By using isolation and culture method, 25 strains of dominant bacteria in Ageratina adenophora rhizosphere soil were isolated and identified, of which, 8 strains were assessed for their antagonistic activity. The results showed that Bacillus and Pseudomonas were highly abundant in A. adenophora rhizosphere soil, of which, B. subtilis and B. megaterium were most abundant and occupied 55.6% of the total identified bacteria. These dominant bacteria had different level antagonistic activity to Fusarium oxysporum and Ralstonia solanacearum, and B. subtilis BS-5 and B. thuringiensis BT-1 had the strongest antagonistic effect on F. oxysporum, with the antagonistic activity of their metabolic products being 85.5% and 83.8%, respectively. The metabolic products of the dominant antagonistic bacteria had even more stronger antagonistic effect on pathogens than the dominant antagonistic bacteria themselves. The existence of abundant bacterial groups with strong antagonistic activity in A. adenophora rhizosphere soil could help A. adenophora to resist harmful soil-borne diseases and escape its natural enemies. Through the feedback actions of the beneficial rhizosphere microbes, A. adenophora probably earned its competition superiority directly or indirectly, being favorable to its rapid expansion.


Secreted Wnt glycoproteins regulate intracellular signaling pathways important for embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. Misregulation of Wnt signalling is frequent in human cancers. Wnt ligands are recognized at the surface of cells by various receptor complexes that are differentially expressed and determine context-dependent cellular responses. In humans, 16 Wnt ligands interact directly with 10 Frizzled seven transmembrane proteins through their extracellular cysteine rich domain (CRD). Wnts also interact with various co-receptors, such as LRP5/6, ROR1/2, RYK, PTK7, which engage different downstream signaling pathways. While genetic analysis of mouse knockouts has revealed specific roles for different Wnt receptors and co-receptors during embryonic development, relatively little is known about their respective functions during adult tissue homeostasis or in the initiation and progression of human diseases such as cancer. There is a paucity of reagents allowing the selective and temporal pharmacological inhibition of Wnt receptors. We are employing phage-display technology to identify high affinity synthetic blocking monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against all human Wnt receptors. To date we have isolated a collection of anti-receptor antibodies exhibiting unique selectivity and functionality profiles. Our lead anti-Frizzled mAbs targeting a subset of Frizzled proteins inhibit Wnt-promoted activation of the TopFlash reporter with low nanomolar potency. These mAbs also exhibit dose dependent anti-proliferative efficacies against various pancreatic cancer cell lines grown in vitro and as xenografts in mice. These reagents will be useful to probe the function of specific Wnt receptors in tissue homeostasis and human diseases and will lead to novel therapeutic agents for their treatment. Our lab is also employing whole genome CRISPR screening approach to identify genotype specific vulnerabilities in cancer cells. These efforts have identified specific Frizzled important for cancer cells proliferation and is guiding our antibody development program. Citation Format: Zachary Steinhart, Traver Hart, Sachdev Sidhu, Jason Moffat, Stephane Angers. Inhibiting the Wnt pathway with selective anti-Frizzled synthetic antibodies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Developmental Biology and Cancer; Nov 30-Dec 3, 2015; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(4_Suppl):Abstract nr IA13.


Organolead halide perovskites are used for low-operating-voltage multilevel resistive switching. Ag/CH3 NH3 PbI3 /Pt cells exhibit electroforming-free resistive switching at an electric field of 3.25 × 10(3) V cm(-1) for four distinguishable ON-state resistance levels. The migration of iodine interstitials and vacancies with low activation energies is responsible for the low-electric-field resistive switching via filament formation and annihilation.


Chaos is widely understood as being a consequence of sensitive dependence upon initial conditions. This is the result of an instability in phase space, which separates trajectories exponentially. Here, we demonstrate that this criterion should be refined. Despite their overall intrinsic instability, trajectories may be very strongly convergent in phase space over extremely long periods, as revealed by our investigation of a simple chaotic system (a realistic model for small bodies in a turbulent flow). We establish that this strong convergence is a multi-facetted phenomenon, in which the clustering is intense, widespread and balanced by lacunarity of other regions. Power laws, indicative of scale-free features, characterize the distribution of particles in the system. We use large-deviation and extreme-value statistics to explain the effect. Our results show that the interpretation of the 'butterfly effect' needs to be carefully qualified. We argue that the combination of mixing and clustering processes makes our specific model relevant to understanding the evolution of simple organisms. Lastly, this notion of convergent chaos, which implies the existence of conditions for which uncertainties are unexpectedly small, may also be relevant to the valuation of insurance and futures contracts.


Context: Sonoelastography is an emerging noninvasive imaging modality used for the assessment of soft tissue lesions. Parotid and submandibular glands are relatively superficial structures which can be easily assessed and examined to characterize the lesions. Aim: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the sonoelastographic features of various benign and malignant parotid and submandibular gland lesions, and correlate their findings with pathology. Materials and Methods: In a prospective observational study conducted in Acharya Vinoba Bhave Rural Hospital of JNMC College, Sawangi, Wardha, 24 patients who presented with salivary gland lesions were evaluated with sonoelastography during 2 years. Results: The most common age group in this study was 51–60 years, followed by 31–40 years. Benign lesions were more common than malignant ones. Higher values of strain ratio were seen in cases of malignant tumours correlating well with score of 3 and 4 on elastography. Conclusions: Sonoelastography is a recent advance in ultrasound for the evaluation of salivary gland lesions showing good correlation with pathology so it can be employed routinely in presurgical evaluation.


A 2-year review of 316 routine intravenous catheter cultures revealed 57 positive cultures (18%), with 57% of the 74 organisms recovered interpreted as pathogens. There were five episodes of catheter-associated septicemia.


The 2009 Lisbon Treaty has added an important exclusive competence for the European Union (EU) in the common commercial policy area, namely, foreign direct investment, thus making it a crucial actor in international investment protection. This has a huge impact on shaping international investment policy in Europe and has raised important questions, especially regarding the legal consequences of the EU's exclusive competence in the negotiation process of international investment agreements (IIAs) with third countries. This article explores the role of the EU and its member states in negotiating and concluding IIAs with third countries. In the first part, the article illustrates when individual member states are authorized to conclude a new bilateral investment treaty with a third country, with a focus on the EU´s Regulation No 1219/2012 and its implementation. In the second part, the article questions what it means for the EU and its member states to conclude investment mixed agreements with third countries, how the negotiation processes are conducted, and what is the impact of the division of competences between the EU and its member states. The final part of the article shows the current issues of ius standi and financial responsibility in investment dispute settlement involving foreign investors, with a focus on the EU´s Regulation No 912/2014 and the negotiation processes of the EU with third countries.


Abs t r ac t . We present optimal O(n log n) time algorithms to solve two tree embedding problems whose solution previously took quadratic time or more: rooted-tree embeddings and degree-constrained embeddings. In the rooted-tree embedding problem we are given a rooted-tree T with n nodes and a set of n points P with one designated point p and are asked to find a straight-line embedding of T into P with the root at point p. In the degree-constrained embedding problem we are given a set of n points P where each point is assigned a positive degree and the degrees sum to 2n 2 and are asked to embed a tree in P using straight lines that respects the degrees assigned to each point of P. In both problems, the points of P must be in general position and the embeddings have no crossing edges.


A theory is developed which enables optimum geometric conditions to be determined under various conditions. The validity of the simplifying assumptions is discussed. The theory shows (a) that stationary-anode X-ray tubes should be employed with focal dimensions three times those of the specimen; (b) that rotating-anode X-ray tubes should have focal dimensions five times those of the specimen. In each case, the distance between specimen and focus and the film distance are determined by the spacings which it is desired to record. Optimum conditions are also calculated for cases where the focal size, specimen distance, and/or film distance are restricted by experimental conditions. The dosage received by the specimen and the contrast produced at the film are also considered. The implications of this analysis are discussed, and, in particular, it is concluded that a need exists for X-ray tubes of variable focal size.


The lack of organic fluorophores with high quantum yields (QYs) and low liver retention in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window has become a bottleneck in the bioimaging field. An approach to address these problems is proposed by encapsulating phosphorylated fluorescent dyes into biodegradable calcium phosphate nanoparticles. First, an NIR-II molecule, LJ-2P, is designed with increased water solubility by introducing two phosphate groups. Meanwhile, LJ-2P co-precipitates with calcium ions to form LJ-2P nanoparticles (NPs). The QYs of LJ-2P NPs in aqueous solution is increased by 36.57-fold to 5.12% compared with that of LJ-2P. This unique phenomenon is named as precipitation-enhanced emission (PEE), whose detailed mechanism is explored by femtosecond transient absorption. It is demonstrated that co-precipitation of LJ-2P with calcium ions changes the micro-environment, which restricts the molecular rotation and reduces the interaction of water molecules, especially the excited-state proton transfer. In addition, due to the pH-sensitive nature, more than 80% of the LJ-2P NPs are metabolized in the liver within 24 h. Based on the excellent optical properties and good biocompatibility, high-contrast vascular visualization and breast tumor detecting are achieved. This strategy can apply to other NIR-II fluorophores to achieve high QYs and low liver retention.


Multi-objective recommender systems address the difficult task of recommending items that are relevant to multiple, possibly conflicting, criteria. However these systems are most often designed to address the objective of one single stakeholder, typically, in online commerce, the consumers whose input and purchasing decisions ultimately determine the success of the recommendation systems. In this work, we address the multi-objective, multi-stakeholder, recommendation problem involving one or more objective(s) per stakeholder. In addition to the consumer stakeholder, we also consider two other stakeholders; the suppliers who provide the goods and services for sale and the intermediary who is responsible for helping connect consumers to suppliers via its recommendation algorithms. We analyze the multi-objective, multi-stakeholder, problem from the point of view of the online marketplace intermediary whose objective is to maximize its commission through its recommender system. We define a multi-objective problem relating all our three stakeholders which we solve with a novel learning-to-re-rank approach that makes use of a novel regularization function based on the Kendall tau correlation metric and its kernel version; given an initial ranking of item recommendations built for the consumer, we aim to re-rank it such that the new ranking is also optimized for the secondary objectives while staying close to the initial ranking. We evaluate our approach on a real-world dataset of hotel recommendations provided by Expedia where we show the effectiveness of our approach against a business-rules oriented baseline model.


We examined 554 patients with clinical suspicion of tetanic syndrome whose ischemic and hyperventilation tests were negative. We analysed the wave M before carrying out the tests with the following parameters: latency, amplitude, duration, shape and strength of stimulus. We could register higher irritability in women, in young persons, in course of years. We cannot register conspicuous changes during year seasons; the amplitude and the strength of stimulus were in middle correlation. We try to explain the significance of the polyphasic shape of the wave M where the desynchronization and repetitive activity are supposed to be the main causes. The relation between men and women was 1:2.2. Most patients were in the middle age group.


Background

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show deficits processing sensory feedback to reactively adjust ongoing motor behaviors. Atypical reliance on visual and proprioceptive feedback each have been reported during motor behaviors in ASD suggesting that impairments are not specific to one sensory domain but may instead reflect a deficit in multisensory processing, resulting in reliance on unimodal feedback. The present study tested this hypothesis by examining motor behavior across different visual and proprioceptive feedback conditions during a visually guided precision grip force test.
Methods

Participants with ASD (N = 43) and age-matched typically developing (TD) controls (N = 23), range 10–20 years, completed a test of precision gripping. They pressed on force sensors with their index finger and thumb while receiving visual feedback on a computer screen in the form of a horizontal bar that moved upwards with increased force. They were instructed to press so that the bar reached the level of a static target bar and then to hold their grip force as steadily as possible. Visual feedback was manipulated by changing the gain of the force bar. Proprioceptive feedback was manipulated by applying 80 Hz tendon vibration at the wrist to induce an illusion of muscle elongation. Force variability (standard deviation) and irregularity (sample entropy) were examined using multilevel linear models.
Results

While TD controls showed increased force variability with the tendon vibration on compared to off, individuals with ASD showed similar levels of force variability across tendon vibration conditions. Individuals with ASD showed stronger age-associated reductions in force variability relative to controls across conditions. The ASD group also showed greater age-associated increases in force irregularity relative to controls, especially at higher gain levels and when the tendon vibrator was turned on.
Conclusions

Our findings that individuals with ASD show similar levels of force variability and regularity during induced proprioceptive illusions suggest a reduced ability to integrate proprioceptive feedback information to guide ongoing precision manual motor behavior. We also document stronger age-associated gains in force control in ASD relative to TD suggesting delayed development of multisensory feedback control of motor behavior.


Background The evaluation of the quality of medical practice and the implementation of corresponding measures to improve it are crucial steps for the development of Rheumatology in Europe. Herein we describe the implementation of a national program, Rheuma Space, aiming at quality improvement in the field of Rheumatology. Objectives To develop standards for the quality of care accepted by most of the rheumatology services in Portugal. Methods Quality indicators were obtained through a four-step RAND-modified Delphi methodology. The first step involved a literature search for international benchmarking of quality of care initiatives and indicators, followed by a pre-selection of a initial set of criteria by a task force. The final steps, aiming at defining a smaller set of criteria that could best analyze rheumatology quality of care, encompassed an online Delphi round with all Portuguese rheumatologists and a consensus meeting with a panel of invited experts representing all the Portuguese Rheumatology Departments of the National Health Service. Results A total of 412 different indicators were collected throughout the first project phase and the final set of 26 quality indicators was defined, within the three Donabedian dimensions of healthcare quality: nine "structure", eleven "processes" and seven "outcome" indicators. These criteria cover eleven domains of quality of care: personnel and organizational structure, training and research, facilities, equipment and IT, budgeting and financial resources, access to care, clinical records, patient communication, multidisciplinary management, clinical outcomes, and patient and personnel satisfaction. Conclusions The 26 quality indicators set constitutes the basis for a quality management tool, which is now being implemented in all the Portuguese Rheumatology Departments of the National Health Service. Direct surveys derived from the 26 quality indicators are being applied to health professionals and patients allowing to benchmark departments and to identify strengths and weakness for future improvement. This initiative is deemed to improve the process of care for Portuguese rheumatic patients, thereby ensuring quality standards of structure and process criteria, for a patient-oriented clinical practice, favouring desirable continuous quality improvement on health outcomes. Acknowledgement Portuguese Rheumatology participating in the online Delphi and all the participants in the expert consensus meeting Disclosure of Interest None declared


Samsam swamp is located in the peat swamp area and flooded during rainy season. A research aims to understand the type and abundance of zooplankton in the Samsam swamp, has been carried out in March 2016. There were 4 stations, namely S1 is in the upstream (almost no human activity); S2 (around palm plantation); S3 (around the newly planted palm plantation) and S4 (far from palm plantation). Sampling were conducted 3 times, once/week. Results shown that zooplankton in the Samsam Swamp was consisted of 5 Classes (14 species). The most common species was crustacean (4 species). The average of zooplankton abundance was around 194-833 organisms/L, species diversity index (H') was 2,573-3,596, equatibility index (E) was 0.66-0.92, and dominance index (C) was 0.089-0.274. While the water quality parameters were as follows: temperature: 30-320C, transparency: 30-40 cm, depth: 83-114 cm, pH: 4-5, CO2: 8.66-9.32 mg/L, DO:3.96-4.65 mg/L, nitrate:0.45-0.58 mg/L and phosphate:0.36-0.56 mg/L. Based on data obtained it can be concluded that zooplankton diversity was medium, nodominant speciesand the water quality is able to support the life of aquatic organisms.


Assessing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards vaccination is a key strategy when implementing national and international immunisation programmes aimed at improving compliance among the population and thereby increasing vaccination coverage. While vaccination's role as a powerful life-saving weapon in the fight against infectious diseases has been further highlighted following the introduction of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, there is still a discrepancy between the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of vaccines and the perception of the risk attributed to them. Known as "Vaccine Hesitancy" (VH), this phenomenon is the delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines, despite the availability of services. VH can be found in at least 15% of the worldwide population, and even professional groups tasked with promoting vaccination as a primary prevention measure, e.g., healthcare workers (HCWs), sometimes have doubts regarding vaccination. Since 2014, this Public Health problem has been increasing in 90% of countries worldwide, to the extent that in 2019 it was listed as one of the ten greatest threats to global health by the World Health Organization (WHO). VH has also affected COVID-19 vaccination, hampering the achievement of desired vaccination coverage. Monitoring this trend by studying people's behaviour and attitudes could be a useful tool to aid Public Health, in orienting vaccination policies and designing new health education and continuous training interventions, aimed at both the general public and accountable cohorts, such as HCWs.


Objective: Although many patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) benefit from treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), it is estimated that 40% to 60% of them do not respond. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of quetiapine added to baseline treatment with SRIs for the treatment of OCD in severely ill adult subjects. Method: Forty patients (21 men, 19 women) with primary OCD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria participated in a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. They were randomly assigned to dosages of quetiapine titrated up to 400 mg/d (n = 20) or to placebo (n = 20) in addition to their SRI treatment. During the continuation phase (weeks 6-12), subjects received different dosages between 400 and 600 mg/d depending on clinical response. At entry, all patients were unresponsive to at least 1 course of at least 12 weeks of treatment with SRIs at defined doses. The total Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale score was the primary efficacy parameter. Results: Intention-to-treat, last-observation-carried-forward analysis demonstrated a mean ± SD decrease in Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale score of 5.2 ± 5.4 in the quetiapine group and 3.9 ± 4.9 in the placebo group. The analysis of treatment effects between the 2 groups showed no significant difference. There were no significant group differences in any of the other self-rating scales or clinician-administered rating scales. Conclusions: In this study, augmentation of SRI treatment with quetiapine in severe OCD had no additional effect.


A continuous section of extrusive and intrusive rocks has been recovered through a drill core of about 2430 ft that was taken at St. John, Virgin Islands. This study is confined to the upper 1180 ft and comprises a cumulative total of 950 ft of altered mafic extrusive rocks (spilite). The spilite is intruded by two amphibole porphyries, one albite-diabase, and oneandesine-diabase. This spilite is further subdivided, according to its appearance, into three zones: a patchy spilite, a non-patchy spilite, and a brecciated spilite. The patchy spilite comprises the upper 650 ft of the core and consists of dark gray patches (2 cm average diameter) containing plagioclase, clinopyroxene, chlorite, and an abundant dark mesostasis. These patches are set into a green matrix rich in chlorite, epi-dote, quartz, and calcite, but low in plagioclase relative to the dark patches. The occurrence of the dark patches and their disappearance with depth (non-patchy spilite) is an igneous feature related to the cooling history of the parental magma of the spilite. The upper part of the flow (patchy spilite) solidified faster than the lower portion (non-patchy spilite), giving rise to centers of crystallization (dark patches) set into a glassy groundmass (green matrix). The effect of autometasomatism as a primary process for the origin of the spilites is still questionable or perhaps masked by a post-consolidation process. It was found that pumpellyite and prehnite disappeared below 700 ft in the core with a concomitant increase of actinolite. Some mobile compounds, mainly K 2 O, also decreased continuously with depth throughout the different lithological units encountered in the core. These mineralogical and chemical variations suggest that the parental magma of the spilites from St. John was altered due to a burial metamorphism of the prehnite-pumpellyite facies grading into the green-schist facies. While the preserved textural features of the spilite show a close correlation with basaltic rocks, the chemistry of the spilite may approach the composition of an amphibolite.


Keywords submersed macrophyte, P. perfoliatus, clonal architecture, spatial growth, shoot density, rhizome, biomass allocation, growth plasticity, foraging, allometry, sediment, porewater, nutrients, fertilization, clonal integration, individual-based model, Lake Constance Clonal growth governs the aboveground growth pattern of submerged clonal macrophytes. The research project provides detailed data on the architectural growth rules of Potamogeton perfoliatus L. (perfoliate pondweed) such as rhizome spacer lengths, biomass allocation, branching frequencies, branching angles, as well as maps of rhizome networks and their seasonal development in Lake Constance. Besides architectural reasons, the causes for different sizes and shapes of P. perfoliatus patches are dependent on nutrients, light conditions, and clonal integration. Branching was positively related to both irradiation and nutrient supply. Rhizome spacer lengths were negatively related to nutrient supply and positively related to irradiation. Rhizome allocation tended to increase with irradiation and shoot allocation tended to decrease with irradiation. Root allocation was higher at low nutrient supply. Clonal growth was further complicated because the species showed complex sharing of of resources between older and younger ramets, aiming at optimal resource partitioning. We present an individual-based clonal model which is able to simulate seasonal growth of Potamogeton patches. Furthermore, it shows that architectural growth affects patch characteristics: both rhizome spacer lengths and growth of rhizome axes relative to those in the previous year considerably determine patch density and patch expansion rates. All results on clonal architecture are discussed in the light of foraging theory and allometric rules.


Using the observed submillimetre source counts, from 250 to 1200 μm[including the most recent 250, 350 and 500 μm counts from Balloon-borne Large-Aperture Submillimetre Telescope (BLAST)], we present a model capable of reproducing these results, which is used as a basis to make predictions for upcoming surveys with the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receive (SPIRE) instrument aboard the Herschel Space Observatory. The model successfully fits both the integral and differential source counts of submillimetre galaxies in all wavebands, predicting that while ultra-luminous infrared (IR) galaxies dominate at the brightest flux densities, the bulk of the IR background is due to the less luminous IR galaxy population. The model also predicts confusion limits and contributions to the cosmic IR background that are consistent with the BLAST results. Applying this to SPIRE gives predicted source confusion limits of 19.4, 20.5 and 16.1 mJy in the 250, 350 and 500 μm bands, respectively. This means the SPIRE surveys should achieve sensitivities 1.5 times deeper than the BLAST, revealing a fainter population of IR-luminous galaxies and detecting approximately 2600, 1300 and 700 sources per deg2 in the SPIRE bands (with one in three sources expected to be a high-redshift ultra-luminous source at 500 μm). The model number redshift distributions predict a bimodal distribution of local quiescent galaxies and a high-redshift peak corresponding to strongly evolving star-forming galaxies. It suggests the very deepest surveys with Herschel–SPIRE ought to sample the source population responsible for the bulk of the IR background.


Toxoplasmosis is a prevalent parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). Under the control of the host immune system, T. gondii persists as latent bradyzoite cysts. Immunosuppression leads to their reactivation, a potentially life-threatening condition. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) controls the different stages of toxoplasmosis. Here, we addressed the role of the parasite surface antigen P18, belonging to the Surface-Antigen 1 (SAG-1) Related Sequence (SRS) family, in a cyst-forming strain. Deletion of P18 gene (KO P18) impaired the invasion of parasites in macrophages and IFN-γ-mediated activation of macrophages further reduced the invasion capacity of this KO, as compared to WT strain. Mice infected by KO P18, showed a marked decrease in virulence during acute toxoplasmosis. This was consequent to less parasitemia, accompanied by a substantial recruitment of dendritic cells, macrophages and natural killer cells (NK). Furthermore, KO P18 resulted in a higher number of bradyzoite cysts, and a stronger inflammatory response. A prolonged survival of mice was observed upon immunosuppression of KO P18 infected BALB/c mice or upon oral infection of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) mice, with intact macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells. In stark contrast, oral infection of NSG (NOD/Shi-scid/IL-2Rγnull) mice, defective in macrophages and NK cells, with KO P18, was as lethal as that of the control strain showing that the conversion from bradyzoites to tachyzoites is intact and, suggesting a role of P18 in the response to host IFN-γ. Collectively, these data demonstrate a role for P18 surface antigen in the invasion of macrophages and in the virulence of the parasite, during acute and chronic toxoplasmosis.


Cultures of human epidermal keratinocytes obtained from adult epidermis were initiated using irradiated BALB/3T3 cells as feeder layers. At different stages of confluence of the epidermal islands, feeder cells were removed and the extracellular matrix proteins of both pure component cells and cocultures were analyzed biochemically and by immunochemical methods and compared to those of skin fibroblasts of the same donors. The keratinocytes synthesized and secreted fibronectin and small amounts of laminin and type IV collagen. In addition, a nondisulfide-linked collagenous polypeptide (Mr = 120,000) was synthesized by the keratinocytes and was confined to the cell layers. Collagenous polypeptides with Mr = 120,000 were also synthesized by organ cultures of epidermal tissue and were detected in its acid or detergent extracts but again no secretion to culture medium was found. The Mr = 120,000 collagen had biochemical and immunological properties distinct from those of types I-V collagens. In immunofluorescence of keratinocyte cultures, fibronectin staining was prominent in the lining marginal cells of the expanding periphery of the epidermal cell islands but was not detected in the terminally differentiating cells in the upper layers of stratified colonies. Very little type IV collagen was found deposited in pericellular matrix form by the keratinocytes. In contrast, the mouse 3T3 feeder cells were found to produce both type IV collagen and laminin in addition to the previously identified connective tissue glycoproteins of fibroblasts, interstitial procollagens, and fibronectin. Basement membrane collagen of the 3T3 cells was found deposited as apparently unprocessed procollagen alpha 1(IV) and alpha 2(IV) chains. The production in culture conditions of basal lamina glycoproteins by the fibroblastic feeder cells may promote the attachment and growth of the cocultured keratinocytes.


Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods: Three hundred seventeen patients with International Classification of Diseases diagnoses of both DR and OSA were evaluated retrospectively. Diabetic retinopathy severity and diabetic macular edema status were determined by diagnostic coding and medical records. Obstructive sleep apnea severity and additional sleep measures were obtained from overnight polysomnography. Analysis was performed using multivariable logistic regression. Results: After adjustment, an association was seen between DR and severe OSA (odds ratio [OR]: 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.14–4.18, P = 0.019). Proliferative DR was associated with severe OSA versus no DR (OR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.12–5.14, P = 0.024) and mild nonproliferative DR (OR: 2.87, 95% CI: 1.26–6.55, P = 0.012). Comparing all nonproliferative DR with proliferative DR, proliferative DR and severe OSA were associated (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.03–4.70, P = 0.043), as well as diabetic macular edema and severe OSA (OR: 2.89, 95% CI: 1.58–5.27, P = 0.001). No association was seen between DR/diabetic macular edema and secondary sleep measures. Conclusion: The findings suggest an increased risk of DR, proliferative DR, and diabetic macular edema in patients with severe OSA. Ophthalmologists following these patients should be aware of this association to better manage ocular sequelae of diabetes.


Understanding interfacial charge transfer processes such as trap-mediated recombination and injection into charge transport layers (CTLs) is crucial for the improvement of perovskite solar cells. Herein, we reveal that the chemical binding of charge transport layers to CH3NH3PbI3 defect sites is an integral part of the interfacial charge injection mechanism in both n-i-p and p-i-n architectures. Specifically, we use a mixture of optical and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to show that binding interactions occur via Lewis base interactions between electron-donating moieties on hole transport layers and the CH3NH3PbI3 surface. We then correlate the extent of binding with an improvement in the yield and longer lifetime of injected holes with transient absorption spectroscopy. Our results show that passivation-mediated charge transfer has been occurring undetected in some of the most common perovskite configurations and elucidate a key design rule for the chemical structure of next-generation CTLs.


A wide application in a refrigeration machine and cryogenic plant is found by counter current heat exchangers in which in direct and reverse streams at the same matter moves with an identical expense. Such heat-exchange vehicles can be named the opposite heat exchangers. The regenerators of gas cryogenic machines behave to them. A calculation and optimization of the opposite heat exchangers can be substantially simplified, if to take into account their features. The alternative chart of heat exchange is offered in the opposite heat exchanger. Accepted, that the process of transmission of heat in him is equivalent to the process of transmission of several of heat on the warm and cold ends of heat exchanger. For illustration of possibilities of the created methodology regenerator optimization of pulsation cooler is conducted. Optimal length of regenerator attachment , corresponding to a minimum thermodynamics losses in him, is found.


A 77-year-old woman accidentally ingested a commercial ant bait containing fipronil without development of obvious toxicity, supporting the safety of this new insecticide as demonstrated in animal studies. However, concentrated agricultural products may be more toxic, and the potential for seizures should not be overlooked. The pharmacological action, mechanism of selective insect toxicity, and clinical effects of fipronil are discussed.


: The setting of the equilibrium between the demand and the supply of human resources an labor market is the research theme for more an more specialists today. In the process of solving this problem, an important contribution is made by marketing studies and especially those in education marketing. Starting from labor market characteristics, with its two parts – demand and supply, we have proposed in this paper to motivate the necessity for a specific approach of strategic marketing in pre-education as a mean for a correspondence between the demand and the supply on this market. The study is based on a precise analysis of the number and structure of some professional school graduates from Dolj County and highlights the strategic directions that must be followed in order to reduce the unemployment level among young graduates of preuniversity education. JEL classification: I21, I23


Background
Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of death worldwide due to a single infectious agent. Rates of active TB in places of prescribed detention (PPD), which include Prisons, Young Offender Institutions and Immigration Removal Centres, are high compared with the general population. PPD therefore present an opportunity to develop targeted health programmes for TB control. This audit aims to assess current service provisions and identify barriers to achieving best practice standards in PPD across London.

Methods
Twelve healthcare teams within PPD commissioned by NHS England (London Region) were included in the audit. Services were evaluated against the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence standards for TB best practice.

Results
None of the health providers with a digital X-ray machine were conducting active case finding in new prisoners and no health providers routinely conduct Latent TB infection testing and preventative treatment. Barriers to implementing standards include the lack of staff skills and staff skills mix, structural and technical barriers, and demands of custodial and health services.

Conclusions
This audit restates the importance of national public health TB strategies to consider healthcare provisions across PPD.


1. Stimulation of the pupal receptor muscle via its nerve resulted in an increased sensory discharge frequency from the MRO. 2. The extent of this excitation was similar in haemolymph and in pupal saline. 3. Stimulation of an MRO whose connexions with the C.N.S. were intact resulted in a transient reflex inhibition of the tonic discharge in the RM of the stimulated receptor. Cessation of sensory stimulation resulted in a transient elevation of RM tone in the stimulated receptor. These changes would tend to protect the sense organ during rapid stretching and would also 'take up the slack' when it was released. 4. A slight crossed intrasegmental RM reflex is described which would normally reinforce the ipsilateral reflex. No RM reflexes were found in adjacent segments. 5. These results are discussed in relation to the nature of the deformation occurring in the sensory dendrites, and in relation to the function of RM systems generally.


This study aimed to determine how teachers ranked the reasons for turnover at the province, school district, and school levels based on their importance. For this purpose, the most important reasons for turnover at the province, school district and school levels were determined based on teachers' judgments. At the same time, it was determined how teachers' opinions differed in terms of gender, marital status, tenure status and years of seniority. The results showed the psychological dimension of the problems faced by teachers and provided an opportunity for a comprehensive analysis of the teachers' acceptance area. Within this scope, a general survey model was conducted during the 2022-2023 academic year with 722 teachers working in official institutions in the Şehitkamil and Şahinbey districts of Gaziantep Province. To identify reasons for teacher turnover, a literature review was conducted, interviews were conducted with teachers, and expert opinions were obtained. The identified turnover reasons were classified at the province, school district, and school levels, and a "Teacher Turnover Reasons Ranking Form" was created after the pilot study. Teachers were asked to rank the reasons for turnover according to their priorities and judgments. Based on the teachers' perspectives, at the city level, Future Plans and Distance from Family; at the school district level, people's Approaches to Education, People's Negative Attitudes and Behaviours; and at the school level, Student Behaviour Problems and High Student Numbers were identified as the most important reasons for teacher turnover. According to the research findings, teachers prioritized their individual and family needs at the city level, the attitudes and behaviours of stakeholders at the school district level, and problems stemming from students at the school level as significant reasons for turnover. The research findings reveal that teachers perceive their individual and familial needs at the provincial level, the attitudes and behaviours of stakeholders at the school district level, and student-related issues at the school level as significant factors contributing to turnover.


OBJECTIVE
Increasing demands are being placed on emergency departments in Australia and there is a view that older Australians are more likely than other age groups to attend for non-urgent conditions. The objective of this paper is to compare and contrast administrative data with the views of hospital staff and older people with regard to their presentation at two emergency departments in metropolitan Adelaide and how this aligns with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare definition of 'potentially avoidable general practitioner-type presentations'.

METHODS
The study used three sources of data from two emergency departments: hospital data for the financial year 2010-11 for patients aged 65 years and over and identified as triage category four or five; three focus groups with medical, nursing and allied staff from these two hospitals; and interviews with 58 older people who presented at the two emergency departments over a two-week period.

RESULTS
The hospital administrative data provided a very limited insight into why older people attended the emergency department, other than the medical diagnosis. Professional staff identified individual determinants, societal determinants and the health services system as explanations. Older people attended the emergency department for a range of reasons that may not necessarily reflect the opinions of health professionals.

CONCLUSIONS
For many older people the emergency department was an appropriate place to attend considering their condition, though some presentations could be circumvented with appropriate and increased services in the community. However, as many older people suffer comorbidities, careful consideration needs to be given as to the best possible practices to achieve this.


Seneca Valley virus (SVV) is the causative agent of an emerging vesicular disease in swine, which is clinically indistinguishable from other vesicular diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease. In addition, SVV has been associated with neonatal mortality in piglets. While a commercial SVV qRT-PCR is available, commercial antibodies are lacking to diagnose SVV infections by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Thus, a novel in situ hybridization technique—RNAscope (ISH) was developed to detect SVVRNA in infected tissues. From a total of 78 samples evaluated, 30 were positive by qRT-PCR and ISH-RNA, including vesicular lesions of affected sows, ulcerative lesions in the tongue of piglets and various other tissues with no evidence of histological lesions. Nineteen samples were negative for SVV by qRT-PCR and ISH-RNA. The Ct values of the qRT-PCR from ISH-RNA positive tissues varied from 12.0 to 32.6 (5.12 x 106 to 5.31 RNA copies/g, respectively). The ISH-RNA technique is an important tool in diagnosing and investigating the pathogenesis of SVV and other emerging pathogens.


BACKGROUND
Alcohol's ability to potentiate the activity of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) at GABAA receptors has been implicated as a key mechanism underlying the behavioral effects of alcohol. The complex molecular biology of these receptors raises the possibility that particular receptor subtypes may play unique roles in alcohol's abuse-related effects and that subtype-selective ligands with therapeutic specificity against alcohol might be developed. This study evaluated the capacity of α5GABAA receptor ligands to alter selectively the reinforcing effects of alcohol.

METHODS
Two groups of rhesus monkeys were trained to orally self-administer alcohol or sucrose under fixed-ratio schedules and limited daily access conditions. In addition, following daily self-administration sessions, the behavior of each monkey was scored for both species-typical and drug-induced behaviors.

RESULTS
Concentrations of 1 to 6% alcohol maintained self-administration above water levels, engendered pharmacologically relevant blood alcohol levels ranging from 90 to 160 mg/dl, and produced changes in behavior typical of alcohol intoxication. Concentrations of 0.3 to 3% sucrose also reliably maintained self-administration. The α5GABAA receptor agonist QH-ii-066 enhanced and the α5GABAA receptor inverse agonist L-655,708 inhibited alcohol, but not sucrose drinking. The changes in alcohol drinking could be reversed with the α5GABAA receptor antagonist XLi-093. However, L-655,708 increased yawning in both alcohol and sucrose drinkers, possibly indicative of an anxiogenic effect.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest a prominent and specific role for α5GABAA receptor mechanisms in the reinforcing effects of alcohol. Moreover, these results suggest that α5GABAA receptors may represent a novel pharmacological target for the development of medications to reduce drinking. Of ligands modulating this receptor, α5GABAA receptor inverse agonists may hold the most promise as alcohol pharmacotherapies.


Geographic Information Systems are responsible for processing and presenting geographical data. Development of GIS systems requires extensive tests based on actual data. Access to detailed datasets is restricted which led to the necessity of replacing them with synthetic data. This article presents extended version of a generator of spatial data layers, which could be used in mentioned tests.


This paper introduces the synthesis, characterization, surface properties, and reactions of maleic acid monoester end group functionalized polymers. Acylation using maleic acid anhydride of hydroxyl end groups present in either poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) afforded the corresponding maleic acid monoester salts (PEGDM) or (PTMCM). Michael additions of ethanethiol or cysteine to the conjugated double bonds were performed in solution or at a polymer film−water interface. To further evaluate the reactivity and regioselectivity of the thiol addition to maleic acid monoester, a model compound, benzyl 6-hydroxyhexanoate, was used to aid a spectroscopic characterization. Film properties, evaluated with contact angle measurements, of PTMCM revealed surface-active properties of ionic maleic acid monoester salt. Further contact angle measurements showed that maleic acid monoesters present at the polymer−water interface could be reacted with the mercapto group in cysteine to give...


Sol gel TiO2-ZrO2 composite films were dip coated on stainless steel substrates and treated at 300, 400 and 500 C. The morphology and surface features were examined by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Xray diffraction analyses (XRD) was applied to investigate the phase composition. The corrosion resistances of the coatings were studied by evaluation of the weight loss in NaCl medium. According to XRD while the Zr-Ti composites are amorphous after treatment even at 500C. The surfaces of the coatings possess typical island structure. The coatings, treated at 500 C ehxibit higher corrosion resistance than the other two type of samples. This could be explained by the amorphous structure of the composites, which lowers ion and electron conduction, high hydrophobicity and lower oxygen content.


There was a time when the newspapers said that only twelve men understood the theory of relativity. I do not believe there ever was such a time. .. On the other hand, I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics. In this final section we consider some very recent developments based on the mysteries of quantum theory. We do not have time here to do more than scratch the surface of what quantum theory has to say about the behaviour of subatomic systems, and how this behaviour is relevant to cryptography. There are two aspects which we treat in turn. First, the possibility of building a quantum computer has been raised. Such a gadget could efficiently solve the hard problems on which modern public-key cryptography depends (factorisation and discrete logarithm). Second, a cryptosystem has been proposed which allows Alice and Bob to detect if their communication has been compromised before any secret plain-text is entrusted to the communication channel. Like any physical theory, the purpose of quantum mechanics is to predict the result of a measurement on a physical system. But unlike all other theories, it does not usually predict a single value, but offers only a probabilistic prediction, along the lines " the electron's spin will be in the direction of the magnetic field with probability 1 2 , and will be in the opposite direction with probability 1 2 " .


Timber is one of the most important resources in the life of ethnic communities and villagers. Timber resources are used by the ethnic communities and the villagers for various purposes i.e. house construction, furniture, and agricultural implements; for making walking sticks, musical instruments and packing cases etc. Timber is the most important forest resource along with shelter, food and clothes used by any community in Himachal Pradesh as well as in any part of the country and it has contributed a lot in the development of various civilizations from time immortal. This paper deals with the 61 timber resources of H.P. belonging to 47 genera and 26 families as well as their various uses by the ethnic communities and villagers. The timber resources have been divided in all the three ranges of 'Himachal Himalayas'.


HIV prevention requires good knowledge, attitudes and practices in order to avoid its spread and multiple re-infections. In this respect, health care givers are required to provide clear and relevant information and instructions on HIV. Youth are particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS due to the fact that they are not sufficiently prepared for address problems related to their sexuality and also because they do not have enough real knowledge about HIV and AIDS. The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of youth towards HIV/AIDS in Mali. This report is a review of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of participants with regards to HIV/AIDS. A comprehensive literature review was conducted for topics from the following electronic databases: PUBMED, HINARI, GOOGLE and GOOGLE SCHOLAR. This review included published studies which are relevant to the topic in discussion. My search terms included knowledge, attitudes, practices and risk factors for HIV/AIDS in Mali and sub-Saharan Africa. A manual search of journals was also conducted by looking at original articles relevant to the topic under discussion and which were published in English. From this review most of the studies showed that participants heard about HIV/AIDS. Men have better knowledge than women but have negative attitude and risky practice than women. The level of knowledge in general is high but, does not seem to have any practical impact on attitudes towards HIV / AIDS.


Observations were made of unbroken marine stratus off the coast of Oregon using the combined capabilities of in situ probes and a 95-GHz radar mounted on an aircraft. Reflectivity and Doppler velocity measurements were obtained in vertical and horizontal planes that extend from the flight lines. Data from three consecutive days were used to examine echo structure and microphysics characteristics. The clouds appeared horizontally homogeneous and light drizzle reached the surface in all three cases. Radar reflectivity is dominated by drizzle drops over the lower two-thirds to four-fifths of the clouds and by cloud droplets above that. Cells with above-average drizzle concentrations exist in all cases and exhibit a large range of sizes. The cells have irregular horizontal cross sections but occur with a dominant spacing that is roughly 1.2‐1.5 times the depth of the cloud layer. Doppler velocities in the vertical are downward in all but a very small fraction of the cloud volumes. The cross correlation between reflectivity and vertical Doppler velocity changes sign at or below the midpoint of the cloud, indicating that in the upper parts of the clouds above-average reflectivities are associated with smaller downward velocities. This correlation and related observations are interpreted as the combined results of upward transport of drizzle drops and of downward motion of regions diluted by entrainment. The in situ measurements support these conclusions.


The work is devoted to study hemorrhagic and thromboembolic complications in early postoperative period after implantation of left ventricular assist devices (LVAD). We performed retrospective analysis of 10 patients, males aged 55±13.5 years, with a BMI of 30.8±8.3, with a left ventricular ejection fraction ranging from 9% to 28%, which in the period from 11.03.2016 to 22.11.2017 year, in the Silesian center of the Heart Disease (Poland), in conditions of artificial blood circulation, LVAD was implanted. In the early postoperative period, patients received daily anticoagulant target therapy (ACCT), consisting of the following drugs: heparin (6-11 U/kg/h), aspirin (75-150 mg), Clopidogrel (75-150 mg), warfarin (1.5-7 mg), Nadroparinum Ca (0.3-0.6 ml/twice on day), Fondaparinux Na (2.5-5 mg/twice on day). Two patients received mono-heparin therapy, one patient received monotherapy with warfarin for 14 days. Other patients during the same period received combined heparin therapy in the first three days with a subsequent transition to warfarin, aspirin, Clopidogrel, Fraxiparin, or thrombin blocker. The mechanical support of the left ventricle was carried out essentially by two different implantable systems, performing one function of support of the left ventricle: POLVAD – programmed controlled pneumatic membrane mechanical circulation of blood to two patients, and LVAD program-controlled electro-centrifugal circulation for eight patients. The duration of support by POLVAD system was from 102 to 156 days. Length of support – LVAD ranged from 20 to 78 days. A comparison of the analyzed results led to the conclusion that anticoagulant mono-therapy with heparin or warfarin leads to an increase in the percentage of complications and mortality compared with the alternative combination anticoagulant targeted therapy consisting of the following drugs: heparin (6-11 U/kg/h), aspirin 75-150 mg), Clopidogrel (75-150 mg), warfarin (1.5-7 mg), Nadroparinum Ca (0.3-0.6 ml/ twice on day), Fondaparinux Na (2.5-5 mg/ twice on day), Where survival rates were significantly higher by 60%.


Do you know what Firewire is? If not, you soon will, IEEE 1394, or Firewire, is an up-and-coming electronics industry standard that will soon be in wide use for interconnecting a massive variety of electronic equipment. It will be used for connecting CD-ROMs and scanners to computers, and it will be used for connecting VCRs, DVDs and satellite dishes to digital televisions. How does this affect Test & Measurement? This paper discusses Firewire, along with it's lower-end companion, USE, and how they can and will be utilized in T&M applications to replace T&M specific technologies, such as IEEE 488, and MXI. The advantages-and disadvantages-of these new technologies are discussed along with what the Test & Measurement industry should do to support these new technologies.


The steepest descent perturbation theory is extended to the calculation of the energy and eigenfunction of the excited state of a quantum system. In case of the orthogonality of the trial function for the excited state to those for lower-energy state or ground state in the same symmetry class is preserved, the variational collapse to lower energy state can be avoided in this proposal. An iterative procedure is given for generating better eigenvalue and eigenfunction of the excited state without requiring an infinite summation over reference states as in conventional perturbation theory. This new perturbation method can be applied to calculate the excitation energy and wave function of excited states for any many-body quantum system to a high degree of accuracy without so much computational effort as in conventional method.


The purpose of this study was to improve student learning outcomes in science learning, especially material on plant parts and their functions. This research is a classroom action research (CAR) which is carried out in three learning cycles, each cycle consisting of 3 stages, namely planning, implementing, and reflecting. The subjects of this study were 20 grade students of SDN Tembarak for the 2020/2021 academic year. The data collection technique uses a test using the Googleform platform. Data analysis includes data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. Research shows that the use of instructional video media can improve student learning outcomes in science learning, especially material parts of plants and their functions in grade IV SDN Tembarak for the 2020/2021 academic year as evidenced by the percentage of completeness of learning outcomes in cycle I 70% and in cycle II 90%. The conclusion from the results of this classroom action research is that there is an increase in student learning outcomes in the material parts of plants and their functions.


Native English speaking working class children in grades two, Four, and six served as subjects in a reading experiment designed to understand the development of comprehension of selected pronounrcfcrc'nt tructures. Three linguistic comparisons were made: (1) Along the dimension of Referent Type, a comparison was made between pronoun referent structures in which the referent is a noun or noun phrase versus structures in which the referent is a clause or sentence. (2) Along the dimension of Reference Order, a comparison was made between structures in which the pronoun follows its antecedent (Forward Reference) versus structures in which the pronoun precedes its referent (Backward Reference). (3) Along the dimension of Referent Distance, a comparison was made between structures having the pronoun and referent within the same sentence versus structures in which the pronoun and referent are located in separate sentences. Target sentences were constructed with these features and were embedded into short passages each followed by questions based on the target structure. Analyses of variance demonstrated that (1) Noun phrase pronominal structures were easier to comprehend than sentential pronominals; (2) Structures with forward reference were easier to comprehend than those with backward reference; (3) There was no significant difference between intra-sentential and inter-sentential structures. A hierarchy of acquisition of reading comprehension was constructed for the various pronounreferent structures. Pronoun Comore' nslan


The utilization of computers in medicine has reached a decision point. It now becomes necessary to justify these devices by demonstrating their practical value in contributing to the research of biomedical investigators and also in carrying out original research. Computers suffer from the same difficulty as electron microscopes, recording spectrophotometers, and multichannel pulse height analyzers, i.e., everyone wants one. Since these devices cost up to several million dollars, such installations cannot be devoted only to the work of a single department or individual, but must serve a large number of investigators and a variety of disciplines. IfLhe computer must, in fact, supply services to many scientists and physicians, the role of the individuals who operate such centers can rapidly deteriorate into service work only, so that their role is almost janitorial. Since such a role would prove most stultifying, it becomes necessary not only to permit but also to require the pursuit of active original research within the computing center itself. If these two functions are in fact realistic and important, one very rapidly finds that there is a serious shortage of properly trained individuals to carry them out. Thus, a third requirement, that of training, is added to the program of the center. A medical computing center operates under an additional serious handicap; its work is interdisciplinary. This term is perhaps one of the most overworked and abused in our language. It promises utopia, yet carries with it the need for extreme tact, compromise, and effort, the exercise of which qualities succeeds almost in exhausting the individuals who pledge to work in such areas. Access to computer facilities is often a difficult problem. Since our facility is one part of a university medical center, it was decided that the services must be readily and rapidly available to individuals who need it. If a sick or injured individual arriving at a hospital must wait several days or weeks for


This article considers the role of English as the global language within the industrial-consumer paradigm. In the 21st century, the English language plays a different function in the global economy than it did during the 19th century when it was used as an instrument of cultural imperialism. Today, English serves as a vehicle for participation in the global economy. It is now chosen as a language to learn rather than it being imposed by outside forces. Also, it is often adapted to local linguistic traditions creating a world of "Englishes." The author traces the trends of English within the industrial-consumer paradigm and concludes by suggesting the biospheric paradigm offered by progressive educators as a possible alternative model to the current educational security state.


cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is an archetypal biological signaling module and a model for understanding the regulation of protein kinases. In the present study, we combine biochemistry with differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF) and ion mobility–mass spectrometry (IM–MS) to evaluate effects of phosphorylation and structure on the ligand binding, dynamics and stability of components of heteromeric PKA protein complexes in vitro. We uncover dynamic, conformationally distinct populations of the PKA catalytic subunit with distinct structural stability and susceptibility to the physiological protein inhibitor PKI. Native MS of reconstituted PKA R2C2 holoenzymes reveals variable subunit stoichiometry and holoenzyme ablation by PKI binding. Finally, we find that although a 'kinase-dead' PKA catalytic domain cannot bind to ATP in solution, it interacts with several prominent chemical kinase inhibitors. These data demonstrate the combined power of IM–MS and DSF to probe PKA dynamics and regulation, techniques that can be employed to evaluate other protein-ligand complexes, with broad implications for cellular signaling.


The Alaska Trauma Registry collects data on injuries resulting in hospitalization or transfer to a higher level of care from every hospital in the state. We analyzed non-fatal injuries to Alaska Native and White residents from 1994--1999. Statewide, the five most common causes of injuries to Alaska Natives were falls, suicide attempts, off-road vehicles, motor vehicles, and assaults. These accounted for two-thirds of all injuries; falls accounted for 26.3% of all injuries. For total injuries and for each cause, injury rates were significantly higher for Alaska Natives than Alaska Whites. The greatest discrepancies were for suicide attempts with firearms (Rate Ratio=12.7) and assault by striking (Rate Ratio=8.9). Alcohol was noted on the record of 37.5% of Alaska Native injuries and 15.5% of Alaska White injuries. Alcohol was involved in 60.8% of intentional injuries involving Alaska Natives and 27.1% for Alaska Whites.


This paper presents a new time-dependent spectral analysis, smooth localized complex exponential (SLEX), for extracting the surface EMG features of the wrist motions. Different from conventional Fourier method, SLEX-based spectral analysis applies two special smooth windows on Fourier basis function and can be simultaneously orthogonal and localized. In wrist motions recognition, we conduct SLEX transform on 4 selected channels with dimensionality reduction projection -LDA (linear discriminant analysis) in order to obtain EMG features of wrist motions. Then we evaluate separation of SLEX-based feature vector in LDA-subspace by the use of visualization 3-dimension plot and quantitative measurement, Davies-Boulder clustering Index. Finally, MLP (multiple layers perceptron) classifier is used to evaluate the classification accuracy of the SLEX-based feature extraction. Compared to commonly used methods- AR model and power spectral estimation (PSE), the SLEX-based model has better performance in classifying wrist motions and the classification accuracy is up to 98%.


A post-acceleration system based on the accelerators at CSNS (China Spallation Neutron Source) is proposed to build a super-beam facility for neutrino physics. Two post-acceleration schemes, one using superconducting dipole magnets in the main ring and the other using room temperature magnets, have been studied, both to achieve the final proton energy of 128 GeV and the beam power of 4 MW by taking 10% of the CSNS beam from the neutron source. The main design features and the comparison for the two schemes are presented. The CSNS super-beam facility will be very competitive in long-baseline neutrino physics studies, compared with other super-beam facilities proposed in the world.


Background: Given the potential hidden nature of medial meniscal ramp lesions and the controversy regarding treatment, it is important to understand the current trends regarding the identification and treatment strategies of meniscal ramp lesions by the leading surgeons and educators in the field of sports medicine. Purpose: To better understand the current trends in orthopaedic surgery regarding arthroscopic identification and treatment of medial meniscal ramp lesions at the time of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: An electronic questionnaire was sent in a blinded fashion to 91 directors of orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship training programs in the United States. Participants' email addresses were obtained through the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine directory of current fellowship program directors. Inclusion criteria were only those surgeons who currently performed ACL reconstruction surgery. Exclusion criteria were those surgeons who did not perform ACL reconstruction or who chose to opt out of the survey. Results: Overall, 19 surgeons opted out of the survey; 36 responded from the remaining 72 surveys (50%). The majority (n = 31, 86%) reported routinely checking for a medial meniscal ramp lesion via inspection of the posteromedial meniscocapsular junction during an ACL reconstruction. The most common repair technique cited was all-inside (n = 24, 66.7%), followed by inside-out (n = 8, 22.2%). Three (8%) surgeons indicated that they did not repair meniscal ramp lesions. Regarding surgical treatment (repair vs no treatment), the majority reported using the extent of the tear (89%; partial vs full thickness) and the stability of the tear upon probing (81%) as the main criteria for intraoperative decision making. Nineteen (52.8%) surgeons required a mean time of <15 minutes for meniscal ramp repair; 16 surgeons (44.4%), 15 to 30 minutes; and 1 surgeon (2.8%), 30 to 45 minutes. Conclusion: This study provides insight regarding meniscal ramp tear identification, treatment, and repair strategies from the fellowship directors of sports medicine orthopaedic surgery in the United States. Such information may be useful for current orthopaedic surgeons to advance their practice according to the current trends surrounding ACL reconstruction and medial meniscal ramp repair.


Abstract The humankind is ageing rapidly, and as a result, there is an increasing need for old people's homes. The nursing homes face different problems in financing and recruiting the labour force and management. Lack of resources causes the situation, when managers have to find possibilities to accomplish services and to provide quality care with the limited funds. This situation has an additional impact on the nursing professionals, who have to deal with many psychosocial risk factors in their work. The aim of the paper is to explore the work-related psychosocial risk factors and their relationships with mental health problems (MHPs) amongst care workers. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken amongst the care workers in nine Estonian nursing homes. Psychosocial work factors and MHPs (stress, somatic symptoms, depressive symptoms, burnout, cognitive symptoms, and sleep disorders) were analysed using the second version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II). Descriptive statistics and Pearson's r correlation were used to analyse the data. The analysis was based on 340 care worker surveys. The highest mean scores for the studied work-related psychosocial factors were recorded for the quantitative demands, influence, rewards, role conflicts, trust, insecurity and work-family balance. Low mean scores were recorded for the meaning of work, role clarity, social relationships at work. The lowest score was followed by burnout and the highest - by cognitive symptoms.


Secretion of surfactant phospholipid can be stimulated by a variety of agonists acting via at least three different signal transduction mechanisms. These include the adenylate cyclase system with activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase; activation of protein kinase C either directly or subsequent to activation of phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C and generation of diacylglycerols and inositol trisphosphate; and a third mechanism that involves incresed levels and a calmodulin-dependent step. ATP stimulates secretion via all three mechanisms. The protein kinase C pathway is also coupled to phopholipase D which, acting on relatively abundant cellular phospholipids, generates diacylglycerols that further activate protein kinase C. Sustained protein kinase C activation can maintain phosphatidylcholine secretion for a prolonged period of time. It is likely that interactions between the different signaling pathways have an important role in the overall physiological regulation of surfactant secretion.


This paper proposes a dynamic analysis method for a novel spiral resonant actuator with two-degree-of-freedom employing the 3-D finite element method (FEM). The effects of the slit structure on the performance of the actuator are quantitatively clarified using this method. Furthermore, the effectiveness of calculated results is verified through the comparison with the measured ones.


Angiography of the internal mammary artery was performed in 30 patients with suspected tumors in the anterior mediastinum. In 3 patients, thymic venography was also performed. In 13 lymphoepithelial thymomas, a smooth outline with the arteries penetrating the periphery of the tumor was demonstrated. Frequently, neovascularity but never encasement of large arteries or arteriovenous (AV) shunting was exhibited. In the lymphoepithelial thymomas of the cell-rich type, the accumulation of contrast medium and neovascularity were pronounced. This type of thymoma may possibly be locally more invasive than others. In carcinomas, the arteries penetrated the tumor and AV shunting was common. Arteriography was superior to venography in the few patients in whom both examinations were performed. Angiographically, it should be possible to differentiate thymomas from carcinomas.


This special issue is devoted to the proceedings of the conference 'Winter School on Strings, Supergravity and Gauge Theories', which took place at CERN, the European Centre for Nuclear Research, in Geneva, Switzerland, from the 15 to the 19 of January 2007. This event was organized in the framework of the European Mobility Research and Training Network entitled 'Constituents, Fundamental Forces and Symmetries of the Universe'. It is part of a yearly series of scientific schools, which represents what is by now a well established tradition. The previous conferences have been held at SISSA, in Trieste, Italy, in February 2005 and at CERN in January 2006. The next will again take place at CERN, in January 2008. The school was primarily meant for young doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers working in the area of string theory. It consisted of several general lectures of four hours each, the notes of which are published in the present proceedings, and seven working group discussion sessions, focused on specific topics of the network research program. It was attended by approximatively 250 participants. The topics of the lectures were chosen to provide an introduction to some of the areas of recent progress, and to the open problems, in string theory. String theory is a compelling candidate for a theory of all interactions. A basic challenge in this field is therefore to explore the connection of string theory models and the laws of physics in different realms, like high-energy particle physics, early cosmology, or physics of strongly coupled gauge theories. Concerning the exploration of string theory compactifications leading to realistic models of particle physics, one of the main obstacles in this direction is the proper understanding of supersymmetry breaking. The lecture notes by Nathan Seiberg review the realization of spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry in field theory, including recent developments via the use of meta-stable long-lived vacua. It is possible that such an understanding proves crucial in the realization of supersymmetry breaking in string theory. A second long-standing obstacle, which is being tackled with recent techniques, is moduli stabilization, namely the removal of unwanted massless scalar fields from string models. The present status of this problem, and its prospects of solution via the introduction of general sets of fluxes in the compactification space, were covered in the lectures by Brian Wecht. Application of these ideas to connect string theory to particle physics will require a good understanding of the experimental situation at the forthcoming collider LHC at CERN, and the detection tools for signals of new physics, as reviewed in the lectures by Joe Lykken (not covered in the present issue). Along a different line, the role of moduli fields in string theory is expected to provide a natural explanation of models of inflation, and thus of the origin of the cosmological evolution of our universe. The lecture notes by Cliff Burgess provide a review of big bang cosmology, inflation, and its possible explanation in terms of string theory constructions, including some of the most recent results in the field (these notes also appear in the proceedings of two other schools held in the same period). A surprising recent application of string theory is the description, via the ideas of holography and duality between string theories and gauge theories, of physical properties of quantum chromodynamics at high temperature. Indeed experimental data on the physical properties of the quark–gluon plasma, produced in heavy ion collision at the RHIC experiment in Brookhaven (and soon at the LHC at CERN) can be recovered, at a semi-quantitative level, from computations in a string theory dual of the system. These applications are reviewed in the lectures by David Mateos. The conference was financially supported by the European Commission under contract MRTN-CT-2004-005104 and by CERN. It was jointly organized by the Physics Institute of the University of Neuchâtel and the Theory Unit of the Physics Division of CERN. It is a great pleasure for us to warmly thank the Theory Unit of CERN for its very kind hospitality and for the high quality of the assistance and the infrastructures that it has provided. We also acknowledge helpful administrative assistance from the Physics Institute of the University of Neuchâtel. A special acknowledgement also goes to Denis Frank, for his very valuable help in preparing the conference web pages.


Protocol I additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 is a product of the mid-1970s. It reflects the then-prevailing Zeitgeist : the confrontational mentality of the Cold War; the defiance of the West by a suddenly assertive and temporarily united "Third World"; the tendencies on the part of an entrenched majority in international organizations and forums to show no tolerance for the dissenting voices of a large and influential minority; and the cynical sacrifice of good sense (and good law) on the altar of political expediency.


SOME of the functional effects that appear in man following surgical separation of the hemispheres produced by complete transection of the corpus callosum plus the anterior and hippocampal commissures, with separation of the massa intermedia have been described in earlier reports (Gazzaniga, et al, 1962, 1963, 1965). The observations were based on two patients operated on by Drs. Philip Vogel and Joseph Bogen of the California College of Medicine at the White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles for relief of intractable seizures. In general the post-surgical studies indicate a striking functional independence of the gnostic activities of the two hemispheres. Perceptual, cognitive, mnemonic, learned and volitional activities persist in each hemisphere, but can proceed separately in each case outside the realm of awareness of the other hemisphere. The subjective experience of each hemisphere is known to the other only indirectly through lower level and peripheral effects.


This paper provides numerical study of the effects of mixed convection on particles removal from a cavity using multi-relaxation time thermal lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for compute the flow and isotherm characteristics in the bottom heated cavity located on a floor of horizontal channel. A point force scheme was applied for particles-fluid interactionand double-distribution function (DFF) was coupled with MRT thermal LBM to study the effects of various grashof number (Gr) and Aspect Ratio (AR) on the efficiency of particles removal. The results show that change in Grashof number and Aspect ratio causes a dramatic different in the flow pattern and particles removal efficiency.


Product platforms and product family design have been recognized as successful methods to enable mass-customization strategies. However, companies working with products where pre-defined product variants are not feasible require a more generic platform with re-usable components as well as engineering resources. Extended CAD-models is an approach where CAD-models are utilized as carriers of information to support re-usability of both geometric content and engineering activities, decreasing product development lead-time and enabling the definition of a product family within Engineer-To-Order business contexts. The following paper presents the approach in more detail and the results of a multi-case study where three Swedish industrial companies were interviewed. Results show that all companies store information within the CAD-models to support re-usability. Several challenges were expressed such as managing responsibilities and modeling flexible CAD-models. Future trends involve the concept, but to which extent is not clear.


After more than 2 years of transitioning, our new periodical, the "Journal of Software: Evolution and Process" is born. The journal continues and enriches the tradition of the "Journal of Software Maintenance and Evolution: Research and Practice" and "Software Process: Improvement and Practice" that have successfully served their respective communities for many years. We will work to ensure that all the positive aspects of the parent journals remain in place, and to make changes that we believe will help the new journal to gain and sustain a leadership position. Nowadays, the way in which software systems are conceived, built, and managed is changing profoundly; open-source and commercial-off-the-shelf products, service-oriented architectures and cloud computing, mobile and pervasive applications, agile methods and lean organizations, DevOps, outsourcing and global development, software as service, value-based software engineering, benefitdriven development and usability engineering, and user enhanceable systems are a few examples of areas that have had an impact on software development, management, and evolution methods and processes. In this rapidly evolving scenario, we have the ambition to offer a new peer-reviewed archival journal that addresses the issues of software conception, development, management, evolution and improvement with a multidisciplinary view that encompasses technologies, processes, services, people, and organizations. The success of this enterprise depends primarily on the quality of papers we will attract: we welcome high-quality papers reporting theoretical findings, empirical investigations, practice reports and state-of-the-art reviews on all aspects of planning, designing, building and evolving large, complex software systems and improving the processes, capabilities and practices required to develop, manage and govern such systems. We also continue to welcome papers from SMEs about the implications of operating and competing in modern contexts and environments and about the adaptations that need to be made to standards and approach to continue to deliver value and improve performance in increasingly demanding environments. We are indebted to members of the outstanding international Advisory Editorial Board for their support and commitment. With this issue, it is our great pleasure to introduce two new members of the Board: Elisabetta Di Nitto, from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, and Patricia Lago, of VU University, Amsterdam. The new appointments mean that our Board now consists of 54 international scholars from 16 countries. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the anonymous external reviewers who, together with the members of the Advisory Editorial Board, have reviewed the 129 manuscripts the journal received in 2011: the reputation of a journal greatly depends on the quality and rigor of its reviewing process, and we are grateful to our reviewers for continuing to provide high quality, constructive, and developmental review reports. We are confident that the "Journal of Software: Evolution and Process" will be able to continue the parent journals' long tradition of publishing high-quality and influential papers on theory and practice of continuous product, process, and service conception, development, management, evolution and improvement, while opening the door to new perspectives and insights.


Cloud Robotics is currently driving interest in both academia and industry. It allows different types of robots to share information and develop new skills even without specific sensors. They can also perform intensive tasks by combining multiple robots with a cooperative manner. Multi-sensor data retrieval is one of the fundamental tasks for resource sharing demanded by Cloud Robotic system. However, many technical challenges persist, for example Multi-Sensor Data Retrieval (MSDR) is particularly difficult when Cloud Cluster Hosts accommodate unpredictable data requested by multi robots in parallel. Moreover, the synchronization of multi-sensor data mostly requires near real-time response of different message types. In this paper, we describe a MSDR framework which is comprised of priority scheduling method and buffer management scheme. It is validated by assessing the quality of service (QoS) model in the sense of facilitating data retrieval management. Experiments show that the proposed framework achieves better performance in typical Cloud Robotics scenarios.


A novel forecasting approach is composed of BWGC and NGARCH tuned by quantum-neuro-based adaptive support vector regression with nested local adiabatic evolution. Instead of traditionally (globally) adiabatic evolution algorithm for unstructured search, we focus on the structured adiabatic quantum search by nesting a partial search over a reduced set of variables into a global search for solving an optimization problem on adaptive support vector regression (ASVR) yielding an average complexity of order radicNa, with a < 1. The proposed method is experimentally applied to predicting typhoon moving path even though fewer sampled data are available to work out possibly real-time look-ahead typhoon moving position. Consequently, it yields satisfactory results of forecasting typhoon moving path when comparing with several alternative methods.


Quantum resonance, i.e., amplification in transition probability available under certain conditions, offers a powerful means for determining fundamental quantities in physics, including the time duration of the second adopted in the SI units and neutron's electric dipole moment which is directly linked to CP violation. We revisit two of the typical examples, the Rabi resonance and the Ramsey resonance, and show that both of these represent the weak value amplification and that near the resonance points they share exactly the same behavior of transition probabilities except for the measurement strength whose difference leads to the known advantage of the Ramsey resonance in the sensitivity. Conversely, this suggests that the weak value may be measured, for instance, through the Ramsey resonance. In fact, we argue that previous measurements of neutron electric dipole moment have potentially determined the imaginary component of the weak value of the spin of neutrons with higher precision than the conventional weak value measurement via neutron beams by three orders of magnitude.


The aim of this study is to analyze the content of research studies on female entrepreneurial activity, using the institutional economics as a theoretical framework. This paper shows how Latin America is study as a single region and, the topics are studied independently or in topics group. Private organizations –mostly- and scholars demonstrate an interest to study the female Latin-American entrepreneurial initiatives; however, the phenomenon is still poorly understood. There is a lack of official government information and statistics. Recognizing contributing factors of female entrepreneurial activity could help to improved public policies in Latin America. The research contributes theoretically to knowledge regarding to the content of research focusing on female entrepreneurial activity and provides an overview of the subject in Latin America.


Existing approaches to automatic data transformation are insufficient to meet the requirements in many real-world scenarios, such as the building sector. First, there is no convenient interface for domain experts to provide domain knowledge easily. Second, they require significant training data collection overheads. Third, the accuracy suffers from complicated schema changes. To bridge this gap, we present a novel approach that leverages the unique capabilities of large language models (LLMs) in coding, complex reasoning, and zero-shot learning to generate SQL code that transforms the source datasets into the target datasets. We demonstrate the viability of this approach by designing an LLM-based framework, termed SQLMorpher, which comprises a prompt generator that integrates the initial prompt with optional domain knowledge and historical patterns in external databases. It also implements an iterative prompt optimization mechanism that automatically improves the prompt based on flaw detection. The key contributions of this work include (1) pioneering an end-to-end LLM-based solution for data transformation, (2) developing a benchmark dataset of 105 real-world building energy data transformation problems, and (3) conducting an extensive empirical evaluation where our approach achieved 96% accuracy in all 105 problems. SQLMorpher demonstrates the effectiveness of utilizing LLMs in complex, domain-specific challenges, highlighting the potential of their potential to drive sustainable solutions.


In this paper, we consider a path-wise sum of a Brownian motion plus a compound Poisson process
with exponentially distributed positive and negative jumps with parameters that depend on some finite Markov chain. Using
known fluctuation identities we investigate one-sided and two-sided
exit problems generalizing some results for Kou's processes to the
setting of regime switching models without exploiting the fluid embedding
technique. The generating function for the hitting time of the state-dependent
levels is analyzed. For the case of two states, the numerical examples
are given.


Questions on religion and pluralism are complicated by the fact that central terms in the discourse, such as "pluralism", "religion" and the "secular", can be interpreted in a variety of ways and are also seriously contested. A plausible argument can be advanced to the effect that the problem of religion in a pluralistic society cannot be solved by opting for a kind of secularism that suggests the possibility of a neutral, non-religious public space. An alternative model of pluralism is both conceivable and preferable. Within the latter model a specifically Christian motivation for supporting a pluralistic society has to and can be developed.


The aim of the present work was to study the passive film stability and pitting corrosion behavior of the AISI 409 stainless steel. The electrochemical tests were carried out in 0.1 M NaCl solution at room temperature. The general electrochemical behavior was assessed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements whereas the semiconducting properties of the passive film were evaluated by the Mott-Schottky approach. Pitting corrosion was investigated using potentiodynamic and potentiostatic polarization tests. Surface morphology was examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyses were carried out to identify the composition of precipitates that could act as preferential sites for the onset of pitting corrosion. The results showed that the passive film presents n-type semiconductive behavior. Grain boundaries played an important role as pitting initiation sites for the AISI 409 stainless steel.


Two children with the clinical features of Down syndrome were found to have several unusual cell lines. In both cases the same reverse tandem translocation between two 21 chromosomes was present in one line. This may be an unstable rearrangement. In addition, the findings offer some support for current efforts to localize the portion of chromosome 21 responsible for clinical features of Down syndrome to band 21q22. Acridine orange R banding was found to be especially useful in the identification of the break points on the translocations. The origin of the abnormality was found to be paternal in one case and was indeterminate in the second.


In mammals, methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT), the enzyme responsible for S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) synthesis, is encoded by two genes, MAT1A and MAT2A. In liver, MAT1A expression is associated with high AdoMet levels and a differentiated phenotype, whereas MAT2A expression is associated with lower AdoMet levels and a dedifferentiated phenotype. In the current study, we examined regulation of MAT2A gene expression by l-methionine availability using HepG2 cells. In l-methionine-deficient cells, MAT2A gene expression is rapidly induced, and methionine adenosyltransferase activity is increased. Restoration of l-methionine rapidly down-regulates MAT2A mRNA levels; for this effect, l-methionine needs to be converted into AdoMet. This novel action of AdoMet is not mediated through a methyl transfer reaction. MAT2A gene expression was also regulated by 5′-methylthioadenosine, but this was dependent on 5′-methylthioadenosine conversion to methionine through the salvage pathway. The transcription rate of the MAT2A gene remained unchanged during l-methionine starvation; however, its mRNA half-life was significantly increased (from 100 min to more than 3 h). The effect of l-methionine withdrawal on MAT2A mRNA stabilization requires both gene transcription and protein synthesis. We conclude that MAT2A gene expression is modulated as an adaptive response of the cell to l-methionine availability through its conversion to AdoMet.


Methods are given for some symmetry properties: detection and functional decomposition of multiple-valued functions. Both methods are formulated using a matrix notation which enables the fast algorithms for their implementation to be disclosed. The problem of optimisation in logic design can be considered with respect to a number of different criteria. However, in general, all of them finally can be reduced to the minimisation of the cost and to the minimisation of the time. In a classical setting, these criteria are usually expressed by the number of components, or by the number of inputs in logical elements, and by the delay of signals in a logical network, i.e. by the number of levels in the network. The reduced price of electronic components, together with the advent of different ways of realisation of discrete functions (PLA, universal logic modules, ROM-realisation etc.) provide us with hardware capabilities of low cost and high performance. This implies a change in the optimisation criteria which now can be replaced by the requirements for reducing the size of the silicon area and for efficient testability. Also, these days, the optimisation problems in logic design are closely related to the minimisation of time and efforts, and hence the cost, needed for the implementation of the synthesis procedure, rather than with reducing the cost of hardware components. The parameters mentioned can be greatly reduced in cases where the realised discrete function possesses some characteristic properties. Therefore, the development of efficient methods for analysis of discrete functions is a very important task. The authors propose a method for symmetry detection and a method for functional decomposition of multiple-valued functions including Boolean functions as a particular example.


"Federal water-related policy is extremely fragmented and haphazard and prevents us from dealing with our water problems in an expeditious and coordinated fashion," said Mark O. Hatfield (R-Oreg.), member of the Senate committee on Energy and Natural Resources and sponsor of the Western Water Policy Review Act.

At a September 19 hearing on the proposed legislation, Hatfield pointed out that there are currently at least 13 congressional committees, 8 Cabinet-level departments, 6 independent agencies, and 2 White House offices with some form of responsibility relating to national water management policy. As a result of this fragmentation, coordinating solutions to water problems remains difficult. Jurisdiction disputes between federal and state governments and between states must be resolved, Hatfield believes.


Establishing a long air gap discharge model considering the streamer-leader transition and the randomness of the discharge path is of great significance to improve the accuracy of discharge characteristic prediction and optimize external insulation design. Based on fractal theory and thermal ionization theory of streamer-leader transition, this work establishes a dynamic development model for the long air gap discharge streamer-leader system, which includes streamer inception, streamer development, leader inception, development of streamer-leader system and final jump. The positive discharge process of a 3 m rod-plate is simulated to obtain the fractal distribution of discharge path and the law of leader development for comparison with the discharge test results. The results show that the simulation model is similar to test results in the development characteristics of leader path distribution, each stage time and leader velocity. Finally, a simulation calculation of 50% breakdown voltage of rod-plate gap and ball-plate gap is carried out, with results fairly consistent with test data, proving the effectiveness and practicality of the model.


A strong, but flexible infrastructure is fundamental to the process of building the library information delivery systems that will support scholarly communication in the future. Technical standards are an integral part of our current information infrastructure and must be a part of our future field of dreams. Lie a web, standards provide support and flexibility. Like a grid, standards can provide structure, links, and direction. Technical standards are also a good way to level the playing field among participating groups.


Background: The burden of most infectious diseases falls heavily on persons living in neighborhoods of lower socioeconomic status. This study examined the distribution of pertussis among children ages 0-5 years by neighborhood poverty categories and ethnicity in San Bernardino County, California, during an epidemic in 2010-2011. Methods: One hundred twenty-seven cases were identified and their residences were geocoded to determine the poverty rate of the census tract the residence was in. All residences were categorized as belonging to one of four poverty categories: 0-4.9% of residents (low poverty, reference group), 5-9.9% (medium low poverty), 10-19.9% (medium high poverty), and 20-100% (high poverty). Pertussis incidence rates were calculated for the four categories. Results: Pertussis incidence rates did not significantly vary among the poverty categories. Furthermore the ethnic distribution of pertussis cases did not significantly vary among the poverty categories. Conclusions: The usual socioeconomic disparity found for childhood infectious diseases was not found for pertussis incidence. This may be due to the fact that childhood pertussis vaccinations are state-mandated and publicly-funded, therefore more accessible to children of all neighborhoods. To further reduce pertussis incidence, health education efforts might include the elimination of personal belief exemptions from vaccinations, as was done in California.