The increasing of residents and increasingly rapid knowledge of technology, the more people demanded it to meet their needs, especially the need for clean water. The worsening quality of clean water has resulted in a reduction in the supply of clean water that was naturally available in the universe. It has been a matter of peerage technology that helps in dealing with the crisis of clean water but leaves a million problems that cause other natural damage, it was necessary to initiate clean water treatment which later would not cause losses or concentrated waste which can damage the natural environment. Bio-desalination using Avicennia marina plants was one of the alternative choices in seawater processing that does not cause concentrated waste where the salt content contained in water would be physically absorbed into plant tissue in a passive transport method. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the ability of Avicennia marina plants for decreasing salinity and COD by bio desalination processes in a reed bed system reactor with batch operation system. The desalination process using Avicennia marina plant has been proven to reduce salinity levels relatively quickly where the ability of the plant for 14 days can reduce salinity. The results showed that the reduction salinity reached 54.74 % at an initial salinity concentration of 15 ‰ by Avicennia marina, and it reached 48.98% at an initial salinity concentration of 25 ‰. The reduction of COD in desalination process using Avicennia marina were 87.55 % and 16.80 % at an initial sanility concentration of 15 ‰ and 25 ‰, respectively. In conclusion, Avicennia marina has a potential to be used in bio-desalination in a reed bed system reactor.


We e xamine how domestic political factors influence the type of regional integration arrangement (RIA) that states enter. States can pursue at least five types of RIAs, in order of their depth of policy integration: preferential trade agreements, free trad e areas, customs unions, common markets and economic unions. We argue that a country's regime type and the number of institutio nal 'veto players' strongly affect the type of arrangement that states choose. Democracies are more likely to form an RIA than other states, a tendency that becom es more pronounced as the proposed level of integration in an arrangement rises. However, all democracies are not the same. As the number of veto players rises, the likelihood of a democracy entering an RIA declines. Furthermore, veto players are expecte d to have a larger effect on the odds of a democracy forming an RIA, the greater is the extent of integration that the arrangement aims to achieve. A series of statistical tests, based on analysis of all pairs of countries from 1950 to 2000, support our arguments.


In 1991, Winship et al 1 described South African sibs, one male child aged 5 years and one female child aged 12 months, with a combination of microcephaly, dilated cardiomyopathy, and minor dysmorphic features. The cardiomyopathy had resolved in the older child by the age of 3 years, and had markedly improved in the younger child on treatment for associated cardiac failure. The microcephaly was severe, and both children showed severe global developmental delay. The dysmorphic features were described as cupping of the outer helix of both pinnae, fifth finger clinodactyly, and sandal gaps on both feet. The older sib had fine pigmentary stippling at the posterior poles and macula of the fundus on ophthalmological examination.

Kennedy et al 2 reported on a 9 year old girl with microcephaly, severe developmental delay, and a dilated cardiomyopathy which had resolved at 7 years of age. She had had seizures in the immediate neonatal period, but not subsequently. This patient had a sloping forehead, downward slanting palpebral fissures, a narrow palate, small ears, and a big sandal gap. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was normal.

All three children initially presented with cardiac failure, at the ages of 2 months, 5 months, and neonatally respectively. There was no consanguinity in either family.

We describe another patient with microcephaly and a dilated cardiomyopathy, secondary hyperthyroidism, minor brain abnormalities, and cup shaped ears, but without any other soft dysmorphic features. No retinal changes or seizures occurred in our patient. Consanguinity in our family would support autosomal recessive inheritance.

The male patient was the second child of first cousin parents originating from Pakistan; there were no concerns about his older sib, and there was no other relevant family history. He …


Deep learning (DL) has been applied extensively in a wide range of fields. However, it has been shown that DL models are susceptible to a certain kinds of perturbations called \emph{adversarial attacks}. To fully unlock the power of DL in critical fields such as financial trading, it is necessary to address such issues. In this paper, we present a method of constructing perturbed examples and use these examples to boost the robustness of the model. Our algorithm increases the stability of DL models for candlestick classification with respect to perturbations in the input data.


We report results from two joint experimental and theoretical works that we carried out on double Raman scattering by binary mixtures. The anisotropic spectrum of a band generated by simultaneous vibrational transition in room‐temperature SF6−N2 was recorded along with its extremely weak isotropic counterpart. Successful interpretation of the two spectra was made by means of exhaustive calculations of electrooptical properties allowing one to evaluate the relative contribution of collision‐induced polarization mechanisms.


We consider the correspondence between solutions of non-gravitational field theories formulated in Euclidean space-time and Minkowski space-time. Infinitely many "Euclidean" spaces can be obtained from M4 via a group of transformations in which the Wick rotation is a special case. We then discuss how the solutions of gauge field theories formulated in these "Euclidean" spaces have a one-to-one correspondence with the solutions of field theories formulated in Minkowski space-time, provided we avoid the one-point compactification into S4 = E4 U 00.


The authors present results on the electron excitation energies of solid C{sub 60} calculated using a first-principles quasiparticle theory. The effects of electron correlations and molecular orientational disorders are included. The single-particle properties of solid C{sub 60} are found to be well described in a quasiparticle band picture with orientation disorders. Electron-hole interactions are shown to be very strong in optical processes resulting in Frenkel excitons and sizable difference between the optical and photoemission gaps. The electronic and structural properties of carbon and other nanotubes are also investigated. Total energy results predict that the tubules are stable with respect to the formation of strips down to very small radii. Hybridization of the {sigma}{sup *} and {pi}{sup *} states is shown to be as important as band-folding effects in determining the metallicity of small radius tubules.


Consistently collecting the earth's climate signatures remains a priority for world governments and international scientific organizations. Architecting a solution requires transforming scientific missions into an optimized robust 'operational' constellation that addresses the needs of decision makers, scientific investigators and global users for trusted data. The application of new tools offers pathways for global architecture collaboration. Recent (2014) rulebased decision engine modeling runs that targeted optimizing the intended NPOESS architecture, becomes a surrogate for global operational climate monitoring architecture(s). This rule-based systems tools provide valuable insight for Global climate architectures, through the comparison and evaluation of alternatives considered and the exhaustive range of trade space explored. A representative optimization of Global ECV's (essential climate variables) climate monitoring architecture(s) is explored and described in some detail with thoughts on appropriate rule-based valuations. The optimization tools(s) suggest and support global collaboration pathways and hopefully elicit responses from the audience and climate science shareholders.


A transient energy impairment with resultant release and subsequent reuptake of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and NMDA receptor activation with consequent cytoplasmic superoxide (O(2)(-)(*)), nitric oxide (NO(*)), and peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) generation have all been implicated in a neurotoxic cascade which ultimately leads to the degeneration of serotonergic neurons evoked by methamphetamine (MA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Such observations raise the possibility that the O(2)(-)(*)/NO(*)/ONOO(-)-mediated oxidation of 5-HT, as it returns via the plasma membrane transporter to the cytoplasm of serotonergic neurons when the MA/MDMA-induced energy impairment begins to subside, may generate an endogenous neurotoxin. In vitro the O(2)(-)(*)/NO(*)/ONOO(-)-mediated oxidation of 5-HT forms tryptamine-4,5-dione (T-4,5-D). When incubated with intact rat brain mitochondria, T-4,5-D strongly inhibits state 3 respiration with pyruvate or alpha-ketoglutarate as substrates at concentrations which do not affect succinate-supported (complex II) respiration. Experiments with freeze-thawed rat brain mitochondria reveal that T-4,5-D inhibits the pyruvate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complexes. These and other properties of T-4,5-D raise the possibility that it may be an endogenously formed intraneuronal metabolite of 5-HT that contributes to the serotonergic neurotoxicity of MA and MDMA.


Sago flour is locally available and reported to have relatively higher fiber and antioxidant contents and lower digestibility than wheat flour. Despite this, sago is still underutilized. This study aimed to compare wheat and sago flours and evaluate the effect of different sago substitution rates (0% to 50%) on bread quality. Physico-chemical properties of the flours were determined together with bread density, texture, color, and consumer preference. Results show that sago flour had significantly higher crude ash, fiber, and amylose contents than wheat flour. It also had higher peak viscosity or water-holding capacity upon heating, but less ability to withstand heating and shear stress. Substitution of wheat flour with sago flour significantly decreased loaf volume (from 615 to 404 mL) and made them denser (from 0.242 to 0.371 g/mL). Except at 10% level of substitution, bread samples with sago flour were significantly firmer than the control. Sago flour is light brown in color; hence, as the substitution level increased, the bread crumb became darker in color. However, this trend was not observed in the color of the bread crust, with the control having a significantly darker crust. Bread samples with more than 10% sago flour had significantly lower preference scores than the control. Using the current formulation for loaf breads, 10% sago substitution is the maximum level before quality significantly decreases. However, future studies can investigate the use of dough improvers with higher substitution rates for bread, as well as trying sago flour on products that do not rely heavily on leavening like crackers or cookies.


The Kemp's ridley sea turtle, a small, crabeating, day-nesting turtle, is currently listed as endangered throughout its range in the western Gulf of Mexico. Its sister species, the olive ridley, nests around the globe, from Brazil to Australia to Baja California, and is the most abundant sea turtle species worldwide. Before its listing, some turtle biologists speculated that the Kemp's ridley were simply a closely related outpost of the olive ridley and not worth the trouble and expense of an Endangered Species Act listing. When determining how much time and expense to dedicate to conservation of the Kemp's ridley, the US Congress considered genetic data suggesting the species had diverged far earlier than anyone thought. Now the United States and Mexico are setting aside a critical habitat to ease the turtle's recovery. Such is the power of phylogeography, a field that sits square between macroand microevolutionary perspectives. The term was coined in 1987 by John Avise, then at the University of Georgia. Avise sought to wed molecular systematics, the study of how species split along the tree of life, to traditional biogeography, the study of regional differences among living things. Avise's central insight was to see that genetic differences could reveal more than that one species differs from another. It could measure the depth of that difference as well, as a measurement of time and percentage of sequence divergence. Phylogeographic work in the late 1980s and early 1990s primarily analyzedmitochondrial DNA sequences. Now, the field uses several types of genetic variation, each suited to a different time resolution. Noncoding regions of mtDNA reveal divergences dating from thousands to tens of thousands of years. Coding regions of mtDNA and nuclear introns reveal differences several million years old. Ribosomal DNA changes very slowly and can show differences of tens of millions of years, back when the continents were in radically different places. The field has refocused from studying genetic lineage branching itself to examining certain populations of interest. The attention shift aids conservation work, enabling phylogeographers to highlight biodiversity hotspots and species that are conservation priorities. Phylogeography has also begun incorporating coalescent theory, a hindlooking analysis that traces the source of modern alleles for a particular gene to the most recent common ancestor. This approach helps biologists study the effects of historical expansion, migration, or bottlenecks on modern genetic diversity. As in many other fields, researchers are quantifying their study subjects to ever-finer resolution. Using geo-referenced species data to map range and location helps test divergence scenarios. Modeling environmental niches with satellite-based climate data makes it possible to predict the historical, current, and future distributions. Phylogeographic software models are growing more elaborate. Such models have critics, however. Not all feel these models are reliable or valuable. There are still arguments over how demographic scenarios lead to genetic patterns, the relative merits of analytic methods, and how to weave information from different genes into a single historical scenario for a population. In the last 5 years a new undercurrent has begun creating waves. Classically, speciation was the assumed result of populations separating physically, such as on an island or on different sides of a mountain range, for example. Intriguingly, speciation also occurs where there are few barriers, such as in the ocean. The view that ecological, or sympatric, speciation might be common and important is, in the words of Brian Bowen, a phylogeographer at the University of Hawaii, "the best controversy of the field right now." Kemp's ridley sea turtle nesting. Image courtesy of the National Park Service.


We compared postanesthetic and residual recovery of desflurane versus propofol anesthesia.Twenty volunteers were anesthetized for 1 h at 1-wk intervals with either propofol (induction) plus desflurane (1.25 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration) in O2 (PD), propofol plus desflurane in N2 O-O2 (PDN), propofol plus propofol infusion with N2 O-O2 (PPN), or desflurane (induction) plus desflurane in O2 (DD). Awakening and clinical recovery were measured. Psychomotor skills (attention, coordination, reactive skills, and memory) were tested before and 1, 3, 5, and 7 h after anesthesia. Awakening was fastest in Group PDN. At 1 h after anesthesia, the subjects given desflurane for maintenance (PD, PDN, and DD) performed significantly (P < 0.05-0.01) better in several psychomotor tests compared with those whose anesthesia was maintained with propofol (PPN). However, subjects met criteria for home readiness as fast after PPN as after PDN anesthesia (mean times +/- SE until fitness for discharge were 126 +/- 20, 81 +/- 14, 70 +/- 7, and 106 +/- 14 min after PD, PDN, PPN, and DD, respectively). Awakening and early psychomotor recovery for as long as 1 h after anesthesia is faster after desflurane than after propofol, but there was no difference in time to home readiness or in residual effects thereafter between propofol and desflurane with N2 O in O2. (Anesth Analg 1996;83:721-5)


This is a rough transcript of talks given at the Workshop on Groups & Algebras in M We review the basic motivation for a pre-geometric formulation of nonperturbative String/M theory, and for an underlying eleven-dimensional electric-magnetic duality, based on our current understanding of the String/M Duality Web. We explain the concept of an emerging spacetime geometry in the large N limit of a U (N) flavor matrix Lagrangian, distinguishing our proposal from generic proposals for quantum geometry, and explaining why it can incorporate curved spacetime backgrounds. We assess the significance of the extended symmetry algebra of the matrix Lagrangian, raising the question of whether our goal should be a duality covariant, or merely duality invariant, Lagrangian. We explain the conjectured isomorphism between the O(1/N) corrections in any given large N scaling limit of the matrix Lagrangian, and the corresponding α ′ corrections in a string effective Lagrangian describing some weak-coupling limit of the String/M Duality Web.


Alkylation of 4-hydroxycinnolines using ethyl bromoacetate resulted in N2-substituted acetic acids. These acids were converted to esters and amides. Some of the obtained acids were reduced with zinc dust to give 4-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-2-cinnolineacetic acids. Several of the compounds were tested for their effect on central nervous system.


Located in the Matagami mining district of the Abitibi greenstone belt, Quebec, the Bell River Complex is a >5-km-thick tholeiitic layered gabbro and/or anorthosite body (2724.6 +2.5/−1.9 MaU-Pb), which likely acted as the heat source that drove hydrothermal convection and volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) hydrothermal mineralization in the area.

Abundant fractures and veins crosscutting the western lobe of the Bell River Complex formed over a range of temperatures from 250° to 700°C. The 250° to 400°C assemblage, quartz-epidote ± sericite ± chlorite ± plagioclase, is the most widespread and occurs as orthogonal, anastomosing, and random vein sets. Vein densities average between 15 and 25 veins per m2, locally reaching as high as 40 to 60 veins per m2. These veins, typically 1 to 3 mm wide, are interpreted to represent thermal cracking associated with hydrothermal fluid mineralization in the district. Furthermore, they crosscut earlier higher temperature pyroxene-plagioclase (>600°C) and magnetite-rich (300°–600°C) veins (1–10 mm wide; densities commonly ~0–5 veins per m2).

Detailed field measurements of quartz-epidote vein geometries coupled with permeability tensor theory have produced a first-order approximation of the maximum model permeability structure (veins unfilled) of the hydrothermal cracking zone. Representative district-wide values indicate maximum model bulk permeabilities of 10−10 to 10−8 m2 for the hydrothermal cracking zone; similar to permeabilities calculated for the fractured sheeted dike complexes of the Semail and Troodos Ophiolites. However, a high-flow zone located within the central parts of the hydrothermal cracking zone is characterized by a maximum model permeability of 10−7 m2. Locally (<1 m2), the high-flow zone reaches maximum model permeability values as high as 10−6 to 10−5 m2 where two or more veins occur with apertures in excess of 2 cm.

Mapping has shown that the hydrothermal cracking zone is confined to an ~350-m-thick interval located within a strongly layered gabbro and/or anorthosite horizon of the Layered zone, upper Bell River Complex. The base of this interval is 1,000 m below the top of the Bell River Complex. Furthermore, in and around the town of Matagami, the dominant orientation of quartz-epidote veins parallels the orientation of the layering (110° ± 15°). This parallelism is further reflected in the orientation of the calculated quartz-epidote vein permeability tensors (94° ± 30°, 1σ, n = 71). The parallelism suggests that heterogeneities associated with the layer contacts provided planes of low tensile strength along which the hydrothermal cracks preferentially developed. Such an interpretation further explains why the hydrothermal cracking zone appears to be restricted to the strongly layered zone; there are many more low tensile strength planes.

Zones of quartz-epidote veining approximately orthogonal to layering are also present. The orthogonal veins are usually less continuous and commonly truncated (but not crosscut) by layer-parallel veins. The orthogonal subset of veins is interpreted to represent short pathways that allowed fluids to travel between adjacent layer-parallel veins. However, locally, longer layering-orthogonal quartz-epidote veins, showing offsets of 10 to 30 cm normal to the layering of the Bell River Complex, may represent initial conduits that allowed fluids to travel into overlying stratigraphy and through to the paleosea floor.

Although volumetrically small in comparison with the permeability structure of the bulk sea floor, the significantly higher permeability of the hydrothermal cracking zone indicates its importance in controlling the flow paths and fluxes of fluids deep within the hydrothermal system.


The equivalent-in-distribution (EiD)-based approach to the analysis of single-input-single-output (SISO) cellular networks for transmission over Rayleigh fading channels has recently been introduced [1]. Its rationale relies upon formulating the aggregate other-cell interference in terms of an infinite summation of independent and conditionally distributed Gaussian random variables (RVs). This approach leads to exact integral expressions of the error probability for arbitrary bi-dimensional modulations. In this paper, the EiD-based approach is generalized to the performance analysis of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) cellular networks for transmission over Rayleigh fading channels. The proposed mathematical formulation allows us to study a large number of MIMO arrangements, including receive-diversity, spatial-multiplexing, orthogonal space-time block coding, zero-forcing reception and zero-forcing precoding. Depending on the MIMO setup, either exact or approximate integral expressions of the error probability are provided. In the presence of other-cell interference and noise, the error probability is formulated in terms of a two-fold integral. In interference-limited cellular networks, the mathematical framework simplifies to a single integral expression. As a byproduct, the proposed approach enables us to study SISO cellular networks for transmission over Nakagami-m fading channels. The mathematical analysis is substantiated with the aid of extensive Monte Carlo simulations.


Algorithmic-Based Fault Tolerance (ABFT) technique is used to exploit the algorithmic properties to detect and correct errors. One example is Fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) that is used in spectral analysis in the communication. There are several protection schemes to detect and correct errors in FFTs. Among those, most likely the utilization of the Parseval or add of squares check is that the most generally glorious. The Parseval or sum of square check is the most widely known. It is most common to find several blocks operating in parallel in the modern communication systems. Recently, a method that exploits this truth to implement fault tolerance on parallel filters has been projected. During this temporary, this system is 1st applied to guard FFTs. Then, 2 improved protection schemes that mix the utilization of error correction codes and Parseval checks are projected and evaluated. This project outspread with FFT using Vedic multiplier. Simulation results are observed using Xilinx.


Recordings in the genres of "Irish traditional music," as they are conventionally understood in the twenty-fi rst century, may be grouped according to several complementary taxonomies: stylistic, geographic, functional, and chronological. Like jazz, the music has been issued in various audio formats, essentially since the invention of sound recording, including wax cylinder, shellac disc, long-playing record, compact disc, and now in digital sound fi le form. With the exception of several relatively brief periods of commercial popularity—the "Golden Age" of the 1920s, the "Ballad Boom" of the 1960s, the "Folk Revival" of the late 1960s and 1970s, and the post-Riverdance (1994) and Titanic (1997) periods—the music has generally been recorded by and for afi cionados interested in particular repertoires, stylists, dance functions, or nationalist imperatives.1 As a result, recordings of Irish traditional music are comparatively well documented and annotated, have oft en been compiled for comparatively disparate motives, and typically represent an unusually diverse and even "conventionally non-commercial" spectrum of styles. Publication of dance music and songs in the pre-recording era focused upon collecting and preservation in the "popular antiquities" philological mode of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Th e great print and manuscript collections—Bunting ([1840] 2000), Goodman (1998), Joyce ([1909] 1965), and pre-eminently O'Neill ([1903] 1996, [1910] 1973, [1913] 1987, [1922] 1980)—were animated both by love for the music and by the desire to preserve it in the face of colonialism, famine, Anglicization, and exile. In the era immediately following Edison's popularization of the phonograph (approximately 1890), not only collectors, but also musicians, cultural activists, and corporations (especially phonograph manufacturers) began to explore the creative, cultural, nationalist, and commercial possibilities of the new medium. From its fi rst 1926 broadcasts over 2RN, the Irish national radio service, supervised by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs, was very active in recording music, both in the studio and, eventually, "in the fi eld," to generate broadcast material—and as a tool for building a collective, "Independent" Irish national identity. Similar motives of education, preservation, scholarship, and cultural advocacy continued to play a role in the activities of the Irish Folklore Commission in the 1930s and 1940s.2 In the pre-recording era, the traditions of vocal and instrumental music in the island had taken on regional "accents" and "vocabularies" just as had the dialects of the Four Provinces (Ulster, Munster, Leinster, Connacht). Traditional music, song, dance, storytelling, and the Irish language itself tended to survive in those regions of the West and South that, because less desirable as farmland, were reserved for the native Irish who had been pushed out of the more lushly arable, lucrative, or urbanized regions of the East (Dublin and Wexford) and Northeast (Ulster). Much collecting from the eighteenth century onward thus centered upon the Gaeltachtaí (Irish-speaking regions) of Munster (Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick) and Connacht (Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo) and isolated pockets of Ulster (especially Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone, and Donegal). Musical approaches all varied widely from region to region and rural locality to locality. In the pre-industrial era—and all the way to World War II—most rural people's range of travel and contact was limited to a day's walk or bicycle ride; in fact, 1930s clergy had op-


Background The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution of oral and maxillofacial lesions affecting children and adolescents patients from a single oral pathology laboratory from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Material and Methods Oral and maxillofacial lesions biopsied in patients younger than 19-years were retrieved from the oral pathology files of the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Pathology, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro over a 75-year period (1942-2017). The clinical data and the diagnoses of each case were included in a Microsoft Excel® database, being classified into 13 categories according to the etiology. A descriptive analysis of the variables age, gender and final diagnosis was made. Results From 19.095 lesions diagnosed in this period, 2408 (12.61%) were from patients aged 0 to19 years, with a higher incidence in females in the second decade. Salivary gland pathology was the most common group of lesions (24.30%), followed by reactive lesions (16.82%) and odontogenic cysts (14.66%). Mucocele was the most common lesion (21.72%), followed by dentigerous cyst (6.48%) and fibrous hyperplasia (6.44%). Malignant lesions were observed in 1.12% of all cases with Burkitt lymphoma as the most frequent. Conclusions Our results were similar to previous studies and knowledge of these data may contribute to the understanding of oral lesions that most commonly affects children. Key words:Pediatrics, children, pathology, oral lesions, oral cavity.


Grivet monkeys infected with virulent Francisella tularensis Strain Schu S4 showed significant early changes in serum levels of trace metals, triglycerides and activities of alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase. Free amino acid levels decreased slightly and there was a marked increase in the phenylalanine: tyrosine ratio. Serum lysozyme activity and seromucoid levels also increased. Kanamycin therapy produced remission of overt signs but the changes in blood constituents were less readily affected. Immunization with the live vaccine strain of F. tularensis induced transient responses similar to those resulting from Schut S4 infection. Immunized monkeys subsequently challenged with the virulent Schu S4 strain showed no clinical signs or marked changes in blood constituents.


Bicyclams inhibit HIV replication by binding to the CXCR4 chemokine receptor, which is the main coreceptor for gp120 used by X4, T-tropic strains of HIV for membrane fusion and cell entry. Bicyclam AMD3100 mainly interacts with the aspartic acid residues namely Asp171 and Asp262, which are located at the extracellular ends in the CXCR4 coreceptor. Incorporation of some metal ions by the macrocyclic rings of bicyclam enhances its binding affinity to the CXCR4 receptor and enhances their anti-HIV activity because the acetate can make a strong coordination bond to the metal and one weaker hydrogen bond to nitrogen in the cyclam ring. The interaction energy (Eint) between 150 metal–bicyclam complexes and aspartic acid has been evaluated. The metal–bicyclam complexes are obtained by the incorporation of six metal ions namely Fe3+, Co3+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Pd2+ in 25 well-known bicyclams including AMD3100. In most of the cases, Fe and Co–bicyclam complexes interact best with aspartic acid. The anti-HIV activity of metal–bicyclam complexes can be predicted on the basis of interaction energy before the synthesis of the metal–bicyclam complex. On the basis of interaction energy, the anti-HIV activity of bicyclam complexes can be predicted in advance to their synthesis. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011


Free radicals are constantly produced by either cell metabolism or from external sources. At high concentration, they induced a tissue damage called oxidative stress. Soursop leaf (Annona muricata L.) and noni leaf (Morinda citrifolia L.) are medicinal plants with potency as antioxidants. This study aimed to evaluate the capacity of Lactobacillus plantarum BP102 in elevating the antioxidant activity of soursop and noni leaves. Dried-powder and methanol extract of soursop and noni leaves were diluted with sterile distilled water 3 g/30 mL and 0.3 g/30 mL, respectively, inoculated with 1% (v/v) of L. plantarum BP102 inoculum. The antioxidant activity was carried out using the 2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method. The antioxidant activity increased in dried-powder and methanol extract of soursop and noni leaves with different activity levels after being fermented using L. plantarum BP102 based on IC50. The increasing antioxidant activity in dried-powder of soursop leaves IC50 6.41±0.06 to 0.034±0.01 mg/mL (99.5%) was higher than of the methanol extract IC50 2.78±0.00 to 0.11±0.01 mg/mL (96%). Unfortunately, the effect of fermentation towards noni leaves could only be observed in the form of methanol extract IC50 12.8±0.01 to 0.33±0.02 mg/mL (increased by 97.4%), the dried-powder of noni leaves was suspended and produced a dark color. The probiotic L. plantarum BP102 was used as a fermented agent in increasing the bioactive compounds especially related to antioxidant activity.


Studies have shown that the majority of suicides consult physicians within weeks or even hours before their deaths. The author spells out the questions that can identify well-defined prodromal symptoms and details the differences between truly suicidal persons and those who are primarily suicide "attempters." Guidelines are given for dealing with drug overdose, the method used by four out of five attempters, mainly young women.


This Article discusses the propriety of granting political asylum to Chinese citizens fleeing China's coercive population control policy. It argues that China is persecuting some of its citizens through its population control policy and that the United States should grant asylum to those who have been persecuted or who have a genuine fear of future persecution.


Fast moving industrialization and economic development in Malaysia has affected the coastal region by increasing water pollution and pollutants that was deposited into water and cause serious changes which in turn directly or indirectly affect the ecological balance of the environment. Water pollution will create extensive damage and even mass mortality to the life and activities of aquatic organisms because of their high toxicity and accumulative. Heavy metals can enter the food web through direct consumption of water or organisms or through uptake processes and be potentially accumulated in edible fish.The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn) were measured in flesh, gill and liver of four fish species (Decapterus macrosoma., Leiognathus daura, Euthynnus affinis and Pampus argenteus) and two shellfish species (Fenneropenaeus indicus and Portunus pelagicus.) collected from Tok Bali port in Kelantan. The concentration of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn were carried out using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). The concentration of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn were higher in gill and liver than those in flesh. Levels of metals concentration varied depending on different tissues in species. The levels of Cd and Pb were relatively low in all analyzed species. Health Risk Assessment of the heavy metal content in fish species is particularly important because of fish is an important food resource for human consumption and a major component of the marine ecosystem. Studies on the presence of heavy metals in marine fish will contribute to the accumulation of new data on their levels in commercially important species from Tok Bali port, including for estimating the risk for kelantanese consumer. Results showed that some of the observed heavy metal contents have lower concentration of mean values than the permissible limits set by FAO/WHO in analyzed samples. In this study, both species that are fish and shellfish species are safe to be consumed.


The effects of temperature and conformerisation on the evaporation/condensation coefficient (beta) and the evaporation rate (gama) for n-dodecane nano and micro-droplets are analysed using quantum chemical DFT calculations for several ensembles of conformers of n-dodecane molecules in the gas and liquid phases. To highlight the underlying physics of the evaporation/condensation process, the internal molecular dynamics (IMD) effects of n-dodecane molecules on heat transfers between gas and liquid phases are investigated. Bond energies, the Gibbs free energies of internal dynamics of a set of n-dodecane conformers, and the energies of the molecules colliding with the surface of an n-dodecane nanodroplet are studied using the quantum chemical approach. The values of "gama" and "beta" are shown to be sensitive to the changes in the Gibbs free energy (G) of conformers in the gas and liquid phases. The values of G referring to internal dynamics in n-dodecane conformers are estimated using the quantum continuum solvent model, ωB97X-D/cc-pVTZ chemistry electronic model and programs Gaussian 09, CP2K and MSTor in which conformational, torsional and vibrational effects are taken into account. Conformerisation effects leading to a decrease in "gama" cause an increase in the evaporation rate and decrease in the evaporation time compared with those computed without consideration of these effects. The latter are attributed to anharmonicity effects inferred from the coupling of vibrational, rotational, torsional and conformational dynamics. This coupling leads to favourable changes in the Gibbs free energy of evaporation of certain conformers during their transfer from the liquid into the gas phase. Without consideration of these effects, the evaporation rate can be underestimated by up to an order of magnitude.


A new optical neural-network concept using the control of the modes of an injection laser by external feedback is described by a simple laser model. This approach uses the wavelength dispersed longitudinal modes of the laser as neurons and the amount of external feedback as connection weights. The predictions of the simple model are confirmed both with extensive numerical examples using the laser rate equations and also by experiments with GaAlAs injection lasers. The inputs and connection weights to this laser neural network are provided by external masks which control the amount of feedback reaching the laser. Stochastic learning is used to obtain weight masks for a small three-input and four-output neural net for the numerical and experimental examples. Winner-take-all and exclusive-or operations are obtained on the input set with different weight masks. Both of these operations are also obtained in experiments with a three-input/four-output laser neural network operating at an estimated speed greater than 10 GCPS. The eventual speed of this type of neural network hardware is expected to reach well within TCPS range if it is built in an optoelectronic integrated circuit with dimensions in the order of a mm. Different neural-network architectures possible with this approach are discussed.


M. K. Gandhi, the lovely and very good minded universal person, who was born in India in the modern age. He stressed on traditional spiritual attitude with the total development from education, which is related to modern age of the world with reference to India. Gandhi is the politician, the philosopher, the socialist and the educationist. He lives with the accumulation of Karmayaog and Gyanyoga. The thought of Gandhi on Education is the basic way of life for all.An attempt has been made to analyze the impact assessment of educational philosophy of Gandhiji,with special reference to curriculum of basic education.This study is primarily empirical as well as analytical in nature covering the areas of Gandhiji's educational philosophy such as view of life,historical background of basic education,meaning of basic education,main features of basic education and curriculum of basic education.This paper also tries to examine general merits and demerits of basic education and its relevance in modern society with the help of scientific outlook.He wanted a silent social revolution through basic education which does not stand for mere technique rather it stands for a new crafts‡centered approach full of spirit and self realization which always seeks truth.Finally a critical evaluation is made on the basis of relevance of basic education in present times of Gandhian educational philosophy.


SARS-CoV-2 is more infectious and transmissible in humans than SARS-CoV, despite the genetic relatedness and sharing the same cellular receptor. We sought to assess whether human airway organoids can model SARS-CoV-2 infection in the human airway and elucidate the cellular basis underlying its higher transmissibility. We demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 can establish a productive infection in human airway organoids, in which ciliated cell and basal cell are infected. Wildtype SARS-CoV-2 carrying a furin cleavage motif exhibits comparable replication kinetics to a mutant virus without the motif. Human airway organoids sustain higher replication of SARS-CoV-2 than SARS-CoV, whereas interferon response is more potently induced in the latter than the former. Overall, human airway organoids can model SARS-CoV-2 infection and recapitulate the disposable role of furin cleavage motif for virus transmission in humans. SARS-CoV-2 stealth growth and evasion of interferon response may underlie pre-symptomatic virus shedding in COVID-19 patients, leading to its high infectiousness and transmissibility.


Summary The ontogeny of the digestive tract in Cichlasoma urophthalmus was studied by means of optical microscopy from hatching to 30 days post-hatching (dph; 855 degree days, dd). The development of the digestive system in this precocial species was a very intense and asynchronous process, which proceeded from both distal ends interiorly. At hatching, the digestive tract consisted of a straight tube with a smooth lumen dorsally attached to the yolk-sac. The digestive accessory glands were already differentiated and eosinophilic zymogen granules were visible in the exocrine pancreas. At the onset of exogenous feeding between 5 and 6 dph (142.5–171.0 cumulative thermal units, CTU), the buccopharynx, oesophagus, intestine, liver and pancreas were almost completely differentiated, with the exception of the gastric stomach that completed its differentiation between 11 and 14 dph (313.5–399.0 CTU). The development of gastric glands at 14 dph and the differentiation of the stomach in the fundic, cardiac and pyloric regions at 19 dph (541.5 CTU) were the last major events in digestive tract development and designated the onset of the juvenile period. Remnants of yolk were still detected until 16 dph (456.0 CTU), indicating a long period of mixed nutrition that lasted between 10 and 11 days (285.0–313.5 CTU). The results of the organogenesis of larvae complement previous data on the functionality of the digestive system and represent a useful tool for establishing the functional systemic capabilities and physiological requirements of larvae to ensure optimal welfare and growth under aquaculture conditions, which might be useful for improving current larval rearing practices for this cichlid species.


OBJECTIVE To consider the question: How strong is the evidence in favour of yttrium synovectomy in chronic knee arthritis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in comparison with placebo and intra-articular steroid treatment? METHODS A systematic review of the literature was performed using Medline and the Embase database. RESULTS Initially, seven papers were identified, but only two met the inclusion criteria. Neither study showed evidence in favour of yttrium synovectomy. CONCLUSION From the point of view of evidence based medicine it should be seriously questioned whether yttrium synovectomy deserves a place in clinical practice.


9.3.2009 International Business Authors Liwen Heli Aakala. Group X The title of your thesis Success factors of Chinese restaurants Number of pages and appendices 40+2 Supervisors The objectives of the thesis fall into three aspects: 1) understanding Chinese entrepreneurship through some major aspects; such as, the characteristics of Chinese entrepreneur and successful skills needed; 2) scanning the Chinese culture that is associated with their entrepreneurial success in restaurant business as well as understanding the Finnish culture that affects Chinese restaurants" presence in Finland; 3) acquainting with the competitive strategies that those Chinese restaurants employ to succeed. The conceptual framework is based on the combination of Wickham"s entrepreneurial success model and the empirical findings on overseas Chinese success factors in the food service sector, in terms of successful entrepreneurial characteristics, skills, cultural factors as well as competitive strategies. The qualitative method, of particularly semi-structured interviews, was applied to test those perspectives to answer the research questions. The secondary data were collected from electronic journals, textbooks, other empirical studies as well as other Internet sources. In conclusion, in the Chinese restaurants" success in Helsinki, those owners are confident, hard working, comfortable with the power with a clear goal. They have basic cooking, management and social skills to run their business. In addition, they take advantage of the Chinese unique culture to serve their customers and deal with the Asian retailing shops. They mainly adopt three strategies: offering lower price, being flexible to the customers" requests and family strategy.


The present work is an Expert System, called LETi, carried out in CLIPS. It was perfomed in a medical environment, the Neonetal Intensive Care Unit of the Maternity and Neonatal University Hospital. Althouth this unit specializes in different pulmonary pathologies which uses mechanical ventilation in thier rehabilitation therapy, this application centers on the most frequent problem, the Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The problem tackled here is the mechanical ventilation control by means of rule based sytems. This sytem will advise the professional assistant on what decision to make related to the veriables of the mechanical ventilation, based on the specific parameters being controlled on the infant.


The electronic structure of FeSe, the simplest iron based superconductor (Fe-SC), conceals a potential of dramatic increase of Tc that realizes under pressure or in a single layer film. This is also the system where nematicity, the phenomenon of a keen current interest, is most easy to study since it is not accompanied by the antiferomagnetic transition like in all other Fe-SC's. Here we overview recent experimental data on electronic structure of FeSe-based superconductors: isovalently doped crystals, intercalates, and single layer films, trying to clarify its topology and possible relation of this topology to superconductivity. We argue that the marked differences between the experimental and calculated band structures for all FeSe compounds can be described by a hoping selective renormalization model for a spin/orbital correlated state that may naturally explain both the evolution of the band structure with temperature and nematicity.


Two new germacrane sesquiterpenes, called salviadienol A (1) and salviadienol B (2), together with five known compounds, methyl-ent-4-epi-agath-18-oate (3), angelicoidenol (4), clovane-2beta,9alpha-diol (5), dehydrovomifoliol (6) and blumenol A (7), were isolated from Salvia chinensis. Their structures were identified on the basis of spectral characteristics.


Hydra is an evolutionarily ancient multicellular organism which has been used as a model system in developmental biology. Previously, a study has shown that microbes or microbial factors may play an important role in asexual reproduction by budding of hydra. However, no attempts were made to identify the microbes associated with hydra during budding. In the present study, we attempted to explore the microbial community structure of budding hydra using Ion Torrent PGM. Our study showed notable differences in the microbiota of budding and non-budding hydra polyps. Differences in many bacterial taxa were also observed when microbiota of sexually matured male polyps was compared with non-reproductive polyps. The present study brings out significant differences in the microbial community structure of hydra during reproductive stages. Elucidating the possible role(s) of microbes in the reproduction of hydra may provide an interesting insight into the evolution of interactions betweenmicrobes andmulticellular animals. Introduction Themicrobiota associated with a host organism is known to aid many physiological processes including nutrition, immunity, resistance against pathogen, reproduction, and development [2]. In fact, host microbiota interaction is one of the significant events in evolution and occurs in organisms ranging from single-celled amoeba to humans. Many organisms have developed specialised mechanisms that assure persistence of the symbiosis in the host [3]. Hydra, an evolutionarily ancient multicellular organism, also harbours microbes which are believed to aid several vital processes such as immunity, cellular composition, proliferation and budding [4]. This association appears to be species-specific and is believed to be controlled by species-specific anti-microbial peptides called arminins [5]. Although Fraune and Bosch (2007) [6] showed that hydra polyps maintained in the laboratory for long periods of time exhibit similarities in microbial composition with their counterparts from the wild, a recent study suggested the influence of external environment on the microbial community structure of laboratory and wild populations of Hydra vulgaris Ind-Pune [7]. The role of microbes in the major life processes of hydra was demonstrated by Rahat and Dimentman [8] who observed a reduction in budding in hydra grown in a germ-free medium. Further, on inoculation of non-sterile medium budding resumed, suggesting a role of microbes and/or microbial factors in the event. Objective Although a lot has been speculated about the role of bacteria in budding in hydra, there are no reports on either the microbial compositions of budding polyps or their possible role in budding. The present study is the first step in understanding the differences in microbial composition of hydra polyps during non-reproductive stage as compared to budding or asexual reproductive stage. Changes in the bacterial community associated with hydra during reproduction DOI: 10.19185/matters.201706000004 Matters (ISSN: 2297-8240) | 2 a Figure Legend Figure 1. Differences in microbial composition of non-reproducing, budding, and male gonad-bearing hydra polyps. (A) Taxonomic distribution of bacterial groups (at phylum level) of samples. The abundance of the phyla is plotted on the Y–axis. Unclassified bacteria are sequences without any match in the database. Proteobacteria are most dominant phylum in all samples. Colour panel on the right indicates colour code for respective phylum. NR: Non-reproductive hydra polyps, AR: Asexually reproductive (i.e. budding) hydra polyps, SMH: sexually matured male hydra polyps. (B) PCoA plot based on the microbial composition of the samples. Microbial community of samples separated from each other based on their reproductive Changes in the bacterial community associated with hydra during reproduction DOI: 10.19185/matters.201706000004 Matters (ISSN: 2297-8240) | 3 stages. NR: Non reproductive hydra polyps, AR: Asexually reproductive (i.e. budding) hydra polyps, SMH: sexually matured male hydra polyps. PCoA plot was constructed using PAST software [1]. Results & Discussion Samples studied by us showed a total of four bacterial phyla (Fig. 1A). Among them phylum Proteobacteria was highly abundant (82%–90%) followed by Bacteroidetes (3%–9%) and Firmicutes (3%–8%). These three phyla contributed more than 97% of the total bacterial community. All the samples in the present study were found to be dominated by Proteobacteria. Compared to NR polyps, AR polyps exhibited less abundance of Proteobacteria, though this remains the most abundant phylum. Such high abundance of Proteobacteriawas also seen in the laboratory-maintained andwild populations of hydra [7]. Interestingly, Franzenburg et al. [9] found newly hatched hydra to be abundant in bacteria belonging to phylum Bacteroidetes. We also found an increase in the abundance of Bacteroidetes in budding as compared to non-budding polyps suggesting a change in the microbial composition of hydra during asexual reproduction. Principle coordinates analysis (PCoA) plots also showed predominant differences in the microbial composition of NR and AR polyps (Fig. 1B) suggesting the possible influence of budding on the microbiota of hydra or vice versa. The shift in the composition of microbes was also reflected in an altered abundance of different bacterial groups (Table 1). Although microbes belonging to Oxalobacteraceae are the routinely found microbes in hydra, studies in the past have suggested that high abundance ofOxalobacteraceae in hydra polyps inoculated with foreign microbiota [5]. The precise role of Oxalobacteraceae cannot be ascertained with the available data but an increased abundance of microbes belonging to Oxalobacteraceae clearly suggests a change in the microbial composition of hydra during reproduction. Likewise, Pseudomonadaceae, Sinobacteraceae, Rhodobacteraceae, and Cytophagaceae also showed increased abundance in the budding polyps. Microbes belonging to Rhizobiales, on the other hand, showed higher abundance in the non-budding polyps. Fraune et al. [10] found a correlation between the cellular composition of hydra and its microbial community structure. Disturbance in cellular composition of hydra leads to a change in its microbial community structure. The budding event is characterised by changes in the cellular composition of hydra, especially it is associated with a significant rise in the number of interstitial cells and its derivatives [11]. This could be the possible reason for alteration in the microbiota of hydra during budding. It has been speculated that bacteria or factors derived from bacteria may be necessary for epithelial homeostasis and proliferation leading to budding in hydra [12] [10]. In this study, we have shown for the first time that there is a significant change in the microbial composition of hydra polyps during budding. Our data demonstrate changes in several bacterial groups during budding, which could be directly or indirectly influencing the budding process itself. Moreover, Fraune et al. [10] showed that removal of interstitial cells is associated with the decrease of microbes belonging to Proteobacteria. Based on this study, the increase in the abundance of bacteria belonging to Proteobacteria during budding of hydra observed by us could be due to an increase in interstitial cells. As is the case for budding polyps, there is no information about the microbial community structure of hydra when it attains sexual maturity. Fortunately, we came across sexually mature male hydra (SMH) in our lab. The sexual maturity can be easily confirmed visibly by occurrence of motile sperm in the testes. When the microbial composition of male polyps was studied; to our surprise, we found significant differences in its microbial composition as compared to both non-budding (non-gonad-bearing) polyps and budding polyps (Fig. 1A and B, Table 1). At the deeper taxonomic level, SMH polyps showed a high prevalence of Oxalobacteraceae, Sinobacteraceae, Rhizobiales, Comamonadaceae, and Methylophilaceae. Franzenburg et al. [9] have shown the temporal variation of microbial community structure of hydra during embryogenesis suggesting the possible influence of microbiota on the development of hydra. In fact, like many other organisms, hydra is also considered as the metaorganism wherein there is a continuous interaction between the host and its microbiota. The present observation on changing Changes in the bacterial community associated with hydra during reproduction DOI: 10.19185/matters.201706000004 Matters (ISSN: 2297-8240) | 4 microbiota during asexual reproduction and sexual maturity strongly indicates a role of microbes in reproduction in hydra. It may be mentioned that despite several attempts we were unable to get any sexual matured female polyps. Conclusions Studies in the past have shown that microbiota not only provides fitness benefit to the host but also plays a significant role in its reproduction [13]. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting clear changes in microbial content during asexual reproduction and sexual maturity indicating microbial influence over a major life event. Our findings provide a framework for undertaking detailed studies to elucidate the role(s) of associated microbes in budding in hydra. Studies to explore possible cross-kingdom signalling as a mode of communication between the host and the associated microbes during important life events would be highly rewarding. Limitations In the present study, our analysis is limited to the stage at which there is the first sign of the budding. The exploration of microbial community structure at different stages of budding would shed more light on its role in budding of hydra. In the present study, we have explored the microbial community structure of reproducing males. However similar analysis in reproducing females remains to be carried out. It has been shown that b


The microstructural features and charge-potential relation of an electric double layer (EDL) at a stepped Pt(553)/water interface are investigated using ab initio molecular dynamics simulation. The results indicate that the chemisorbed O-down water molecules gather at the (110) step sites, while the (111) terrace sites are covered by the H-down water molecules, which greatly weakens the push-back effect of interface water on the spillover electrons of the stepped surface and, therefore, results in a much more positive potential of zero charge (PZC) than the extended low-index Pt surfaces. It is further revealed that around the PZC, the change in the surface charge density is dominated by the change in the coverage of chemisorbed water molecules, while EDL charging is the main cause of the change in the surface charge density at potential away from the PZC, thus leading to an S-shaped charge-potential relation and a maximum interface capacitance around PZC. Our results make up for the current lack of the atomic-scale understanding of the EDL microstructures and charge-potential relation on the real electrode surfaces with plentiful step and defect sites.


In this paper I will discuss that The Basic Law: Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People which is enacted in 2018, is taken a form around that is seen at elite and institutional level of historical institutional transformations in Israel. Legal arrangements are main builder of state and society relation sets around the world. Political elites as the decision makers of political process in Israel whose preferences and orientations stand out as the main factor in determining the content of legislative activities. Ashkenazi middle class intellectuals, political activists and professional politicians who the founding political elites in Israel came to fore as the main agents in the founding process of Israel. Demographic change, diversification of geopolitical preferences, differentiation of the components of the economic structure affected on social dynamics and transformed the composition of the elites. It is observed that the preferences of the decision making actors who have shifted from the Ashkenazi elites to Mizrahi elites that have started to be effective in Israel. Ideological differences, intergenerational challenges and personal conflicts between political professionals of Ashkenazi elites that have accelerated the rise of the Mizrahi elites in Israel.


We analyse the development of total own costs in two formed sets of agricultural enterprises in this paper. We compare the analysis in both sets and we specify an important problem which results from the analysis – high total own costs. We propose the alternative of the allocation precising of total own costs for products by using the Activity Based Costing Method instead of traditional calculation methods own costs. The principle of this Method lies in double-stage allocation of the own costs, which will enable to identify the hidden reserves and to improve the enterprise efficiency.


Aim: To assess the accuracy and consistency of intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation using optical low coherence reflectometry device (OLCR), LENSTAR LS-900, in silicone oil-filled eyes undergoing combined IOL implantation and silicone oil removal (SOR). Setting: Sankara Eye Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Design: Retrospective study. Method: This study comprised 49 silicone oil-filled eyes of 47 patients who underwent combined IOL implantation with SOR. All patients were measured with OLCR before performing phacoemulsification and IOL implantation in silicone oil mode. The predicted refraction as calculated with OLCR was correlated with the postoperative spherical equivalent. Results: The mean deviation of the spherical equivalent was −0.74 diopters (D). The mean difference between predicted refraction and postoperative spherical equivalent was −0.34 D. The mean axial length of the eyes was 23.53+1.86 (range 21.49–30.03 mm). Conclusion: OLCR is a safe device that provides precise biometry and accurate IOL power calculation in silicone oil-filled eyes.


Previous research have demonstrated that significant cost savings can be achieved, if cladding panels forming the building envelope are used to provide stability. There is research information and design guidance available for normal temperature design. However, the information available for fire conditions is very limited and it is not known if the panels are able to stabilize steel frame members also at elevated temperatures. The stiffness and resistance of joints, cladding panels and connectors are required for the assessment of interaction between cladding and frame in fire. Temperatures of those components are in important role when evaluating the stabilization effect. This paper presents an experimental research conducted to determine the temperature fields in sandwich panels, supporting structural steel members and screw connectors. Eight full‐scale fire tests were carried out where the structural steel sections supporting sandwich panels were exposed to ISO 834 fire attack on three sides. The test specimen consisted of a fire protected steel beam and load‐bearing sandwich panels with both mineral wool and polyisocyanurate (PIR) core. Two different steel beam sections were used in the tests: HEA 160 (S355) and RHS 150×150x8 (S420). This paper introduces the experimental research and the main observations related to the temperatures. The results show that at failure of the specimens the measured screw temperatures were very different in HEA and RHS tests. The temperatures in HEA tests were much higher than in RHS tests the maximum difference in screw point temperatures being over 400°C. In all the specimens, screw head temperatures were very low throughout the tests, well below 100°C. The tests were part of ongoing RFCS project STABFI.


Damage to the spinal cord is the most serious complication of spinal injury. The method to reduce fibrogenesis after spinal cord injury, to facilitate repair, is an ongoing hurdle despite advancements in research. Non-coding RNA plays an important role in the progression of many diseases, but the study of its role in the progression of spinal fibrosis is still emerging. Here, we investigated the function of circular RNAs, specifically CDR1as, in spinal fibrosis and characterized its molecular mechanism and pathophysiology. The presence of CDR1as in the spinal cord was verified by sequencing and polymerase chain reaction assays. Further, gene and protein expression of miR-7a-5p and TGF-βR2 were measured to evaluate their predicted interactions. The combination miR-7a-5p/TGF-βR2 was predicted by bioinformatics and validated using a luciferase reporter assay. The regulatory effects and activation pathways of miR-7a-5p and CDR1as on spinal fibrosis were subsequently verified by Western blot. miR-7a-5p inhibitor and siCDR1as were transfected and inhibited the effect of siCDR1as. These results indicate that CDR1as/miR-7a-5p/TGF-βR2 interactions may exert important functions and suggest potential therapeutic targets for treating spinal fibrotic diseases.


Neutrophils cross epithelial sheets to reach inflamed mucosal surfaces by migrating along the paracellular route. To avoid breakdown of the epithelial barrier, this process requires coordinated opening and closing of tight junctions, the most apical intercellular junctions in epithelia. To determine the function of epithelial tight junction proteins in this process, we analyzed neutrophil migration across monolayers formed by stably transfected epithelial cells expressing wild-type and mutant occludin, a membrane protein of tight junctions with four transmembrane domains and both termini in the cytosol. We found that expression of mutants with a modified N-terminal cytoplasmic domain up-regulated migration, whereas deletion of the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain did not have an effect. The N-terminal cytosolic domain was also found to be important for the linear arrangement of occludin within tight junctions but not for the permeability barrier. Moreover, expression of mutant occludin bearing a mutation in one of the two extracellular domains inhibited neutrophil migration. The effects of transfected occludin mutants on neutrophil migration did not correlate with their effects on selective paracellular permeability and transepithelial electrical resistance. Hence, specific domains and functional properties of occludin modulate transepithelial migration of neutrophils.


Introduction: Diseases caused by work become a common health problem and can affect almost all people in the world. As you can see, one of the hazards in the field is ergonomics. The danger from bad posture at work is the cause of the position of the body parts moving uncomfortably which can cause various problems at work, both health problems and work accident problems. Therefore, so that a job does not pose a dangerous risk, it is necessary to have an assessment of ergonomic risk. Researchers aim to analyze the level of ergonomic risk to Welding workers with the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) Method in the Workshop area of PT. Cemindo Gemilang Bayah Banten in 2020.
Methods: This research uses mix methods, which is a research step by combining two forms of research approaches, namely qualitative and quantitative. The subjects in this study were the main informants and key informants totaling 4 people. The main informants in this study were 3 welding workers. The key informant is 1 person, namely HSE.
Results: The results of the risk level assessment using the REBA method for welding workers are obtained from the scoring of group A with a value of 8 and the results of scoring for group B with a value of 4, then the total results of C to the scoring of groups A and B have a value of 10.
Discussion: Based on the Action Level Score, REBA score 10 shows a high level of risk. 3 people out of 4 workers are known to be at high risk of pain so further review and implementation of changes / immediate action are required.


We synthesized a series of imidazolium cations containing covalently-bound
anionic sites, such as sulfonate or sulfonamide groups. These zwitterionic
imidazolium salts were found to form molten salts just like ordinary imidazolium
salts. However, regardless of the high ion density, these ions cannot migrate
along potential gradients induced in the bulk. This is a new and unique characteristic
in molten salts. When other salts were added to this, the ions generated from
the newly added salts were able to behave as carrier ions. The ionic conductivity
of a pure molten salt was 10−9 S cm−1
at 25°C, but jumped to 10−5 S cm−1
by adding an equimolar amount of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)
at 50°C. The zwitterionic salt having a sulfonamide group instead
of sulfonate had an ionic conductivity of 10−4 S cm−1
at 50°C after adding an equimolar amount of LiTFSI. These zwitterionic
imidazolium salts having vinyl groups were synthesized and polymerized. In
spite of their rubber-like properties they showed excellent ionic conductivities
of around 10−5 S cm−1 at 50°C
following the addition of an equimolar amount of LiTFSI to the imidazolium
cation unit.


A well documented section across the continental margin at Cape Bojador is based on information of D.S.D.P. Sites 397 (uppermost continental rise) and 369 (slope), several on- and offshore commercial wells, and the interpretation of seismic profiles (figure 2). Within the Aaiun-Tarfaya coastal basin Mesozoic to Gainozoic sediments thicken from a hinge line to the present coast. Over a lateral distance of about 100 km under the present shelf, slope, and uppermost rise, a sedimentary sequence of nearly constant thickness (12-14 km) overlies continental to transitional basement. This uniformly subsiding part of the margin is termed 'Cape Bojador marginal basin'. Seaward of the upper rise the basement rises and the sediment cover thins. For time intervals with unambiguous interpretation of palaeo-water depth, we inferred the subsidence rates of 'marginal basin' sites directly from sediment thickness and corrected them for compaction (figure 4). Since at the slope and rise sites the facies interpretation of the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary record does not allow an estimation of palaeo-water depth, this depth was found by 'backtracking' the present depth of stratigraphic boundaries below sealevel by using the subsidence rates from comparable shelf and coast sites. As a 'continental approach' to the margin this method infers the subsidence and palaeobathymetry of the poorly known continental slope and rise environments with the better established stratigraphic and facies information from the coastal basin and the shelf. During the Jurassic, the subsidence rates in the 'Cape Bojador marginal basin' (table 1) were high (80-100 m/Ma ); they increased slightly during the early Cretaceous (130-140 m/Ma). During the late Cretaceous and Cainozoic, subsidence slowed down more or less exponentially. During the (Triassic?-) Jurassic, we assume shallow-water conditions (possibly carbonate build-up) for the present slope and rise sites. The earliest Cretaceous is represented by a very thick Wealden-type deltaic sequence with shallow-marine deltaic sediments below Site 369 (?) and distal prodelta muds (about 500 m water depth) at Site 397. Subsequently, accumulation rates lagged behind the subsidence rates, causing a gradual deepening of the outer continental margin to its present depth. The continuous deepening of the sea floor has been accompanied by a landward facies migration until the Turonian. A 1-2 km deep erosional scarp was formed by deep geostrophic currents during the Oligocene at the upper rise (Site 397), which was rapidly filled by early Miocene mass flows, until equilibrium conditions were gradually established.


This essay proposes an alternative narrative of the financial crisis that fifteen years ago occasioned the homelessness of thousands of mortgagors. Much has been said on this subject at this time. The Corte Constitucional, Consejo de Estado, Corte Suprema de Justicia, academics, constitucionalist, economist and debtor associations have examined the causes, consequences and effectiveness of the strategies from the government to solve the problem. Specifically, this paper was derived from the analysis of the experience of judges and magistrates who attended the judicial process of the obligations of UPAC. These judges refused the ordering the termination of court proceedings given by the Corte Constitucional being aware of the precarious situation of housing debtors. Consequently, many borrowers lost their homes despite the protection committed by the high Court, but why the judges refused to apply these judgments?


Space use and diets of sympatric bobcats Lynx rufus and pumas Puma concolor were compared using sign surveys and scat analysis during 1997–2002 in south-eastern Arizona, USA. Bobcats appeared to use grassland, scrub, riparian and woodland habitats equally, but pumas had higher activity in riparian and woodland habitats. There was little evidence that bobcats avoided pumas in space use. Bobcats ate primarily rodents (33% of items in scats), lagomorphs (32%) and ungulates (16%), whereas pumas ate primarily ungulates (69%) and carnivores (21%). Pumas had a narrower dietary niche breadth than bobcats, and puma diet overlapped bobcat diet by 56%, suggesting that pumas may be more vulnerable to changes in prey density than bobcats. Pumas also killed and consumed bobcats, indicating that interference competition may be manifesting through intraguild predation.


This article studies the central role of nation-states in the Red Cross during the interwar period. In the late nineteenth century, Spain pioneered the creation of European-style humanitarian institutions in Morocco. However, its perennial instability as a state, aggravated by the colonial disaster of 1898, put an end to the regenerationist project of a Moroccan Red Cross. When the Spanish protectorate was established in 1912, the Spanish Red Cross was overshadowed by competition from its French counterpart, the internationalization of Tangiers and resistance from the local inhabitants. This culminated in the so-called Rif War of 1921-1927, a mixture of anticolonial revolt and international war that vividly exposed the ingrained deficiencies of the Spanish State and its Red Cross.


Grapholita molesta (Busck) is a worldwide insect pest damaging stone and pome fruits. High temperature can significantly affect insect survival, development and fecundity. Heat shock protein (Hsp) genes were speculated to possess a pivotal function in response to high temperature stress. In this study, two full‐length Hsp genes, Gmhsp90 and Gmhsp70, were cloned from G. molesta using rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends (RACE). The open reading frames of Gmhsp90 and Gmhsp70 obtained were 2 148 bp and 1 998 bp in length, respectively. Their deduced amino acids showed high homology to Hsp genes of other species. Subsequently, the transcriptional expression of Gmhsp90 and Gmhsp70 in G. molesta adults exposed at various temperatures (26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41 and 44°C) for 1 h and at 41°C for various time duration (0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 and 105 min) were investigated via real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The relative expression levels of Gmhsp90 and Gmhsp70 in G. molesta adults were both up‐regulated with the rise of temperature and time duration. In addition, the Gmhsp70 usually showed a higher transcription accumulation than Gmhsp90. Interestingly, Gmhsp90 and Gmhsp70 in female adults could be induced much earlier than that in males, and the effective induction temperature in females was also lower than that in males. The distinct expression profiles of Gmhsp90 and Gmhsp70 indicated that Gmhsp90 and Gmhsp70 may play important roles in G. molesta adults responding to a thermal threat, and there is difference on induction between sexes.


Academic Emergency Medicine is interested in publishing systematic reviews (also known as meta-analyses) containing explicit, quantitative compilations of valid, critically appraised evidence targeted at topics relevant to the science and practice of emergency medicine. This article presents a strategy for the performance and reporting of systematic reviews, based on established recommendations. A well-performed systematic review of the literature may provide clinically relevant information otherwise unobtainable, and has potential to alter patient care. Systematic reviews are logical methodological extensions of evidence-based medicine.


B4C ceramics were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique with 5 vol.% silicon as sintering additive. Optimization of SPS method production parameters for B4C ceramics having geometries 50× 50× 5 mm, square cross section will be performed. The sintering process was carried out at di erent temperatures by applying 40 MPa of pressure under vacuum atmosphere. The e ect of silicon additive, sintering temperature and di erent soaking times on density, vickers hardness, fracture toughness and microstructure were examined. The mechanical properties of the B4C ceramics having silicon as additive were compared with the results of monolithic B4C. The hardness and fracture toughness of the samples were evaluated by the vickers indentation technique. Microstructures of spark plasma sintered B4C samples with di erent parameters in square cross section were characterized by using SEM technique.


Parallel trade (PT) is a practice related to arbitrage operations in international trade. We provide a rationale for PT as an opportunistic behaviour by an international wholesaler who is privately informed about market demands in two countries where a multinational firm operates. This alternative theory of PT contributes to an explanation of why PT has gained considerable importance in various industries, and why it has not yet resulted in price convergence across relevant countries. Indeed, we find that asymmetric information enlarges the scope for PT, relative to complete information, and possibly increases crosscountry differences in prices. The European Commission supports PT as a means to achieve the integration of national markets, to the benefit of all citizens. However, under asymmetric information, consumers benefit from PT only with a high volume of parallel imports (e.g., when arbitrage costs are low); otherwise competition among wholesalers can be an effective substitute for PT. Furthermore, an important implication of PT is the transfer of profits from the manufacturer to the wholesaler. Therefore, in R&D-intensive industries, such as pharmaceuticals, policy makers should anticipate the likely consequences of PT under asymmetric information on the long-run incentives to innovate.


Access to food in the UK, and especially access to healthy food, is a constant source of worry for many in this wealthy country. Crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have coincided with a steep rise in the cost of living, meaning household food insecurity has become a reality for many more households. This book introduces a new framework to examine the many influences on local-level food inequalities, whether they result from individual circumstances or where a person lives. The framework will allow researchers new to the field to consider the many influences on food security, and to support emerging research around different sub-topics of food access and food security. Providing a thorough background to two key concepts, food deserts and food insecurity, the book documents the transition from area-based framing of food resources, to approaches which focus on household food poverty and the rise of food banks. The book invites researchers to acknowledge and explore the ever changing range of place-based factors that shape experiences of food insecurity: from transport and employment to rural isolation and local politics. By proposing a new framework for food insecurity research and by drawing on real-world examples, this book will support academic and applied researchers as they work to understand and mitigate the impacts of food insecurity in local communities. © 2023 Dianna Smith and Claire Thompson. All rights reserved.


This study discusses the development of laundry services business in increasing marginal income in the perspective of Islamic economics, the main problem in this study is how business development is carried out in increasing income in Octa laundry business. This study aims to determine the business development carried out by Octa Laundry, the contribution of business development carried out by Octa Laundry in increasing household marginal income, and Islamic economic perspective on business development carried out on Octa laundry. The type of research used is qualitative research with an approach Islamic economics. The subjects in this study were the owners and workers of Octa Laundry, while the object of the research was the development of businesses and the marginal income of households received from laundry businesses. The data collection techniques used are the method of observation (observation), interviews, and documentation. The collected data is then processed and analyzed using qualitative descriptive techniques. The results of the study show that in business development carried out on Octa laundry, generally using three production factors including capital in the form of money and equipment, labor, and entrepreneurial skills.


Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) has become the most popular modality of testing for physicians in recent years and is used for improving the quality of care and increasing patient safety. However, POCUS is not always acceptable to all physicians. To address the benefits and importance of POCUS, numerous studies have examined the use of POCUS in clinical practice and even medical education. This article aims to highlight the effects of POCUS as an extension of the physical examination, and we present a case to address the reasons it should be performed. For a man experiencing abdominal pain immediately after his feeding jejunostomy tube was changed, there was high suspicion of small-bowel volvulus after a "whirlpool sign" was observed during the POCUS, whereby mesenteric vessels presented in a whirling or spiral shape. This impression was subsequently confirmed by computed tomography. Small-bowel volvulus is a rare complication of changing a feeding jejunostomy tube. The images submitted here add to the sparse evidence from the literature on the use of POCUS as an extension of the physical examination for evaluating abdominal pain. POCUS can be used after taking the patient's history and conducting a physical examination. The observation of a whirlpool sign may indicate the presence of a volvulus that is life-threatening.


In a plural society, education has an important role in preparing students to be able to live together with differences, including religious differences. Based on the contact hypothesis theory, various intervention programs have been carried out to overcome religious prejudice. This study aims to explore the concept, form, and impact of the interfaith intervention program in reducing religious prejudice in the context of education. The method used was a scoping review following the PRISMA-ScR protocol. Articles were searched online from the SAGE, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. There were six journal articles in the period 2012–2021 that were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria set. The results of this scoping review synthesized concepts, forms, and impacts, as well as research methods related to interfaith intervention programs to reduce religious prejudice in the education settings. We discussed the implications and directions for further research in research for the design, implementation, and evaluation of intergroup contact-based learning in education settings, especially higher education.


The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) is tasked with licensing safe spent fuel storage and transportation systems. A subset of this responsibility is to investigate and understand the structural performance of these systems. In a joint effort between staff at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the USNRC, computational studies were performed to predict the structural response of spent nuclear fuel when subject to an end impact accident. In this study the structural performance of a typical pressurized water reactor fuel assembly is evaluated using the ANSYS® /LS-DYNA® finite element analysis code.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


1. The present authors recently found that a marked hyperpnoea-induced bronchoconstriction (HIB) only occurred in guinea-pigs after treatment with propranolol, a non-selective beta-adrenoceptor antagonist. This study investigated tachykinin-dependent and antioxidant-modulated mechanisms for this propranolol-augmented HIB. 2. Guinea-pigs were pre-treated with an antioxidant, dimethylthiourea (DMTU), or saline for 3 days. On the day of study, each animal was given a dose of propranolol (0.5 mg kg(-1)), then the airway function was examined in the anaesthetized-paralysed animal before, during and after hyperpnoea with a dry 95% O2:5% CO2 gas mixture. Tracheal neutral endopeptidase (NEP) activity and plasma substance P (SP) level were measured after functional study. 3. In the presence of propranolol, HIB was augmented, and was found to be associated with decreased NEP activity and an increased plasma SP level. The augmented HIB was attenuated by DMTU. 4. Therefore, the present results suggest that propranolol-augmented HIB is tachykinin-dependent and is modulated by DMTU.


Toxicology has up to now not been a primary focus of molecular informatics. The reasons for this are manifold. A traditional toxicologist who accomplished her/his education five or more years ago will most probably not have received any training on computational approaches in toxicology. If the toxicologist's primary professional task is risk assessment, main focus will be on (animal) in vivo toxicity data. Given this background and the fact that predicting in vivo toxicity is still in its infancy, it is understandable that a toxicologist has usually no genuine affinity for computational toxicology. In addition, available predictive tools may be suitable to identify toxicological hazards. However, they have yet to mature into a state where exposure information can be adequately included for a meaningful use in risk assessment. The situation is slightly different for specific sub-disciplines of toxicology, such as ecotoxicology or genetic toxicology, where predictive systems have found regulatory entry and are meanwhile also tools quoted in international guidelines. The majority of currently available predictive systems are pure chemistry-based tools. This is a meaningful approach particularly for those toxicities which are driven by the physicochemical properties (e.g. phospholipidosis) or the chemical reactivity of a specific compound. Even though such systems still experience significant improvements through the application of more sophisticated descriptors or the modeling of new, previously unavailable data sets, a consensus seems to evolve that modeling approaches solely on the basis of a compound's structure will seldom suffice to predict the complex mechanisms of in vivo toxicity. This perception is a consequence of various in silico toxicology initiatives, which were launched predominantly for reducing animal studies ("3R"; replace, refine, reduce) in the area of chemical assessment (OECD QSAR Toolbox, OpenTox), cosmetics (COSMOS) and preclinical toxicology (eTOX). In vivo toxicities are influenced or caused by a number of factors such as off-target pharmacology, metabolism or drug transporter involvement influencing exposure levels, to name just a view. The decisive factors leading to in vivo toxicity have to be identified by thorough mechanistic analyses before they can be integrated into future predictive systems in a modular way. Given all the recent developments in this still fragmented field, we considered it timely to compile some of the above addressed facets in a special issue on Computational Toxicology. It may still take some time until the full picture emerges, but the cornerstones and the frame of the puzzle are already getting visible.


The increasing demand for forest biomass for energy generation could be partially met by growing denser stands and use of fertilizer. Before this is done at large scale, more knowledge of the effects of stand density and fertilization on aboveground allocation patterns and stem form is needed. Therefore, effects of pre-commercial thinning (PCT) to 3000 stems ha−1, an unthinned dense control (C), and PCT combined with two levels of fertilization (100 kg ha−1 of nitrogen applied either during the establishment of the field experiment (F1) or annually (F2)) were examined in 23- to 26-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stands six years after the establishment of the field experiment. In total, 114 sample trees were harvested using destructive biomass sampling. The growth allocation and stem form of trees with diameter at breast height (DBH; 1.3 m height) >5.0 cm were not affected by either the PCT or fertilization. Small trees (DBH < 5 cm) in denser, unthinned control plots had more slender stems (lower DBH/height ratios) and allocated less growth to branches and foliage than trees in PCT plots. Fertilization had little effect on the stem form and growth allocation of the smallest trees. Therefore, effects of stem density and fertilization on stem form and growth allocation to foliage were only found for small suppressed trees, and the treatments had very little influence on dominant and codominant trees.


The plasmid containing the spiramycin polyketide synthase genes, pCN3H8, was obtained from the genomic library of spiramycin producing strain, S. spiramyceticus U-1941, using homologous DNA to actI and actIII genes as hybridization probes. Restriction analysis of the plasmid pCN3H8 showed that the molecular weight was 44kb. The regions homologous to the actI & actIII genes were localized by Southern hybridization, and corresponding DNA fragments were subcloned onto E. coli-Streptomyces shuttle vector pWHM3. A recombinant plasmid pCG4 was obtained. Transformation of the pCN3H8 DNA into the polyketide synthase deficient mutant of midecamycin producing strain, S. mycarofaciens subsp. No. 68, resulted in the production of midecamycin A by UV analysis. Transformation of the pCN3H8 DNA into the polyketide synthase deficient mutant of actinorhodin producing strain, S. coelicolor TK17, resulted in the production of an antibacterial compound which was neither similar to actinorhodin in color nor to spiramycin by paper chromatographic analysis. Transformant of S. lividans with pCN3H8 DNA produced an antibacterial compound as well. Resistance to spiramycin was expressed in transformants of spiramycin sensitive strain, S. griseofuscus, with pCN3H8 DNA. A plasmid pSG3 DNA with molecular weight of 7.0kb, isolated from the transformant, might be a result of in vivo deletion of pCN3H8 in S. griseofuscus. Retransformation of pSG3 DNA into S. griseofuscus confirmed that the gene of resistance to spiramycin was on the plasmid pSG3 DNA. Transformation of spiramycin producing strain, S. ambofaciens, with pCG4 or pSG3 DNA increased spiramycin production in fermentation broth.


Whether proliferative and quiescent intestinal stem cells coexist in normal and cancerous tissue is controversial. Due to heightened transcript expression in the intestinal epithelial stem cell compartment, detection in quiescent hair follicle stem cells and frequent loss in breast cancer, we hypothesized that Leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domain protein 1 (Lrig1) would mark a novel population of intestinal stem cells and may be important for intestinal homeostasis and in cancer. To study this, we generated Lrig1-CreERT2/+; R26R-LacZ mice to study the role of Lrig1. One day after Lrig1-CreERT2/+; R26R-LacZ mice received a single injection of tamoxifen, 1-2 cells were labeled in the progenitor zone. Three months after injection, 10% of colonic crypts were entirely labeled and 8% of crypts contained singly labeled, non-proliferative, Lgr5-negative cells at the crypt-base. In a regenerative response to gut injury, these singly labeled cells proliferated and gave rise to clusters of labeled daughter cells, demonstrating the ability of these quiescent stem cells to become activated. Loss of Lrig1 resulted in heightened expression of ErbB1-3 in the normal intestine, duodenal adenomas and carcinoma, supporting a functional role for Lrig1 in the maintenance of intestinal epithelial homeostasis and its ability to act as a tumor suppressor. In addition, driving stochastic loss of Apc in Lrig1-expressing cells results in multiple, large distal colonic tumors and less frequent, smaller intestinal tumors, which are common features of human familial polyposis. In summary, we show that Lrig1, a cell surface negative regulator of ErbB1-4, marks both proliferative and quiescent intestinal stem cells and acts as a tumor suppressor. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5188. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5188


This Decree creates a High Council for the Family and Population and regional councils. The High Council is to examine the general orientation of the policy to promote the family, family planning, and population and is to determine the large outline of programs and plans of action of the National Office of the Family and Population. Similarly, the High Council is to examine objectives set by development plans with respect to the above and the means necessary to carry them out. In addition, the High Council is authorized a) to make proposals with respect to anything relating to family policy and population questions; and b) to request the preparation of studies and reports that will help it accomplish its mission, in particular, in areas concerning perspectives of demographic growth in the middle and long term and their effect on the different policies of economic and social development and on the equilibrium and well being of the family. It is also to study all questions submitted to it by a consultative commission for the family and population. Further provisions of the Decree set forth the composition and procedures of the High Council, as well as those of the regional councils, which are to be consulted on regional programs and plans of action relating to the promotion of the family, family planning, and population. Decree No. 87-713 of 11 May 1987 (Journal Officiel de la Republique Tunisienne, No. 37, 22 May 1987, pp. 692-693) makes modifications of a technical nature to Decree No. 85-766.


The formation of acrylamide in potato crisps was fitted by empirical mathematical models. Potato slices were fried under the same experimental conditions for different times. Besides the content of precursors in the raw potato slices, acrylamide and water content in the potato crisps were quantified after predetermined times (2-6 min). The temperature developments in the surrounding oil and outer cell layer of the potato slices were monitored, giving more insight in the frying process and making future comparisons between studies possible. The pattern found for the formation of acrylamide, which was similar to earlier studies, was fitted to three empirical models. Statistical methods were used to compare the performance of the models, with the "Logistic-Exponential" and "Empirical" model performing equally well. The obtained model parameters were in the range of earlier reported studies, although this comparison is not unequivocal as the experimental conditions differed between studies. The precision of parameter estimates was problematic; this should be improved by better experimental design. Nevertheless, the approach of this study will make it possible to truly compare acrylamide formation patterns and model parameters in the future, with the ability to develop a tool to predict acrylamide formation in potato crisps.


This article, which is informed by a study of secondhand clothing retail, aims to reflect methodologically on various correspondences surrounding sources and correspondences between sources and a researcher. The article discusses the influence such correspondences might have on interpreting, perceiving, and explaining the researched phenomenon of secondhand clothing retail. It reviews what authors of various sources focused upon while photographing, writing, or talking about mostly Slovene and Slovak commission shops. It also exposes a part of the author's research process, discusses public media's agenda, and questions what affected either researcher or media contributors to address the selected parts of the researched topic. The author claims that care and the possibility of changing perceptions result primarily from the emotional, moral, or political correspondence between, for example, the researcher's values or interests and those of various sources. Therefore, an individual's auto-reflectivity and sincerity are a crucial part of the research as well as a process of interpretation.


ABSTRACT Objectives: Novel connective and control methods between an upper limb prosthetic device and end-user have large potential rewards and risks, making economic evaluation difficult. Methods: We conducted an environmental scan to assess user perspectives on advancements in upper limb prosthetic device integration. The environmental scan consisted of a PubMed literature search, grey literature review, formation of a community advisory board (CAB) and key informant interviews. The CAB guided the study and was comprised of adults with personal or professional experiences with upper limb prostheses. Results: The environmental scan highlights 4 main types of integration in upper-limb prostheses: osseointegration, targeted muscle reinnervation, cortical integration and peripheral nerve/muscle integration. The PubMed literature search resulted in the greatest number of matches for 'targeted muscle reinnervation upper limb' (N = 65) and 'upper limb osseointegration' (N = 54). The grey literature review found targeted muscle reinnervation and peripheral nerve/muscle integration to be most discussed amongst end-users and regulators. Of these four methods, greater device control versus invasiveness of implant is a clear benefit-risk tradeoff. Conclusion: This scan highlights a gap in user-centered research in upper limb prosthetic devices. Future directions include the development of a stated-preference instrument incorporating these methods of integration. Expert opinion: Upper limb loss greatly impacts one's productivity and quality of life. Despite a variety of prosthetic device options, high user dissatisfaction and rejection rates persist. Using community-based participatory research practices, we engaged end-users and identified the importance of option value. Many individuals said they would forego a present-day option to maintain the opportunity to adopt a device in the future, a point not addressed in the literature. Of the four emerging integration methods identified, targeted muscle reinnervation and peripheral nerve/muscle integration are highly promising, yet a better understanding of end-user preferences for these methods is still needed.