The objective was to identify conditions for the discontinuation of exclusive breastfeeding. This is a qualitative study developed in a Primary Health Care Unit (PHCU) in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. It included 20 mothers of children aged 0-6 months old who were breastfeeding. The reports evidenced three categories: Guidance received during prenatal care; Meanings of breastfeeding; Determinants of early weaning. It can be concluded that part of the determinants of early weaning is in the building of or failure to build knowledge about breastfeeding. Cultural concepts or myths are inadequate and socially reproduced due to failure, on the part of health professionals who assist expectant mothers during prenatal care or those who assist postpartum women, to deconstruct them.


SF6 glow discharges have been investigated for currents up to 20 mA, in the pressure range 0.1 to 10 Torr. As the pressure is increased, the discharge changes from an abnormal glow with a diffuse positive column to a normal glow with a constricted, positive column. The diffuse discharges have positive voltage-current characteristics, while the characteristics of the constricted discharges are negative. From measurements of axial potential distribution and radial profiles of gas temperature in the positive column, radial profiles of E/N (electric field/gas number density) were determined. E/N falls off from the axis to the wall, and the profiles show that the radial limit of the positive column for both diffuse and constricted discharges corresponds closely to the position where E/N=(E/N)c, the value (362 Td) where the rates of ionisation and attachment in SF6 are the same. The E/N measurements have been used, together with established electron and ion transport data for SF6 and a set of continuity equations for the electrons and ions, to determine radial density profiles for electrons, positive ions and negative ions in several SF6 diffuse and constricted positive columns.


In recent years, capillary electrophoresis has proved extremely useful for separation of biomolecules such as nucleotides, amino acids, peptides, and proteins. The advanced instrumental design of commercial CE equipment has offered several advantages to conventional electrophoresis. Precise sample application, temperature regulation, and stable, reproducible instrument control with respect to voltage, current, pressure, and run-to-run reproducibility is routinely achieved in contemporary commercially available equipment. Based on these instrumental features, CE is already used as a routine method for the analysis of small molecules. In contrast, serum and plasma proteins represent a difficult challenge for capillary electrophoresis. Routine analysis of serum and plasma proteins is reduced to the application of capillary zone electrophoresis, which proved to be a reliable method for rapid screening of whole serum, purity control of serum proteins and fractions, as well as on-line quantification of the components. With regard to the simplicity of the method and the low cost of operation, CZE proved to be an attractive alternative to comparable conventional methods. Other separation techniques, such as CITP, CIEF, and CGE, provide higher resolution of the sample proteins than that provided by CZE. Furthermore, information about physicochemical properties of the analyte, such as isoelectric point or molecular weight, can be gained by CIEF or CGE. Even though this information is essential for protein analysis and characterization, these methods are not commonly used at present because reliable methods for controlling the EOF are not commercially available. Coated capillaries are expensive, and it is still difficult to purchase a set of coated capillaries with identical properties. As long as the reproducibility from capillary to capillary cannot be guaranteed, the high resolving methods will not be applied in routine analysis. The development of reliable regulation of the EOF, either by an appropriate column material or coating or an external field control, will certainly lead to a breakthrough for the capillary electrophoresis of human serum and plasma proteins.


Abstract Objectives: This study examines costs for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer (mBC). Methods: Data were obtained from the IHCIS National Managed Care Benchmark Database from 1/1/2001 to 6/30/2006. Women aged 55–63 years were selected for the study if they met the inclusion criteria, including diagnoses for breast cancer and metastases, and at least two fills for a hormone medication. Patients were followed from the onset of metastases until the earliest date of disenrollment from the health plan or 6/30/2006. Patient characteristics were examined at time of initial diagnoses of metastases, while costs were examined post-diagnosis of metastases and prior to receipt of chemotherapy (pre-chemotherapy initiation period) and from the date of initial receipt of chemotherapy until end of data collection (post-chemotherapy initiation period). Costs were adjusted to account for censoring of the data. Results: The study population consisted of 1,266 women; mean (SD) age was 59.05 (2.57) years. Pre-chemotherapy initiation, unadjusted inpatient, outpatient, and drug costs were $4,392, $47,731, and $5,511, while these costs were $4,590, $57,820, and $38,936 per year, respectively, post-chemotherapy initiation. After adjusting for censoring of data, total medical costs were estimated to be $55,555 and $70,587 in the first 12 months and 18 months, respectively in the pre-chemotherapy initiation period. Post-chemotherapy initiation period, 12-month and 18-month adjusted total medical costs were estimated to be $87,638 and $130,738. Limitations: The use of an administrative claims database necessitates a reliance upon diagnostic codes, age restrictions, and medication use, rather than formal assessments to identify patients with post-hormonal women with breast cancer. Furthermore, such populations of insured patients may not be generalizable to the population as a whole. Conclusions: These findings suggest that healthcare resource use and costs – especially in the outpatient setting – are high among women with HR+ metastatic breast cancer.


A human papillomavirus genome DNA of 7.9 kb from a Chinese woman with genital condyloma acuminata was cloned in BamHI site of pAT153. According to the results obtained from Southern blotting, restriction mapping as well as partial DNA sequencing, the isolated genome (HPV6BV) had obvious variance and was referred to as a new variant of HPV6 found in China the first time. HPV6BV L1 gene was successfully expressed in E. coli as a fusion protein with pUR288. The beta-galactosidase/L1 fusion protein reacted with both beta-galactosidase antiserum and HPV antibody using Western blot technique. The E. coli-produced fusion protein, possessing HPV antigenicity, may provide a reagent for clinical diagnosis and epidemiological survey.


Genetic counseling work is an important component of clinical genetics.Open mode of genetic counseling technology service platform,constucts the extrcurricular learnling and teaching organically,teacher-student interaction of three-dimensional teaching body,Practise prove to raise students' comprehensive quality,and to raise the overall teachers' teaching quality,achieve teacher-and-stu-dents pupose,For medical genetics course construction plays a role in promoting.


Studies have documented the high cost of the lack of software interoperability on manufacturing. New interface standards are being developed by various organizations to address interoperability issues. Unfortunately these standards often overlap and conflict with each other. Adequate testing facilities are not available for evaluating the suitability and effectiveness of existing and candidate standards for application to specific manufacturing domain areas. The Virtual Manufacturing Environment (VME) Project of the NIST Manufacturing Interoperability Program is focused on developing integrated manufacturing simulations that can be used to support future industry interoperability testing needs. This paper presents a summary of interoperability testing opportunities and needs, an overview of a project to develop a virtual manufacturing environment to support interoperability testing, and the current status of simulation development efforts.


Background and objective: Evidence suggests that the intake of functional foods, such as Camellia sinensis extract (CSE), and Pilates exercises could play a key role in reducing the risk for metabolic syndrome. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of Pilates exercises and supplementation with CSE in body composition of female patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Subjects and methods: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted with postmenopausal participants meeting the diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome. A total of 50 participants were randomized into four groups: Pilates + CSE (n = 14); Pilates + Placebo (n = 11); CSE (n = 11), and Placebo (n = 14). Intervention groups (CSE and Pilates + CSE) were given a capsule containing 500 mg of CSE every day for 24 weeks. The placebo group received one capsule containing placebo for 24 weeks. The 60-minute Pilates exercises were performed twice a week for 24 weeks. Body composition at baseline and after intevention was assessed. This study protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Pontifical Catholic University. Results: The mean lean mass and percentage lean mass of the Pilates + CSE and Pilates + Placebo groups were significantly higher than those of the CSE and Placebo groups (P < 0.05). There was a reduction in percentage fat mass and fat mass in the Pilates + CSE and Pilates + Placebo groups compared with the Placebo group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Pilates exercises with or without supplementation with CSE can improve the body composition in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome. Trial registration: N° registro ReBEC:RBR-2sgtn2.


Social media networks are dynamic. As such, the order in which network ties develop is an important aspect of the network dynamics. This study proposes a novel dynamic network model, the Nodal Attribute-based Temporal Exponential Random Graph Model (NATERGM) for dynamic network analysis. The proposed model focuses on how the nodal attributes of a network affect the order in which the network ties develop. Temporal patterns in social media networks are modeled based on the nodal attributes of individuals and the time information of network ties. Using social media data collected from a knowledge sharing community, empirical tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the NATERGM on identifying the temporal patterns and predicting the characteristics of the future networks. Results showed that the NATERGM demonstrated an enhanced pattern testing capability and an increased prediction accuracy of network characteristics compared to benchmark models. The proposed NATERGM model helps explain the roles of nodal attributes in the formation process of dynamic networks.


Mouse retinal photoreceptor cell generation and morphogenesis take place in a well‐characterized temporal sequence. Both rod and cone photoreceptor differentiation and synaptogenesis occur postnatally, but the relative timing of these events has been difficult to document due to the paucity of cell‐specific markers. We have found that antibodies to neuron‐specific enolase (NSE) preferentially label a subpopulation of photoreceptors in the outer nuclear layer (ONL) of the mouse retina in addition to labeling ganglion, amacrine, bipolar, and horizontal cells within the inner layers of the retina. The appearance of NSE immunoreactivity in the different classes of retinal neurons during development showed a close temporal relationship to the onset of expression of the synaptic vesicle‐associated protein SV2 and clearly preceded the sequential development of synaptic connections in both inner and outer synaptic layers. The NSE‐immunoreactive photoreceptors were identified as cones by dual labeling of their inner segments with the lectin peanut agglutinin or by colabeling with antisera to cone photopigments. Axonal extensions of NSE‐labeled cone cells were shown to interact with those of differentiating horizontal cells as early as postnatal day 3 (P3). Colocalization of NSE with SV2 indicated that cone cells began to make synaptic contacts with horizontal cell processes several days prior to the development of rod synaptic terminals. Between P4 and P11, cone photoreceptor cell nuclei were observed to be scattered at various levels throughout the ONL and thus appeared to have become displaced from their previous position directly beneath the outer limiting membrane (OLM). By P12, the cone nuclei had migrated sclerad once again and were now observed to be neatly aligned adjacent to the OLM. In the rd mouse mutant, this migratory process was delayed, so that, at P12, positioning of the cone cell nuclei within the ONL was still quite irregular. Thus, we have identified a late migratory phase for cone photoreceptors during the second week after birth that correlates with the timing of maturation of the rod synaptic terminals just prior to eye opening. The types of cues used by maturing cone cells for their eventual sclerad location remain to be elucidated. J. Comp. Neurol. 388:47–63, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


OmpU, one of the porins of Gram-negative bacteria Vibrio cholerae, induces TLR1/2–MyD88–NF-κB–dependent proinflammatory cytokine production by monocytes and macrophages of human and mouse origin. In this study, we report that in both the cell types, OmpU-induced proinflammatory responses involve activation of MAPKs (p38 and JNK). Interestingly, we observed that in OmpU-treated macrophages, p38 activation is TLR2 dependent, but JNK activation happens through a separate pathway involving reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by NADPH oxidase complex and mitochondrial ROS. Further, we observed that OmpU-mediated mitochondrial ROS generation probably depends on OmpU translocation to mitochondria and NADPH oxidase–mediated ROS production is due to activation of scavenger receptor CD36. For the first time, to our knowledge, we are reporting that a Gram-negative bacterial protein can activate CD36 as a pattern recognition receptor. Additionally, we found that in OmpU-treated monocytes, both JNK and p38 activation is linked to the TLR2 activation only. Therefore, the ability of macrophages to employ multiple receptors such as TLR2 and CD36 to recognize a single ligand, as in this case OmpU, probably explains the very basic nature of macrophages being more proinflammatory than monocytes.


Recent studies on staggered labyrinth seals have focused on the effects of different parameters, such as the pressure ratio and rotational speed on the leakage flow rate. However, few investigations pay sufficient attention to flow details and the sealing mechanism, which would be of practical importance in designing seals having higher performance. This paper establishes a theoretical model to study the seal mechanism, thus revealing that leakage is determined by the pressure ratio and geometric structure. Numerical simulation is implemented to illustrate details of the flow field within the seal structure. Viscous dissipation is used to quantitatively investigate the contribution that each location makes to the seal performance, revealing that orifices and stagnation points are the most important positions in the seal structure, generating the most dissipation. The orifice is carefully studied by using the theoretical model. Experiments for different pressure ratios are conducted and the results match well with those of the theoretical model and numerical simulation, verifying the theoretical model and analysis of the seal mechanism. Three new designs, based on a good understanding of the seal mechanism, are presented, with one reducing leakage by 24.5%.


SNO+ is a 780 kTonne liquid scintillator experiment, situated 2km underground in the Creighton mine near Sudbury, Ontario and primarily designed to study neutrinoless double beta decay, but also has several other physics goals such as solar neutrinos, reactor and geo-neutrinos and supernova neutrinos. SNO+ may also be sensitive to rare astrophysics signals, such as Axion-Like Particles (ALPs) originating from the Sun. This thesis predicts a limit on the ALP-electron coupling, |gAe × g3AN| L 1.1 × 10−11 via the axio-electric effect and a limit on the ALP-photon coupling of |gAγ × g3AN| L 3.0 × 10−11 GeV−1 via the inverse Primakoff interaction, which could be achieved with 5 years of Te-loaded scintillator phase of SNO+. Both of these upper limits are an order of magnitude improvement on the current published limits on ALP couplings. SNO+ should also be sensitive to another rare astrophysics signal: a burst of neutrinos from a supernova, originating from our Galaxy, via proton elastic scattering (PES) and inverse beta decay (IBD) interactions within the scintillator. The ratio of PES/IBD interactions, due to supernova neutrinos, is determined by the vx/ve flux ratio. This ratio could indicate a preference for the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy, due to a proposed dramatic 'spectral swapping' between vx and ve flux distributions caused by neutrino-neutrino interactions from the corecollapse of a supernova. The initial commissioning of the data acquisition (DAQ) and scattering calibration (SMELLIE) systems, during SNO+ data commissioning runs taken in December 2014, is also evaluated in this thesis.


Ultrasonic consolidation has been shown to be a viable metal-matrix-based smart composite additive layer manufacturing process. Yet, high quantity fibre integration has presented the requirement for a method of accurate positioning and fibre protection to maintain the fibre layout during ultrasonic consolidation. This study presents a novel approach for fibre integration during ultrasonic consolidation: channels are manufactured by laser processing on an ultrasonically consolidated sample. At the same time, controlled melt ejection is applied to aid accurate fibre placement and simultaneously reducing fibre damage occurrences. Microscopic, scanning electron microscopic and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analyses are used for samples containing up to 10.5% fibres, one of the highest volumes in an ultrasonically consolidated composite so far. Up to 98% of the fibres remain in the channels after consolidation and fibre damage is reduced to less than 2% per sample. This study furthers the knowledge of high volume fibre embedment via ultrasonic consolidation for future smart material manufacturing.


One year after I assumed the position of Editor in Chief of Life, it is my great pleasure to write this editorial highlighting our achievements during this period, which were so many! As I wrote in the first editorial, my commitment was to make the journal a success, with the launch of exciting special issues, publication of high quality papers as well as inclusion of the journal in major indexing and abstracting services [1]. Basically, throughout 2014, all these commitments have been accomplished. Several eminent team leaders have joined our editorial board [2], timely special issues have been launched [3], and the journal already was indexed in PubMed [4]; now, it is just a matter of time to be indexed in Web of Science. The feedback from the scientific community already has been quite positive. With timely special issues lined up for 2015, the journal is developing quite fast.[...].


[Abstract]: One important thing to be studied in the bonding of thermoplastic composite material using microwave irradiation is the effects of microwave energy on the matrix and fibre reinforcement of the composite. In this research, thirty three percent by weight random glass fibre reinforced polystyrene [PS/GF (33%)] is chosen for the study. Microscopy study is used to find out the microstructural characteristics along and around the interface of the welds. The separation distance of the reinforcing carbon filaments was varied and heat transfer in the material during joining was studied. The reasons why the thermoplastic matrix composite materials were weakened by prolonged microwave irradiation were also studied and analysed.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
Herbal medicines are frequently used by adults with sleep difficulties. However, evidence of their efficacy is limited. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the sleep-enhancing effects of a standardised saffron extract (affron).

METHODS
This was a 28-day, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised controlled trial. Sixty-three healthy adults aged 18 to 70 with self-reported sleep problems were recruited and randomised to receive either saffron extract (affron, 14mg twice daily) or a placebo. Outcome measures included the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) (primary outcome measure) collected at baseline, days 7, 14, 21, and 28; Restorative Sleep Questionnaire (RSQ) and Pittsburgh Sleep Diary (PSD) collected on days -1, 0, 3, 7, 14, 27, and 28.

RESULTS
Based on data collected from 55 participants, saffron was associated with greater improvements in ISI total score (p=.017), RSQ total score (p=.029), and PSD sleep quality ratings (p=.014) than the placebo. Saffron intake was well-tolerated with no reported adverse effects.

CONCLUSIONS
Saffron intake was associated with improvements in sleep quality in adults with self-reported sleep complaints. Further studies using larger samples sizes, treatment periods, objective outcome measures, and volunteers with varying demographic and psychographic characteristics are required to replicate and extend these findings.


We report three generation family that includes two patients with severe mental retardation and additional anomalies who have been studied, clinically, cytogenetically, and molecular cytogenetically. A clinical diagnosis could not be made in the propositus, but facial anomalies of Down syndrome (DS) were recognized in the maternal uncle of the propositus. In view of a strong family history of recurrent miscarriage, a familial translocation was highly suggestive. Standard cytogenetic analysis did not reveal any abnormalities. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using subtelomeric DNA probes identified a familial cryptic translocation of chromosomes 18 and 21, resulting in partial trisomy 21 and partial monosomy 18q in both patients. FISH analysis of obligate carriers demonstrated a balanced translocation between the terminal parts of 18q and 21q. Including this family, a total of six different familial cases with cryptic or subtle subtelomeric translocations of chromosome 21q has been reported, of which three involved terminal parts of chromosome 18q. The remarkable similarity of the chromosomal breakpoints of our patients and the described families prompted us to refine the breakpoints and to discuss phenotypic differences between these patients. Our results reinforce the role of cryptic subtelomeric rearrangements in patients with mental retardation associated with physical anomalies and stress the importance of FISH technology to supplement routine cytogenetics. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Most gas turbine premix burners without centrebody employ the breakdown of a swirling flow at the transition between the mixing section and the combustor for aerodynamic flame stabilization [1]. As the formation of the desired vortex breakdown pattern depends very sensibly on the distribution of axial and azimuthal velocity in the mixing section, the design of suitable swirlers is usually a cumbersome iterative process. The presented burner design was found through the implementation of design guidelines derived from CFD-calculations and on the basis of analytical considerations [5]. The swirling flow is generated by a radial swirler with tangential inlets. In order to stabilize the flow pattern, the swirling flow confines a slow non-swirling flow on the centreline. The centre flow being set into azimuthal motion creates increasing azimuthal velocity in streamwise direction in the vortex core. This process is reinforced by a conical nozzle and leads to the production of positive azimuthal vorticity inside the nozzle which stabilizes the flow field. First atmospheric test runs and Large Eddy Simulations of the isothermal as well as reactive flow field prove that the design goals have been reached: The burner creates stable vortex breakdown in the primary zone of the combustion chamber without flame flashback or backflow on the centreline over the entire operating range and even for difficult fuels like hydrogen containing gases. This finding indicates that reliable vortex breakdown burners with remarkable fuel flexibility can be designed using the guidelines presented in [5].Copyright © 2006 by ASME


Tissue or cell-specific targeting of vectors is critical to the success of gene therapy. I describe a novel approach to viral-mediated gene therapy, where viral replication and associated cytotoxicity are limited to a specific cell-type by the regulated expression of an essential immediate-early viral gene product. This is illustrated with two herpes simplex virus type 1 vectors (G92A and d12.CALP) whose growth are restricted to albumin- or calponin-expressing cells, respectively. G92A was constructed by inserting an albumin enhancer/promoter — ICP4 transgene into the thymidine kinase gene of mutant herpes simplex virus type 1 d120, deleted for both copies of the ICP4 gene. This vector also contains the Escherichia coli lacZ gene under control of the thymidine kinase promoter, a viral early promoter, to permit easy detection of infected cells containing replicating vector. In the adult, albumin is expressed uniquely in the liver and in hepatocellular carcinoma and is transcriptionally regulated.G92A efficiently replicated in vitro in two human hepatoma cell lines expressing albumin, but not in three human non-hepatoma, albumin-non-expressing tumor cell lines, while all cell lines were equally susceptible to a tissue non-specific HSV recombinant, hrR3. In vivo, G92A replicated well in subcutaneous xenografts of human hepatoma cells (Hep3B) in athymic mice, but not in non-hepatoma subcutaneous tumors (PC3 and HeLa), whereas, hrR3 replicated well in both tumor types. Intratumoral inoculation of G92A inhibited the growth of established subcutaneous hepatoma tumors in nude mice, but not prostate tumors. D12CALP also revealed the cell-specific replication to leiomyosarcoma in which calponin expression was augmented.Using hrR3, we demonstrated inhibition of re-stenosis of rat carotid arteries caused by balloon injury. The antiproliferative effects of this virus was marked in the proliferating smooth muscle cells, however, there still remained the fear for the injury of the endothelial cells.Confining a productive, cytotoxic viral infection to a specific cell-type should be useful for tumor therapy and the ablation of specific cell-types for the generation of animal models of disease. Further experiments using d12CALP will be focused on the arteriosclerosis due to balloon angioplasty or organ transplantation.


In this work, the effect of nickel doping on the structural and magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanoparticles is analysed. Ni(x)Fe(3-x)O4 nanoparticles (x = 0, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.11) were obtained by chemical co-precipitation method, starting from a mixture of FeCl2 x 4H2O and Ni(AcO)2 x 4H2O salts. The analysis of the structure and composition of the synthesized nanoparticles confirms their nanometer size (main sizes around 10 nm) and the inclusion of the Ni atoms in the characteristic spinel structure of the magnetite Fe3O4 phase. In order to characterize in detail the structure of the samples, X-ray absorption (XANES) measurements were performed on the Ni and Fe K-edges. The results indicate the oxidation of the Ni atoms to the 2+ state and the location of the Ni2+ cations in the Fe2+ octahedral sites. With respect to the magnetic properties, the samples display the characteristic superparamagnetic behaviour, with anhysteretic magnetic response at room temperature. The estimated magnetic moment confirms the partial substitution of the Fe2+ cations by Ni2+ atoms in the octahedral sites of the spinel structure.


Reported is the use of a microwave interferometric technique for making nonintrusive measurements of plasma electron number density in the plume of a space electric propulsion thruster. The technique is capable of providing good sensitivity and accuracy as well as resolution using modern microwave network analyzer technology. Density profiles were obtained throughout the plume of a 1 kW hydrogen arcjet based on accurate microwave differential phase measurements. Spatially resolved integrated phase shifts for a 17.5 GHz signal radiated through the plume at various radial positions were Abel inverted to calculate radial electron density profiles. All measurements were taken in the University of Michigan's Large Chamber Plasma Facility, a 6 m by 9 m vacuum chamber, at pressures of 2/spl middot/10/sup -4/ Torr or less. The interferometer measured electron densities as low as 1/spl middot/10/sup 15/ m/sup -3/ with a predicted capability to measure peak densities as high as 3/spl middot/10/sup 18/ m/sup -3/. The accuracy of this technique is estimated to be on the order of /spl plusmn/10%. Comparison with Langmuir probe electron number density measurements demonstrate relative agreement between the two methods. Further, a previously reported tendency for the Langmuir probe to underpredict electron number density was consistent with our measurements. It is postulated that this underprediction may be due to small Langmuir probe perturbations in the local plasma of the far-field plume and errors in estimation of the probe collection area. >


Abstract Introduction: Panaeolina foenisecii is one of the most common and widely distributed lawn mushrooms in Europe and North America, and frequently involved in accidental mushroom ingestion, mainly in children. Nevertheless, there is contradictory information regarding the toxicity profile of P. foenisecii in the literature. Objective of the study was to assess clinical effects with particular attention on psychoactive properties of P. foenisecii in case of accidental oral exposure. Methods: This observational case series is based on prospectively collected data on mushroom poisoning using a structured data collection form, and it was performed in seven poisons centres in Germany and Switzerland. Inclusion criteria were accidental ingestion of at least one cap of P. foenisecii identified by a mycologist, and a follow up of at least 4 hours. Results: Nineteen cases met all inclusion criteria, and only children were involved with a mean age of 3 years. They ingested 1–2 mushrooms in 14 cases and 3–5 mushrooms in five cases. Three patients received a single dose of activated charcoal. Sixteen out of 19 cases did not develop any symptoms, 2/19 complained of minor abdominal discomfort. One child was temporarily mildly hyperactive, and this was the only patient observed in a hospital for 12 hours. None of the children showed signs of hallucinations. Conclusions: This multicentre study demonstrates that the typically small amounts of P. foenisecii ingested by children probably do not lead to clinically significant symptoms.


This paper is based on a five years' research focused on the measurement of cultural contribution of events of art and technology to London. Developing the concept of 'cultural capital' devised by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, it was possible to identify their 'forms', such as 'embodied', 'objectified' and 'institutionalised' as parameters to a cultural measurement system. Applying this system to evaluate the cultural potential of events of art and technology brings the 'cultural capital' concept to the 'digital age' and results in the discovery of 'digital cultural capital'. The objective is to find out how much these events can contribute to cultural arts organisations and venues, artists and curators as much to the public experience. For this evaluation, London's most important events of art and technology were identified and analysed through case studies and interviews with specialists in the field.


PURPOSE
To study the response of the Exradin W1 plastic scintillator detector to a 6 MV photon field in the presence of a strong magnetic field (B).

METHODS
An Exradin W1 scintillator detector coupled to a SuperMax two-channel electrometer, both manufactured by Standard Imaging, Inc., was first calibrated in a Co-60 beam. The Cerenkov Light Ratio (CLR) was obtained following the procedure recommended by the manufacturer. Subtracting signal in channel 2 multiplied by CLR from the signal in channel 1 should lead to a Cerenkov-free signal. The W1 scintillator was placed in a plastic phantom inside a dipole electromagnet (GMW Associates) that could produce a strong B field, and irradiated using a 6 MV beam from an Elekta Versa HD LINAC. Signals from both channels of the W1 scintillator were acquired as a function of B (0 - 1.5 T).

RESULTS
The signals from both channels increased as a function of the B field strength. At 1.5 T, channel 1 increased by 11% compared to the baseline (B=0 T), while channel 2 increased by 22%. Applying the recommended Cerenkov correction led to a 2% difference between dose measurement with and without a magnetic field. The values between B=0.3 T and B=1.5 T remained constant.

CONCLUSION
Signals from the Exradin W1 plastic scintillation detector increased as the B field increased. This increase mainly comes from a change in the amount of Cerenkov light coupled within the optical fiber. Removing the Cerenkov component following the procedure recommended by the manufacturer showed to be an effective way to measure dose accurately in strong magnetic fields. The cause for the residual 2% difference is currently under investigation. We acknowledge research support from Elekta AB.


Gender equity in STEM demands that girls and women are provided with learning experiences, opportunities, and resources that meet their educational and vocational goals. This study examined gender difference in STEM learning experience, parental involvement, and self-efficacy to predict STEM career aspiration of different sociocultural groups. Two independent samples of high school students, one recruited from a collectivist culture (Taiwanese sample, N = 590) and the other recruited randomly from an individualist culture (American sample, N = 590), were used to examine the differences. Findings suggested a greater gender difference in STEM learning experience, parental involvement, and STEM self-efficacy of students from the collectivist culture than students from the individualist culture. Results of logistic analyses showed differential prediction of STEM career aspiration in two different cultural contexts. Findings were discussed in light of socio-cultural contexts.


1. Identification of catecholamines and indolylakylamines in the fully grown oocytes or mature eggs of the representatives of echinoderms and bivalve molluscs was made using the fluorometric method. 2. Dopamine is the main catecholamine in the oocytes of all investigated animals. Tryptamine was the main indolylalkylamine. 3. The data presented confirm the presence of the main components of regulatory systems (transmitters, enzymes of their exchange, intracellular messengers, intracellular receptive systems) in the fully grown oocytes. 4. A hypothesis is proposed of the formation of intracellular regulatory systems (monoaminergic, cholinergic, peptidergic and steroidal) in oogenesis.


This study aims to understand Gen Z and their relationship to influencers on #OOTD (Outfit Of The Day) on Instagram and how the credibility of the influencer, parasocial interaction (PSI), physical attractiveness and self-confidence of the influencer are related and ultimately affect the purchase intention of consumers. Approximately 300 participants took part in an online survey. The main finding of this study is physical attractiveness is not as important to consumers as credibility, PSI, and confidence. With PSI being the strongest predictor of purchase intention. Transferring confidence and credibility are the most important aspects to influencing this generation on instagram as well as creating a relationship with followers.


A simple method to simultaneously measure axial strain and temperature using a surface-mounted Bragg-grating sensor is presented. This method uses a single, uniform-pitch Bragg grating with preloading that is only partly glued on the structure. To prevent the cross talk between two Bragg wavelengths reflecting from the glued and free sections, a preloading is applied to the fiber before it is glued. After releasing, two Bragg wavelengths are separately reflected from an infiber Bragg-grating sensor. The Bragg wavelength reflected from the sensor section not glued to the structure is used to measure temperature variations; that reflected from the glued sensor section is affected by both strain and temperature variations. Nevertheless, under conditions of no cross-talk sensitivity between strain and temperature, the variation in the spectral separation between two Bragg wavelengths is directly caused by the thermomechanical strain in the structures. After the temperature variation is obtained, the mechanical strain can be calculated if the thermal expansion coefficient of the structure is known. This method, therefore, supplies a simple, simultaneous measurement of axial strain and temperature. Based on the same concept, two alternative setups to measure axial strain and temperature simultaneously using an in-fiber Bragg-grating sensor are also introduced. This approach to the application of smart structures appears to be limited to surface-mounted structures. Nevertheless, it might be redesigned for embedded structures by inserting the Bragg grating fiber into a glass tube and partly fusing the fiber with the tube.


Various conditions affecting the release of heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli have been examined. The pH of a defined medium containing three amino acids, M-9 salts, and 0.5% glucose decreased to less than 7.0 in early log phase of growth, and no extracellular LT was detected. Adjustment of the pH at 8 h from 6.0 to 8.0 resulted in a concomitant increase in LT activity in culture supernatants. The release of cell-associated LT was significantly reduced by preincubation with protease inhibitors and increased by preincubation with trypsin. Cell-associated LT was not released by pH adjustment of cells grown at 21°C; however, polymyxin B treatment released a toxin species active in only the pigeon erythrocyte lysate (PEL) assay system. As the growth temperature was increased, polymyxin B released toxin species which exhibited both PEL and Y-1 adrenal tumor cell activity. Polymyxin B extracts of enterotoxigenic E. coli in early log phase grown at 37°C possessed only PEL activity, whereas extracts from cells in late-log and stationary phases had biological activity in both assay systems. Also, LT released by pH adjustment from mid-log to stationary phase was active in both PEL and Y-1 adrenal tumor cell assays. Gel electrophoresis of polymyxin B extracts revealed at least three molecular weight species active in either the PEL (22,000 daltons and 30,000 daltons) or both the PEL and the Y-1 adrenal tumor cell assay (72,000 daltons), depending on the growth temperature. These observations may help to explain the chemical and biological heterogeneity of most LT preparations and facilitate purification of LT by increasing the yield of enterotoxin.


This paper analyses the parties and party systems that have begun to emerge in sub-Saharan Africa's fledgling multiparty systems. Using a data base of 87 legislative elections convened in the 1990s, the paper identifies three trends. The position of parties late in the decade is primarily tributary of their performance in the first multiparty election conducted in the early 1990s. Parties that won founding elections are almost invariably still in power. Secondly, the typical emerging party system has consisted of a dominant party surrounded by a large number of small, unstable parties. Thirdly, party cleavages have been overwhelmingly ethno-linguistic in nature, while ideological and programmatic debates have been muted and rare. The second half of the paper provides tentative explanations for these striking patterns. It emphasises the illiberal nature of most of the new African democracies, their characteristic centralisation of power around the presidency, and the pervasive clientelism that structures the relationship between the state and the citizenry. These characteristics shape the incentives faced by individual politicians and thus much of their behaviour.


For geometrically nite Kleinian groups with parabolic elements we study that part of the Lagrange spectrum which does not lie in the Markov spectrum. Using the ergodicity of the associated geodesic ow with respect to the Liouville{Patterson measure, we obtain an estimate for the asymptotic frequency with which recurrent geodesics enter certain cusp regions. In particular, this allows a quantitative description of the logarithmic aanity of geodesic excursions for the cusps.


Local and regional risk management programs imply different results than the existing emphasis of public management on a chemical by chemical, source by source basis for social control. Local multi-hazard risk management programs are beginning to be encouraged, are complementary to existing policy and, on the whole, are desirable. Indeed such local risk management programs could play a key role in preserving the integrity of rural groundwater resources. The issue of the triage problem, or whether contamination of some waters from agricultural chemicals is inevitable and therefore should be planned for rationally, is examined from the point of view of general administration of pollution control.


November 10, 1970 Docks — Dock work — Waterside manufacturers carrying on loading and unloading operations from and into ships — Port transport work — Labour scheme equating "port transport work" with "dock work" — "Port transport work" not to include work of "waterside manufacturers" except where work that of "a public wharfinger and/or master lighterman and/or master stevedore" — Whether work carried on within exception — Whether "dock work" — Docks and Harbours Act, 1966 (c.28), s.58(1) — Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) (Amendment) Order, 1967 (S.I.1967, No. 1252), Sch. 2.


We tested the hypothesis that treatment with the glutathione repleting agent, L-2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (OTZ), could prevent endotoxin-induced ventricular dysfunction. Rabbits were treated with OTZ 2.4 g/kg (10% solution subcutaneously), or an equal volume and osmolality of saline, 24 h prior to, and again (intravenously) just prior to, infusion of 1 mg/kg E. coli endotoxin (or vehicle control). Ventricular contractility was measured in isolated hearts perfused by support rabbits. Contractility did not change in control groups (Saline/Control [n = 7] or OTZ/Control [n = 7]) over 6 h. However, Emax decreased in the Saline/Endotoxin group (-16.1 +/- 4.5% from baseline, n = 7, p < 0.05) and this was prevented by pretreatment with OTZ in the OTZ/ Endotoxin group (+6.3 +/- 4.1%, n = 7, p < 0.05 by analysis of variance). To better understand the mechanism of this effect we measured myocardial glutathione concentration and found it to be greater in OTZ/Endotoxin animals (104 +/- 4 ng/g) than in the Saline/Endotoxin animals (80 +/- 3 ng/g, p < 0.05). OTZ did not appreciably alter the endotoxin-induced increase in serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or the endotoxin-induced increase in myocardial leukocyte content. We conclude that oxygen radicals contribute to the early decrease in left ventricular contractility after endotoxin infusion and this decrease may be prevented by OTZ.


The objective of this study is to perform a vertical wind profile analysis using radiosonde data at the Alcântara Launch Center (ALC), using the multivariate statistical technique of the Principal Components Analysis (PCA), to verify if there is a presence of flows in the vertical wind profile. These flows may characterize local circulations and be associated with sea breeze-type circulations, and may also be associated with synoptic mesoscale level circulations, such as Low-Level Jets (LLJ). The results showed that in the first three components in the nocturnal period there is a presence of LLJ, with 85% of the variance explained. The occurrence of LLJ presented typical heights in the components, the first one with a height of 800 meters (average direction 60 to 70 degrees), the second with a height of 400 meters (mean direction 40 to 50 degrees) and the third with 200 meters average 50 to 60 degrees). These LLJs may be associated with processes related to the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) at night, such as maximum wind inversion and breezes.


1 The objectives of this study were to (1) quantify experimentally in vivo changes in pennation angle, fibre length and muscle thickness in the triceps surae complex in man in response to changes in ankle position and isometric plantarflexion moment and (2) compare changes in the above muscle architectural characteristics occurring in the transition from rest to a given isometric plantarflexion intensity with the estimations of a planimetric muscle model assuming constant thickness and straight muscle fibres. 2 The gastrocnemius medialis (GM), gastrocnemius lateralis (GL) and soleus (SOL) muscles of six males were scanned with ultrasonography at different sites along and across the muscle belly at rest and during maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) trials at ankle angles of −15 deg (dorsiflexed direction), 0 deg (neutral position), +15 deg (plantarflexed direction) and +30 deg. Additional images were taken at 80, 60, 40 and 20 % of MVC at an ankle angle of 0 deg. 3 In all three muscles and all scanned sites, as ankle angle increased from −15 to +30 deg, pennation increased (by 6–12 deg, 39–67 %, P < 0.01 at rest and 9–16 deg, 29–43 %, P < 0.01 during MVC) and fibre length decreased (by 15–28 mm, 32–34 %, P < 0.01 at rest and 8–10 mm, 27–30 %, P < 0.05 during MVC). Thickness in GL and SOL increased during MVC compared with rest (by 5–7 mm, 36–47 %, P < 0.01 in GL and 6–7 mm, 38–47 %, P < 0.01 in SOL) while thickness of GM did not differ (P > 0.05) between rest and MVC. 4 At any given ankle angle the model underestimated changes in GL and SOL occurring in the transition from rest to MVC in pennation angle (by 9–12 deg, 24–38 %, P < 0.01 in GL and 9–14 deg, 25–28 %, P < 0.01 in SOL) and fibre length (by 6–15 mm, 22–39 %, P < 0.01 in GL and 6–8 mm, 23–24 %, P < 0.01 in SOL). 5 The findings of the study indicate that the mechanical output of muscle as estimated by the model used may be unrealistic due to errors in estimating the changes in muscle architecture during contraction compared with rest.


The great majority of police officers are committed to honourable and competent public service and consistently demonstrate integrity and accountability in carrying out the often difficult, complex and sometimes dangerous activities involved in policing by consent. However, in every police agency there exists an element of dishonesty, lack of professionalism and criminal behaviour. This article is based on archival research of criminal behaviour in the Norwegian police force. A total of 60 police employees were prosecuted in court because of misconduct and crime from 2005 to 2010. Court cases were coded as two potential predictors of court sentence in terms of imprisonment days, ie, type of deviance and level of deviance. Categories of police crime and levels were organised according to a conceptual framework developed for assessing and managing police deviance. Empirical findings support the hypothesis that as the seriousness of police crime increases in breadth and depth so also does the severity of the court sentence as measured by time in prison.


This paper studies the problem of how to allocate n =2 independent tasks among an ndogenously determined number of jobs in a setting with risk neutral workers subject to limited liability and ex-post asymmetric information. The main message is that firms narrow down the scope of their jobs to deal with workers' incentives to game the performance system (workers' incentives to work harder in tasks that are well rewarded ex-post and to underperform in tasks that are poorly rewarded). Firms' incentives to narrow job scopes are diminished when workers are intrinsically motivated by moral standards and, in contrast to Holmstrom and Milgrom (1991), when the degree to which tasks are substitutes increases. JEL-Classification: J41, J24, D21.


Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) is an extension to the existing Internet protocol (IP) architecture. Explicit routing of MPLS facilitates balancing the load by splitting traffic and moving from a congested part of the network to some other part in a well controlled way. To avoid harmful oscillations, splitting ratios are varied only with finer granularity steps. However, finer granularity increases the number of iterations to reach the steady state optimal solutions. To overcome this problem we are proposing an adaptive granularity algorithm for MPLS networks. A numerical method is developed to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. The results show that the link utilization and the mean delay obtained in a reasonable number of iterations are very close to the optimal values and the throughput is improved in MPLS network. The network simulator ns2 version ns2.31 is used for simulation.


Propofol anesthesia contributes to the postoperative cognitive dysfunction which affects around 20% of surgical patients. The underlying molecular mechanism for propofol anesthesia induced cognitive dysfunction is not clearly elucidated. In this study, cognitive function of adult mice which were repeatedly injected with propofol was assessed using water maze test. We found that 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg propofol significantly reduced the percentage of swimming time in target quadrant and number of platform crossings, and increased the distance of swimming path and escape latency. Previous studies reported that repeated propofol treatment inhibited the expression of phosphor-Erk in neonatal rats. To explore the influence of propofol on phosphor-Erk expression in prefrontal cortex of adult mice, Western blot was used in this study. The results indicated that expression of phosphor-Erk was decreased by injections of propofol (25 and 50 mg/kg). In addition, the expression of miR-34a, which could be regulated by phosphor-Erk, was upregulated by propofol. Finally, mice were simultaneously with propofol (25 mg/kg) and curcumin (20 mg/kg), a phosphor-Erk agonist. And we revealed that curcumin administration could attenuate cognitive dysfunction caused by propofol.


ABSTRACT Low-sulfate, acidic (approximately pH 4) fens in the Lehstenbach catchment in the Fichtelgebirge mountains in Germany are unusual habitats for sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRPs) that have been postulated to facilitate the retention of sulfur and protons in these ecosystems. Despite the low in situ availability of sulfate (concentration in the soil solution, 20 to 200 μM) and the acidic conditions (soil and soil solution pHs, approximately 4 and 5, respectively), the upper peat layers of the soils from two fens (Schlöppnerbrunnen I and II) of this catchment displayed significant sulfate-reducing capacities. 16S rRNA gene-based oligonucleotide microarray analyses revealed stable diversity patterns for recognized SRPs in the upper 30 cm of both fens. Members of the family "Syntrophobacteraceae" were detected in both fens, while signals specific for the genus Desulfomonile were observed only in soils from Schlöppnerbrunnen I. These results were confirmed and extended by comparative analyses of environmentally retrieved 16S rRNA and dissimilatory (bi)sulfite reductase (dsrAB) gene sequences; dsrAB sequences from Desulfobacca-like SRPs, which were not identified by microarray analysis, were obtained from both fens. Hypotheses concerning the ecophysiological role of these three SRP groups in the fens were formulated based on the known physiological properties of their cultured relatives. In addition to these recognized SRP lineages, six novel dsrAB types that were phylogenetically unrelated to all known SRPs were detected in the fens. These dsrAB sequences had no features indicative of pseudogenes and likely represent novel, deeply branching, sulfate- or sulfite-reducing prokaryotes that are specialized colonists of low-sulfate habitats.


Acoustical mismatch among training and testing phases degrades outstandingly speech recognition results. This problem has limited the development of real-world nonspecific applications, as testing conditions are highly variant or even unpredictable during the training process. Therefore the background noise has to be removed from the noisy speech signal to increase the signal intelligibility and to reduce the listener fatigue. Enhancement techniques applied, as pre-processing stages; to the systems remarkably improve recognition results. In this paper, a novel approach is used to enhance the perceived quality of the speech signal when the additive noise cannot be directly controlled. Instead of controlling the background noise, we propose to reinforce the speech signal so that it can be heard more clearly in noisy environments. The subjective evaluation shows that the proposed method improves perceptual quality of speech in various noisy environments. As in some cases speaking may be more convenient than typing, even for rapid typists: many mathematical symbols are missing from the keyboard but can be easily spoken and recognized. Therefore, the proposed system can be used in an application designed for mathematical symbol recognition (especially symbols not available on the keyboard) in schools.


While object-oriented paradigm is known to be effective for developing web-based software, most of the current object-oriented methodologies including OMT and UML do not provide effective methods and instructions for modeling client/server or distributed applications. We present new effective object clustering formalism and algorithms for client/server and distributed application development. The coupling degree among objects is often the key factor in grouping related objects into a cluster. If objects with large coupling degree are identified and clustered together, the cohesion in the cluster is increased and so network traffics among the clusters are largely reduced, yielding a high overall system performance. The paper presents the metrics for measuring object coupling and shows systematic algorithms for object clustering based on the proposed metrics. In addition, a case study is given to assess the proposed formalism and methods.


Cellulose ester plastics are particularly suited for eyeglass frames, hearing aids, and other tough, transparent plastics which often contact the skin for prolonged periods. Dermatitis from such plastics may result from pressure, chemical irritation, or allergy. Six patients with allergic contact dermatitis from cellulose ester plastics were studied and the allergens identified. The most frequent sensitizer was the ultraviolet stabilizer, resorcinol monobenzoate. An antioxidant, p-tert -butylphenol, and two dyes in a black plastic colorant were also shown by patch testing to be responsible for allergic contact dermatitis.


Abstract: Over the past four years the Ivoirian crisis has seen as its central dynamic the mobilization of the categories of autochthony and territorialized belonging in an ultranationalist discourse vehicled by the party in power. More than just a struggle to the death for state power, the conflict involves the redefinition of the content of citizenship and the conditions of sovereignty. The explosion of violence and counterviolence provoked and legitimated by the mobilization of these categories does not necessarily signify either the triumph of those monolithic identities "engineered" during the colonial occupation, nor the disintegration of the nation-state in the context of globalization. The Ivoirian case shows the continued vitality of the nation-state: not only as the principal space in terms of which discourses of authochtony are constructed, but also in terms of the techniques and categories that the political practice of autochthony puts into play. While in some senses the Ivoirian conflict appears to be a war without borders—in particular with the "spillover" of the Liberian war in the west during 2003—it is above all a war about borders, crystallizing in liminal spaces and social categories and on emerging practices and ways of life.


Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) are thought to originate at cosmological distances from the most powerful explosions in the Universe. If GRBs are not beamed then the distribution of their number as a function of γ-ray flux implies that they occur once per ∼ (0.3–40) million years per bright galaxy and that they deposit ∼ > 10 53 ergs into their surrounding interstellar medium. The blast wave generated by a GRB explosion would be washed out by interstellar turbulence only after tens of millions of years when it finally slows down to a velocity of ∼ 10 km s −1. This rather long lifetime implies that there could be up to several tens of active GRB remnants in each galaxy at any given time. For many years, radio observations have revealed the enigmatic presence of expanding neutral-hydrogen (HI) supershells of ∼ kpc radius in the Milky Way and in other nearby galaxies. The properties of some supershells cannot be easily explained in terms of conventional sources such as stellar winds or supernova explosions. However, the inferred energy and frequency of the explosions required to produce most of the observed supershells agree with the above GRB parameters. More careful observations and analysis might reveal which fraction of these supershells are GRB remnants. We show that if this link is established, the data on HI supershells can be used to constrain the energy output, the rate per galaxy, the beaming factor, and the environment of GRB sources in the Universe.


Carbon ions were implanted into crystal Si to a concentration of (0.6-1.5)at% at room temperature. Some samples were pre-irradiated with S-29(i)+ ions, while others were not pre-irradiated. Then the two kinds of samples were implanted with C-12(+) ions simultaneously, and Si1-xCx alloys were grown by solid phase epitaxy with high-temperature annealing. The effects of preirradiation on the formation of Si1-xCx alloys were studied. If the dose of implanted C ion was less than that for amorphizing Si crystals, the implanted C atoms would like to combine with defects produced during implantation, and then it was difficult for Si1-xCx alloys to form after annealine, at 950 degreesC. Pre-irradiation was advantageous for Si1-xCx alloy formation. With the increase of C ion dose, the damage produced by C ions increased. Pre-irradiation was unfavorable for Si1-xCx, alloy formation. If the implanted C concentration was higher than that for solid phase epitaxy solution, only part of the implanted C atoms form Si1-xCx alloys and the effects of pre-irradiation could be neglected. As the annealing temperature was increased to 1050 degreesC, Si1-xCx alloys in both pre-irradiated and unpreirradiated samples of low C concentration remained, whereas most part of Si1-xCx alloys in samples with high C concentration vanished.


Online prices are increasingly being used for a variety of inflation measurement and research applications, yet little is know about their relation to prices collected offline, where most retail transactions take place. This paper presents the results of the first large-scale comparison of online and offline prices simultaneously collected from the websites and physical stores of 56 large multi-channel retailers in 10 countries. I find that price levels are identical about 72% of the time for the products sold in both locations, with significant heterogeneity across countries, sectors, and retailers. The similarity is highest in electronics and clothing and lowest in drugstores and office-supply retailers. There is no evidence of online prices varying with the location of the ip address or persistent browsing habits. Price changes are not synchronized but have similar frequencies and average sizes. These results have implications for National Statistical Offices and researchers using online data, as well as those interested in the effect of the Internet on retail prices.


Background Accurate and timely injury identification is critical but difficult to achieve in trauma patients who die shortly after arrival to the hospital. Autopsy has historically been used to detect injuries, but few undergo formal autopsy. This study investigates the utility of post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) for injury identification in a diverse trauma population. Methods Cross-sectional study of adult trauma patients who died within 24 hours of arrival to a Level I trauma center were included. Among patients with PMCT, injury severity score (ISS) and number of injuries (NOI) were calculated either from physical exam alone (pre-PMCT) or exam and imaging (post-PMCT). ISS and NOI before and after PMCT were compared. A cause of death analysis was performed for patients who underwent comprehensive (ie, head, neck, and torso) PMCT. Non-parametric repeated measures tests were used, as appropriate. Results 7.3% (N = 28) of patients received PMCT. Compared to pre-PMCT, median ISS (21 vs 3.5) and NOI (5 vs 2) were greater post-PMCT (P < .001, respectively). Autopsy rate was 13.2% overall; 82.5% of autopsies were due to a penetrating mechanism, and median time to autopsy reporting was 38.5 days. Among 17 patients who received comprehensive PMCT, 64.7% had a single cause of death identified, and the remaining were classified as either multiple potential contributors or unknown. Discussion PMCT is a readily available method to identify injuries in trauma patients who expire shortly upon presentation. Given the low autopsy rate for blunt trauma and delay in reporting, PMCT is an important adjunct for trauma providers.


Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women with a lifetime risk of 11%. Pregnancy-associated breast cancer is defined as cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or up to 1 year post partum. Surgery is the definitive treatment for pregnancy-associated breast cancer. For node-positive patients or node-negative patients with a tumor greater than 1 cm, a 4 to 6 month course of chemotherapy is the standard of care. Provided that chemotherapy is not used in the first trimester, it appears to be relatively safe. A forty-two year old pregnant woman in the third trimester presented with an advanced breast cancer. Since she had an advanced stage cancer and since she was in the third trimester, she was decided to be treated with chemotherapy. After three weeks, an emergent cesarean section was performed because the fetus was in acute distress. On the 20th day, the baby died because of cardiopulmonary arrest. The cause of the death was concluded as perinatal hypoxia secondary to chemotherapy. Even though chemotherapy is shown to be safe during the second and third trimester in many clinical trials, each case should be handled separately since the assumption of safety may differ in each case. These pregnants should be observed closer


Analysing the processes accompanied by changes in cardiomyocyte volume without the formation or loss of myofibrils, it has been proposed to use a new parameter "relative volume fraction" that denotes the volume occupied by the ultrastructure under investigation, as related to primary cell volume, and permits to estimate changes of the ultrastructural volume proper. The value of this parameter may be calculated according to the formula: (Formula: see text).


On the thirtieth day after pollination,'Yongqing1' was treated by three ways of natural lighting,70% shading and 95%shading to study shading effects on internal quality in fruits of Siraitia grosvenorii.The results were as follows:some shading treatments on S.grosvenorii significantly increased contents of total mogroside,mogrosideⅤ,total sugar,vitamin C of fruits and effectively improved fruit internal quality of S.grosvenorii.The condition of 70%shading treatment was beneficial to inclusion accumulation.


After two winters, during which Snowplow operations had been carried out at all three locations using both steel and tungsten carbide insert blades, five types of raised, reflective pavement markers specifically designed for use on roads subject to snow removal (one with an adhesive pad between the casting and reflector-Model 1, one with a spring clip over the reflector-Model 2, one with a stud shield and a spring clip over the reflector-Model 3, one with an adhesive pad between the casting and reflector but with no spring clip--Model 4, and one with a spring clip, and an adhesive pad between the reflector and the stud shield but no pad between the casting and the reflector-Model 5, which had been installed at three locations in New Jersey were evaluated for durability. It was found that while steel blades neither damaged nor were damaged by the castings, the opposite was the case for tungsten carbide blades, thus making it advisable to either use steel blades or keep the tungsten carbide blades from coming into direct contact with the pavement. Neither type of blade caused damage to the reflectors, however. There was damage to reflectors from nose shoes in tests utilizing three types of modified nose shoes. In tests where plow shoes and plow wheels rode over the reflectors, however, there was no damage noted. The principal cause of reflector loss and damage appears to be tire studs and other tire forces. A comparison of the various types of reflectors revealed that those protected with shields had less damage than those without, thus making the former especially desirable in areas where studded tires are legal. Among the types with shields, those with spring clips had less damage and fewer losses than those using adhesive pads. (The adhesive did not attach well in cold weather, causing either damage to the reflector after loss of the shielding or loss of the reflector itself due to lack of proper adherence to the casting.) The spring clip type reflector was also found to be easiest to install. Therefore, considering minimum loss and damge and ease of installation and replacement, the Model 5 assembly appears to be the most practical.


Dental plaque is still considered the main etiological factor for periodontal diseases. Our understanding of periodontal disease has advanced from the previous concepts where gingivitis slowly progressed to periodontitis to a more complex scenario that correlates several risk factors in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease. Among these factors, age has been associated with increased rates of periodontal disease as the population gets older. Although the loss of alveolar bone and periodontal attachment is common in the elderly population, and there is evident age-related changes in the periodontium, severe periodontitis is not a natural consequence of ageing. The importance of identifying the risk factors that participate in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease at an early phase, both of the individual and the disease, as well as evaluating the capacity of the individual to control dental plaque will enable the implementation of an adequate preventive program, where the needs and limitations of the individual are considered to specifically tailor the oral hygiene procedures and the mouthwashes to be used.


There is an increasingly relevant debate around consent, particularly around persons with a dementia, across research and practice. This article will begin by critically reviewing the traditional competency-based approach to informed consent in research with older people who have dementia. Currently, most researchers are not describing how persons with dementia are included in the consent process other than through an extension of the traditional competency-based informed consent method. As yet there is little in the way of academic publications on developing methodologies or practical methods of inclusionary consent, despite the rapid development of so-called person-centred participatory research in dementia. The remainder of the article will describe work in progress on a theoretical foundation and an evolving method for including persons with dementia in consent processes. The article concludes that a revisionist person-centred inclusionary approach to consent, which values the interests of all parties involved, including the person with dementia, is a way forward in person-centred research. It is also suggested that dementia-friendly methods must be more rigorously tested and reported.


Abstract The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) has profound socioeconomic impacts on not only the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean but also various parts of the world. A forecast system is developed based on a relatively high-resolution coupled ocean–atmosphere GCM with only sea surface temperature (SST) information assimilated. Retrospective ensemble forecasts of the IOD index for the past two decades show skillful scores with up to a 3–4-month lead and a winter prediction barrier associated with its intrinsic strong seasonal phase locking. Prediction skills of the SST anomalies in both the eastern and western Indian Ocean are higher than those of the IOD index; this is because of the influences of ENSO, which is highly predictable. The model predicts the extreme positive IOD event in 1994 at a 2–3-season lead. The strong 1997 cold signal in the eastern pole, however, is not well predicted owing to errors in model initial subsurface conditions. The real-time forecast system with more ensembles successfully...


It is known that Internet routing policies for both intra- and inter-domain routing can naturally give rise to triangle inequality violations (TIVs) with respect to quality of service (QoS) network metrics such as latencies between nodes. This motivates the exploitation of such TIVs phenomenon in network metrics to design TlV-aware routing overlay architecture which is capable of choosing quality overlay routing paths to improve end-to-end QoS without changing the underlying network architecture. Our idea is to find quality overlay routes between node pairs based on TIV optimization in terms of the latency and packet loss ratio, and that can offer near optimal routing quality in cost-effective and scalable manner. Our intuition to do this is to choose these overlay routes from a small set of transit nodes. We propose to assign nodes with transit selection frequency scores that are computed based on previous node usage for transit, and consolidate a small set of highly ranked transit nodes. For every node pair, we choose the best transit node in this small set for overlay routing, based on TIV optimization in latency and packet loss ratio. We analyze the quality of our TlV-aware routing overlay algorithm analytically and using real Internet measurements on latency and packet loss ratio. Our results show good quality performance in improving end-to-end QoS routing.


Introduction
Strokes are the first cause of non-traumatic disability and the second cause of death worldwide. Data analysis is useful to improve their care. Our purpose was to describe the epidemiological profile of stroke cases admitted at the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital (CHU-SO) from 2017 to 2018.

Method
We conducted a descriptive study that included all stroke cases admitted at Internal Medicine Department of CHU-SO from January 2017 to December 2018. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected by medical records reviewing and patients' interview and thereafter compiled and analyzed with Epi Info 18.104.22.168.

Results
The overall prevalence was 7.6% (173/2, 270) and 11.4% in patients aged 50 and over. Median age was 58.5 years, Interquartile interval (IQ) [48-65] and M/F sex ratio was 1.16. The median delay for admission to CHU-SO was one day, IQ [0-2]. Among patients' medical history, high blood pressure, strokes, alcoholism and diabetes accounted for 68.2% (118/173), 16.8% (29/173), 15.0% (26/173) and 12.1% (21/173) respectively. Hemorrhagic stroke cases accounted for 80.6% (29/36) in patients aged less than 50, while ischemia's accounted for 64.2% (61/95) among those aged 50 and over. Recovery occurred in 30.1% (52/173) with 80.8% (42/52) of sequelae. Deaths occurred in 62.4% (108/173) and were associated with the absence of the head CT scan (OR=2.71; 95% CI [1.14-6.73]).

Conclusion
Strokes affected mainly active people with high mortality exacerbated by the absence of the head CT scan. Early availability of the head CT scan and implementation of other specific strategies carried out of an action plan could contribute to reduce the burden of stroke at CHU-SO.


As markets for kosher food have expanded globally in recent decades, multiple rabbinical authorities and kosher certification bodies have emerged to protect – and project – the boundaries of what is permissible for Jewish consumers. In this paper, we explore how, as kosher food has become more widely available in supermarkets and global food businesses, there has been a concurrent growth in demand within some Jewish communities for kosher goods produced in line with ever more strictly observed Jewish dietary laws (kashrus). Drawing on research on kosher markets and consumption practice in Manchester in the North of England, UK, we interrogate the multiple kosher ontologies enacted in markets, and the wider effects of this multiplicity on consumption practice(s). We conclude with some theoretical reflections on the ontological politics of qualification in markets.


The opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus is ubiquitous in the environment and predominantly infects immunocompromised patients. Sequencing of the fungal genome has led to an increased understanding of the organism; however the functions of many genes remain unknown. A putative translation elongation factor 1Bγ (eEF1Bγ, termed elfA; 750 bp) is expressed, and exhibits glutathione s-transferase activity, in A. fumigatus. The work presented here demonstrates the role of ElfA in protein synthesis, but also that it plays a key role in the oxidative stress response and may be involved in actin cytoskeleton organisation. Phenotypic analysis demonstrates that an elfA deficient strain (A. fumigatus ΔelfA) was significantly more sensitive to the oxidants H2O2 (> 1 mM) (p = 0.0003), diamide (> 0.5 mM) (p 7.5 μM) (p = 0.0056), and was significantly more resistant to voriconazole (> 0.5 μg/ml) (p = 0.0251) than the wild-type. Comparative proteomics, under basal and oxidative stress conditions, revealed significantly (p < 0.05) altered expression of proteins involved in protein synthesis, the oxidative stress response and actin cytoskeleton organization. In parallel, comparative proteomics of A. fumigatus Δpes3, a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase deficient strain, supports a structural role for this peptide with the altered expression of proteins functioning in morphogenesis and germination. A. fumigatus Δpes3 exhibited a reduced germination rate in static cultures and confocal microscopy revealed not only shorter germ tubes but reduced surface (1,3)-β-glucan in this mutant. Moreover, the reduced surface (1,3)-β-glucan explains the lower MIC of A. fumigatus Δpes3 to voriconazole measured in this study as surface (1,3)-β-glucan sequesters azoles preventing entry into the cell. Overall, this work highlights the diverse roles of A. fumigatus elfA, with respect to protein synthesis, oxidative stress and actin cytoskeleton organisation. In addition to this, the advantages of combining targeted gene deletion with comparative proteomics for elucidating the role of proteins of unknown function are also revealed.


Background Early childhood caries discloses a distinct clinical pattern, and the teeth most often involved are the maxillary central incisors, lateral incisors, and the maxillary and man-dibular first molars. The maxillary incisors are most severely affected, with deep carious lesions usually involving the pulp. Teeth that have been endodontically treated often have little coronal tooth tissue remaining and as such require a post to retain the core and restoration .This study evaluated and compared the efficacy of EverStick glass fiber-reinforced composite post with ParaPost Taper Lux in primary maxillary anterior teeth. Aim An in vivo study was conducted to evaluate and compare the longevity and failures of two fiber post systems in primary maxillary anterior teeth. Materials and methods A total of 60 severely mutilated primary maxillary anterior teeth from children aged 3 to 5 years were selected according to the inclusion criteria. These teeth were treated endodontically and were randomly assigned into two groups with 30 samples in each group, group I: EverStick glass fiber-reinforced composite post, group II: ParaPost Taper Lux post. The evaluation of dislodgment of posts, secondary caries, root fracture, and post fracture was carried out clinically and radiographically during every follow-up at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months interval. Results Statistical tests (Chi-square test, Fisher's exact probability test) suggested that dislodgment of the posts was significant between the two groups at 6, 9, and 12 months follow-ups. But within the group during subsequent follow-up intervals, dislodgment of posts as a mode of failure was not statistically significant. However, clinically failures were seen in both the study groups. Conclusion Fiber post system has proved to be successful clinically in both primary and permanent teeth due to the mono-block effect with luting agent, post system, core material, and bonding to dentin. Thus, today the EverStick glass fiber post system provides a novel way of fabricating cost-effective and less time-consuming custom-made post in treating mutilated maxillary anteriors. How to cite this article Sawant A, Chunawalla Y, Morawala A, Kanchan NS, Jain K, Talathi R. Evaluation of Novel Glass Fiber-reinforced Composite Technique for Primary Anterior Teeth with Deep Carious Lesions: A 12-month Clinical Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(2):126-130.


The influence of a soliton system under an external harmonic excitation is considered. We take the compound KdV-Burgers equation as an example, and investigate numerically the chaotic behavior of the system with a periodic forcing. Different routes to chaos such as period doubling, quasi-periodic routes, and the shapes of strange attractors are observed by using bifurcation diagrams, the largest Lyapunov exponents, phase projections and Poincaré maps.


The volatility estimation is a crucial problem for pricing derivatives. The traditional implied volatility approach induces the undesired smile effect and is therefore inconsistent with the market reality. A second more realistic approach is due to Bensoussan, Crouhy and Galai (1995) who derive an extension of the Black-Scholes model where the stochastic volatility ?is endogenous and depends on the change in the firm's financial leverage. These authors give an analytic approximation for ?when the firm is financed by external funds such as debts, under the assumptions that the risk-free rate and the volatility of the return on the firm's asset are constant. In this work, we will generalize this result by allowing these parameters to be variable.


Abstract : Adoption of operational design by the U.S. military will provide an approach to. functioning effectively within a complex environment in the near-term, while serving as a catalyst for a more comprehensive understanding of systems thinking in the long-term. Complexity is not a new phenomenon. Throughout time people have wrestled with complex problems and situations and have met with varying levels of success in their achievement of an acceptable solution. The relatively new science of complexity has facilitated our understanding of different types of complexity and has enhanced our ability to develop solutions to the problems that exist within such environments. A logical part of operating in environments of complexity is the conduct of operational design or "the conception and construction of the framework that underpins a campaign or joint operation plan and its subsequent execution." As an increasing number of leaders realize the importance of design the inadequacy of our current joint and service publications has become apparent. Absent of an acceptable doctrinal foundation, design has been less than effective in providing an approach to effectively function within a complex environment. While it is certain to meet resistance, the implementation of properly developed design that is based on systems thinking will have farreaching impacts on individual services and the joint force.


The purpose of this dissertation was to devise a quantitative method to compare socioeconomic development and the associated urban growth, with the state of the natural environment. This research was developed on the premise that socioeconomic development is one of the major factors that drive urbanization and, urbanization impacts the environment. Especially when a geographic region experiences rapid urban growth, a preference for economic growth conflicts with the need to protect the quality of the natural environment in and around urban areas. This requires urban policy makers to design policies that balance the conflicting priorities. This research has developed quantitative metrics which have the potential to make it easier for policy makers and stakeholders to strike the balance between priorities for economic growth and environmental protection. And thus, help them make effective urban policies that are better suited for sustainable urban growth. This work assessed the sustainability of urban growth in fifty three counties in central North Carolina with the help of sustainability indicators. The indicators were used as the tools to quantify economic growth and the state of the natural environment. And based on their characteristics, the indicators were aggregated either into a composite index for economic growth or, an index for environmental quality. The results are expressed with the help of these indices which conveyed multivariate information in a way that experts as well as the general public can comprehend. In so doing, this research offered improvements in the procedure for selecting sustainability indicators, and in a method used to compute influence of individual indicator on the overall sustainability.


Different forms of tocopherols, together with tocotrienols, are collectively named as vitamin E (a lipid-soluble vitamin with antioxidation effect in several stages of peroxidation of lipids in vivo) and each possesses different degree of medical, biological and physiochemical significance. Among four tocopherols (α-, β-, γ- and δ-tocopherol), alpha-tocopherol has been reported to possess the highest biological activity. In order to obtain the larger amounts, vitamin E is synthesized as a racemic mixture of D- and L- forms which are optical isomers, unlike a natural tocopherol that is found only in the D-form. Synthetic vitamin E is derived from petroleum products as allracemic alpha tocopherol and its ester form all-racemic alpha tocopheryl acetate (or DL-tocopheryl acetate). The tocopheryl esters are more stable for an extended time of use. In the belief that vitamin E is a natural skin conditioner and humidifier, it is used in cosmetic industry in the preparation of lipsticks, shadows, powders, humidifiers, soaps, creams, shampoos etc. The recent popularity of vitamin E preparations for topical application, together with reports of adverse dermatological reactions linked to cosmetics containing this vitamin led to concern about the desirability of including these compounds in such products. Therefore, a sensitive, accurate and rapid HPLC method was developed for determination of alpha-tocopherol and its ester form in cosmetics. The chromatographic separation was performed on a column Purospher Star RP 18 (150 x 4.0 mm i.d., 5μm), with a mobile phase consisted of a methanol - n-hexane (90:10, V/V) The flow rate was kept at 1.2 ml min-1. Detection of all-racemic alpha-tocopherol and the ester form all-racemic alpha-tocopheryl acetate was carried out at 220 nm. Effect of various parameters (different concentration of methanol and n-hexane in the mobile phase composition and different columns used), and the separation of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocopheryl acetate from other numerous ingredients present in cosmetic preparations was studied. The proposed method was fully validated according to the ICH guidelines in terms of accuracy, precision, linearity, limit of detection and quantification and range (5). The method is sensitive and allows detection of active components in concentrations of 0,007 μg and 0,011 μg for α-tocopherol, and α-tocopherol acetate, respectively, while the lowest concentrations that could be determined were 0,023 μg, and 0,033 μg for α-tocopheryl acetate and α-tocopherol, respectively.


Abstract Context. Reliable, cost-effective monitoring methods are essential for managing wildlife populations. Scat-and-sign surveys (i.e. monitoring defecation, animal scratching, footprints, food remains) are a rapid, low-cost, non-invasive monitoring approach, but unquantified biases and uncertainties associated with these methods have caused researchers to doubt their reliability. Aims. We sought to quantify how richness, occupancy and activity estimates derived from a long-term camera-trap study differed from those of scat surveys in the same locations, to determine scat-survey reliability and model bias corrections. Methods. We used transect-based scat surveys at 110 sites in the temperate forests of southern Tasmania (Australia), to estimate occupancy, activity and community richness for common, ground-dwelling vertebrates. These results were compared with estimates derived from a long-term passive camera-trap study at the same sites. In addition, time-lapse imagery taken with the camera traps was used to monitor the persistence of rufous-belled pademelon (Thylogale billardierii) and Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) scats in relation to environmental correlates. Key results. Scat persistence differed between these two species. The half-life of S. harrisii scats was 113 days, compared with 63 days for T. billardierii. Generalised linear modelling showed that scat surveys were most efficacious at sites with little disturbance and homogenous substrates. Overall, scat surveys consistently underestimated site occupancy and richness relative to the camera traps (μ = 2.7:1), but this bias was inconsistent, with the ratio exceeding 15 for the arboreal brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). Scats were most reliably detected for large, trail-using mammals such as S. harrisii, T. billardierii, and common wombat (Vombatus ursinus). Scat surveys were less useful for the surveillance of low-density and arboreal species. Scats were uncommon for the two bird species examined, but alternative superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) signs were detected reliably. Conclusions. Scat surveys reliably detected large, trail-using mammals. However, estimates of activity were poorly correlated between camera traps and scat surveys. Implications. When used appropriately, scat surveys can provide an effective and cheap 'snapshot' index for wildlife monitoring, especially if the species-specific biases have been calibrated for the vertebrate community and environment under monitoring.


Background: Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) such as Erlotinib (ER) and Osimertinib (OR) are being used to treat lung cancer patients with EGFR mutations; however, patients develop resistance to these drugs within 10-18 months. EGFR-TKI resistance may be mediated by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which causes a motile and invasive phenotype similar to mesenchymal cells. Sphingosine kinase 2 (SphK2), which is upregulated in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), phosphorylates sphingosine to sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and increases cell proliferation, tumor survival and cell migration. The sphingolipid rheostat controls the cell fate by maintaining a balance between pro-survival and pro-apoptotic sphingolipids, which is regulated by SphK2. However, the role of SphK2 in TKI resistance and EMT is not well understood.
 Hypothesis: We hypothesize that the inhibition/downregulation of SphK2 will reverse EMT, reduce tumorigenicity and overcome ER and OR resistance. Study design and
 Results: We studied expression of SphK2 in both drug resistant (OR and ER) and drug sensitive (parental) H358, H2170, H3255 and PC9 NSCLC cell lines. In drug resistant cells, qPCR and immunoblotting studies showed that SphK2 was upregulated by 1.5-1.7 and 1.5-3.3 fold in ER and OR resistant cell lines respectively compared to parental cells. 48 hours after SphK2 knockdown with siRNA treatment, SphK2 was downregulated by 4.6-fold and EMT mediator E-cadherin expression was upregulated by 2.9-fold. EMT proteins Vimentin and N-cadherin were downregulated by 3.8 and 2.2 fold respectively (p≤0.01). Using an MTT assay, differences in percentage viability of cells with different treatments were calculated with respect to their viability in the presence of OR. We found that 81.43% of H358OR and 76.35% of the H3255OR cells were inhibited by a combination of Opaganib, a Sphk2 inhibitor, and OR, this is 27.74% and 12.28% higher compared to the additive effect of drug and inhibitor in H358OR and H3255 cells respectively. Furthermore, transwell migration assays, wound healing assays and spheroid assays were performed in OR resistant cells and the results indicated inhibition of the above assays by 94.97%, 82.36%, 88.67% respectively when treated with a combination of Opaganib and OR as compared to the diluent. This indicates the potential of SphK2 inhibition to overcome TKI resistance and EMT. To analyze the role of SphK2 expression in cancer progression, IHC was performed on 63 early and 48 late-stage lung cancer patient sections. We observed upregulation of SphK2 in late-stage lung cancer (p≤0.05), indicating its role in cancer progression.
 Conclusion: In this study, SphK2 was shown to decrease tumor survival, cancer cell proliferation, and expression of EMT markers. Thus, SphK2 may be a promising clinical target for overcoming EGFR-TKI resistance and NSCLC tumor progression.
 Citation Format: S M Nasifuzzaman, Namrata Dube, Katie Lam, Robert J. Hillwig, Neelu Puri. The role of sphingosine kinase 2 in overcoming EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance, EMT and NSCLC tumor progression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 428.


Inherent in the audio-lingual method which was introduced in the late fifties and which flourished into the sixties was an emphasis upon the sounds of language. This emphasis restricted the use of visuals in the foreign language classroom. An exception was the growing use of the "Audiovisual" method in Europe. Rivers' 1962 critique of the audio-lingual method reawakened interest in alternative methodologies in some of which the visual can play an important role. The Functional-Notional method provides one example. This article describes simple ways to create visuals with non-photographic slides which can enhance both language teaching and learning. Using transparency materials intended for making transparencies for the overhead projector, two-by-two-inch slides can be made quickly and easily. They especially meet the unique needs of foreign language teachers. Learning audio-visual skills in training will prove useful both during student teaching and in their subsequent professional work.


Low thermal impedance of stackable thin coolers for laser diode arrays used for high average power pumping of solid state lasers has been reported, which were achieved using microchannel heatsinks fabricated by an anisotropic chemical etching process' or laser cutting.' In this paper, we report cooling performance of novel stackable thin coolers permitting a reduction of their cost. The coolers are composed of Cu sheets shaped only by a conventional chemical etching process without the microchannel structure. CW operation with output power of 20 W has been achieved in an AlGaAs laser bar mounted on the cooler. Figure 1 shows schematically the three Cu-sheet components of our coolers. In a middle Cu sheet, small holes and bridges are aligned alternately. A bottom Cu sheet has branching grooves spaced by ridges in the front. A top Cu sheet has the same grooves on the reverse side. The grooves are designed to have nearly the same width (0.35-0.6 mm). When assembled, the bridges in the middle Cu sheet and the ridges in the top and bottom ones


The delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to the H-Y antigen was investigated in female mice which had been pre-treated with soluble or insoluble H-Y antigen. The present results suggest that Sertoli cells, cultured in vitro, release a factor which, if highly soluble, induces tolerance to male spleen cells. Mice showing marked DTH produced high titre H-Y antibodies after further injections of spleen cells from syngeneic males.


Acetylsalicylic acid has long been the only nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug recommended for the treatment and prevention of thromboembolic diseases. More recently, new compounds have been used in patients with vascular diseases. However, these drugs are often associated with longer bleeding times and greater operative risk. In most surgical specialties, the question always arises as to whether antiplatelet therapy should be stopped before elective surgery. If so, for how long? If not, what are the risks? This article reviews the various antiplatelet drugs in use today, focusing on their mode of action, their effects on platelet function and the associated operative risks. It also proposes an algorithm for decision making in this setting, based on the literature and an understanding of the mechanisms of action of this class of drugs.


Two growth hormone-binding proteins (GHBPs), one with high and the other with low affinity, have recently been described in the blood of humans and several other species. The high-affinity GHBP represents a circulating fragment of the GH receptor, encompassing its extracellular domain. The molecular nature of the low-affinity GHBP is not known in detail. GHBPs form complexes with circulating GH, prolong its biological half-life, restrict its distribution in the body, and modulate the binding of GH to receptors in tissues. Their net effect in vivo is to enhance GH action. The level of high-affinity GHBP in plasma probably reflects receptor concentrations in tissues. The level/activity of GHBP is linked to GH action, and several congenital or acquired conditions with altered GHBP levels are characterized by parallel changes in GH action (Laron-type dwarfism, pygmy dwarfism, malnutrition, obesity, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, liver cirrhosis, renal insufficiency). The GHBP/receptor level is nutritionally regulated, with levels low in undernutrition and high in overnutrition. Regulation of lean body mass anabolism/catabolism at the level of the GHBP/receptor provides a rational explanation for the derangements in the GH axis and their biological consequences (retarded or accelerated somatic growth) observed in nutrition disorders.


The electrolysis of methanol was used to deposit diamond-like carbon (DLC) film on an-type Si (100) substrate under constant voltage (1200V) at ambient pressure and temperature40 o C. The surface morphology and composition of the synthesized film was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Raman spectroscopy.Deposited DLC film has a compact structure of dense grains, and the film contained irregular shape particles (clusters) of DLC. Raman spectraconfirmed that the DLC film contains carbon atoms with sp 3 hybridization.


Contemporary research in artificial environments has marked the need for autonomy in artificial agents. Autonomy has many interpretations in terms of the field within which it is being used and analyzed, but the majority of the researchers in artificial environments are arguing in favor of a strong and life-like notion of autonomy. Departing from this point the main aim of this paper is to examine the possibility of the emergence of autonomy in contemporary artificial agents. The theoretical findings of research in the areas of living and cognitive systems, suggests that the study of autonomous agents should adopt a systemic and emergent perspective for the analysis of the evolutionary development of the notions/properties of autonomy, functionality, intentionality and meaning, as the fundamental and characteristic properties of a natural agent. An analytic indication of the functional emergence of these concepts and properties is provided, based on the characteristics of the more general systemic framework of second-order cybernetic and of the interactivist framework. The notion of emergence is a key concept in such an analysis which in turn provides the ground for the theoretical evaluation of the autonomy of contemporary artificial agents with respect to the functional emergence of their capacities. The fundamental problems for the emergence of genuine autonomy in artificial agents are critically discussed and some design guidelines are provided.