The CMOS silicon focal plan array technologies hybridized with infrared detectors materials allow to cover a wide range of applications in the field of space, airborne and grounded-based imaging. Regarding other industries which are also using embedded systems, the requirements of such sensor assembly can be seen as very similar; high reliability, low weight, low power, radiation hardness for space applications and cost reduction. Comparing to CCDs technology, excepted the fact that CMOS fabrication uses standard commercial semiconductor foundry, the interest of this technology used in cooled IR sensors is its capability to operate in a wide range of temperature from 300K to cryogenic with a high density of integration and keeping at the same time good performances in term of frequency, noise and power consumption. The CMOS technology roadmap predict aggressive scaling down of device size, transistor threshold voltage, oxide and metal thicknesses to meet the growing demands for higher levels of integration and performance. At the same time infrared detectors manufacturing process is developing IR materials with a tunable cut-off wavelength capable to cover bandwidths from visible to 20μm. The requirements of third generation IR detectors are driving to scaling down the pixel pitch, to develop IR materials with high uniformity on larger formats, to develop Avalanche Photo Diodes (APD) and dual band technologies. These needs in IR detectors technologies developments associated to CMOS technology, used as a readout element, are offering new capabilities and new opportunities for cooled infrared FPAs. The exponential increase of new functionalities on chip, like the active 2D and 3D imaging, the on chip analog to digital conversion, the signal processing on chip, the bicolor, the dual band and DTI (Double Time Integration) mode ...is aiming to enlarge the field of application for cooled IR FPAs challenging by the way the design activity.


We present results for matrix elements of $\Delta S=2$ four-fermion operators arising generically in models of new physics. These are needed to constrain such models using the measured values of $\varepsilon_K$ and $\Delta M_K$. We use lattice QCD with 2+1 flavors of improved staggered fermions on lattices generated by the MILC collaboration. We extrapolate to the continuum from three lattice spacings ranging down to $a\approx 0.045\;$fm. Total errors are $\sim 5-6%$, arising primarily from our use of one-loop matching between lattice and continuum operators. For two of the matrix elements, our results disagree significantly from those obtained using different fermion discretizations.


A document discusses a solution-assisted contacting technique for optical contacting. An optic of surface flatness Lambda/20 was successfully contacted with one of moderate surface quality, or Lambda/4. Optics used were both ultra-low expansion (ULE) glass (Lambda/4 and Lambda/20) and fused silica (Lambda/20). A stainless steel template of the intended interferometer layout was designed and constructed with three contact points per optic. The contact points were all on a common side of the template. The entire contacting jig was tilted at about 30 . Thus, when the isopropanol was applied, each optic slid due to gravity, resting on the contact points. All of the contacting was performed in a relatively dusty laboratory. A number of successful contacts were achieved where up to two or three visible pieces of dust could be seen. These were clearly visible due to refraction patterns between the optic and bench. On a number of optics, the final step of dropping isopropyl between the surfaces was repeated until a successful contact was achieved. The new procedures realized in this work represent a simplification for optical contacting in the laboratory. They will both save time and money spent during the contacting process, and research and development phases. The techniques outlined are suitable for laboratory experiments, research, and initial development stages.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Human peptide deformylase (hsPDF) expression has been detected in human cells, but it is unclear if the enzyme is functional. Our hypothesis is that hsPDF is functional in human cells. The objectives of this study were to 1) quantify hsPDF transcript levels in normal and cancerous cells and tissues and 2) determine the effects of hsPDF inhibition on the proliferation of normal and cancerous cells. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure hsPDF mRNA levels in normal and cancerous cell lines and tissues. Increases in hsPDF mRNA expression were seen in most cancer cell lines compared to the normal. hsPDF was up-regulated in most, but not all, cancer tissues compared to the normal, with the greatest differences observed in breast, colon, and lung tissues. Various cancer and normal cell lines were treated with increasing concentrations of a known PDF inhibitor, actinonin, and cell proliferation was assessed. The antiproliferative effects of actinonin were greater in prostate, colon, and breast cancer cell lines than in the normal cell lines. These results suggest that hsPDF is up-regulated in certain cancers, and that it may play an active role in the proliferation of human cells.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4062.


Citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) is the disease caused by the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa Wells. Dissemination occurs through insect vectors belonging to the order Hemiptera, family Cicadellidae (subfamily Cicadellinae), which transmit the bacteria after feeding on infected plants. The objective of this study was to identify the species of insect vectors in an orchard in the municipality of Paranavai, in the State of Parana. The experiment was conducted in a commercial stand of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck), Pera variety with 1,000 10-year-old plants. Monitoring was performed using yellow sticky traps, distributed in the central and peripheral areas of the orchard with two traps on each one. The stickers were distributed between the 5th and 30th plant in each 10 rows, totaling 20 traps in the orchard and renewed every thirty days during the evaluation period, which was between June 2005 and September 2006. The main species caught were Cicadellinae Acrogonia citrina Marucci & Cavichioli Dilobopterus costalimai Young and Macugonalia cavifrons Stal. These species occurred constantly, with frequencies of 3.97%, 4.2%, and 13.0% respectively, compared to the total leafhoppers collected.


The system of educational development in higher education should help university teachers continuously make their teaching more efficient in such a way that will lead to improved student learning. We argue that such a system should be based on at least three pillars, all leading to the enhancement of informed pedagogical conversations among teachers with the aim to improve student learning: educational development courses for university teachers, student feedback evaluations focusing on teaching and learning in the courses provided by the university and rewarding excellent university teachers. The article describes and analyses the important aspects of all the three pillars in a case study of the University of Economics in Bratislava and presents some of the intellectual outputs of an Erasmus+ project. Some of these outputs are already being piloted at this university in the academic year 2021/2022.


CERN's LHC Injection chain Upgrade (LIU) involves a revision of the Proton Synchrotron Booster dump, which was designed in the 1960's to cope with beam energies reaching 800 MeV and intensities of 1e+13 particles per pulse. Thermo-mechanical studies highlighted the need for an upgrade of the dump, so that it is capable of withstanding energies in the order of 2 GeV and intensities up to 1e+14 particles per pulse. This paper proposes a new design of the dump in the light of various constraints and choices such as the geometry, materials and the integration of the required cooling system. Further topics discussed include the strategy for dismantling the old device, which has been continuously irradiated for almost 40 years and presents a difficult access. Therefore, a detailed ALARA procedure is being prepared in order to carry out the upgrade works in the area.


In the first half of the 2020, we all have witnessed the measures taken to stop the spread of the novel Coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 disease and slow down the pandemic in almost the whole world. One of the most significant measures which was taken to prevent gatherings in public spaces is to stop in person education altogether and move education into digital platforms. On the other hand, in the second half of the 2020, we expect to observe a controlled normalization process until a vaccine is found. Considering that until a vaccine is found, the pandemic will keep affecting people and it will take time to turn back into regular social life, higher education institutions are also expected to adopt into this controlled social life which will last a while longer and keep increasing its educational and scientific activities in this environment. Although, it is still not certain how the higher education institutions will take shape and take its place in the "new normal", it is possible to say that there are many risks and opportunities waiting for the higher education institutions. While developments in distance and digital learning may be considered as a big opportunity for the universities, travel restrictions, economic stagnation, problems faced in distance learning and obstacles which was encountered in the internationalization process of higher education may be considered as ominously awaiting risks for the higher education institutions.


The genomes of maize and other eukaryotes contain stable haplotypes in regions of low recombination. These regions, including centromeres, long heterochromatic blocks and rDNA arrays have been difficult to analyze with respect to their diversity and origin. Greatly improved genome assemblies are now available that enable comparative genomics over these and other non-genic spaces. Using 26 complete maize genomes, we developed methods to align intergenic sequences while excluding genes and regulatory regions. The centromere haplotypes (cenhaps) extend for megabases on either side of the functional centromere regions and appear as evolutionary strata, with haplotype divergence/coalescence times dating as far back as 450 thousand years ago (kya). Application of the same methods to other low recombination regions (heterochromatic knobs and rDNA) and all intergenic spaces revealed that deep coalescence times are ubiquitous across the maize pan-genome. Divergence estimates vary over a broad time scale with peaks at ∼300 kya and 16 kya, reflecting a complex history of gene flow among diverging populations and changes in population size associated with domestication. Cenhaps and other long haplotypes provide vivid displays of this ancient diversity.


In a series of recent Articles William Baude and Stephen Sachs argue that as a matter of positive law — that is, as a matter of our convergent social practices — a form of originalism is in fact our law. Having provided an account of the content of the law they presume to also have provided an account of sound adjudication. But I argue that this inference requires showing that an account of the content of the law is explanatorily prior to an account of sound adjudication, and I argue that we need not accept this assumption. Indeed, if the positivist view endorsed Baude and Sachs is true, this assumption will turn out to be false. I then provide an account of how the contingent social practices that constitute positive law bear on the further question of how a judge ought to decide a case. And I argue that properly understood the normative relevance of these social practices cannot ground anything like a general duty to apply positive law. Thus, I argue that Baude and Sachs's positivist arguments have no bearing on the concerns that animate most normative constitutional theorizing — a concern to provide a theory of sound adjudication. Authors who have been concerned about the normative merits of different constitutional theories can safely ignore the positive turn.


Background Advance care planning (ACP) is still used with only a minority of older patients due to a lack of knowledge regarding appropriate approaches to ACP with older people. General practitioners (GPs) may play a key role in ACP with older people. We explored their experiences with different approaches to ACP with older patients in daily practice. Methods A qualitative study among a purposive sample of 19 Dutch GPs based on semi-structured interviews. Results Approaches to ACP with older patients can be divided into two categories: systematic and ad-hoc. Systematic approaches consisted of discussing a fixed combination of topics during group information meetings, intakes, comprehensive geriatric assessments, and periodic assessments with community-dwelling older patients who are frail, cognitively impaired, or aged >75, and with older patients living in residential care homes. Meetings were aimed at making agreements in anticipation of future care, at providing information and at encouraging older people to take further steps in ACP. With ad-hoc approaches, respondents discussed only one or two topics related to the near future with deteriorating patients or when patients or family-initiated ACP. Systematic and ad-hoc approaches were used simultaneously or sequentially. Due to a lack of time and knowledge respondents seemed to underuse many occasions and topics. Conclusions Awareness of appropriate systematic and ad-hoc approaches to ACP, and the focus on providing information and encouraging older people to take further steps in ACP can support GPs and improve older patients' access to ACP.


Within data grid environments, data replication is a general mechanism to improve performance and availability for distributed applications. However, it is a challenging problem to find the physical locations of multiple replicas of desired data efficiently in large-scale wide area data grid systems. In this paper, we proposed a new dynamic self-adaptive distributed replica location method - DSRL to solve the problem. In DSRL, each data element has a home node, which maintains the indices of the location information replicas. Home nodes are used to support locating multiple replicas of the same data element efficiently. Meanwhile, DSRL employs local location nodes which maintain the local replica information of data elements to support local query for local replicas. A dynamic mapping technique that can adapt to the joining or departing of home nodes is utilized to spread global replica location information evenly on location nodes. The correctness and properties of DSRL are presented and proved. Analysis and experiments show that DSRL can achieve low latency, good scalability, reliability, adaptability and ease of implementation.


Background Adverse intrauterine environment—reflected by low birth weight (LBW)—has been linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes later in life. Whether β-cell function reduction and insulin resistance could be detected even in middle-aged adults without overt diabetes is less investigated. We examined the association of LBW with β-cell function and insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic middle-aged adults from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil). Methods This is a cross-sectional analysis of 2,634 ELSA-Brasil participants aged between 34 and 59 years, without diabetes. Participants were stratified according to LBW defined as <2.5 kg and their clinical data were compared. HOMA-IR, HOMA-β, HOMA-adiponectin, TyG index, QUICKI and TG/HDL were calculated and their association with LBW were tested using multiple linear regression including adjustments suggested by Directed Acyclic Graphs and propensity score matching was applied. Results The sample (47.4 ± 6.3 years) was composed of 57.5% of women and 9% had LBW. Subjects with LBW and normal-weight reported similar BMI values at the age of 20 years and current BMI was slightly lower in the LBW group. In average, cardiometabolic risk profile and also indexes of β-cell function and insulin sensitivity were within normal ranges. In regression analysis, log-transformed HOMA-β—but not with the other indexes—was associated with LBW (p = 0.014) independent of sex, skin color, prematurity, and family history of diabetes. After applying propensity-score matching in a well-balanced sample, HOMA-AD and TG/HDL indexes were associated with LBW. Conclusion The association between LBW and insulin sensitivity markers may occur in healthy middle-aged adults before overt glucose metabolism disturbances. Our data are coherent with the detection of early life events consequent with insulin resistance markers that could contribute to the risk of glucose metabolism disturbances.


Organizations from different industries worldwide focus their efforts and budgets to enhance employees' creativity which is widely perceived as a major success ingredient in today's challenging business environment. Consequently, practitioners and managers establish reward systems to enhance employees' creativity. However, the literature presents opposing views pertaining to the relationship between rewards and employees creativity, such that some scholars find it important to be intrinsically motivated to be creative whereby others find extrinsic motivation (e.g. rewards) to be important to enhance creativity. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive literature review by presenting prominent theories addressing the role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in enhancing employees' creativity. It then highlights the research questions intended to be investigated and finally presents the context of proposed empirical research.
Keywords: creativity, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, rewards


This paper presents a novel method for quantitative and objective diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using eye tracking and deep neural networks. ASD is prevalent, with 1.5% of people in the US. The lack of clinical resources for early diagnoses has been a long-lasting issue. This work differentiates itself with three unique features: first, the proposed approach is data-driven and free of assumptions, important for new discoveries in understanding ASD as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders. Second, we concentrate our analyses on the differences in eye movement patterns between healthy people and those with ASD. An image selection method based on Fisher scores allows feature learning with the most discriminative contents, leading to efficient and accurate diagnoses. Third, we leverage the recent advances in deep neural networks for both prediction and visualization. Experimental results show the superior performance of our method in terms of multiple evaluation metrics used in diagnostic tests.


Molecular-dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate metallic-nanowire (NW) induced spontaneous scrolling of single-layered graphene (SLG) nanostructures. This unique behavior is attributed to the van der Waals attraction between the SLG and NW and the π-π stacking effect between SLG layers. The scrolling velocity shows a nonlinear dependence on time. Such self-scrolling of SLG is hindered by the surface roughness and especially the oxygen concentration of NW. SLGs with arbitrary sizes and shapes can wrap onto NW to form various configurations. The proposed discoveries eventually provide a powerful way to fabricate nanoscale composite materials and devices and tune their properties.


A number of nucleoside analogues are used successfully for the treatment of several cancers, and in particular leukemias and lymphomas, but these have distinct efficacies for different tumor types, and many malignancies do not respond to currently available nucleoside analogues or other forms of chemotherapy. A high throughput screen conducted in our lab to search for inhibitors of primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) identified the nucleoside analog 6-ethylthioinosine (6-ETI) as a potent and selective inhibitor of PEL, a largely incurable malignancy of B cell origin with plasmacytic differentiation. 6-ETI induced necrosis and ATP-depletion accompanied by S-phase arrest, DNA damage and inhibition of DNA synthesis. To understand 6-ETI mechanism of selectivity, RNA-seq analysis of in vitro generated drug-resistant PEL clones revealed inactivating mutations and loss of expression of adenosine kinase (ADK) as the mechanism of resistance. In vitro assays showed that 6-ETI is a pro-drug that gets phosphorylated and activated by adenosine kinase (ADK) into its active form. We found high ADK expression in PEL cell lines and primary specimens of PEL, multiple myeloma (MM) and plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) patient samples. 6-ETI was effective at killing multiple myeloma cell lines, primary MM specimens, and had a remarkable anti-tumor response in a disseminated multiple myeloma and PEL xenograft mouse models. Thus, ADK expression can serve as a predictive biomarker to help identify patients that are most likely to respond to 6-ETI treatment. To further assess the spectrum of activity and sensitivity of 6-ETI, we examined ADK expression in other cancer subtypes and found that colorectal and pancreatic adenocarcinomas also overexpress ADK and are highly sensitive to killing by 6-ETI at the low nanomolar concentration. We also found high ADK expression in primary colon and pancreatic adenocarcinoma patient specimens. We compared 6-ETI to other FDA-approved purine analogs and failed to find other compounds with similar potency or selectivity profile. Herein, we report the identification of a novel purine analog, 6-ethylthioinosine, as an effective therapeutic with exquisite sensitivity to plasma cell malignancies and other ADK-expressing cancers. We have successfully used RNASeq-based "resistome" analysis to identify its mechanism of specificity and discovered a new biomarker that can potentially impact patient care and the treatment of some of the most aggressive tumors. Citation Format: Jouliana Sadek, Utthara Nayar, Jonathan Reichel, Jennifer Totonchy, Shizuko Sei, Robert Shoemaker, David Warren, Olivier Elemento, Kenneth Kaye, Ethel Cesarman. A novel nucleoside analog therapeutically active against plasma cell malignancies and other ADK-expressing cancers including colon and pancreatic adenocarcinomas [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5110. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5110


Context: For patients with relapsed/refractory AML, therapeutic success is unpredictable with current chemotherapeutic regimens. Moreover, multiple courses of therapy have resulted in co-morbid conditions which can preclude the patient from receiving a potentially curative bone marrow transplant. Objective: In order to identify a successful chemotherapeutic regimen for these patients, we have developed a high-throughput assay that utilizes primary (patient-derived) leukemia cells and tested for chemo-sensitivity and resistance against a panel of FDA approved agents used to treat AML. Design: This assay was developed in 1536 well format and optimized against a panel of leukemia and lymphoma cell lines to determine optimal concentration of cells needed to achieve statistically significant reproducible results. Twelve point dose response curves were performed in duplicate for all agents. Alamar Blue reduction and Annexin V staining were used as indicators of cell viability. Results: Using this assay, we demonstrated in vitro resistance against drugs already clinically administered and importantly showed in vitro sensitivity to agents that had not been previously administered. The index patient was a 32-year-old woman with primary refractory AML who had received six different therapeutic regimens prior to testing, all of which demonstrated in vitro resistance using our assay. The blasts were sensitive, however, to 6-thioguanine with an inhibitory concentration (EC50) of 70 nanoM. Based on the in vitro data, she began a combination treatment regimen containing 6-thioguanine. Following a maintenance regimen, her circulating blast count decreased, and she had partial recovery of the neutrophil count, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the overall leukemia burden. This result was not seen with her previous therapies. After over six months of this therapy, her WBC began to rise and repeat testing indicated resistance to 6-thioguanine with EC50 > 10 microM, confirming the response seen in vivo. We have gone on to test samples from more than twenty-five patients with AML and have accurately predicted the in vivo clinical response (both sensitivity and resistance). In the above case, the treatment regimen identified from the screening results is now being tested in a Phase I clinical trial for patients with relapsed/refractory AML or elderly patients unfit to receive standard AML therapy. In other cases, the treatment regimen identified from the screen provided the needed bridge to allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the technology described here to pharmacologically screen drug therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory AML is both clinically useful and has a role in designing individualized treatment regimens for these patients. Citation Format: David Shum, Ruth Santos, Mark Heaney, Renier Brentjens, Peter Maslak, Todd Rosenblat, Joseph Jurcic, Hakim Djaballah, Mark G. Frattini. A novel high-throughput screen of primary leukemia cells to personalize therapy for relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Proof of concept and clinical implementation of precision medicine. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Drug Sensitivity and Resistance: Improving Cancer Therapy; Jun 18-21, 2014; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2015;21(4 Suppl): Abstract nr B10.


The scientific paper shows results formulated in researches MSM 6215648904 Brno, 2012) and EP focused in analysis of managerial, financial and economic risks and methods of their solving in strategical decision making of business TOP management in a new entrepreneurial environment with influences caused by integration processes, development of information technology and factors of globalization. There is analyzed the situation in Bioveta, Ltd. Ivanovice na Hane in detail.


Core samples taken in northwestern Lake Huron, from present depths ranging from 110 to 436 feet, show a sequence of deep-water lake clays which is cut by an unconformity extending down to a present depth of 230 feet. The unconformity is marked by a thin layer of sand and shallow-water fossils, and these are overlain by clay. Allowing for an estimated 160 feet of uplift since the zones below the unconformity were truncated, the unconformity is interpreted as evidence of a low-level lake stage at 190 feet above present sea level. This is the extreme low stage of Lake Huron, inferred by Stanley (1936) and named the Stanley Stage by Hough (1955). A conformable zone of silt occurring within the lake clays and extending from 230 to 338 feet (present depths) is considered a shallow water deposit of the Stanley Stage. Deep-water clays, in depths below the Stanley level, have grain size variations which may correlate with changing depths of water resulting from the combination of changes in lake level and elevation of the bottom.


Conditioned medium was collected from vascular smooth-muscle cells grown in culture to determine if these cells synthesize vasoactive substances. The medium caused a short-acting endothelium-independent constriction of rat aorta, followed by a prolonged, endothelium-dependent relaxation. This relaxation was mediated through the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) as it was abolished by the addition of methylene blue (5 x 10-6 M), haemoglobin (10-6 M) or methyl arginine, but was not affected by indomethacin (10-5 M), Smooth-muscle medium stimulated the production of EDRF from both rat and rabbit thoracic aortic rings as well as from cultured bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells. The prolonged stimulation of EDRF by smooth-muscle medium was not mimicked by known physiological stimuli to EDRF release; EDRF-stimulating activity was not affected when smooth-muscle cells were grown in the presence of indomethacin (10-5 M), although serum in the medium was required. The EDRF-stimulating substance(s) in the smooth-muscle medium was heat stable and associated with a high molecular mass (30000 > Mr > 3500) water-soluble species that is as yet unidentified.


Mercury (Hg) is an element of major concern in boreal freshwater ecosystems, due to high concentrations of Hg in fish. Forestry operations have been reported to increase the concentrations and loads of Hg to surface waters. In this thesis a series of catchment-scale experiments were used to determine forestry effects on total mercury (THg) and methyl mercury (MeHg) runoff concentrations caused by stump harvest, site preparation and antecedent logging.

The stump harvest did not increase Hg concentrations in runoff relative to traditional site preparation in either of the stump harvest studies. The lack of treatment effects caused by stump harvest and site preparation in one of the stump harvest studies focused attention on the antecedent logging. The question of whether the logging was of major importance when compared with the subsequent soil disturbance caused by site preparation was further investigated in the Balsjo catchment study. Contrary to the stump harvest study, the concentrations of THg and MeHg increased after both logging and site preparation by around 30-40 %, but no significant effect was detected after logging only. The more pronounced effect of site preparation in the Balsjo study might be due to more soil disturbance caused by site preparation that was carried out in early summer compared with the logging that was carried out in winter when snow protected the ground. The season and weather conditions present during forestry operations might therefore be of importance when considering possible treatment effects on Hg. The variation in forestry effects on Hg between catchments in this thesis, as well as in earlier studies, indicates that the catchment sensitivity to forestry operations varies. This variation could be due to differences in the biogeochemical status of soils and waters. It is thus vital to determine what factors influence THg and MeHg concentrations in different catchments. The importance of total organic carbon (TOC) was highlighted by a strong correlation between THg and TOC both within and between the study catchments in this thesis. The discharge was also found to have a positive influence on the THg and TOC concentrations, while temperature had a positive influence on the MeHg concentrations.

This thesis suggests that when and how forestry operations are implemented might be more important than the treatment type in some catchments. This thesis also identifies a variation in catchment sensitivity to forestry operations that requires further investigation.


Abstract Background. The risk of cardiovascular toxicities is a serious concern with the increased application of angiogenesis inhibitors in current cancer therapy. Arterial thromboembolic events (ATE) were associated with bevacizumab, an antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor. To determine the risk of ATE including cardiac ischemia and stroke, a systematic review and meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed. Methods. We searched the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and American Society of Clinical Oncology conferences to identify relevant clinical trials up to May, 2009. Eligible studies included prospective RCTs in which bevacizumab was compared to a control concurrently in combination with standard anti-neoplastic therapy. Summary incidence rates, relative risks (RRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects or fixed-effects models. Results. A total of 12 617 patients with a variety of advanced solid tumors from 20 RCTs were included for analysis. The incidences of all-grade and high-grade ATE in patients receiving bevacizumab were 3.3% (95% CI, 2.0–5.6%) and 2.0% (95% CI, 1.7–2.5) respectively. Patients treated with bevacizumab had a significantly increased risk of ATE with an RR of 1.44 (95% CI, 1.08–1.91; p=0.013) compared with controls. The risk similarly increased for bevacizumab at 2.5 and 5 mg/kg/week; in addition, significantly increased risks were observed in patients with renal cell cancer (RR, 3.72, 95% CI, 1.15–12.04; p=0.029) and colorectal cancer (RR, 1.89, 95% CI, 1.28–2.80, p=0.001). Notably, the risk of high-grade cardiac ischemia with bevacizumab was significantly higher than controls with an RR of 2.14 (95% CI, 1.12–4.08, p=0.021); however, the risk of ischemic stroke with bevacizumab was not significantly different from controls (RR, 1.37, 95% CI, 0.67–2.79, p=0.39). Discussion. Treatment with bevacizumab may significantly increase the risk of cardiac ischemic events in cancer patients.


B27 Introduction: Benzo[a]pyrene B[a]P is a member of a family of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are ubiquitous environmental carcinogens. B[a]P is metabolically activated to the proximate carcinogen B[a]P-7,8-dihydrodiol which is converted to a catechol by Aldo-Keto Reductases (AKRs). The catechol metabolite then undergoes two sequential 1-electron oxidations to give B[a]P-7,8-dione with the concomitant generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). B[a]P-7,8-dione is then reduced back to the catechol establishing a futile redox cycle, which continually produces ROS that in turn can cause the formation of 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dGuo) adducts in DNA.
 >Experimental Procedure: It is difficult to quantify true cellular 8-oxo-dGuo levels due to artifact formation during isolation and hydrolysis of the DNA from the cells and tissue samples by the presence of trace amounts of transition metal ions in the buffers that are used. To avoid this problem a cold guanidine thiocyanate non-phenolic method was used to extract DNA from cells and desferal was used in Chelex-treated buffers to remove transition metal ions. This prevented the artifactual formation of 8-oxo-dGuo from Fenton Chemistry. Immunoaffinity purification was employed in order to remove interfering substances that co-eluted with 8-oxo-dGuo during subsequent chromatography. Stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/multiple reaction monitoring/mass spectrometry (LC/ESI/MRM/MS) was used to provide maximal specificity and sensitivity. Human bronchoalveolar cells were treated with B[a]P-7,8-dihydrodiol and 8-oxo-dGuo present in the DNA was quantified.
 >Results: The 8-oxo-dGuo levels were increased after B[a]P-7,8-dihydrodiol treatment compared to untreated cells and DMSO treated cells. The 8-oxo-dGuo levels were increased in dose dependent manner. However, when the cells were pre-treated with the COMT inhibitor, R041-0961, a significant increase in 8-oxo-dGuo levels was observed. The COMT inhibitor alone had no effect on 8-oxo-dGuo formation. B[a]P-7,8-dione formation in the cells indicated that 8-oxo-dGuo was formed by the ROS generated during the two electron oxidation of the B[a]P-7,8-catechol.
 >Conclusion: These data confirm that the new LC-MS-based method efficiently eliminated artifact formation that occurred during the isolation and hydrolysis of DNA. This made it possible to detect elevated 8-oxo-dGuo levels on exposure of H358 cells to B[a]P-7,8-dihydrodiol. The formation of B [a]P-7,8-dione in the cells also supports the proposed formation of ROS during the oxidation of the catechol metabolite. The increased level of 8-oxo-dGuo on pretreatment of the COMT inhibitor, suggests that the catechol metabolite is normally detoxified by conversion to a methyl ether derivative. Supported by NIH grants 1R01CA130038 and 5P30ES013508.


We report a protocol for using black carbon (BC) aerosol as the seed for secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation in an environmental chamber. We employ a single-particle soot photometer (SP2) to probe single-particle SOA coating growth dynamics and find that SOA growth on nonspherical BC aerosol is diffusion-limited. Aerosol composition measurements with an Aerodyne high resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) confirm that the presence of BC seed does not alter the composition of SOA as compared to self-nucleated SOA or condensed SOA on ammonium sulfate seed. We employ a 3-wavelength photoacoustic soot spectrometer (PASS-3) to measure optical properties of the systems studied, including fullerene soot as the surrogate BC seed, nucleated naphthalene SOA from high-NOx photooxidation, and nucleated α-pinene SOA from low-NOx photooxidation. A core-and-shell Mie scattering model of the light absorption enhancement is in good agreement with measured enhancements for both the low- and high-NOx α-pinene photooxidation systems, reinforcing the assumption of a core-shell morphology for coated BC particles. A discrepancy between measured and modeled absorption enhancement factors in the naphthalene photooxidation system is attributed to the wavelength-dependence of refractive index of the naphthalene SOA. The coating of high-NOx α-pinene SOA decreases after reaching a peak thickness during irradiation, reflecting a volatility change in the aerosol, as confirmed by the relative magnitudes of f43 and f44 in the AMS spectra. The protocol described here provides a framework by which future studies of SOA optical properties and single-particle growth dynamics may be explored in environmental chambers. Copyright 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research


Abstract In July 2007, Indonesia became the first country to introduce mandatory legal requirements for corporate social responsibility when the Indonesian parliament passed Law 40/2007 on Limited Liability Companies. This paper examines the political dynamics that shaped this and subsequent regulatory developments related to corporate social responsibility and assesses the likely future direction of Indonesia's corporate social responsibility policies. We argue that policy debates over corporate social responsibility in Indonesia have reflected a struggle between the dominant sections of Indonesia's capitalist class, local communities that have been negatively affected by corporate activity and their allies in the non-governmental organization movement, and predatory elements in the political parties and bureaucracy for control over the economic resources generated by the activities of major corporations in that country. We argue that the dominant sections of Indonesia's capitalist class have so far won this struggle in large part because of their instrumental connections to senior Golkar figures within the government. With respect to the future direction of corporate social responsibility policy, we argue that much will depend on the outcome of future presidential elections. If these elections produce a political leadership that supports a mandatory approach to corporate social responsibility, there is some chance that mandatory requirements for corporate social responsibility in Law 40/2007 will be implemented. If they result in the election of a leadership that does not support a mandatory approach to corporate social responsibility, by contrast, such a change is unlikely.


This paper reports on the growth of research within the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC). The focus is the research and later, research and journal working group. The intent is to discuss the publication of the WINHEC Journal, discussion papers and other activities such as the development of the Research Standards while analysing the underpinning imperatives to such work. The paper will also examine the complexity of progressing research, founded in local knowledge, aligned internationally to broader conceptions of Indigenous knowledge. The suggestion underlying this paper is that if research is undertaken from a position of Indigenous knowledge and epistemology, it will celebrate and sustain Indigenous people.


The authors extend the numerical annealing algorithm framework presented by S. Kirkpatrick et al. to the case of continuous multidimensional parameter space. The design an efficient parameter inverse simulated annealing (PI-SA) algorithm, and obtain some important theoretical results on continuous annealing algorithm design. They apply the PI-SA optimization algorithm to fault diagnosis of analog circuits with tolerance. A software package for automatic diagnosis has been developed and applied to fault isolation of the electronic equipment of the remotely piloted vehicles. The diagnosis results obtained with the software package both ground simulation and in flight testing are satisfactory.<<ETX>>


Abstract:David Lazer, an editor of Nowy Dziennik in Krakow, a founder of Maariv in Israel, and the editor of Maariv's literary section, maintained written and personal contact with Marc Chagall from 1957 to the mid-1970s. Lazer visited Chagall at his home in Vence and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. This article presents their correspondence and describes their meetings and the nature of their relationship, which was sentimental and emotionally rich. Lazer was a great storyteller with a talent for eloquent statements, supported by his knowledge of Jewish culture and literature, which included a fascination with Jewish folklore. This allowed him to feel at ease in the Yiddish cultural sphere, which was important to Chagall and through which he expressed his personal and creative identity. Lazer was also a good source of information on current affairs in the bloc of Central and Eastern European countries, about which Chagall was extremely curious, and Lazer likewise kept Chagall informed about the political problems faced by Israel. Lazer wrote detailed reports about each of his visits to Chagall for Israeli readers, for whom the world depicted by Chagall in his paintings was very familiar—a village, a shtetl, a Jewish street. In one letter to Chagall, Lazer told him that he was the author of the largest number of articles about him in the Hebrew press. Apart from the artistic value of his paintings, Lazer's fascination with Chagall stemmed from the cultural proximity of the diasporic Jewish world, which had given them a similar spiritual and intellectual formation, and from his interest in Yiddish literature.


A gene involved in complex regulatory interactions may have multiple regulators since gene expression in such interactions is often controlled by more than one gene. Another thing that makes gene regulatory interactions complicated is that regulatory interactions are not static, but change over time during the cell cycle. Most research so far has focused on identifying gene regulatory relations between individual genes in a particular stage of the cell cycle. In this study we developed a method for identifying dynamic gene regulations of several types from the time-series gene expression data. The method can find gene regulations with multiple regulators that work in combination or individually as well as those with single regulators. The method has been implemented as the second version of GeneNetFinder (hereafter called GeneNetFinder2) and tested on several gene expression datasets. Experimental results with gene expression data revealed the existence of genes that are not regulated by individual genes but rather by a combination of several genes. Such gene regulatory relations cannot be found by conventional methods. Our method finds such regulatory relations as well as those with multiple, independent regulators or single regulators, and represents gene regulatory relations as a dynamic network in which different gene regulatory relations are shown in different stages of the cell cycle. GeneNetFinder2 is available at http://bclab.inha.ac.kr/GeneNetFinder and will be useful for modeling dynamic gene regulations with multiple regulators.


Halfway into the sustainable development goal (SDG) period, the rural and urban divide in sanitation persists. As of 2020, less than half of the global rural population has access to safely managed sanitation. In India, the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission – Rural helped over 100 million rural households to construct individual toilets and access at least basic sanitation during 2014–2019. Expectedly, the increase in toilet usage has led to an urgent need for faecal sludge management (FSM). The present paper describes a novel model, rooted in an urban–rural partnership, to increase access to FSM services among rural households. In 2020–2021, we piloted the model in the Dhenkanal district in Odisha, which had a functional urban faecal sludge treatment plant (FSTP) and publicly run desludging trucks. The model adopted a five-step approach that included a data-led situational assessment, model development, stakeholder consultation, legal formalization of urban–rural partnership, and capacity building. Upon its implementation, the partnership transformed the rural sanitation service chain and resulted in the safe collection, conveyance, and treatment of 278 kL of faecal sludge from rural households within the first 5 months of implementation. As rural governments in India and other developing countries strive to achieve safely managed sanitation by 2030, the urban–rural partnership model discussed in the paper can present a viable pathway for rapidly scaling-up FSM services.


To the Editor: The article, ''Melanoma With Second Myxoid Stromal Changes After Personally Applied Prolonged Phototherapy,'' reports that a patient who used a Bioptron phototherapy lamp to treat a cancerous skin lesion without a doctor's advice, and who delayed seeking medical treatment, succumbed to advanced primary cutaneous melanoma. No scientific evidence or clinical data exist to support any suggestion or inference that Bioptron therapy caused or contributed to the patient's cancer and death. Bioptron light therapy has become widely accepted as a new form of treatment in prevention, therapy, and rehabilitation worldwide, and can improve microcirculation, harmonize metabolic processes, reinforce the human defense system, stimulate regenerative and reparative processes of the entire organism, promote wound healing, and relieve pain or decrease its intensity. The medical indications of the Bioptron light therapy are clearly defined in the ''Medical Indications'' booklet, and as recommended in the operating instructions, patients should consult with a physician before using Bioptron light therapy.


Research examining the development of social cognition has largely been divided into two areas: infant perception of intentional agents, and preschoolers' understanding of others' mental states and beliefs (theory of mind). Many researchers have suggested that there is continuity in social cognitive development such that the abilities observed in infancy are related to later preschool ability, yet little empirical evidence exists for this claim. Here, we present preliminary evidence that capacities specific to the social domain contribute to performance in social cognition tasks both during infancy and in early childhood. Specifically, looking time patterns in an infant social cognition task correlated with preschool theory of mind; however, no such relationship was found for infants in a nonsocial cognition task.


Objective: This study aimed to formulate tea tree oil into a nanoemulsion gel dosage form and evaluate its physical stability and antibacterial activity. Methods: Nanoemulsion gels were formulated with various concentrations of tea tree oil, namely, 5%, 7%, and 9%, using Tween-80 as a surfactant and propylene glycol as a cosurfactant. The tea tree oil nanoemulsion gels showed a stable physical appearance over 8 weeks of storage at low temperature (4±2°C) and room temperature (25±2°C), cycling test, and centrifugation test. Results: The best formula was nanoemulsion gel formulation 1 (F1), which contained 5% tea tree oil, due to its good stability, smaller globule size, and greater viscosity. The results for antibacterial activity, determined by in vitro study, showed that the tea tree oil nanoemulsion gels exhibited antibacterial activity against Propionibacterium acnes through the formation of an inhibition zone. Conclusion: Higher concentrations of tea tree oil in nanoemulsion gels (5%, 7%, and 9%) showed greater mean inhibition zones (28.33±0.88 mm, 30.33±0.33 mm, and 31.67±0.33 mm, respectively).


The health systems of individual countries differ not only in terms of organizational security, but also in terms of financing. Significant changes in the healthcare system began to be implemented in Slovakia after 1989, when healthcare services became mixed goods from purely public goods. In practice, this meant the entry of the private sector into the field of providing health services. The aim of the article is to evaluate the development in the field of healt facilities in the regions of Slovakia on the basis of selected indicators. On the basis of the analysis of secondary data obtained from the Statistical office of the Slovak Republic for the period 2000-2021, it emerged that there were significant changes in the number of health facilities in individual regions in 2009, also as a result of legislative changes regarding the location and scope of these facilities. At the level of Slovakia, in 2021, compared to the year 2000, the number of health facilities increased by 20%, but the number of health workers increased only slightly by 0.6%.


Deferiprone (DFP) has been evaluated in a wide range of disorders, but most data come from transfusion‐dependent thalassemia. The safety and tolerability profile includes gastrointestinal complaints, liver enzymes elevation, weight gain, arthropathy, neutropenia, and agranulocytosis. The last requires close monitoring of blood count and precludes the use of DFP in conditions with bone marrow abnormalities. The efficacy profile is similar among the three available chelators. For DFP, the choice of dosage is crucial to optimize the effect on liver iron concentration, according to the iron load degree and transfusional iron input. Growing evidence indicates that DFP, alone or in combination with deferoxamine, is effective in removing cardiac iron and preventing cardiac iron load. The available data consolidate an important role of DFP in the management of iron overload. There is a need to compare directly the relative value of the available chelators in the long‐term prevention of iron toxicity by well‐designed randomized controlled trials.


Disparities in health and health care across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds in the United States are well documented. The reasons for these disparities are, however, not well understood. Current data available on race, ethnicity, SEP, and accumulation and language use are severely limited. The report examines data collection and reporting systems relating to the collection of data on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic position and offers recommendations.


We have measured oestrogen and progesterone binding in specimens of histopathologically confirmed lentigo maligna (LM) lesions excised from five elderly white men, using a dextrancoated charcoal method. Oestrogen binding was observed in four of the five specimens, and progesterone binding in all five. Marginal normal skin showed only non‐specific binding for oestrogen and progesterone. The presence of steroid hormone receptors in LM suggests the possibility that hormone responsiveness may be relevant in the transformation of a lentigo maligna into malignant melanoma.


Bacillus species are extremely widespread in nature and may be isolated from soil, water, dust, air and many foods. The genus Bacillus is characterized by the formation of heat resistant endospores. B. cereus has been recently considered as an 'emerging' food-borne pathogen. A couple of new primers (BCFW1 and Bcrevnew) directed to identify B. cereus is described as well as protocols for optimization of DNA extraction for basic groups of food products which are particularly prone to contain this microorganism. To avoid inhibitory effects exerted by particular food matrices, specific pre-extraction steps are recommended in this work: a treatment with α-amylase from Aspergillus oryzae E.C. 126.96.36.199. (Sigma, Germany) for boiled rice or washing the pellet with EDTA solution for minced meat, pasteurized milk and salads. The lowest possible level of detection was obtained for pasteurized milk (20 cells/g) and salad (30 cells/g) and it was comparable with the results of classical microbiological analyses. Generally, for milk, salad and rice samples the limit of detection was close to 50 cells/g, whereas for minced meat it was definitively higher (about 500 cells/g) and did not reflect results of performed standard plate counts. As the result of the studies, promising, handy protocols for (i) an efficient DNA extraction from food matrices and (ii) fast, species-specific PCR identification were prepared and presented.


An in vitro perfusion technique was used for the assessment of the effectiveness of platelet concentrates (PCs) administered to patients with bone marrow failure. Denuded rabbit arterial segments mounted in annular chambers were exposed to nonanticoagulated blood drawn directly from the antecubital vein. This perfusion system allows the direct visualization of platelet‐subendothelium interactions. The deposition of platelets on exposed subendothelium and the presence of fibrin were evaluated morphometrically. Perfusions were performed before and 10 and 120 minutes after the transfusion of PCs that had been obtained by apheresis and administered immediately after collection (A) or separated by centrifugation of blood units and transfused 24 hours after storage at 22 degrees C (B) or 4 degrees C (C). Bleeding times were also determined systematically. The deposition of platelets on the subendothelium increased significantly (p < 0.01) 10 minutes after transfusions of A and B PCs, but the presence of fibrin did not differ from pretransfusion values. Two hours after the administration of A or B PCs, the improvement of platelet deposition persisted. By then, the presence of fibrin increased markedly (p < 0.01). The deposition of platelets was not modified after the transfusion of C PCs, but the presence of fibrin was augmented significantly at both posttransfusion times. Comparisons between bleeding times and morphometric results pointed to a possible role of fibrin formation in contributing to primary hemostasis.


Abstract : As the US Army transitions into a period of transformation, it is focusing its attention on becoming a more adaptable organization that can meet the challenges of an uncertain future. Faced with personnel and budget reductions, the Army is evaluating changes to its operational doctrine, organizational structure, leader development, and unit training in an effort to become more lethal and expeditionary. The modern Army faces the uncertainties of asymmetrical hybrid threats combining multiple forms of warfare across multiple domains to include cyber and space. Between 1918 and 1941, during the Interwar Period, the Army faced similar uncertainties as the Army attempted to anticipate the impact of rapidly developing technologies in firepower, aviation, mechanization, and motorization and the threat from rising powers in Asia and Europe. While these challenges are significantly different, in both examples emerging technological advances led to changes in the conduct of warfare. To parallel the modern Army's approach, the examination framed the research around the Interwar Army's adaptation of its doctrine and organizational structure, development of adaptable leaders through officer education, and preparation of the force for uncertainty through large-scale two-sided maneuvers. The experience of the Interwar Army at developing an adaptable organization provides an historic case study to apply to the modern Army as it transitions for the future.


This study explores students' perceptions of the paths to high school graduation using an ecological framework. Specifically, it identifies the challenges, influences, and motivations differentiating students who remained in school despite being at high risk for dropping out-defined as consistently high levels of aggression-from students at low risk of high school dropout. We analyzed inductively 16 focus groups conducted in Northeast Georgia with 81 eleventh graders participating in the Healthy Teens Longitudinal Study. Eight focus groups consisted of 11th graders who consistently scored high on aggression from 6th to 10th grade on the Problem Behaviors Frequency Scales (n = 40; 56% boys; 54% Caucasian, 39% African American; 7% Hispanic), and 8 groups consisting of students scoring low in aggression at all time points (n = 41; 40% boys; 45% Caucasian, 50% African American; 3% Hispanic). Findings derived from the constant comparative method revealed 4 distinguishing themes. High aggressive students highlighted a) the salience of structural barriers, b) stress due to external (vs. internal) factors, c) preference for concrete sources of motivation, and d) the strong influence of coaches. At the microsystem level of the ecological model, school psychologists can engage students through cognitive behavioral methods to foster realistic academic goals and to improve management of external sources of stress. At the mesosystem level, school policies can target 9th grade as a critical juncture for academic success. The final finding supports the involvement of adults at the mesosystem level, and coaches in particular, to promote positive social and academic development.


Global warming is a relatively new issue for demographers although many theories link population growth to environmental impact. There are different ways to quantify the responsibilities for global warming and by presenting a set of scenarios it is possible to assess the roles of various factors. The topic of population and climate has been avoided since publication of a 1915 claim that certain climates are conducive to high levels of civilization. The link between population and the food supply has been of continual concern however since the time of Confucius. Recent studies of the connection between family planning and environmental degradation conclude that simply slowing growth will not provide a short-term solution. Some attempts to quantify the links between population and climate change have been relatively simple such as comparisons between less developed (LDC) and more developed (MDC) countries fossil fuel-derived carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions or CO2 emissions from deforestation or per capita CO2 emission. Others have been more complex including developing an index of various greenhouse gases called the "Greenhouse Warming Potential." This index has been criticized by 2 Indian scientists who propose that natural sinks to absorb pollution should be assigned each country on the basis of population with the share of pollution to be based on any excess. Another complex quantifier is the Ehrkich-Holden equation I = PAT where I is negative impact on the environment P is population size A is affluence and T is environmental impact/quantity of consumption. The problem with the use of this equation lies in aggregation; it must be applied to a homogeneous region to yield useful indicators. The equation also ignores the impact of international trade. Tabulation of annual CO2/capita emissions for 9 regions of the world in 1950 1960 1970 1980 and 1990 and for the same time periods tabulation of the role of population growth in past CO2/capita consumption in MDCs and LDCs are variously assigned 1950 values which are compared to real annual data lead to following conclusion. Population increase in LDCs contributed much less to CO2 emissions than did consumption and population increases in MDCs. This would argue for an emphasis on changing consumption habits in MDCs to reduce CO2 emissions and allow population growth to be checked to achieve sustainable development. As demographers become familiar with the debate on global warming they can apply their techniques to place the role of population in its proper perspective.


Reflective practice has been proved to be a meaningful way of learning about teaching and various aspects of teachers' work by several studies in different EFL teaching contexts. In Thailand, despite the commonly-reported problems about the English language education program for prospective English teachers, a few studies were conducted on how to improve the situation. By employing the reflective teaching approach, this study reports on how an educator assisted 48 Thai pre-service English teachers to learn how to teach English writing in the Writing Instruction course. The findings from the survey, the teacher-educator's notes during the course and the focus-group interview showed the considerable success of this teaching approach. Furthermore, the information from the evaluations on micro-teaching performances by the teaching groups, their peers and teacher-educator, and the students' reflections on their teaching strengths and weaknesses and their plans for reconstructing their teaching revealed some considerations for improvement. This study is thus expected to not only reflect on how teacher-educators are trying to improve the quality of English preservice-teachers in Thailand and to develop their experiences to be life-long learners, but also provide some insights to enhance reflective prospective teachers in other educational settings with similar teaching and learning cultures.


The valence state and concentration of metallic pollutants are important factors contributing to the health effects of respirable particulate matter (PM); however, they have not been well studied. In this study, coarse and fine powder samples of atmospheric PM were collected using a cyclone system at Kanagawa (KO), Saitama (SA), and Fukuoka (FU) in Japan in 2017. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (EDXRF) was used to measure the concentrations of nine metallic elements (Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb), and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy was used to analyze the valence states of target elements (Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn). The EDXRF results indicated that the average contents of Fe, Ti, and Zn were much higher than those of the other six elements in all samples. The XAFS results showed that the major valence states of the elements were Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Cu(II), and Zn(II). The percentages of Mn(IV), Fe(II), and Cu(0) were higher in KO and SA samples than in FU samples. Mn(0) and Zn(0) were detected in some samples only, and Cu(I) was not detected in any samples. Correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis were performed on the EDXRF and XAFS data of the target elements. The source identification results showed that the sources of metal contaminants in the samples varied considerably between sampling sites and depended on the industrial structure and geographical location of the sampling area. Our findings on the different valence states of the elements may be important for determining the toxicity of PM at different locations.


We have isolated, cloned and characterized a cDNA from Zea mays L., denoted ZmAP1, coding for an anionic peroxidase. The open reading frame of ZmAP1 starting 72 residues from the 5' end of the cDNA predicts a 37,778 dalton protein of 356 amino acid residues. The protein has high similarity to other peroxidases and contains two peroxidase motifs that carry two highly conserved histidines in the active center. We expressed recombinant ZmAP1 protein in E. coli as a fusion with maltose-binding protein. The fusion protein was biochemically active after addition of hemin to the apoprotein. The maize peroxidase ZmAP1 has a pH optimum at pH 4.0 and a Km of 0.2 mM for the substrate 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethyl-benzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) at this pH. In maize seedlings the ZmAP1 gene is expressed predominantly in roots, the mesocotyl, the coleoptile and to a lower extent in the node, whereas no expression in the primary leaf was found. In situ hybridization shows that the expression of ZmAP1 in the young maize root is confined to the epidermis, hypodermis and the pericycle.


Bi-level optimization constitutes the most popular mathematical methodology for modeling the deregulated electricity market. However, state-of-the-art models neglect the physical non-convex operating characteristics of market participants, due to their inherent inability to capture binary decision variables in their representation of the market clearing process, rendering them problematic in modeling markets with complex bidding and unit commitment (UC) clearing mechanisms. This paper addresses this fundamental limitation by proposing a novel modeling approach enabling incorporation of these non-convexities into bi-level optimization market models, which is based on the relaxation and primal-dual reformulation of the original, non-convex lower level problem and the penalization of the associated duality gap. Case studies demonstrate the ability of the proposed approach to closely approximate the market clearing solution of the actual UC clearing algorithm and devise more profitable bidding decisions for strategic producers than the state-of-the-art bi-level optimization approach, and reveal the potential of strategic behavior in terms of misreporting non-convex operating characteristics.


Abstract The influence of weeds on cranberry yield and quality is not well known and cannot be extrapolated from other cropping systems given the unique nature of both cranberry production and the weed species spectrum. The work presented here addresses this need with four common weed species across multiple production seasons and systems in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and New Jersey: Carolina redroot, earth loosestrife, bristly dewberry, and polytrichum moss. The objectives were to use these representative species to quantify the impact of weed density, groundcover, and biomass on several cranberry yield components and related interactions with other cranberry pests, and to determine whether these relationships were consistent enough across seasons to be reliably used in weed management decision-making. The relationships between Carolina redroot and bristly dewberry growth measures and marketable cranberry yield were highly significant (P ≤ 0.001 in 12 of 13 regressions) and consistent across growing seasons, but not significant for similar regressions with earth loosestrife. In particular, the strong relationship between Carolina redroot and bristly dewberry visual groundcover observations and cranberry yield suggests a simple way for growers and crop scouts to reliably estimate yield loss. The relationship between polytrichum moss biomass and cranberry yield was also significant in both years, but not consistent between years. Weed competition also affected cranberry quality, in that Carolina redroot density was strongly related to the percentage of insect-damaged fruit and bristly dewberry growth reduced cranberry color development. On a practical level, this information can be used to educate growers, consultants, agrichemical registrants, and regulators about the impacts of weeds on cranberry yield and quality, and to economically prioritize management efforts based on the weed species and extent of infestation. Nomenclature: Bristly dewberry; Rubus hispidus L.; Carolina redroot; Lachnanthes caroliana (Lam.) Dandy; polytrichum moss; Polytrichum commune Hedw.; earth loosestrife; Lysimachia terrestris (L.) Britton; Sterns & Poggenb.; cranberry; Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.


We here extend and complement our earlier time-based, magneto-encephalographic (MEG), study of the processing of forms by the visual brain (Shigihara and Zeki, 2013) with a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, in order to better localize the activity produced in early visual areas when subjects view simple geometric stimuli of increasing perceptual complexity (lines, angles, rhombuses) constituted from the same elements (lines). Our results show that all three categories of form activate all three visual areas with which we were principally concerned (V1–V3), with angles producing the strongest and rhombuses the weakest activity in all three. The difference between the activity produced by angles and rhombuses was significant, that between lines and rhombuses was trend significant while that between lines and angles was not. Taken together with our earlier MEG results, the present ones suggest that a parallel strategy is used in processing forms, in addition to the well-documented hierarchical strategy.


: The closing base wedge osteotomy will consistently yield excellent prognostic results when performed as described. The technique should be used when an angular change at the first metatarsal base is needed in any direction.


Presented paper is focused on volumetric hardening process using liquid low melting point metal as a coolant. Effect of convective motion of the coolant on material structure after hardening is investigated. Comparison with results obtained for model neglecting motion of liquid is executed. Mathematical and numerical model based on Finite Element Metod is described. Characteristic Based Split (CBS) method is used to uncouple velocities and pressure and finally to solve Navier-Stokes equation. Petrov-Galerkin formulation is employed to stabilize convective term in heat transport equation. Phase transformations model is created on the basis of Johnson-Mehl and Avrami laws. Continuous cooling diagram (CTPc) for C45 steel is exploited in presented model of phase transformations. Temporary temperatures, phases participation, thermal and structural strains in hardening element and coolant velocities are shown and discussed.


At the Cooler Synchrotron COSY/Jülich spin-correlation parameters in elastic proton-proton (pp) scattering have been measured with a 2.11 GeV polarized proton beam and a polarized hydrogen atomic beam target. We report results for A(NN), A(SS), and A(SL) for c.m. scattering angles between 30 degrees and 90 degrees. Our data on A(SS)--the first measurement of this observable above 800 MeV--clearly disagrees with predictions of available pp scattering phase-shift solutions while A(NN) and A(SL) are reproduced reasonably well. We show that in the direct reconstruction of the scattering amplitudes from the body of available pp elastic scattering data at 2.1 GeV the number of possible solutions is considerably reduced.


Worldwide legislation emphasizes the need to monitor the health of aquatic ecosystems based on the response of biological quality elements to environmental conditions. A plethora of methodologies have been suggested in this sense. Lately, substantial efforts have led to the exploration of new biological quality elements from the meiobenthic compartment and the implementation of new methodologies based on environmental DNA. Due to their short life-cycles, meiofaunal organisms respond quickly to environmental variability. Changes in population dynamics and species composition are indicative of changes in environmental conditions. Recent pioneer studies have shown that biotic indices based on benthic foraminifera and nematodes can efficiently assess the health of transitional and marine ecosystems. The use of environmental DNA, as well as other fingerprinting techniques, is increasing in biomonitoring studies, and further calibrations are still needed to implement this method. The published papers in this Special Issue represent well the wide applicability of meiobenthic groups, i.e., benthic foraminifera and nematodes, allowing us to address a key ecological knowledge gap in order to convince decision makers and stakeholders about the advantage of introducing new biological quality elements in environmental biomonitoring.


A molecular design approach for synthesizing color-tunable and high-efficiency TADF emitters in the long-wavelength region was developed. The synthesis involves the direct attachment of three different electron-donating groups, namely 3,6-di-tert-butylcarbazole (tCz), 9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine (Ac), and N3,N3,N6,N6-tetraphenyl-9H-carbazole-3,6-diamine (DACz), to the highly rigid dibenzo[a,c]phenazine-2,7-dicarbonitrile (BPCN) acceptor unit. Among them, the highly distorted donor–acceptor-based Ac-BPCN emitter exhibited a high EQE of above 20% with color coordinates of (0.54, 0.45) and a peak wavelength of 597 nm. Highly red-shifted emission of up to 631 nm with color coordinates of (0.60, 0.39) was enabled by the DACz-BPCN emitter due to the strong donor character of DACz. The emission wavelengths of the three TADF emitters cover a wide range of the long-wavelength region of the visible spectrum, from yellow (548 nm) to deep-red (631 nm). The peripheral cyano-substituted rigid BPCN unit proved its potential as an efficient electron acceptor for the design of highly efficient and long-wavelength TADF emitters.


Challenges of Advanced Technologies and School of the Future The era of advanced technology claims a different individual. The individual that would undisturbed function in the era of digitalization and would better perceive and protect our environment with the help of accomplishments and benefits of advanced information and communication technology (ICT). There is no better time for learning and concretization of these values as in school. Nowadays pupils, the pupils of digital era, are more and more experienced in the usage of contemporary media and networks. That is why they require the modification of conditions and teachers' role in the school. Will new information and multimedia or hypermedia support for classrooms and new didactical ideas improve learning results, and stimulate innovation and greater pleasure towards learning and knowledge? All these questions will be answered in our contribution.


The need for improved productivity and reduced time to market has been increased significantly in manufacturing processes in recent decades. There are many factors that play a role in providing manufacturing processes with more productivity. One is the use of modular fixtures (MFs). MFs have brought many benefits to manufacturing industries including reduced costs and times of production. An MF can be defined as a complete system that consist different elements for effectively and securely holding the workpiece in place for performing various machining operations. Generally an MF is made by assembling a number of fixture elements in a feasible sequence that is properly determined. Traditionally, the most common method of determination of fixture elements and assembly sequences are making use of 2D drawings and physical models. Obviously these are not efficient methods in the world of advanced manufacturing technologies and there is a vital need for developing more efficient methods. A solution to this is developing a CAD-based 3D-modelling and simulation system to determine the types and of feature elements and the sequence of assembly. Such a system can help fixture designers find the proper MF designs by defining the relationships between fixture elements and workpieces. Designing MFs and fixture elements is a very complex and time-consuming task even by making use of CAD software. A methodology has been developed to simplify this task by determining fixture elements and assembly sequences in a 3D-modelling environment. A fixture elements database is established and the fixture elements are divided into different categories depending on geometries and functions. Currently, MF systems can be constructed from standard MF elements. These elements are pre-manufactured components that include base-plates, clamps, and locators; and they can be re-used after disassembly. These can later be used for other workpieces within a specified range of sizes and shapes. In order to use these elements effectively, the CAD environment is exploited with developing a database which contains 3D models of standard MF elements. For most workpieces standard MF elements can be extracted directly from the developed database. However, for some workpieces with non-conventional geometries or shapes customised fixture elements should be designed in a 3D CAD environment. A modelling approach is used to find the appropriate MF design that suits the machining processes in need. To do so many parameters are taken into consideration including the number of workpieces to be machined; type of machining operation; locating method; clamping mechanism; and so on. The methodology developed for MF design has been implemented in a 3D modelling environment by making use of a powerful 3D modelling software, SolidWorks. It makes use of a database which contains 3D models for standard fixture elements. This database is divided into three main categories and each category is divided into different sub-categories depending on the type and function of the MF elements. SolidWorks software provides an excellent 3D environment that can be utilised to model fixture elements and determine assembly processes. This is accomplished by applying mating relationships after considering workpiece setup and fixture elements to achieve the optimum MF assembly design. This paper explains the methodology developed for semi-automated MF design. A case study has been presented to show the validity of the methodology proposed.


In order to establish uniform industry standards for custom aftermarket wheels, manufacturers of these wheels have joined together to develop guidelines for wheel design, testing, and manufacturing. The organization is named SEMA Foundation, Incorporated, (SFI) and the specifications cover both steel and aluminum automobile and light truck wheels. The specifications include requirements for (1) wheel identification marking, (2) design qualification, (3) periodic design requalification, (4) quality control procedures, (5) independent plant audits, and (6) identification of qualified products.


Multiple transcriptional start sites have been identified for the gene encoding the rat Type I isozyme of hexokinase (White, J.A., Liu, W., and Wilson, J. E., Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 335, 161-172, 1996); these are clustered at positions approximately -460, -300, and -100 relative to the translational start codon (ATG, with A being +1). PC12 cells and H9c2 cells were transfected with luciferase reporter constructs containing genomic sequence between positions -3366 and -171. Marked (85%) decrease in promoter activity was associated with deletion of sequence between -742 and -516. In DNase I footprinting experiments, two regions, called P1 (-552 to -529) and P2 (-480 to -458) boxes, were protected by proteins present in nuclear extracts from PC12 cells. Mutation or deletion of the P2 box had no effect on promoter activity; protection in this region, which includes the most upstream cluster of transcriptional start sites, is attributed to binding of RNA polymerase II or associated factors. In contrast, mutations or deletions in the P1 box had markedly detrimental effects on promoter activity and on binding of proteins in PC12 cell nuclear extracts. Maintenance of a consensus Sp1 binding site centrally located in the P1 box was critical for both promoter activity and binding. A second Sp1 site (-570), just upstream from the P1 box, was also shown to be functionally important but no protection of this region was detected in footprinting experiments, presumably reflecting lower affinity at this site under the conditions used. Supershift experiments demonstrated the involvement of Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 in formation of complexes with the P1 box region and implicate these transcription factors in regulating promoter activity associated with this region. Another series of reporter constructs, including sequence between -171 and -1, permitted detection of an additional promoter activity downstream from -364. While not yet extensively characterized, it is already evident that the cis elements influencing the downstream promoter activity are distinct from the Sp factors determined to be important in expression from the upstream promoter region.


Over the past few decades, intelligentization, supported by artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, has become an important trend for industrial manufacturing, accelerating the development of smart manufacturing. In modern industries, standard AI has been endowed with additional attributes, yielding the so-called industrial artificial intelligence (IAI) that has become the technical core of smart manufacturing. AI-powered manufacturing brings remarkable improvements in many aspects of closed-loop production chains from manufacturing processes to end product logistics. In particular, IAI incorporating domain knowledge has benefited the area of production monitoring considerably. Advanced AI methods such as deep neural networks, adversarial training, and transfer learning have been widely used to support both diagnostics and predictive maintenance of the entire production process. It is generally believed that IAI is the critical technologies needed to drive the future evolution of industrial manufacturing. This article offers a comprehensive overview of AI-powered manufacturing and its applications in monitoring. More specifically, it summarizes the key technologies of IAI and discusses their typical application scenarios with respect to three major aspects of production monitoring: fault diagnosis, remaining useful life prediction, and quality inspection. In addition, the existing problems and future research directions of IAI are also discussed. This article further introduces the papers in this focused section on AI-based monitoring in smart manufacturing by weaving them into the overview, highlighting how they contribute to and extend the body of literature in this area.


Disinfection is a critical step in drinking water treatment, killing pathogenic organisms and ensuring the water is safe for consumption. However, disinfection byproducts (DBPs) form during treatment when disinfectants react with naturally occurring organic matter, bromide, iodide or other contaminants present in source waters. DBPs are of concern in drinking water because they are carcinogenic and teratogenic, and some DBPs are regulated. Source water bromide can shift DBP speciation toward higher risk brominated species and may shift someDBPs toward unregulated forms. While naturally occurring bromide concentrations are typically quite low, elevated levels can be found in coastal groundwater and estuary sources and where surface waters are impactedby anthropogenic activities such as energy extraction and utilization activities. Elevated bromide concentrations in source waters may lead to higher risk to consumers, even while water continues to meet regulatory compliance requirements. TTHM does not adequately capture risk of the regulated species when source water bromide concentrations are elevated, and thus would also likely be an inadequate surrogate for many unregulated brominatedspecies. Alternative surrogate measures, including THM3 and the bromodichloromethane concentration, are more robust surrogates for species-specific THM risk at varying source water bromide concentrations.Recently, climate change has been associated with increasing bromide concentrations incoastal groundwater and estuaries sources resulting from saltwater intrusion and in inland surface water sources as a result of anthropogenic factors. This work evaluated elevated bromide concentrations resulting from saltwater intrusion in coastal groundwater systems and from anthropogenic discharges from coal fired power plants operating wet FGD units.Coastal utilities treating a↵ected groundwater sources will likely meet regulatory levels for THMs, but even small changes in saltwater intrusion can have significant e↵ects on finished water concentrations and may exceed desired health risk threshold levels due to the extentof bromination in the THM. As a result of climate change, drinking water utilities using coastal groundwater or estuaries should consider the implications of treating high bromide source waters. In surface waters in the Monongahela River Basin, coal-fired power plants with wet FGD account for most of the total observed bromide concentrations at a drinking water intakedownstream. For the modeled bromide load, coal power plant discharges contribute an additional 24 mg/L TTHM half of the time during the period evaluated, exceeding the 10−5risk threshold. As source water bromide concentrations increase, TTHM may be inadequate as a surrogate measure for DBP risk. Alternative regulatory strategies may better protect human health.


Statistical methods of survival-analysis were applied to investigate the "life-time" of three types of class II amalgam restorations: 1355 F3-, 355 F4-amalgam filling, 108 TMS-pin-retained extensive amalgam restorations and 222 single crowns of a total of 630 patients of a private dental office. After 8 years of service about 50% of the extensive amalgam fillings, but 12% of the single crowns were still under risk.


In this paper the author presents the results of the analysis of the information of the malignant diseases register of the Oncology Department of the General Hospital in Subotica. The observation time lapse took place from 1976 to 1988 and was related to the entire territory of the Subotica Community. In the course of thirteen years, the total number of deceased persons amounted to 25,490, an average of 1960. The total number of persons affected with carcinoma was 6972, an average of 536 annually. The number of persons who died of cancer amounted to 4217, which means an average of 324 per annum. The average annual carcinoma incidence recorded came to 346, the average annual cancer mortality was 214, and the average overall mortality 1292. The average share of cancer mortality in the overall mortality amounted to 16.5%. Presented are the movement trends of the overall cancer incidence and mortality for the entire territory of the Subotica Community, as well as for it's larger settlements. A morbidity and mortality structure is given according to the frequency of particular cancer localizations, as well as the incidence and mortality movement trends of the most frequent carcinomas.


A superconducting single-electron tunneling transistor composed of two ultrasmall capacitance Al/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3//Al tunnel junctions and a capacitively coupled gate electrode has been fabricated. Transistor operation is based on single electron and Cooper pair charging effects. This three-terminal device exhibits novel I-V characteristics not seen in either conventional superconducting tunnel junctions or normal metal Coulomb blockage devices. Current peaks appear above V approximately 2 Delta /e which originate from combined Cooper pair/quasi-particle tunneling processes. These peaks show e-periodic modulation with respect to the gate-induced charge. At lower voltages, the I-V curve shows features which are 2e-periodic. In a magnetic field, it is found that the 2e-periodicity changes into e-periodicity above a crossover line, T*(H). The data strongly suggest the existence of a free energy difference between states with an even versus an odd number of electrons on the metal island between the two junctions.<<ETX>>


We develop new methodology to improve our understanding of the causal effects of multivariate air pollution exposures on public health. Typically, exposure to air pollution for an individual is measured at their home geographic region, though people travel to different regions with potentially different levels of air pollution. To account for this, we incorporate estimates of the mobility of individuals from cell phone mobility data to get an improved estimate of their exposure to air pollution. We treat this as an interference problem, where individuals in one geographic region can be affected by exposures in other regions due to mobility into those areas. We propose policy-relevant estimands and derive expressions showing the extent of bias one would obtain by ignoring this mobility. We additionally highlight the benefits of the proposed interference framework relative to a measurement error framework for accounting for mobility. We develop novel estimation strategies to estimate causal effects that account for this spatial spillover utilizing flexible Bayesian methodology. Empirically we find that this leads to improved estimation of the causal effects of air pollution exposures over analyses that ignore spatial spillover caused by mobility.


In 25 cats under intraperitoneal alpha-chloralose (40 mg/kg) and urethane (400 mg/kg) anesthesia, cardiovascular reactive sites of locus coeruleus (L.C) were stimulated by rectangular pulses (0.5 ms, 80 Hz, 100 to 200 microA) and/or by microinjection of sodium glutamate (Glu, 0.25 M, 70-150 nl). Changes of systemic arterial blood pressure (SAP) and sympathetic vertebral (VNA) and renal (RNA) nerve activities following stimulations were analyzed and, furthermore, SAP responses were compared before and after precollicular decerebration (PD). Microinjection of Glu in this region often produced a moderate increase and less often decrease in SAP. Depressor points were located dorsal to the sites eliciting pressor responses. In the majority of LC stimulations (69%) VNA increased along with the increase of SAP, while the RNA decreased. In a few stimulations marked increase in VNA and decrease in RNA occurred with little change in SAP. PD itself produced various degrees of a temporary (lasted for 5 to 15 min) decrease in SAP from 40 to 100 mmHg. Following PD, three types of change in the LC induced SAP responses were observed in a decreasing order, i.e., the responses were slightly reduced or slightly augmented, or the LC induced depressor responses were converted to a pressor one. Findings of the present study showed that neural mechanism in LC responsible for the changes of SAP and sympathetic nerve activities may exist in a topographic organization. LC is different from the gigantocellular tegmental field (FTG) located in the same rostral pons. The marked pressor responses elicited by activation of the FTG depend entirely on the rostral brain structure, while LC is not. Some brain structures rostral to superior colliculi may exert both inhibitory and excitatory influences over LC in cardiovascular integration.


This article investigates the structural characteristics of firms that promote activities involving partners who coordinate with each other to achieve common or individual goals. The article also aims to verify empirically whether these activities generate advantages for companies embedded in relationships by examining the effects of industry, age and size on inter-firm network management activities (INMAs) in a sample of Spanish companies operating in several industries and belonging to networks. The results show differences according to the life cycle stage: growth or maturity. Only the relation between INMA and performance has been confirmed in both samples. The findings point to the need to consider the industrial environment when analysing firms' networking decisions because the situations they face differ in mature or growing industries.


A mixed layer model (MLM) and large eddy simulation (LES) are used to analyze the internal response time scales of a stratocumulus‐topped boundary layer (STBL). Three separate time scales are identified: a slow time scale associated with boundary layer deepening (several days), an intermediate thermodynamic time scale (approximately 1 day), and a fast time scale (6–12 h) for cloud water path adjustment associated with an internal entrainment‐liquid flux (ELF) feedback. The nocturnal DYCOMSII‐RF01 case study is used to establish and interpret the previously unidentified fast STBL adjustment time scale with the MLM. The role of the entrainment closure is investigated by repeating the analysis with several different closures. Nearly every closure considered exhibits a fast time scale. Perturbations are applied to the well‐mixed CGILS stratocumulus case in both MLM and LES in order to elicit a short time scale response. Purely radiative perturbations do not project strongly onto the fast scale, while perturbations to the free tropospheric humidity do. A 2K surface and atmospheric temperature perturbation also projects strongly onto the fast scale. We show that the ELF adjustment mechanism behind the fast time scale is responsible for much of the steady state liquid water path response in the perturbed case, acting as a cloud‐thinning feedback mechanism in a uniformly warmed climate.


OBJECTIVE
To create guidelines for patients with diabetes to fast safely on Yom Kippur and other Jewish fast days, with the primary goal of avoiding hypoglycemia.

METHODS
Almost 30 years of experience in endocrinology and the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of current drug therapy were applied to develop these guidelines and recommendations. A few illustrative cases are presented.

RESULTS
Patients with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes were able to fast safely when a treatment plan was proactively formulated before the fast day. An understanding of which medications lower basal and which lower prandial blood glucose levels, as well as their duration of action, is critical.

CONCLUSION
The overwhelming majority of patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes can, from the perspective of blood glucose control, safely fast on Yom Kippur. Physician-patient discussion is important to prevent the patient from relying only on personal judgment and potentially taking too much medication, with the resultant development of hypoglycemia.


An outbreak of trichinellosis due to wild boar meat was detected in Lithuania in June 2009. The outbreak affected 107 people all of whom had consumed sausages made of wild boar meat. Inspection of food samples confirmed the presence of Trichinella larvae in the meat.


This report reviews previously published studies from our laboratory and shows some recent morphological data obtained with scanning and transmission electron microscopy regarding gallstone formation and alteration of the gallbladder epithelium in the Syrian hamster model. Both male and female hamsters were treated with female sex steroids (estradiol alone, estradiol and medroxyprogesterone, medroxyprogesterone alone) during one month. The results show that the Syrian hamster is a good model to study bile changes, gallbladder structure changes, including gallstone formation, and the regulation of cholesterol metabolism at the molecular level. Arguments in favor of this animal model are presented and, during gallstone formation, epithelial cell changes, anionic mucus secretion, and formation of gallbladder luminal deposits can be demonstrated. Recent molecular biology observations related to the effect of female sex steroids on liver cholesterol 7α‐hydroxylase (CYP7) gene suggest that progestin alone or primed by estrogen down regulates CYP7 transcription and activity. In addition, progesterone in cell culture systems has been shown to enhance intracellular accumulation of free cholesterol by increasing its uptake and synthesis and by decreasing its esterification by inhibiting the activity of acylcoenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase. Non‐esterified cholesterol is free to migrate to the extracellular spaces and may contribute to nucleation within the bile. It is suggested that these effects of progesterone on cholesterol metabolism combined with the CYP7 gene down regulation, physical changes in the mucus and the hypomotility of the gallbladder and biliary ducts result in hypersaturation of cholesterol in the bile which favors gallstone formation. Microsc. Res. Tech. 39:56–70, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.