This research is motivated by the use of potato flour in food processing is still small. Potato flour has a high enough nutritional value for protein. This study aims to analyze the effect of 50% potato flour substitution on the quality of paint in terms of volume, shape, color, aroma, texture and taste. This type of research is an experiment with three repetitions. To get the results of the study organoleptic tests were carried out by 15 panelists, namely students of the D3 and S1 at culinary department. Organoleptic test results with 3 repetitions showed that the quality of the use of potato starch in the manufacture of paint was volume swell, same and semicircular shape, yellow color, aroma of vanilla and potato starch, porous texture, sweet taste and taste of potato starch.


In this work, two-dimensional numerical device simulations and 6-stage inverter chain delay calculations are done to examine whether aggressive channel length scaling continually provides transistor performance gain and whether metal gates (MG) offer potential for device scaling over poly gate (PG) for high performance (HP) applications. Our simulation show that for HP application (1) there is an optimized channel length, at which maximum performance gain is obtained both for MG and PG; (2) At short channel length regime (<46 nm), there is no performance gain of QG-MG relative to PG due to lack of carrier confinement, which result in severe sub-threshold slope degradation of QG-MG; (3) BE-MG stacks show 10% gain on a inverter delay over PG


We studied a levitation system that uses the magnetic shielding effect of a high-temperature superconducting bulk. As the levitation force was insufficient in our former experiments, ferromagnetic plates and bars were added to the superconducting bulk to increase the levitation force. Experimental results showed that the levitation force increased when small plates and bars were used. The peak levitation force exceeded the weight of the moving part in our experimental system, thus enabling the moving part to be lifted.


Study on eggs properties, based on electrical measurement (conductance and capacitance) was carried out using alternating current signal on frequency variation from 10 Hz to 100 kHz. The electrical properties correlated to physical properties of eggs i.e haugh unit, pH and viscosity. The albumen and yolk of native eggs, which were placed in the cell system from acrylic and electrode plate conductor of cuprum, were used as samples. Hi LCR Tester Hioki with dual probe (modified from four probes) was used to measure electrical properties of samples. This equipment was provided with fixed current source but varies in frequency. The conductance of yolk and albumen increased exponentially if frequency signal was boosted up. The electrical conductance range of albumen was higher than yolk on all frequencies. The capacitance property decreased if frequency signal was boosted up. The decrease was exponential especially at frequency under 100Hz. The albumen capacitance was lower than yolk. The viscosity of yolk and albumen during storage was decreasing. The value of pH was not affected. The pH of albumen was between 9 and 10, and yolk was about 6. Multiple regression method was used to get empiric equation of electrical conductance, capacitance, HU and viscosity. The best correlation between electrical parameter and physical properties is conductance equation of HU and viscosity at 1 kHz. Key words: electrical properties, conductance, capacitance, native chicken, egg


Abstract Objective This study aimed to improve the utilization of amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) in a neonatal unit by improving aEEG documentation, aEEG knowledge, and pattern recognition ability of neonatal staff. Methods A quality improvement (QI) program comprising the two Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles was conducted in a level-3 neonatal intensive care unit. The first cycle was focused on improving aEEG documentation with the primary outcome indicator being compliance with aEEG documentation. The second cycle was focused on aEEG interpretation in a health care professional education program with the outcome indicators being accuracy of seizure identification on aEEG and change in conventional EEGs (cEEG) performed. Other outcome indicators included accuracy in identification of background pattern, sleep–wake cycles and artifacts. Process indicators included improvement in aEEG-related knowledge. Results First PDSA cycle includes lectures on aEEG interpretation, a bedside key, and documentation form. Second PDSA cycle includes online aEEG education pack and detailed aEEG guideline. There was a significant improvement in aEEG documentation after the implementation of both PDSA cycles. Seven of the 46 patients (15.2%) had isolated electrographic seizures which would not have been identified in the pre-aEEG monitoring era. There was an increase in the number of patients with cEEGs done but a steady decrease in number of cEEGs per patient. Conclusion With the successful application of standardized QI methods, improvements in outcome indicators, such as correct aEEG pattern recognition and improved coverage of at risk infants with cEEGs, were observed. Our QI measures were associated with improvement in aEEG pattern recognition. Key Points Consistent and accurate use of aEEG is challenging. Standardized forms and guidelines improve aEEG interpretation consistency and documentation. Interactive self-paced online education packs can improve aEEG knowledge and pattern recognition.


This article presents the results of the evaluation study of the Augmented Representation of Cultural Objects (ARCO) system which provides software and interface tools to museum curators for the development of virtual museum exhibitions for the World Wide Web or for information kiosks. The aim of the current research is to investigate how a virtual museum system is coping with the demands of museum curators, to examine the needs of virtual museum visitors, and to provide a set of criteria and guidelines for defining effective evaluation of such systems. Evaluation methods such as heuristic evaluation and walkthroughs were employed in the study in order to assess various components and interfaces of the system.


ABSTRACT: Spermacoce latifolia, S. verticillata, and Richardia brasiliensis (family Rubiaceae, tribe Spermacoceae) are glyphosate-tolerant weeds in the soybean producing areas of Brazil. The weed shifts to glyphosate-tolerant weeds across soybean-producing areas has shown the need for adoption of practices that conserve the efficacy of glyphosate. This study evaluated the effect of single- and double-knockdown herbicide applications on the control of S. latifolia, S. verticillata, and R. brasiliensis prior to soybean sowing. Trials were designed as a randomized block and treatments were arranged as a factorial. Factor A was three systemic herbicide treatments 10 days before sowing (DBS), while Factor B was three contact herbicide treatments applied 0 DBS ("sow and apply"). The single- and double-knockdown applications were followed by post-emergence applications of glyphosate or 2,4-D + glyphosate when the crop reached three leaves. The efficacy of control of each weed species was visually evaluated 14 days after sowing (DAS), as well as 0 and 28 days after post-emergence application (DAA). The double-knockdown applications generally provided higher levels of control for the target weeds of the Rubiaceae family than the single-knockdown applications. Glyphosate + 2,4-D, glyphosate + 2,4-D + diclosulam or glyphosate + [halauxifen-methyl + diclosulam] followed by glufosinate or paraquat achieved at least 90% of control of S. latifolia and R. brasiliensis, but did not control S. verticillata (<80%). Glufosinate at 457 g a.i. ha-1 was equivalent to paraquat at 400 g a.i. ha-1 as a contact herbicide in the double-knockdown applications, especially on the first assessment dates.


This article investigates how Danish and Swedish national policies vis-à-vis refugees and asylum seekers are perceived, and responded to, at the municipal level in the cities of Aarhus and Malmö. As will be spelled out in the article, municipal representatives raised their voices in both Denmark and Sweden during the middle of the 1990s, arguing that their municipalities had to carry a larger 'burden of reception' than they could manage, and they thus urged for changes in the national dispersal and migration policies. The response at the national level was dramatically different in Denmark than in Sweden, however. This is today apparent not only in the sheer numbers of newcomers but also in municipal introduction practices as well as in the institutional memories of municipal officials. Points for practitioners The findings presented in this study point both to the possibility for municipalities to have a direct impact on national policies, in this case mainly on refugee settlement policies, but also to how policy decisions at one point in time shapes the political opportunity structures at national as well as local levels at later points in time.


Two cases of glioblastoma involving orbit and maxillary sinus are presented. Case 1: A 49-year-old male was admitted on May 20, 1982, with complaints of headache and impairment of memory. On July 27, 1982, operation was carried out. The tumor in the left temporal lobe was totally removed, and he subsequently received chemotherapy and irradiation. The postoperative course was uneventful. On Oct. 26, 1983, he was readmitted with complaints of disturbance of gait and memory. A CT scan revealed no local recurrence of the tumor but a diffusely enhanced mass in orbit and maxillary sinus. Reoperation was carried out on Nov. 10, 1983. No recurrence was seen at the original site where the first operation was done. The dura was intact so far as observed from inside and was protruding into the cavity from the side of the sphenoidal ridge. The tumor showed destructive growth to orbit and maxillary sinus. He died on May 20, 1984. The autopsy was refused. Case 2: A 33-year-old male was admitted on Oct. 24, 1981, with complaints of headache, vomiting and impairment of memory. A CT scan revealed a right temporal mass lesion. He was operated on three times, on Oct. 27, 1981, Feb. 23, 1984 and Sep. 6, 1984, respectively. He also received chemotherapy and irradiation. Finally, a CT scan revealed the recurrence of the tumor in the right frontal, temporal, parietal lobe and basal ganglia, and an invasion into orbit on a CT scan. He died on Nov. 26, 1984. We discussed the course of the extension of tumors and the reports in the literature were reviewed.


A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device manufacturing method, the concentration of the photocurable composition having a liquid crystal skeleton or the liquid crystal molecules are tilted corresponding to the bending deformation of the photocurable composition is produced by 0.3 to 3wt%, comprising determining the photocurable step concentration of the composition, to satisfy the following relationship: the average value of the angle formed in the polar angle direction of the liquid crystal framework of [alpha] with the first substrate, the pretilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules in the interface of the first and second substrate respectively when beta1 and beta] 2, an average value of the liquid crystal molecules formed on the first substrate when no voltage is applied to the angle [theta], the dielectric anisotropy of the liquid crystal molecules is negative, the satisfied (β1 + β2 ) / 2-θ <θ-2; a dielectric constant anisotropy of the liquid crystal molecules is positive, the relationship satisfies θ- (β1 + β2) / 2 <α-θ in.


In this work, three different approaches are used for evaluating some Lagrangian properties of homogeneous turbulence containing anisotropy due to the application of a stable stratification and a solid-body rotation. The two external frequencies are the magnitude of the system vorticity $2\Omega$, chosen vertical here, and the Brunt–Väisälä frequency $N$, which gives the strength of the vertical stratification. Analytical results are derived using linear theory for the Eulerian velocity correlations (single-point, two-time) in the vertical and the horizontal directions, and Lagrangian ones are assumed to be equivalent, in agreement with an additional Corrsin assumption used by Kaneda (2000). They are compared with results from the kinematic simulation model (KS) by Nicolleau & Vassilicos (2000), which also incorporates the wave–vortex dynamics inherited from linear theory, and directly yields Lagrangian correlations as well as Eulerian ones. Finally, results from direct numerical simulations (DNS) are obtained and compared for the rotation-dominant case $B\,{=}\,2\Omega/N\,{=}\,10$, the stratification-dominant case $B\,{=}\,1/10$, the non-dispersive case $B\,{=}\,1$, and pure stratification $B\,{=}\,0$ and pure rotation $N\,{=}\,0$. The last situation is shown to be singular with respect to the mixed stratified/rotating ones. We address the question of the validity of Corrsin's simplified hypothesis, which states the equivalence between Eulerian and Lagrangian correlations. Vertical correlations are found to follow this postulate, but not the horizontal ones. Consequences for the vertical and horizontal one-particle dispersion are examined. In the analytical model, the squared excursion lengths are calculated by time integrating the Lagrangian (equal to the Eulerian) two-time correlations, according to Taylor's procedure. These quantities are directly computed from fluctuating trajectories by both KS and DNS. In the case of pure rotation, the analytical procedure allows us to relate Brownian $t$-asymptotic laws of dispersion in both the horizontal and vertical directions to the angular phase-mixing properties of the inertial waves. If stratification is present, the inertia–gravity wave dynamics, which affects the vertical motion, yields a suppressed vertical diffusivity, but not a suppressed horizontal diffusivity, since part of the horizontal velocity field escapes wavy motion.


The aim of this study was to determine the myocardial area at risk (AAR), infarction-core size (IS) and the salvaged myocardial zone (SMZ), and to evaluate the imaging and histological characteristics of intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) after myocardial infarction using non-contrast T2 mapping on 7T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Twenty Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the sham and model groups (n=10 in each). In the model group, myocardial infarction models were established by left anterior descending branch ligation. After 24 h, all animals were imaged on a 7.0 Tesla system with cine spiral imaging, T2 mapping with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). The rats were then sacrificed for measurement of the IS and AAR using 2,3,5-triphenylterazolium chloride (TTC) and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. T2 mapping revealed that the AAR in the model group was significantly higher than that in the sham group. No remarkable T2 value was noted in the entire heart of the sham group. LGE and TTC staining demonstrated similar IS. T2 mapping and H&E staining revealed a similar AAR as well. T2 mapping characterized the IMH as a phenomenon resulting from the area of hypointensity in the hyperintensity involving the infarct-core zone and corresponding T2 value 928.6±1.52 msec with IMH vs. 35.8±2.61 msec without IMH; n=3 with 18 slices; P=0.032). In conclusion, non-contrast T2 mapping was a reliable approach to quantitatively evaluate the SMZ and IMH.


The Inner Sydney Urban Partnership is a Collaborative Impact Initiative (CII) bringing together a network alliance of consumers, carers, health, social service providers and local community organisations determined to address the complex needs and adverse trajectories of a vulnerable inner city populations affected by drug and alcohol, mental illness, physical co-morbidities, housing instability or homelessness. The Urban Partnership has bought together people, practitioners and leaders across a local network of care, to support the co-design and co-development of alternative community based systems that will not only reduce barriers to health and support but will create the driving force to shift from the current dependence on crisis care through ambulance, police, ED attendances and inpatient admissions, that are expensive in resources and ineffective in addressing the complex situations and drivers of people's health and wellbeing. The Urban Partnership has been an important innovation by placing St Vincent's Hospital, one of Australia's major tertiary health services, at the centre of an integrated mental health care partnership with a full range of community organisations, enabling the skills of a large hospital to be available to support smaller mental health organisations and those providing care in the community, who can touch and make a difference to the individuals involved. For St Vincent's this is a return to its heritage of 'curb-side care' - a return of mental health care to the homes, places and communities where people live, rather than in hospital. It provides the opportunity to redevelop the network and model of care for people who are frequent users of crisis and ED services by supporting a shared care capability across primary care, community based mental health and social care and hospital based mental health, alcohol and drug support. We have used a collaborative system design approach to shape the Urban Partnership, firstly as a relationship and trust building process to create a shared understanding of the role of individual services and capacity available through the partner members of the network and how these can be linked and coordinated through a shared model of care at a system level. We are moving from there to shared training and practice approaches for practitioners and finally a shared person centred plan to support integration at an individual level. These are supported by a UP network infrastructure: - A quality improvement and coordination capability to ensure alignment, quality, coherency and impact is achieved by the individual services and providers. - A resource coordination and allocation capability to reorient resources currently consumed in crisis care towards building community based alternative capacity, using social investment approaches sponsored by state and national government. - A shared data driven learning and performance development infrastructure to enables the Urban Partnership to understand the patterns and journeys through the network that frequent crisis users are making, to focus improvement and measure impact. - An Urban Partnership Stewardship capability that includes leaders from across the network and local community to provide ongoing governance of the Urban Partnership as a whole.


The subharmonic response of single-degree-of-freedom nonlinear vibro-impact oscillator with a one-sided barrier to narrow-band random excitation is investigated. The narrow-band random excitation used here is a filtered Gaussian white noise. The analysis is based on a special Zhuravlev transformation, which reduces the system to one without impacts, or velocity jumps, thereby permitting the applications of asymptotic averaging over the "fast" variables. The averaged stochastic equations are solved exactly by the method of moments for the mean-square response amplitude for the case of linear system with zero offset. A perturbation-based moment closure scheme is proposed and the formula of the mean-square amplitude is obtained approximately for the case of linear system with nonzero offset. The perturbation-based moment closure scheme is used once again to obtain the algebra equation of the mean-square amplitude of the response for the case of nonlinear system. The effects of damping, detuning, nonlinear intensity, bandwidth, and magnitudes of random excitations are analyzed. The theoretical analyses are verified by numerical results. Theoretical analyses and numerical simulations show that the peak amplitudes may be strongly reduced at large detunings or large nonlinear intensity.


Promoting student power in the choice of high school literature can prove uncomfortable, unruly, and contentious. Without enough preparation, research, and reading, teachers may find language, content, and themes to be more mature than initially anticipated. This essay explores one teacher's reflection of two instances when choice reading lead to discussions and written reflections of questionable content.

Providing a look into the potential pitfalls associated with choice reading for both the high school teacher and student, with insightful student responses and data from teacher-research, the power that comes from choice ultimately trumps the fear of "inappropriate" content.


This study investigates the majority/minority effects on product attitudes with involvement and source relevance as moderators. We posit that the majority/minority source can play different roles affecting product judgments at different involvement levels. It can serve as a peripheral cue directly influencing product attitudes under low involvement; it can alter the processing amount under moderate involvement; finally, it can serve as a central argument and bias processing if it is perceived as relevant to judging the true quality of the target product under high involvement. The current study is the first to provide an integrated framework to explain the different mechanisms by which the majority/minority may influence product judgments under three involvement levels (low, moderate, and high).


It is reported on 20 cases of ureterovaginal fistula after hysterectomy. In all cases renal protection (nephrostomy) was compulsory. Spontaneous healing without stenosis occurred in 6 cases, in 10 cases urethral reimplantation was successful, in 4 cases nephrectomy had to be carried out. Tactics of the therapy are described from the urologic viewpoint. Pre- and postoperative marks with relevance for prognosis and the special following-up are especially emphasized in this connection.


This article analyzes the circumstances of creation of the seminary in Olyka in the context of intentions of the people involved in its organisation. It presents the state of church education in Lutsk from the late 16 th century to the 1630s and the reasons of founding the seminary exactly in the private town of Olyka rather than in Lutsk. From this perspective, special attention is paid to the Jesuit presence in Lutsk, especially to the activity of Jesuit College. In addition, the article considers a legal status of the College of Olyka functioning and the type of its organisation. The article focuses on the "double" status of the institution and how later this allowed the College of Olyka to adapt to the lack of the teaching staff. Special attention is focused on the causes and circumstances of incorporation of the College of Olyka as an academic campus within the Zamoyskyi Academy in 1637. According to the funding statute of 1638, the article presents the nature of the interaction between the College of Olyka and Zamoyskyi Academy, which was kept at least up to the end of the 1670s but was refined according to visitation acts.


The present invention provides microfluidic devices and methods using the same in various types of thermal cycling reactions. Certaom devices include a rotary microfluidic channel and a plurality of temperature regions at different locations along the rotary microfluidic channel at which temperature is regulated. Solution can be repeatedly passed through the temperature regions Such that the Solution is exposed to different temperatures. Other microfluidic devices include an array of reaction chambers formed by interSecting vertical and horizontal flow channels, with the ability to regulate temperature at the reaction chambers. The microfluidic devices can be used to conduct a number of different analyses, including various primer extension reac tions and nucleic acid amplification reactions. 48 Claims, 19 Drawing Sheets


Break‐induced replication (BIR) is a specialized homologous‐recombination pathway for DNA double‐strand break (DSB) repair, which often induces genome instability. In this study, we establish EGFP‐based recombination reporters to systematically study BIR in mammalian cells and demonstrate an important role of human PIF1 helicase in promoting BIR. We show that at endonuclease cleavage sites, PIF1‐dependent BIR is used for homology‐initiated recombination requiring long track DNA synthesis, but not short track gene conversion (STGC). We also show that structure formation‐prone AT‐rich DNA sequences derived from common fragile sites (CFS‐ATs) induce BIR upon replication stress and oncogenic stress, and PCNA‐dependent loading of PIF1 onto collapsed/broken forks is critical for BIR activation. At broken replication forks, even STGC‐mediated repair of double‐ended DSBs depends on POLD3 and PIF1, revealing an unexpected mechanism of BIR activation upon replication stress that differs from the conventional BIR activation model requiring DSB end sensing at endonuclease‐generated breaks. Furthermore, loss of PIF1 is synthetically lethal with loss of FANCM, which is involved in protecting CFS‐ATs. The breast cancer‐associated PIF1 mutant L319P is defective in BIR, suggesting a direct link of BIR to oncogenic processes.


Diabetic retinopathy (DR) be the significant difficulty of diabetes, and micro aneurysm (MA) is an earliest diabetic retinopathy lesion, making early detection of MA a key factor in diabetic retinopathy. DR is a direct or indirect effect on human vision caused by chronic diabetes. During its early stages DR is asymptomatic, and the late diagnosis leads to undeviating vision loss. The computer-assisted diagnosis helps with prompt and effective care, with the aid of medical photos. MA mark the beginning of DR making it a vital screening stage for this disorder. Diabetic retinopathy is a persistent infection of eye that can be the reason of blindness unless it is diagnosed and treated in due course. Early discovery with analysis of diabetic retinopathy is vital to vision preservation of patient. Precise recognition of MA be the crucial method towards early diagnosis of DR, since they occur as the first symptom of the disease. The segmentation of MA is performed using the Fuzzy C algorithm, and the extraction of features is performed with Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix ( GLCM) as the set of characteristic for KNN. This technique aims to improve classification accuracy within an ensemble. A procedure is suggested here that recognizes the first DR sign called MA using images from the retinal fundus. Effective diagnosis of DR is very critical in the defense of patients' right to see. The procedure proposed is tested using publicly available databases of retinal images and greater accuracy is achieved.


Revision with unchanged content. This book examines the relationship between the civil religious beliefs of the American public and that public's perception of the presidency. Data from the Reagan-Mondale presidential contest are use to examine electoral preference for those candidates who are seen as more civil religious. It is contended that the candidate who is seen as having higher levels of civil religiosity has an electoral advantage. Further data are used to look at the relationship between the public's civil religious beliefs and the feelings of outrage or betrayal at the perceived actions of President Clinton leading to his impeachment. It is contended that the stronger an individual's personal feelings of civil religiosity, the greater their outrage. It would appear from the results of these studies that the lens of civil religion is used by the American public in their perception of the presidency. The implications of these findings, in terms of theory, methodology and policy are discussed. This book is addressed to researchers and students of sociology, religion and politics in the United States.


Green building is refers to both a structure and the using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout the building's life cycle. Green building concept is introduced in 1960s and has gradually spread throughout the world and emphasized more on to energy conserving for office building in 1970s. In Malaysia, the green building concept has been accepted after announcement of 9th Malaysian Plan (2006-2010) in 2006 with focusing more on Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE). Furthermore, Malaysia has launched its own Green building Index (GBI) in year 2009. However this GBI is concentrated only on the measurement of green building but not for other aspects of green building such as indoor environmental quality, sustainable site planning and management, and so on. Moreover, the development of green building concept has occurred with limited understanding and guidance, and some cases have added a cost to the development. Therefore, this paper aims to identify factor influencing green building practice in Malaysia as well as to study awareness on green building practices amongst construction industry practitioner. The findings of this research were based on the questionnaires mailed and e-mailed to 75 construction industry companies; Property development company, Contractor company, Architect firm and Property management company within Klang Valley area. The findings have identified independent/government rating system as the main factor influencing construction industry player to undertaking green building practice. The results also revealed that the awareness amongst the construction players towards sustainable green building concept is moderate, and property development companies contributed to the highest mean score. These results show the willingness of the respondents to participate and committed with the green building development. This will allow recommendations to help ensure more sustainable green building development in Malaysia in the future.


: In this paper, we discuss methods of designing parametric speakers consisting of a small number of transducers. The developed parametric speaker unit includes peripheral acoustic structures, such as radial cones and a waveguide comprising a sonic crystal. The purpose of this study is to fabricate small parametric speakers that can be installed in various equipment. To achieve this purpose, it is essential to minimize the sizes and numbers of transducers. Parametric speakers must fulfill two goals: (1) high sound pressure levels of ultrasonic waves and (2) narrow directivities of ultrasonic waves. These two design goals are accomplished by two measures: (1) two close resonant frequencies and resonant mode control function and (2) an external adapter to obtain narrow directivities and high sound pressure. The first measure was achieved equipping the piezoelectric transducer with double-linked diaphragms and two radial cones. The second measure was embodied by the waveguide consisting of a sonic crystal, which was named the loop horn in this paper. Details of the design and experimental data of a four-transducer parametric speaker unit including the loop horn were presented.


Study Design. Prospective study of the sagittal plane alignment of the spine and pelvis in the normal pediatric population. Objectives. To document the sagittal alignment of the spine and pelvis and its change during growth in the normal pediatric population. Summary of Background Data. Pelvic morphology as well as sagittal alignment of the spine and pelvis in the pediatric population are poorly defined in the literature. Methods. Five parameters were evaluated on lateral standing radiographs of 180 normal study participants 4 to 18 years of age: thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sacral slope, pelvic tilt, and pelvic incidence. Statistical analysis was performed using two-tailed Student t tests and Pearson's coefficients (level of significance = 0.01). Results. The mean thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sacral slope, pelvic tilt, and pelvic incidence values were 43.0°, 48.5°, 41.2°, 7.2° and 48.4°, respectively. There was no significant difference between males and females. Thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt, and pelvic incidence were found to be weakly correlated with age, while sacral slope remained stable with growth. Conclusions. Pelvic morphology, as measured by the pelvic incidence angle, tends to increase during childhood and adolescence before stabilizing into adulthood, most likely to maintain an adequate sagittal balance in view of the physiologic and morphologic changes occurring during growth. Pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis, two position-dependent parameters, also react by increasing with age, most likely to avoid inadequate anterior displacement of the body center of gravity. Sacral slope is achieved with the standing posture and is not further significantly influenced by age. These results are important to establish baseline values for these measurementsin the pediatric population, in view of the reported association between pelvic morphology and the development of various spinal disorders such as spondylolisthesis and scoliosis.


ABSTRACT Due to the shortcomings of traditional schools, innovative supplementary (e.g. out-of-school, summer) programs have been identified as important sites for the positive development and learning of Black youth. This study foregrounds Black youth perspectives to offer additional insight into the role of supplementary programming. Drawing from 15 semi-structured, pre-post interviews with Black youth participating in a six-week summer CDF Freedom Schools program, we analyzed core distinctions drawn between youths' experiences in the program and in their traditional schools. Black youth attested to how the program expanded opportunities for them to express themselves, build community, engage in critical structural analyses, and imagine sociopolitical possibilities beyond the constraints of the present. We conclude with a discussion of implications, with an eye toward further specifying the types of educational contexts required to counteract detrimental aspects of traditional schooling and cultivate dispositions toward more just futures.


We present a measurement of the mass of the top quark, mtop, in eμ final states from top pair production. We utilize expected neutrino rapidity distributions to solve an otherwise underconstrained kinematic fit. We use three different choices of parameters extracted from these weight distributions to obtain a top mass measurement in data: 1. the first two moments of the weight distribution. 2. the weight distribution rebinned in 5 bins, and 3. the mass with the maximum weight, A data sample of approximately 835 pb of DØ Run-II data in the eμ channel is used for this analysis. The top quark mass extracted from 28 eμ candidate events is measured to be


The recommended pharmacological therapy for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) treated by coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). To improve the antiplatelet effect, supplementation with flavonoids is also recommended. The aim of this study was to estimate anti-aggregation properties of diosmin, in combination with ASA, pre- and postoperatively and assess the relationship of this therapy with inflammatory processes in CAD patients undergoing CABG. The study patients (n = 26) took diosmin (1000 mg/day); the control patients (n = 27) took a placebo. The therapeutic period for taking diosmin was from at least 30 days before to 30 days after CABG. All patients also took 75 mg/day ASA. Platelet aggregation and IL-6, CRP, and fibrinogen concentrations were determined before and 30 days after surgery. Results showed that diosmin did not enhance the anti-aggregation effect of ASA at any assessment time. However, there was a stronger anti-aggregation effect 30 days after surgery that was diosmin independent and was associated with acute-phase markers in the postoperative period. Increased levels of inflammatory markers in the late phase of the postoperative period may provide an unfavorable prognostic factor in long-term follow-up, which should prompt the use of stronger antiplatelet therapy in patients after CABG.


We report a study of the displacive phase transition in SrTiO3 using neutron total scattering with analysis by the reverse Monte Carlo method. The resultant configurations have been analysed in terms of bond distance and bond angle distribution functions, and using recently developed methods based on geometric algebra (GA). The resultant picture is that the short-range order in SrTiO3 closely follows the long-range order, with very little disorder in the high-temperature phase. This result is in contrast to similar work carried out on the displacive phase transition in quartz (Tucker et al 2000 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter. 12 L723–30). The differences between these two systems arises from the fact that there are many more Rigid Unit Modes in quartz, a point that is quantified by the GA analysis.


AIMS
To use a range of evaluation instruments to assess the content and quality of websites about temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and thereby provide guidance regarding the actual accuracy and comprehensiveness of the information of the sites.

METHODS
Sixty-seven websites resulting from an Internet search with the word "TMD" were evaluated using Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), DISCERN, and Health on the Net (HON) criteria, along with an evaluation method to assess the scientific quality of the website contents. Results were compared according to reviewer, website type, and presence of HON seal. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Student t test, chi-square test, and Pearson correlation analysis were used as appropriate.

RESULTS
The mean content, HON, and DISCERN scores were 38.9%, below 50%, and 53.9% of the maximum possible score, respectively. Fewer than 50% of the sites displayed the author or reference of the information according to the JAMA benchmarks criteria. Every evaluation criteria showed good agreement among reviewers. Commercial websites were the most common, while sites of nonprofit organizations showed the highest content scores. The overall quality was poor to moderate for all website types.

CONCLUSION
Sites concerning TMD were poorly organized and maintained. Also, most sites contained insufficient or scientifically incorrect information that could have a negative effect on the treatment outcome and prognosis of TMD. Clinicians should guide patients to reputable sources of information that will enhance patient comprehension and better treatment outcomes.


Background In patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/premenopausal breast cancer, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogs (LHRHas) are used as standard endocrine treatment. Based on previous clinical studies, 1-month formulations are recommended in most breast cancer treatment guidelines, but long-acting formulations facilitate reductions in side effects and patient discomfort caused by frequent administration. However, few efficacy studies have been conducted on 6-month formulations. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of 6-month formulations of LHRHas. Methods This retrospective study was conducted from January 2018 to December 2019 and involved premenopausal patients with HR+ breast cancer administered 6-month LHRHas as adjuvant treatment after surgery, and those previously administered chemotherapy or other LHRHa types were excluded. Patients' estradiol (E2) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were measured before surgery, and their E2 levels were also measured at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months at periodic postsurgical examinations. Results A total of 228 patients were included, and the median patient age was 44 (range, 25–54) years. The mean serum E2 and FSH levels before surgery were 69.7 (range, 4–683) pg/mL and 7.3 (range, 0.4–88.9) mIU/mL, respectively, whereas the mean serum E2 level monitored at intervals during the 6-month LHRHa administration was 5.5 (range, 4.0–52) pg/mL. No women menstruated during the follow-up period after the LHRHas administration, and the E2 levels were less than 30 pg/mL in all patients except one. Conclusions The 6-month LHRHa formulation adequately suppressed ovarian function in premenopausal patients with HR+ breast cancer. This indicates that long-acting LHRHas can be effectively used for patient convenience and that there is high compliance with long-term use.


The field of transiting extrasolar planets and especially the study of their atmospheres is one of the youngest and most dynamic subjects in current astrophysics. To study the atmospheres of those foreign worlds, we typically require a 10^−4 to 10^−5 level of accuracy in flux. Currently available instruments were not designed with these precisions in mind. Calibrating an instrument without knowing its response function at the required level has become the central challenge of exoplanetary spectroscopy. A variety of parametric correction models are used in the literature. These show high degeneracies between the scientific result and the instrument correction used. Hence, an unbiased analysis of the data at the 10^−4 level of accuracy is difficult and the cause of much controversy in the field. In this thesis, I present three novel ways of de-trending exoplanetary data non-parametrically, i.e. without requiring auxiliary or prior information of the instrument or data. This removes correctional bias. These techniques are based on: 1) unsupervised machine-learning algorithms (Chapter 3) to de-convolve non-Gaussian sig- nals, i.e. the systematic noise, from the desired astrophysical feature. Such a 'blind' signal de-mixing is commonly known as the 'Cocktail Party problem' in signal-processing. I demon- strate its capabilities using spectroscopic Hubble/NICMOS measurements of the hot-Jupiters HD189733b and XO1b and demonstrate the removal of stellar noise in Kepler photometry (Chapter 4). 2) Fourier/Wavelet based self-filtering algorithms based on the concepts of sparsity of the exoplanetary signal in the frequency domain (Chapter 5). The robustness of this method is demonstrated for very low signal-to-noise conditions using four nights of ground-based observa- tions of the secondary eclipse of HD189733b in Chapter 6. Here I unambiguously confirm the detection of a strong non-LTE methane emission in the L-band and can test for residual telluric contamination using this method. 3) an Independent-component-analysis supported wavelet masking of multivariate data, which extends the non-parametric machine learning to Gaussian noise dominated data applications, Chapter 7. In the light of ever increasing data analysis challenges, as we probe ever smaller signals and fainter targets, techniques such as the ones presented in this thesis are paramount to the success of exoplanetary characterisation in the future.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the pathological characteristics of heroin spongiform leukoencephalopathy (HSLE).

METHODS
Cerebral tissue specimens were obtained from 15 patients with HSLE and the histological observations under optical and electron microscopes were carried out by HE, Bielschowsky's, and chromotrope 2R-brilliant green staining.

RESULTS
HSLE was characterized primarily by spongiform vacuolar degeneration of the cerebral white matter. Neurons in the gray matter, Purkinje and granular cells in the cerebella remain intact in all the cases. Numerous vacuoles, which merged to form larger cavities, appeared in the damaged white matter, and the axons survived in the deep white matter. The myelin sheath in the cerebellar white matter sustained more severe damages than those in the cerebral white matter. No vacuoles or lymphocyte infiltration occurred in the small peripheral vessels.

CONCLUSION
HSLE is pathologically characterized by vacuolar degeneration due to primary damage of the myelin, and the spongiform vacuolar degeneration is closely associated with the severity of demyelination in the white matter.


Within the past few years, the introduction of imatinib mesylate (imatinib) has profoundly changed the management of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. This review article addresses the recent advances in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia—in particular, maturing data on the use of imatinib in different phases of the disease; the optimal therapy of newly diagnosed patients; the emergence of resistance to imatinib and potential strategies to overcome this problem; and finally, the place of stem cell transplantation in current treatment algorithms.


Density of medical clinics, ease of access to doctors, the age pyramid of the population - these are differentiating factors among patients living in urban or rural areas which may affect the probability to survive certain diseases and attacks dramatically. The German Fontane project, a collaboration of medical experts, IT researchers and companies, focuses on remote monitoring and aftercare facilities for stroke patients and patients with heart diseases in rural Brandenburg. Within this paper, we discuss central requirements on the object-oriented self-adaptive middleware being developed for Fontane. We describe the overall system requirements, and show our approach for combining real-time data streaming interaction with classical object-oriented remote calls in one distributed middleware stack. The resulting system will form the foundation for transmission of real-time data from devices at patients' home to the remote tele-medicine monitoring center.


The structure and dynamics of isolated Stratum Corneum lipids in different temperatures and hydration conditions was investigated using natural abundance 13 C NMR and X-ray scattering. In order to isolate the lipids a new extraction method was tested. The novel aspect of this method was its ability to extract more lipids from SC. This new method (referred to as Method II in-text) was further modified. The resulting method (Method III) was chosen as the method to follow during this project. These two methods were also compared (using 13 C NMR) to an extraction method used in a pre-study. The lipids obtained through Method III were characterized with polarization transfer solid-state NMR and wide/small angle x-ray scattering. NMR studies showed that a greater amount of lipids in a rigid state were being extracted with the new extraction method. These studies also showed that hydration has a clear effect on lipid mobility at temperatures of 32 ˚C. In the dry state there is low mobility, while upon full hydration, a fraction of lipids are in a mobile state coexist with solid lipids. SAXS studies showed that SC lipids form two types of lamellar phases, one with a lamellar repeat distance of ~144 A in dry and hydrated conditions, while another with a repeat distance of ~71A in dry conditions and ~68 A in hydrated conditions. In the solid fraction of SC lipids, the hydrophobic chain adopts hexagonal packing, as detected with WAXS. (Less)


Memories of the Vietnam War abound in the minds of those who survived it, be they veterans or civilians, Vietnamese or American. Vietnamese refugees, forced to flee their homeland after the war ended in 1975, tell particularly poignant stories of loss—of country, of family, of tradition, and of identity. Not so the women featured in this article. During the war, they served as bargirls in Saigon, entertaining American soldiers. The stories they tell of the war paint an entirely different picture: one of good times, and camaraderie, and the exhilaration of being young and free in the city. They were able to break free from tradition and the expectations imposed on their gender because of the war, and because of that, remember the war as the best time of their lives.


Physical activity is associated with numerous health benefits, and increased participation in various types of leisure-time physical activity had been encouraged during the 1990s. To determine national estimates of leisure-time physical activity during 1990-1998, data were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicate that leisure-time physical activity trends have remained unchanged.


This article investigates the norms of certain interpolation operators of analytic functions on the unit disc. In particular, it is shown that the norms of interpolation operators being the identical operator for all n -degree polynomials have a lower bound of order ln n . This result is compared with a recent result regarding trigonometric interpolation of continuous functions on the unit circle. It is shown that opposed to the operators of analytic functions on the unit disc, the method of oversampling can be applied in order to uniformly bound the interpolation operators. Moreover, some practical implications with regard to communication engineering are discussed. It is concluded that in practice the results lead to non-linear interpolation operators.


This study was performed in 37 patients with alcohol dependency. The mean age was 46.3 years and mean duration of heavy drinking was 23.8 years. The mean duration of temperance to the initial examination was 21.4 days and that to the second examination was 82.0 days. The results of the test on body sway in patients with alcohol dependency may summarized as follows. In patients with alcohol dependency the length of and the area covered by the body sway were significantly larger than in the normal group (p < 0.05). This significant difference from the normal group disappeared open eyes, but remained with eyes closed (p < 0.05). The Romberg quotients of both the length and the environmental area tended to be larger than the normal group mean (p < 0.05). The oscillation power spectrum obtained with eyes open and that obtained with eyes closed tended to be low at levels below 0.2Hz and high at range of 0.2Hz to 0.5Hz in the right left direction. The power spectrum in the anterior-posterior direction obtained with eyes closed was lower than that in the normal group at levels less than 0.2Hz, and higher than that in the normal group at range of 2.0Hz to 3.0Hz on the first examination. After temperance on the second examination, these significant differences had disappeared at all levels. The results of the present study on ocular movements in patients with alcohol dependency may be summarized as follows. Using the oculomotor test, abnormalities appeared in more than 40% of the test subjects for ETT, OKN, OKAN, VS and lateral gaze nystagmus test. According to the report of Matsuoka in 1979, some head positional nystagmus was noted in about 30% of patients with alcohol dependency. In the present study, the rate of appearance was as low as 8%. Ataxic pursuit, vertical positioning nystagmus, decrease of VS, disturbance of OKN and abnormalities of OKAN were found. These results suggested lesions between the brain stem and cerebellum, especially around the upper and lower vermis of cerebellum. After about 3 months of temperance, each test revealed a tendency towards some improvement, but the disturbance appeared to be fixed in some cases. It was important that some improvement in the oculomotor and the central vestibular system was found after about 3 months temperance. These results are quite promising for treatment and recovery in patients with alcohol dependency.


Measurements performed by means of Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS), Incoherent Quasi Elastic Neutron Scattering (IQENS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) techniques on reversed water-in-oil micelles are presented and analysed. This ternary system, constituted by water/surfactant Me+n(AOT)n/oil forms droplets whose shapes and sizes have been determined by SANS. Moreover a strong confinement effect for the H2O molecules, whose dynamical properties reflect themselves on the O-H stretching band (FTIR) and on the low frequency diffusive motions (IQENS), is revealed.


Infectious diseases are rapidly emerging and many are increasing in incidence across the globe. Processes of land‐use change, notably habitat loss and fragmentation, have been widely implicated in the emergence and spread of zoonoses such as Lyme disease, yet evidence remains equivocal. Here, we discuss and apply an innovative approach from the social sciences; instrumental variables, which seeks to tease out causality from observational data. Using this approach, we revisit the effect of forest fragmentation on Lyme disease incidence, focusing on human interaction with fragmented landscapes. Although human interaction with infected ticks is of clear and fundamental importance to human disease incidence, human activities that influence exposure have been largely overlooked in ecology literature. Using county‐level land‐use and Lyme disease incidence data for ~800 counties from the northeastern United States over the span of a decade, we illustrate (a) that human interaction with fragmented forest landscapes reliably predicts Lyme disease incidence, while ecological measures of forest fragmentation alone are unreliable predictors and (b) that identifying the effect of forest fragmentation on human disease entails addressing the feedback between Lyme disease risk and human decisions to avoid interaction with high‐risk landscapes. Synthesis and applications. Our innovative approach and novel results help to clarify the equivocal literature on the effects of forest fragmentation on Lyme disease and illustrate the key role that human behaviour may be playing in the ecology of Lyme disease in North America. Accounting for human activity and behaviour in the ecology of disease more broadly may result in improved understanding of both the ecological drivers of disease, as well as actionable intervention strategies to reduce disease burden in a changing world. For example, our model results indicate that forest fragmentation by human settlement increases Lyme disease incidence, which has practical implications for land‐use policy aimed at disease reduction. Specifically, our model suggests land‐use regulations that reduce parcel size would be an actionable approach to reduce Lyme disease transmission for policymakers concerned about increasing Lyme disease incidence in the northeastern United States.


We consider a family of norms (called operator E -norms) on the algebraB(H) of all bounded operators on a separable Hilbert space H induced by a positive densely defined operator G on H. Each norm of this family produces the same topology on B(H) depending on G. By choosing different generating operator G one can obtain operator E -norms producing different topologies, in particular, the strong operator topology on bounded subsets of B(H). We obtain a generalised version of the Kretschmann-Schlingemann-Werner theorem, which shows continuity of the Stinespring representation of CP linear maps w.r.t. the energy-constrained cb-norm (diamond norm) on the set of CP maps and the operator E -norm on the set of Stinespring operators. We describe two Banach spaces: the completion of B(H) w.r.t. the operator E -norm and the maximal extension of B(H) on which the operator E -norms are well defined. Some results concerning extensions of energy-limited quantum channels and operations to unbounded observables are presented in the last part of the paper.


Metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are lethal tumors of the GI tract characterized by gain of function mutations in KIT or PDGFRα. Transient first-line control is achieved through the inhibition of tyrosine kinase signaling using the KIT inhibitor imatinib, though most patients progress after 2–3 years. Progression through successive lines of therapy results in a molecularly heterogeneous disease with diverse subtypes, driven by distinct collections of exon-specific KIT mutations which directly inform therapy decisions. To address the unmet need of comprehensive understanding of GIST, we used tumor-informed whole exome liquid biopsy to identify and track the evolution of multiple concurrent heterogeneous resistance mechanisms in individual patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).Baseline matched tumor, normal and longitudinal plasma samples were obtained from 15 metastatic, heavily pretreated GIST patients. Following baseline sample collection, all patients received systemic TKI therapy, and were monitored until disease progression. Paired tumor and normal samples were profiled using the ImmunoID NeXT Platform®, an augmented exome/transcriptome platform and analysis pipeline which generates comprehensive tumor and immune information. Exome-scale cfDNA profiling of matched plasma samples was performed using the NeXT Liquid BiopsyTM platform to detect somatic variants.Baseline solid tumor WES confirmed primary sensitizing KIT mutations in all 15 (100%) patients, and secondary KIT mutations in 7/15 patients (47%). Serial plasma whole exome sequencing identified evolution and expansion of clones harboring newly formed, druggable, exon-specific KIT mutations which evolved prior to identification of tumor progression using standard imaging techniques. In addition to these variants, we detected node-specific enrichment of PI3K-AKT and MAPK pathway mutations in plasma of patients with shorter overall survival (OS), which may contribute to the observed immune evasion. Accompanying these changes, we also detected significant association between gene copy-number profiles and duration of OS (P = 0.0097). Investigation of immune signatures using univariate cox modeling revealed a significant association between TCRβ diversity and reduced OS (HR = 2.55, log rank P = 0.04).Comprehensive genomic profiling (WES and RNA-Seq) of paired tumor tissue and WES of serially collected ctDNA identified evolving druggable KIT mutations and other molecular alterations which preceded clinical disease progression. These findings suggest liquid biopsy-based monitoring of late-stage GIST malignancies may be useful for early identification of treatment resistance, providing treatment guidance prior to traditional approaches.Ethics approval was granted by the MD Anderson Human Research Protection Program, and all participants gave informed consent prior to participation.


The skylines, superimposing on the target spectrum as a main noise, will reduce the signal-to-noise ratio of the spectrum. If the spectrum still contains a large number of high strength skylight residuals after sky-subtraction processing, it will not be conducive to the follow-up analysis of the target spectrum. At present, the study on the automatic recognition of the abnormal sky-subtraction stellar spectra is limited in number. We can only find the abnormal sky-subtraction spectra by manual inspection, and this will reduce the speed of detection. This paper analyzes the influence factors of sky-subtraction results and finds the characteristics of the abnormal sky-subtraction spectra. A simple and effective method is proposed to automatic recognize the abnormal sky-subtraction stellar spectra which have been processed with the LAMOST Pipeline processing procedure and find the positions of the abnormal skylines. In this method, all the spectra are normalized first; the abnormal skyline is determined by detecting whether there exits any high strength skyline residuals which are similar to the emission line or absorption line. Finally, all the abnormal skyline positions in the spectra are obtained in this method. The experimental results with the LAMOST spectroscopic dataset show that this method can recognize the abnormal sky-subtraction spectra and find the abnormal skyline positions of different residual strength effectively. In addition, the method is simple and has high recognition efficiency, and can be applied to the automatic detection of abnormal sky-subtraction of large number of spectra.


Social computing provide a popular, cost-effective and scalable framework for building new engineering systems as well as improving the performance of numerous existing systems. However, the self-interest of agents of such systems generates intrinsic incentive problems. This work analyzes these incentive problems from several points of view. First, we analyze the trade-offs (of each individual agent) between the costs and benefits of producing information personally and forming links to collect information (from other agents), and the strategic implications of these trade-offs. A central point of the analysis is that information is assumed to be heterogeneous (rather than homogeneous as in previous analyses) and agents value this heterogeneity. The analysis has implications for the topology that emerges endogenously. For large populations, the implication is that the topology is necessarily of a core-periphery type: hub agents (at the core of the network) produce and share most of the information, while spoke agents (at the periphery of the network) derive most of their information from hub agents, producing little of it themselves. As the population becomes larger, the number of hub agents and the total amount of information produced grow in proportion to the total population. Our conclusions had been conjectured for many social computing systems but not been previously derived in any formal framework, and are in stark contradiction to the "law of the few" that had been established in previous work, under the assumption that information is homogeneous and part of the endowment of agents, rather than heterogeneous and produced.


Aim Human modification has profound effects on the diversity of ecological communities. Yet, surprisingly little is known about how abiotic novelty due to human modification relates to biological novelty as measured by shifts in species composition from historical baselines. Using space-for-time substitution, we ask a) whether high human modification results in biotic homogenization or heterogenization across different spatial scales; b) if high modification results in the formation of novel, "no-analog" communities; and c) whether changes in bird community composition varies in response to proxies of historical land-use and duration-of-exposure to anthropogenic disturbances. Location Conterminous United States. Time Period 2012 – 2016. Major taxa studied Passeriformes. Methods We analyzed continent-wide avian biodiversity data from an online checklist program, eBird, to examine how shifts in breeding bird species composition have been impacted by human modification at regional and continental scales and tested four hypotheses related to how abiotic novelty resulting from human modification generates biological novelty. Results At regional scales, bird communities in highly human-modified areas exhibited similar levels of β-diversity as those in the least modified areas. However, at the continental scale, spatial turnover in community composition was lower in human-modified areas, suggesting that anthropogenic disturbance has a strong homogenizing effect on bird communities at that scale. Lastly, human modification contributed more to community composition in regions where natural disturbance was infrequent and Euro-American settlement occurred later, consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to historical disturbances can shape how contemporary bird communities respond to human modification. Main conclusions The observed patterns of increased biotic novelty and homogenization in regions with less frequent disturbances and a longer history of human modification suggests that future extensive human modification could result in further homogenization of bird communities, particularly in the western U.S. We argue that current human-modified environments hold great potential for biodiversity conservation.


With the continuous improvement of the performance of barrel weapons, the requirement for the erosion resistance of the gun barrel material is getting higher and higher. Therefore, research on the new erosion resistant material and its preparation process for gun barrel has become an important research direction of barrel weapons. Refractory metals and superalloys have high melting points and excellent high temperature properties such as mechanical properties, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, etc. Recently, with refractory metals and superalloys becoming a major research direction of materials, their application for barrel weapons has gradually become a research hotspot. The performance requirements of refractory metals and superalloys in gun tube applications are summarized in detail. Meanwhile the research progress of their performance and applications in recent years is reviewed. On this basis, the progress of the research group focusing on the application of superalloys for gun barrels is mainly reported. It also pointed out the challenges that need to be faced in the protection of gun barrels by using refractory metals and superalloys, and prospects for future development.


The emphasis Burke placed on the role of feeling in moral and political life is an obvious feature of his thought. Less obvious is what Burke understood by a feeling and it is a question that has been largely overlooked in modern scholarship. This article suggests that Burke entertained different and incompatible theories of emotion. In early works, he often endorsed a non-cognitive theory of affect: here emotions were essentially non-reasoning states. But he later rejected this position and insisted upon the intrinsic rationality of feeling. This article examines the philosophical content and political significance of these rival outlooks.


In an erroneous footfall ground-reaction force-time recording, which may occur for people with disabilities or frail elderly individuals, the stance time (ST) can be either corrupted or missing. Previous methods to estimate missing ST require force-time data from multiple force platforms and are affected by inter-step variability. This paper presents a model based on support vector machine (SVM) that is capable of estimating the missing ST from the available vertical force-timing characteristics with significantly high accuracy. The model was built using features taken from a data set of 466 sample trials of 27 subjects. A test on 40 sample trials drawn from all the subjects revealed an average prediction accuracy of 96.63% (/spl plusmn/2.89%). In one-fourth of the test trials, the prediction error was within 1.0%. The model achieves considerable improvement over an artificial neural network based model built and tested on the same data set. The effect of kernel junction parameters and /spl epsiv/-insensitive loss function on prediction error is also analysed and presented.


Leaf rust is an important disease that causes significant yield losses in wheat. Many studies have reported the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling leaf rust resistance; therefore, QTL meta-analysis has become a useful tool for identifying consensus QTL and refining QTL positions among them. In this study, QTL meta-analysis was conducted using reported results on the number, position, and effects of QTL for leaf rust resistance in bread and durum wheat. Investigation of 14 leaf rust resistance traits from 19 studies involving 20 mapping populations and 33 different parental lines provided information for 144 unique QTL that were projected onto the Wheat Composite 2004 reference map. In total, 35 meta-QTL for leaf rust resistance traits were identified in 17 wheat chromosomes and 13 QTL remained as unique QTL. The results will facilitate further work on the cloning of QTL for pyramiding minor- and partial-effect resistance genes to develop varieties with durable resistance to leaf rust.


Proximal tubule handling of two human Bence Jones proteins (neutral and acidic BJP) was evaluated using protein A-gold labelling. After 30 min of acute light-chain infusion into 6 rats (alone or in combination with dinitrophenyl-aminopropyl-methylamine [DAMP]), kidney biopsies were processed for immunoelectron microscopy. Antibodies directed at monoclonal lambda light chains, mannose-6-phosphate cation-independent receptor (MPR) and DAMP were used.Labelling density (number of pA-gold particles/µm2), expressed as median (25–75 percentiles), differed (p < 0.05) between the two BJP, being 94.5 (32.9–212.5) vs. 19.4 (3.7–45.6) pA-gold/µm2 in endocytic vacuoles, and 297.3 (207.1–382.1) vs. 83.2 (16.6–197.0) pA-gold/µm2 in non-vacuolar electrondense endosome-lysosome structures. Labelling density for MPR was 47.7 (22.2–84.6) vs. 4.0 (2.7–6.3) pA-gold/µm2. The area of MPR-labelled structures was also different, i.e.: 0.2 (0.1–0.4) vs. 0.9 (0.5–1.8) µm2. The endosome-lysosome pH distribution range differed significantly: 6.8 (6.4–7.0) vs. 6.3 (5.8–7.0). There was a significant accumulation of neutral BJP in endocytic structures, an acidification deficit of pre-lysosomes/lysosomes and MPR retention, suggestive of defective receptor recycling with this BJP. Interference with the physiological process of lysosomal acidification may be an important mechanism of higher nephrotoxicity in some BJP.


The use of electronic-cigarettes has increased substantially in recent years among the younger population in particular. The liquid nicotine is the main component of the e-cigarette. Mice exposed to e-cigarette smoke (ECS) generated by heating the liquid nicotine developed lung adenocarcinoma and bladder hyperplasia. This implicated a potential role for ECS/nicotine in cancer development, while the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report that nicotine reduces the protein level of Stem-loop binding protein (SLBP), a critical factor for the stability, processing and translation of canonical histone pre-mRNAs, in human lung epithelial BEAS-2B cells. It has been known that canonical histone mRNAs typically do not end in a poly(A) tail and that depletion of SLBP results in polyadenylation of canonical histone mRNAs that appeared to be carcinogenic. Indeed, nicotine exposure induced polyadenylation of mRNAs for histones H2A, H2B, H3.1, H3.2, and H4. Interestingly, the inhibitor for nAChRs (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors) reversed nicotine-induced SLBP depletion. Moreover, the depletion of SLBP was attenuated not only by both the inhibitors and siRNAs specific for CDK1/2 and CK2, but also by inhibition of AKT signal pathway. Importantly, nicotine-induced anchorage-independent cell growth was rescued by overexpression of SLBP. These results suggest that activation of nAChR and a series of signal transduction pathways are involved in nicotine-mediated SLBP reduction and they may play an important role in nicotine-induced cell transformation and carcinogenesis.Keywords: Nicotine, Stem-loop binding protein, Cell transformation, nAChR Citation Format: Qi Sun, Danqi Chen, Chunyuan Jin. Downregulation of Stem-loop binding protein by nicotine and its role in nicotine-induced cell transformation in human lung epithelial cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr LB191.


5G represents a revolutionary shift with respect to previous generations given its design centered on network softwarization. Within such a change of paradigm, cloud-native solutions are widely regarded as the future of vertical application development because of their enhanced flexibility and adaptability to complex and dynamic scenarios. In this context, we present an experimental framework with over-the-air transmissions that tackles two critical aspects for enhancing the lifecycle management of 5G and beyond networks: cloud-native deployments of 5G core network functions (NFs) and end-to-end monitoring. First, we deploy Open5GS and Prometheus-based monitoring as containerized network functions (CNFs) in a Kubernetes cluster spanning a multi-tier network with a multi-access edge computing (MEC) host. We then demonstrate the end-to-end monitoring system by showcasing via Grafana dashboards both infrastructure resources and radio metrics of two scenarios; one devoted to user plane function (UPF) re-selection and the other to user mobility.


We report a rare case of isolated mediastinal and inferior mediastinal lymph node metastases from choroidal melanoma. The patient was treated for primary choroidal melanoma with local tumour resection and radioactive plaque brachytherapy. Eleven years later, he was diagnosed with metastatic disease. Molecular analysis of the metastatic tumour demonstrated a GNAQ Q209P mutation. There was no evidence of malignant blue naevus or primary melanoma of the central nervous system on physical examination or imaging. The rare modality of clinical presentation highlights the unpredictable nature of metastatic uveal melanoma.


Whole genome comparisons of distantly related species effectively predict biologically important sequences—core genes and cis-acting regulatory elements (REs)—but require experimentation to verify biological activity. To examine the efficacy of comparative genomics in identification of active REs from anonymous, non-coding (NC) sequences, we generated a novel alignment of the human and draft zebrafish genomes, and contrasted this set to existing human and fugu datasets. We tested the transcriptional regulatory potential of candidate sequences using two in vivo assays. Strict selection of non-genic elements which are deeply conserved in vertebrate evolution identifies 1744 core vertebrate REs in human and two fish genomes. We tested 16 elements in vivo for cis-acting gene regulatory properties using zebrafish transient transgenesis and found that 10 (63%) strongly modulate tissue-specific expression of a green fluorescent protein reporter vector. We also report a novel quantitative enhancer assay with potential for increased throughput based on normalized luciferase activity in vivo. This complementary system identified 11 (69%; including 9 of 10 GFP-confirmed elements) with cis-acting function. Together, these data support the utility of comparative genomics of distantly related vertebrate species to identify REs and provide a scaleable, in vivo quantitative assay to define functional activity of candidate REs.


This study develops a technique to extract generalized descriptions from the hidden layer weights of a binary feedforward network. We extend the Boolean- like training algorithm with recurrent connections and Gray coding to apply a process of logical resolution to discover functional dependencies in data sets. This training technique is applied to several domains, including two medical case bases concerning patients with suspected urinary tract and streptococcal pharyngitis infections. The resulting generalized descriptions are easy to understand and provide a way for physicians to further explore and validate the network's induction. Extracting symbolic patterns from a binary neural network's connections complements inductive decision tree approaches by explicitly identifying exemplars and exceptions and generalizing attribute patterns.


This work focuses on a direct contact heat transfer between water and air bubbles. A tube 0.2m in outer diameter and 1.4m high was filled with water. Low-humidity air was continuously dispersed into bubbles at the bottom of the tube. The water inside the tube could be heated initially or continuously during the experimental runs, using controllable electrical strip heaters. Temperature measurements were simultaneously performed at several locations inside the column. The results show that the water temperature was almost uniform due to perfect mixing induced by the bubbles movement. The column of water was not insulated, and the cooling by convection and radiation at the walls was accounted for. The heat-transfer rates between the water and the rising air bubbles were estimated for various modes encountered in the experimental study, and mathematically modeled. The model simulations for the batchwise cooled water compare well with the experimental results.Copyright © 2003 by ASME


Younger Dryas ice‐marginal ('hummocky') moraines in Scotland represent valuable terrestrial archives that can be used to obtain important information on ice‐marginal dynamics and glacier thermal regimes during a period of rapid climatic change. In this paper, we present detailed sedimentological studies of Younger Dryas ice‐marginal moraines in the Gaick, central Scotland, the former site of a spatially restricted plateau icefield. Exposures demonstrate that moraines in the Gaick represent terrestrial ice‐contact fans, with evidence of proglacial and subglacial glaciotectonization, as reported elsewhere in Scotland. The exposures also reveal the influence of local hydrogeological conditions, with pressurization of the groundwater system leading to the formation of hydrofracture fills within some moraines. Clast shape analysis shows that all the moraines contain debris consistent with transport in the subglacial traction zone. The sedimentological data, and the planform arrangement of the moraines as nested arcs or chevrons, indicate that retreat of the Younger Dryas Gaick Icefield outlets was incremental and oscillatory. This evidence strongly suggests a mainly temperate thermal regime and short glacier response times, but with narrow cold‐ice zones near the margins facilitating the elevation of basal debris to the glacier surface. Analogous glaciodynamic regimes occur at modern ice‐cap and plateau icefield outlets in Iceland and Norway, although there are significant differences in the nature of ice‐marginal deposition. The glaciodynamic signature recorded by moraines in the Gaick has allowed us to shed new light on the ice‐marginal dynamics and thermal regime of one of the most easterly Younger Dryas icefields in Scotland.


A recent reviewer labelled Francis Augustus Silva a 'minor league' artist. It is true that although his works are still respected by experts, his is not a household name with the general public. Among the former he is best known for his careful attention to detail and his treatment of light; and yet, not much is known about him and his inner life. Born two years before Emerson's American Scholar, Silva grew during one of the formative periods of a distinctive American cultural identity, and his art can be said to reflect this. In his later years, however, Silva witnessed the rise of a new generation of American painters again looking to Europe for inspiration. The years following the end of the Civil War had crushed the early optimism but Silva did not stray from the path. His art kept true to the influence of emotion and the search for harmony with Nature, not just as a manifestation of his convictions but also as an attempt to find a place of solace, and might be our best guide to learning more about him and his personal convictions. Nonetheless, a close reading of some of his life's events and interactions allows some clarification and a better understanding of this painter.


ABSTRACT Montes, J.; Benavente, J.; Silva, R.; Plomaritis, T.A., and Del Río, L., 2020. Simplified method for the identification of erosion and flooding hazard hotspots on sandy beaches. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 1206–1210. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The exponential growth in coastal population over the recent decades has intensified the pressure on coastal zones and has placed them on the focus of the scientific community, particularly in the context of climate change. This work presents a reliable method to easily identify current and future hazard hotspots on sandy beaches in monitored coastal areas. Hotspots are defined as areas with high erosion and flooding hazard, which require detailed further study. The methodology is based into the application of WAPO (Wave Propagation On the Coast) model and DSAS (Digital Shoreline Analysis System) tool. WAPO model propagates monochromatic wave trains over a variable bottom and extracts the energy flux on the coast, taking into account refraction, diffraction, shoaling, reflection and energy dissipation. DSAS tool calculates rates of shoreline change from multiple historical shoreline positions. The method was applied in La Atunara beach in the South of Spain, influenced by the presence of anthropic structures and a complex bathymetry. Wave data used in the models were extracted by a joint probability analysis of wave height, period and direction for modal and storm conditions in the zone. Additionally, synthetic cases were generated for assessing climate change impact by modifying mean sea level parameters according to the IPCC scenarios. Results show that this methodology provides a simplified assessment of hotspots that allows focusing on the most vulnerable areas. This avoids the use of more complex and time-consuming models in large areas, allowing efforts to be concentrated on the identified hotspots.


Purpose. Long-run corporate success requires engagement in two types of innovative activities: exploitation and exploration. However, earlier research has focused on exploration and exploitation concerning a firm's technologies. The purpose of the present article is to explicitly examine exploration and exploitation related to customers and markets. Design/methodology/approach. The article is conceptual in nature, based on marketing, strategic management, and organization literatures. Findings. The article explains the logic of exploration-exploitation with respect to two market-related resource classes – (1) the firm's knowledge of markets and customers (market/customer intelligence) and (2) market actors' knowledge of and bonds to the firm (brands/bonds) – as viewed in combination with the resource class of (3) technologies, processes, and products (technologies/processes). The distinction of these three resource classes enables a three-dimensional conceptualization of the ideal types of a firm's business development projects, which are seen as combinations of exploration and exploitation of resources across the three classes. The article also introduces the notions of multidimensionality of exploration-exploitation within the resource classes and relativity of resource newness. Originality/value. The article explicates how firms can orient their exploration and exploitation strategies not only on the technology dimension but also on the dimensions of market/customer intelligence and brands/bonds.


Mini-Ezi Stream is one major aquatic ecosystem in Elele-Alimini that receives arrays of wastes generated from agricultural farms, residential homes, fecal discharges and other products of anthropogenic activities along the stream course. Samples of water from the stream were collected to assess the physicochemical characteristics during both dry and wet seasons. Thirteen physicochemical parameters were analyzed. pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Temperature and Turbidity were determined in situ, while Bicarbonate, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Hardness (TH), Chloride (Cl - ), Phosphate (PO 43- ), Nitrate (NO 3- ) and Sulphate (SO 42- ) were determined using standard analytical procedures in the laboratory. The result revealed that Temperature, EC, TDS and Bicarbonate levels showed significant differences (p˂0.05), with the dry season recording higher mean values than the wet season. On the other hand, NO 3- , PO 43- , Cl - and SO 42- recorded higher mean values in wet season which may be due to runoff from land mass. The result showed that all the physicochemical parameters analyzed in water from Mini-Ezi Stream were within the national and international set standards except for turbidity that was above the set standard. Therefore, this study can serve as baseline information for the periodic monitoring of water quality of the stream.


Abstract—The analysis of electromagnetic scattering from cavity structure is very important to many practical applications. The field iterative method (FIM) is one of the promising methods to deal with the cavity problem. In this paper, 3-dimensional (3D) FIM has been implemented using Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis function and an accurate equivalent model of the cavity. Two testing procedures, a newly developed point matching and conventional Galerkin's methods, have been discussed for better and simpler implementation of the 3D FIM. Numerical results show that the accuracy of the 3D implementation of FIM using the newly developed point matching method is the same as that of the conventional Galerkin's method. The numerical results also show that the simpler implementation of 3D FIM using the point matching method converges very fast for all the tested cases.


Histological examination of 69 pairs of infected kidneys from 12 species of Rodentia, Lagomorpha, Carnivora and Insectivora revealed that leptospires were confined mainly to the proximal and distal convoluted tubule, were less often found in the thick loop of Henle and only rarely in the collecting duct. On no occasion were the organisms present in the thin loop of Henle. Preliminary observations on the relationship of leptospires to tubule epithelium indicate some degree of physical attachment. It is suggested that the avoidance of the thin loop of Henle might be a reflection of its structural properties.


Since cultural factors play a crucial role in creating behavioral patterns, investigating the relationship between English teachers and students can be a good index for discovering the level of power distance in the classroom environment with different cultures manifesting in their interactions. The current study has attempted to compare female high school students' viewpoints towards English teachers and non-English teachers in the Iran context to discover the difference in power distance between English and non-English teachers and their students. To this end, the present research was conducted in 3 high schools for females with female teachers, and the data was gathered through a five-item Likert scale questionnaire investigating students' viewpoints towards five main elements: Acceptability, Respect, Teaching method, behavioral patterns, and Friendship. The findings revealed a high power distance between English teachers and their students in an English class interaction than non-English teachers such as science teachers, math teachers, physics teachers, chemistry teachers, and art teachers and their students. In turn, the results implied positive viewpoints towards English teachers. Regarding four factors, Acceptability, Respect, Teaching method, and Behavior, there is a significant difference between the viewpoints towards English and non-English teachers. On the other hand, there is no significant difference between the two variables in terms of friendship.

Received: 14 October 2021 / Accepted: 10 January 2022 / Published: 5 March 2022


Abstract. In this paper, some outcomes of a research project which aims to introduce automation to speed up modelling of architectural spaces based on point clouds are presented. The main objective of the research is to replace some manual parametric modelling steps with automatic processes to obtain editable models in BIM-ready software and not to generate non-parametric IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) models. An approach of automation using visual programming for interior wall modelling based on point clouds is presented. The pipeline and the different concepts represented in this paper are applicable using different programming languages but here the use of Rhinoceros as a modelling software and its open-source visual programming extension "Grasshopper" is intentional as it is in common use for parametric modelling and generative design in architectural practice. In this research, it is assumed that there is a predominance of three mutually orthogonal directions of the walls in the interior spaces to be analysed, which is the case of most indoor spaces.


Understanding an arithmetic operation implies, at minimum, knowing the direction of effects that the operation produces. However, many children and adults, even those who execute arithmetic procedures correctly, may lack this knowledge on some operations and types of numbers. To test this hypothesis, we presented preservice teachers (Study 1), middle school students (Study 2), and math and science majors at a selective university (Study 3) with a novel direction of effects task with fractions. On this task, participants were asked to predict without calculating whether the answer to an inequality would be larger or smaller than the larger fraction in the problem (e.g., "True or false: 31/56 17/42 31/56"). Both preservice teachers and middle school students correctly answered less often than chance on problems involving multiplication and division of fractions below 1, though they were consistently correct on all other types of problems. In contrast, the math and science students from the selective university were consistently correct on all items. Interestingly, the weak understanding of multiplication and division of fractions below 1 was present even among middle school students and preservice teachers who correctly executed the fraction arithmetic procedures and had highly accurate knowledge of the magnitudes of individual fractions, which ruled out several otherwise plausible interpretations of the findings. Theoretical and educational implications of the findings are discussed.


The nitrification performance by vermifilter with different filter media of quartz sand and ceramisite was studied to determine proper filter media for the vermifilter for treating municipal wastewater through the comparison of quartz sand and ceramisite. It was found that the nitrifying capacity was different among different positions in the quartz sand filter bed, and the nitrifying capacity of the external of the upper layer in the filter bed was the highest(0.47mg/m3·h), while the nitrifying capacity of the inner of the under layer was the lowest(0.19 mg/m3·h) . Compared to the quartz sand filter bed (0.30mg/m3·h), the ceramsite filter bed (0.48 mg/m3·h) had a higher nitrifying capacity. The average NH3-N removal rates of the ceramsite filter bed and the quartz sand filter bed were 68.4% and 53.4% respectively. It was mainly due to the different physical properties of the two filters. The ceramsite bed had high available oxygen capability, which favored to the survival of earthorms and microbes. The existence of plentiful earthworms and microbes was crucial to the steady nitrification performance of the vermifilter.


Road traffic accident is one of the problems that are risking lives of people. Many lane departure crashes especially on high-way roads are due to driver's inattention or incompetence or drowsiness. Therefore a system is needed to save the considerable number of lives by warning the driver of imminent danger. Detecting and localizing lanes from a road image is an important component of many intelligent transportation systems. In fact lane detection is one of the most studied topics for intelligent transportation systems within the present decade. Many research teams around the world have been trying to improve lane detection and warning systems. For the lane detection system to become more effective, the system must be as cheap as possible. Therefore, instead of using sensors such as RADAR, most systems are being implemented with the help of video camera. The most prevalent methods involve visible-light cameras, and are based on computer vision and image processing. This paper describes implementation of a lane detection system using Hough Transform. The proposed system can detect road lane markers in a video stream and an unintended departure from the lane. The input to the system is video streams recorded by the video camera mounted on the vehicle. The input is processed by using Hough Line and Hough Transform to detect lane marks. The detected lane marks and vehicle positions are used to determine whether the vehicle stays on its lane or stays out of lane. The system will produce an alarm message to the driver for lane departures.


The aim of this study is to examine whether Klaiman's control theory(l991) of the Korean passive voice applies to the Korean translations of English passive and to show how the individual choices made by translators may provide evidence of underlying ideologies in the case of CNN Hangulpan. The total size of the data amounts to 18,000 words(ST) and to 12,000 words(TT) from August to December in 2011. It is shown that Klaiman's control theory is largely maintained within the Korean translations of English passive constructions: (i) English passive structures with inanimate subjects highly tends 10 be translated to active structures in Korean, (ii) when the meaning of a verb represents high activity, the tendency 10 translate an English passive to an Korean active structure is predominant, (iii) if an animate and human subject in the English passive sentence occurs with the agency, it tends to be translated to an active structure in Korean, (iv) if the grammatical subject of "said/told/spoke" is the same as the agent of passive act and its feature is animate and human. the English passive structure has a high tendency to be translated to the Korean active structure, (v) an English passive structure is translated to a Korean passive sentence when its agency is vague and implicit, even if inferrable, (vi) the exception to five above can largely be interpreted as showing underlying ideologies.


Although modeling instruction has been identified as a productive professional development activity that coaches can use with teachers in their classrooms, coaches are provided with little guidance regarding how to support teacher learning as they model mathematics instruction. While previous research points to the importance of providing teachers with examples of high-quality instruction through the coach's model, teachers may need additional support as instruction unfolds to make sense of what they are observing. As part of the current study, I partnered with one mathematics coach and explored how she explicitly sought to augment teacher learning while modeling mathematics instruction. Findings indicate that the coach leveraged three approaches: engaging the teacher in verbal asides during modeled instruction, providing the teacher with written asides in the scripted lesson plan, and scaffolding the observing teacher's responsibilities. Implications are provided for research and practice.


In the area between Crana and Arvogno in the Vigezzo Valley (province of Novara, northern Italy), aplite and pegmatite dikes within the «Pioda di Crana South Zone» contain a mineral identified as euxenite on hand.specimen criteria. One newly.discovered dike is particularly rich in this mineral, togelher with gadolinite, Kenotime, monazite, etc" and five different morphological types of the assumed euxenite were recognized. X-ray diffraction studies show several of the types to be non·metamict, and with electron microl?robe analyses, indicate differences in structure and composition. Four of the analysed types are normal euxenites (space group Pcan). One has crystallized with the aeschynite.(Y) structure (space group Pbnm) and has a Ti·rich composition: it thus corresponds to polycrase.


Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a pleiotropic cytokine powerfully influencing diverse processes of the central nervous system (CNS) under both physiological and pathological conditions. Here, we analyze current literature describing the molecular processes involved in TNF synthesis and release from microglia, the resident immune cells of the CNS and the main source of this cytokine both in brain development and neurodegenerative diseases. A special attention has been given to the unconventional vesicular pathway of TNF, based on the emerging role of microglia-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the propagation of inflammatory signals and in mediating cell-to-cell communication. Moreover, we describe the contribution of microglial TNF in regulating important CNS functions, including the neuroinflammatory response following brain injury, the neuronal circuit formation and synaptic plasticity, and the processes of myelin damage and repair. Specifically, the available data on the functions mediated by microglial EVs carrying TNF have been scrutinized to gain insights on possible novel therapeutic strategies targeting TNF to foster CNS repair.


Marine fish culture is still in its infancy in Brazil. For several years the snook Centropomus parallelus and the flounder Paralicithys orbignyanus were considered for aquaculture, but their commercial application has not yet been achieved. However, once technology for culture of cobia Rachycentron canadum became available, several private companies showed interest for marine fish culture. Besides traditional rearing technologes, cobia is suitable for open ocean culture in cages. This species shows fast growth rates, fish can achieve 4 or 8 kg within one year of age and its flesh is highly appreciated. Shrimp farming has been questioned for environmental issues, use of fish oil and fish meal, and spreading diseases. Rearing shrimp in systems without water exchange, know as ZEAH (Zero Exchange Aerobic Heterotrophic Culture systems) or bioflocs applies methods that minimize these problems, contributing for the development of sustainable shrimp farming.


Injection of the partial benzodiazepine inverse agonist Ro15-4513 (1-32 mg/kg i.p.) or nonconvulsant i.v. doses of the full benzodiazepine inverse agonist beta-CCE immediately following cessation of exposure of rats to an anesthetic concentration of methoxyflurane significantly antagonized the duration of methoxyflurane anesthesia as measured by recovery of the righting reflex and/or pain sensitivity. This antagonism was inhibited by the benzodiazepine antagonist Ro15-1788 at doses which alone did not alter the duration of methoxyflurane anesthesia. In addition, high-dose Ro15-4513 pretreatment (32 mg/kg) antagonized the induction and duration of methoxyflurane anesthesia but was unable to prevent methoxyflurane anesthesia or affect the induction or duration of anesthesia induced by the dissociative anesthetic ketamine (100 mg/kg). These findings indicate that methoxyflurane anesthesia can be selectively antagonized by the inverse agonistic action of Ro15-4513 and beta-CCE.