Selected mapping is an efficient algorithm for PAPR reduction in multicarrier systems. Two major issues in this technique are the side information and complexity of the implementation in terms of the number of IF FT blocks being used. Our proposed algorithm deals with the complexity issue. The new algorithm called sub-SLM algorithm divides the OFDM sequence into multiple equal length sequences then the SLM algorithm is applied on these individual partial sequences. Both the length of the new IFFT and the SLM is changed in the individual block which reduces the complexity. Simulation results show a reduction of almost 3 dB and reduction of complexity by a factor greater than two. The PAPR performance is slightly degraded as compared to the original SLM technique but the complexity is improved considerably.


Sequential permeability and chemical osmosis experiments on Wakkanai mudstones were performed to explore the relationships between the semipermeability of clayey rocks and the hydraulic and diffusion parameters as well as the pore structure characteristics. The wide ranges in osmotic efficiency (0.0004–0.046) and intrinsic permeability (8.92 × 10−20 to 1.24 × 10−17 m2) reflect the variation in the pore size distributions of the Wakkanai mudstones. A regression analysis between osmotic efficiency and permeability shows that the osmotic efficiency is proportional to the inverse of permeability, suggesting that the permeability is indeed indicative of the degree of semipermeability. Osmotic efficiency was determined invariant with the effective diffusion coefficient for the Wakkanai mudstones (3.59–8.36 × 10−11 m2/s) due to their small osmotic efficiencies (≤0.046). The wide variation in osmotic efficiencies and pore structure characteristics of Wakkanai mudstones indicates that the nanoscale pores enable semipermeability in Wakkanai mudstones. However, the pressure evolution caused by chemical osmosis is limited by the connected wide pores that are the main conduits for water, thus dissipating the osmotic pressure buildup induced by the semipermeability of nanoscale pores.


Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) has been used to study two classes of adhesion promoting compounds adsorbed on alumina: trialkoxysilanes and phosphonic acids. It has been shown that both types of compounds can condense directly with hydroxyl groups on the surface. Condensation is through the alkoxy groups in the case of the silanes and through the hydroxyl groups in the case of the acids. The silanes can further condense to form surface siloxanes. The absence of bands characteristic of the phosphoryl group in the spectra of the acids is indicative of resonance bond formation followed by ionic bonding to the surface.


Healthcare domain generates a lot of unstructured and semi-structured text. Natural Language processing (NLP) has been used extensively to process this data. Deep Learning based NLP especially Large Language Models (LLMs) such as BERT have found broad acceptance and are used extensively for many applications. A Language Model is a probability distribution over a word sequence. Self-supervised Learning on a large corpus of data automatically generates deep learning-based language models. BioBERT and Med-BERT are language models pre-trained for the healthcare domain. Healthcare uses typical NLP tasks such as question answering, information extraction, named entity recognition, and search to simplify and improve processes. However, to ensure robust application of the results, NLP practitioners need to normalize and standardize them. One of the main ways of achieving normalization and standardization is the use of Knowledge Graphs. A Knowledge Graph captures concepts and their relationships for a specific domain, but their creation is time-consuming and requires manual intervention from domain experts, which can prove expensive. SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine -- Clinical Terms), Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), and Gene Ontology (GO) are popular ontologies from the healthcare domain. SNOMED CT and UMLS capture concepts such as disease, symptoms and diagnosis and GO is the world's largest source of information on the functions of genes. Healthcare has been dealing with an explosion in information about different types of drugs, diseases, and procedures. This paper argues that using Knowledge Graphs is not the best solution for solving problems in this domain. We present experiments using LLMs for the healthcare domain to demonstrate that language models provide the same functionality as knowledge graphs, thereby making knowledge graphs redundant.


The perturbation theory around the soliton fields of the sin-Gordon model is developed in the coset space. It is shown by explicit calculations that all corrections to the topological soliton contribution are canceled exactly.


Filamentous fungi are well known for their potential to accumulate organic acids in the medium when supplied with large amounts of sugar. Commercial applications of this are the production of citric and itaconic acids. The present review attempts to present the current state of knowledge on the biochemical basis of organic acid accumulation by filamentous fungi (citric, itaconic, fumaric and oxalic acids), particularly with respect to the role of citric acid cycle reactions. The explanations offered are based on recent advances in understanding the compartmentation of the fungal cell, and regulation of some key enzymes. The general conclusion is that fungi accumulate organic acids by mechanisms which avoid the channeling of substrates into the citric acid cycle under conditions of strongly active glycolysis.


Introduction: There is a paucity of clinical data on C1q nephropathy (C1qN) in children in India and Southeast Asia. This is the first detailed analysis conducted to elucidate the prevalence, clinicopathological profile, and response to different immunosuppressives in children with C1qN in India. Materials and Methods: Detailed demographic profile, clinical features, urine and blood chemistries, kidney biopsy, and response to different immunosuppressives of the study participants were analyzed between August 2015 and October 2020 for steroid-dependent/-resistant nephrotic syndrome (NS). Results: C1qN was diagnosed in 16 (14.13%) of 113 children who underwent biopsy for steroid-dependent/-resistant NS. The mean age was 44 months (range 18–99 months) and male and female number was 12 (75%) and four (25%), respectively, and mean follow-up was 3.5 years. Eight (50%) had coexistent minimal-change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) pattern, seven (43.7%) had focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and one (6.2%) had diffuse mesangial hypercellularity. Thirteen children had complete follow-up, of which eight (61.5%) and four (30.7%) cases presented as steroid-dependent and primary steroid-resistant NS, respectively, whereas one (7.6%) had joint pain with rashes. At presentation, seven (53.8%) had hypertension, 12 (92.3%) had nephrotic range proteinuria, and six cases (46.1%) had hematuria. Nine (75%) of 12 cases achieved complete remission with calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) therapy, and two were non responders, one was a partial responder, and one responded to mycophenolate. Of six FSGS cases, four had complete remission, one had partial remission, and one was in non-remission. Of six cases with MCNS, five had complete remission and one was in non-remission. Renal functions remained normal in all except one case who had progression to chronic kidney disease Stage 3. Conclusion: One out of seven children with difficult NS can have underlying C1qN. CNIs are most beneficial to attain and maintain remission. Renal functions remain normal in the majority. Along with C1q deposits, MCNS and FSGS patterns are seen equally and respond almost similarly to CNIs.


Physical model tests were performed in a wave flume at Deltares with rock armoured slopes. A shallow foreshore was present. At deep water, the same wave conditions were used, but by applying different water levels, the wave loading on the rock armoured slopes increased considerably with increasing water levels. This allowed an assessment of the effects of sea level rise. Damage was measured by using digital stereo photography (DSP), which provides information on each individual stone that is displaced. Two test series were performed five times. This allowed for a statistical analysis of the damage to rock armoured slopes, which is uncommon due to the absence of statistical information based on a systematic repetition of test series. The statistical analysis demonstrates the need for taking the mean damage into account in the design of rock armoured slopes. This is important in addition to characterising the damage itself by erosion areas and erosion depths. The relation between damage parameters, such as the erosion area and erosion depth, was obtained from the tests. Besides tests with a straight slope, tests with a berm in the seaward slopes were also performed. A new method to take the so-called length effect into account is proposed to extrapolate results from physical model tests to real structures. This length effect is important, but is normally overlooked in the design of rubble mound structures. Standard deviations based on the presented model tests were used.


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The objective of this research is to explain accounting policy choice in the Australian property industry by reference to costly contracting theory. This paper makes three departures from the predominant literature. First, instead of focusing on a single policy choice, it focuses on a portfolio of 15 choices. Second, instead of measuring each policy choice dichotomously, it measures the dollar effect of each policy choice. Finally, the research focuses on the impact of policy choices on owners' equity as well as income. The results confirm the importance of compensation arrangements as a determinant of accounting policy choice but fail to provide evidence that debt constraints or political costs are significant determinants of accounting policy choice. These results suggest that including property firms in a more heterogeneous sample may reduce the power of tests on the debt constraints and political costs hypotheses. More generally (when compared to previous research) the results suggest that the determinants of policy choice are likely to be industry specific.


A low-voltage 8-bit pipelined analog-to-digital converter employing the switched-opamp technique is presented. The developed low-voltage circuit blocks include a fully differential switched-opamp, a multiplying digital-to-analog converter (MDAC), a comparator and a front-end input buffer. The circuit is implemented in a standard 0.5 µm CMOS process. According to measurements the circuit achieves a 44.7 dB peak SNDR at 8 MHz clock rate. The circuit operates with supply voltages down to 1.0 V


Colluvium and debris-flow deposits differ from each other and from glacial till and glacial outwash deposits in Durango, CO, in terms of sedimentological properties evaluated using laboratory testing. Testing included grain-size analysis, Atterberg limits, specific gravity, visual angularity, and uncompacted void content (UVC). Grain-size analysis showed that colluvium, glacial deposits, and debris-flow deposits had different grain-size distributions (GSDs) that occupied fields on a GSD graph with some overlap. Debris-flow deposits had the most gravel-sized grains, and colluvium had the most silt- and clay-sized grains, while glacial till and glacial outwash had very similar GSDs between colluvium and debris-flow deposits. Comparisons of angularity to gravel-to-fines (G/F) ratio provided a second graphical method for discriminating between debris-flow, colluvium, and glacial deposits. Generally, colluvium and debris-flow deposits were more angular than glacial till and outwash. Additionally, several linear correlations were recognized between lithology of grains and sedimentological and geotechnical properties, the most significant of which were: (1) The angularity of gravel in glacial till and outwash was positively correlated to sandstone gravel content, (2) the plasticity index of outwash fines was positively correlated to the metamorphic gravel content, (3) the amount of outwash fines was positively correlated to sandstone and metamorphic gravel content, while it was negatively correlated to carbonate gravel content, and (4) rounded and sub-rounded gravel content in outwash was positively correlated to carbonate and extrusive igneous gravel content. This study provides insight into the geomechanical differences between depositional mechanisms in similar semiarid environments.


The awareness about nutrition can be created through nutrition education programmes. Nutrition education is an integral part of all nutrition intervention programmes. For the success of nutrition education it is necessary to study the food habits and modify it according to the local availability and dietary pattern. Studies reported that the regular use of soyabean in daily diet enhances human health and protects from several diseases and results in longevity. But lack of awareness about its nutritional profile is the main reason of non-utilization in food products. An attempt has been made to educate the urban women of Yamunanagar district about importance of soybean for health benefits and utilization in daily diet. Results revealed that after imparting nutrition education, utilization of soy based food intake increased by 21% in daily diet, followed by different frequency level.


The objectives of this work were to study the insecticides espinosad, lambdacyhalothrin and monocrotophos on the control of Alabama argillacea (Hubner), the compatibility of these insecticides with the predatory stinkbug Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas), and the effects of the insecticides and acaricides methiocarb, pymetrozine, thiamethoxam, abamectin, diafenthiuron, dicofol and propargite on the predatory stinkbug behavior preying upon A. argillacea under field conditions. More than 90% of cotton leafworm control was obtained at the day 0 of application with all insecticides. Control of A. argillacea by lambdacyhalothrin (20 g a.i./ha) and monocrotophos (240 and 320 g a.i./ha) was observed up to day 3 after application; while spinosad (30 and 60 g a.i./ha) prolonged control up to day 5. Monocrotophos and lambdacyhalothrin were significantly more toxic to P. nigrispinus compared to spinosad. Toxicity of monocrotophos and lambdacyhalothrin to P. nigrispinus was evident up to day 3 after application. Survival of P. nigrispinus was affected by methiocarb, thiamethoxam, diafenthiuron, abamectin and sulfur one day after application and only under thiamethoxam treatment after three days. Pymetrozine, dicofol and propargite did not affect P. nigrispinus survival compared to untreated plants. Podisus nigrispinus at the day of application did not prey on A. argillacea under methiocarb treatment, and the predation rate was affected under thiamethoxam, abamectin, diafenthiuron and sulfur treatments at the day of application and after three days. The insecticides pymetrozine and spinosad, and the acaricides dicofol and propargite were compatible to P. nigrispinus and should be considered within a cotton pest management program.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Glioma development is a multistep process, involving alterations in genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Understanding the mechanisms and enzymes that promote epigenetic changes in gliomas are urgently needed to identify novel therapeutic targets. In the present study we explored the significance of histone demethylase KDM1 in glioma progression. In order to know the status of expression of KDM1, we utilized glioma tissue microarrays which consist of different grades of astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, ependymomas and normal brain tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that KDM1 expression is overexpressed in the gliomas compared to normal brain, and KDM1 expression levels were positively correlated with histological malignancy. KDM1 expression was also found to be elevated in various established glioma cell lines. To study the functional significance of KDM1 in gliomas, KDM1 expression was silenced using siRNA or its pharmacological inhibition using pargyline or NCL-1. Silencing of KDM1 or inhibition of its enzyme activity significantly reduced the proliferation and colony formation of glioma cells. Mechanistic studies showed that inhibition of KDM1 promoted the acetylation of p53 and up regulation of its target genes p21 and PUMA. Patient-derived primary GBM cells expressed high levels of KDM1 and pharmacological inhibition of KDM1 decreased their proliferation. Further, KDM1 inhibition reduced the expression of stemness markers CD133 and nestin in GBM cells. Mouse xenograft assays revealed that inhibition of KDM1 using pargyline significantly reduced U87 glioma xenograft tumor growth. Inhibition of KDM1 increased levels of H3K4-me2 and H3K9-Ac histone modifications, reduced H3K9-me2 modification and promoted expression of p53 target genes (p21 and PUMA), leading to apoptosis of glioma xenograft tumors. Our results suggest that KDM1 is overexpressed in gliomas and could be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of gliomas.

Citation Format: Gangadhara R. Sareddy, Sandeep Saran, Binoj C. Nair, Samaya R. Krishnan, Vijay K. Gonugunta, Andrew J. Brenner, Ratna K. Vadlamudi. The lysine demethylase KDM1 is a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of gliomas. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 674. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-674


We extend the semiclassical description of two–state atomic collisions to low energies for which the impact parameter treatment fails. The problem reduces to solving a system of first–order differential equations with coefficients whose semiclassical asymptotes experience the Stokes phenomenon in the complex coordinate plane. Primitive semiclassical and uniform Airy approximations are discussed.


This paper investigates the hypothesis that if the incumbent were given the freedom to adjust its prices for contestable mail, an entrant would be able to capture only a very limited amount of mail and the monopoly would be shown to have little value. It examines the effect of flexible pricing on efficient and inefficient entry into the U.S. letter delivery market. The entrants frequency of delivery and the amount of contestable mail in the market appear to be the most important variables (that we have modeled) in determining the success of the entrant. Consequently, the paper develops the sensitivity of the incumbents loss of profits to both variables.


The paper presents several integrated high frequency antenna prototypes based on Si/CMOS and on-glass technologies for millimeter-wave (mm-wave) applications. On-chip loop antenna and dipole radiator are presented. In addition, a wide-band dipole-patch antenna design for the range of 74 – 104 GHz is integrated into a CMOS chip with an on-chip pulse generator. In addition, an implementation of a fully on-Silicon antenna array integrated with a timed-array transmitter. To control the beam-forming of this array, a digital-based time adjustment circuit is integrated together with the antenna array. Simulated and measured data including return loss, and radiation patterns are presented. This paper also introduces an on-glass antenna prototypes fabricated on quartz substrate. The on-glass antenna is to demonstrate for handset or automobile's windshield/windows applications where radio waves could be transmitted and received from various directions. The results show several compact antenna candidates integrated by both Silicon and quartz substrates towards mm-Wave/sub-mm-Wave sensing and communication applications.


Sewickley, PA-Sodium hyaluronate 1.6% (Amvisc Plus, Bausch & Lomb) offers the right balance of desired viscoelastic properties, making it useful during each stage of cat-aract surgery and an excellent choice for nearly all phacoemulsification cases, agree cataract surgeons Richard A. Bowers, MD, and Andrew Tharp, MD.


The influence of fuel properties and chemical composition on regulated diesel particulate emissions during operation of the European R49 13- mode cycle has been examined. Four multi-cylinder engines were tested to produce broady applicable conclusions. Since fuel properties are usually strongly correlated, making extraction of the effects of individual properties difficult, this study used three fuel sets having a wide range of properties and in which the correlations between certain key properties were broken. The contribution of fuel sulphur to particulate emissions as sulphate and associated water was confirmed to depend linearly on the fuel sulphur content, with engine dependent Fuel Sulphur Conversion Ratios of 1 to 2%. The influence of fuel density on particulate emissions was found to be strongly dependent on (and predictable from) the particulate load range characteristics of individual engines. For purposes of comparing fuels, constant torque operation was confirmed to compensate for fuel density differences except in engines with complex timing management systems. After fuel sulphur and density effects are accounted for, there remain residual fuel quality effects on particulate emissions that are consistent with a linear dependence on cetane number and are engine dependent in magnitude. Particulate emissions from all the engines are fully explained by a model that includes fuel sulphur content, density and cetane number. Inclusion of fuel aromatics content in the model was found to be unnecessary although the possibility of an aromatics influence cannot be completely ruled out. The effects of changes in specific fuel properties on particulate emissions are quantified and presented as fractions of the Euro-1 emissions limit. For the covering abstract see IRRD 873243.


Introduction The study presents the analysis of whole genome sequence (WGS) data for Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W isolates recovered in the Czech Republic in 1984 – 2017 and their comparison with WGS data from other countries. Material and Methods Thirty-one Czech N. meningitidis W isolates, 22 from invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) and nine from healthy carriers were analysed. The 33-year study period was divided into three periods: 1984-1999, 2000-2009, and 2010-2017. Results Most study isolates from IMD and healthy carriers were assigned to clonal complex cc22 (n = 10) in all study periods. The second leading clonal complex was cc865 (n = 8) presented by IMD (n = 7) and carriage (n = 1) isolates that emerged in the last study period, 2010 – 2017. The third clonal complex was cc11 (n = 4) including IMD isolates from the first (1984 – 1999) and third (2010 – 2017) study periods. The following clonal complex was cc174 (n = 3) presented by IMD isolates from the first two study periods, i.e. 1984 – 1999 and 2000 – 2009. One isolate of each cc41/44 and cc1136 originated from healthy carriers from the second study period, 2000 - 2009. The comparison of WGS data for N. meningitidis W isolates recovered in the Czech Republic in the study period 1984 – 2017 and for isolates from other countries recovered in the same period showed that clonal complex cc865, ST-3342 is unique to the Czech Republic since 2010. Moreover, the comparison shows that cc11 in the Czech Republic does not comprise novel hypervirulent lineages reported from both European and non-European countries. WGS data for Czech serogroup W meningococci point to the presence of MenB vaccine antigen genes and confirm the hypothesis about the MenB vaccine potential against N. meningitidis serogroup W. All 31 study isolates were assigned to Bexsero® Antigen Sequence Types (BAST), and seven of them were of newly described BASTs. Conclusions WGS analysis contributed considerably to a more detailed molecular characterization of N. meningitidis W isolates recovered in the Czech Republic over a 33-year period and allowed for a spatial and temporal comparison of these characteristics between isolates from the Czech Republic and other countries. In addition, the WGS data precised the base for the update of the recommendation for vaccination in the Czech Republic.


ABSTRACT It is an important problem to compare two time series in many applications. In this paper, a computational bootstrap procedure is proposed to test if two dependent stationary time series have the same autocovariance structures. The blocks of blocks bootstrap on bivariate time series is employed to estimate the covariance matrix which is necessary in order to construct the proposed test statistic. Without much additional effort, the bootstrap critical values can also be computed as a byproduct from the same bootstrap procedure. The asymptotic distribution of the test statistic under the null hypothesis is obtained. A simulation study is conducted to examine the finite sample performance of the test. The simulation results show that the proposed procedure with the bootstrap critical values performs well empirically and is especially useful when time series are short and non-normal. The proposed test is applied to an analysis of a real data set to understand the relationship between the input and output signals of a chemical process.


A generalized stochastic colored timed Petri net (GSCTPN) is used to model an IC wafer fabrication system. There are two major sub-models: a process flow model and transportation model. There are two different automated guided vehicle systems, namely, the interbay system and intrabay system. For multiple-load and variable-speed AGV systems, we embed a simple motion-planning rule and introduce a collision avoidance strategy in the model to solve the variable speed and traffic jam problems of vehicles. The simple control policies for AGV visiting and AGV routing are discussed. The heuristic rules for lot release and lot scheduling are also studied. To obtain performance measures, simulation is used. To show the promising potential of the proposed work, a real-word IC wafer fabrication system is used as a target plant layout for implementation.


Article is devoted to consideration of a phenomenon of self-understanding within a narrative approach. Research objective: to analyze the main features of a narrative approach in the field of self-understanding research, to reveal specifics of this approach to studying of a phenomenon of self-understanding. The author considers a number of concepts of self-understanding in the tideway of a narrative approach, reveals their specifics. The author draws a conclusion that the self-understanding in narrative tradition is considered as the continuous Self-Construal occurring in a certain social and cultural context. The special attention in article is given to the concept of Self-Construal and its analysis within psychology of human life where the self-understanding is considered as search and finding of. Self-Construal, thus a way, strategy of search of, and each type of Self-Construal represents a certain type of questions which the person sets to itself, setting, thereby, the direction of search of.


Abstract Introduction Dizziness can be characterized as a balance disorder that causes discomfort, leading to several functional limitations. Currently, vestibular rehabilitation has been highlighted as a possible treatment. Objective Analyze the effects of completing a vestibular rehabilitation treatment protocol on quality of life and postural balance in patients with vestibular complaints, as well as to compare these effects between the patients taking or not taking antivertigo drugs. Methods A nonrandomized controlled trial was performed with 20 patients previously diagnosed with vestibular diseases. Information regarding vertigo symptoms, quality of life as assessed through the Dizziness Handicap Inventory, visual analog scale of dizziness, and stabilometry using force platform was collected. Patients were treated for 12 weeks by a custom protocol. The sample was divided into two groups according to the use (medicated group, n = 9) or not (control group, n = 11) of antivertigo drugs. Results There was improvement in quality of life (p < 0.001) and intensity of dizziness (p = 0.003) with the intervention. An improvement of postural balance was observed through functional tests. However, no statistically significant difference was noted in stabilometry. When both groups were compared, no statistically significant differences between the variations of the variables analyzed were found in the re-evaluation session. Conclusion Quality of life and postural balance are improved with intervention. However, this improvement is not associated with pharmacologic treatment.


The human Prolactin-Inducible-Protein (PIP)/Gross Cystic Disease Fluid Protein 15 (GCDFP-15) gene is abnormally expressed in human invasive breast cancer and gross cystic disease of the breast. In healthy individuals PIP is highly expressed in salivary, sweat and lacrimal glands, and the secreted protein abundantly found in saliva as well as other bodily fluids which bathe various ports of entry. PIP has been shown to bind numerous bacterial strains as well as a number of immunoregulatory molecules including the CD4-T cell receptor and IgG and is therefore implicated to play an immune role in host defense. In the present study we interrogated the salivary proteome of the PIP knockout (Pip KO) mouse by mass spectrometry to determine protein changes that occur in saliva in the absence of PIP. Proteomic analysis identified 165 proteins in the mouse saliva which had a minimum of 2 unique peptides at the 99% confidence level. Nineteen proteins, including 2 proposed markers of disease, S100A9 and adenosine deaminase, were significantly differentially expressed in the saliva of the Pip KO mouse, compared to the saliva of the wild type counterparts. Functional and biological determinations revealed that the differentially expressed proteins were associated with processes that include inflammatory responses, immunity and cell death. This study provides evidence that a number of proteins associated with host defense are affected by the loss of PIP, and lends support for an immunomodulatory role for PIP. Citation Format: Anne Blanchard, Peyman Ezzati, Xiuli Ma, John Wilkins, Yvonne Myal. Analysis of the salivary proteome of the prolactin-inducible-protein knockout mouse. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2488. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2488


It is shown that the phosphate-methylated DNA miniduplex d(CpG)2 adopts a left-handed Z-type structure, whereas the phosphate-methylated miniduplex d(GpC)2 is right-handed. Furthermore, it is shown that elongation of the systems to the tetramer level results in right-handed duplexes with rather low stability. The phosphate-methylated hexamer d(CpGpCpGpCpG) is present in the single-strand form. It is suggested that these results are of interest in the understanding of the exact role of salt cations in stabilizing the Z-DNA structure of natural duplexes d(CpG…CpG)2 in high salt solution, since the methylated phosphate groups in fact mimic the situation of complete phosphate-charge shielding. Therefore, it is concluded that exclusive cation-phosphate complexation in the d(CpG)2 segments stabilizes the Z structure. 31P-NMR experiments on the natural duplex d(CpGpCpGpCpG)2 at different concentrations of Mg2+ provided independent proof for the proposed model.


: 3alpha-Dihydrocadambine exhibited dose-dependent hypotensive and anti-hypertensive effects in anesthetized normotensive rats and in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats. Its activity was much stronger and longer-lasting than that of rhynchophylline. In anesthetized dogs, it caused dilation of the vertebral, femoral and common carotid arteries, and had almost no effect on the coronary artery, whereas it had almost no significant activity in isolated canine arterial strip preparations.


Several methods have been employed for evaluating plant resistance to whiteflies. Although, a few researches have been conducted aiming to determine the whitefly nymphal dispersion on crops. The objective of this work was to evaluate the oviposition of B. tabaci biotype B and nymphal dispersion in leaflets with and without exudates on tomato genotypes. Seven genotypes were used: LA716, LA1739, PI134417, LA462, LA1584, 'Santa Clara' and P25 (susceptible control). The oviposition of B. tabaci biotype B was evaluated by using ten couples of the insect in clip cages (2.8 cm2) attached to the abaxial surface of the leaflets. For evaluating the nymphal dispersion, it was considered the insect movement beyond the limits of the occupied area by the clip cages. The evaluated variables were adult mortality 24 hours after the liberation, egg numbers, egg viability, incubation period, nymph numbers and nymphal dispersal. Under leaflets with glandular exudate, LA716, LA1739 and PI134417 caused the highest mortality values. Dead adults found in leaflets of those genotypes were trapped to the glandular exudates, causing reduced oviposition by the insect. For nymphal dispersal, in leaflets with glandular exudate, the highest values occurred in LA716, LA462 and P25. In leaflets without glandular exudate, LA716 promoted the lowest value for nymphal dispersal. The exudate influences negatively on the insect survivorship and oviposition. The nymphal dispersal is also affected by the glandular exudate, but other factors can make an important role on insect movement.


Background: Epilepsy and seizure are one of the most common serious neurological disorders, and most patients either stop having seizures or less commonly die of them.
Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study targeting adult Sudanese patients was conducted in the EEG units of the department of physiology, faculty of medicine, and the National Ribat University. Recordings were obtained from a digital EEG machine (Medtronic pl-EEG). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (Windows version 15; SPSS) was used for statistical analysis. The study's main objective was to determine the percentage of abnormal EEGs in adult Sudanese epileptic patients who were referred to the Ribat EEG unit from March 2007 to September 2010.
Results: Nine hundred and fifty patients were included in this study, abnormal EEGs was seen in 54.7%, while it was normal was in 45.3%; primary generalized seizures constituted 45.5%, while focal onset seizures were collectively observed in 43.4%, other types of epilepsy counted for 11.2%.
Conclusion: This study showed that males were more affected than females, abnormal EEG was maximal in the age group16–30 years. Epileptiform seizure discharges decrease with age, generalized seizure discharges were dominated seizure.


The non-sequential (NS) double ionization of Ar and Ar+ is studied using a semiclassical model. The Ar2+ /Ar+ and Ar3+ /Ar2+ ratios are obtained and compared with experimental results. As a comparison, the NS double ionization of Ne is also studied. The analysis shows that the new effect—suppression of multiple ionization of atomic ions in intense ultrashort laser pulses—found in experiments (Greenwood et al 2002 Phys. Rev. Lett. 88 233001) should be interpreted as enhancement of the triple ionization of a neutral target.


Incantations are a little known and virtually unstudied genre of Vepsian folklore. About 35 incantations devoted to snakes were derived from published sources, as well as from archival and field materials. These texts formed the basis for the present study. An inherent feature of most Vepsian incantations is the listing of the kinds of snakes differing in coloration. During the study, 23 texts where snake colours are mentioned were found. Their analysis indicates that all texts mention, usually in the first place, the black colour – 23 occurrences, the second and third positions occupied by the motley (22) or grey (17) coloration.


Many control methods have been proposed for powered prosthetic legs, ranging from finite state machines that switch between discrete phases of gait to unified controllers that have a continuous sense of phase. In particular, recent work has shown that a mechanical phase variable can parameterize the entire gait cycle for controlling a prosthetic leg during steady rhythmic locomotion. However, the unified approach does not provide voluntary control over non-rhythmic motions like stepping forward and back. In this paper we present a phasing algorithm that uses the amputee's hip angle to control both rhythmic and non-rhythmic motion through two modes: 1) a piecewise (PW) function that provides users voluntary control over stance and swing in a piecewise manner, and 2) a unified function that continuously synchronizes the motion of the prosthetic leg with the amputee user at different walking speeds. The two phase variable approaches are compared in experiments with a powered knee-ankle prosthesis used by an above-knee amputee subject.


In order to elucidate the mechanism of action of glycyrrhetinic acid in causing the mineralocorticoid excess syndrome, the effect of the agent on the active transport of sodium in frog skin was examined. The rate of active transport was evaluated by a short circuit current using a Ussing's chamber. The short circuit current increased significantly after the addition of 10(-8) M aldosterone to the incubation media. It remained unchanged or suppressed when either glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhetinic acid was added. The addition of 10(-6) M glycyrrhetinic acid in the presence of 10(-8) M aldosterone stimulated the short circuit current significantly as compared with the control skin which was treated with aldosterone alone. From these results, glycyrrhetinic acid is thought to potentiate the action of aldosterone and facilitate the active transport of sodium in amphibian epithelium. It is suggested that the pseudoaldosteronism induced by the administration of glycyrrhizin in man may in part be due to the potentiation of aldosterone action by this drug.


Fucosyltransferase activity was quantified in mouse germ cells at different stages of spermatogenesis. Specifically, fucosyltransferase activities of pachytene spermatocytes, round spermatids, and cauda epididymal sperm were compared. Fucosyltransferase activity of mixed germ cells displayed an apparent Vmax of 17 pmol (mg of protein)-1 min-1 and an apparent Km of approximately 13 microM for GDP-L-[14C]fucose in the presence of saturating amounts of asialofetuin at 33 degrees C. Under these conditions, cellular fucosyltransferase activity was found to increase during spermatogenesis. In agreement with assays of intact cells, examination of subcellular fractions indicated that a large fraction of fucosyltransferase activity was associated with the cell surface. The fraction of fucosyltransferase activity that was associated with the cell surface progressively increased throughout spermatogenesis and epididymal maturation so that nearly all of the fucosyltransferase in epididymal sperm was on the cell surface. Specifically, by comparison of activities in the presence and absence of the detergent NP-40, the fraction of fucosyltransferase activity that was associated with the cell surface in pachytene spermatocytes, round spermatids, and epididymal sperm was 0.36, 0.5, and 0.85, respectively. These results suggest that a cell surface fucosyltransferase may be important during differentiation of spermatogenic cells in the testis as well as during epididymal maturation and fertilization.


Objective: To investigate quantitatively the risk factors of hyperkalaemia or increased blood potassium associated with ACE-inhibitor therapyDesign: Nested case-control studyMethods: We used the antihypertensive drug database(72,379 subjects)developed by the RAD-AR Council, Japan and the Institute of Statistical Mathematics based on the post-marketing surveillance(PMS) data of pharmaceutical companies. Of 37,372 subjects taking ACE-inhibitors, the case group was composed of 64 patients who experienced hyperkalaemia or blood potassium increase while taking ACE-inhibitors, and the control group was composed of 1,280 patients(20 patients per case)randomly selected from patients who did not experience hyperkalaemia or blood potassium increase while taking ACE-inhibitors. The relevant factors that can be extracted from the database were the followings: age, WHO classification of hypertension, complications, antihypertensive drugs used before the PMS survey, and concomitant drugs.Results: Among the subjects taking antihypertensive agents, 65 patients experienced hyperkalaemia orincreased blood potassium, 64(98.5%)of whom were taking ACE-inhibitors. The factors that were significantly different between two groups(p<0.05)by univariate analysis were WHO classification of hypertension(p=0.005), complications of nephritis/nephrosis(p<0.001), other disorder of urinary system(p<0.001), unclear symptom or diagnosis(p=0.005), taking diuretics as antihypertensive drugs before study(p=0.032), and concomitant treatment with diuretics(p=0.004), vasodilators(p<0.001), and antigout agents(p=0.001). Conditional multivariate logistic analysis of these factors yielded adjusted odds ratio of 21.31 for complications of nephritis/nephrosis(p<0.001), 6.83 for other disorder of urinary system(p<0.001), and 2.30 for concomitant therapy with diuretics(p=0.049).Conclusion: The risk factors of hyperkalaemia or blood potassium increase associated with taking ACE-inhibitors were nephritis/nephrosis, other disorder of urinary system and concomitant therapy with diuretics.


Gastro-resistant capsules are often used for several purposes, such as protection of unstable drugs in acid medium to the action of gastric fluids or protection of the gastric mucosa to irritants drugs. The aim of this study was to verify the variation of preparations of capsules coating with cellulose acetate phthalate and methacrylic acid copolymer, without drug addition, in 7-10% coating concentrations, prepared manually with four or five immersions in tested coating solution. Results were analyzed considering the formulation's disintegration test. Within the context of formulations under analysis, it was observed that the capsules coated with cellulose acetate phthalate 10% complied with the pharmacopeia's disintegration specifications. However, capsules coated with methacrylic acid copolymer did not show accordance with the pharmacopeia's specifications. The results emphasize the need for the standardization of coating methodology.


Abstract We used extensive camera-trap surveys to study interindividual interactions among individually recognizable jaguars (Panthera onca) and plain-colored pumas (Puma concolor). Timed location data from a network of 119 trap stations in the Cockscomb Basin of Belize provide the 1st evidence of interspecific avoidance calibrated against intraspecific interactions among jaguars. Camera trapping has advantages over radiotelemetry in its potential to provide data on the complete array of individuals within the study area. The 23 individually identified male jaguars showed high levels of overlap in ranges, with up to 5 different males captured at the same location in the same month. Low levels of avoidance between individuals and a high flux of individuals contributed to low consistency in home-range ownership over the long term (3 months to 2 years). Jaguars and pumas had similar nocturnal activity schedules. Both species used similar habitats within the Cockscomb Basin, indicated by a high correlation in capture rates per location between species. Apart from their overall spatial similarities, jaguars and pumas avoided using the same location at the same time. This interspecific segregation was detectable over and above the spatial and temporal segregation of individual jaguars.


comnprehen-sive study of epidemic encephaliti's. He to be con- gratulated on the completeness of his paper and the manner in which it is presented. A certain interest has recently been aroused in other types of encephalitis or meningoencephalitis which attack the central nervous system in a manner similar to that of epidemic encephalitis. I refer to encephalitis following measles, mumps, vaccinia, and varicella. As presented by Doctor Bender these complications are not com- mon, but are etiologically quite distinct from the epidemic variety. These conditions are caused by ultramicroscopic organisms, and a differential diag-nosis at present is quite impossible by changes in the spinal fluid. The clinical history is therefore of para-mount importance.


The projection of primary afferents onto spinal interneurons constitutes the first step in sensorimotor transformations performed by spinal reflex systems. Despite extensive studies on spinal somatotopy, uncertainties remain concerning the extent and significance of representational overlap and relation to spinal reflex circuits. To address these issues, the cutaneous projection from the hindpaw and its relation to the topography of lamina V neurons encoding withdrawal reflex strength ("reflex encoders") was studied in rats. Thin and coarse primary afferent terminations in laminas II and III–IV, respectively, were mapped by wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase and choleragenoid tracing. The functional weights of these projections were characterized by mapping nociceptive and tactile field potentials and compared with the topography of reflex encoders. Both anatomical and physiological data indicate that thin and coarse skin afferent input is spatially congruent in the horizontal plane. The representation of the hindpaw in the spinal cord was found to be intricate, with a high degree of convergence between the projections from different skin sites. "Somatotopic disruptions" such as the representation of central pads medial to that of the digits were common. The weight distribution of the cutaneous convergence patterns in laminas III–IV was similar to that of lamina V reflex encoders. This suggests that the cutaneous convergence and features such as somatotopic disruptions have specific relations to the sensorimotor transformations performed by reflex interneurons in the deep dorsal horn. Hence, the spinal somatotopic map may be better understood in light of the topography of such reflex systems.


A Pb 2+ precipitation method was designed to get rid of the impure proteins in a lipase. The results show that it was a simple way in the primary treatment of the crude samples and about 20% impure proteins were removed in the precipitation step. Further, continuous elution electrophoresis was also applied as a preparative technique for attaining the highly pure lipase. During the continuous elution electrophoresis, the enzyme was eluted as a single peak and 5.7-fold purification was achieved in a yield of 54.3%. The two steps finally yielded an electrophoretically homogeneous enzyme.


Part I. Text and Canon: 1. Texts, titles, and translations James C. VanderKam 2. Collections, canons, and communities Stephen B. Chapman Part II. Historical Background: 3. The ancient Near Eastern context Kenton L. Sparks 4. The history of Israelite religion Brent A. Strawn 5. The Hebrew Bible and history Marc Zvi Brettler Part III. Methods and Approaches: 6. Historical-critical methods John J. Collins 7. Social science models Victor H. Matthews 8. Literary approaches to the Hebrew Bible Adele Berlin Part IV. Subcollections and Genres: 9. The Pentateuch and Israelite law Thomas B. Dozeman 10. The former prophets and historiography Richard D. Nelson 11. The latter prophets and prophecy Marvin A. Sweeney 12. The Psalms and Hebrew poetry William P. Brown 13. Wisdom Samuel E. Balentine 14. Late historical books and rewritten history Ehud Ben Zvi 15. The biblical short story Lawrence M. Wills 16. Apocalyptic writings Stephen L. Cook 17. Deuterocanonical/apocryphal books Sharon Pace Part V. Reception and Use: 18. The Hebrew Bible in Judaism Frederick E. Greenspahn 19. The Old Testament in Christianity R. W. L. Moberly 20. The Hebrew Bible in Islam Walid A. Saleh 21. The Hebrew Bible in art and literature David Lyle Jeffrey 22. The Old Testament in public: the Ten Commandments, evolution, and Sabbath closing laws Nancy J. Duff 23. The theology of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament John Goldingay.


Reports of enhanced atrazine degradation and reduced residual weed control have increased in recent years, sparking interest in identifying factors contributing to enhanced atrazine degradation. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess the spatial distribution of enhanced atrazine degradation in 45 commercial farm fields in northeastern Colorado (Kit Carson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, and Yuma counties) where selected cultural management practices and soil bio-chemo-physical properties were quantified; (ii) utilize Classification and Regression Tree (CART) Analysis to identify cultural management practices and (or) soil bio-chemophysical attributes that are associated with enhanced atrazine degradation; and (iii) translate our CART Analysis into a model that predicts relative atrazine degradation rate (rapid, moderate, or slow) as a function of known management practices and (or) soil properties. Enhanced atrazine degradation was widespread within a 300-km radius across northeastern Colorado, with approximately 44% of the fields demonstrating rapid atrazine degradation activity (laboratory-based dissipation time halflife [DT50] < 3 d). The most rapid degradation rates occurred in fields that received the most frequent atrazine applications. Classification and Regression Tree Analysis resulted in a prediction model that correctly classified soils with rapid atrazine DT50 80% of the time and soils with slow degradation (DT50 > 8 d) 62.5% of the time. Significant factors were recent atrazine use history, soil pH, and organic matter content. The presence/absence of atzC polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product was not a significant predictor variable for atrazine DT50. In conclusion, enhanced atrazine degradation is widespread in northeastern Colorado. If producers know their atrazine use history, soil pH, and OM content, they should be able to identify fields exhibiting enhanced atrazine degradation using our CART Model.


In this report we show how it is possible to reconstruct the dynamics of a chemical reacting systems on lattice via an appropriate choice of macroscopic variable set. When chemical reactions fire on a low dimensional setting the usual mean field approximation (MF) may fail to accurately describe the proper dynamics of the system. Consequently it is not possible to use the concentrations of different species as sole quantities to describe macroscopically such systems and more involved approximations are needed. Traditional approaches introduces higher order correlation functions as extra macroscopic variables, however such expansions usually require closure procedures and tend to quickly demand high number of terms even for simple systems. It is also possible to describe the system in a microscopic way via a Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) algorithm, but this approach requires much longer computation time. In this report we study such a problem from a different perspective using the Equation Free Method (EFM) framework; with such approach it is possible to "bridge" between the macroscopic dynamics (mean field) and the microscopic one (KMC). We analyze different techniques to move between these two descriptions of the system trying to understand what information needs to be preserved at the macroscopic level in order to recover correctly all the features of the microscopic dynamics.


We have standardized a method to assess the total effective xenoestrogen burden (TEXB) in human placentas by the extraction and separation by high-performance liquid chromatography of two fractions containing lipophilic xenoestrogens (alpha) and endogenous hormones (beta), followed by assessing their estrogenicity in MCF-7 breast cancer cell-based E-Screen and Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) bioassays. The means of TEXB alpha concentrations (in estradiol equivalent (Eeq) units) were 1.32 and 0.77 Eeq pM g−1 placenta in the E-Screen and YES, respectively; TEXB beta concentrations were 6.97 and 11.56 Eeq pM g−1 placenta, respectively. The interclass correlation coefficient was low and a fair level of agreement was observed after kappa test correction. According to the E-Screen and YES, TEXB alpha was ≥LOD in 70.0 and 55.0% of the placentas and 92.5 and 82.5% in beta, respectively. Although both bioassays can be recommended for assessing TEXB, there is greater experience with the use of the E-Screen for estrogenic assessment after extensive extraction of complex human matrices.


This study compares the nutritional parameters of fresh and smoked Claras genepinus and Tilapia nilotica fishes based on the proximate analysis of the samples from major market in Ilorin metropolis using standard methods. The results shows that fresh and smoked Catfish and Tilapia fishes samples contain 72.72 ± 5.01%, 52.15 ± 3.51% and 17.12 ± 0.83%, 12.30 ±1.01% moisture content, total protein was 16.04 ± 3.00%, 18.24 ± 2.15%, and 57.61 ± 6.05%, 62.04 ± 4.21% and fats was 4.49 ± 0.23%, 12.10 ± 1.01% and 2.07 ± 0.04%, 5.88 ± 0.51. This study provides nutritional information on the two sampled fishes in their fresh and smoked forms. It thus confirms the hypothetical belief that smoked fishes has higher protein values than fresh fish and added that more fats are present in dry fish than fresh fish. Thus, recommended for aged and diseased in provision of much richer nutrients


The linear instability of circular quasigeostrophic vortices with horizontal cross sections of angular velocity identical to those that fit the observations of submesoscale eddies in the ocean is investigated analytically and numerically. The theoretical necessary conditions for instability are formulated as a single condition on the mean potential vorticity or mean angular velocity rather than the streamfunction, which is more readily applicable to oceanic lenses, eddies, and meddies. It is shown that the suggested cross sections that best fit the observed angular velocity of several long-lived vortices are all unstable to small, wavelike perturbations, and that the e-folding time for perturbation growth at all wavenumbers and cross sections is on the order of 1 day. For all cross sections considered, azimuthal wavenumber 1 is stable while all higher azimuthal wavenumbers, as well as all vertical wavenumbers, are unstable. The main contribution to the instability comes from the jump in potential vorticity at the radius of maximum angular velocity. When the potential vorticity is continuous at this radius, the growth rates become smaller and the details of potential vorticity distribution become important. The fast growth rates obtained by the numerical calculations clearly emphasize the insufficient spatial resolution of existing observations for deciphering the exact velocity cross sections of submesoscale oceanic vortices, especially near the radius of maximum angular velocity.


The adsorption of the n-alkanes, ranging from butane to dodecane, in the zeolites silicalite and (all silica) mordenite has been studied in the zero coverage limit using computer simulations. The heats of adsorption, Henry coefficients, and distribution of the n-alkanes over the different zeolite channels are calculated. The calculated heats of adsorption are in good agreement with available experimental data. The calculated heats of adsorption in silicalite show an unexpected alkane length dependence. The incremental heat of adsorption per carbon atom is larger for the longer alkanes than for the shorter alkanes. This observation is attributed to preferential adsorption of the longer alkanes in the straight channels of silicalite. Simulations of this type were made possible through the development of a novel Monte Carlo simulation technique which is orders of magnitude more efficient than the conventional simulation techniques.


The combined effect of quantum confinement at the Si/SiO2 interface and the discrete distribution of dopants in the active area has been considered in ultrashort channel MOSFETs, via a numerical solution of the three-dimensional self-consistent Poisson/Schrödinger equation. Focusing our attention on the so-called "well tempered" bulk-Si nMOSFETs with channel length of 25 and 50 nm proposed by D. Antoniadis, we have simulated a large number of devices with the same doping profile, but with different actual discrete distribution of impurities, and have extracted the threshold voltage distribution. We have found that the threshold voltage standard deviation is of the order of tens of millivolt, and that it is affected by quantum confinement in the channel. Index Terms Poisson/Schodinger, random dopant, well-tempered MOSFET, threshold voltage distribution.


Four cases of congenital heart disease that showed coarse atrial fibrillatory waves in V1 and evidence of right atrial or biatrial enlargement were discussed. It is suggested that the coarse f waves may be due to distention of the atria.


Background Neonates are at major risk of sepsis, but data on neonatal sepsis incidence are scarce. We aimed to assess the incidence and mortality of neonatal sepsis worldwide. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis. 13 databases were searched for the period January 1979–May 2019, updating the search of a previous systematic review and extending it in order to increase data inputs from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We included studies on the population-level neonatal sepsis incidence that used a clinical sepsis definition, such as the 2005 consensus definition, or relevant ICD codes. We performed a random-effects meta-analysis on neonatal sepsis incidence and mortality, stratified according to sepsis onset, birth weight, prematurity, study setting, WHO region and World Bank income level. Results The search yielded 4737 publications, of which 26 were included. They accounted for 2 797 879 live births and 29 608 sepsis cases in 14 countries, most of which were middle-income countries. Random-effects estimator for neonatal sepsis incidence in the overall time frame was 2824 (95% CI 1892 to 4194) cases per 100 000 live births, of which an estimated 17.6% 9 (95% CI 10.3% to 28.6%) died. In the last decade (2009–2018), the incidence was 3930 (95% CI 1937 to 7812) per 100 000 live births based on four studies from LMICs. In the overall time frame, estimated incidence and mortality was higher in early-onset than late-onset neonatal sepsis cases. There was substantial between-study heterogeneity in all analyses. Studies were at moderate to high risk of bias. Conclusion Neonatal sepsis is common and often fatal. Its incidence remains unknown in most countries and existing studies show marked heterogeneity, indicating the need to increase the number of epidemiological studies, harmonise neonatal sepsis definitions and improve the quality of research in this field. This can help to design and implement targeted interventions, which are urgently needed to reduce the high incidence of neonatal sepsis worldwide.


Objectives We aimed to examine the relationship between occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) and follicular lymphoma (FL) risk. Methods We conducted a family case–control study between 2011 and 2016 in Australia and included 681 cases. Controls were either a family member of cases (related (n=294), unrelated (n=179)) or were unrelated recruited for a similarly designed Australian multiple myeloma study (n=711). We obtained detailed job histories using lifetime work calendars. We assigned exposure to ELF-MFs using an enhanced job exposure matrix, with a lag period of 10 years. We examined associations with FL risk using logistic regression accounting for relatedness between cases and controls. We performed sensitivity analyses including by control type, by sex, complete case analyses, ELF-MF exposure percentiles in addition to quartiles, ELF-MF exposure in the maximum exposed job, a shorter lag period (1 year) and the cumulative exposure in the most recent time period (1–9 years). Results We observed no association with the average intensity, duration or lifetime cumulative exposure to occupational ELF-MF exposure in the primary or sensitivity analyses. Conclusions Our findings do not support an association between occupational ELF-MF exposure and FL risk. Although the inclusion of family members as part of the larger control group may have biased our risk estimates towards the null, findings were similar in sensitivity analyses restricted to cases and unrelated controls. Further research incorporating enhanced exposure assessment to ELF-MF is warranted to inform occupational safety regulations and any potential role in lymphomagenesis.


This article focuses on the image fusion of high-resolution panchromatic and multispectral images. We propose a new image fusion method based on a Hue-Saturation-Value (HSV) color space model and bidimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD), by integrating high-frequency component of panchromatic image into multispectral image and optimizing the BEMD in decreasing sifting time, simplifying extrema point locating and more efficient interpolation. This new method has been tested with a panchromatic image (SPOT, 10-m resolution) and a multispectral image (TM, 28-m resolution). Visual and quantitative assessment methods are applied to evaluate the quality of the fused images. The experimental results show that the proposed method provided superior performance over conventional fusion algorithms in improving the quality of the fused images in terms of visual effectiveness, standard deviation, correlation coefficient, bias index and degree of distortion. Both five different land cover types WorldView-II images and three different sensor combinations (TM/SPOT, WorldView-II, 0.5 m/1 m resolution and IKONOS, 1 m/4 m resolution) validated the robustness of BEMD fusion performance. Both of these results prove the capability of the proposed BEMD method as a robust image fusion method to prevent color distortion and enhance image detail.


Summary The Pacific Northwest is an important timber-producing region (20.9 million ha forestland) with highly variable ecological conditions, tree species, forest productivity, and management methods. Over the last decade, forest practices have changed because of social pressures for science-based ecosystem management, changes in state forest practices laws, new plans for management of state and federal lands, green certification and owner attitudes. However, there is little tendency for managers to adopt the classical uneven-aged methods developed in Europe. Instead, practices such as green tree retention, variable retention thinning, heavy thinning with underplanting, and protection of riparian buffers are being implemented in what is called ecosystem management. These practices will create more structurally diverse stands and landscapes but not necessarily managed uneven-aged forests. Foresters could benefit from European experience with uneven-aged management by starting with tested basic principles and modifying practices based on research and adaptive management.


Structured methods and formal methods for software development can supplement each other by eliminating each other s weak points It is even better if an e ciently high level of integration can be achieved such that the products of each method can automatically be transformed into a product of the other method In this paper a small case study is presented in which this principle is illustrated It is shown how data ow diagrams the main product of Structured Analysis can automatically be translated into VDM speci cations in this way creating two di erent views for the analyst designer on the system being developed a graphical view the DFD and a textual view the VDM speci cation Index terms Formal methods VDM Structured Analysis systems design technology transfer


Udder preparations of wet towel plus drying and .1% iodophor premilking teat dipping plus drying were compared with no preparation to determine effects on number of new intramammary infections. Teats of 84 cows were challenged (5 d/wk) for 18 wk with a culture broth of Streptococcus uberis 3 h prior to each p.m. milking to stimulate environmental contamination. Wet towel plus drying and premilking teat dipping plus drying significantly reduced number of new intramammary infections compared to no preparation. Cleaning with water or dipping with a premilking teat dip and manual drying of teats may have contributed to the reduction in number of new infections. Premilking teat dipping plus drying further reduced number of new infections compared to use of wet towel plus drying. Apparently, teat dipping was more effective in reducing the number of new infections than water used with the wet towel. This study showed that udder preparations can affect udder health when an experimental bacterial challenge is applied.


After achieving independence in 1946, the Philippines had to confront vestiges of colonialism imposed by the West, mainly Spain and the United States. Filipino intellectuals began addressing the need to decolonize politically, economically and culturally. Colonialism, however, had the most insidious effect on the intellectual and popular culture as Western ways of knowing were and still are being propagated in schools, colleges and universities unsuitable to Philippine realities and conditions. This article discusses the origins of Western epistemology in Philippine universities, and tells the efforts to decolonize the university curricula and the reasons behind their continuing failure. It traces the growth of ethnic studies in the country in the midst of ascendant monoculture, proposes the incorporation of programs for ethnic studies and curricular revision in regional universities and finally argues for the change on the name, identity and political and economic setup of the archipelago that will really set the course for full decolonization.


G. E. Moore's Principia Ethica accords a central value to "the appreciation of what is beautiful in Art and Nature", "worth having purely for their own sakes ". Bertrand Russell had worried in a letter to Moore that this ethic was "unduly conservative & anti-reforming".  But Keynes made the central aim of any justifiable economic system to provide the leisure for these "goods" and not just for a privileged few, i.e., to bring about "that day [when] overwork, overcrowding, and underfeeding would have come to an end, and men, secure of the comforts and necessities of the body, could proceed to the nobler exercises of their faculties." ( The Economic Consequences of the Peace ) This is the "delight" in what there is that Fry and Woolf take as the artist's role to reveal and fix, but that they see in the power of the "ordinary mind" to enjoy, as Mrs Ramsay enjoys the "waves of pure delight [that] raced over the floor of her mind" and "the ecstasy [that] burst in her eyes" watching the sea turn from blue to yellow at dusk.  Far from signaling the acceptance of some political status quo, for Woolf and Fry the special value Moore assigns art along with what Woolf calls "life," her code word for the enjoyment of momentary sense-data, stands as the goal of any social vision rather than the means to one.  This paper will examine the ways Woolf and Fry wrest a politics from Moore's ethics, one in which the good represented by the enjoyment of beauty in art and life, —a primitive for Moore, with no need of justification— becomes a central goal of a social system, preventing "the overvaluation of the economic criterion" that Keynes thought "was destroying the quality of the popular ideal".


Electron transport through small Si quantum dot is investigated. The B-d pendence of energy levels is dominated by the Zeeman shift, allowing us to measure the spin difference between two successive ground states directly. Combined with the ability to change the number of electrons N i the dot between 0 and 30, we are able to map the spin of the the dot as a function of N and B. Various spin-related phenomena, such as singlet–triplet transitions and spin blockade, are observed.  2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.


Germanium quantum dots (Ge-QD) were grown by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) on Si nucleus previously grown on 3 nm thick SiO2 ultra thin film. Samples were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). We report the analysis of the influence of the nucleation parameters on size and spatial distribution of Ge-QD. AFM images show a Ge-QD density of around 3.6x1010 cm-2, with an 11 nm mean size and 2.9 nm height. Finally, HRTEM investigation shows that the Ge-QD have a crystalline structure, i.e., they are nanocrystals.


The dynamic response of flexible-link multibody systems (FLMSs) can be predicted through nonlinear models based on finite elements, to describe the coupling between rigid- body and elastic behaviour. Their accuracy should be as high as possible to synthesize controllers and observers. Model updating based on experimental measurements is hence necessary. By taking advantage of the experimental modal analysis, this work proposes a model updating procedure for FLMSs and applies it experimentally to a planar robot. Indeed, several peculiarities of the model of FLMS should be carefully tackled. On the one hand, nonlinear models of a FLMS should be linearized about static equilibrium configurations. On the other, the experimental mode shapes should be corrected to be consistent with the elastic displacements represented in the model, which are defined with respect to a fictitious moving reference (the equivalent rigid link system). Then, since rotational degrees of freedom are also represented in the model, interpolation of the experimental data should be performed to match the model displacement vector. Model updating has been finally cast as an optimization problem in the presence of bounds on the feasible values, by also adopting methods to improve the numerical conditioning and to compute meaningful updated inertial and elastic parameters.


Abstract Aging is characterized by the progressive decline of biological integrity and its compensatory mechanisms as well as immunological dysregulation. This goes along with an increasing risk of frailty and disease. Against this background, we here specifically focus on the aging of the human liver. For the first time, we shed light on the intertwining evolutionary underpinnings of the liver's declining regenerative capacity, the phenomenon of inflammaging, and the biotransformation capacity in the process of aging. In addition, we discuss how aging influences the risk for developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, and/or autoimmune hepatitis, and we describe chronic diseases as accelerators of biological aging.


Sir, T here are several cases in the literature describing the different variations of post-embolization syndrome. The skin, the renal and gastrointestinal systems and the retina are the major targets of cholesterol crystals after cardiac catheterization. Greater use of coronary angiography has resulted in a relatively increased risk of these post-cardiac embolizations (Bitti 2000). To our knowledge only a few patients with branch artery occlusion (BRAO) or cilioretina artery occlusion during coronary angioplasty have been reported (Bucci et al. 1989; Dickens et al. 1994; Filatov et al. 1995; Loewenstein et al. 1999). In this case report, we describe a patient with visual loss and branch retinal artery occlusion 24 hours after cardiac catheterization. A 57-year-old woman was referred for acute onset of blurred vision in her left eye during the morning of the day following her coronary angiography (24 hours after catheterization). She had a history of arterial hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes. An ophthalmological examination revealed a visual acuity (VA) of 20/100 with a paracentral scotoma in the left eye; VA in her right eye had been low (20/200) since childhood due to strabismic amblyopia. Anterior segment examination was normal. Fundoscopy examination in the left eye revealed a white embolus (Hollenhorst plaque) partially occluding the superior temporal branch of the central retinal artery, associated with a moderate retinal oedema (Fig. 1), while the right eye was normal. Fluorescein angiography confirmed the non-filling of the superotemporal branch retinal artery (Fig. 2), while visual field testing showed a paracentral visual defect in accordance with the artery occlusion. Twelve months later, VA had improved to 20/32 with a tiny paracentral scotoma without any intervention. The development of retinal cholesterol emboli is due to ulceration of an atheromatous plaque, frequently localized in the origin of the aorta; as a result of rupture, plaque contents are released into the arterial circulation. There are two possible mechanisms for late onset of BRAO following coronary angioplasty. First, there is a possibility of the late release (second phase) of systemic cholesterol emboli after angioplasty that can cause a delayed BRAO. A second mechanism may involve the partial artery obstruction caused by atherosclerotic plaque (cholesterol emboli) at the time of coronary artery catheterization that becomes symptomatic with visual loss after complete artery occlusion due to the delayed inflammatory response. In this case, VA recovered a few months later without any intervention, leaving only a small paracentral scotoma. With the increasing incidence of invasive cardiac procedures, cardiologists and ophthalmologists should increase their awareness of this postcardiac catheterization complication. Visual symptoms and retinal artery occlusions caused by embolization in patients after coronary angiography could appear 24 hours after catheterization.


Forty-eight (48) male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into 6 groups and treated for 30 days. Group A served as normal control and group B ethylene glycol (EG) control received 1% EG in drinking water. Groups C, D, E and F received 1% EG from day 0 and were used as the treatment subjects. Rats in groups C and D received 200 and 600 mg/kg body weight (BW) of aerial parts aqueous extract, respectively and those in groups E and F received 200 and 600 mg/kg BW of root aqueous extract in drinking water, respectively from day 14 of the experiment. The blood samples were collected on days 0 and 30, and serum level of creatinine, uric acid, urea, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity were evaluated. In day 31, the kidneys were removed and prepared for histologic evaluation of calcium oxalate (CaOx) deposits. The concentrations of serum urea, uric acid and creatinine were increased (P<0.05) in group B compared with control group and were decreased (P<0.05) in treatment groups (C, D, E and F) compared with group B. The values of ALT was decreased (P<0.05) in groups C, D and E and the values of AST was decreased (P<0.05) just in groups C and E compared with group B. The number of CaOx deposits in group B was higher (P<0.05) than that in group A and in treatment groups C, D, E and F were decreased (P<0.05 compared with group B. The presented data indicate that the aqueous extract of Petroselinum sativumreduced the growth of urinary stones and hepatotxicity induction by EG in rats. We suggest further studies to establish the mechanism of toxicity or pharmacological effects of P. sativum in human.

 Key words: Petroselinum sativum, kidney stone, alanine aminotransferase, calcium oxalate, aspartate aminotransferase.


In scientific publications on the problems of monetary relations, "modern monetary theory" (MTT) is understood as a system of views formulated in the last two decades by a group of American and Australian economists, mostly university professors. The main stimulus for the development and popularization of the MTT was the need to create a scientific concept for overcoming such problems of the American economy as the accumulation of huge public debt, chronic budget deficits, and high unemployment. The analyzed theory offers a universal solution to these problems. The MTT contains paradoxical conclusions. Nevertheless, it is necessary to study it, in our opinion. The fact is that in the development of the MTT, balance sheet and economic-mathematical methods of analysis were widely used. It was the peculiar interpretation of the results of their application that led the developers of the MTT to extraordinary conclusions. Thus, the emergence of MTT predetermined the need to more accurately interpret the results that researchers can come to when using these methods. Experience shows that it can be useful to discuss doctrines that contradict established ideas. An analysis of one of these theories - the concept of private money by F. von Hayek - led to the conclusion that there is a "taboo" in the economic system. In it, it is impossible to finally repay one's obligations by issuing one's own obligations. The opposite conclusion followed precisely from Hayek's theory. The foundations of SDT were laid in the studies of W. Mosler (Mosier, 2010) and S. Kelton (see: Kelton, 2020) and further developed by a large group of researchers. The views of MMT supporters are not just radical - some of their proposals deny the fundamental foundations of the modern monetary system. The popularity of MTT is rapidly growing in political circles, at universities, among financial analysts. This theory is actively promoted by economists - advisers to the US Congress. The publication of the textbook "Macroeconomics" by its active supporters W. Mitchell, R. Ray and M. Watts (Mitchell et al., 2019) contributed to the popularization of the MTT. In our opinion, the analysis of the theoretical foundations of the MMT, which makes it possible to reveal the features of the modern monetary system, to identify the possibilities and limitations of monetary policy in stimulating economic development, is of scientific interest. A number of publications by domestic economists are devoted to this topic (see: Moiseev, 2019; Andryushin, 2020). The main postulate of the MTT is that the government of an independent country (sovereign), which has the right to issue money, cannot go bankrupt under any circumstances. It is argued that such a sovereign always has the ability to pay its obligations by issuing money. At the same time, the emitted obligations are accepted by them when paying taxes by economic entities. MMTers are aware of this problem. Bill Mitchell says: "when the level of private sector activity is such that wage-price pressures form as the precursor to an inflationary episode, the government can manipulate fiscal and monetary policy settings (preferably fiscal policy) to reduce the level of private sector demand." In other words, the government will cut spending or raise taxes and/or interest rates in traditional mainstream style. As Randall Wray puts it: "The solution is to avoid spending more once full employment is reached; and to carefully target spending even before full employment to avoid bottlenecks." If there is inflation domestically that curbs exports for a country, the MMTers propose to float the currency. So no capital controls and interference in currency markets. Randall Wray: "I'd let the dollar float." That might be ok for the US, where the currency, the dollar, is the international reserve currency and has to be held by foreign states and companies to do business. But that is not the situation for smaller capitalist economies, particularly so-called emerging economies. If inflation takes hold because the government is printing pesos, lira or bolivaros without stopping to try and maintain full employment while capitalist production is collapsing, the result will be hyper-inflation. And if those currencies are floating without any controls, then the value of the currencies will plummet – as in Turkey, Argentina, Venezuela etc. What this shows is that MMT is very much an US/Australia-oriented theory and with policy prescriptions that have no viable application to most economies globally – just like Keynesian theory and policy. The state may control the issuance of its currency but it cannot control its value relative to other currencies or to gold, the world money. If trust in a currency's value is lost by the holders or potential buyers of that currency, then its value will collapse, heightening inflation. In this way, MMT acts as a backstop to capitalism – the state is the employer of last resort but not the main employer. It aims to compensate (patch up) the failures of capitalist production, not replace it. Keywords: modern monetary theory, chartalism, Marxist theory of money, Keynesian theory, neoclassical theory, mainstream current, fiscal policy, monetary theory, monetary sovereignty of the state, public debt, inflation, guaranteed employment. JEL Codes: E12, E13, E42, E44, E52


This article presents a literature review regarding the latest trends in the inclusion of Critical Pedagogy (CP) in English Language Teaching (ELT) in different countries worldwide and in Colombia, considering its different regions. A review of different articles was conducted by considering four databases that include two regional and two international journal directories in both English and Spanish. The papers were analyzed and discussed from a mixed approach in which four keywords were tracked, and factors such as geographical distribution, as well as the way in which CP was implemented in the studies, were identified. The results of this query show that CP in ELT is an emerging trend, especially in countries where political, social, and economic inequality remains. In the same way, the findings suggest that different strategies regarding curricula analysis, the role of teachers and students as social subjects, among others, have been carried out in order to foster the understanding of this theory and its application and considerations in real-life contexts. Attempts to implement CP in English classes have proven to be meaningful experiences and constructive at developing critical thinking strategies in students.


SAMNITE SETTLEMENT IN AND AROUND THE TAPPINO VALLEY (CAMPOBASSO, MOLISE) The first part of the paper reviews the evidence for prehistoric, Samnite and Roman settlement and land-use in the Tappino valley region, and discusses in detail two sites at Cercemaggiore-Gildone: a Samnite farmstead abandoned probably in the second century BC, and a nearby cemetery of the fifth to fourth centuries BC, which may be associated with the first phase of occupation at the farmstead. The demography, dental pathology, nutritional state and work-induced lesions of the cemetery population (23 individuals) are analysed in the second part of the paper. High frequencies of oral lesions, especially in females, can be related to a poor, high-carbohydrate diet. Diseases of the joints and bone fractures indicate heavy physical activities, particularly in men. The evidence suggests that agriculture was the most important economic activity of this population. The sample is compared with others from central-southern Italy and a number of close correspondences emerge. It would appear that socio-economic changes, including differences in territorial organisation and subsistence activities, brought about a worsening of the general health of the human population.


Twenty years ago, Porter et al. (J. Agric. Food Chem. 1989, 37, 615 - 624) put forward the polar paradox stating among others that apolar antioxidants are more active in emulsified media than their polar homologues. However, some recent results showing that not all antioxidants behave in the manner proposed by this hypothesis led us to investigate the relationship between antioxidant property and hydrophobicity. With a complete homologous series of chlorogenic acid esters (methyl, butyl, octyl, dodecyl, hexadecyl, octadecyl, and eicosyl), we observed in emulsified medium that antioxidant capacity increases as the alkyl chain is lengthened, with a threshold for the dodecyl chain, after which further chain extension leads to a drastic decrease in antioxidant capacity. The antioxidant capacity evaluation in emulsion was possible using a newly developed conjugated autoxidizable triene (CAT) assay, which allows the assessment of both hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants. The nonlinear behavior was mainly explained in terms of antioxidant location since it was found from partition analysis that the dodecyl ester presented the lowest concentration in the aqueous phase and also that the quantity of emulsifier drastically changes the partition of antioxidant. In addition, this nonlinear influence was connected to the so-called cutoff effect largely observed in studies using cultured cells. Taken together, these different results allow one to make the proposal of a new scenario of the behavior of phenolic compounds in emulsified systems with special emphasis on the micellization process. Finally, in the CAT system, the polar paradox appeared to be the particular case of a far more global nonlinear effect that was observed here.


Improving the quality of life for the elderly and disabled people and giving them the proper care at the right time is one the most important roles that are to be performed by us being a responsible member of the society. It's not easy for the disabled and elderly people to maneuver a mechanical wheelchair, which many of them normally use for locomotion. Hence there is a need for designing a wheelchair that is intelligent and provides easy maneuverability. In this context, an attempt has been made to propose a thought controlled wheelchair, which uses the captured signals from the brain and eyes and processes it to control the wheelchair. Electroencephalography (EEG) technique deploys an electrode cap that is placed on the user's scalp for the acquisition of the EEG signals which are captured and translated into movement commands by the arduino microcontroller which in turn move the wheelchair.


Objective: To determine the frequency of Nosocomial Infections (NI) presenting during the in-patient stay and their causative bacteria in Golestan teaching hospital, Iran. Methodology: In a prospective cross-sectional study, all patients admitted in Golestan teaching hospital of Ahvaz from Sep 2009 to March 2010 were included in the study. NNIS questionnaire was used for data collection and essential cultures were done. Results: From 9407 hospitalized patients, 296 cases (3.1%) proved to have NI. They consisted of 118 women (39.9%) and 178 men (60.1%) (Mean age 46.1±24.1). The rate of NI in Intensive Care Units (ICU wards) was 12% and in other wards was 1% (P=0.003). The mortality rate among patients with NI was 23.3%. The most common types of infection were: UTI (43.6%), pneumonia (35.1%), surgical wound infection (14.5%) and blood infection (6.8%). The most common infection in ICU was pneumonia (45%) and in other wards was UTI (P=0.001). The most common causative bacteria were enterobacter (59.8%) followed by Escherichia coli (34.5%) and pseudomonas aeroginosa (25.3%). Conclusion: Nosocomial Infections (NI) rate in our study was low compared to many centers and significantly higher in ICU than other wards. Gram negative bacteria were the most common cause of Nosocomial Infections (NI).


Wide Area Vertical Expansion (WA. V.E.) technology promises to provide a relatively easy method for cost effectively interconnecting ICs while still on the wafer. Based on concepts that ailow for the mass assembly and production of compliant packages on the wafer, this important new technology will be described in tems of the process and device and the implications and future directions of the technology will be examined.


Abstract 1. The swimming activity of 6 specimens of the Pachon cave form of Astyanax mexicanus was tested with regard to its time control under various light-dark(LD)cycles and constant conditions, and it is compared to that of a river form. 2. In general, activity is entrainable by all applied LDs, but even if the amplitude of a forcing signal increases the signal energies are lower than in the river fish. 3. In case of entrainment the maximum values of surface activity correspond to the dark phases, those of bottom activity to the light phases of a LD. Flexible patterns -as often observed in the river form in the range of resonance about 24 h - are very seldom. Furthermore, disturbances of ten occur in the entrainment of one activity form, or one form runs arrhythmic while the other is still entrained. 4. The activity answers to changing environmental conditions are not as uniformly quick as in the river fish. But the system hardly needs a swing-in time to become entrained when a LD starts. 5. After transition from LD to DD (= constant darkness) the entrained rhythms disappear immediately. 6. In no LD with a period length differing from 24 h a circadian rhythm can be observed in addition to the entrained frequency. 7. These results show that the passive system of the river form has developped into an extremely passive one being unable to oscillate and thus has become simplified during regressive evolution. Concerning the circadian oscillator of the epigean ancestor, it was also subjected to regression, but it has not been completely lost. After a LD with a period length about 24 h the circadian oscillator is able to act as a stable system, clearly shown by the freerunning circadian rhythms of surface activity. But out of this range the oscillator is unable to control activity. In DD after all other LDs activity patterns are arrhythmic.


There are metabasite exposures inside ophiolitic belt of northwest Sabzevar that metamorphosed under high pressure granulite facies. On the basis of mineralogical paragenesis, reactional textures between different mineralogical assemblages, textural and mineralogical relations between inclusion and porphyroblast and stability fields of different mineralogical assemblages, five stages of evolution of metamorphism is distinguished. These stages consist of prograde metamorphic stage (M1), peak metamorphic stage (M2), garnet kelyphitisation as the formation of Pl+Am symplectite and corona (M3), partial or quite replacement of garnet by Am+Chl+Ep assemblage (M4) and the occurrence of Prh-Zl veins. The thermobarometric data of these stages represent a clock-wise P-T path. This path is consistent with the collision of the Iranian micro-continent with the Alborz block and later erosion and uplifting.


Introduction: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) may also affect people making regularly sports with no known heart disease. Coronary atherosclerosis is the most common cause of sudden death in individuals older than 35 years, whereas inherited and structural heart disease predominates in younger athletes. Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation and early defibrillation is the treatment of choice for SCA. High success rates can be achieved if this is initiated promptly. The purpose of this study is to determine the awareness and attitudes of football players regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Method: In the 2014-2015 football seasons, football players of professional league in the Aegean region in Turkey were enrolled. A 16-question survey was given to 259 football players. Topics such as previous CPR training and concerns related to CPR were questioned. Results: Fully completed forms of 259 footballers were evaluated. There were 7.7% who stated they had received training in CPR with certificate. 5.9% of them had CPR training within 5 years. The rate who stated they wished to receive this training was 46.3%. The rate who had witnessed SCA during a game was 3.5% and during workout was 3.1%. About one percent of football players (1.2%) stated that they had to perform CPR once. Of participants 17% had never heard of an AED. While 10.4% stated there was a written medical action plan (MAP) for emergency situations in their home stadium, 62.9% were not aware of a plan. Conclusion: Training in CPR and automated external defibrillators among football players is lacking. However, footballers as first responders can be helpful on the field as well as anywhere in the community. The majority of participants stated they were willing to correct and develop their knowledge related to CPR. These results should give warning to authorities to develop a strategy to improve CPR knowledge of football players.


This paper describes briefly an attempt to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the blended-learning-model characterizing the project OpenCampus. It was not possible to follow the methodology accepted by the main literature because of a lack of accessible cost data. For this reason a perceived cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated.


Compressed air massage is a new treatment modality that has been shown to cause skeletal muscle capillary dilation for up to 24 hours after a single treatment and significantly hastens healing of diabetic ulcers. This study compares the effect of one treatment of a single muscle group, with repeated treatments of several muscle groups. Methods: Four vervet monkeys underwent one, 15 min, treatment of compressed air massage at 1 Bar, to the tibialis anterior muscle and four animals received similar treatment to the whole lower leg on three consecutive days. The tibialis anterior of the treated and untreated limbs was biopsied immediately after the final treatment. Muscle fibre diameters were measured from 1µm thick toluidine blue stained resin embedded sections using light microscopy and computerized image analysis software. Results: For treatment of the whole lower limb, the mean fibre diameter increased by 6.0% from 47.31±13.4µm (95%CI:46.47-48.16) in control biopsies to 50.14±13.93µm (95%CI:49.26-51.02) in treated muscle (p<0.001). Treatment of a single muscle showed an increase in diameter of 11.3%, from 48.21±12.68µm (95%CI:47.31-49.11) to 53.63+14.29µm (95%CI:52.61-54.66 (p<0.001). Treatment of a single muscle caused significantly more oedema than treatment of the whole limb (p<0.001). Conclusions: Repeated treatment causes skeletal muscle oedema, and this appears to be dose related. Skeletal muscle oedema after three treatments is less than after a single treatment. Further studies on the use of compressed air massage on injured muscle are warranted.


Based on the off-Γ diffractions from a square photonic crystal (PhC), a flat-top far-field profile is achieved in a microsized thin-film light-emitting diode (mTFLED) for higher light-collection efficiency. The PhC mTFLED with a lattice constant of 370 nm and hole depth of 80 nm exhibits two diffractions at ±12°, resulting in a flat-top far-field profile. The off-Γ diffractions improve light-collection efficiency from 6.57% to 10.79% within a ±15° extraction cone. In addition, the light output power of the PhC mTFLED is 2.93 times than that of nonPhC mTFLED.


Objectives This study addresses the effect of using nanoparticles (np) on the antimicrobial properties of bioactive glass (BAG) when used in intracanal medicaments against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) biofilms. Materials and Methods E. faecalis biofilms, grown inside 90 root canals for 21 days, were randomly divided into 4 groups according to the antimicrobial regimen followed (n = 20; BAG-np, BAG, calcium hydroxide [CaOH], and saline). After 1 week, residual live bacteria were quantified in terms of colony-forming units (CFU), while dead bacteria were assessed with a confocal laser scanning microscope. Results Although there was a statistically significant decrease in the mean CFU value among all groups, the nano-group performed the best. The highest percentage of dead bacteria was detected in the BAG-np group, with a significant difference from the BAG group. Conclusions The reduction of particle size and use of a nano-form of BAG improved the antimicrobial properties of the intracanal treatment of E. faecalis biofilms


Upper gastrointestinal (GI) injuries induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and low-dose aspirin (LDA) have been increasing, because the number of patients who need to use NSAID, LDA, other anti-platelet drugs and anti-coagulants have been increasing. The aging is one of the most important risk factors of upper GI injuries induced by LDA, such as gastric ulcer. Since atypical symptoms often lead to a delay in diagnosis and treatment in the elderly patients, endoscopic examination should be considered especially in the elderly patients to detect upper GI lesions before using LDA.


Introduction More than 400 mutations in β-myosin, a slow myosin motor, can cause both cardiac and skeletal myopathy in humans. A small subset of these mutations, mostly located in the myosin rod, leads to a progressive skeletal muscle disease known as Laing distal myopathy (MPD1). While this disease has previously been studied using a variety of systems, it has never been studied in the mammalian muscle environment. Here, we describe a mouse model for the MPD1-causing mutation R1500P to elucidate disease pathogenesis and to act as a future platform for testing therapeutic interventions. Methods Because mice have very few slow skeletal muscles compared to humans, we generated mice expressing the β-myosin R1500P mutation or WT β-myosin in fast skeletal muscle fibers and determined the structural and functional consequences of the R1500P mutation. Results The mutant R1500P myosin affects both muscle histological structure and function and the mice exhibit a number of the histological hallmarks that are often identified in patients with MPD1. Furthermore, R1500P mice show decreased muscle strength and endurance, as well as ultrastructural abnormalities in the SR & t-tubules. Somewhat surprisingly because of its location in the rod, the R1500P mutation weakens acto-myosin binding by affecting cross-bridge detachment rate. Conclusions While each group of MPD1-causing mutations most likely operates through distinct mechanisms, our model provides new insight into how a mutation in the rod domain impacts muscle structure and function and leads to disease.