nature. The analysis revealed that high cost of building materials, non-use of local building materials, low income of the majority of the respondents and poor source finance amongst others were discovered to be the major constraints to residential property development in the study area. Others are problem of land acquisition and statutory regulation which were also among the obstacles faced by the respondents. In other to make a meaningful and adequate coverage the study is limited to Makama Jahun area of Bauchi metropolis. This paper represents the first work that analyse the problems of private residential property development in Makama Jahun neighbourhood of Bauchi metropolis, Nigeria. To arrest this situation, the use of local building materials should be encouraged by the respondents. Financial institutions should scale down on their stringent lending requirements for a building loan. The chains of schedule in formal land acquisition should be reduced by the government and thereby quicken acquisition process. If these are followed, it will help to combat residential development problems identified in the study area and other similar blighter neighbourhoods. Index Terms—Housing problem, Neighbourhood, Nigeria, Private residential property, Property development.


The optical properties and plasmon resonance coupling of double coaxial gold nanotube arrays are investigated. The results show that the optical transmission is highly tunable by varying the thicknesses of the inner and outer nanotubes, the separation between the inner and outer nanotubes, and the dielectric parameters inside, between, and outside the two nanotubes. The shorter-wavelength transmission bands are very sensitive to the modification of the wall thickness of the outer nanotube, the separation, and the dielectric parameters between the double nanotubes. The dipole and multipolar plasmon modes are excited in our model. However, for small separation and refractive index, the dipole normal mode has a leading function in the transmission properties. Compared with the dipolar modes, the contribution of higher-order modes becomes larger as the parameters increase.


ABSTRACT Background: Dementia is associated with poor quality of life, but generic measures do not fully capture main aspects of these conditions. Our aim was to validate a Spanish version of the "dementia-specific health-related quality of life" DEMQOL system. Methods: We validated the Spanish DEMQOL and DEMQOL-Proxy in 119 people with dementia from six centers and their caregivers. Patient-reported information, including generic (WHOQOL-BREF) and dementia-specific (DEMQOL) health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms (GDS-15), functional ability (Barthel Index), subjective perception of health and demographic information, was obtained by interview. Proxy-reported information from a family caregiver about the patient's quality of life (DEMQOL-Proxy) was also obtained by interview. Results: The Spanish DEMQOL showed good psychometric properties. Acceptability (14.3% missing data), internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.85) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.71) were good. A priori hypotheses about the relationship between DEMQOL and the WHOQOL-BREF (psychological and physical domains), GDS-15 and Barthel Index were confirmed, indicating good construct validity. Associations between DEMQOL-Proxy and other measures were weaker. A three-factor solution accounted for 44.4% of the total variance of DEMQOL, and a four-factor solution accounted for 53.3% of the total variance of DEMQOL- Proxy. Conclusion: The Spanish versions of DEMQOL and DEMQOL-Proxy are reliable and valid in patients with mild/moderate dementia who are living at home.


Photographic measurements of the earth-surface displacement were made on the GNOME event an underground nuclear detonation near Carlsbad, New Mexico November 1961. One long range and three short range photo stations were used to provide complementary coverage. Motionless inertia weights were measured against graduated targets rigidly anchored to the surface. The experiment is described in detail including target/weight arrangement, camera specifications, and photo station locations in relation to Surface Zero. Analysis of results from 6 films from close-in stations and one film from the long range station are reported. The peak displacement measured was slightly greater than six feet at a location 106 feet from surface zero. (auth)


Nowadays OCD are, from a diagnostic as well as mediatic viewpoint, a very trendy phenomenon; it is also interesting to note that it occurred together with the coming out of the SSRI. A danger however results of this state of things: on the one hand, the excessive medicalisation of troubles that mostly depend on a psychotherapic approach; on the other hand, the standardizing of a syndrome that, beyond its apparent unicity, encompasses very different psychopathologic entities, which have to be sorted out first, before choosing the most suitable therapeutic approach.


Optimization is the task of minimizing or maximizing an objective function f(x) parameterized by x. A series of effective numerical optimization methods have become popular for improving the performance and efficiency of other methods characterized by high-quality solutions and high convergence speed. In recent years, there are a lot of interest in hybrid metaheuristics, where more than one method is ideally combined into one new method that has the ability to solve many problems rapidly and efficiently. The basic concept of the proposed method is based on the addition of the acceleration part of the Gravity Search Algorithm (GSA) model in the Firefly Algorithm (FA) model and creating new individuals. Some standard objective functions are used to compare the hybrid (FAGSA) method with FA and the traditional GSA to find the optimal solution. Simulation results obtained by MATLAB R2015a indicate that the hybrid algorithm has the ability to cross the local optimum limits with a faster convergence than the luminous Fireflies algorithm and the ordinary gravity search algorithm. Therefore, this paper proposes a new numerical optimization method based on integrating the properties of the two methods (luminous fireflies and gravity research). In most cases, the proposed method usually gives better results than the original methods individually.


By combining high-resolution X-ray powder diffraction data and stereochemical restraints, Rietveld refinement of protein crystal structures has been shown to be feasible. A refinement of the 1261-atom protein metmyoglobin was achieved by combining 5338 stereochemical restraints with a 4648-step (dmin = 3.3 A) powder diffraction pattern to give the residuals Rwp = 2.32%, Rp = 1.66%, R(F2) = 3.10%. The resulting tertiary structure of the protein is essentially identical to that obtained from previous single-crystal studies.


In this study, the effects of micro-structural parameters such as particle volume fraction, size and random distribution of Al 6061/SiC particulate metal-matrix composite (MMC) beams on free vibration response and the active vibration control are investigated. For this purpose, numerical particle-reinforced MMC (PRMMC) beam specimens were modeled with 3D finite elements, and the cubic-shaped reinforcing SiC particles were randomly distributed in Al 6061 metal matrix similar to an actual micro-structure. The particle size and especially volume fraction play an important role on the natural frequencies of the smart PRMMCs although they have no effect on the mode shapes. The random particle distribution has minor effect on the natural frequencies of the smart PRMMCs. With the increase of the feedback control gain, both the vibration amplitude and the suppression time are reduced reasonably. Increasing the particle volume fraction induces an important reduction in the damping time and the vibration amplitude for both the controlled and uncontrolled damped vibrations. Finally, increasing the particle size decreases the vibration suppression capacity and increases the vibration amplitude and time slightly. Random particle distribution had no obvious effect on the uncontrolled and controlled vibrations.


The fascinating properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) make them highly promising in fabricating polymer composites. Yet, the property enhancements of polymer/CNTs composites remain far behind the theoretical predictions. A critical issue to resolve this dilemma is to align CNTs in polymer matrices. Thus far, the state of art approaches to create CNT alignment either require complicated preparation processes and specific apparatuses, or is limited to thermoplastic polymers. Here, inspired by the network rearrangement ability of vitrimer in the solid state, we bring forth a facile methodology to align CNT in covalently cross-linked polymers by uniaxially stretching dynamic. Specifically, dynamic boronic ester bond-cross-linked epoxidized natural rubber/CNTs vitrimer composites with randomly dispersed CNTs are prepared, which are able to rearrange the network topologies and release stress at elevated temperatures through boronic ester transesterifications. The alignment of CNTs is performed by the uniaxial stretching of the composites and subsequent cross-link reshuffling at elevated temperatures, which results in anisotropic composites with remarkably enhanced mechanical properties and reduced electrical conductivity along the stretching direction. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the composites can be readily adjusted by changing the applied strain, relaxation time and temperature due to the modulated CNT alignment degree. With this example, we envisage that this work offers a conceptual and facile approach to align anisotropic fillers in covalently cross-linked polymers.


The pore-forming peptide amoebapore is considered part of the cytolytic armament of pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica. Amoebapore is composed of 77 amino acid residues arranged in four alpha-helical domains. For structure-function analysis, synthetic peptides were constructed corresponding to these four domains: H1 (residues 1-22), H2 (25-39), H3 (40-64), and H4 (67-77). The peptides H1 and H3, representing two highly amphipathic alpha-helical regions of amoebapore, possessed pore-forming activity. Peptide H3 displayed cytolytic and antibacterial functions similar to those of natural amoebapore. The most potent antibacterial activity and the broadest activity spectrum were expressed by H1-Mel, a hybrid molecule composed of the N-terminal alpha-helix of amoebapore and the C-terminal hexapeptide of melittin from the venom of Apis mellifera.


This thesis develops computational and applied tools to study differentiated
products. The core of the thesis focuses on Berry, Levinsohn,
and Pakes's [1995] (BLP hereafter) model of differentiated products.
First, I examine how polynomial-based methods for multi-dimensional
numerical integration improve the performance of the model. Unlike
Monte Carlo integration, these rules produce reliable point estimates
and standard errors as well as increasing the accuracy and execution
speed of the estimation software. Next, I conduct a large scale simulation
study to investigate both the asymptotic and finite sample
behavior of the BLP model using the traditional instruments formed
from characteristics of rival goods and also supply-side cost shifters,
which are necessary for asymptotic identification. The final part of the
thesis evaluates the 2003 merger of Morrisons and Safeway by combining
a discrete/continuous choice model of demand with census data to
construct a geographic distribution of demand. I use this distribution
to model the interaction between the location of consumers and stores,
focusing on the welfare implications of the merger.


The proposal is addressing the need of European manufacturing companies of a new model that go beyond lean manufacturing to ensure the transformation of the enterprise into lean environment. This is to response to the customers and market demands of value creation incorporating sustainability, culture and customisation. A s ignificant change in enterprise performance can come from the adoption of lean thinking throughout the entire product life cycle. The aim is to develop a new model based on lean thinking that will consider entire product life cycle, providing a knowledge based environment to support value creation to the customers in term of innovation and customisation, quality as well as sustainable and affordable products. This will be called Lean Product and Process Development (LeanPPD) paradigm. The required knowledge for value creation in LeanPPD model will be developed based on the European standard and open architecture to ensure data and knowledge integrity and to provide a lean environment across the product life cycle and the supply chain. The project proposes to develop novel set-based lean design tools that ensure the concurrent consideration and development of lean product design as well as it associated lean manufacturing system. The user driven approach will be ensured by the s ix business cases (BC) provided by the endusers from different sectors in the consortium. These BCs will serve to derive requirements upon the tools , methodology and models being developed , to test the solutions developed and will serve as industrial demonstrators of the proposed concept.


Background and aims: By incidence of modern technologies in different areas such as medicine which has been recognized as Telemedicine. This technology can play important role in increases quality level of medical services and health treatments. For successful increase of implementation and development of this technology in Iran needs to provide cultural, legal, political, social and technological atmosphere. Therefore assessing awareness volume of people and their attitude toward telemedicine can be an important factor in accepting this technology which indicated in this research. Methods: This research was done in 2016 with sectional and descriptive study on 676 Professional physician which provide health and treatment services at Tabriz University of Medical Science With random and questionnaire method including 4 sections,, awareness on telemedicine, attitude about telemedicine, utilization of telemedicine and barrier of telemedicine. Services based one extracted replies from completed questioners with SPSS software aid. Results: Awareness of physicians in related to telemedicine is poor, also 45 percent of physicians was use this technology that most usage is relate to phone council service and so from physician opinion's lack of suitable culture for utilization, lack of awareness about this technology and lack of infrastructure are most barriers to utilization from telemedicine. Conclusion: According to the statistics resulted from this research, it is understood that intendancy volume from this technology and its entrance to these hospitals accepted by many peoples. It is expected that it has developmental procedure in its reception and can be used properly with educational schedules and has economic effective benefits.


In this paper, the temperature dependence of single event latchup in CMOS structures is studied over a temperature range of 77-450 K through two-dimensional device simulation with full-temperature models. Single event latchup immunity first increases as the temperature decreases from 450 K to 120 K, and then decreases rapidly with further decrease in temperature. Therefore, superior latchup immunity can be expected at about 120 K. Furthermore, latchup immunity at 77 K is almost equal or somewhat inferior to that at room temperature. It can be predicted from our results that CMOS devices become extremely susceptible to single event latchup at temperatures below 77 K just as they do at very high temperatures. >


Whereas Rolf de Heer's 'Charlie's country' weaves a tale of one man's hardships and displacement from his aboriginal community, Molly Reynolds' complementary documentary exposes the real-life troubles faced by the Yolngu people of Ramingining. Laurence Barber unpacks these societal problems, as illuminated by this aesthetically immersive, obliquely political work.


One of the main problems arising after gravitational unloading is an orthostatic intolerance leading to failure in supporting the upright posture and performing natural locomotion. Among a number of causes for the orthostatic intolerance the decreased circulating blood volume, increased venous distention, alterations in microcirculation, loss of muscular tonus, and regulatory disturbances could be mentioned. The later cause has been intensively studied recently. The aim of the present study is to examine the alterations induced by simulated gravitational unloading in the reaction of resistance vessels of isolated hind limb to the sympathetic stimuli in rats.


We congratulate Dawrs and colleagues for their investigation of a possible link between nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary infections, gastro esophageal reflux, and microaspiration (1). The authors hypothesize that NTM may be deposited into the lung through extra esophageal reflux and microaspiration following intake from potable water systems and environmental sources (1). The investigators used in vitro modeling approaches and pHadjusted laboratory mycobacterial cultures to investigate the susceptibility of human airway epithelial cells to NTM infection. This was thoroughly done by employing submerged epithelial cultures and cells differentiated at an air–liquid interface. The study showed that a reference strain of Mycobacterium abscessus (American Type Culture Collection 19977) remained viable at pH 4 and 7.5, using an in vitro model of gastric juice conditions (1). The M. abscessus complex (MABSC) is a major respiratory pathogen associated with accelerated decline in lung function and is a relative contraindication to lung transplantation in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) (2). We have previously shown that MABSC can be isolated from the gastric juice of people with CF fed by Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Clonally related clinical organisms were also isolated from matching sputum in patients with symptoms of extraesophageal reflux, who are routinely treated with antacid medication (3). Reports showing that gastric juice can be a useful clinical sample for diagnosing M. tuberculosis add plausibility to our finding that the gastric compartment may be a reservoir of viable NTM. Disruption of gastric barrier function, inherent to Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy surgery, has been associated with NTM infection (4). Apart from NTM, we have also shown clonally related, biofilm-forming Pseudomanas aeruginosa isolates in the gastric juice and sputum of people with CF who reported associated symptoms of extraesophageal reflux (5). Viable fungal and bacterial microorganisms apart from MABSC and P. aeruginosa can be isolated from gastric juice sourced at gastroscopy in patients without lung disease when pH exceeds 4 (6). We conclude that patient-derived gastric and airway sampling show the gastrointestinal compartment can be a reservoir for a range of microbiological organisms relevant to pulmonary diseases with exchange possible. Ex vivo patient findings compliment the in vitro study of Dawrs and colleagues and indicate that microaspiration of organisms including MABSC may constitute a microbiological challenge to the lung. More generally, we suggest that an increased awareness of integrated "aerodigestive" physiology and pathophysiology may be an important and timely area of research. n


An analytical method is described for prediction of the interior noise levels for propeller-driven aircraft, given the exterior noise signature, its harmonic spectrum, and a description of the fuselage sidewall structure and various candidate "add-on" noise-control elements. The structural response is described by the theory of Koval, but simplified to consider the stiffeners as "smeared" elements. The incremental transmission loss (TL) due to add-on noise-control elements is derived from the Beranek and Work method. Comparisons between experimental data and the theory are presented. The method is reasonably accurate below the ring frequency, but is somewhat conservative at the normal incidence angle. This method is, however, expedient computationally, is economical, and permits rapid comparisons of noise-control penalties for various treatment concepts.