Gain control of primary afferent neurotransmission at their intraspinal terminals occurs by several mechanisms including primary afferent depolarization (PAD). PAD produces presynaptic inhibition via a reduction in transmitter release. While it is known that descending monoaminergic pathways complexly regulate sensory processing, the extent these actions include modulation of afferent-evoked PAD remains uncertain. We investigated the effects of serotonin (5HT), dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) on afferent transmission and PAD. Responses were evoked by stimulation of myelinated hindlimb cutaneous and muscle afferents in the isolated neonatal mouse spinal cord. Monosynaptic responses were examined in the deep dorsal horn either as population excitatory synaptic responses (recorded as extracellular field potentials; EFPs) or intracellular excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs). The magnitude of PAD generated intraspinally was estimated from electrotonically back-propagating dorsal root potentials (DRPs) recorded on lumbar dorsal roots. 5HT depressed the DRP by 76%. Monosynaptic actions were similarly depressed by 5HT (EFPs 54%; EPSCs 75%) but with a slower time course. This suggests that depression of monosynaptic EFPs and DRPs occurs by independent mechanisms. DA and NA had similar depressant actions on DRPs but weaker effects on EFPs. IC50 values for DRP depression were 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 µM for 5HT, DA and NA, respectively. Depression of DRPs by monoamines was nearly-identical in both muscle and cutaneous afferent-evoked responses, supporting a global modulation of the multimodal afferents stimulated. 5HT, DA and NA produced no change in the compound antidromic potentials evoked by intraspinal microstimulation indicating that depression of the DRP is unrelated to direct changes in the excitability of intraspinal afferent fibers, but due to metabotropic receptor activation. In summary, both myelinated afferent-evoked DRPs and monosynaptic transmission in the dorsal horn are broadly reduced by descending monoamine transmitters. These actions likely integrate with modulatory actions elsewhere to reconfigure spinal circuits during motor behaviors.


In 22 hemodialysis patients, during a dialysis session, the solute removal index (SRI) for urea obtained from the use of a partial spent dialysate collection method was compared with that derived from the use of a total spent dialysate collection technique. The partial spent dialysate collection method was used to harvest a small representative sample of the total spent dialysate. The volumes of spent dialysate collected by the partial and the total spent dialysate collection methods were 1.7 +/- 0.4 L and 129.6 +/- 15.3 L, respectively. The total amount of urea nitrogen removed by dialysis as estimated by the partial spent dialysate collection method was similar to that determined by the total spent dialysate collection approach. As a result, the SRI value for urea obtained by the partial spent dialysate collection method (namely, 63% +/- 8%) correlated very well (r = 0.95, P < 0.001) with that derived by the total spent dialysate collection technique (namely, 62% +/- 8%). Our data suggest that it is feasible to use a simple partial spent dialysate collection method to obtain SRI results in patients treated with hemodialysis.


Background and aim Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer and it constitutes 78.64% of all liver tumors among Egyptians. Autophagy is a genetically regulated process that enables the turnover of long-lived proteins or damaged cellular organelles. It has two faces as it may stimulate cell survival by suppression of apoptosis or stimulate cell death by triggering apoptosis. The B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2)/Beclin-1 interaction is a very important checkpoint in the regulation of autophagy and can therefore be regulated by a number of molecules. Many important questions regarding this interaction still remain to be investigated; further, the role of autophagy in carcinogenesis, either oncogenic or tumor suppressor, is still controversial. The aim of this work was to evaluate the role of Beclin-1 and Bcl-2 in HCC in Egyptian patients. Materials and methods This is a retrospective study that included 69 liver specimens retrieved from the archival material of the Pathology Department, National Liver Institute, Menoufia University, Egypt, spanning the period between March 2007 and October 2014. The specimens consisted of 54 HCC and 15 cirrhotic cases. All cases were stained for Beclin-1 and Bcl-2 antibodies. Results Ninety-six percent of the studied HCC cases and all cirrhotic cases showed positive Beclin-1 expression. In contrast, all HCC and cirrhotic cases were negative for Bcl-2 immunostaining. There was a statistically significant association between low Beclin-1 expression and multiple tumor focality (P=0.039), advanced stage (P=0.000), and presence of lymphovascular invasion (P=0.000). There was a statistically significant association between high Beclin-1 expression and smaller regeneration nodules (⩽5 cm) (P=0.028) in cirrhotic cases. Furthermore, there was no significant association between HCC and cirrhotic cases regarding Beclin-1-positive expression. Moreover, there was no statistically significant association between Beclin-1-positive expression and hepatitis c virus-associated HCC and cirrhotic cases. Conclusion Beclin-1 is a good prognostic marker in view of the association between low Beclin-1 expression and high lymphovascular invasion and advanced pathological stage. Moreover, there is a reciprocal talk between Beclin-1 and Bcl-2, as under stressful conditions (HCC or cirrhosis) Beclin-1 dissociated from the Beclin-1–Bcl-2 complex, modulating the tumor suppressor action of Beclin-1.


A structure for representation of patient outcome is presented, together with a method for outcome measurement and validation of the technique in rheumatoid arthritis. The paradigm represents outcome by five separate dimensions: death, discomfort, disability, drug (therapeutic) toxicity, and dollar cost. Each dimension represents an outcome directly related to patient welfare. Quantitation of these outcome dimensions may be performed at interview or by patient questionnaire. With standardized, validated questions, similar scores are achieved by both methods. The questionnaire technique is preferred since it is inexpensive and does not require interobserver validation. These techniques appear extremely useful for evaluation of long term outcome of patients with rheumatic diseases.


Summary form only given. The development of deep submicron planar interconnection technology based on Cu selective CVD is reported. In this CVD process, fine Cu etching is no longer required. The adhesion between Cu and the interlevel insulator is improved by the introduction of a W layer, which suppresses the Cu interdiffusion. The layer of W under the Cu results in the enhancement of Cu nucleus generation. The wafer surface becomes planar after each level of the interconnection and via formation. The Cu interconnections formed by selective CVD exhibit resistivity of about 2 mu Omega -cm.<<ETX>>


Follow this and additional works at: http://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/enme_facpub Part of the Mechanical Engineering Commons How does access to this work benefit you? Let us know! Publisher's Statement NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Sound and Vibration. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Sound and Vibration, 229, 1, (01-06-2000); 10.1006/jsvi.1999.2179


Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells that form in response to M-CSF and RANKL (receptor activator for NF kappaB ligand) from osteoclast precursors (OCPs), which are generated in the bone marrow. The role of osteoclast and anti-osteoclast therapy in the treatment of various bone loss disorders has been extensively studied, but the regulation of OCPs has not been addressed until recently. A critical difference between OCPs and mature osteoclasts is that OCPs circulate in the bloodstream and home to inflammatory sites, which usually have no osteoclast formation. Thus, the regulation of OCP mobilization among bone marrow, blood and inflamed sites may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bone disorders, and represents a new therapeutic strategy.


Abstract Angle-dependent electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) was used to examine the air facing surface (20–100 A thick) composition of polyimidesiloxanes with different processing variations, and of varying polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) content and block length (number of PDMS repeat unit varies from 1 to 9). Polyimide was clearly detected (due to the nitrogen content) in the 20–100 A surface regions. This shows that a small amount of PDMS and short PDMS segment lengths in polyimidesiloxanes give a surface region with both PDMS and polyimide present. The surface composition, particularly that in the ca. 100 A region, was correlated to the peel strength of polyimidesiloxane melt pressed to a metal substrate. Our results suggest that both PDMS and polyimide are essential components to rendering a needed peel strength. PDMS, having a good diffusive ability, readily reaches the substrate upon being pressed, achieving intimate contact, while imide groups interact with the substrate, presumably th...


As water scarcity increases, we must turn to underutilized sources such as treated wastewater. While work has been done on barriers to public acceptance, less work has been undertaken to explore motivations that may incentivize adoption of this potential water source. Using data collected from respondents in four global sites (in Guatemala, Fiji, New Zealand, and Spain), we (1) analyzed how four motivators (cost, current and future water shortages, and ecological conservation) influenced respondents' willingness to use treated wastewater and (2) examined if respondents' willingness varied across contexts based on the level of wastewater treatment available. Despite a focus in previous research on the role of reducing cost and providing economic incentives for wastewater reuse adoption, cost was broadly the least motivating factor while ecological conservation and future water shortages were the two strongest motivators across all sites. Additionally, respondents in sites with low levels of wastewater technology were more likely to express a willingness to use treated wastewater given any motivator.


Polyester urethane networks are versatile polymer systems as it is possible to tailor their mechanical properties and their hydrolytic degradation profile. For biomedical applications, the biodegradability as well as the thermomechanical properties of the polymer networks during the course of degradation is of importance. Therefore, we investigated the change of thermomechanical properties of networks based on star-shaped precursors of rac-dilactide and diglycolide, e-caprolactone, or p-dioxanone, respectively, during hydrolytic degradation. Degradation rate and mechanical properties of the polymer networks were tailored by crosslink density, comonomers, and by changing the glass transition temperature. Most importantly, the degradation of the networks led to a controlled, step-by-step change of the mechanical properties of the networks.


In the design of a tracking filter for air traffic control (ATC) applications, a maneuvering aircraft can be modelled by a linear system with random noise accelerations. A Kalman filter tracker, designed on the basis of a variance chosen according to the distribution of the potential maneuver accelerations, will maintain track during maneuvers and provide some improvement in position accuracy. However, during those portions of the flight path where the aircraft is not maneuvering, the tracking accuracy will not be as good as if no acceleration noise had been allowed in the tracking filter. In this paper, statistical decision theory is used to derive an optimal test for detecting the aircraft maneuver; a more practical suboptimal test is then deduced from the optimal test. As long as no maneuver is declared, a simpler filter, based on a constant-velocity model, is used to track the aircraft. When a maneuver is detected, the tracker is reinitialized using stored data, up-dated to the present time, and then normal tracking is resumed as new data arrives. In essence, the tracker performs on the basis of a piecewise linear model in which the breakpoints are defined on-line using the maneuver detector. Simulation results show that there is a significant improvement in tracking capability using the decision-directed adaptive tracker.


On December 2008, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in its preliminary ruling in Wallentin-Hermann v. Alitatlia (Case No. C-549/07) tried to give more guidance on whether a technical defect can be regarded as an 'extraordinary circumstance' in the sense of EU Regulation 261/2004. For this, the Court came up with a further specification of this doctrine, namely that in order to make a technical defect an extraordinary circumstance, two requirements must have been fulfilled. First, the event must not be inherent to the normal activity of the air carrier, and second, the event must be beyond the actual control of the air carrier on account of its nature or origin. For courts and enforcement bodies, it seems to be tempting to consider nearly every event that creates an aircraft on ground (AOG) situation as inherent to the normal activity of an air carrier. Whether such event comprises bird strike, collision, or instant failure of components is not relevant as long as you argue that such events are inherent to the normal activity. This article intends to put the Wallentin-Hermann v. Alitalia doctrine in perspective by comparing its take on technical defects with how technical defects are seen in the field of airworthiness and flight safety.


Historical research has enhanced understanding of past human influences on forests and provides insights that can improve current conservation efforts. This paper presents one of the first detailed studies of mangrove forest history. Historical changes in mangroves and their use were examined in Bais Bay and Banacon Island, Philippines. Cutting to make space for fish ponds and residential settlement has dramatically reduced the distribution of mangroves in Bais, although forest has expanded rapidly near the mouth of the largest river where soils from nearby deforested hillsides have been deposited as sediments along the coast. Heavy cutting of mangroves for commercial sale of firewood occurred under minor forest product concessions in Bais and Banacon between the late 1930s and 1979. Cutting for domestic consumption of fuel and construction wood by local people has been widespread in both areas, although rates of cutting have varied in space and over time as a result of changing demographic pressures and in response to cutting restrictions imposed by firewood concessionaires, fish pond owners and government officials. People in both Bais and Banacon have responded to declining local forest availability by planting mangroves. Early motivations to plant reflected the desire to have a ready supply of posts for construction of fish weirs. Many have also planted to protect fishpond dykes and homes from storm damage, and increasing numbers now plant as a means to establish tenure claims over mangrove areas. However, planted stands have tended to be species monocultures and to bear only limited resemblance to natural mangrove forests. In contrast to many upland forests, opportunities for protection and restoration of mangroves are limited by virtue of a highly restricted natural distribution and by competing land uses that are likely to intensify in the future. Understanding historical patterns of change can be instructive to conservationists, but the future remains laden with uncertainties.


This research was aimed at finding whether the use of Think Pair Share improved the second-semester students' reading ability at Politeknik Sekayu.Related to the purposes of the study, the research design used in this study was classroom action research. The subject of the study was the students of accounting class 2A of Politeknik Sekayu in the academic year of 2019/2020. Data collection included the application of the Think pair Share technique in three cycles. Data were analyzed using quantitatively and qualitatively. The research findings showed that the Think pair Share technique improved students' reading comprehension. The technique enabled students to practice some reading strategies in the form of individual, pair, and team. The improvement of students' reading ability can be seen from the result of the reading test which has the percentage score test 1 is 45%, test 2 is 64% and test 3 is 86%. This research also showed that the activities in the Think Pair Share technique enhanced students' ability in comprehending reading. The conclusion suggested that the application of the Think Pair share technique effectively improved the second-semester students' reading ability of Politeknik Sekayu.


Bulk fluid flow induced by an ac electric potential with a peak voltage below the ionization potential of water is described. The potential is applied to an ionic solution with a planar array of electrodes arranged in pairs so that one edge of a large electrode is close to an opposing narrow electrode. During half the cycle, the double layer on the surface of the electrodes charges as current flows between the electrodes. The electrodes charge in a nonuniform manner producing a gradient in potential parallel to the surface of the electrodes. This gradient drives the ions in the double layer across the surface of the electrode and this in turn drags the fluid across the electrode surface. The anisotropic nature of the pairs of electrodes is used to produce a net flow of fluid. The flow produced is approximately uniform at a distance from the electrodes that is greater than the periodicity of the electrode array. The potential and frequency dependence of this flow is reported and compared to a simple model. This method of producing fluid flow differs from electrical and thermal traveling-wave techniques as only a low voltage is required and the electrode construction is much simpler.


The environmental issues and high cost of Ru create many scientists to explore cheaper and safer sensitizer as alternative for dye sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Dyes play an important role in solar energy conversion efficiency. The squaraine (SQ) dyes has good spectral match with the solar spectra, therefore, SQ dyes have great potential for the applications in DSCs. SQ01_CA is an unsymmetrical SQ dye, reported by Grätzel and colleagues in 2007, featuring a D–π–spacer–A framework and has a carboxylic acid anchoring group. The electron donating ability of indolium in SQ01_CA and SQ01_CAA dyes is relatively weak, better performance may be achieved by introducing an additional donor moiety into indolium [1]. In this study, we investigate six unsymmetrical SQ dyes adsorbed on a (TiO2)38 cluster [2] using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT to study electron transfer properties of squaraine dyes on their photophysical. SQ01_CA, WH-SQ01_CA, and WH-SQ02_CA use a carboxylic acid group as its electron acceptor. Furthermore, SQ01_CAA, WH-SQ01_CAA, and WH-SQ02_CAA use a cyanoacrylic acid group as its electron acceptor. WH-SQ01_CA and WH-SQ01_CAA have an alkyl, while WH-SQ02_CA and WH-SQ02_CAA have alkoxyl substituted diarylamines to the indolium donor of sensitizer SQ01_CA. Our calculations show with additional diarylamines in donor tail of WH-SQ02_CAA, the SQ dyes have red-shifted absorption and have slightly larger probability of electron density transferred to TiO2 moiety. Furthermore, an additional −CN group as electron a withdrawing group in the acceptor exhibits red-shifted absorption and enhances the electron density transferred to TiO2 and anchoring moiety after photo-excitation. The tendency of calculated probabilities of electron density being delocalized into TiO2 and driving force for excited-state electron injection of these studied SQ dyes is compatible with their experimentally observed.


Modern economy gives specific challenges to every business unit, but for micro enterprises impossibility to overcome them may lead to disappearance. Transition economies sufficiently increase the role of small and micro enterprises because of the ability to respond to the systemic shock and generate jobs and income at the time when the large firm sector was undergoing a rapid decline. Micro-enterprises create favorable conditions for Russian sub-regional economic growth: they develop competitive environment, enlarge consumer sector and find a better use of local raw materials. The current study combines typology task with territory potential use analysis and the main objective of the study is Russian sub-regional differences analysis in micro-enterprises population development. The purpose of this research is to examine the national business environment on a regional basis, as well as to identify factors that determine the economic viability of different regions.


This paper examines the diplomatic and sociopolitical dynamics that limited the expected results of a Third Party Intervention (TPI) in the ongoing international dispute, involving two Latin American (LA) countries, Argentina and Uruguay, that the latter's approval of two Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) pulp mill projects on the River Uruguay's - their natural boundary - eastern coast unleashed. The purpose of this Conflict Management (CM) analysis is to expose how and why both national governments' belated and improper handling of the dispute severely limited the scope and the capabilities of the agreed TPI. Argentinean societal opposition to each FDI was firstly based on grounds of environmental concerns and, when environmental assessments contradicted that claim, on the refusal to grant a Social License to Operate (SLO) to any of them. The overall effect of these restrictions made the TPI partially ineffective; thus, the unsolved dispute continues harming with further negative impacts the relations between two neighboring countries with a long history of harmonious relations.


In this monograph, the importance of fluctuations for biological reactions is discussed from various points of view. Understanding the biological reactions at the molecular level is one of the major targets in many scientific fields, including not only basic biology but also physics, physical chemistry, and medical science. One of the key factors in the process is fluctuation . Thermal energy causes biological molecules to be in constant fluctuation even while they are carrying out their biological functions. How do biological systems overcome the thermal fluctuations to realize the physiologically relevant reactions? Scientists in a number of fields physics, chemistry, pharmacology, medicine, and others have contributed chapters that elucidate the nature of the fluctuations and the relationship between fluctuations and biological functions. The fluctuations discussed in this volume are detected by the transient grating method, nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction and scattering, and computer simulation, among other methods. The book presents various results of the studies of fluctuations in biological processes that were obtained with these methods by the leading scientists in their fields


A method of reducing threading dislocation densities in non-polar such as a- {11-20} plane and m-{1-100} plane or semi-polar such as {10-1n} plane III-Nitrides by employing lateral epitaxial overgrowth from sidewalls of etched template material through a patterned mask. The method includes depositing a patterned mask on a template material such as a non-polar or semi polar GaN template, etching the template material down to various depths through openings in the mask, and growing non-polar or semi-polar III-Nitride by coalescing laterally from the tops of the sidewalls before the vertically growing material from the trench bottoms reaches the tops of the sidewalls. The coalesced features grow through the openings of the mask, and grow laterally over the dielectric mask until a fully coalesced continuous film is achieved.


A new receiver design using iterative block decision-feedback equalizer (BDFE) is proposed for high data rate single-carrier multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. The adoption of BDFE enables a sequence-based log-likelihood ratio (LLR) calculation during iterative equalization, thus leading to better performance and faster convergence than existing low-complexity iterative equalization methods using symbol-based LLR evaluation. The proposed BDFE method is applied to overlapped blocks to reduce performance degradation at the tail of each block. The block size is flexibly selected depending on the practical channel condition. The proposed receiver scheme has been tested by extensive experimental data and proved to be robust to different transmission environments with consistently good detection performance. Data from collected during the SPACE08 experiment near Martha's Vineyard and the GOMEX08 experiment at the Gulf of Mexico, are both presented here.


As the quantity of trauma affected children rises so does the need for effective treatment interventions to resolve trauma symptomology so children may resume successful development. Up until now, the most popular interventions to aid children who have experienced trauma, have been "top down approaches" such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Top down approaches focus on processing and altering thought content to alleviate symptoms of trauma. However, recent research indicates that top down approaches do not relieve the somatic and biological symptoms of trauma that account for a majority of trauma symptomatology. The research of Duros & Crowley (2014) suggests that utilizing bottom up interventions that regulate the physical symptoms of trauma should be the first step in trauma treatment. Homann (2010) suggest that integrating the body into treatment for those who have experienced trauma can synchronize the endocrine system to inhibit proper functioning and with a balanced system, trauma affected clients can delve into cognitive processing. The findings of this literature review revealed that dance/movement therapy techniques such as body scanning, mirroring and body based coping skills may be efficacious interventions for children who have experienced trauma however further research is needed to qualify the efficacy of these methods. Body based techniques such as dance/movement therapy and would likely be most effective if paired with a top down method such as cognitive behavioral therapy. DMT FOR TRAUMA AFFECTED YOUTH Goggin 3


Emission spectra from the vacuum ultraviolet to the visible region have been obtained from the rare gas dimers of helium, neon, argon and krypton and from the xenon oxide excimer. Several new discrete and diffuse bands together with both structured and unstructured continua have been observed and some have been tentatively identified with specific electronic states of the molecule. Several of these spectra appear only under specific excitation conditions and were thus revealed in this research for the first time. Significant new results for helium and argon dimers have been obtained. A study of the higher excited states of rare gas - oxide and sulfide excimer is underway.


Anemia is considered a common finding in dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD), typically as normochromic, normocytic, and non-regenerative. Although anemia can occur at any CKD IRIS (International Renal Interest Society) stage, its severity is related with the loss of kidney function. The aim of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate quantitative and morphological abnormalities of the erythrogram in dogs at different CKD IRIS stages. A total of 482 CBCs from 3648 initially screened were included in the study. Anemia was present in 302/482 (63%) dogs, in the majority of which it was normochromic, normocytic, and non-regenerative (295/302; 98%). The number of reticulocytes was <60,000/μL in the majority of dogs (248/295; 84%), with a correlation between poor regeneration rate and progression of CKD (p = 0.0001). The frequency of anemia significantly differed (p = 0.0001) among the IRIS stages: 108/231 (47%) in IRIS 2, 77/109 (71%) in IRIS 3, and 117/142 (82%) in IRIS 4. Dogs at IRIS stages 3 and 4 were more likely to have moderate to severe anemia, compared to dogs at IRIS stage 2 (p = 0.0001). Anisocytosis was the most frequent morphological abnormality (291/482; 60%), whereas the presence of poikilocytosis showed an association with progression of IRIS stages (p = 0.009). Among different morphological abnormalities, the frequency of fragmented red blood cells and Howell–Jolly bodies showed a significant association with the progression of CKD. Anemia was a frequent finding in CKD dogs, mostly associated with none to poor regeneration rate. Similar to human medicine, advanced CKD stages are more frequently characterized by morphological alterations, such as fragmented red blood cells and Howell–Jolly bodies, which may suggest a more severe condition of reduced bone marrow activity and microangiopathy.


T he remarkable progress of science and technology in the 20th century has brought enormous benefits to humankind. Long and healthy lives, economic prosperity, and a pleasant and convenient living environment have resulted from technological progress based on advances in scientific knowledge. This progress will continue or may even accelerate in the future, because both the number of scientists and their activities are expanding throughout the world. We may expect, therefore, that science and technology will continue to contribute to the development of human society.

At the same time, rapid scientific advances may raise some difficult problems. First, the disparity in scientific knowledge between those in scientific and technical professions and those in other areas will continuously expand. This may create a communications gap between the two groups that could affect obtaining public consent on important issues, such as the use of genetically engineered plants or human embryonic stem cells. Second, the 21st century will be characterized by a knowledge-based society, and a knowledge of science will be required for many professions. Those who lack scientific knowledge will have fewer opportunities for good jobs. Third, the enormous increase in scientific information will become a burden for children who must study science. Already young people seem to be losing interest in science, and this trend may increase in the future. Over the past several years, enrollment in high-school physics courses in Japan has been decreasing, which suggests that many young people are losing interest in physics or avoiding subjects that require diligent study. Finally, scientific research in the next century will require increasing levels of public investment because sophisticated research is usually expensive. If the public loses interest in science or does not understand the importance of research, it will become difficult for scientists to obtain sufficient financial support.

Because of these considerations, I think that we need to carefully review present science education at different levels and to improve it in order to meet the expected rapid progress of science in the 21st century. At the level of primary education, the most important task is to stimulate children's interest in nature. Naive surprise at the wonders of nature will hopefully lead to a later interest in science. During their secondary education, students must learn logic and the principles of natural phenomena. They will gradually separate into groups of those who like and those who dislike science. It will be difficult to provide the latter students with the scientific basics that would be useful throughout their lives. This is also the case in university education. It is becoming a goal of general university education to give students who are not majoring in natural science and engineering some level of scientific literacy. In the future, all citizens, especially those expected to lead diverse areas of society, should have a sound basis for understanding the progress of science. Because the pace of progress will accelerate further, continuing science education for the public is also of great importance. Science journalists play an important role, but scientists should also make efforts to enlighten the general public with accurate reports on scientific progress explained in plain language.

Japan's Science and Technology Agency this year started a 3-year campaign to promote better public understanding of the progress of science and technology. It includes science festivals for young people, a robot olympics, introduction of advanced technologies through video libraries, construction of a new science museum (Science World), and so on. Science education for the general public is not easy, however. We have to study tactics and strategies to make science education an integral part of every stage of life, from children's primary education to lifelong learning for adults.


Four domestic rabbits were presented with a history of nonpruritic scale. Multiple skin biopsies revealed findings compatible with sebaceous adenitis as reported in other species: inflammation directed at the sebaceous gland, and/or an absence of sebaceous glands, a perifollicular lymphocytic infiltrate at the level of the absent sebaceous glands, hyperkeratosis, follicular keratosis, follicular dystrophy, perifollicular fibrosis, and a mural infiltrative lymphocytic folliculitis. Histological changes not consistent with sebaceous adenitis in other species were interface dermatitis and interface folliculitis with single cell necrosis and basal cell hydropic degeneration.


The holmium-doped calcium fluoride (Ho:CaF(2)) crystal was shown to be an effective solid-state saturable-absorber Q-switch for a flash-lamp-pumped Tm,Cr:Y(3)Al(5)O(12) laser at 2.017 µm. With a 1-cm-thick Ho(0.5%),Er(5%):CaP(2) saturable absorber and a 6.3% output coupler, a single Q-switched laser pulse of 51 mJ in energy and 60 ns in duration was obtained at a flash-lamp input energy of 85 J. With a 14.6% output coupler, a typical Q-switched laser pulse of 84 mJ and 82 ns was observed.


Sexual polyploidization explains the formation of most polyploid crop species and provides means for their genetic improvement. This paper reports the occurrence and inheritance of 2n pollen in diploid and polyploid Musa. Pollen samples of male fertile accessions available in the field gene bank of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture were microscopically examined throughout a calendar year. Based on pollen diameter 2n pollen producers were identified. The presence of 2n pollen in diploid species suggests that unilateral sexual polyploidization (2n¬n) could have been involved in the origin of triploid Musa species. Segregation data suggests that at least one dominant gene controls 2n pollen production in Musa. Further introgression of desirable alleles from diploid species to polyploids could be achieved either through unilateral or bilateral (2n¬2n) sexual polyploidization in Musa. # 1997 Annals of Botany Company


This paper describes an application of simulation and Modelling in Software risk management. This paper describes a simulation based software risk management tool which helps manager to identify high risk areas of software process. In this paper an endeavour has been made to build up a Stochastic Simulator which helps in decision making to identify the critical activities which are given due priorities during the development of Software Project. In response to new information or revised estimates, it may be necessary to reassign resources, cancel optional tasks, etc. Project management tools that make projections while treating decisions about tasks and resource assignments as static will not yield realistic results. The usual PERT procedure may lead to overly optimistic results as many pass which are not critical but slightly shorter than critical on the basis of estimated activity duration or average durations. Due to randomness of durations, these pass under some combination of activity durations, could become longer than the average longest path. Such paths would be ignored while using the PERT technique on the basis of the average durations. In order to overcome this problem and be more reasonable, the said Stochastic Simulator has been designed by generating random samples from a specific probability distribution associated with that particular activity of SPM. The said simulator is also not bugged with overly estimated results. KeywordsSPM; Activity Network; Critical Activities; Critical Path; CPM; PERT; Simulation


. In recent years, gene therapy drugs have finally been approved in Europe, the U.S., and Japan. In parallel with this, advances in genome editing technologies have enabled therapeutic strategies by gene knockout and gene repair, which were difficult with conventional so-called gene addition therapy. Worldwide, over 30 clinical trials of genome editing therapy have already been conducted, and some protocols have shown not only safety but also therapeutic efficacy. In the clinical application of genome editing, in addition to the technical hurdles of conventional gene therapy, there are problems specific to genome editing technology, such as the risk of introducing DNA mutations due to off-target activity of enzymes and the immune response to the artificial nucleases. It is necessary to consider the objective risk and benefit in comparison to existing therapeutic protocols. It is also essential to further develop technologies for therapeutic application in a wider range of diseases.


We propose a novel approach to the evaluation of agent policies in uncertain sequential decision making problems. We study a model-based two-player differential game with the first player being the agent of interest and the other player being a disturbance player may act against the agent. In particular, we focus on the problems where tail events are critical. Here, robustness of the policy against the disturbance actions must be guaranteed. We present a framework which relies upon backward reachable sets computed by solving the differential game with respect to the disturbance player. The disturbance action is modeled and learned as a set-valued mapping, rather than a deterministic or probabilistic policy. The solution is disturbance winning set (B) where a predefined metric is violated under all possible policies. By sampling test cases from the complement of B, we obtain challenging scenarios that can help evaluating robustness of policies. We demonstrate our framework in a simple autonomous driving example where an adaptive cruise control policy in a car-following scenario is evaluated. Our approach to the synthesis of realistic and challenging test cases can help to systematically evaluate the robustness and safety of policies.


Objective This study was designed to investigate the effect of administration of warmed contrast material (CM) on the bolus geometry and enhancement as depicted on coronary CT angiography. Materials and Methods A total of 64 patients (42 men, 22 women; mean age, 56 years) were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 included 32 patients administered CM (Omnipaque [Iohexol] 350 mg I/ mL; Nycomed, Princeton, NJ) saline solutions kept in an incubator at a constant temperature (37℃). Group 2 included 32 patients administered the CM saline solutions kept at constant room temperature (24℃). Cardiac CT scans were performed with a dual source computed tomography (DSCT) scanner. For each group, region of interest curves were plotted inside the ascending aorta, main pulmonary artery and descending aorta on test bolus images. Using enhancement values, time/enhancement diagrams were produced for each vessel. On diagrams, basal Hounsfield unit (HU) values were subtracted from sequentially obtained values. A value of 100 HU was accepted as a cut-off value for the beginning of opacification. The time to peak, the time required to reach 100 HU opacification, maximum enhancement and duration of enhancement above 100 HU were noted. DSCT angiography studies were evaluated for coronary vessel enhancement. Results Maximum enhancement values in the ascending aorta, descending aorta and main pulmonary artery were significantly higher in group 1 subjects. In the ascending aorta, the median time required to reach 100 HU opacification during the test bolus analysis was significantly shorter for group 2 subjects than for group 1 subjects. In the ascending aorta, the descending aorta and main pulmonary artery, for group 1 subjects, the bolus geometry curve shifted to the left and upwards as compared with the bolus geometry curve for group 2 subjects. Conclusion The use of warmed CM yields higher enhancement values and a shorter time to reach maximum enhancement duration, resulting in a shift of the bolus geometry curve to the left that may provide optimized image quality.


Many metals and alloys absorb hydrogen and diffusion of hydrogen under certain conditions can seriously weaken and produces embrittlement in steel. Hydrogen embrittlement is a type of metal deterioration that is related to stress corrosion cracking. Although steels are well known for their susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement, the mechanism of transportation of hydrogen is not very clear in low carbon steels. Standard tensile steel specimens were hydrogenated from 1 to 5 hours and deformed by cold worked to 50%,60%,70% 80% and were investigated for mechanical properties.


Melastoma malabathricum (M. malabathricum) extracts have been reported to exert various pharmacological activities including antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative activities. The objective of the present study was to determine the anticarcinogenic activity of its methanol extract (MEMM) against the azoxymethane (AOM)-induced early colon carcinogenesis in rats. Rats were randomly assigned to five groups (n=6) namely normal control, negative control, and treatment (50, 250 or 500 mg/kg of MEMM) groups. Colon tissues were harvested for histopathological analysis and endogenous antioxidant system determination. MEMM was also subjected to HPLC analysis. Findings showed that MEMM significantly (p<0.05) reversed the AOM-induced carcinogenicity by: i) reducing the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) in colon tissues, and; ii) enhancing the endogenous antioxidant activity (catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase). Moreover, various phenolics has been identified in MEMM. In conclusion, MEMM exerts the in vivo anticarcinogenic activity via the activation of endogenous antioxidant system and synergistic action of phenolics.


In this paper we present a 3D perception system, currently under development, dedicated to be implemented on the mobile robot Hilare. Our goal is to provide the robot with the ability to build by itself its own representations of a non-trivial indoors environment ; these representations should include geometric and topological informations for the navigation system needs, and a certain level of semantic understanding of the world. Our system is based on a multisensory approach, using two 3D information acquisition modules : a scene modeling module based on a stereovision process and a laser range finder, and a dynamic vision module. These two modules are presented, and some experimental results are shown. Particular emphasis is made on the design of the perception system in its globality : use of redundant sensors, cooperation between modules, global system control.


The aim of our present study was to detect whether a generalized disturbance of intracortical inhibitory mechanisms as assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can be observed in a movement disorder with localized clinical expression, that is, in focal cervical dystonia. We measured motor threshold intensity, central motor conduction time and the duration of postexcitatory inhibition evoked by single and paired stimuli TMS from a small hand muscle in 20 patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia, and 21 healthy volunteers. A significant difference could not be found in any of the neurophysiological parameters between patients and controls. These findings are unlike the observations made in Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease, where significant changes of postexcitatory inhibition after TMS can be observed. This suggests a lack of widespread change in activity of underlying cortical inhibitory mechanisms, as seen in other diseases of the extrapyramidal system with more generalized clinical involvement.


Introduction In 2013 Health service for England (HSE) reported that 62.1% of adults had a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 kg/m2. Obesity is a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which is the most common cause of liver disease in the United Kingdom and western countries. Reduction in total body weight (TBW) through diet and lifestyle modification is the mainstay of management for NAFLD. We aimed to assess the impact of an outpatient dietitian led specialist weight (wt) management (mgt) service offered exclusively to patients (pts) known to hepatology services on changes in wt observed. Secondary outcomes assessed included reasons for referral to the service, the demographics of pts, adherence to follow up (FU) through the service and whether any wt loss was maintained 6 months post discharge (d/c) from the service. Method Information was analysed from a database created and maintained by dietitians. Data was collected on all pts accessing the service for 33 months between 2012–2014. Results In 33 months, 72% (204/284) of pts referred to the service attended for assessment (axe) (144/204 (71%) males (M); 60/204 (29%) females (F); age range 16–19, median age 43). 116/204 (57%) of pts were Caucasian and 88/204 (43%) of Asian ethnicity. After axe, future FU was optional. FU ranged from 1–12 appointments (apt): 79/204 (39%) attended 1 FU, 39/204 (19%) attended 2 FU, 21/204 (10%) 3 FU, 28/204 (14%) 4 FU apt and 37/204 (18%) attended 5 or more apt. At the end of the study 19/204 (10%) were still receiving care, 60/204 (29%) of pts attended all arranged FU, 104/204 (51%) of pts were d/c due non-attendance; 15/204 (7%) self d/c, 6/204 (3%) were lost to FU. 113/204 (55%) had more than 1 FU apt and wt changes were recorded in this cohort. FU time ranged from 4–107 weeks. In total 88/113 (78%) lost weight (59M, 29F), of these 35/88 (40%) of pts lost more than 5% of their TBW. Wt loss ranged from 0.3–30.4 kg; average wt loss: 4.1 kg per pt. No pts in this cohort received wt mx surgery. Long term data was available for 33 pts 6/12 after d/c from the service; 16/33 (48%) had regained wt, 4/33 (12%) had remained stable (defined as less than 0.5 kg increase or decrease in wt) and 13/33 (40%) had continued to lose wt. Conclusion Even though a significant number of patients failed to engage with service, wt loss results observed in pts adhering to FU and attending more than 1 apt with the dietitian led service were very encouraging. Poor engagement may be due to a lack of motivation, poor education on the role of the dietitian or pts failure to take ownership of their medical problems. Once d/c from the service, 48% of patients regained weight suggesting that motivation to continue to modify lifestyle and diet is poor once the period of active FU has ended. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


Abstract Acyclic diaminocarbenes (ADCs)–Metal complex having strong donor ability and thermal stability led to extensive usability across every area of inorganic and organometallic chemistry. The unique properties of acyclic diaminocarbenes (ADCs) provide certain advantages over other carbene ligands and have the potential to make a great impact in catalysis. Further, the straightforward synthesis of M–ADCs (metal bound acyclic diaminocarbenes) complexes via metal-mediated reaction provides a wide range of well-defined metal carbene catalysts, which might inspire more researchers to devise unsymmetrically substituted, chiral, and novel acyclic carbene compounds. Although the above synthetic route is limited to a few late transition metals, but have great opportunities to expand the scope of this method. The application of M–ADCs complexes as a catalyst for several organic transformation reactions such as various cross-coupling reactions and asymmetric synthesis like hydroarylation, hydroazidation, hydroamination, cyclization and addition reactions which have shown comparable or even higher activities than the analogous M–NHCs based on all the reports presented. Recent findings of donor ability of several ADC ligands would be useful in fine-tuning the electronic properties, and then a catalyst with a certain combination of donicity and steric requirement could open new doors in catalytic reactivity. Thus, the objective of this review is to assess the recent growths that have been made in designing novel and chiral ADCs ligands and synthesizing ADCs–Metal complexes and to highlight catalytic activities of metal acyclic diaminocarbene complexes for cross-coupling reactions.


Reduction in the off-state leakage current of p-type low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-film transistors (TFTs) after negative bias sweeping is observed and reported in this paper. It is found that the subthreshold and on-state characteristics of poly-Si TFTs are almost unaffected. Electron trapping locally in the gate oxide near the drain during negative biasing is proposed to be the underlying mechanism. The most effective bias for leakage current suppression locates in the region that kink effect occurs.


What types of entities qualify as "causes" and "effects"? What is the relationship between cause and effect? How are causal claims to be assessed? The first question deals with the structure of the world; the second is about theories that interpret the relationship of causes to effects; while the third has to do with proper procedure in science and everyday life. This volume is a wide-ranging history of answers that have been given to these three questions, and their relationship to scientific understanding. Losee presents a number of theories of causality within a historical survey that emphasizes the interrelationship between these theories and developments in science. His analysis displays the strengths and weaknesses of these theories so as to contribute to our present understanding of causal relatedness. Among the positions discussed are those of Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill, Salmon, Lewis, and Woodward. Losee's analysis displays the strengths and weaknesses of theories that identify causal relatedness with regularity of sequence, probability increase, energy transfer, exchange of a conserved quantity, counterfactual dependence, and inferability.These theories are judged, in part, by their ability to resolvedifficulties posed by instances of overdetermination, causation by omission, preventive causation, and causation by disconnection. Since applications of the theories to these instances disagree, a strategy of employing multiple concepts of causation is examined. Theories of Causality also describes the particular difficulties for causal analysis posed by quantum mechanics. One such difficulty is the prohibition against combining a causal analysis of a quantum process with a spatio-temporal description of that process.


If the South African sugar industry is to remain internationally competitive in the long term it needs to reduce costs and increase overall sugar production efficiencies by exploiting its competitive advantage; viz its well developed infrastructure and capacity to organise and innovate. Cane supply logistics is one area that requires innovation and better organisation, as it is intrinsically difficult to optimise due to the involvement of large numbers of independent stakeholders. What is required is an institutional framework that incentivises growers and millers to align cane deliveries with mill crush rates. Such alignment is expected to reduce no-cane stops, improve cane transport logistics, streamline the cane transport fleet, reduce burn harvest to crush delays, enhance mill performance and ultimately increase the profitability of an entire mill area. Furthermore, the resultant increase in delivery certainty should better enable growers to optimise variety selection and harvest scheduling to maximise cane quality and overall sugar recoveries per hectare. The Self Regulating Delivery (SRD) has evolved with these principles in mind and in so doing challenges the current South African sugar industry approaches to rateable deliveries and 'relative' cane payment. It also attempts to create incentives that rationalise harvest and transport contractor behaviour, and provides for the consolidation of numerous smaller scale growers into more cost effective delivery groups. The SRD mechanism has yet to be implemented but has nevertheless being designed to be flexible, simple and cost effective, which are pre-requisites to be operative in the dynamic sugar production environment.


Detecting attacks disguised by evasion techniques is a challenge for signature-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPSs). This study examines five common evasion techniques to determine their ability to evade recent systems. The denial-of-service (DoS) attack attempts to disable a system by exhausting its resources. Packet splitting tries to chop data into small packets, so that a system may not completely reassemble the packets for signature matching. Duplicate insertion can mislead a system if the system and the target host discard different TCP/IP packets with a duplicate offset or sequence. Payload mutation fools a system with a mutative payload. Shellcode mutation transforms an attacker's shellcode to escape signature detection. This study assesses the effectiveness of these techniques on three recent signature-based systems, and among them, explains why Snort can be evaded. The results indicate that duplicate insertion becomes less effective on recent systems, but packet splitting, payload mutation and shellcode mutation can be still effective against them.


Here we describe the use of a dynamic covalent synthetic approach to improve the attachement of interlocked architectures to solid supports. Although, dynamic covalent chemistry, and even more specifically disulfide exchange reactions have proved to be a successful synthetic strategy for the synthesis of catenanes and knots, comparatively few examples of its use for the synthesis of rotaxanes have been reported. Our work demonstrates that disulfide exchange can be used to synthesise neutral naphthalene diimide containing rotaxanes. Detailed HPLC analysis enabled deconvolution of a complex equilibrium between 6 disulfide species in solution. Analogous experiments investigating dynamic covalent attachment of rotaxanes to TentaGel™ polymer resins using disulfide chemistry resulted in significantly increased attachment of interlocked architectures attached to the solid supports (65% rotaxane) as compared to traditional (kinetically controlled) synthetic approaches.


OBJECTIVE
The comorbidity of alcoholism and depression increases the complexity of treatment and is associated with severe disability and morbidity. However, long-term treatment algorithms have been understudied.

METHOD
This study examined the natural course of 74 depressed alcoholics over 6 to 12 months following a 12-week acute-phase trial of sertraline (Zoloft), naltrexone (Revia), and compliance enhancement therapy. Subjects were monitored for long-term outcomes based on their acute-phase trial response.

RESULTS
Fifty-four subjects followed up at 6 months, and 50 subjects remained at the 12-month visit. Full responders at the end of the 12-week acute-phase trial sustained better overall outcomes (6 months: chi2=19.9, 4 df, p=.001; 12 months: chi2=11.7, 4 df, p=.020) and better drinking and depression outcomes, as compared with partial responders and nonresponders over a 6-month and 12-month period.

CONCLUSIONS
Initial full responders sustain better overall treatment outcomes at 6 and 12 months, compared with partial responders and nonresponders. The defined outcome categories incorporate meaningful and practical measures of severity and can help predict treatment outcomes in clinical practice, thereby allowing timely interventions. Future studies should focus on maintenance strategies for full responders and treatment adaptations for partial responders and nonresponders.


This special issue of Nanotechnology reflects upon the state of the art in nanoscience as disseminated at the International Conference on Nanoscience and Technology (ICN&T) in Basel, Switzerland, 30 July–4 August 2006. At the meeting more than 1600 researchers gathered both to mark the anniversaries of STM and AFM and to celebrate the expansion and substantiation of nanoscience in general. The breadth of modern nanoscience and its application was underlined by 40 different topics with more than 500 presentations and 900 posters. The work from some of the invited speakers published in this special issue gives the reader a real flavour of where nanoscience is evolving in its quest to amalgamate the still somewhat dominant mechanistic top-down approach with that of the bottom-up approach of self-assembly and self organization as so successfully implemented in the natural world. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the authors for their valuable contribution to make this special issue of Nanotechnology a comprehensive reflection of the scientific excitement of the ICN&T conference.


Service-learning and community engagement (SLCE) scholar–practitioners in higher education have shifted their focus to deeper engagement and more democratic practices. They have been paying closer attention to the need for engagement practices to be based on mutuality and a genuine commitment to the co-creation of knowledge. Increased attention to questions of relationships, power, and processes in SLCE has become particularly salient in investigations of student learning in community-based experiences. Articles in Volume 9, Issue 1 of the International Journal of Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement ( IJRSLCE ) draw attention to research that reflects three lines of inquiry that, in essence, emphasize reciprocity in partnerships between higher education institutions and the wider community. The implication is that SLCE continually requires critical reflection on the extent to which partnerships and processes combine effectively to enhance student learning; build community capacity; and transform systems, individuals, organizations, communities, and higher education itself.


In‐room kilovoltage (kV) x‐ray imaging refers to radiographicimaging using kV x‐ray sources in the radiation treatment room. It has been widely accepted for radiotherapy target localization and treatment intervention. Task Group 104 (TG 104) reports on the various in‐room systems which are commercially available using one or more kV imaging modalities. Several distinct systems including rail‐track‐mounted systems ceiling/floor‐mounted systems and gantry‐mounted systems have been made commercially available each with unique capabilities limitations and levels of operational complexity. A hybrid system is also introduced which combines two different mounting systems. In this presentation we will provide 1) an overview of the principles and challenges for treatment verification; 2) an overview of system description image guidance applications and performance for in‐room systems based on both projection and tomographic imaging; 3) brief description of future development. The TG‐104 report also provides an overview of the issues related to effective implementation of these systems for routine clinical procedures. General guidance is made for appropriate acceptance testing and quality assurance of these systems for safetyimage quality and data management. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the current existing kV x‐ray systems used in the radiation treatment room including system configurations specifications operation principles and functionality. 2. Understand the principles and challenges for treatment verification. 3. Understand current clinical application methods about how these systems could be used to improve treatment accuracy and their lementationo. 4. Understand issues related to effective implementation of IGRT in the routine clinical procedures as well as quality assurance.


The hot-carrier-injected oxide region is systematically investigated for fully depleted surface-channel (SC) nMOS and SC- and buried-channel pMOSFETs fabricated on an ultra-thin (50 nm)-film SIMOX wafer. NMOSFET degradation is shown to be caused mainly by hot-carriers injected into the drain side of the front oxide and pMOSFET degradation by hot-electrons injected into the drain side of both the back oxide and the front oxide. It is shown experimentally for the first-time that these fully depleted devices with effective channel lengths of 0.1-0.2 /spl mu/m have fairly high hot-carrier immunity, even for single-drain structures.<<ETX>>


In the strong uniform magnetic field, the noncommutative plane (NCP) caused by the lowest Landau level (LLL) effect, and QED with NCP (QED-NCP) are studied. Being similar to the condensed matter theory of quantum Hall effect, an effective filling factor f(B) is introduced to characterize the possibility that the electrons stay on the LLL. The analytic and numerical results of the differential cross section for the process of backward Compton scattering in accelerator with unpolarized or polarized initial photons are calculated. The existing data of BL38B2 in Spring-8 have been analyzed roughly and compared with the numerical predictions primitively. We propose a precise measurement of the differential cross sections of backward Compton scattering in a strong perpendicular magnetic field, which may reveal the effects of NCP.


Meso 1,9-diketones (six to seven stereocenters) are readily obtained by stepwise or simultaneous two-directional aldol reactions of tetrahydro-4H-thiopyran-4-one with a thiopyran-derived aldehyde or dialdehyde. Enantioselective enolizations of these diketones with the lithium amide from (R,R)-bis(1-phenylethyl)amine occur with simultaneous kinetic resolution to give the mono-TMS enol ethers in >90% yields (BORSM) and >95% ee. The products are applicable to polypropionate synthesis. [reaction: see text]


Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a malignancy of B cells with immunophenotype of memory cells. Downstream pathways to BCR, like NFkB, AKT and ERK, and anti-apoptotic proteins such as Bcl2 and Mcl1, are thought to contribute to expansion and survival of the malignant cells. CLL patients show different clinical course: tumor clones having no V-gene mutations, many CD38+ or ZAP-70+ B cells, chromosome 11q deletion and high expression of TCL1, had an aggressive, usually fatal course, whereas patients with mutated clones, few CD38+ or ZAP-70+ B cells and low TCL1 expression, had an indolent course. Recent studies identified a microRNA signature associated with prognosis and progression in B-CLL. Particularly, miR181b is down-regulated in aggressive forms of CLL and its expression is inversely correlated to Tcl1 levels.

An increasing number of studies are considering microRNAs as potentially useful therapeutic agents. Given that MCL-1, BCL-2 and TCL1 are proved targets for miR181b, that Akt activation is enhanced by Tcl1 and a crosstalk between Akt and ERK or NFkB exists, we performed a preclinical evaluation of miR181b therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of CLL, the Eu-TCL1 transgenic mouse, previously generated by us.

In vitro enforced expression of miR-181b mimics induced a significant apoptotic effect in human B-cell line EHEB, as well as in mouse Eμ-TCL1 leukemic splenocytes. Molecular analyses revealed that miR-181b not only affected the expression of Tcl1, Bcl2 and Mcl1 anti-apoptotic proteins, but also increased the expression level of the NFkB inhibitor protein IkB-alpha and reduced the phosphorylation levels of Akt and Erk1/2. Notably, an anti-TCL1 siRNA could similarly down-modulate Tcl1 but exhibited a reduced or absent activity on other relevant proteins, as well as a reduced effect on cell apoptosis and viability. In vivo studies indicated a significant capability of miR-181b in reducing leukemic cells expansion and increasing survival of treated mice. These data indicate that miR-181b exerts a broad range of actions, affecting proliferative, survival and apoptotic pathways, both in mice and human, and can potentially be employed to reduce expansion of B-CLL leukemic cells.

Citation Format: Antonella Bresin, Elisa Callegari, Lucilla D'Abundo, Caterina Cattani, Cristian Bassi, Barbara Zagatti, Maria Grazia Narducci, Elisabetta Caprini, Yuri Pekarsky, Carlo Maria Croce, Silvia Sabbioni, Massimo Negrini, Giandomenico Russo. A preclinical study for miR181b as therapeutic in Eu-TCL1FL-tg mouse model for CLL. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3974. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3974


Inactivating mutations of the parathyroid cell calcium receptor (CaR) gene cause one form of familial benign/hypocalciuric hypercalcemia, and in homozygous form, cause neonatal severe primary hyperparathyroidism with parathyroid hyperplasia. Thus, we postulated that partial or total loss of CaR function might contribute to calcium insensitivity or even stimulate cell proliferation in sporadic parathyroid adenomas (PAds). To examine this possibility, we sought loss of heterozygosity (LOH) for markers flanking the CaR locus (3cen-3q21) in 35 PAds. We used 16 highly-polymorphic PCR-based markers in paired normal and tumor DNA, extracted from slices of archived surgical specimens. Nineteen to 24 of the DNA pairs were informative with at least one marker. In two informative pairs, we found LOH for markers D3S1303, D3S1267, or D3S1269, which are tightly-linked with and flank the CaR locus. In one tumor, deletion mapping confined the lost area between D3S1271 and D3S1238 (41.7 centimorgans, cM). In the other tumor, LOH spanned most of chromosome 3, ranging at least from D3S1307 to D3S1311 (271.4 cM). LOH was confirmed by repetition of the experiments and quantified by phosphorimaging. Thus, we found LOH encompassing the CaR locus in approximately 10% of sporadic PAds. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that loss of CaR function may occur in PAds, with functional consequences for calcium sensitivity and cell proliferation.


This Article argues for the need for new laws and adequate guidelines for today's flexible staffing arrangements. Flexible employment arrangements in the new market are simultaneously efficiency-driven and developed through continuous political and legal action. While the employment agency industry is potentially a welfare-enhancing sector in certain environments, it also produces new forms of mistreatment of workers in the absence of adequate regulatory incentives. These new economic structures necessitate the development of a new normative model that allows certain forms of market flexibility yet maintains the social norms that continue to inform fair employment policies.
Part II of this Article explores the range of taxonomies and categories that have developed in the flexible staffing industry. This Article sets forth the argument that the complexity and variety that characterize the industry is not accidental, but a product of legal and economic struggles for recognition of flexible employment arrangements as legitimate practices in the new economy. Part III further describes the various factors that motivate the emergence of flexible employment from the perspective of employers and workers. These factors include both legitimate economic needs and problematic attempts to evade legal protections. Part IV then moves to a third set of factors that motivate flexible staffing arrangements-those of the flourishing employment agency industry. This Part further describes the public efforts of the staffing industry to legitimize its status in the triangular employment context, including the advocacy, lobbying, and public relations efforts by its trade associations. Part V is an analysis of the recent efforts by courts, administrative agencies, and legislative commissions to define the legal parameters of the various new flexible employment arrangements. Drawing on comparative insights, as well as the problems and inconsistencies among recent cases, Part V demonstrates the inadequacies of the existing common law doctrine in addressing these new challenges and suggests alternative doctrines and policies that would be better suited to achieve the necessary balance between flexibility and fairness.


In this essay I explore the paradoxical operation of the rhetoric of individualism. While individualism suggests the demarcation of liberal subjects and even opposition to communities, groups, and collectives, its rhetorical deployment can call people together in powerful ways, offering them a common identity and a shared perspective. In short, the rhetoric of individualism can be used to create community. To illustrate the paradoxical operation of the rhetoric of individualism, I analyze William James's popular lecture "The Will to Believe," which deployed individualism as a response to various social, political, and intellectual shifts at the end of the nineteenth century. In particular, James's individualist rhetoric helped foster a community of religious believers ready to oppose the evidentiary demands of modern science. Although "The Will to Believe" represents only one instance of the rhetoric of individualism, it suggests that community building may be a natural function of individualism's rhetorical deployment.


The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Corni fructus extracts (CEF, EtOAc extraction; CBF, buthanol extraction; CWF, water extraction) were investigated. The total phenolics of CEF (173.3 mg TAE/g) were significantly higher than those of CWF (26.7 mg TAE/g) and CBF (94.8 mg TAE/g). DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activity of CEF (DPPH: RH50; 25.1 μg/mL, ABTS: RC50; 36.1 μg/mL) showed even higher than that of BHA and α-tocopherol used as positive control. All three Corni fructus extracts in the concentration of 1~100 μg/mL were effective inhibitors of NO and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). NO production was inhibited 71.3~92.2% by CEF, 76.8~85.5% by CBF and 74.4~96.9% by CWF, respectively. CEF, CBF and CWF (1~100 μg/mL) inhibited also pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 very effectively. TNF-α was inhibited up to 51.2% by CWF and IL-1β was inhibited up to 67.1% by CEF. IL-6 was best inhibited by CEF up to 58.9%. This study suggested the potential of Corni fructus for use as an excellent antioxidant substance and inflammatory inhibiting mediators. Therefore CEF, CBF and CWF Corni fructus extracts may be used for therapeutic approach to various inflammatory diseases.


Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) are one of the most widely used types of electro-active polymer actuator, due to their low electric driving potential and large deformation range. In this research a tube type IPMC was investigated. This IPMC has a circular cross section with four separate electrodes on its surface and a hole through the middle. The four separate electrodes allows for biaxial bending and accurate control of the tip location. One of the main advantages of using this type of IPMC is the ability to embed a specific tool and accurately control the tool tip location using the large deflection range of the IPMC. This ability has widespread applications including in the biomedical field for use in catheter procedures. In this paper the results of the bending and force experiments were examined to validate the performance of this actuator obtained from the theoretical three dimensional COMSOL Multipysics model. An electromechanical model of the IPMC was developed and integrated into a closed loop control system. To improve functionality and the user interface the control system was designed to work on a laptop touchpad. This will provide a more familiar and intuitive interaction and cut down on operator training time.


We present a method for entanglement detection in steady state systems using a thermodynamic witness. To illustrate, we consider an example and find that for an XX spin chain, the presence of an energy current increases the region of entanglement detected by the steady state witness. Further, we find that entanglement exists even at a high steady state temperature. We also discuss concurrence in the steady state system and find that the amount of entanglement can be increased by the current.


The bouncing configuration of the mirage method has several advantages over the skimming one. Although the signal in this configuration is thought to be due to the variation in refractive index of the surrounding gas alone, it may also be influenced by the thermal expansion of the investigated sample. In this paper, three-dimensional calculations of the deflection of the probe beam from the surface vibrations are presented and the effect of the probe beam's finite size is calculated. Both the transverse and the normal components of the signal are considered. The photodeflection signal obtained is compared with the mirage signal and the effects of various experimental conditions are discussed. The theoretical predictions are compared with experimental data from materials of various thermal diffusivities and thermal expansion coefficients.


The increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide has promoted research on human metabolism and foods such as sofrito, a tomato and olive oil-based sauce from the Mediterranean diet, has shown beneficial effects on obesity and related complications. Sofrito has been associated with better cardiovascular health, metabolic syndrome, and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to understand how sofrito intake could contribute to the control of energy metabolism in obese rats. For this purpose, integrative untargeted lipidomics, metabolomics, and targeted gene expression approaches were used in the liver and adipose tissue to identify metabolic changes and the mechanism of action promoted by sofrito intake. A new biomarker was identified in the liver, butanediol glucuronide, an indicator of ketogenic activation and lipid oxidation after the sofrito intervention. Gene expression analysis revealed an increase in the uptake and liver oxidation of lipids for energy production and ketogenesis activation as fuel for other tissues in sofrito-fed animals. Sofrito altered the lipidomic profile in the fat depots of obese rats. This multiomics study identifies a new biomarker linked to the beneficial actions of sofrito against obesity and provides further insight into the beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet components.


The benefits of fish oil supplementation for inflammation based disorders has been well-documented,[1] prompting investigations into the pathways through which these benefits are achieved. This led Serhan et al. to the discovery of a new class of pro-resolution lipid mediators, termed resolvins .[2][3] There has subsequently been much research into their being a potential treatment for chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma,[4] diabetes,[5] and arthritis.[6] The aim of this research was to study the bioactivity of resolvin E1 (RvE1) and its analogues; to do this a flexible and versatile route towards the chemical synthesis of RvE1 had to be developed, which would allow for easy modification of the stereochemistry of the C-C double bonds and hydroxyl groups, as well as producing fragments containing key functional groups.
The first proposed route synthesised RvE1 from two key fragments termed the lactone and epoxide fragments. RvE1 contains three stereogenic hydroxyl groups, one with S configuration and two with R configuration. The epoxide fragment was to be converted into two adjacent sections of the RvE1 chain. The S-stereocentre was introduced via hydrolytic kinetic resolution using a Jacobsen s catalyst.[7] The two R-stereocentres were introduced via the chiral pool originating from 1,2:5,6-di-O-isopropylidene-D-mannitol. Unfortunately, problems were encountered late on in the synthesis of both fragments and therefore a new synthetic route had to be devised.
The second proposed route synthesised RvE1 from two key fragments termed the alkyne and halide fragments. The S-stereocentre and one R-stereocentre were proposed to be introduced via asymmetric reduction of a ketone group. The other R-stereocentre was proposed to be synthesised with the use of chiral additives during an indium-mediated coupling reaction.[8]
As work progressed on the halide fragment, the Lewis acid catalysed thermodynamic conversion of a branched chain homoallylic alcohol to its linear counterpart was trialled in order to obtain one of the conjugated diene system in RvE1. Using literature conditions for a similar system[9] this reaction was unsuccessful. The reaction mechanism was studied and a hypothesis was put forward that adding a catalytic amount of the aldehyde that the branched chain homoallylic alcohol was synthesised from to the reaction mixture would promote the thermodynamic conversion to the linear chain. These conditions were trialled on a number of different starting materials, leading to either an improvement in yield for the thermodynamic conversion, or the success of a previously unsuccessful conversion.


With the notion of habit, in the classical philosophy human potency can be considered irrestrictly, even without accepting the primacy of potency over act, as happens in modern philosophy. This concerns to human liberty, which can be thought as actus essendi hominis, and in that sense as transcendental. Also, the order of transcendental notions has to be amplified.


In 1926 G. Ramon and P. Descombey (1) described the phenomenon of flocculation which takes place in mixtures of tetanal toxin and tetanal antitoxic serum. In the same communication Ramon and Descombey reported that with certain sera "abnormal" flocculations may occur. Other workers have also reported, in the case of tetanus, similar "abnormal" flocculations, that is flocculations which occur in zones which do not correspond to true toxin-antitoxin neutralization. In order to overcome the difficulty presented by false zones of flocculation a number of solutions have been proposed.
 In 1937 Ramon (2) reported that he had prepared a serum which flocculated in a single zone. This was accomplished by rapidly immunizing horses with the filtrate from broth cultures of tetanus which had been incubated for only a few days.
 Prévot (3) claimed that true and false flocculation could be distinguished by a method based on graphic representation.


Objective: This descriptive observational cross-sectional study aimed to assess the general population's awareness, attitudes, and behaviours towards proton pump inhibitor (PPI) usage, as well as their knowledge about associated side effects, in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Methods: An autonomous online survey was conducted from June 15, 2023, to September 1, 2023, using social media. The survey targeted adult residents of Qassim and collected a total of 1090 respondents. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and probit regression using R version 4.3.1 (RStudio, Boston, MA). A significance level of p<0.05 was utilized to interpret the results. Results: A total of 1050 samples, limited to residents of Qassim, were analyzed. Significant associations were observed between awareness of PPIs and factors such as side effects (adjOR = 1.19, 99% CI: 1.08-1.31), widespread PPI use (adjOR = 1.24, 99% CI: 1.12-1.38), PPI usage (adjOR = 2.47, 99% CI: 2.18-2.82), and optimal PPI timing (adjOR = 1.30, 99% CI: 1.13-1.50). Additionally, age, educational attainment, and employment in the medical field significantly influenced awareness gaps related to potential side effects, PPI prevalence, adherence to medical prescriptions, and optimal timing for PPI usage. Conclusion: The current study concludes that a significant portion of individuals in the Qassim region lack awareness regarding the potential side effects of PPI usage. Comprehensive healthcare education is required to bridge awareness gaps regarding PPIs and foster informed medication practices. By grasping the intricacies of individual perceptions, medical engagement, and demographic factors, healthcare providers and policymakers can collaboratively empower individuals in the Qassim region to make informed choices regarding their health and medication usage.


When a student of mathematics commences the study of a subject which involves the assimilation of what are, to him, fundamentally new ideas, his progress is, as a rule, slow at first. And, even after he has become accustomed to these ideas, he may still require a long course of laborious practice, before he can attain to that mastery of the method which would enable him to use it as a powerful aid to research. Thus students, familiar with geometrical methods, when first commencing the study of Cartesian analysis, require much practice before they can call up mentally the geometrical figure corresponding to a given equation. And, the more general the new method is, the greater is the difficulty felt to be. So, in Hamilton's system of quaternions, the difficulty of assimilation is greater than it is in the Cartesian analysis. And it seems as if it were for this reason that, in recent years, attempts have been made, by men of known mathematical ability, to smooth the paths.


The risk sharing principles of Islamic Finance have ironically been studied and used extensively outside the Muslim World. The development of early European city states was founded on the risk sharing principle. The risk sharing financing helped these city states to develop their infrastructure and rule the scientific and economic landscape of the west. The Western financial system of today still carries traces of risk sharing in the form of venture capital financing, albeit the primary focus has diverted to risk shifting†based debt financing. Over the past decades, much effort and research has gone into establishing a viable set of Islamic financial institutions. Most Muslim nations are heavily indebted with high reliance on multilateral financing primarily based on high interest rates. This vicious cycle of interest rates and debt has stunted the growth of these nations and worsened the conditions of the masses. This research brings to the forefront the concept of an equity in nature GDP†linked paper, which allows for enhanced risk sharing†based sovereign financing. It aims to present empirical proof of the stability this instrument offers in economic growth, for a large sample of developing economies, comprising bulk of Islamic countries. While analysing the empirical work, a strong favourable argument for this instrument is derived for its benefits in stability. Through this study, we endeavour to initiate a thought†provoking and practical discussion for further development of these instruments for the betterment of developing countries.


Salt effect on the enthalpy of mixing of 2-propanol + acetic acid at 303.15 K This paper presents the effect of two dissolved inorganic salts (zinc chloride, ZnCl2 and ammonium chloride, NH4Cl) on the enthalpy of mixing (HE) of 2-propanol + acetic acid binary system measured at 303.15 K using an isothermal displacement calorimeter with vapour space. A decreasing trend in the excess enthalpy of mixing values in the presence of ZnCl2 and NH4Cl indicate the endothermic behavior of this system. The Redlich-Kister equation has been used to fit the experimental HE data. The deviations from the ideal value and binary parameters were calculated and reported.


Companies have increasingly turned to the use of optimization to create value and drive efficiencies in their supply chains. However, this practice also exposes the firm to increased levels of risk stemming from supply chain disruptions which can be quite costly relative to both short- and long-term performance. In response, companies need to build and maintain resilience to combat these disruptive events. Yet managers struggle with how to build resilience and where to focus resiliency enhancements. This article proposes a versatile optimization approach, READI—Resiliency Enhancement Analysis via Deletion (of key supply chain node, flow, or activity) and Insertion (of mitigation strategy), and demonstrates this approach on the supply chain of a major consumer products company. READI can be enlightening relative to both descriptive insights, such as the criticality of supply chain nodes and current levels of network resilience, and prescriptive insights, such as where to implement resiliency enhancements.


Present study attempts to understand the potential of multispectral ASTER (Advanced space borne thermal emission and reflection radiometer) data for spatial mapping of kimberlite. Kimberlite is an economic rock known for hosting diamond. Kimberlite also has petrogenetic importance for giving us clue on the composition of lower part of the mantle. Kimberlites often contain serpentine, carbonate minerals; which have their diagnostic spectral signatures in short wave infrared (SWIR) domain. In the present study, attempt is made to delineate kimberlite from adjacent granite-granodiorite gneiss based on processing of the ASTER data as ASTER's spectral channels can detect some of the diagnostic absorption features of kimberlites. But it has been observed that the kimberlites are difficult to be delineated by processing the ASTER data using correlative information of both sub-pixel and per-pixel mapping. Moreover, smaller spatial size of kimberlites with respect to pixel size of ASTER SWIR channels further obscures the spectral feature of kimberlite. Therefore, an attempt is also made to understand how intra pixel spectral mixing of kimberlite and granite granodiorite-gneiss modifies the diagnostic spectral feature of kimberlite. It is observed that spectral feature of kimberlites would be obscured when it is has very small spatial size (one-tenth of pixel) with respect to pixel size. Moreover, calcrete developed in the adjacent soil has identical absorption feature similar to the spectral features of kimberlites imprinted in the respective ASTER convolved spectral profiles. This also has resulted false-positives in ASTER image when we use spectral feature as a tool for spatial mapping of kimberlite. Therefore hyperspectral data with high spatial and spectral resolution is required for targeting kimberlites instead of using broad band spectral feature of kimberlites.


Conservation of marine species through fisheries management and no-take marine reserves have focused primarily on single species, but such protection may influence the target species' predators, prey, competitors, or mutualists. Conversely, successful protection may depend on responses of these other species. Empirical data and previous theory indicate that fisheries status and life-history attributes strongly influence species' responses to protection. Both direct effects and indirect effects of protection (through species interactions) have been documented. A predator-prey model depicting the dynamics of two species in a two-patch habitat (a no-take reserve and a fished area) revealed conditions under which the predator and prey may decline after reserve establishment. Not surprisingly, model results suggest that management scenarios and life-history traits leading to high predator population growth are more likely to produce prey declines following reserve establishment. Interestingly, trade-offs between enhancing predator and enhancing prey occurred at low fishing intensities regardless of the prey and predator life-history traits. At high fishing rates, reserve establishment generally outweighed predation effects and resulted in increased abundance of both predator and prey. Simple spatial models can help determine the range of possible responses of interacting species to protection and can yield some general insights for their management.


Catecholamines released by sympathetic nerves can activate adrenergic receptors present on nearly every cell type, including myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Using in vitro systems and murine tumor models, in wild-type mice and genetically modified (β2-AR-/-) mice, as well adoptive transfer approaches, we found that the degree of β2-AR signaling significantly influences MDSC frequency and survival in tumors and other tissues, modulates their expression of immunosuppressive molecules such as arginase-I and PDL-1 and alters their ability to suppress the proliferation of T cells. The regulatory functions of β-AR signaling in MDSCs were found to be dependent upon STAT3 phosphorylation. Moreover, we observed that the β2-AR-mediated increase in survival of MDSCs is dependent upon Fas-FasL interactions, and this is consistent with gene expression analyses which reveal a greater expression of apoptosis-related genes in β2-AR-/- MDSCs. Our data reveals the potential of β2-AR signaling to increase the generation of MDSCs from both murine and human peripheral blood cells and that the immunosuppressive function of MDSCs could be mitigated by treatment with β-AR antagonists, or enhanced by β-AR agonists, strongly supporting the possibility that reducing stress-induced activation of β2-ARs could help to overcome immune suppression and enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy and other cancer therapies.


Background: Standard practice for management of food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) frequently requires the use of hypoallergenic semi-elemental or elemental formulas. For some patients, there is poor tolerance of these formulas and no improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms. For others, especially those over 4 months of age, the introduction of these formulas is difficult due to their scientifically demonstrated poor palatability. Case presentation: This case report features an 18-month-old child diagnosed with FPIES at 4 months who failed to tolerate standard hypoallergenic semi-elemental and elemental formulas to supplement maternal breast milk feedings resulting in suboptimal growth. After failing to tolerate all standard options, the patient was introduced off-label to a plant-based pediatric formula, Else Toddler, at 6 months-of-age. Outcomes and implications: In this case, Else Toddler was tolerated as a source of supplemental nutrition without triggering FPIES symptoms. Recommendations: This case demonstrates the successful use of Else Toddler, a pediatric formula sourced from almond butter, buckwheat flour, and tapioca maltodextrin, as a possible alternative to the standard use of hydrolysate or elemental amino-acid formulas. It is free of some of the most common FPIES triggers - dairy, soy, rice, and pea proteins and there for a possible acceptable alternative approach to FPIES management.


Background: The absence of one of the parents can bring about major problems in adolescents' psychological conditions. The objective of the present study was therefore to investigate the effectiveness of solution-oriented group consultation on the increase of resiliency in orphan (fatherless) female adolescents in the city of Isfahan.
Methods: The present study was quasi-experimental with pretest, post-test, follow-up and control group research design. The statistical population of the study included all orphan (fatherless) female students in the city of Isfahan in the academic year 2014-2015. Convenient sampling method was used to select the samples; hence, 40 female adolescents were selected as the sample size and were assigned into two groups of 20. eight ninety-minute therapeutic interventions (solution-oriented approach) was administered on the experimental group once a week. The control group, however, did not receive any teaching. Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale was used as the study instrument. And the collected data were analyzed through repeated measures ANOVA via SPSS23 software.
Results: The results of the study showed the solution-oriented group teaching being effective on the resiliency of orphan adolescents at the post-stage and follow-up stages (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Predicated on the findings of the present study, the solution-oriented teaching method can be applied to increase orphan (fatherless) female adolescents' resiliency.


Objectives . Parents from different cultures differ in how frequently they express emotions. However, the generalizability of the relations between parental expressivity and child adjustment in non-Western cultures has not been extensively studied. The authors investigated prospective relations between parental expressivity within the family (positive, negative dominant, and negative submissive expressivity) and Chinese children's psychological adjustment, above and beyond parenting styles. Design . The study used 2 waves (3.8 years apart) of longitudinal data from a sample (n = 425) of children in Beijing (mean ages = 7.7 years at T1 and 11.6 years at T2). Parental expressivity and parenting styles were self-reported. To reduce the potential measurement overlap, items that tap parental expression of emotions toward the child were removed from the parenting style measure. The authors measured children's adjustment with parents', teachers', and peers' or children's reports. Results . Consistent with findings with European American samples, parental negative dominant expressivity uniquely and positively predicted Chinese children's externalizing problems controlling for prior externalizing problems, parenting styles, and family socioeconomic status. Neither parental expressivity nor parenting styles uniquely predicted social competence. Conclusions . Despite previously reported cultural differences in the mean levels of parental expressivity, some of the socialization functions of parental expressivity found in Western countries can be generalized to Chinese families. Although parental expressivity and parenting styles are related constructs, their unique relations to child's adjustment suggest that they should be examined as distinct processes.


It has been found in experiments on white rats that the activation of peripheral alpha 1-adrenoreceptors and dopamine receptors of type I stimulates acid-excretory renal function with inhibition of the angiotensin-aldosterone system. The blockade of alpha 1-adreno- and dopamine receptors depresses acid-excretory renal activity. The activation and inhibition of beta-adrenoreceptors do not change the excretion of hydrogen ions. The role of the activation of peripheral alpha 1-adreno- and dopamine receptors in compensatory reactions of the organism at metabolic acidosis is discussed.


Open-world classification systems should discern out-of-distribution (OOD) data whose labels deviate from those of in-distribution (ID) cases, motivating recent studies in OOD detection. Advanced works, despite their promising progress, may still fail in the open world, owing to the lack of knowledge about unseen OOD data in advance. Although one can access auxiliary OOD data (distinct from unseen ones) for model training, it remains to analyze how such auxiliary data will work in the open world. To this end, we delve into such a problem from a learning theory perspective, finding that the distribution discrepancy between the auxiliary and the unseen real OOD data is the key to affecting the open-world detection performance. Accordingly, we propose Distributional-Augmented OOD Learning (DAL), alleviating the OOD distribution discrepancy by crafting an OOD distribution set that contains all distributions in a Wasserstein ball centered on the auxiliary OOD distribution. We justify that the predictor trained over the worst OOD data in the ball can shrink the OOD distribution discrepancy, thus improving the open-world detection performance given only the auxiliary OOD data. We conduct extensive evaluations across representative OOD detection setups, demonstrating the superiority of our DAL over its advanced counterparts.


The discovery of new infectious agents often overshadows the continuing impact and importance of well-established organisms. In the case of diarrheal disease, Entamoeba histolytica and its complications remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Although it is also present in developing countries, Giardia lamblia is a primary cause of waterborne outbreaks of diarrhea in developed countries. Persons at risk of developing giardiasis in these countries include backpackers and campers who drink untreated stream water or persons who drink improperly treated municipal water containing infective cysts. Investigators have recently identified the mechanisms used by these organisms to colonize the intestinal tract and to cause disease. New methods of identification using immunologic principles have been added to the traditional microscopic methods of identification.


Operators use link dimensioning to provision network links. In practice, traffic averages are obtained via SNMP are used to roughly estimate required capacity. More accurate solutions often require traffic statistics easily obtained from packet captures, e.g. variance. However, packet capturing may not be trivial in high-speed links. Aiming scalability, operators often deploy packet sampling on monitoring, but little is known how it affects link dimensioning. In this paper we assess the feasibility of lightweight link dimensioning using sFlow, which is a widely-deployed traffic monitoring tool. We implement sFlow sampling algorithm and use a previously proposed and validated dimensioning formula that needs traffic variance.We validate our approach using packet captures from real networks. Results show that the proposed procedure is successful for a range of sampling rates and that, due to randomness of sampling algorithm, the error introduced by scaling the traffic variance yields more conservative results that cope with short-term traffic fluctuations.