Among the screening tests for cervical cancer, advantages of screening with second generation molecular Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) test is the high sensitivity and negative predictive value that makes it easy to implement as a cervical cancer screening policy necessitating less screening rounds. High income countries are now implementing HC2 test in their national cervical cancer screening program. Since the acceptance of any screening test depends on the sensitivity of the test, the current study was carried out to evaluate the sensitivity of HC2 test reported from Low- and Middle-income countries (LMIC) which share major burden of cervical cancer globally and to establish if HC2 test could be used as a primary screening test in India. Materials and methods: The population based cross sectional studies from LMICs which evaluated HC2 test as a primary screening modality to diagnose Cervical intraepithelial neoplasm grade 2 and above (CIN2+) lesions were included. Results: A total of 18 studies from LMIC involving 1,13,086 women were reviewed for sensitivity of HC2 as a primary screening test. The overall average sensitivity and specificity to diagnose CIN2+ lesions were 79.84% (95% CI-71.01,86.73) and 85.63% (95% CI- 84.37,86.92) respectively. India demonstrated an average sensitivity and specificity of 65% (95% CI 57,77) and 93% (95% CI- 92,94) respectively. Conclusion: Results from LMIC demonstrate a comparably low sensitivity of HC2 test to diagnose CIN2+ lesions as compared to that reported from High income countries. Sensitivity of HC2 was substantially low for India. The current study discusses issues of HC2 assay and the role of untreated Reproductive tract infections as probable causes for low sensitivity of the test. This needs further research in an attempt to improve the sensitivity of the test in an era of self-sampling and low-cost HPV test on horizon to improve the coverage for cervical cancer.


The practice of using green manure for ecological restoration has grown so significantly that there is a shortage of seeds for purchase on the market. Nonetheless, there is very little literature available demonstrating the effects and benefits commonly cited for green manure for addressing important environmental filters, as herbivorous and invasive grasses. Our objective is to determine which spatial sowing arrangement including green manure promotes the lowest rates of herbivory on native species and decreases cover by invasive grasses in ecological restoration. We experimentally tested three sowing configurations of green manure intercropping with native species: (T1) mixture of native and green manure species in the same row, (T2) alternating rows of green manure and native species, and (T3) rows of native species intercropped with a 2 m wide strip of green manure. We found that: (1) green manure species experience greater damage from herbivory than do native, average value ranging from 1,8 times higher values in green manure than natives in T1, 2,9 times in T2, until 2,7 times in T3; when sown in rows and in broader strips, green manure and native species attract more herbivorous insects than if they were sown together (muvuca); and, (2) When green manure and native species are planted mixed in the same row they produce greater soil cover, and thus limit invasion by undesired species. The use of green manure has been identified as an alternative method for overcoming the environmental filters of herbivory and invasive grasses in restoration areas. Considering the demand for information that supports the use of green manure for purposes of ecological restoration, the novel results of the present study fill a void and should prove to be of great interest to researchers and practitioners. In addition, the presented results provide information on efficient and low-cost restoration techniques that are necessary for the activity to gain scale, enabling countries to meet the large restoration targets.


The distinct differences in CD1d/NKT lipid presentation systems in humans and mice largely account for the minimal success of Natural Killer T (NKT) cell-based anti-tumor clinical trials in humans, contrasting their strong anti-tumor effects in conventional mouse models. We aim to humanize mice at the molecular level to better model human CD1d/NKT lipid presentation in vivo. Previously, we reported a novel human CD1d knock-in (hCD1d-KI) mouse, which contain a human-like abundance of iNKT cells yet possess potent anti-tumor immunity by the iNKT cells (Proc. Natl. Acad. Aci. USA 110: 2963-8, 2013). To further humanize the CD1d/NKT lipid presentation system, we have introduced the human Vα24 TCR transgene into the KI mice. These mice have comparable numbers of iNKT cells in thymus and spleen, but significant reduced numbers in liver comparing to Vα24Tg mice. These iNKT cells predominantly express mouse Vβ8 TCR, the homolog of human Vβ11, with reduced CD4 expression. Importantly, we detected in these mice a unique population of CD8+ iNKT cells, which exist in human, but not in wild type mice. Bone marrow transfer experiments suggested that CD8+ iNKT cells are hCD1d-dependent. These CD8+ iNKT cells produce cytokines upon activation and are cytotoxic to B16 melanoma cells in vitro. The hCD1d KI-Vα24Tg mice will allow more accurate in vivo modeling of the human CD1d lipid presentation to human iNKT cells and will facilitate the preclinical assessment of iNKT cell-based therapies.


Previous studies on the stem bark of Musanga cecropioides showed its probable anti-cancer properties, to buttress this claims, we aimed to isolate the specific constituent(s) responsible for such activities using bioactivity guided isolation. Vacuum liquid chromatography and other chromatographic evaluations of the aqueous fraction led to the isolation of two compounds one of which was tested on AU565 breast cancer cell line. The isolated compounds were subjected to mass spectrometry on JEOL JMS 600H-1 on electron impact EI+ ionization mode and NMR ( 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR) were carried out on Brucker Avance 600 MHz Spectrometer at frequencies of 400 and 800 MHz respectively in DMSO to determine their respective identities. One of the isolated compound (Catechin) and the aqueous fraction showed higher anti-cancer effects than the other fractions with 20.86 and 28% cytotoxicity on AU565 cancer cell lines at 50 µg/mL. The isolated compound was identified as Catechin. The results showed that Catechin is one of the anti-cancer constituents of M. cecropioides .


More than four hundred years have passed since the day on which Giordano Bruno made his voice heard in the Sorbonne of Paris, expostulating his theories. It was a time in which the system of knowledge and the image of the world that had dominated centuries entered a crisis from which the era of modern thought would arise. Angel Serrano, a Mexican researcher, resuscitates in this article the figure of the first martyr to science, an example for our time, when once again scientific and humanistic knowledge is poised to fall victim to, and in the service of, market forces.


Three major challenges are present when studying anthropogenic impacts on soil profile properties: (i) site selection; (ii) sampling and modeling native and cultivated soil-landscape relationships; and (iii) graphically and statistically comparing native and cultivated sites to model soil profile changes. This study addressed those challenges by measuring and modeling selected soil profile properties of paired (native) forest and analogous nonnative (cultivated) loess hillslopes in central Missouri. The paired hillslopes in Saline County were mapped as Mollic Hapludalfs and the paired hillslopes in Boone County were mapped as Typic Hapludalfs. Horizonation and depth distribution of Hapludalf soil properties provide markers when measuring land use impacts on soil profile properties. Summit pedons on the four sites verified the mapping and classification. Transect data revealed soil profile variation by slope position and by site. Regression analysis identified relationships at the p < 0.007 level between depth to clay maximum (adjusted R2 = 0.74), thickness of the A horizon (adjusted R2= 0.32), thickness of the subsurface horizon (adjusted R2 = 0.69), depth to the top of the B horizon (adjusted R2 = 0.69), clay content of the surface horizon (R2 = 0.76), organic C content of the surface horizon (adjusted R2 = 0.56), and depth to =7.5 g kg-1 organic C (adjusted R2 = 0.59) and slope position and site characteristics. A different response surface for each site for each soil characteristic supported the hypothesis that vegetative history and land use significantly affected the distribution of these soil properties.


The authors studied 19 patients with parkinsonism induced by flunarizine. All them improved when the drug therapy was discontinued for periods from 7 days to 10 months. Depression was observed in 68.5% of the patients.


It has been well established that pain reflects complex, linked neuroendocrine responses that go far beyond a sensory alarm system. Accordingly, there may be significant medical consequences of inadequate recognition or treatment of pain.


In this work, the daubechies-4 wavelet transform (Db4WT) is utilized for fault detection and faulted phase recognition in a fifteen phase transmission  line (FPTL). The daubechies-4 wavelet transform has been widely investigated using the MATLAB model of a 765 kV, 200 km long fifteen phase  transmission line. The fifteen phase fault currents measured by the current measurements blocks connected at the bus-1 of the fifteen phase  transmission line are entered to the wavelet transform algorithm. The first level detail coefficients of the fifteen phase currents are then calculated.  The fault detection is carried out with great correctness.
Keywords: fault detection, faulty phase recognition, fifteen phase transmission line protection, wavelet transform.


Abstract Many women now juggle the multiple roles of wife, mother, home maker, and paid worker. Although their behaviours may have changed, many of these women still adhere to traditional beliefs about their roles, which may predispose them to conflict and stress. Questionnaires were sent to all women working at a large urban teaching hospital in metropolitan Melbourne in a study to explore, among other factors, the relationship between occupational status, education level, and women's beliefs. Of the 2562 questionnaires sent out 974 (44%) were completed and returned, 422 of the questionnaires were completed by women who were living with a male partner and children. Multivariant analyses of variance were performed on the data. Results indicated a relationship between occupational status and adherence to traditional beliefs. Blue collar women had the most traditional beliefs followed by clerical women, then nurses. Managerial women and professional women had the least traditional beliefs. A similar relationship was found between level of education and beliefs; women with lower levels of education adhered to more traditional beliefs than women with higher education levels. It is possible that, as a result of adherence to traditional beliefs, women who are blue-collar workers and those with lower levels of education may be more predisposed to stress than other women when juggling their multiple roles.


This article assesses the perception of the European Union's trade-labour linkage policy by the developing countries at the bilateral level. While the normative foci of the policy are on human rights, social justice and regulation, it is uncertain whether the developing countries view the linkage in those terms. Drawing on a constructivist theoretical background, the developing countries' perceptions are assessed, taking into account the discussions that, at the multilateral level, have preceded the European Union's incorporation of labour-oriented provisions to preferential trade agreements. These discussions, which mainly took place during the WTO Ministerial Meetings, featured a strong polarization between linkage advocates and detractors. The possibility that the discussion has spilled over from the multilateral into the bilateral field is explored by analyzing the positions of Brazil, Chile, India and South Africa towards the linkage in their bilateral relations with the European Union


Abstract This is the first report describing successful visualisation of a tracheo-oesophageal fistula (TEF) based on fluid flow on prenatal foetal ultrasonography. At 36 weeks of gestation, an anechoic tubular structure with a strong blue-coloured stream of fluid flow was observed extending from the trachea towards the gastric bubble on prenatal ultrasonography. TEF can be visualised prenatally under certain conditions.


Eyeblink activity was examined based on a discrete-trial paradigm in which 17 subjects engaged in a semantic priming task. They were presented a series of pairs of words (prime and target) associatively related or associatively unrelated and were required to name them as quickly as possible. Cognitive load or difficulty of naming of the target word was also manipulated. The latency data for naming of the target word showed a typical priming effect, namely, facilitation of naming speed by the associatively related prime word. The eyeblink rate changed synchronically to onset of stimuli as a function of prime-target relationship and cognitive load during the task. Specifically, the eyeblink rate was suppressed during presentation of the target word and peaked just after that. This study showed that suppression of eyeblinks was longer on trials with high cognitive loads than on those with low cognitive loads and the peak of eyeblink rate was higher on trials for which the prime and target were unrelated than on those for which they were related. These results suggested that the eyeblink activity is influenced by inner cognitive processes of word recognition.


This paper assesses the extent of mutual learning through the international intercity network programmes for the environment in Asia, such as CITYNET, ICLEI-Southeast Asia and the Kitakyushu Initiative for a Clean Environment. Based on participation records of network activities, records of formulation of bi-lateral intercity relations, and a survey of participating cities, this paper argues that international intercity networks in Asia have achieved some modest results in terms of mutual reference and learning among participating cities in relation to the financial resources the networks have been able to mobilise. There may be room to further enhance mutual learning if national governments and international organisations could maintain or increase their financial support of international intercity network programmes


COVID-19 is characterized by acute respiratory distress syndrome progression, which ranges from mild to severe. A percentage of critically ill patients will require endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation; therefore, Mexican engineers from different places have had the initiative of creating mechanical ventilators. Although artificial ventilator is one of the last resources for the most severely ill patients, there are patients who are on the verge of not meeting the criteria for intubation; if they are directly intubated, the opportunity for them to overcome the severe phase with high concentration supplemental oxygen would be be missed. Intubation per se induces lung damage, increases the risk of superinfection, and the number of days of ICU stay. Furthermore, non-selective use of artificial ventilators decreases the opportunity for patients who require a ventilator to survive and increases institutional care costs of both human and material resources.


This study explores the differences in energy consumption between the highly economically developed United States and economically underdeveloped Africa. This study conducted the parameter estimation and equilibrium analysis of a Lotka–Volterra model to investigate the short-term and long-term relations of different types of energy, respectively. The parameter estimation results show that nuclear energy consumption increases the consumption of fossil fuels in the United States but decreases fossil fuel consumption in Africa. This implies that Africa can replace fossil fuels with nuclear energy in the short run. Given the current state of energy consumption, the results of the equilibrium analysis indicate that the United States' nuclear and fossil fuel consumption will reach a stable long-term equilibrium. However, Africa will experience significant fluctuations in nuclear and fossil fuel consumption, and both nuclear and fossil fuel consumption will eventually be depleted. The highly economically developed United States arranges energy consumption in an environmentally friendly way and reshapes economies to achieve sustainability, so its long-term energy consumption is more stable than economically underdeveloped Africa. Accuracy analysis results show that the nuclear or renewable energy consumption predicted by the Lotka–Volterra model is more accurate than that of a Bass model since the Lotka–Volterra model considers energy interactions.


Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is a staple food crop grown by smallholder farmers in the marginal regions of western, coastal and eastern Kenya. The objective of this study was to evaluate popular cassava varieties for yield and cyanide content in the arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya. The study was carried out at five sites located in three sub-counties of Nakuru county in Kenya. Treatments included a collection of 27 sweet cassava varieties obtained from Western Kenya. Results revealed significant variations among varieties in all sites, for all parameters measured. The highest yields were obtained at Subukia, with the variety MM99/0067 yielding up to 200 t ha-1. Cyanide content varied significant among the varieties and sites; and was high in most of the cultivars, with highest levels recorded in variety Rao Onyoni (17.3 mg100 g-1) grown at the Lare site. The highest dry matter content was recorded in variety Selele rabuor (60.5%), at the Solai III site. Participating farmers ranked the materials based on yield, taste and order of general preference as follows: Subukia site (MM96/0067, NyaTanga, Adhiambo Lera, KME-1 and MH95/0183); Lare site (Nyar AICAD, Nyar Maseno, NyaTanga, and MM96/2480); and Solai site (KME-1, Nyar AICAD, Adhiambo Lera, Karembo, and Obaro dak).


Vesicles and membrane properties play critical roles in reproducing the natural environment of living cells such as nutrient transport and DNA protection. We report how to control the morphology evolutionary stages of the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers composed of hydrophilic–hydrophobic–hydrophilic structure using dissipative particle dynamics method. Two unique intermediate states are obtained by controlling the hydrophobic/hydrophilic block ratio, polymer–solvent interaction, and polymer concentration: (1) bilayer-type membrane such as rod-like, disk-like, or bowl-like micelle (mechanism I), (2) semivesicle originating from the rearranged hydrophilic blocks movement into the center or the trapped hydrophilic blocks during merging (mechanism II). Additionally, during the transition period between these two pathways, vesicles are formed through an in-between pathway. Specifically, instead of the typical mechanism I or mechanism II, hydrophilic blocks gradually diffuse toward the center of some irregular spherical micelles, and then become full vesicles. Most importantly, we show that two factors, the degree of hydrophobicity of the blocks and the probability of the adhesive amphiphile collisions are thought to be of key importance to control the vesicle-formation mechanisms. As a consequence, a crucial balance between the segregation of inner-hydrophobic beads and the attraction of outer-hydrophilic beads drastically affects the self-assembly pathways of amphiphilic block copolymer into vesicles from one mechanism over the other. Furthermore, we demonstrate that when the hydrophilic blocks move toward the center to form a cavity, they can move in randomly and maintain a balanced quantity.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the impacts of Wnt signaling pathway products-polymorphisms of rs4135385, rs11079571 and rs7832767 located in β-catenin gene (CTNNB1), Axin gene (AXIN2), and secreted frizzled-related protein gene (SFRP1) on the risk and treatment outcomes of acute leukemia.

METHODS
Bone marrows (volume 1-1. 5 mL) were collected from 372 untreated patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and peripheral blood samples (2. 0 mL) were obtained from 401 healthy controls for the purpose of total DNA extraction. Polymorphisms of rs4135385, rs11079571 and rs7832767 located in CTNNB1, AXIN2 and SFRP1 were genotyped with high-resolution melting method (HRM). Chi-square analyses were performed to compare the genotype and allele distributions of the three single nucleotides (SNPs) between the leukemia patients and healthy controls. Single factor variance tests were performed to compare the differences in clinical features among different genotype groups. Complete remission (CR) rates after induction chemotherapy were also compared between different genotype groups using Chi-square tests.

RESULTS
No significant differences were found beiween the leukemia patients and healthy controls in the frequencies of alleles and genotypes of CTNNB1 rs4135385, SFRP1 rs7832767 polymorphisms. Those with A allele in AXIN2 rs11079571 polymorphism was less likely to have acute myelomonocytic/monocytic leukemia than those with G allele (P = 0. 016, OR=0. 677, 95%CI:0. 439-0. 930). Acute bead monocyte/mononuclear cell leukemia (AML-M4/5)patients with AA genotype presented higher platelet count (P = 0. 040), and higher complete remission rate after chemotherapy (P = 0. 040), compared with the patients with AG and GG genotypes.

CONCLUSION
AML-M4/5 patients have less frequency of A allele in AXIN2 rs11079571 polymorphism than healthy controls. Patients carrying A allele have higher platelet counts and higher sensitivity to chemotherapy.


Autophagy is a bulk, nonspecific protein degradation pathway that is involved in the pathogenesis of cancer and neurodegenerative disease. Here, we observed that xanthohumol (XN), a prenylated chalcone present in hops (Humulus lupus L.) and beer, modulates autophagy. By using XN-immobilized beads, valosin-containing protein (VCP) was identified as a XN-binding protein. VCP has been reported to be an essential protein for autophagosome maturation. Using an in vitro pull down assay, we showed that XN bound directly to the N domain, which is known to mediate co-factor and substrate binding to VCP. These data indicated that XN inhibited the function of VCP, thereby allowing the impairment of autophagosome maturation, and resulting in the accumulation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3-II (LC3-II).On the other hand, it has been reported that the expression level of VCP is correlated with progression of cancer, and VCP-overexpressing cell lines showed the resistance to apoptosis. Therefore, in this study, we examined the antitumor effects of XN on several types of human tumor cells. First we tested the sensitivity to XN in 15 human tumor cell lines. Each cell was treated with XN for 48 hrs, and XN-induced apoptosis was quantitatively analyzed by flow cytometry. As a result, XN potently induced apoptosis in 6 cell lines (SW480, SW620, HCT116, A2058, A375 and SW48 cells) as judged from subG1 population, and another 9 tumor cell lines were resistant to XN. Next, we examined whether VCP is involved in XN-induced apoptosis. Although, these 15 cell lines showed similar expression levels of VCP, another VCP inhibitor, Eeyarestatin I, also induced apoptosis in XN-sensitive tumor cells (SW480 cells and HCT116 cells) but not in VCP-insensitive tumor cells (A431 cells and EC17 cells). These findings suggest that the several human tumor cell lines require VCP function for their survival, and VCP would be a potential chemotherapeutic target molecule for subset of tumor cells. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):C18. Citation Format: Yuki Shikata, Shuhei Kanagaki, Yukiko Sasazawa, Etsu Tashiro, Tetsuro Yoshimaru, Masato Komatsu, Toyomasa Katagiri, Masaya Imoto. Antitumor activity of xanthohumol, an inhibitor of valosin-containing protein. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C18.


We introduce a new data structure for managing electronic content for e-learning purposes, the so-called content graph. On the basis of these formalisms, several aspects of individualized, dynamic learning environments are discussed. These aspects focus on the integrative use of different metadata sets within a common content graph, the individualization and a situation-based adaptation of the learning process to the situation of the learner, the evaluation of different didactical concepts on the base of an identical set of content-units and the integration of authors as well as learners in a feedback-oriented editorial process that increases the transparency and the quality of the learning material.


This paper looked into the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as sine qua-non for improved services in public library in Nigeria: challenges and prospects. Questionnaire was used for the data collection. Out of ninety (90) copies of questionnaire distributed to all the library staff at Imo State Public Library , seventy-two (72) were used for the study and eight (8) copies were discarded for various reasons. Frequency and percentages were used to analyse research question one while mean and standard deviation were used to analyze other research questions. Regression was also used to test the null hypothesis formulated at 0.05 levels significant. The result depicted a very strong relationship between strategies utilized and the challenges faced by the library as it shows 86.1% level of coefficient between the duo. Based on this, it therefore rejects the null hypothesis which states that challenges faced by the library does not significantly affect the strategies utilized in the library to achieve SDG. Again from the result it was discovered that 90% of the staff said that they have heard of SDG before but only 7 (10%) said that it has been achieved in their libraries. This  study therefore revealed the following as the reasons for non attainment of SDGs: lack of government support, lack of capacity building for staff, inadequate internet connectivity, lack of awareness on the services of the public library etc. Whereas the creation of massive campaign at various places in the town, full government support, provision of adequate funds and acquisition of all the necessary facilities with full internet connectivity have been identified as solutions for the actualization of the SDGs.Keywords: Development, Goals, Challenges, Prospects, Public, Library, Services


Among the natural thorium resources, monazite and the residues of rare-earth extraction will very likely be exploited first in case of a significant use of thorium-based nuclear fuels. The different waste streams have been identified from the present industrial practices used in the production of nuclear grade thorium from monazite extracted from beach sands. The radionuclides of utmost importance in various waste streams are 232 Th, 228 Ra, and 220 Rn from the thorium series and 238 U, 230 Th, 226 Ra, and 222 Rn from the uranium series. There are three important steps, where the major radioactivity is generated. It is found that the total amount of solid wastes generated for the production of 1 t of thorium metal is ∼10 t, which is ∼50 times less than in the case of 1 t of uranium production. Among them, long-lived wastes represent a small volume and could be disposed of in a deep geological repository, as for alpha-active reprocessing wastes. The raw materials at the mining site are lower by one to two orders of magnitude in the general case of high-grade thorium ore in comparison to the present commercially exploited uranium ore. The short-and long-term impact of these wastes on the environment and radiotoxicity has been calculated. It has been found that the short- and long-term impact for the public is about two orders of magnitude lower than for the equivalent front-end uranium cycles. On the contrary, inhalation and ingestion dose commitments for an adult are about five and two times higher, respectively, in the case of pure thorium as compared to the equivalent uranium case, e.


This paper is to predict the direction of the foreign policy of the new leadership of China highlighting the change of international circumstance due to its economic rise. To summarize the result of analyses, China is not necessarily expected to be a large threat to existing international order or major economies for the next 5 to 10 years, even if its economy grows at a pace of the official target. Although the country is expected to increase its voice in international economic negotiations with the economic rise and develop aggressive diplomacy to secure food, resources, and energy, the new leadership of China will basically pursue a cooperative approach in its foreign policy. However, the implications of such analysis result require consideration on the difference between the U.S. and EU, and Japan. The foreign policy of the new leadership of China on the U.S. and EU is cooperative, but as to the foreign policy on Japan, the prospect doesn't allow much room for optimism.


Olfactory system beta (15–35 Hz) and gamma (40–110 Hz) oscillations of the local field potential in mammals have both been linked to odor learning and discrimination. Gamma oscillations represent the activity of a local network within the olfactory bulb, and beta oscillations represent engagement of a systemwide network. Here, we test whether beta and gamma oscillations represent different cognitive modes using the different demands of go/no-go and two-alternative choice tasks that previously were suggested to favor beta or gamma oscillations, respectively. We reconcile previous studies and show that both beta and gamma oscillations occur in both tasks, with gamma dominating the early odor sampling period (2–4 sniffs) and beta dominating later. The relative power and coherence of both oscillations depend separately on multiple factors within both tasks without categorical differences across tasks. While the early/gamma-associated period occurs in all trials, rats can perform above chance without the later/beta-associated period. Longer sampling, which includes beta oscillations, is associated with better performance. Gamma followed by beta oscillations therefore represents a sequence of cognitive and neural states during odor discrimination, which can be separately modified depending on the demands of a task and odor discrimination. Additionally, fast (85 Hz) and slow (70 Hz) olfactory bulb gamma oscillation sub-bands have been hypothesized to represent tufted and mitral cell networks, respectively (Manabe and Mori, 2013). We find that fast gamma favors the early and slow gamma the later (beta-dominated) odor-sampling period and that the relative contributions of these oscillations are consistent across tasks. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Olfactory system gamma (40–110 Hz) and beta (15–35 Hz) oscillations of the local field potential indicate different neural firing statistics and functional circuits. We show that gamma and beta oscillations occur in stereotyped sequence during odor sampling in associative tasks, with local gamma dominating the first 250 ms of odor sniffing, followed by systemwide beta as behavioral responses are prepared. Oscillations and coupling strength between brain regions are modulated by task, odor, and learning, showing that task features can dramatically adjust the dynamics of a cortical sensory system, which changes state every ∼250 ms. Understanding cortical circuits, even at the biophysical level, depends on careful use of multiple behavioral contexts and stimuli.


An adjuvant is defined as a product that increases or modulates the immune response against an antigen (Ag). Based on this general definition many authors have postulated that the ideal adjuvant should increase the potency of the immune response, while being non‐toxic and safe. Although dozens of different adjuvants have been shown to be effective in preclinical and clinical studies, only aluminium‐based salts (Alum) and squalene–oil–water emulsion (MF59) have been approved for human use. However, for the development of therapeutic vaccines to treat cancer patients, the prerequisites for an ideal cancer adjuvant differ from conventional adjuvants for many reasons. First, the patients that will receive the vaccines are immuno‐compromised because of, for example, impaired mechanisms of antigen presentation, non‐responsiveness of activated T cells and enhanced inhibition of self‐reactivity by regulatory T cells. Second, the tumour Ag are usually self‐derived and are, therefore, poorly immunogenic. Third, tumours develop escape mechanisms to avoid the immune system, such as tumour editing, low or non‐expression of MHC class I molecules or secretion of suppressive cytokines. Thus, adjuvants for cancer vaccines need to be more potent than for prophylactic vaccines and consequently may be more toxic and may even induce autoimmune reactions. In summary, the ideal cancer adjuvant should rescue and increase the immune response against tumours in immuno‐compromised patients, with acceptable profiles of toxicity and safety. The present review discusses the role of cancer adjuvants at the different phases of the generation of antitumour immunity following vaccination.


Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) has many excellent qualities such as its antitumor, antiradiation and anti-oxidation properties, but its application is limited because its oral bioavailability is low and stability is poor. In this paper, zein and gum arabic (GA) were used as wall materials to prepare Zein-GA complex nanoparticles for encapsulating and protecting the EGCG. The particle size of Zein-GA-EGCG complex nanoparticles ranged from 128.03–221.23 nm, and the EGCG encapsulation efficiency reached a maximum of 75.23% when the mass ratio of zein to GA was 1:1. The FTIR and XRD results illustrated that the components of the Zein-GA-EGCG complex nanoparticles interacted by electrostatic, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions. The EGCG release rate of Zein-GA-EGCG nanoparticles (16.42%) was lower than that of Zein-EGCG (25.52%) during gastric digestion, and a large amount of EGCG was released during intestinal digestion, suggesting that the Zein-GA-EGCG nanoparticles could achieve the sustained release of EGCG during in vitro digestion. Hence, using Zein-GA complexes to encapsulate EGCG effectively increased the encapsulation efficiency of EGCG and realized the purpose of sustained release during simulated gastrointestinal digestion.


A novel method for designing t-UED and BUED code checkers is presented. In particular we consider Borden codes for t = 2/sup k/ - 1, Bose and Bose-Lin codes. The design technique for all three checker types is mainly based on averaging weights and check symbol values of the code words. The checkers have a simple and regular structure that does not depend on the set of code words that is provided by the circuit under check. The checkers are very well suited for use as embedded checkers since they are self-testing with respect to single stuck-at faults and almost all combinational faults in a single cell under very weak assumptions. All three checker types can be tested with only 2 or 3 code words.


Dynamical and convective instabilities are two mechanisms that contribute significantly to the dissipation of larger-scale motions and the generation of turbulence in the middle atmosphere. The former are normally due to enhanced velocity shears and/or a local minimum of the static stability either in the mean flow or associated with low-frequency wave motions. The most common dynamical instability is the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability which is often manifested in the atmosphere as a series of KH billows. Convective instabilities occur where the lapse rate becomes superadiabatic through the action of gravity waves and appear to predominate for high-frequency wave motions. This paper reviews the theory and the observational evidence for both types of instabilities in the lower and middle atmosphere.


PURPOSE
To compare the oncological outcomes of patients with laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy with those with open resection to remove nonmetastatic gastric cancer.

METHODS
A total of 532 patients were initially enrolled. Propensity score matching was applied to assemble a study cohort. The primary objective was overall survival (OS). Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were secondary objectives.

RESULTS
A total of 388 patients were matched for analysis. The morbidity, number of lymph nodes harvested and surgical margins were similar between the two groups. OS following laparoscopic gastrectomy was similar to open resection. Neither CSS nor DFS following laparoscopic gastrectomy was inferior compared with open resection Conclusion: Laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer is feasible and safe with acceptable oncological outcomes. Further prospective multicenter trials are warranted before incorporating laparoscopic gastrectomy into routine surgical practice.


A transistor level implementation of an improved matrix multiplier for high-speed digital signal processing applications based on matrix element transformation and multiplication is reported in this study. The improvement in speed was achieved by rearranging the matrix element into a two-dimensional array of processing elements interconnected as a mesh. The edges of each row and column were interconnected in torus structure, facilitating simultaneous implementation of several multiplications. The functionality of the circuitry was verified and the performance parameters for example, propagation delay and dynamic switching power consumptions were calculated using spice spectre using 90 nm CMOS technology. The proposed methodology ensures substantial reduction in propagation delay compared with the conventional algorithm, systolic array and pseudo number theoretic transformation (PNTT)-based implementation, which are the most commonly used techniques, for matrix multiplication. The propagation delay of the implemented 4 × 4 matrix multiplier was only ~2 μs, whereas the power consumption of the implemented 4 × 4 matrix multiplier was ~3.12 mW only. Improvement in speed compared with earlier reported matrix multipliers, for example, conventional algorithm, systolic array and PNTT-based implementation was found to be ~67, ~56 and ~65%, respectively.


The bone remodeling process is influenced by various factors, including estrogens and transmitters of the endocannabinoid system. In osteoblasts, cannabinoid receptors 2 (CB-2) are expressed at a much higher level compared to CB-1 receptors. Previous studies have shown that estrogens could influence CB-2 receptor expression. In the present study, the possible interactions of a specific CB-2 agonist and a specific CB-2 antagonist/inverse agonist with 17-β-estradiol were investigated in primary human osteoblasts (HOB). HOB cells were cultured in phenol red-free osteoblast growth medium (37°C, 5% CO2). In their 5th passage, HOB were exposed to different concentrations of i) 17-β-estradiol (1, 10 and 100 nM); ii) a specific CB-2 agonist (R,S)-AM1241 (1 and 7.5 µM); and iii) a specific CB-2 antagonist/inverse agonist AM630 (10 µM) and to selected combinations of the substances. After 24 and 48 h of incubation, HOB proliferation activity was measured using a WST-8 assay. Alkaline phosphatase activity was also evaluated using spectrophotometry. Concomitant exposure of HOB to 17-β-estradiol (10 nM) and to specific CB-2 antagonist/inverse agonist (10 µM) showed similar HOB proliferation activity to HOB incubated with 17-β-estradiol only at a 100 nM concentration. By contrast, concomitant incubation of HOB with 17-β-estradiol (10 nM) and specific CB-2 agonist (7.5 µM) resulted in decreased HOB proliferation activity as compared to HOB incubated with 17-β-estradiol only (10 nM). Similar findings were observed after 24 and 48 h of incubation. In all the experiments, HOB successfully passed the alkaline phosphatase differentiation test. In conclusion, for the first time a synergistic interaction between 17-β-estradiol and specific CB-2 antagonist/inverse agonist was observed in HOB. Understanding the molecular pathways of this interaction would be of great importance in developing more efficient and safer drugs for treating or preventing bone diseases.


Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) composed of choline chloride with maltose (CMA), glycerol (CGL), citric (CCA) and lactic acid (CLA) combined with microwave (MAE), ultrasound (UAE), homogenate (HAE) and high hydrostatic pressure (HHPAE)-assisted extraction methods were applied to recover and compare olive leaf phenolic compounds. The resultant extracts were evaluated for their total phenol content (TPC), phenolic profile and antioxidant activity and compared with those of water and ethanol:water 70% v/v extracts. HAE was proven to be the most efficient method for the recovery of olive leaf phenolic compounds. The highest TPC (55.12 ± 1.08 mg GAE/g d.w.) was found in CCA extracts after HAE at 60 °C and 12,000 rpm, and the maximum antioxidant activity (3.32 ± 0.39 g d.w./g DPPH) was found in CGL extracts after UAE at 60 °C for 30 min. The TPCs of ethanol extracts were found to be higher than those of NADES extracts in most cases. The predominant phenolic compounds in the extracts were oleuropein, hydrohytyrosol and rutin.


This paper shows an experimental hybrid technique with several variants for controlling chaotic systems tested with two electronic circuits implemented using commercial components: The Chua circuit and the Gonzalez circuit. The control methods are based on variable event condition automatically adjusted to system dynamics without mathematical model knowledge. A tuning procedure for plant operator has been proposed and applied for both chaotic systems. The analyzed experimental control techniques present satisfactory results, where the objective is to stabilize the behavior of real circuits in periodic orbits; which demonstrates the applicability of the proposed control methods in the analyzed systems.


SciServer Compute uses Jupyter notebooks running within server-side Docker containers attached to large relational databases and file storage to bring advanced analysis capabilities close to the data. SciServer Compute is a component of SciServer, a big-data infrastructure project developed at Johns Hopkins University that will provide a common environment for computational research. SciServer Compute integrates with large existing databases in the fields of astronomy, cosmology, turbulence, genomics, oceanography and materials science. These are accessible through the CasJobs service for direct SQL queries. SciServer Compute adds interactive server-side computational capabilities through notebooks in Python, R and MATLAB, an API for running asynchronous tasks, and a very large (hundreds of terabytes) scratch space for storing intermediate results. Science-ready results can be stored on a Dropbox-like service, SciDrive, for sharing with collaborators and dissemination to the public. Notebooks and batch jobs run inside Docker containers owned by the users. This provides security and isolation and allows flexible configuration of computational contexts through domain specific images and mounting of domain specific data sets. We present a demo that illustrates the capabilities of SciServer Compute: using Jupyter notebooks, performing analyses on data selections from diverse scientific fields, and running asynchronous jobs in a Docker container. The demo will highlight the data flow between file storage, database, and compute components.


Background: Bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9) is one of excellent osteogenic factors, but it can also initiate adipogenesis concomitantly. Thus, the osteogenic potential of BMP9 may be enhanced if the adipogenesis were reduced. It was reported that lysyl oxidase (Lox) may function as a critical switcher for adipogenesis. Up to date, the role of Lox in BMP9-induced osteoblastic differentiation remains unknown.Methods: The effect and possible mechanism of Lox on the osteogenic function of BMP9 were evaluated with RT-PCR, western blotting, immunofluorescent and histochemical staining. The same results were also confirmed with the in vivo BMP9-induced ectopic bone formation model.Results: The mRNA and protein of Lox are both detectable in progenitor cells, and it was increased by BMP9 in 3T3-L1 cells. BMP9-induced Runx2, OPN and mineralization were all enhanced by inhibiting or silencing Lox, but reduced by exogenous Lox. BMP9 increased the mRNA level of c-Myc, which was enhanced by inhibiting Lox, so did the protein level of β-catenin. Effects of Lox specific inhibitor on BMP9-induced Runx2, OPN and mineralization were reduced obviously by silencing β-catenin. HIF-1α was up-regulated by BMP9, which was enhanced by inhibiting or silencing Lox, but decreased by Lox over-expression. The effects of Lox specific inhibitor on increasing BMP9-induced osteogenic markers were reduced greatly by silencing HIF-1α. On the contrary, the inhibitory effect of Lox on BMP9-induced osteoblastic markers was almost abolished by HIF-1α over-expression. BMP9-induced bone formation was increased by silencing Lox or over-expressing HIF-1α. The effect of silencing Lox on potentiating BMP9-induced bone formation was attenuated by silencing HIF-1α. Lox specific inhibitor increased the level of β-catenin and decreased that of SOST, but these effects were almost reversed by silencing HIF-1α.Conclusions: Lox may reducing the osteoblastic-induction function of BMP9 through inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signal via down-regulation of HIF-1α partly.


The development of 3D Cell-printing technology contributes to the application of tissue constructs in vitro in neuroscience. Collecting neural cells from patients is an efficient way of monitoring health of an individual target, which, in turn, benefits the enhancement of medicines. The fabricated sample of neural cells is exposed to potential drugs for the analysis of neuron responses. 3D cell-printing as an emerging biofabrication technology has been widely used to mimic natural 3D models in in vitro tissue research, especially in vitro brain-like tissue constructs in neuroscience. Fabricated brain-like tissue constructs provide a 3D microenvironment for primary neural cells to grow within. After more than several weeks of in vitro culturing, the formation of neural circuits in structures equips them with the capability of sensitively responding to a stimulus. In this study, an in vitro layered brain-like tissue construct is first proposed and later developed by 3D cell-printing technology. The layered structure is systematically analyzed, starting from printing parameter optimization to biological functionality performance. The optimized diameter of printing nozzle and printing speed are 0.51 mm and 5 μl s−1, respectively, and the elastic modulus is approximately 6 kPa. Live/dead and immunostaining imaging is used to verify the growth of neural cells in the printed structure. The survival rate of neural cells in 2D and 3D samples is compared, and the results demonstrate that the 3D-printed structures exhibit a better artificial culturing environment and a higher survival rate. Both 2D and 3D samples are directly cultured in a 4 × 4 multiple electrode array. Local field potentials are collected and validated by the Med64 recording system. Tetrodotoxin is used to test the drug sensitivity of the printed structure, and the excitatory postsynaptic potential signals of the physiological performance indicate that the 3D-printed structure has great potential as a drug testing model in the pharmaypeceutical study.


The deployment of the virtual home environment (VHE) concept in 3G mobile systems in the near future will place many demands on managing a user's personalised service environment. Key to the VHE concept is the performance of such services, resulting in a need to manage quality of service (QoS) demands and allocation on behalf of users. This paper examines the issues involved in managing QoS demands from the various roles and entities in the VHE and proposes a policy-based framework to satisfy their needs.


Cultural background influences social cognition, however no study has examined brain stimulation differences attributable to cultural background. 104 young adults [52 South-East Asian Singaporeans (SEA); 52 Caucasian Australians (CA)] received anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) or the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ). Participants completed tasks with varying demands on self-other processing. At baseline, SEA showed greater self-other integration than CA. Anodal HD-tDCS to the dmPFC resulted in the CA performing closer to the SEA. Baseline performance on a mental rotation task and the self-reference effect in memory (SRE) was comparable between groups. In the combined sample, rTPJ HD-tDCS decreased interference from the egocentric perspective during mental rotation and dmPFC HD-tDCS removed the SRE. Stimulation effects were comparable when baseline performance was comparable. When baseline performance differed, stimulation differences were identified. Therefore, cultural background is an important consideration in social brain stimulation studies.


Abstract The notion that an independent central bank reduces a country's inflation is a controversial hypothesis. To date, it has not been possible to satisfactorily answer this question because the complex macroeconomic structure that gives rise to the data has not been adequately incorporated into statistical analyses. We develop a causal model that summarizes the economic process of inflation. Based on this causal model and recent data, we discuss and identify the assumptions under which the effect of central bank independence on inflation can be identified and estimated. Given these and alternative assumptions, we estimate this effect using modern doubly robust effect estimators, i.e., longitudinal targeted maximum likelihood estimators. The estimation procedure incorporates machine learning algorithms and is tailored to address the challenges associated with complex longitudinal macroeconomic data. We do not find strong support for the hypothesis that having an independent central bank for a long period of time necessarily lowers inflation. Simulation studies evaluate the sensitivity of the proposed methods in complex settings when certain assumptions are violated and highlight the importance of working with appropriate learning algorithms for estimation.


imagine a dentist who finds it impossible to concentrate on an opera because the singer has bad teeth. The writer Annie Dillard imagined that the happiest people are constantly surrounded by opportunities to apply their expertise—for example, those who study rocks or clouds. Designers are a pretty happy bunch because opportunities to improve the human condition through design are everywhere. It becomes an obsession. For example, after 10,000 years of post-Ice Age development as a tool-using species, I find it amazing that human beings are still creating uncomfortable chairs (such as the succession of airplane seats where I wrote this article). My goal in this article is to discuss the accompanying case studies: the Rickshaw Bank of Pradip Sarmah, the Solar Tuki of Anil Chitrakar and Babu Raj Shrestha, and the FGN pump of Gustavo Gennuso. I look at them in the context of design for developing countries, and from my perspective as the founder of Design that Matters (DtM), a nonprofit design consultancy for social enterprise. "Design" is a term used so broadly as to be almost meaningless. In this article, I will


in some patients, analgesia. In hypotensive patients it is common practice to use plasma expanders and inotropic support. 213 The effects of acute PE on right heart function due to arterial obstruction by thrombus are exacerbated by concomitant pulmonary vasoconstrictors, and animal studies on the effect of antagonists to these and of direct pulmonary vasodilators suggest that such agents have a potential future role in massive PE. 234


Treatment of thoracic aortic pathology is complicated by the morbidity associated to the surgical procedure and to the frailty of an elderly and difficult population. Surgical operation in this kind of population frequently bears a significant incidence of death and long term disability. In an effort to reduce the incidence of negative outcomes, minimally invasive techniques in the form of endovascular stenting have been introduced during the past decade. The technology, originally described by Parodi, and initially designed for its use in abdominal aortic aneurysms, has been adapted for the treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms. Furthermore, an improved understanding of the pathophysiology and the natural history of thoracic aortic disease as well as the analysis of the outcomes has facilitated our treatment decisions in terms of the timing for an appropriate intervention. Treatment of thoracic aortic dissection using endovascular stent is one of the more recent advances in this condition and is receiving increasing attention as it is a less invasive alternative to an open surgical repair. Although this technology is still innovative, significant improvements have been made lately in the design and deployment of the endovascular stent-grafts. These prostheses have been increasingly used to treat aneurysms, dissections and traumatic ruptures, as well as giant penetrating ulcers and intramural hematomas of the descending thoracic aorta with good early and mid-term outcomes. The rareness, complexity and severity of the pathology and the theoretically high risk of complications should render the surgeon extremely cautious especially with young patients. Conceptually, the endoluminal treatment in the acute phase seems to be the solution and will probably become a preferred therapy while technical refinement is under way. Worldwide experience is growing and with this a better understanding of the indications and limitations of this innovative therapy will be elucidated. The clinical, diagnostic and management perspectives on aortic dissection and its variants, aortic intramural hematoma and atherosclerotic aortic ulcer, are reviewed.


Stretchable electronics facilitate increased design freedom of electronic products. Representative applications can be found in health care, wellness and functional clothes, integrated electronics in stretchable parts and products. Typically, small rigid semiconductor islands are interconnected with thin metal conductor lines on top of a highly deformable substrate, such as a rubber material. A key requirement on these products is the ability to withstand large deformations during usage without losing their integrity (i.e., large stretchability). During stretching, the adhesion of the interconnects to the rubber substrate is of major importance from a reliability point of view. Experimental observations show that delamination between the metal conductor lines and the stretchable substrate may eventually lead to short circuits while also the delaminated area could result in cohesive failure of the metal lines. To characterize the copper-rubber interface, peel tests are performed. Experimental observations show that the rubber is severely lifted at the delamination front caused by its high compliance. When using the Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM), actual fibrillation of the rubber at the peel front is observed at the micron scale. To quantify the interface properties, numerical simulations of the peel test have been performed by applying cohesive zone elements that describe the transient delamination process. The interface toughness is determined from the global parameters (i.e., forces and displacements) while the interface strength is defined by the local parameters (i.e., deformed rubber geometry at the delamination front and interconnect deformation). The thus quantified interface parameters are used to simulate the delamination behavior of a zigzag patterned interconnect three-dimensional structure. Furthermore, extensive in-situ failure mode analyses performed in scanning electron microscope are carried out. The occurring deformation behavior and failure mechanisms are characterized and used to validate the numerical model results.


Evolutionary theory indicates that virus virulence is shaped by a trade-off between instantaneous rate of transmission and duration of infection. For most viruses, infection is curtailed by immune clearance, but there are few empirical tests of the transmission–clearance trade-off hypothesis. We exposed A129 mice to bites from groups of 1, 2–4, or 6–9 Aedes albopictus mosquitoes infected with Zika virus (ZIKV). We predicted that a higher number of infectious mosquito bites would deliver a higher total dose of the virus, and that increasing dose would result in earlier onset, higher magnitude, and shorter duration of viremia, as well as a more robust neutralizing antibody response. We found that increases in the number of mosquito bites delivered resulted in significantly different virus replication dynamics with higher, earlier peak titers. All mice experienced a transient weight loss following infection, but the nadir in weight loss was delayed in the mice that received the highest number of bites. Viremia persisted past the period of measurement in this study, so we did not capture its duration. However, the association at the level of the individual mouse between the estimated virus dose delivered and neutralizing antibody titer was remarkably strong, supporting the transmission–clearance trade-off hypothesis.


California's state prison system lacks sufficient regulations to restrict the use of solitary confinement for pregnant women. Under the current system, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations (CDCR) possesses broad discretion regarding the use of solitary confinement, administrative segregated housing, or other forms of isolated placement. According to the CDCR manual, prison officers may place a pregnant woman in solitary confinement as long as her medical condition does not "preclude" that placement. This standard, which vests an inappropriate amount of discretion in prison officers, is deeply insufficient to prevent the negative consequences of subjecting pregnant women to solitary confinement. Studies have shown that even for the general population, solitary confinement greatly increases the risk of long-term mental harm, leading to selfmutilation and suicide in some cases. Vulnerable populations like pregnant women are far more susceptible to the potential dangers of solitary confinement. To add insult to injury, California's heavy overuse of solitary confinement unquestionably exacerbates racial and class disparities. Due to the disproportionate use of solitary confinement on people of color, who are already overrepresented in prisons, the continued practice of using solitary confinement reflects the rippling effects of mass incarceration on low-income communities of color. Solitary confinement is an outdated, inefficient, overpriced, and torturous form of punishment that should be banned for all people. In the cases of vulnerable populations like pregnant women, however, there must be an increased urgency to prevent further subjugation of inmates to this form of confinement. Many other jurisdictions in the U.S. have already recognized the diminishing returns of solitary confinement and have made legislative attempts to minimize those harms. Furthermore, an increasing number of states are becoming more cooperative and transparent by collecting and sharing data of pregnant women in their prisons. California should match these efforts so reproductive health allies and stakeholders can quantify how many pregnant women are imprisoned and can allocate their resources accordingly. The current state prison system that allows for the solitary confinement of pregnant inmates should be viewed as unacceptable after considering the overwhelming research conducted by advocates against its use. California should follow the footsteps of other jurisdictions that have adopted alternative methods to maintain safety such as utilizing incentive-based methods to encourage positive behavior. Additionally, other facilities have also found success through providing alternative spaces that are separate from the general population but do not involve Hastings Journal of Crime and Punishment [Vol. 2:2] 123 single-cell confinement. This note's purpose is to emphasize the crucial need for California to finally implement regulation that can protect their prison population from this counterproductive practice. In particular, vulnerable populations like pregnant women lack the physical and mental capabilities to resist the harmful effects of solitary confinement as strongly as other able-bodied populations. While California should strive to prohibit or heavily restrict the use of solitary confinement for all populations, pregnant women are inherently more vulnerable and therefore must be prioritized.


In this study, we demonstrated a general but ignored principle for the preparation of highly luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) in aqueous media; namely, interparticle electrostatic repulsion greatly affected the growth rate of NCs, especially in the initial stage. Because both aqueous NCs and their monomers possessed charges, dispersion and aggregation of them were mainly determined by the interparticle electrostatic repulsion. The aggregation of NCs and/or their monomers facilitated the agglomeration growth of NCs. Current work demonstrated that the growth rate of aqueous NCs in the initial stage was accelerated through the deliberate decrease of electrostatic repulsion, represented by a pH effect and salt effect. According to the Derjaguin−Landau−Verwey−Overbeek (DLVO) model, moreover, electrostatic repulsion was more dependent on NC size than other interparticle interactions, thus leading to size-dependent aggregation and disaggregation of NCs in the initial stage.


MHC class II–expressing thymocytes can efficiently mediate positive selection of CD4 T cells in mice. Thymocyte-selected CD4 (T-CD4) T cells have an innate-like phenotype similar to invariant NKT cells. To investigate the development and function of T-CD4 T cells in-depth, we cloned TCR genes from T-CD4 T cells and generated transgenic mice. Remarkably, positive selection of T-CD4 TCR transgenic (T3) thymocytes occurred more efficiently when MHC class II was expressed by thymocytes than by thymic epithelial cells. Similar to polyclonal T-CD4 T cells and also invariant NKT cells, T3 CD4 T cell development is controlled by signaling lymphocyte activation molecule/signaling lymphocyte activation molecule–associated protein signaling, and the cells expressed both IL-4 and promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF). Surprisingly, the selected T3 CD4 T cells were heterogeneous in that only half expressed IL-4 and only half expressed PLZF. IL-4– and PLZF-expressing cells were first found at the double-positive cell stage. Thus, the expression of IL-4 and PLZF seems to be determined by an unidentified event that occurs postselection and is not solely dependent on TCR specificity or the selection process, per se. Taken together, our data show for the first time, to our knowledge, that the TCR specificity regulates but does not determine the development of innate CD4 T cells by thymocytes.


Every doctor, whether responsible for a hospital or a clinic, should have a solid foundation in the care of the emergent patient. Nearly all specialties require some medications to be administered by in section - a reanimation or an anaphylactic shock must be correctly treated and promptly, before further help arrives. Medications are an essential onerstone in the care of emerge nices. Varying medications are in demand based on specialty, ED structure, and location in which care is provided. This must be synchronised with the eventual likely emergencies, as well as with personal knowledge and experience of the ED staff.


Meropenem is a new carbapenem antibiotic which possesses a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity against many of the pathogens responsible for pediatric bacterial infections. In order to define meropenem dosing guidelines for children, an escalating, single-dose, pharmacokinetic study at 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg of body weight was performed. A total of 73 infants and children in four age groups were enrolled in the study: 2 to 5 months, 6 to 23 months, 2 to 5 years, and 6 to 12 years. The first patients enrolled were those in the oldest age group, who received the lowest dose. Subsequent enrollment was determined by decreasing age and increasing dose. Complete studies were performed on 63 patients. No age- or dose-dependent effects on pharmacokinetic parameter estimates were noted. Mean pharmacokinetic parameter estimates were as follows: half-life, 1.13 +/- 0.15 h; volume of distribution at steady state, 0.43 +/- 0.06 liters/kg; mean residence time, 1.57 +/- 0.11 h; clearance, 5.63 +/- 0.75 ml/min/kg; and renal clearance, 2.53 +/- 0.50 ml/min/liters kg. Approximately 55% of the administered dose was recovered as unchanged drug in the urine during the 12 h after dosing. No significant side effects were reported in any patients. By using the derived pharmacokinetic parameter estimates, a dose of 20 mg/kg given every 8 h will maintain plasma meropenem concentrations above the MIC that inhibits 90% of strains tested for virtually all potentially susceptible bacterial pathogens.


Zeolites are microcrystalline framework materials with well-defined cavities and channels of molecular dimensions which enable them to act as 'molecular sieves' with size and shape selectivity towards which guest species may occupy positions within or diffuse through the pore and channel systems. Understanding the interactions between guest species and host zeolite frameworks, which are central to the synthesis and applications of zeolites, with a view to reliably modeling these systems, requires detailed structural information for these zeolite host guest complexes. For most zeolites, the application of x-ray diffraction to the structure determination of these complexes is precluded due to the microcrystalline nature of almost all zeolites and the weak scattering of the guest species. Solid state NMR, which is not limited by crystal size, offers an alternative, or at least complementary, method for structure determination of zeolite host/guest complexes. This thesis explores the potential of solid state NMR to provide information about the structure, dynamics, and disorder in zeolite guest/host complexes. A general strategy for locating guest species in zeolites was developed and implemented. This strategy consists of three main steps: (1) assign resonances (e.g. in the 2 9 Si spectrum ) to specific sites of the zeolite framework by performing two-dimensional correlation experiments, (2) experimentally probe the strengths of dipolar couplings (which are related to internuclear distances) between nuclei of the guest species (e.g. 'H or 1 F) and the nuclei of the zeolite framework (e.g. 2 Si), and (3) use this distance information to determine the location of the guest species with respect to the zeolite framework. The location of the fluoride ion in an as-made zeolite synthesized from fluoride-containing medium was determined by first assigning the peaks in the 2 9 Si spectrum from a two-dimensional 2 9 Si INADEQUATE spectrum, after which 'H/ 1 9 F/ 2 9 Si triple-resonance dipolar recoupling experiments were performed to measure F-Si distances to various Si sites of the zeolite framework, from which the location of the fluoride ion was deduced, along with the nature of the fluoride ion dynamics. The fluoride ions were found to be directly bonded to the zeolite framework, giving five-coordinate silicon sites whose local structure geometry was determined (due to the presence of structural disorder) only by a combination of solid state NMR distance measurements and single crystal XRD. The locations of several small organic sorbate molecules in highly siliceous ZSM-5 zeolite were determined by first assigning the peaks in the 2 9 Si spectrum, followed by relating the experimentally measured rates of 2 Si{'H} cross-polarization to the calculated 'H/ 2 Si dipolar coupling second moments. This solid state NMR structure determination protocol was shown to be reliable and robust over a range of sorbate loadings and temperatures and relatively insensitive to the exact nature of the zeolite framework used. The guest molecule locations determined by this solid state NMR method are in excellent agreement with the few single crystal XRD structures available.


BACKGROUND
While treating acutely inflammed piles, surgeons in general prefer to stick to the conservative method of treatment. This includes bed rest in a Trendelenburg's or jack-knife position, administration of liquid diet, stool softeners, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs along with warm Sitz baths and local application of glycerin and magnesium sulphate paste. We introduced an additional method in treating acutely inflammed piles. Ten tablets of trypsin and chymotrypsin (Chymoral forte, Elder Pharmaceuticals India) were powdered and were mixed with 30 grams of heparin (Thrombophobe, German Remedies Ltd, Germany) ointment. This paste was applied to the inflammed pile mass. In all, 67 received this in patient treatment with an average hospital stay of 2 days. The results were compared using chi2 test with similarly placed 22 patients who were treated with the conventional method only.

RESULTS
In the patients receiving the application of the enzyme paste, local pain was reduced to a great extent, the defecation was comfortable, there was negligible local pruritus, and the routine body movements of the patient were painless. Local signs observed in the form of the size of the piles, perianal edema, and tenderness, were also found to be significantly reduced.

CONCLUSION
The results of this study demonstrate that the additional use of a heparin-enzyme paste applied directly over the pile masses significantly improves the healing and resolution of acutely inflammed hemorrhoids. The effectiveness of the traditional conservative method of treatment could be gainfully supplemented by use of the pharmaceutical preparation suggested in this study.


Hans Kronberger lived an all too short life which included periods of high drama, tragedy, joy, great achievement and ultimately despair. He had a capacity to make good friends who were always ready to help and comfort him and who gave him assistance in some of his times of personal difficulty. They did not suspect nor did his medical advisers, just how serious was the situation. Perhaps this was because his presence was stimulating and amusing and it was not easy to think of sombre matters in his presence. He was born in Linz, Austria on 28 July 1920 of Jewish parents and although he only occasionally discussed his early life it is clear that he had a strong family feeling for his parents and for his only sister. Many of his interests in later life originated in the life he led in Austria before he fled the country at the age of 18 at the time of the Nazi occupation. He was in Moscow at the time of the Russian move into Czechoslovakia and had intended to return home via Prague. His comment to a friend was to the effect that he could once again vividly recall the events in Austria of thirty years earlier; events which affected his outlook through life. It is said that his father had a real feeling for engineering and also enjoyed skiing. It is difficult to say whether Hans was best described as an engineer or as a physicist for he certainly had much of the intuitive feeling of the great engineers but equally he had his ideas firmly rooted in physics and mathematics. There were times when he would describe events in mathematical terms which indicated his way of thinking but which proved baffling to commoner engineers who could give equally satisfying descriptions but in earthier terms. Similarly his accounts of his activities on the ski slopes and in climbing had a unique quality but if technically they seemed difficult to the uninitiated they never failed to entertain. Surely his intuitive abilities in engineering and his love of the hills were derived from his father. From his mother he acquired a whole range of other ambitions and abilities.


New fossil localities, of which the most important is Llanover Quarry, are recorded from the Senni Beds of the Lower Old Red Sandstone of Monmouthshire and Breconshire. All the plants so far known from the Senni Beds occur at Llanover and a number are at present only known in Britain from this locality. The plants distinguished and described, in addition to some remains incertae sedis, are: Drepanophycus spinaeformis, cf. Psilophyton princeps, Dawsonites arcuatus, Gosslingia breconensis, Zosterophyllum cf. australianum, Z. llanoveranum n.sp., Zosterophyllum sp., Cooksonia sp., Sporogonites exuberans, Sciadophyton Taeniocrada sp., Prototaxites sp., Nematothallus sp., Pachytheca sp. The remains of Drepanophycus include shoots bearing sporangia and have H-shaped branching in what was probably the lower region of the plant. The remains of a spiny plant of Psilophyton princeps type have a hitherto undescribed fructification in organic connexion with the vegetative shoots. This fructification is quite unlike Dawsonites, of which typical examples also occur. The numerous specimens of Gosslingia have shown that the sporangia were not borne on special fertile branches, as was originally supposed, but on the margins of the regular dorsiventral branch system. A distinction of two subgenera within the genus Zosterophyllum is suggested. Z. cf. australianum belongs to Eu-zosterophyllum with radial spikes. A new species, Z. llanoveranum, has dorsiventral secund spikes of sporangia of the Zosterophyllum type and is placed in the subgenus Platy-zosterophyllum. A second smaller species belonging to this subgenus is also present. Instructive remains of Cooksonia continue this type of plant from the Downtonian to the Senni Beds. Sporogonites, Sciadophyton and Taeniocrada are recorded for the first time from British rocks. Prototaxites and Nematothallus occur along with the vascular land plants, some of the pieces of the former being of large size. Pachytheca is represented in several exposures. The interesting composition of the flora, which is of non-marine and probably terrestrial habitat, is discussed. The flora is of late Lower Devonian age, probably corresponding to the Siegenian of the continental succession. Comparisons are made with similar floras from Scotland and elsewhere.


Objectives: To determine the cardiovascular and hemostatic effects of fire suppression and postexposure active cooling. Methods: Forty-four firefighters were evaluated before and after a 12-minute live-fire drill. Next, 50 firefighters performing the same drill were randomized to undergo postfire forearm immersion in 10°C water or standard rehabilitation. Results: In the first study, heart rate and core body temperature increased and serum C-reactive protein decreased but there were no significant changes in fibrinogen, sE-selectin, or sL-selectin. The second study demonstrated an increase in blood coagulability, leukocyte count, factors VIII and X, cortisol, and glucose, and a decrease in plasminogen and sP-selectin. Active cooling reduced mean core temperature, heart rate, and leukocyte count. Conclusions: Live-fire exposure increased core temperature, heart rate, coagulability, and leukocyte count; all except coagulability were reduced by active cooling.


Motivated by the dramatic disappearance of endangered languages observed in recent years, a great deal of attention has been given to the modeling of language competition in order to understand the factors that promote the disappearance of a language and its unfolding dynamics. With this in mind, we build on existing network models of language competition in bilingual societies. These models deal with the interplay between the usage of a language (link state) and the preference or attitude of the speakers towards the language (node state). In this work, we allow for the case where agents have the freedom to adapt their local interactions in accordance with their language preference. This is modeled by introducing a local rewiring mechanism triggered by the dissatisfaction of an agent with its usage of a given language. Our numerical simulations show that permitting this freedom to agents likely results in linguistically segregated communities for small network sizes. However, for networks of sufficiently large size, the extinction of one of the languages is the most probable scenario. Furthermore, we analyze how the fraction of minority speakers changes with the system size and we find that this fraction grows as the total population increases, which is consistent with existing data. Overall, the results of this work help us understand the impact of speakers' preferences and choices in the complex language landscape of bilingual societies.


Quantization-based methods, such as dither modulation (DM), have gained wide acceptance due to their host rejection capabilities which afford significant performance gains over spread-spectrum-based methods in additive white Gaussian channels. Unfortunately, existing quantization-based schemes are not robust against simple linear-time-invariant (LTI) filtering, which is a common operation with multimedia signals. We propose a new algorithm, named discrete Fourier transform-rational dither modulation (DFT-RDM) which is robust against LTI filtering and yet does not assume any prior knowledge of the filter at either the embedder or the detector. DFT-RDM basically combines a DFT operation with a quantization-based scheme robust to amplitude scaling. Two easily implementable improvements over the basic DFT-RDM are proposed: windowing and spreading. In particular, the latter leads to performance gains that are much larger than those achieved with spreading in regular DM. We also provide a thorough analysis of our scheme which leads to both accurate predictions and bounds on the per-DFT-channel bit-error rate, for the basic DFT-RDM and its combination with spreading and windowing. These tools let the designer choose the main embedding parameters without actually requiring any simulation. The results of several simulations for practical filters validating our analysis are presented as well. The benefits of combining DFT-RDM with windowing, spreading, and Reed-Solomon channel coding are illustrated with an example.


Distributed source coding has been viewed as an important and challenging technique for the problem of signal recovery in wireless sensor networks, due to limited network bandwidth, processing capability, and power. In this paper, the problem of signal recovery in wireless sensor networks is studied by leverage of side information and distributed source coding. The available bandwidth and packet loss rate are assumed to be changing in the delivery path from remote sensors to sink. We first analyze the impact of quantization, random binning, and transmission on the quality of estimated signal. Then we propose an adaptive control scheme to trade off bandwidth on quantization, random binning, and transmission under specific network scenarios. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive control scheme on minimizing system distortion.


Establishment of the cytoarchitecture of the central nervous system reflects the stereotyped cell migration and proliferation of precursor cells during development. In vitro analyses have provided extensive information on the control of proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors (OPCs), but less is known about the migratory behavior of these cells in vivo. Here we utilize a transgenic mouse line expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the proteolipid protein promoter (PLP‐EGFP mice) to visualize directly the behaviors of OPCs in developing spinal cord slices. During early development, OPCs disperse from their origin at the ventricular zone by using saltatory migration. This involves orientation of the cell with a leading edge toward the pial surface and alternating stationary and fast‐moving phases and dramatic shape changes. Once cells exit the ventricular zone, they exhibit an exploratory mode of migration characterized by persistent translocation without dramatic changes in cell morphology. The control of migration, proliferation, and cytokinesis of OPCs appear to be closely linked. In netrin‐1 mutant spinal cords that lack dispersal cues, OPC migration rates were not significantly different, but the trajectories were altered, and numbers of migrating cells were dramatically reduced. In contrast to DNA replication that occurs at the ventricular zone or throughout the spinal cord neuropil, cell division or cytokinesis of OPCs occurs predominantly at the interface between gray and white matters, with the majority of cleavage planes parallel to the pial surface. These studies suggest that positional cues are critical for regulating OPC behavior during spinal cord development. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) based Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing has been a challenge due to the polymorphism of the HLA region. Nevertheless, the method's accuracy has increased during the last years and it is now routinely used by many large centers including bone marrow registries. However, challenging HLA genotype compositions exist, which hinder a fully automated analysis. Therefore, HLA typing results are still visually inspected in diagnostics, i.e. the underlying read mappings and phasing information is controlled. Here, we present HLAssign 2.0 that now includes a strict workflow, improved tools for visual inspection and read phasing analysis in the automatic caller. In collaboration with interface design researchers, biologists and informaticians we developed an elaborate graphical user interface for visual evaluation of automated HLA calls for Illumina NGS reads. We also provide tools to preprocess 10x Genomics and PacBio sequencing reads for HLAssign analysis. We benchmarked our automatic caller against STC-seq and xHLA, showing comparable automatic call rates. Additional manual inspection of the automatic results in our GUI assists the user to assign the correct HLA calls and to achieve diagnostic accuracy. HLAssign 2.0 is free for research and commercial use and is available for Windows and MacOS.


Based on manufacturer specifications, radiochromic films are sensitive enough to be used for dosimetry in digital mammography (DM). The aim of this work was to study the feasibility of measuring entrance surface dose (ESD) distribution using Gafchromic XR-QA2 films. The films were irradiated following a standard clinical two-view screening mammography protocol using a full-field digital mammography (FFDM) imaging system. The films were then digitised using a flatbed scanner. The calibration curve relating the readings from a calibrated ionisation chamber and the films' net optical density (NOD) could not be obtained. The examination of the calibration data revealed non-sensitivity of the films to resolve dose differences below 20 mGy at 28 kVp. Therefore, radiochromic films were found not to be suitable for measuring ESD profiles in DM. A 2D map of the NOD of the irradiated films obtained using in-house developed MATLAB computer program is presented.


PurposeNew business practices and the globalization of markets force firms to take innovation as the fundamental pillar of their competitive strategy. Research and Development (R&D) plays a vital role in innovation. As technology advances and product life cycles become shorter, firms rely on R&D as a strategy to invigorate innovation. R&D project portfolio selection is a complex and challenging task. Despite the management's efforts to implement the best project portfolio selection practices, many projects continue to fail or miss their target. The problem is that selecting R&D projects requires a deep understanding of strategic vision and technical capabilities. However, many decision-makers lack technological insight or strategic vision. This article aims to provide a method to capitalize on the expertise of R&D professionals to assist managers in making informed and effective decisions. It also provides a framework for aligning the portfolio of R&D projects with the organizational vision and mission.Design/methodology/approachThis article proposes a new strategic approach for R&D project portfolio selection using efficiency-uncertainty maps.FindingsThe proposed strategy plane helps decision-makers align R&D project portfolios with their strategies to combine a strategic view and numerical analysis in this research. The proposed strategy plane consists of four areas: Exploitation Zone, Challenge Zone, Desperation Zone and Discretion Zone. Mapping the project into this strategic plane would help decision-makers align their project portfolio according to the corporate perspectives.Originality/valueThe new approach combines the efficiency and uncertainty dimensions in portfolio selection into an integrated framework that: (i) provides a complete representation of the stochastic decision-making processes, (ii) models the endogenous uncertainty inherent in the project selection process and (iii) proposes a computationally practical and visually unique solution procedure for classifying desirable and undesirable R&D projects.


In smart grids, the large-scale integration of distributed renewable energy resources has enabled the provisioning of alternative sources of supply. Peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading among local households is becoming an emerging technique that benefits both energy prosumers and operators. Since conventional energy supply is still needed to help fill the gap between local demand and supply when the local solar generation is not sufficient, demand–response management will keep playing an important role in the future P2P energy market. Blockchain and smart contract technology has gained increasing attention in P2P trading for its secure operation. The performance of blockchain-based P2P energy trading still remains to be improved, in terms of latency and cost of computation resources. This article studies the challenges of demand–response management in P2P energy trading and proposes a blockchain-empowered energy trading system for a community-based P2P market. The proposed demand–response mechanism is developed using two noncooperative games, in which dynamic pricing is applied for suppliers. The proposed energy trading system is prototyped on a cluster network, with a coordinator running as a smart contract in a Hyperledger blockchain. We implemented both on-chain and off-chain processing modes to study the system performance. The results from experiments with our prototype indicate that our proposed demand–response games have a great effect on reducing the net peak load, and at the same time, the off-chain processing mode provides lower latency and overhead compared to the on-chain mode while still keeping the same system integrity as the on-chain mode.


The role and function of the auditing industry changes continually. Since the Industrial Revolution, a clear rhythm in the developments and events can be discerned. Political, social and economic development and events do force the auditing industry to reposition itself time and again to remain relevant to and to meet the needs of society. Because the auditor has a statutory monopoly to carry out the attest function, in the long term he must simply meet the needs of society that are embodied in legislation. In other words, auditors have traditionally been reactive to forces of change, rather than proactive, and leading the change process.


A dynamic multicountry, multicommodity model is used to evaluate the impact of a moderate General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) agreement. The terms of this agreement are as follows. 1) Export subsidy quantities (using annual and price wedges) are reduced by 50 percent from the 1986-88 average by 1996. 2) Import restrictions are tariffed and reduced by 33 percent form the 1986-88 average by 1996 (tariffs are measured by using an annual price wedge approach). 3) Internal supports, as measured by the aggregate measure of support (AMS) are reduced by 33 percent from the 1986-88 average by 1996 (fixed reference prices are used). The results indicate that the U.S. producers would benefit substantially from the agreement because the United States has made or will have made many of the cuts required by this moderate agreement. The results also indicate that the choice of the base year is a very important variable influencing the relative benefits and losses under any likely GATT agreement.


Abstract This article supports growing calls to 'take small states seriously' in the international political economy but questions prevailing interpretations that 'smallness' entails inherent qualities that create unique constraints on, and opportunities for, small states. Instead, we argue that discourses surrounding the 'inherent vulnerability' of small states, especially developing and less-developed states, may produce the very outcomes that are attributed to state size itself. By presenting small states as a problem to be solved, vulnerability discourses divert attention away from the existence of unequal power structures that, far from being the natural result of smallness, are in fact contingent and politically contested. The article then explores these themes empirically through discussion of small developing and less-developed states in the Commonwealth and the World Trade Organization (WTO), considering in particular how smallness has variously been articulated in terms of what small states either cannot or will not do.


The findings of an international questionnaire study of 258 children, affected by the four main subtypes of mucopolysaccharidosis, are presented. Questionnaires were completed by a parent or main carer and all subjects were alive at the time of contact and suffering from Hurler, Hunter, Sanfilippo or Morquio syndrome. A significant proportion of parents of Hurler children (24%) were unaware that anything was wrong with their baby before diagnosis but a larger number (45%) had felt concerned about their child's appearance. Similarly, in the case of the Morquio children, in 75% of cases, parents had been worried about some aspect of their child's physical appearance. In contrast, it was frequently delayed or regressing language which alerted parents of Sanfilippo (56%) and Hunter (32%) children, and this was associated with behaviour problems in 43% of Sanfilippo cases. There were many cases of delayed diagnosis, often occurring more than 2 years after concerns were first raised.


Work materials experience large strains, high strain rates, high temperatures, and complex loading histories in machining. The problem of how to accurately model dynamic material behavior, including the adiabatic effect is essential to understand a hard machining process. Several conventional constitutive models have often been used to approximate flow stress in machining analysis and simulations. The empirical or semi-empirical conventional models lack mechanisms for incorporating isotropic/kinematic hardening, recovery, and loading history effects. In this study, the material constants of AISI 52100 steel (62 HRc) were determined for both the Internal State Variable (ISV) plasticity model and the conventional Johnson-Cook (JC) model. The material constants were obtained by fitting the ISV and JC models using nonlinear least square methods to same baseline test data at different strains, strain rates, and temperatures. Both models are capable of modeling strain hardening and thermal softening phenomena. However, the ISV model can also accommodate the adiabatic and recovery effects, while the JC model is isothermal. Based on the method of design of experiment, FEA simulations and corresponding cutting tests were performed using the cutting tool with a 20 deg chamfer angle. The predicted chip morphology using the ISV model is consistent with the measured chips, while the JC model is not. The predicted temperatures can be qualitatively verified by the subsurface microstructure. In addition, the ISV model gave larger subsurface von Mises stress, plastic strain, and temperature compared with those by the JC model.


The kinetic Sunyaev-Zeldovich (kSZ) effect will be an important source of cosmological and astrophysical information in upcoming surveys of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). However, the kSZ effect will also act as the dominant source of noise for several other measurements that use small angular scales in CMB temperature maps, since its blackbody nature implies that standard component separation techniques cannot be used to remove it from observed maps. In this paper, we explore the idea of"de-kSZing": constructing a template for the late-time kSZ effect using external surveys of large-scale structure, and then subtracting this template from CMB temperature maps in order to remove some portion of the kSZ signal. After building intuition for general aspects of the de-kSZing procedure, we perform forecasts for the de-kSZing efficiency of several large-scale structure surveys, including BOSS, DESI, Roman, MegaMapper, and PUMA. We also highlight potential applications of de-kSZing to cosmological constraints from the CMB temperature power spectrum, CMB lensing reconstruction, and the moving-lens effect. While our forecasts predict achievable de-kSZing efficiencies of 10-20% at best, these results are specific to the de-kSZing formalism adopted in this work, and we expect that higher efficiencies are possible using improved versions of this formalism.


Since commonly used clinical methods of measuring binocular function require subjective responses, this testing has been limited to more cooperative children, usually older than 2 years of age. Recently, we have begun using a clinically practical, visually evoked cortical potential (VECP) method to detect the presence of binocular neurons in infants and young children. We studied 14 children, ages 4 to 44 months, with infantile esotropia. Nine had surgical correction for esotropia by the age of 2 years. Twenty-five normal infants ages 6 weeks to 22 months served as controls. Most normal infants showed the development of the "beat" by 2 months of age. The "sum" VECP was not consistently present until age 6 months. Four of the five esotropic infants less than 1 year of age, demonstrated neither a "sum" nor "beat" response. All nine patients with corrective surgery performed before 2 years of age developed a significant sum response and three developed a beat. Five patients had not had surgery until after 2 years of age. Two developed a sum and one a beat, but none had both beat and sum responses. The results suggest that there is a loss of nonlinear binocular response in esotropic children not corrected before the age of 2 years and that these responses can be restored after early treatment even if not present at the time of surgery.


With the intention of preparing prodrugs, 10 morphine 3-esters were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for opioid receptor binding and enzymatic hydrolysis. The results of binding assays performed on homogenates of guinea pig brain demonstrate a loss in affinity of morphine to mu-, delta-, and kappa-receptors by esterification at the 3-position. The conversion of the esters to morphine was determined in human plasma by HPLC analysis. The half-lives of hydrolysis ranged from 0.5 to > 300 h. The investigations indicate that esterification at the 3-position results in morphine prodrugs with variable hydrolytic stability. Sterically hindered morphine 3-esters may be a promising approach to manipulate the rate of release of morphine.


The susceptibility of sparfloxacin, a new broad spectrum fluoroquinolone, was determined for 72 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 15 Xanthomonas maltophilia, and 19 Pseudomonas spp. The activity of sparfloxacin was compared with that of ciprofloxacin and other reference antibiotics. Sparfloxacin was the most active antibiotic tested against X. maltophilia (MIC90 1 mg/l) and the most active quinolone against P. cepacia and P. putrifaciens. Ciprofloxacin, however, demonstrated greater activity than sparfloxacin against P. fluorescens and P. stutzeri. P. aeruginosa was most susceptible to ciprofloxacin with an MIC90 of 2 mg/l, compared with an MIC90 of 8 mg/l for sparfloxacin and ofloxacin. Although cross-resistance between quinolones was noted, cross-resistance between antibiotic classes was not seen. Aminoglycoside-resistant and aminoglycoside-susceptible P. aeruginosa strains were equally susceptible to sparfloxacin. Kill curves showed sparfloxacin to be rapidly bactericidal against P. aeruginosa at 1 x MIC. Sparfloxacin demonstrated greater bactericidal activity than ciprofloxacin at 1 x and 2 x their MICs. Unlike ciprofloxacin and gentamicin, sparfloxacin showed sustained bactericidal activity at greater than or equal to 1 MIC for 24 h.