BACKGROUND
TZT-1027 (Soblidotin), a newly synthesized dolastatin 10 derivative that depolymerizes microtubules, has potent antitumor activity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Cell-killing kinetic analysis was performed by the colony-forming assay and the kinetics of TZT-1027 were compared with those of neocarzinostatin, adriamycin and vincristine, known to be typical concentration-, AUC- and time-dependent agents, respectively. DNA fragmentation was detectable by electrophoresis, cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay and antitumor activity was examined by measuring the tumor weight after treatment.

RESULTS
TZT-1027 exhibited its cytocidal and apoptosis-inducing activity in a time-dependent manner. Its growth-inhibitory effect was less affected by overexpression of P-glycoprotein than that of other tubulin inhibitors and was not affected by the overexpression of breast cancer resistance protein or multidrug resistance-associated protein. TZT-1027 exhibited potent antitumor activities in an in vivo tumor model in which vincristine and docetaxel failed to show effectiveness.

CONCLUSION
Because its growth-inhibitory and antitumor activities were superior to those of the other drugs tested, including the tubulin inhibitors paclitaxel, docetaxel and vincristine, TZT-1027 should be useful in the chemotherapy of tumors that are not responsive to other tubulin inhibitors.


Following identification of some key concepts in leadership, the structure of the nursing profession is approached via class, gender, culture, practice, education and industrial features. While the need for micro-level leadership is identified, it is argued that major opportunities exist in restructuring nursing's educational bases and practice organisation, supported by mastery of industrial matters. Unification of the profession is necessary to achieve a higher profile and greater respect.


Objectives: Nasopharyngeal adenocarcinomas (NPACs) are rare malignant tumors. The treatment of NPACs is usually surgery with resection of normal nasal passage tissues.We introduced an innovative double endoscopic surgery for NPACs patients and evaluated the clinical efficacy of this approach. Methods: The clinical data of 4 NPACs patients who underwent radical endoscopic nasopharyngectomy using a combined transnasal and transoral approach were analyzed to determine the efficacy of this surgery. The endpoints were en bloc resection and relief of clinical symptoms. Results: All surgeries were successfully performed without any severe postoperative complications or death. Postoperative MRI revealed that en bloc resection was achieved for all patients with NPACs, and they had high quality of life without postoperative complications. Conclusions: The transnasal-transoral approach to endoscopic nasopharyngectomy for nasopharyngeal adenocarcinoma is safe and effective.


The level 2 trigger on charged particles (L2C) of the NA48 experiment features powerful capabilities for implementing complex triggering algorithms in real-time software. These algorithms may involve track reconstruction, vertex, invariant mass or transverse momentum computation, etc. After a brief outline of the L2C architecture, this paper describes the salient features of the I/O and processing capabilities of the event processor farm, with examples of algorithms that have been effectively implemented within the strong timing constraints of the NA48 level 2 trigger architecture. It concludes with the upgrade possibilities of the system and the possible use of it in other environments with minor changes.


We propose vocabulary expansion for video semantic indexing. From many semantic concept detectors obtained by using training data, we make detectors for concepts not included in training data. First, we introduce Mikolov's word vectors to represent a word by a low-dimensional vector. Second, we represent a new concept by a weighted sum of concepts in training data in the word vector space. Finally, we use the same weighting coefficients for combining detectors to make a new detector. In our experiments, we evaluate our methods on the TRECVID Video Semantic Indexing (SIN) Task. We train our models with Google News text documents and ImageNET images to generate new semantic detectors for SIN task. We show that our method performs as well as SVMs trained with 100 TRECVID ex- ample videos.


The Robinson-Patman Act has given rise to some truly awful court decisions that have created a seller-buyer environment of sometimes unforgiving price rigidity, as well as complex and…


Ten parameters affecting sensitivity, accuracy and simplicity of the diffusion plate method for determining antibiotic residues in meat were evaluated with spores of Bacillus stearothermophilus as the test organism. Eight antibiotics were studied and included penicillin, bacitracin, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, streptomycin, erythromycin and neomycin. Sensitivity of the method was most influenced by concentration of inoculum, quantity of assay medium on the plate and sample size. The optimal concentration of inoculum was established as 2 × 105 spores/ml of medium, quantity of the assay medium on plate/100 mm dia., as 6 ml and quantity of sample poured on disc/12.7 mm dia., as 100 μl. The pH of the assay medium was also important to both antibiotic potency and test organism growth. The activity of streptomycin and erythromycin was the most sensitive to pH variations.


The present invention discloses a composting system, comprising a system for placement of compostable material (2) in a region (1); located in the area of compostable material (2); weatherproof covering or structure (7), covering or structure and preferably compostable material (2) attached to cover the combined compostable materials. Or a covering structure (7) define the composting environment occur, the environmental conditions are controlled to accelerate the composting process.


The sustainability movement has more influence over company and government climate change actions than any treaty, law or regulation could possibly have, and results in quicker, measurable actions. The sustainability movement is alive and well, and will continue to grow despite the outcry over some countries backpedaling from the Paris Accord. When one stops to consider just how much action companies from around the world have taken toward sustainability one cannot help but be amazed that so much was done without treaties, laws and regulations to force compliance. The primary driver of action is peer pressure—that which is derived from the actions of industry, and not the actions of government. This movement, found under a company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) banner, will continue to grow by virtue of the continuous adoption of sustainability reporting, and in particular, supply chain reporting, benchmarking and risk management practices of industry, and the adoption of energy efficient (EE) projects. These actions have already resulted in significant positive changes to private company and government behavior, company value, lower emissions, greater operational efficiency, and competitive advantage. One could argue that peer pressure is much more effective than any treaty, laws, or regulations could possibly be. But, it should be noted that the term "climate change" remains a contentious issue and companies would be wise to refer to all related actions as sustainability.


To be engaged in design processes in healthcare organizations often implies to deal with sensitive contexts, which, in turn, deal with a unique and delicate emotional setting. In this paper, we address reflections related to our research experience adopting dialogical interviews in sensitive design contexts. These reflections arise from a field work carried out within a network of nursing homes, within which we conducted 27 dialogical interviews with family members of patients in severe end-of-life conditions. With this contribution, we want to address the importance of taking care of the human relationships while working with sensitive participants, as a way to comprehend to which direction the design of a new technology should be driven.


The carboxy-terminus of p53 contains a basic region which represses DNA binding, and this repression can be relieved by PAb421, an antibody against the basic region. The EB-1 human cell line contains wild type p53 protein which fails to express the PAb421 epitope and is highly active both in biological assays and in DNA binding assays. We show by wheat germ agglutinin chromatography and galactosyl-transferase labelling that this p53 is O-glycosylated, and that at least one of the sugar residues masks the PAb421 epitope, as demonstrated by recovery of reactivity with PAb421 after digestion of Western blots of EB-1 cell extract with hexosaminidase. A minor population of p53 molecules in EB-1 cells lacks the modification, and there is a correlation between the ability to bind DNA with high affinity and masking of the PAb421 epitope. We also show that strongly positively charged peptides, including short peptides from the basic region of p53, can derepress DNA binding, probably by disruption of an intramolecular interaction involving the basic region. We propose that any intervention which prevents this intramolecular interaction, including addition of bulky residues such as sugar groups, can activate DNA binding by p53.


Knowing patients opinion about mental healthcare services is highly important in clinical daily work settings, especially in the interior regions of the country. Since information on the subject is very scarce, gathering further data would be helpful to design active policies in this field. With this aim in mind, a work team composed of a Psychologist and an Immunologist of the city of Villa Mari in Cordoba, Argentina, conducted a survey to enquire about the population's knowledge regarding mental health care services and their degree of satisfaction. This survey was done using a database from a healthcare consultancy, and data collection was carried out by means of electronic mails, which contained mostly closed questions. Two conclusions were drawn as relevant information; the first one was that only 1% of the subjects answered the survey, which would reveal little interest in it. The second conclusion was that, in spite of the investigators assumptions, most of the population surveyed (over 50%), had thorough knowledge of the use of mental healthcare services.


Study Design. Case report. Objective. To increase awareness of spinal brucellosis and discuss demographics, diagnosis, and treatment. Summary of Background Data. Brucellosis is a rare cause of spinal infections in the United States, although there have been regional increases in its prevalence. Methods. Retrospective review of a patient with spinal brucellosis. She underwent a protracted course of treatment, with a long delay in diagnosis. History ultimately revealed regular consumption of unpasteurized goat cheese. Appropriate testing subsequently led to the diagnosis. Results. After multiple surgeries and medications, the condition responded well to definitive antibiotic therapy. Conclusion. Brucellosis is rare in the United States and thus often overlooked in the differential diagnosis of back pain. The changing risk pattern for this disease requires a high index of suspicion, which can result in early diagnosis and predictably favorable results to treatment.


To simulate emissions of nitrogen-containing compounds in practical combustion environments, it is necessary to have accurate values for their thermochemical parameters, as well as accurate kinetic values to describe the rates of their formation and decomposition. Significant disparity is observed in the literature for the former, and we therefore present herein high-accuracy ab initio gas-phase thermochemistry for 60 nitrogenous compounds, many of which are important in the formation and consumption chemistry of NOx species. Several quantum-chemical composite methods (CBS-APNO, G3, and G4) were utilized to derive enthalpies of formation via the atomization method. Entropies and heat capacities were calculated from traditional statistical thermodynamics, with oscillators treated as anharmonic based on ro-vibrational property analyses carried out at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory. The use of quantum chemical methods, along with the treatments of anharmonicities and hindered rotors, ensures accurate enthalpy of formation, entropy, and heat capacity values across the temperature range 298.15-3000 K. The implications of these results for atmospheric and combustion modeling are discussed.


Modern concepts of identity proceed from paradoxical assumptions: on the one hand, they presuppose the indivisibility and self-identity of individuals; on the other hand, singular human beings are defined by their affiliation with certain groups and/or by sharing attributes with others, i.e. by their identity as … Current discussions tend to avoid this paradox by referring to a 'free play of identities,' above all with regard to 'ethnic' affiliations. However, this liberal conception ignores administrative procedures that unequivocally assign individuals to particular collectives. Identity cards that contain a category on ethnic affiliation with pre-defined choices constitute a characteristic device for these procedures. Identity cards like these were one of the most important prerequisites for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Literary and other efforts to come to terms with the genocide are confronted with the paradox that they need to maintain ethnic categories in their description of the genocide, yet they have to challenge them lest they perpetuate the conditions of the genocide. This article discusses the relations between identification procedures and literary texts about the Rwandan genocide.


Each year natural disasters affect about 200 million people and cause about $50 billion in damage. This paper compares the incidence of natural disasters across countries along several dimensions and finds that the relative costs tend to be far higher in developing countries than in advanced economies. The analysis shows that small island states are especially vulnerable, with the countries of the Eastern Caribbean standing out as among the most disaster-prone in the world. Natural disasters are found to have had a discernible macroeconomic impact, including large effects on fiscal and external balances, pointing to an important role for precautionary measures.


ABSTRACT Vocal learning, the substrate for human language, is a rare trait found to date in only three distantly related groups of birds (parrots, hummingbirds, and songbirds) and four distantly related groups of mammals (humans, bats, cetaceans, and elephants). Brain pathways for vocal learning have been studied in the three bird groups and in humans, and they have a number of similarities. In addition, use of learned vocalizations is also similar among vocal learners. Together this suggests common selection pressures. Here I present hypotheses on what could have selected for or against vocal learning and associated brain pathways in birds and mammals. The brain pathways I suggest were selected from a pre-existing motor pathway. Selection for vocal learning behavior I suggest occurred by two factors: mating preference for varied vocalizations and a need for rapid adaptation to propagate sound in different environments. Selection against vocal learning I suggest occurred by predation, where varied vocalizations makes an animal an easier target for predators. Once predator selection pressure is overcome, then, I suggest, learned vocalizations can be used for other functions, such as abstract communication.


Assessing the hazard and damage of a potential tsunami is an ongoing challenge in tsunami research. This study begins by simulating tsunami hazards using historical events. A tsunami propagation model is used to obtain the estimated maximum tsunami height along the west coast of Thailand for a rough return period, and rupture locations that have the potential to generate catastrophic tsunamis in Thailand for a specific return period are proposed. A tsunami inundation model is then performed to quantify each building's maximum inundation depth, using high-resolution satellite images to extract each building's location for the areas of interest located in southern Thailand. Nam Khem village and Patong beach are selected as study areas to represent village communities and tourist attractions, respectively. The model results are then used to obtain the numbers of exposed inhabitants and buildings for each earthquake return period. The developed tsunami fragility curves are applied to these figures to determine the number of potentially damaged buildings. The analysis suggests that the propagation model can be used to obtain rough estimations because it provided results similar to those of the inundation model. However, material type must be considered when fragility curves are used in a different country (i.e. reinforced concrete buildings in Thailand from the 2004 tsunami and wooden houses in Japan from the 2011 East Japan tsunami).


Cryptogein is proteinaceus elicitor isolated from Phytophthora
cryptogea able to trigger a plant defense reaction. We prepared
a series of cryptogein mutants for study of interaction
cryptogein - receptor. Cryptogein mutants were tested for
ability to induce plant defense early events, i.e. synthesis of
active oxygen species, pH changes and NO production, in
suspension tobacco cells. Moreover interaction between
cryptogein or cryptogein mutants and receptor was studied by
piezoelectric biosensor. We focused on study of cryptogein
mutants with low affinity to tobacco receptor. These mutants
showed high threshold concentration in triggering production of
active oxygen species, pH changes and NO production. However
sensitivity of defense reactions was different between the
mutants. Low affinity of cryptogein mutants to receptor
indicate that mutation affect the binding site of cryptogein.
Further, by piezoelectric biosensors was characterized
interaction of cryptogein and tobacco receptor. This method is
going to be used for study of cryptogein mutants with low
elicitation activity and detail characterization of cryptogein
binding site.


The influence of tissue optical properties on laser Doppler perfusion imaging (LDPI) is not well understood. We address this problem by quantifying the dependence of the signal response to tissue optical properties based on speckles or coherence areas and on photon statistics. We investigate the effect in vivo, showing the amplitude of photocurrent fluctuations in normal skin and port-wine stain with a range of beam diameters, and its relation to the speckle size variation difference between these two tissues. For the case of a low concentration of moving particles moving within a static turbid medium, a model is described and applied to predict the influence of speckles on the overall and depth sensitivity of LDPI, for a range of scattering levels and absorption levels. The results show that the speckle related effects on overall and depth sensitivity are large and that the depth sensitivity is highly likely to be misinterpreted without taking the speckle phenomenon into account.


The Village Consultative Board (BPD) as the policy and supervisory council in the implementation of village policy performs its function to build the village, where the success of village development is the basis for the achievement of the national development objectives. Currently there are still unfinished development in Binabaru Village, the society can not fully conduct their aspirations, lack of socialization, lack of member training, and lack of coordination of the village and BPD in Binabaru Village. This study aims to know clearly about the implementation of the functions of BPD and the factors that influence it.
 The theory used is Theory Widjaja said that the village consultative institution is a council that functions as follows: assign a plan of village regulations with the headman, collecting and distributing the aspirations of the society and take supervision of the headman performance. This research uses qualitative descriptive method with observation and interview data collection techniques. The factors that affect the implementation of the function is the factor of education, coordination and socialization. Research location in Binabaru Village Kampar Kiri Tengah District Kampar District. The research informants are Village Head, Head of BPD, Secretary of BPD and Member of BPD Binabaru Village. This research uses qualitative research method with descriptive analysis by using data collection method technique, observation interview and documentation.
 The result of the research shows that the implementation of BPD function in Binabaru Village has not run maximally due to the absence of transparency from the village head to the BPD in carrying out the task and the personal problems between the two causes the obstruction of the making of Village Regulation, the absence of facilities and infrastructure such as offices and supporting equipment BPD functions such as laptops and printers because no funds are derived from the Village to build BPD offices, there is no training provided by the local government due to the unavailability of the Technology Guidance Program (BIMTEK) from the District Government.
Keywords: Implementation, Function, BPD


Background Hypertension is a long-term medical condition. Mobile health (mHealth) services can help out-of-hospital patients to self-manage. However, not all management is effective, possibly because the behavior mechanism and behavior preferences of patients with various characteristics in hypertension management were unclear. Objective The purpose of this study was to (1) explore patient multibehavior engagement trails in the pathway-based hypertension self-management, (2) discover patient behavior preference patterns, and (3) identify the characteristics of patients with different behavior preferences. Methods This study included 863 hypertensive patients who generated 295,855 use records in the mHealth app from December 28, 2016, to July 2, 2020. Markov chain was used to infer the patient multibehavior engagement trails, which contained the type, quantity, time spent, sequence, and transition probability value (TP value) of patient behavior. K-means algorithm was used to group patients by the normalized behavior preference features: the number of behavioral states that a patient performed in each trail. The pages in the app represented the behavior states. Chi-square tests, Z-test, analyses of variance, and Bonferroni multiple comparisons were conducted to characterize the patient behavior preference patterns. Results Markov chain analysis revealed 3 types of behavior transition (1-way transition, cycle transition, and self-transition) and 4 trails of patient multibehavior engagement. In perform task trail (PT-T), patients preferred to start self-management from the states of task blood pressure (BP), task drug, and task weight (TP value 0.29, 0.18, and 0.20, respectively), and spent more time on the task food state (35.87 s). Some patients entered the states of task BP and task drug (TP value 0.20, 0.25) from the reminder item state. In the result-oriented trail (RO-T), patients spent more energy on the ranking state (19.66 s) compared to the health report state (13.25 s). In the knowledge learning trail (KL-T), there was a high probability of cycle transition (TP value 0.47, 0.31) between the states of knowledge list and knowledge content. In the support acquisition trail (SA-T), there was a high probability of self-transition in the questionnaire (TP value 0.29) state. Cluster analysis discovered 3 patient behavior preference patterns: PT-T cluster, PT-T and KL-T cluster, and PT-T and SA-T cluster. There were statistically significant associations between the behavior preference pattern and gender, education level, and BP. Conclusions This study identified the dynamic, longitudinal, and multidimensional characteristics of patient behavior. Patients preferred to focus on BP, medications, and weight conditions and paid attention to BP and medications using reminders. The diet management and questionnaires were complicated and difficult to implement and record. Competitive methods such as ranking were more likely to attract patients to pay attention to their own self-management states. Female patients with lower education level and poorly controlled BP were more likely to be highly involved in hypertension health education.


This article examines the Australian forces concert tours during the War on Terror in the Middle East area of operations. From 2001 members of the Australian Defence Force were deployed to the Middle East for service in Afghanistan and later in Iraq. Following on the tradition established in earlier conflicts both by Australian and American performers, the troops were entertained by Australian artists in a series of live concert performances. Despite the prevalence of alternatives such as easily accessible online forms of entertainment and DVDs, the practice of military concert tour entertainment has survived and appears to show little sign of becoming redundant. For the troops, the experience could provide a break from routine, stress and boredom as well as an opportunity to reconnect with the world they had left behind. However, these tours were far more significant for the civilian entertainers. Performing in the Middle East could be an exhilarating and in some cases even a life changing event. Apart from being physically dangerous, it could potentially harm (or enhance) an entertainer's reputation in what was a highly politicised conflict. Most significantly, touring entertainers gained a brief experience of something unfamiliar to most in contemporary developed societies – the experience of being in a war.


Ehrlichiae are obligate intracytoplasmic Gram-negative, tick-borne bacteria belonging to the Anaplasmataceae family. Ehrlichioses are considered emerging diseases in both humans and animals. Several members of the genus Ehrlichia have been isolated and propagated in vitro. This study describes the continuous propagation of a Brazilian Ehrlichia sp. isolate in IDE8 tick cells, canine DH82 cells and bovine aorta cells. Initially, the organisms were isolated from the haemolymph of a Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus tick into IDE8 cells. Infected IDE8 cells were brought from Brazil to Germany, where the organisms were continuously propagated in IDE8, DH82 and bovine aorta cells. Bovine aorta cells were infected and propagated for 3 months, corresponding to six subcultures, whereas the other two infected cell lines were kept for more than 1 year. During the cultivation period, 36 and 14 subcultures were carried out in IDE8 and DH82 cell cultures, respectively. Reinfection of IDE8 cells with organisms grown in DH82 cells was achieved. Sequence analysis made with a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene showed that this Ehrlicha sp. is closely related to Ehrlichia canis. However, the maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree shows that it falls in a separate phylogenetic clade from E. canis.


Introduction: Fat necrosis can occur in any area rich in fatty tissue. It occurs due to aseptic saponification of the fat by lipases. The most common site of it is the breast. Case Presentation: This article reports the case of a 43-year-old woman that came into the orthopedic outpatient department with a history of two masses, one on each buttock. The patient had a history of surgical excision of adiponecrotic mass from the right knee a year back. All the three masses appeared around the same time. Ultrasonography was done to surgically excise the left gluteal mass. The histopathology of the excised mass then confirmed subcutaneous fat necrosis. Conclusion: Fat necrosis can also be found in the knee and buttocks, and that too without any definite etiology. Imaging and biopsy can help with the diagnosis. It is necessary to familiarize oneself with adiponecrosis so as to differentiate it from other grave conditions that it mimics, such as cancer.


A comparative study between two dopaminergic antagonists: metoclopramide and domperidone, was undertaken in nineteen (19) hypertensive patients at the Vargas Hospital, Caracas. The patients were pretreated with labetalol, 800-1,200 mg/day, orally, over a period of one week, after which they were divided into two groups: group A, a total of eleven patients were intravenously infused with dopamine hydrochloride 0.5-3 micrograms/kg/min, before and after treatment with metoclopramide (10 mg, i.v. as a bolus); group B (n = 8), was pretreated with domperidone, 20 mg b.i.d., p.o. over a period of one week and intravenously infused with dopamine hydrochloride, 0.5-3 micrograms/kg/min. In group A, dopamine induced a decrease of blood pressure from 171.9 +/- 6.35/103.6 +/- 3.12 to 152.7 +/- 7.55/93.8 +/- 2.97 mmHg (p < 0.001) without altering heart rate, and it increased plasma insulin levels from 8.29 +/- 0.70 microunits/ml to 12.09 +/- 1.83 microunits/ml (p < 0.01). Metoclopramide caused no changes of blood pressure or plasma insulin levels. However, hypotensive responses and plasma insulin rises due to dopamine were blocked by metoclopramide. In group B, domperidone also blocked dopamine-induced antihypertensive effect (from 170.0 +/- 9.23/102.8 +/- 3.80 to 160.2 +/- 9.84/95.5 +/- 2.50 mmHg) although it was less effective than metoclopramide. Domperidone also blocked dopamine-induced increase of plasma insulin levels from 9.65 +/- 4.50 microunits/ml to 11.78 microunits/ml. We conclude that a dopaminergic receptor may be involved in some cardiovascular responses and in modulating insulin secretion in man.


Lung cancer is characterized by its poor prognosis, aggressiveness, and proclivity for early metastasis. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) it's the most common type of lung cancer with a five-year survival rate of 18%. Most predictors of metastasis and recurrence of NSCLC rely on post-resection evaluation of tumor histology, which is a severe limitation since only 15% of the patients are diagnosed with resectable disease. Hence, there is a need to characterize biomarkers with metastasis-predicting value in pre-resection small biopsy specimens. In addition to the proclivity for metastasis, another feature of lung cancers is the inactivation of the retinoblastoma protein (Rb). The retinoblastoma protein (Rb) is a tumor suppressor inactivated due to hyper-phosphorylation in most human cancers, including NSCLC. Our preliminary data relates the Rb S249/T821 phosphorylation signature to an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a trait strongly associated to metastasis. We found that cells that have hyperphosphorylated Rb in residues S249/T821 express EMT markers such as decreased expression of E-cadherin and integrin α5 as well as increased expression of N-cadherin, Vimentin, and p-FAK. We propose to focus on the cell adhesion and migration-related kinase Cdk5 with its activator p39 as the kinase responsible for engendering the Rb S249/T821 phosphorylation signature. Our hypothesis is that Rb phosphorylation in S249 and T821 due to CDK5 activity can have prognostic value by being associated with a metastatic phenotype and EMT. Studies performed in a tissue microarray in a population of NSCLC adenocarcinoma that had undergone EMT found an up-regulation in p39 and that its expression is correlated with metastasis. Knockdown of CDK5 induced a decrease in phosphorylation of Rb S249/T821 with a decrease in E-cadherin expression. These data suggest that CDK5-dependent phosphorylation of Rb can affect cell adhesion by regulating E-cadherin. Introducing p39 into Rb hypo-phosphorylated cell line induced an increase in phosphorylation of Rb residues. Furthermore, the CDK5-p39-Rb axis might point to the explanation and prediction of the metastatic phenotype in lung cancer. Citation Format: Jaileene Perez-Morales, Darielys Mejias-Morales, Bryan Torres-Collazo, Harry Negron-Pagan, Pedro Santiago-Cardona. A Rb phosphorylation code associated with lung cancer metastasis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2845. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2845


Background Empiric vancomycin treatment is frequently used in hemodialysis (HD) patients because of ease of administration when methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is suspected. Differing rates of MRSA indicate that empiric antibiotic treatment should be based on a center-specific antibiogram. Objective To develop a center-specific antibiogram, evaluate antibiotic prescribing patterns, and determine areas of improvement in infection treatment. Methods The antibiogram was constructed from culture and susceptibility (C&S) data from January through December 1999. Evaluation of prescribing habits was based on 3 criteria: (1) Hospital Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines; (2) vancomycin for 1 dose followed by appropriate antibiotic based on C&S results; and (3) C&S obtained with more than 1 dose of antibiotic. Results HD was provided to 161 patients during the study period. Antibiotics were empirically prescribed 104 times in 62 different patients. Cultures were obtained 122 times, and 67 different isolates were identified. Gram-positive organisms and gram-negative organisms accounted for 77.6% and 22.4% of isolates, respectively. Gram-positive organisms were identified as Staphylococcus spp. (53.8%); 17.9% of the staphylococcal isolates were MRSA strains. No isolates of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus were identified. Based on the antibiogram, empiric antibiotic therapy within our center should be 1 dose each of vancomycin and an aminoglycoside. Empiric vancomycin was used 71 times. When criterion I is used, 12 prescriptions (16.9%) were considered appropriate. When criterion II and adjustment for MRSA reported for our center were used, 46 (64.8%) vancomycin prescriptions were considered appropriate. Forty-one patients had more than 1 dose of antibiotic therapy, and 18 (43.9%) of those patients did not have C&S data obtained as prescribed by criterion III. Areas of prescribing improvement include obtaining a C&S in all suspected infections prior to empiric therapy and a more aggressive antibiotic switch based on C&S results. Conclusions Antibiograms can be used to determine appropriate empric antibiotic therapy and identify areas of improvement.


INTRODUCTION :
Psoriasis is a common, genetically determined, inflammatory and proliferative
disease of the skin, the most characteristic lesions consisting of chronic, sharply
demarcated, dull red, scaly plaques, particularly on the extensor prominences and in the
scalp.
The earliest description of what appears to represent psoriasis are given at the
beginning of medicine in the Corpus Hippocraticum. Hippocrates used the terms psora
and lepra for the conditions that can be recognized as psoriasis. Willan separated two
diseases as psoriasis entities, a discoid lepra graecorum and a polycyclic confluent psora
leprosa, which later was called psoriasis. Von Hebra definitely distinguished the clinical
picture of psoriasis from that of Hansen's disease.
Psoriasis continues to be a therapeutic challenge in spite of our growing
knowledge of its pathogenesis. Various forms of treatment have been developed in the
past several decades and new regimens are constantly being tried. Narrowband
ultraviolet-B phototherapy has become an increasingly popular modality in the
treatment of psoriasis. Many studies have documented improved efficacy and
therapeutic index for narrow band UVB in comparison with conventional broad band
UVB irradiation. However the long term side effects of narrowband UVB therapy have
not been fully documented. As a result, there has been a great deal of interest in
photocombination therapies that are capable of both reducing the cumulative UVB doses
and accelerating resolution of skin lesions. Phototherapy can be combined with topical
or systemic agents. Topical agents include anthralin, vitamin D analogues, retinoids,
glucocorticoids, emollients, salt water baths and tar.
This study was designed to study the efficacy and safety of narrowband UVB and
to study the advantages and disadvantages of photo combination with a topical steroid
and topical tazarotene.
AIM OF THE STUDY :
This study was conducted in patients with chronic plaque type of psoriasis
involving less than 20% of body surface area to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
1. Narrow Band UVB,
2. Narrow Band UVB with topical betamethasone valerate,
3. Narrow Band UVB with topical tazarotene.
CONCLUSION
* Narrow Band UVB phototherapy is an effective modality of treatment in plaque
type of psoriasis.
* Narrow Band UVB is safe and well tolerated in our patients with very few side
effects.
* Combining NB-UVB phototherapy and topical betamethasone valerate confers
little advantage in treating psoriasis and appears to have no substantial effect on
the time to clearing or the mean cumulative dose.
* Combination of tazarotene and NB-UVB phototherapy is significantly more
effective than NB-UVB phototherapy alone for the treatment of psoriasis.
* The addition of tazarotene to NB-UVB therapy promotes faster clearing of
psoriasis when compared with NB-UVB monotherapy.
* The cumulative dose of NB-UVB is reduced when tazarotene is combined with it
which means a lower risk for long term complications.
* Irritation due to tazarotene is mild and combination of tazarotene with NB-UVB is well tolerated.
* Photocombination therapies can broaden the therapeutic options for the treatment of patients with psoriasis.


E-learning in the educational world has grown and changed rapidly in recent years. Both private and public sector organizations have embraced the practice of reaching their students at a distance via new technologies afforded them by Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. E-learning is grounded on technology, and without it, its practice would be difficult, if not impossible. We can see that the use of the internet and ICT are becoming an important part of learning and teaching strategies in many educational institutions. Knowing that education has always been an important engine for economic development, the Malaysian government has taken initiative steps to implement public awareness on the ICT issues. An important part of e-learning has been to contribute to the development of individual learners whatever their life circumstances. E-learning as a field of educational endeavor is at a crucial juncture in its historical development. The notion of learning at a distance has gained wide acceptance across the developed world. Instructors, physically and temporally separated from learners using newly emerging information and communication technologies, are widespread. The potential of latest technology has adopted in creating new learning environments. The rational behind this endeavor is the expectation that unique features of the Information Communication technology. It also can include a range of powerful media forms and its interactive capability that support sophisticated range and interaction in teaching. As a result, these approaches will provide a rich environment for teaching.


Knitwear has become a part of fashion since aristocratic trend-setters of Medieval Spain and France began wearing luxurious silk stockings. However, in more recent times knitwear emerged as a fashion item in the early 20th century when jersey two-piece Channel dresses became popular amongst the French upper classes. Knitwear then evolved into genuine going out clothes through Sonia Rykiel in the 1970s. Sonia Rykiel has made a great contribution to developing knitwear, which she transformed from being used only in informal dresses or clothes for home wear, to a boarder in use in high-quality dresses such as those worn at parties. Unlike most designers who tend to make very different styles each year, she has restricted her clothes to those made with knitwear. The study examined the designs and formative characteristics of her knitwear in order to clarify why Sonia Rykiel's knitwear fashion is apparently so timeless. Results showed that her garments consistently used black oriented color combination, strife patterns, intarsia techniques and application of diversified subordinate materials and other materials that overcome earlier limitations of knitwear. In addition, her designs consistently express the typically Parisian sophisticated urban femininity through practicality, sensuality and playfulness. Overall, her fashion has shown that it exists for women in action through practical design within the scope of demode, the philosophy in her early days, and it has led her to hold great power over knitwear fashion for the past 40 years.


Introduction: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) leads to non-specific abdominal discomfort and nutrient malabsorption. Currently, rifaximin is widely applied in SIBO based on its antibacterial and non-absorbable nature. Berberine is a natural component of many popular medicine plants that ameliorates intestinal inflammation in humans through its modification of the gut microbiota. Potential effect of berberine to the gut may provide therapeutic target for SIBO. We aimed to evaluate the effect of berberine compared with rifaximin on SIBO patients. Methods: This is an investigator-initiated, single-center, open-label, double-arm randomized controlled trial, termed BRIEF-SIBO (Berberine and rifaximin effects for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). In total, 180 patients will be recruited and allocated to an intervention group (berberine) and a control group (rifaximin). Each participant will receive one 400 mg drug twice a day (800 mg daily) for 2 weeks. The total follow-up period is 6 weeks from the start of medication. The primary outcome is a negative breath test. The secondary outcomes include abdominal symptom relief and alteration in gut microbiota. Efficacy assessment will be performed every 2 weeks, as well as safety assessment during the treatment. The primary hypothesis is that berberine is not inferior to rifaximin for SIBO. Discussion: The BRIEF-SIBO study is the first clinical trial assessing the eradication effects of 2 weeks of berberine treatment in SIBO patients. The effect of berberine will be fully verified by using rifaximin as the positive control. The findings of this study may have implications for the management of SIBO, especially increasing the awareness of both physicians and patients who are suffering from long-term abdominal discomfort and avoiding excessive examination.


Some SUV vehicle have a problem that water droplet is attached in wind shield at lower speed 40㎞/h-60㎞/h when the vehicle run on load with a swallow rain puddle. Why the problem is happened? Various test and theorical approach is adopted for solving the problem. Finally we find the mechanism where water droplet is generated, how they escape from the tire and bumper, at last how they are attached on wind shield. The approach angle at front of tire is the major factor tor preventing the problem. The next car that we make will obviously adapt lower approach angle at the front tire to prevent this phenomena.


Purpose – Many students associate science with negative feelings and attitudes which discourage them from continuing with science. This is supported by findings indicating a positive correlation between attitude and achievement. The learning environment is an important construct that influences students' attitude. Following the claim that attitude is important and the learning environment is the determinant of learners' attitude, in this study, an attempt is made to investigate the effects of classroom learning environment and laboratory learning environment on students' attitude towards learning science. Methodology – Survey research design was used to identify the students' perception of learning environment and attitude. A total of three sets of questionnaires on science laboratory, classroom learning and attitude towards learning science were administered to 272 (109 males and 163 females) lower secondary school students. Purposive sampling approach was used to identify the samples. Multiple linear regression was used to answer the research questions. Findings – The results show that attitude towards learning science is positively correlated with both classroom learning environment (r =.515) and science laboratory learning environment (r =.526). Both classroom learning environment and science laboratory learning environment are significant predictors of attitude. Cooperation, Equity and Investigation from the WIHIC and Integration, Material Environment and Students Cohesiveness from the SLEI are identified as significant predictors of attitude. The findings obtained from this quantitative survey suggest the presence of causal effects among the learning domains. This finding suggests that teachers should seriously consider the causal effects of the domains when designing their teaching strategies to enable the development of 21st-century skills. ABSTRACT Purpose – Many students associate science with negative feelings and attitudes which discourage them from continuing with science. This is supported by findings indicating a positive correlation between attitude and achievement. The learning environment is an important construct that influences students' attitude. Following the claim that attitude is important and the learning environment is the determinant of learners' attitude, in this study, an attempt is made to investigate the effects of classroom learning environment and laboratory learning environment on students' attitude towards learning science. Methodology – Survey research design was used to identify the students' perception of learning environment and attitude. A total of three sets of questionnaires on science laboratory, classroom learning and attitude towards learning science were administered to 272 (109 males and 163 females) lower secondary school students. Purposive sampling approach was used to identify the samples. Multiple linear regression was used to answer the research questions. Equity and Investigation from the WIHIC and Integration , Material Environment and Students Cohesiveness from the SLEI are identified as significant predictors of attitude. Significance – The findings obtained from this quantitative survey suggest the presence of causal effects among the learning domains. This finding suggests that teachers should seriously consider the causal effects of the domains when designing their teaching strategies to enable the development of 21 st -century skills.


Neurologic deficits resulting from stroke remain largely intractable, which has prompted thousands of studies aimed at developing methods for treating these neurologic sequelae. Endogenous neurogenesis is also known to occur after brain damage, including that due to cerebral infarction. Focusing on this process may provide a solution for treating neurologic deficits caused by cerebral infarction. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is known to play important roles in cell survival, and many studies have focused on use of the PI3K pathway to treat brain injury after stroke. Furthermore, since the PI3K pathway may also play key roles in the physiology of neural stem cells (NSCs), eliciting the appropriate activation of the PI3K pathway in NSCs may help to improve the sequelae of cerebral infarction. This review describes the PI3K pathway, its roles in the brain and NSCs after cerebral infarction, and the therapeutic possibility of activating the pathway to improve neurologic deficits after cerebral infarction.


It is now well documented that the gender wage gap declined substantially in the 1980s, despite rising overall wage inequality. While Blau and Kahn (JoLE 1997) attribute much of this improvement to gains in women's relative labor market experience and other observable characteristics, a substantial part of the decline in the gender wage gap remains unexplained, and may be due to reduced discrimination against women in the labor market. This paper tests the hypothesis (based on Becker 1957) that increased globalization in the 1980s forced employers to reduce costly discrimination against women and thus accounted for part of the "unexplained" improvement in the gender pay gap. ; To test this hypothesis, we calculate the change in the residual gender wage gap across industries (as well as cities) over time using CPS data from 1977 - 1994, and test the correlation between this measure and changes in import shares. The wage data are further broken down by the type of market structure in an industry, i.e. whether the industry is concentrated or competitive. Since concentrated industries face little competitive pressure to reduce discrimination, an increase in competition from increased trade should lead to a reduction in the residual gender wage gap. We use a difference-in-differences approach to compare the change in the residual gender wage gap in concentrated versus unconcentrated sectors, using the latter as a control for changes in the gender wage gap that are unrelated to competitive pressures. The findings indicate that increased competition through trade did contribute to the narrowing of the gender wage gap, suggesting that, at least in this sense, trade may benefit women relative to men.


The use of chemotherapy has led to improved treatment outcome for some pediatric patients with medulloblastoma. We have used a pre-radiation chemotherapy regimen consisting of vincristine and CDDP. The 9L gliosarcoma implanted intracranially and subcutaneously in the same animals was used as a preclinical model system to assess the efficacy of treatment combinations including: vincristine, CDDP, cyclo-phosphamide, etanidazole and radiation. The experimental endpoints were percent increase-in-lifespan, tumor growth delay and tumor cell survival. Both the tumor growth delay and percent increase-in-lifespan improved as the number of agents included in the chemotherapy regimen increased. so that the chemotherapy regimen including all four agents (ETA/VIN/CDDP/CTX) resulted in the greatest tumor growth delay (23.6 +/- 1.5 days) and the greatest increase-in-lifespan (35.8%). When radiation (20 Gray, single dose) was added to the treatment regimens the combinations of ETA/CTX/X-ray and ETA/VIN/CDDP/CTX/X-ray resulted in equivalent tumor growth delays (25.2 +/- 1.3 days and 25.8 +/- 1.7 days, respectively), while the greatest increase-in-lifespan (39.1%) was obtained with the five agent combination. The response of the 9L gliosarcoma to CDDP and cyclophosphamide over a dosage range was very similar to that of the murine FSaII fibrosarcoma. Our results indicate that etanidazole may be an effective chemosensitizer of combination chemotherapy and combined modality treatment regimens for brain tumors.


Title of dissertation: HYBRID RESILIENCE FRAMEWORK FOR SYSTEMS OF SYSTEMS INCORPORATING STAKEHOLDER PREFERENCES Roy Nelson Emanuel II Doctor of Philosophy, 2018 Dissertation directed by: Professor Bilal M. Ayyub Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering From Presidential Policy Directive 21, to professional societies national meetings, to major United Nations initiatives, stakeholders recognize the value of achieving resilient systems. The literature clamors with methods to assess resilience of systems quantitatively and qualitatively. Resilience models typically focus on system performance and the threat to the system. Few models consider the preferences of the stakeholders of the systems. This course of study identified three gaps in the literature: first, the focus on system performance without considering the preferences of stakeholders; second, lack of resilience model-to-model comparison; and third, lack of a common framework for applying resilience models across domains and systems of systems. This course of study investigated the impact of incorporating stakeholder preferences into four existing resilience models: Resilience Factor, Quotient Resilience, Total Quotient Resilience, and Integral Resilience. The incorporated stakeholder preferences were time horizon, endogenous performance preference, and intertemporal substitutability of system performance. An analysis of the resultant eight illustrative models showed the models' comparative sensitivity to changes in system performance and stakeholder preferences using four fundamental system performance and stakeholder preference models. A deterministic system dynamics model of a city's critical infrastructure provided inputs to the eight models for an initial case study. The first phase identifies three stakeholder preference profiles for the water delivery infrastructure. The second phase assesses the impact of electrical outages on seven other critical infrastructures. The results of the sensitivity analysis and the initial case study led to selection of the Extended Integral Resilience model for additional demonstrations. Stochastic inputs for the system dynamics model showed a range of resilience outcomes for each stakeholders' infrastructure for five courses of action. The hybrid resilience model used Department of Energy reports on Puerto Rico's recovery from Hurricane Maria to generate a resilience value. A discrete event simulation of a fleet of aircraft used to train aviators provided the basis for the second set of case studies. The study considered the points of view of the Squadron Commanders which were limited to three year increments, and the program manager which considered a thirty-five year time horizon. The functional outputs of the model were graduates per quarter, aircraft ready to fly each day, and satisfied graduates per quarter. The case study introduced and demonstrated an event and time dependent intertemporal substitutability algorithm to be defined by the stakeholder. HYBRID RESILIENCE FRAMEWORK FOR SYSTEMS OF SYSTEMS INCORPORATING STAKEHOLDER PREFERENCES


In this paper, a switching median filter incorporated with an iterative clustering based noise detection algorithm that effectively restores images corrupted with impulse noise is proposed to improve the performance of switching based median filters. The proposed filter mechanism involves a noise detection algorithm for image restoration that detects corrupted pixels by classifying the pixels into three pixel clusters iteratively. If the pixel in consideration falls under the middle cluster in the last iteration, the pixel is classified as uncorrupted otherwise it is detected as corrupted. Corrupted pixels go through median filtering leading to restoration of the noisy image effectively while uncorrupted pixels remain unperturbed. Experimental results show that the proposed filter provides appreciable quality restored images preserving important details of the image.


The construction market of super-high-rise buildings and long-span bridges has recognized unprecedented expansion owing to the development of high performance and high strength materials and the advances achieved in the design and construction technologies. In parallel to the lengthening and enlargement in scale of the structures, securing quality control technology of concrete while reducing the construction duration using improved construction methods emerges as a critical problem for concrete structures. In the erection of concrete pylons, slip forming represents the latest method offering the advantage of reducing drastically the construction duration compared to other methods by adopting automated slip-up of the forms and enabling 24-hour continuous placing. This study determines the slip-up time of the slip form by evaluating the early strength through the surface wave velocity and develops lightweight GFRP form in order to secure the quality of concrete during the slip form erection of pylons. A slip form system is fabricated and mockup test is conducted to verify the performances of the developed techniques through the construction of 10 m-high pylon with a hollow section.


During the end of life care of patients with cancer, hospital beds are often introduced into the home setting. The impact of this intervention is not known. Clinical experience of the phenomena indicates that two components may be relevant in this scenario - the preference for home care and the meaning of home. A review of related literature revealed that there is a high preference for being at home at the end of life and that 'home' has multiple meanings for people such as familiarity, control and biography. The meaning of home has implications for community nursing practice.


The studied area is a part of the Arabian plate located within the High Folded Zone of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt in northeastern Iraq (Kurdistan Region). The Study area deals with the Shakrok Anticlines is located between Safin Mountain and Sork Mountain. These structures are formed during the Alpine Orogeny in Cretaceous-Tertiary period. Generally, the folded structures are trending NW-SE direction which is parallel to the main Zagros Orogenic trends. The exposed stratigraphic succession of the studied area that represented by 4 formations deposited from the Early Cretaceous which are Shiranish, Aqrah, Bekhme and Qamchuqa formations. Shakrok Anticline are asymmetrical, double plunging and verging toward northeast. This establishes that Merawa is a Tertiary continuation part of Cretaceous Shakrok Anticline, but there is a deflection in the direction of the fold axis that affected the Merawa Anticline due to the effect of strike slip fault addition to Lineament. Shakrok Anticline with Cretaceous successions formed due to the effect of Cretaceous and Tertiary folding phases. But Merawa Anticline with Tertiary succession that formed due to the effect of Tertiary folding phases. The high stress and intensity of the major fault on the southwestern limb rotated and overturned Tertiary successions and changed its dip toward NE. The differences in fold geometry, fold axis, axial surface, and curvilinear hinge imply that the structure formed as a result of two folding phases & lateral growth of folds that developed by changing the direction of the compressional tectonic processes due to Alpine Orogene of Zagros. The fold axis of Shakrok Anticline rotated 16 o in anticlockwise trend from Merawa to Sork anticlines. Because of anticlockwise rotation of the Arabian plate due to its collision with Iranian and


In this dissertation, I study how war memories are translated via digital games, and how they circulate within the realm of digital culture. Rather than considering the game or the mnemonic aspects in isolation, the study of the intersection between war memory and game culture entails an engagement with the messy and intermingled connectedness of the phenomenon as a network. My approach is to follow these translations as they travel – a game is designed, a game is played, a game is recorded, a recorded gameplay is shared, and finally, a game is played. This dissertation consists of four articles, with each its own focus. In article one, I describe how game developers translate cultural memory into morally complex gameplay. In article two, I describe the role of YouTube video producers and their role in circulating war memories. In article three, I describe the Yugoslav War discourses emerging in game publics on YouTube. Lastly, in article four, I describe how post-war Bosnian youth remember intergenerational memory via digital games. In the research, I describe the translation and circulation of war memory in game culture as "ludic memory networks." Ludic memory networks draw our attention to the role of play and playful interaction in the process of memory-making. These practices have important implications for post-war individuals, who identify, interpret and share mnemonic game content across digital media platforms. As suggested in the vignettes, rather than being a neatly ordered phenomenon, a ludic memory network is inherently "fuzzy" and "messy". On the one hand, the global industry of games erodes scales such as global, national and local, and transforms cultural memory to fit wider audiences. The ludic aspect draws attention to the ways in which interactions of cultural memory are not only context dependent, but also provide room for social practices that offer possibilities for (ludic) identification based on a shared interest in games. On the other hand, remembrance is still territorially bound, as war memory is strategically used by young post- war states still defining their national narratives. Platforms play a central role in ludic networks, the interconnectedness of which affords interactions that inform what content circulates and how this content appears to users. The question that therefore arises is: How does war memory travel through a ludic network? The concepts of translation and circulation serve as key concepts to understand the dynamics of ludic memory networks. The work that translations do, consists of taking otherwise mundane practices and transforming them into accidental and serendipitous moments of remembrance. Closely linked to processes of translation are processes of circulation – a linkage that inevitably raises questions about the practices and activities central to how memories traverse geographies and cultures. Transcultural memory draws attention away from static sites, such as monuments or museums, and focuses on the movement of memory instead of a static attention to culture. Specific user practices such as Let's Play videos on YouTube, play a key role in the circulation of memory.


We present an approach to decomposing branching volume data into sub-branches. First, a metric is proposed for evaluating local convexities in volumetric data, and it is a criterion for global selection of tip points. Second, a multi-path growing strategy is adopted to segment the volumes based on a DFS transformation starting from the tips. Experiments show that this approach is capable of generating desirable components and reasonable segmentation boundaries of a volume.


The light-emitting diode (LED) is the major source of nonlinearity in LED communications, and the nonlinearity needs to be effectively modeled and mitigated to avoid the degradation of communication performance. In indoor LED communications, multipath dispersion can lead to inter-symbol interference (ISI) at high data rates. In this paper, we jointly estimate the LED nonlinearity and ISI channel based on an orthogonal polynomial based technique. Then, frequency domain equalization and post-distortion are adopted to mitigate the ISI and nonlinearity. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.


This study explores the factor structure of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) in both clinical and general normative groups. It also examines the factorial invariance of a one-factor proposed model in both groups. Data was collected from the overall database of a Portuguese Cognitive and Behavioral Research Center ( N= 687, 425 females; mean age= 36 years; SD = 11.33). ConArmatory Factor Analysis supported a one-factor structure with good internal consistencies and construct related validity. The one-factor solution was also supported with a second independent data set, which showed a conAgural, strict measurement and structural invariance of the one-factor solution proposed. Multigroup ConArmatory Factorial Analysis showed the conAgural invariance, weak measurement invariance and also structural invariance of the one-factor model of Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II across both groups under study. The one-factor model have both similar meanings and the same structure, but the measurement model in clinical and nonclinical groups was not the same. Toxic inAuences of experiencial avoidance as a core mechanism in the development and maintenance of several clinical disorders, may explain why the AAQ-II does not operate equivalently across clinical and nonclinical groups.


Samlal RAK, van der Velden J, van Eerden T, Schilthuis MS, Gonzalez Gonzalez D, Lammes FB. Recurrent cervical carcinoma after radical hysterectomy: an analysis of clinical aspects and prognosis. Int J Gynecol Cancer 1998; 8: 78-84. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical aspects and prognosis of patients with tumor recurrence in surgically treated stage IB and IIA cervical carcinoma patients. Two hundred and seventy-one stage IB and IIA cervical carcinoma patients underwent a Wertheim Okabayashi radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy. The median follow-up time was 60 months. Recurrence occurred in 27 patients (10%): 14 had a pelvic recurrence and 13, and extrapelvic recurrence. The site of recurrence was influenced by various pathological factors as well as by the primary treatment mode. 77% of recurrences were detected within three years after primary treatment. The median recurrence-free interval in patients with a pelvic recurrence was significantly shorter than in patients with an extrapelvic recurrence (14 months vs. 17 months, P = 0.03). The mortality rate of the group of patients with recurrent disease was 85% (23/27). Patients with a pelvic central recurrence had a significantly better outcome than did patients whose recurrences were located at the pelvic sidewall. Two patients with a pulmonary recurrence were treated with surgery and show no evidence of disease after 4 and 8 years respectively, of follow-up. The overall detection rate of recurrent disease by routine follow-up was only 36%. However, asymptomatic patients had a significantly better prognosis when compared with symptomatic patients. Therefore, we recommend frequent follow-up visits during the first 3 years after primary treatment to detect recurrence in an early stage.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and preliminary effect size on the main outcome measure (weight gain) of family-based treatment (FBT) for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) and their families delivered via a Telehealth platform (i.e., an HIPAA compliant videoconferencing format).

METHOD
Ten adolescents, mean age of 16.08 years (SD = 1.99), meeting DSM-5 criteria for AN or atypical AN, were enrolled in the study and offered FBT via a Telehealth platform. Feasibility and acceptability were evaluated by rates of recruitment and retention. Treatment outcome was determined utilizing percent median body mass index (%mBMI), the eating disorder examination (EDE), and measures for depression and self-esteem.

RESULTS
Recruitment target was achieved within allotted time, and all participants were retained for the course of treatment. Percent mBMI improved significantly from baseline to the end-of-treatment (p = .013) and from baseline to the 6-month follow-up (p = .032). Similar results were achieved for the EDE Global Score (p = .002 and .001, respectively).

DISCUSSION
These findings provide preliminary evidence that it is feasible to deliver FBT via Telehealth and that satisfactory clinical outcomes are achievable.


This paper proposes a new approach to damage detection of nano-SiO2 concrete-filled glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) tube column using piezoceramic transducers. Stress waves are emitted and received by a pair of piezoceramic transducers embedded in the concrete-filled GFRP tube, and the energy and damage indices at different levels of loading in the tube are obtained by wavelet packet to evaluate the damage degree of GFRP tube nano-SiO2 concrete column. Through the experimental studies, the effects of different nano-SiO2 contents, concrete grades, and superplasticizer on the damage were analyzed to gain load–displacement curves, load–energy index curves, and load–damage index curves. The results show that the wave method can be adopted to monitor the damage of GFRP tube nano-SiO2 concrete column. The specimens with 3% nano-SiO2 content have the smallest energy change rate, indicating that adding 3% nano-SiO2 content into concrete can effectively delay the development of damage. After the addition of superplasticizer, with the increase in the strength grade of concrete, the cracks in the specimen tend to develop slowly, and therefore the specimens have a stronger resistance to damage. The damage of the specimens with the nano-SiO2 content of 1% appeared the latest, while the damage without the nano-SiO2 specimen appeared the fastest. The experimental results show that this method can better monitor the damage of the Nano-SiO2 concrete in the glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) tube.


ABSTRACT In this article we propose looking into some factors for Civic Participation and the intention to continue to participate among local (Study I) and immigrant (Study II) young people living in Belgium and Germany. In Study I, 1,079 young people (Mage = 19.23, 44.9% males) completed a self-report questionnaire asking about their Civic Participation. Multiple linear regressions reveal (a) evidence of a pool of variables significantly linked to Civic Participation: Institutional Trust, Collective-Efficacy, Parents' and Peers' Support, Political Interest, Motivations and (b) that Civic Participation, along with the mediation of the Participation's Efficacy, explains the Intention to Continue to Participate. An explanatory model was constructed on participation and the Intention to Continue to Participate on behalf of the native youth. This model is invariant between the two countries. In Study II, 276 young Turkish immigrants (Mage = 20.80, 49.3% males) recruited in Belgium and Germany filled out the same questionnaire as in Study I. The same analysis was conducted as for Study I, and they provided the same results as the native group, highlighting the invariance of the model between natives and immigrants. Applicative repercussions are discussed.


In addition to increasing the mortality among older adults, spousal death (SD) increases their risk of depression. This study explored the factors affecting depression among widowed older adults to provide health care strategies for successful aging. A total of 710 adults older than 60 years completed a questionnaire before and after their spouses' deaths. The survey data included age, sex, ethnic group, education level, financial station socioeconomic status, SD (including time point), smoking status, alcohol consumption, self-rated health status, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score, mobility, and degree of support from relatives and friends. The proportion of participants with depression after SD was 1.7 times that of before SD (p < 0.0001). Worsened mobility (odds ratio [OR] = 1.3, p < 0.01), low self-rated health status (OR = 0.5, p < 0.01), and a high degree of support from relatives and friends (OR = 1.5, p < 0.01) had a significant positive correlation with depression after SD. The proportion of depression that occurred within 6 months after SD was 6.0 times higher than that of depression before SD. Participants who lived alone after losing their spouses who were healthy before their deaths exhibited a significantly increased proportion of depression after their spouses' deaths. Male sex, spouse's health, and the period of 6 months after SD are risk factors for depression in older adults. The maintenance of mobility, positive self-rated health status, and a shorter period of depression after a spouse's death result in more favorable adaptability among women. Social workers or family members should focus on older adults whose spouses died unexpectedly or within the last 6 months. Living with family members after SD can alleviate depression in older adults.


The pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin, after administration of single oral doses of 100, 250, 500, and 1,000 mg, and an intravenous dose of 100 mg, were determined in 12 healthy volunteers (six women and six men). Serum concentrations were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography, and urine samples were assayed microbiologically. The peak serum concentrations and the total areas under the serum concentration curves increased in proportion to the size of the oral dose. The pharmacokinetics of ciprofloxacin were described by a dose-independent linear relationship. The apparent oral bioavailability was 85 percent, based on comparison of the total areas under the serum concentration curves of the 100-mg dose. The serum concentrations during steady state were not significantly higher than after the first dose. The serum half-life ranged from 3.0 to 3.4 hours after the oral doses, and was 2.9 hours after the intravenous dose. The elimination-phase apparent distribution volume coefficient, delta d,area, was 2.76 liters/kg, and the total body clearance was 42.0 liters/hour. The 24-hour urinary excretion was 42.2 +/- 15.6 percent after the 100-mg intravenous dose and 42.5 +/- 17.6 percent after the 500-mg twice-daily oral dose during steady state.


In the era of standard-based education which is marked by the reforms in many areas of education including curriculum, it is necessary to understand how Indonesian EFL teachers coped with curricular change in the course of their profession. This study attempts to discover how EFL teachers in Indonesia perceive the curricular changes through their beliefs, attitudes, and practices. Employing an on-line survey combined with semi-structured individual interviews, the qualitative study began with mapping EFL teachers' generic perceptions towards curricular change. The initial map was then used to probe major emergent themes through individual interviews on purposively selected participants. The result showed that: (1) teachers' belief was perceived to reshape through adequate socialization and training. (2), it took time to witness teachers' belief formation and eventually attitudinal change, and (3) as their beliefs and practices were reshaped, teachers' practice was highly likely to change moreover when improvement in learning gains were achieved by the students. However, the latter is often dismayed by the implementation of high-stakes testing (The National Examinations). This article is closed with relevant recommendations based on the particular findings.
Keywords: Curricular change, teacher belief, teacher practice, qualitative


Automatic control systems with sophisticated control algorithm can be very large and complex. In order to improve the automatic process control, it is important to develop fault diagnosis strategy. A hierarchical scheme of fault detection and isolation based on decision support system (DSS) is presented. For fault diagnosis, a knowledge based procedure is required. In addition to analytic symptoms, heuristic information have to be taken into account. A pattern recognition method, a unified representation of all symptoms, and a fuzzy expert system are integrated in the diagnostic tool. This approach is applied to sensor fault detection in a chemical plant, and compared with different methods.


The fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a new biomarker of mitochondrial diseases (MD). FGF21 concentration may be used to define the severity of mitochondrial disease. Aim of the study The study objective was to verify if the FGF21 concentration in paediatric patients with MD was correlated with the disease severity and stage and to assess the correlation between FGF21 levels and the genetic background of MD. Material and methods The disease stage in MD subjects was determined on the basis of the International Paediatric Mitochondrial Disease Scale (IPMDS) and the concentrations of FGF21, lactic and pyruvic acids, alanine and creatine kinase in serum were assessed in those patients. Results The median age of children with MD (n = 32) was 33 months (range: 2–213), in the control group (n = 21) the median age was 42 months (range: 8–202). The concentrations of FGF21, lactic acid and pyruvic acid were higher in MD patients than in the control group. No correlation between the disease severity (IPMDS) and serum FGF21 concentration was found. The FGF21 concentration was higher in patients whose MD resulted from nuclear gene damage (nDNA), median FGF21 = 1022 (84–8873) pg/ml, than in patients with MD resulting from mitochondrial damage (mtDNA), median FGF21 = 736 (188–2906) pg/ml, or with an abnormal variant in the PDHA1 gene, median FGF21 = 58 (25–637) pg/ml. Conclusions There is no correlation between the stage of MD and FGF21 level. Higher FGF21 values are seen in patients whose MD results from an abnormal nDNA variant rather than mtDNA damage.


This paper proposes a vector control method for the synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) which selects appropriate stator d,q-axis current component combination (flux current, torque current) so that the influence of iron core loss on the developed torque can be minimized in torque control. A coupled finite element analysis and Preisach's modeling for SynRM is presented to verify the propriety of the proposed method and a characteristics analysis is performed under the effects of saturation and iron loss. Both computer simulation and experimental results show the propriety of the proposed method.


Birch pollen and mugwort pollen allergies are often associated with hypersensitivity to plant foods. This clinical and serological cross‐reactivity is mediated by IgE antibodies reacting with homologous proteins in pollen and food. Cross‐reacting homologs of the important birch pollen allergen Bet v  2 (profilin) could be detected in other pollen, fruits, nuts, and vegetables, such as celery tuber. We purified IgG/IgE antibodies from the serum of an exclusively profilin‐allergic patient using affinity columns either coupled with protein extracts from mugwort pollen, birch pollen, or celery tuber. Constrained and unconstrained random nonapeptide libraries were pooled and screened with the anti‐profilin antibody preparations to define cross‐reactive ligands. Specific ligands were enriched by successive panning rounds using the profilin‐specific antibodies in series. After the last panning round enriched phage clones were screened with purified profilin‐specific antibodies and IgE‐binding clones were sequenced. Five out of eight positive clones (62.5 %) displayed the same circular peptide CAISGGYPVC. This peptide was synthesized and examined for its ability to inhibit IgE binding to blotted mugwort pollen, birch pollen, or celery tuber profilin. Inhibition studies showed reduction of IgE binding to profilins in all three protein extracts. As the sequence of the mimotope did not show any homology to the known birch profilin sequence this peptide is considered to mimic a common conformational IgE epitope for these examined profilins.


The design of a plenoptic camera requires the combination of two dissimilar optical systems, namely a main lens and an array of microlenses. And while the construction process of a conventional camera is mainly concerned with focusing the image onto a single plane, in the case of plenoptic cameras there can be additional requirements such as a predefined depth of field or a desired range of disparities in neighboring microlens images. Due to this complexity, the manual creation of multiple plenoptic camera setups is often a time-consuming task. In this work we assume a simulation framework as well as the main lens data given and present a method to calculate the remaining aperture, sensor and microlens array parameters under different sets of constraints. Our ray tracing-based approach is shown to result in models outperforming their pendants generated with the commonly used paraxial approximations in terms of image quality, while still meeting the desired constraints. Both the implementation and evaluation setup including 30 plenoptic camera designs are made publicly available.


Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) campaign on breastfeeding as the best source of nourishment for new-born and young children has contributed to increase public's concern about the practice. Furthermore, several medical studies showed the benefit of breastfeeding on children's cognitive function, including language development. However, most of the language assessment tools used in such studies had limited ability in identifying children's language delay. Language Development Survey (LDS), as a recently developed assessment tool, is expected to provide more detailed information in the area especially related to treatment strategy purposes. This study was aimed to examine the association between breastfeeding duration and children's LDS score. Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data from 286 breastfeeding mothers with children aged 18-35 months old. Children with delayed growth were excluded from the study. Data on breastfeeding duration (BF) and subjects' characteristics were obtained using a questionnaire. Mother's Body mass index (BMI) and children's weight-for-age were measured as proxies for nutritional status. The LDS-word checklist was administered to assess children's vocabulary and phrase development. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association. Results: The findings revealed that 158 children (55.2%) were breastfed for more than 18 months (BF > 18 mos), 78 children (27%) for 7-18 months (BF 7-18 mos) and 50 children (17.5%) for 6 months or less (BF B 6 mos). Language delays were detected in 91 (31.8%) children (scores on LDS-vocabulary) and in 51 (35.7%) children (scores on LDS-phrase). Breastfeeding duration did not associate with the occurrence of language delay based either on LDS-vocabulary or on LDS-phrase score criteria. In comparison with BF a 6 mos, BF 7-18 mos had adjusted OR (aOR) for language delay of 0.86 (0.30 to 2.47, p 0.79) based on vocabulary score and aOR 0.8 (0.18 to 3.55, p 0.78) based on phrase score, while > 18 months had aOR of 0.57 (0.23 to 1.42, p 0.23) and aOR 0.46 (0.14 to 1.67, p 0.25), respectively. Conclusion: Breastfeeding duration was not associated with the occurrence of language delay. This observation merits further investigations on duration in each breastfeeding time and prospective studies to investigate its association with children language development.


Static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) is used in power system for better voltage control. The control should be possible using closed loop as well as open loop control. The closed loop control keeps precise voltage on the system during load variations. The Proportionate integrate derivative (PID) regulator used in closed loop is very significant for better control. The PID performance depends on its tuning parameters. This paper presents the PID parameters tuning using pole placement and fuzzy method .The transient and steady state response of PID is compared with these two methods. Similarly the STATCOM analysis in open loop using load flow and its control of voltage on the system is also present in this paper. Some times open loop control prefers to closed loop due to frequent load changes, unbalanced loads, time lag, fault constraints, etc.


The Dutch Draught horse is a rare Dutch horse breed. To conserve rare breeds, it is of great importance to monitor population size and increase in inbreeding and kinship in a population. When screening the Dutch Draught horse population, it turned out that inbreeding (and potential consequences) should be controlled by the studbook (KVTH) with participation of breeders. During the most recent generation (2010-2017) fewer foals were born annually compared to the generation before. Also, the percentage of foals that is used in breeding at a later age decreased steadily. At the same time there is a considerable increase in the kinship between horses that are used in breeding. The increase in inbreeding passes the FAO threshold of 0.5% per generation. In light of the increase in kinship, we expect that the increase in inbreeding will even be higher in the future. Screening the population clearly showed that genetic management is needed to be able to better control inbreeding (and potential accompanying consequences). It is possible to drastically reduce the inbreeding increase through genetic management.


| The objective of this research was to establish mean values covered for the six-minute walk test in healthy children in Northern Brazil. This was an experimental, randomized, blind and cross-sectional study that evaluated 63 healthy male and female children, aged 10 to 12 years, who after having their anthropometric data recorded were trained and instructed to perform the test as recommended by the American Thoracic Society, after standard assessment. The test was carried out on a straight track of 30 meters, with markings every 3 meters and cones indicating where the return should be made for the test continuity. At the end, the pre-test evaluation was redone. Very low body mass index was observed in 11-year-old boys, and normal in other age groups. The post-test immediate heart rate was significantly elevated in all groups (p<0.001), while all other cardiovascular data collected did not change. The distances covered were significantly lower than those predicted by the standard equation for all groups and sexes (p<0.0001). The average value found in girls was 436.30±56.74m and 460.80±63.90m in boys, while the general average was 445.70±54.10m, below the expected values for the sample. The result obtained by the studied group, less than the expected average, can be credited to the regional phenotype, but the Development Index much lower than the Brazilian average should have its influence better studied. The findings are expected to contribute to the establishment of reference values for the test in children from northern Brazil.


Owing to the inherently heterogeneous microstructure of constituent elements and the random orientation of fiber mats, initiation of local fracture in chopped-mat fiber composite materials is statistical in nature. An analytical approach is presented in this paper for studying the fracture initiation. The study is formulated on the basis of the statistical failure theory and fundamental concept of mechanics of fracture for brittle fiber composites. The heterogeneity of chopped fiber mats with random orientations and the effect of biaxial thermomechanical stress are incorporated into the Weibull strength theory. A computer simulation procedure with the aid of a numerical stress analysis is introduced. Estimation of the location of fracture initiation in a statistical sense is conducted for the disk-type chopped-mat fiber composite. Selected results are presented to illustrate the fundamental nature of the statistical fracture initiation behavior in this class of composite material.


The ground and lowest-lying singlet excited state geometries and dipole moments of trans-4-N,N-dimethylamino- 4'-nitro-stilbene (DNS) derivative and the trans-4-N,N-dimethyl-amino-4'-cyanostilbene (DCS) derivative are calculated at the B3LYP level of theory for the first time in this work. The vertical excitation energies and the fluorescence emission energies are obtained for the two species. The calculated results are compared with available experimental results and show good consistency. The molecular orbital analyses in these molecules have been performed. The comparison of the atomic charge distributions in the ground and excited states of both the DNS derivative and DCS derivative implies the intra molecular charge transfer (ICT) process during the excitation period.


GENOMIC SELECTION FOR SEED OIL CONCENTRATION IN BI-PARENTAL SOYBEAN POPULATIONS DERIVED FROM PARENTS CARRYING THE DP-305423-1 TRANSGENE FOR HIGH OLEIC ACID IN THE SEED Joel Hemingway Advisor: University of Guelph, 2019 Professor I. Rajcan Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) oil is an economically important commodity worldwide with many uses. High levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids cause oxidative instability of the oil; however, the DP-3054231-1 transgene confers elevated oleic acid concentrations resulting in oil with increased oxidative stability. The first objective of this thesis was to study the effects of the DP-305423-1 transgene on agronomic and seed traits across multiple genetic backgrounds and environments. An equal number of high oleic (HO) and normal oleic (NO) BC1F4:F6 progeny from four unique populations were grown at four locations in Southern Ontario and two in Northern Iowa. Overall, the difference in mean yield between the HO and NO progeny varied across populations and locations and the HO progeny consistently had lower mean oil concentration and greater mean protein concentration. Differences in 100-seed weight were not consistent across populations or locations. Genomic selection (GS) has been shown to be a valuable tool for performing selection on complex quantitative traits, such as seed oil concentration in soybean. The second objective of the thesis was to evaluate multiple GS models for seed oil concentration using a low-density marker panel in bi-parental, high oleic soybean populations and compare prediction accuracies of six unique training populations (TPs). Prediction accuracy was calculated as the Pearson correlation coefficient between the predicted value of an individual and the 'true' phenotypic value, as determined through multi location field testing. Genomic best linear unbiased predictor (GBLUP) produced the greatest predictability across all populations and training sets, compared to BayesA and BayesB, which had similar predictive ability across populations. Generally, TPs consisting of more individuals had greater predictability; however, variations were observed across populations and models. TPs consisting of individuals from a single location had greater predictability of all genotypes than training populations of equal size comprised of individuals from both locations, indicating potential influence of marker x environment effects across training environments. These results show that genomic selection using a low marker density can be a valuable tool for increasing oil concentration in biparental high oleic, low linolenic soybeans populations.


Metrological data from sample surfaces can be obtained by using a variety of profilometry methods. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), which relies on contact inter-atomic forces to extract topographical images of a sample, is one such method that can be used on a wide range of surface types, with possible nanometer range resolution. However, AFM images are commonly distorted by convolution, which reduces metrological accuracy. This type of distortion is more significant when the sample surface contains high aspect ratio features such as lines, steps or sharp edges - structures commonly found in semiconductor devices and applications. Aiming at mitigating these distortions and recovering metrology soundness, we introduce a novel image deconvolution scheme based on the principle of stereo imaging. Multiple images of a sample, taken at different angles, allow for separation of convolution artifacts from true topographic data. As a result, perfect sample reconstruction and probe shape estimation can be achieved in certain cases. Additionally, shadow zones, which are areas of the sample that cannot be probed by the AFM, are greatly reduced. Most importantly, this technique does not require a priori probe characterization. It also reduces the need for slender or sharper probes, which, on one hand, induce less convolution distortion but, on the other hand, are more prone to wear and damage, thus decreasing overall system reliability.


A relatively new trend in Critical Infrastructures (e.g., power plants, nuclear plants, energy grids, etc.) is the massive migration from the classic model of isolated systems, to a system-of-systems model, where these infrastructures are intensifying their interconnections through Information and Communications Technology (ICT) means. The ICT core of these industrial installations is known as Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA). Traditional ICT security countermeasures (e.g., classic firewalls, anti-viruses and IDSs) fail in providing a complete protection to these systems since their needs are different from those of traditional ICT. This paper presents an innovative approach to Intrusion Detection in SCADA systems based on the concept of Critical State Analysis and State Proximity. The theoretical framework is supported by tests conducted with an Intrusion Detection System prototype implementing the proposed detection approach.


This study aims to describe ability, results percentage, difficulties faced, and how to overcome students' difficulties in writing description compositions seen from the aspects of content, organization, effective sentence mastery, vocabulary, and mechanics in class XI AP1 SMK Batik 2 Surakarta. This study is a descriptive qualitative using a case study approach. The sampling technique used in this study is purposive sampling. The data sources in this study are documents (students' description composition) and informants (teachers and students). Data collection techniques are carried out by document analysis and in-depth interviews. Data validity is done by data triangulation techniques, theories, and informant reviews. Data analysis techniques use interactive models, namely data collection, data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing. The results of the study are as follows. The ability results to be included in the category pretty good with vulnerable grades of 61-75. Furthermore, the results percentage of each aspect included the content aspect of 19%, the organizational aspect of 22%, the effective sentence mastery aspect by 16%, the vocabulary aspect by 24%, and the mechanical aspect by 19%. The influence of the writing description composition ability is caused by the difficulties faced by students in writing, namely: difficult to express ideas, difficult to develop sentences, difficult to determine good and right spelling, and difficult to concentrate. The solutions are: create an outline, look for sources of inspiration, use the enhanced spelling handbook, and more time to study (writing practice).


We propose a wavelet-based spectral density estimation method for characterizing pulse rate variability of short duration oscillometric blood pressure signals produced by a digital blood pressure monitor during routine measurements. To validate our wavelet metric we compare its performance with other techniques by studying correlations of pulse rate variability with age and mean arterial pressure. Our results indicate that the proposed wavelet metric offers a superior and accurate characterization of variability of short duration oscillometric blood pressure signals.