Objective To investigate the effects of Astilbin on apoptosis during acute rejection of cardiac allograft in rats. Methods Thirty-six Wistar rats underwent heterotopic heart transplantation in the cervical portion from disparate SD rats and were equally divided into Astilbin group(treated with Astilbin) and control group(treated with saline).The cardiac grafts were harvested at 3,5 or 7 days after transplantation.The cardiac allograft sections were subjected to the HE staining and in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferas-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labeling(TUNEL) for histopathological rejection grade and apoptotic index(AI). Results Apoptosis mainly occurred in cardiac myocytes throughout allograft rejection.Astilbin could significantly reduce myocyte apoptosis and abate the damage to the graft tissue.The histopathological rejection grade at 3,5 or 7 days post-transplantation were(0.77±0.31),(1.99±0.62),and(3.44±0.54) in control group and(0.37±0.42),(0.88±0.20),(1.04±0.33) in Astilbin group(all P0.01).The AI at 3,5 or 7 days post-transplantation were(4.03±1.32),(8.52±1.97) and(9.73±6.21) in control group and(0.87±1.11),(2.53±2.49) and(4.71±2.99) in Astilbin group(all P0.01). Conclusions Astilbin can apparently inhibit the apoptosis of cardiac myocytes,which may be an important way of its immunosuppressive actions in acute cardiac allograft rejection in rats.


Objective To investigate the relevance between small changes of non-stress test,B type ultrasound and the diagnosis of placental abruption at the early stage of placental abruption.Methods A retrospective analysis including 89 cases of placental abruption was taken in the hospital.The study includes gestational week,clinical manifestations,NST changes to acquaint the influence of wide varieties of clinical manifestation of placental abruption to pregnant women and newborns.Results(1)63 cases(70.7%) had changes in NST at early stage of placental abruption,including non-reaction pattern,frequent deceleration pattern,prolonged deceleration and sinusoidal wave,most of which was non-reaction pattern.(2)Apgar score in 60 newborns was 8~10 in the non-reaction pattern.(3)The occurance of placental abruption in persistant non-stress pattern to NST was higher than in other patterns.Conclusion(1)A wide variety of changes in clinical manifestations to non-stress test occurs at early stage of placental abruption.Possibilites of ocurance in plancental abruption should be considered when the non-stress test cannot back to normal in the pregnant women with threating labor.(2)Concerns about early changes of non-stress test help to find the early placental abruption.(3)There is a statistical significance in the early diagnosis of placental abruption with the combination of B type ultrasound and non-stress test in accessory exanminations(P0.01 and P0.05).


This paper introduces a new local polynomial regression (LPR)-based high-resolution image reconstruction method for human brain magnetic resonance images. In LPR, the image pixels are modeled locally by a polynomial using least-squares (LS) criterion with a kernel having a certain bandwidth matrix. Steering kernels with local orientation are used in LPR to adapt better to local characteristics of images. Furthermore, a refined intersection of confidence intervals (RICI) adaptive scale selector is adopted to select the scale of the steering kernels. The resulting steering-kernel-based LPR with RICI (SK-LPR-RICI) method is applied to reconstruct a high-resolution brain MRI image from a set of low-resolution MRI images. Simulation results show that the proposed SK-LPR-RICI method can effectively improve the image resolution and peak signal-to-noise ratio.


Background: In 2007, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were reported to represent the highest cause-specific mortality burden among adults in Bangladesh. To date, a comprehensive nationally representative data are lacking on the NCDs using the full protocol of WHO-STEP approach to describe the NCDs risk factors in Bangladesh. The objectives of this study were to describe the prevalence of selected NCD risk factors in Bangladesh through a nationwide analysis. Method: Total 22454 Bangladeshi population more than 15 years old were included in this analysis. The sampling design was multistage stratified clustering including seven divisions of Bangladesh in both rural and urban areas. The target population for this survey includes all men and women aged 15 years or older who consider Bangladesh to be their primary place of residence excluding those who were in military base or group quarters (e.g. a dormitory) and who were institutionalized. Result: Of the study participants that took part in the survey, about 45.9% were males and 54. 1% were females, 52.78% were from rural areas, 47.22% were from urban areas and about one in four (24.4%) had no formal education. Blood pressure, fasting blood sugar and lipid profiles were measured in 99%, 85% and 60% respectively of the 20,039 participants. In Bangladeshi population the total prevalence of selected risk factors are as follows: smoking (21.7%), smokeless tobacco (30.8%), low intake of fruits and vegetables per day (86.9%), inadequate physical activity (41.4%), alcohol consumption (0.7%), raised blood pressure (23.8%), diabetes (10.6%), overweight and obesity (24.1%), abdominal obesity (19.7%), raised total cholesterol (28.0%), hypertriglyceridemia (33.8%), low HDL level (65.7%). Nearly half of the participants use any types of tobacco, 17.8% reported having been diagnosed with high blood pressure, and 6.5% reported having diabetes. Overweight, abdominal obesity, physical inactivity, low intake of fruits and vegetables per day, smokeless tobacco, raised cholesterol and raised blood pressure (BP)were more common in females than males, 25.5% vs 22.7%, 31.1 vs 8.3, 60.1% vs 22.6%, 93.1% vs 80.6%, 31.9 vs 29.6, 30.7% vs 25.3% and 26.6%vs 21.0%. A total of 5.07% of the teenagers had one risk behaviour, 20.74% had two, 28.57% had three, and 43.37% presented all the investigated risk behaviors. Only 2.25% did not display any of the analysed risk behaviours. Conclusion: Diabetes, high blood pressure, high TG, low HDL, and obesity are a public health concerns in Bangladesh. Adequate and continuous monitoring of NCD risk factors in Bangladesh is needed, and the surveillance findings should be used in health promotion and disease prevention activities.


Imagine that someone mentions that there is a study of surface wind patterns in the Gulf of Mexico. How can the data be located? Who has gravity data for Alaska? Is there a study relating tree rings and carbon dioxide in the Yellowstone area?

These and numerous other questions about data can be answered by an environmental data base maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The National Environmental Data Referral Service (NEDRES) is a "yellow pages" directory for locating environmental data in the United States. NOAA provides the service as part of its responsibility to archive and document environmental data. The data base is accessed via a local telephone call using a computer terminal or personal computer, and the results can be listed on the user's terminal or printed at the computer site.


Objective: To investigate whether curcumin can decrease blood glucose by affecting the PERK- CHOP signaling pathway in pancreas.
Methods: A total of 45 male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group, diabetes model group and curcumin treatment group, 15 rats in each group. The rat was given high fat as well as high sugar diet and intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (35 mg/kg, twice, once /d) to establish type 2 diabetes rat model with the model success level as "fasting glucose ≥ 11. 1 mmol /L. After the model was successfully established, the rats in curcumin treatment group were treated with curcumin through gastric tube for 30 days at 200 mg/ kg per day. ELISA method was adopted to detect serum adiponectin level, glucose oxidase method was applied to measure blood glucose and Western blotting as well as Real-time PCR method were respectively used to detect the key molecules of PERK- CHOP expression of PERK, CHOP protein, signaling pathway, and mRNA.
Results: Compared with normal control group, the blood glucose level was significantly higher and serum adiponectin level significantly lower in diabetes model group (P<0.05); compared with diabetes model group, the blood glucose level of curcumin treatment group decreased significantly and serum adiponectin level significantly increased (P<0.05). The content of PERK and CHOP mRNA in pancreatic tissue of diabetes group significant increased compared with normal control group (P<0.05) and compared with diabetes group, the expression of PERK and CHOP mRNA in curcumin treatment group was lower (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Curcumin can down regulate expression of PERK and CHOP in the pancreas of diabetic rats, correct the abnormality of PERK-CHOP signal transduction pathway during diabetes and it can also play a role in lowering blood glucose by enhancing the level of adiponectin, the sensitivity of target tissues to insulin as well as the level of adiponectin.


We report the results of a randomized prospective study comparing a standard bougie rubber balloon dilator [Brown-McHardy (BMH)] and a newer polyethylene dilator passed over a guide wire [Microvasive Rigiflex (MVR)]. Twenty achalasia patients (15M, 5F, mean age 45.4 yr) considered candidates for either dilator were randomized. Symptom assessment, body weight, and upright radionuclide solid esophageal emptying study were measured before and 6 months after pneumatic dilatation. All dilatations were performed by one of three experienced gastroenterologists under fluoroscopic guidance. Overall success occurred with 10/10 BMH and 7/10 MVR. One patient not improved with MVR had myotomy; the other two were successfully treated by BMH. No complications occurred with either dilator.


Dengue viruses exist in nature as a collection of highly similar but not identical members (quasispecies). In order to correlate the presence of viral quasispecies with rare occurrence of unusual clinical manifestations in dengue-infected individuals, a dengue type 2 virus was isolated from the peripheral blood of a 12-year-old boy who presented with fever, headache, drowsiness and tonic seizure of the left arm, and subsequently manifested symptoms and signs of dengue hemorrhagic fever. Analysis of the envelope glycoprotein sequence of the encephalopathy-associated virus and two other dengue type 2 viruses from the same epidemic season in Chiang Mai, Thailand revealed that all three viruses belonged to the subtype IIIa of the five-subtype phylogenetic nomenclature system for dengue type 2 virus. The encephalopathy-associated dengue virus was more divergent from the others and was characterized by an Ala-->Val substitution at the position 173 of the envelope glycoprotein. This substitution mapped to the central domain 1 which was not known to be involved directly in envelope-receptor interaction.


In hexagonal DyMnO3, Dy3+ crystal-field excitations are studied as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field. They are complemented with the measurements of infrared active phonon frequency shifts under applied magnetic field at T = 4.2 K. Between TN = 68 K and T = 10 K, the absence of Dy3+ Kramers doublet splittings at either the C3 or the C3v site symmetries indicates that the Mn3+ magnetic order effective exchange field has no component parallel to the c-axis at either site. Below T = 10 K, the ground state Kramers doublet splits under the Dy3+ internal effective field as well as the applied magnetic field. Also, relatively strong infrared active phonon energy shifts are observed in magneto-infrared reflectance measurements at T = 4.2 K, allowing the calculation of the induced electric polarization changes as a function of the applied magnetic field. Such changes are associated with a large magnetoelectric effect in DyMnO3, arising from a charge transfer between Dy3+ and apical oxygen ions.


A congeneric series of 224 cyclin-dependant kinase 5/p25 (CDK5/p25) inhibitors was exploited to understand the structural requirements for improving activity against CDK5/p25 and selectivity over CDK2. The CDK5/p25 enzyme complex plays a significant role in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, 2D-quantitative structure–activity relationship (2D-QSAR), group or fragment based QSAR (G-QSAR), and quantitative activity–activity relationship (QAAR) models were developed and validated with satisfactory performance as evidenced from statistical metrics, indicating the reliability and robustness of the models. The 2D-QSAR and G-QSAR models explore the structural requirements for improving activity, while the QAAR model facilitates the better understanding of features required for selectivity of the inhibitors. The docking study further provides information regarding the key active site residues and structural features important for proper binding in the active site of the CDK5/p25 complex.


Atypical Friedreich's ataxia was diagnosed by DNA-analysis in 4 patients, 2 men aged 70 and 67 and 2 women aged 32 and 37, who had features that included an onset of ataxia after the age of 25, retained tendon reflexes or hyperreflexia, absence of Babinski's sign, and/or a slowly progressive course. Friedreich's ataxia is the most frequent autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia. Classical characteristics of the disease are a progressive cerebellar ataxia with an onset before the age of 25, loss of lower extremity tendon reflexes, and bilateral Babinski's sign. However, DNA-diagnostic testing based upon the detection of expanded GAA-repeats in the X25-gene, has shown that the clinical spectrum is broader than was previously assumed.


Around 8% of patients diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD) are hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers. Previously, HCV treatment was seldom considered in SCD patients, as the ribavirin-induced hemolysis and interferon-induced cytopenias could lead to more profound anemia. Nowadays, several oral direct-acting antiviral drugs have been developed and approved by the FDA for hepatitis C treatment. While direct-acting antivirals mitigate many of these risks, their safety and efficacy in SCD patients remains insufficiently explored. Here, we report on successfully treating HCV with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir in a compensated cirrhotic patient with SCD and thalassemia minor.


Presented in this paper is a data association method using audio and visual data which localizes targets in a cluttered environment and detects who is speaking to a robot. A particle filter is applied to efficiently select the optimal association between the target and the measurements. State variables are composed of target positions and speaking states. To update the speaking state, we first evaluate the incoming sound signal based on cross-correlation and then calculate a likelihood from the audio information. The visual measurement is used to find an optimal association between the target and the observed objects. The number of targets that the robot should interact with is updated from the existence probabilities and associations. Experimental data were collected beforehand and simulated on a computer to verify the performance of the proposed method applied to the speaker selection problem in a cluttered environment. The algorithm was also implemented in a robotic system to demonstrate reliable interactions between the robot and speaking targets.


The paper examines the fusion of narratives, time, space, and personal identity through ethnographic study of rickshaw driver's performance in the context of "Hutong tour" as a form of urban tourism in Beijing, a cosmopolitan capital city with a long history and rich traditional (both vernacular and high) culture. While tour companies in Beijing are making efforts to market vernacular culture in the modernized ancient city, the study subject rickshaw driver Zhang constructs his own knowledge structure of vernacular culture in the daily practice of urban tourism. Zhang also constructs his own sense of locality and identity in the process of performing personally constructed vernacular culture and national past connecting to the tangible landscape and "scenic spots" in Beijing.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the sperm quality of Brazilian flounder Paralichthys orbignyanus throughout its reproductive season. Sperm was collected at the beginning, middle and end of the breeding period. Spermatozoa density was maximum at the beginning (12.7 ± 0.92 × 109 cells mL−1) and at the end (11.8 ± 0.39 × 109 cells mL−1) of the breeding season (P<0.05). Sperm production and the percentage of spermatozoa moving fast forward increased significantly towards the end of the breeding season (P<0.05). The mean duration of progressive motility of spermatozoa was around 10 min. No difference was observed during the reproductive season in the percentage of motile cells, pH, osmolality and K+, Cl− and Mg2+ concentrations in seminal plasma. The concentration of Na+ increased throughout the breeding season, reaching 174.62 ± 12.68 mmol L−1 at the end (P<0.05). There was a decline in the concentration of Ca2+ (12.31 ± 3.08 mmol L−1) in the middle of the breeding season, which coincided with the shortest motility duration of spermatozoa. The information reported in this study should help to improve management and optimize the development of protocols for short-term storage and cryopreservation of Brazilian flounder semen.


Mango is a climacteric fruit and various biochemical changes during ripening affect the fruit composition. It is very sensitive to chilling temperature during
 storage. In the first experiment, the effects of gum arabic (GA) 10%, chitosan (CH) 1%, calcium chloride (CA) 3 %, GA 10% + CH 1%, GA 10% + CA 3%, CH 1% + CA 3% and distilled water as a control on the physico-chemical
 properties of "Choke Anan" mango fruit were investigated. After dipping treatments, the fruits were stored at 2, 6 and 13 °C for 28 days and then transferred to 25 °C for 5 days shelf life. Mango stored at 2 or 6 °C, inhibited
 physico-chemical changes and delayed the ripening process than those stored at 13 °C. The results showed that GA 10% or CH 1% coatings significantly reduced weight loss, colour changes, soluble solid concentration, respiration
 rate, ethylene production and maintained higher firmness or titratable acidity than the control. GA 10% coatings formulation improved with CA 3% supplement. Another experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of GA
 10%, CA 3%, GA 10% + CA 3% or distilled water as a control on the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative damage of mango. Mango stored at 2 °C, significantly accumulated higher ROS, malondialdehyde (MDA) content or ion leakage than those stored at 6 and 13°C. GA 10% and CA 3% treatments decreased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content and superoxide anion (O2
 •−) production in all the three temperatures. The combined application of CA 3% and GA 10% alleviated chilling injury (CI) and oxidative damage. The third experiment was carried out to find out the effect of GA 10%, CA 3% and their combinations on enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant defense system of mango stored at 6, 10 and 13 °C. The enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant properties of mango were induced at 6 °C than those stored at 10 or 13 °C. Mango treated with GA 10%
 or GA 10% + CA 3%, enhanced catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) enzyme activities. GA 10% or CA 3% treatments triggered 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging
 activity and preserved total phenolic content or ascorbic acid. In the fourth experiment, the ultra-structural changes in the peel of mango were investigated by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Rapid changes can be seen in the structures of cell membranes and mitochondria of mango stored at 13 °C than those stored at 6 °C. Treated mango maintained cell membranes and
 mitochondria structure integrity than the control. The results from all experiments suggest that mango fruit treated with GA 10% plus CA 3% can be stored at 6 °C without much deterioration.


Exaggerated host innate immune responses have been implicated in severe influenza pneumonia. We have previously demonstrated that excessive neutrophils recruited during influenza infection drive pulmonary pathology through induction of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and release of extracellular histones. Chemokine receptors (CRs) are essential in the recruitment and activation of leukocytes. Although neutrophils have been implicated in influenza pathogenesis, little is known about their phenotypic changes, including expression of CRs occurring in the infected -lung microenvironment. Here, we examined CC and CXC CRs detection in circulating as well as lung-recruited neutrophils during influenza infection in mice using flow cytometry analyses. Our studies revealed that lung-recruited neutrophils displayed induction of CRs, including CCR1, CCR2, CCR3, CCR5, CXCR1, CXCR3, and CXCR4, all of which were marginally induced in circulating neutrophils. CXCR2 was the most predominant CR observed in both circulating and lung-infiltrated neutrophils after infection. The stimulation of these induced CRs modulated neutrophil phagocytic activity, ligand-specific neutrophil migration, bacterial killing, and NETs induction ex vivo. These findings indicate that neutrophils induce a novel CR repertoire in the infectious lung microenvironment, which alters their functionality during influenza pneumonia.


The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of seaweed extract (SWE)on morphological indices and carbohydrate accumulation of two rice cultivars under aerobic conditions. The experiment was laid out in factorial completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. SWE @ 10.0%, 12.5% and 15.0% w/v were applied as soil drench at 3 DAS. The results revealed that SWE application showed positive effect on plant vigour, biomass production and total leaf area in both rice cultivars. SWE application showed negative effect on number of leaves in cultivar PR 116. Relative growth rate and vigour index was recorded higher in cultivar PR 116 as compared to Nagina 22. The increase in total soluble sugar and starch content was also observed in both cultivars with SWE application. It was concluded that SWE had a promontory effect on the morphological attributes and carbohydrate accumulation under aerobic conditions but effect was found to be more pronounced in cultivar PR 116.


Describes a CISC superscalar microprocessor. It executes 126 instructions with 14 addressing modes, which include floating-point processing fully compatible with the ANSI/IEEE 754-1985 standard. A 64-entry branch-always target buffer (BTB) enables O-cycle branching. An 8-entry return buffer (RB) reduces execution cycles of returns from a subroutine. The processor incorporates 8-kB instruction and operand physical caches (IC and OC), 64-entry instruction and operand translation look-aside buffers (ITLB and OTLB), and a 4-entry store buffer (SB). We focus on two problems particular to adopting a superscalar architecture with a variable-length CISC instruction set. These are: 1) how to dispatch two variable-length instructions per cycle; 2) how to implement complicated operation instructions.


More than a decade has passed since the landmark High Court decision in Marion's Case, 1 where the Court authorised the sterilisation of a young woman who suffered from a disability. Recently, the principles established in that case were applied by the Family Court in a different context – for the provision of hormonal treatment for a 13 year old child, 2 some aspects of which are irreversible. Previously, the Family Court had authorised gender reassignment surgery for a child suffering from a physical, congenital condition, 3 but notably in Re Alex, the subject child suffered no identified physical condition indicating treatment, but from an identified psychological condition, gender identity dysphoria. This article considers the issues raised by recent applications of the principles relating to the capacity of children to consent to medical treatment, including the decision in Re Alex and the application of those principles to transgender and intersex children. While not all children or adults who identify as transgender or intersex choose the long and difficult path of gender reassignment, some will choose surgical gender reassignment or hormonal treatment at some stage of their lives. In cases where it is proposed that a minor undergo such treatment, the application of the principles of child consent poses particular difficulties.


Ethrel (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid) applied in lanolin paste at concentrations of 0.4, 1.6, 6.2, or 10.8% to stems of 3-month-old Ulmus americana seedlings greatly altered stem anatomy within 41 days. Application of ethrel at 1.6% or higher concentration was followed by greatly increased bark thickness primarily as a result of an increase in the amount of phloem and intercellular spaces. Xylem increment was increased following treatment with 0.4 or 1.6% ethrel and reduced by 6.2 or 10.8% ethrel. All concentrations of ethrel increased the number of vessels, reduced vessel diameters, and induced an increase in ray width and size of the individual ray cells. Ethrel at 6.2 or 10.8% inhibited differentiation of fibres, many of which were poorly developed and contained protoplasm and nucleL Ethrel also stimulated accumulation of dark-staining organic deposits in the ray parenchyma cells, axial parenchyma cells, and immature fibres. The data indicate a role of ethylene in control of growth and anatorny of stems.


Abstract Both the striped flea beetle, Phyllotreta striolata (Fabricius), and crucifer flea beetle, Phyllotreta cruciferae (Goeze) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), are invasive alien species to North America. In western Canada, they are the most significant insect pests of cruciferous (Brassicaceae) crops. Climate is the one of the most dominant factors regulating the geographic distribution and population density of most insect species. Recent bioclimatic simulation models of the two flea beetle species fostered a better understanding of how the two species responded to selected climate variables. They demonstrated that selected climate variables increased population densities and geographic range of the two species. General circulation model inputs were applied in this study to assess the impact of a changing climate on the response of P. cruciferae and P. striolata populations. Model output, using the climate change scenarios, predicted that both P. cruciferae and P. striolata populations will shift north in future climates and the degree of geographic overlap between these two species will be greater than for current climate. This suggests that the two species could potentially cause economic losses over an expanded area in the future.


The prop-based 3D virtual object manipulation method is widely used for interaction in Augmented Reality (AR) due to its convenience and flexibility. However, when the represented virtual object is different in size and shape from the physical prop, the look and feel of the object are not well aligned. To address this problem, we present a dynamic finger remapping approach to creating a visuohaptic illusion that dynamically adjusts the presented virtual hand posture to fit different sizes and shapes of virtual objects in AR. The finger movement toward a physical prop is synchronously remapped to the movement of the virtual fingers towards the corresponding virtual object. We developed a system that enables users to perceive consistent visual and tactile feedback while grasping and releasing various virtual objects represented by a physical prop. We conducted a user study to explore the effect of this visuo-haptic illusion on the perceived size of virtual objects. The sizes of the rendered virtual object and the physical prop were set as independent variables. We found that the perceived size of a virtual object varied with its rendered size in an almost linear fashion, while the physical prop size did not significantly affect the perception. We also conducted a second study to compare our system with a current prop-based method on virtual object manipulation. The results indicated that when using a physical prop to represent different virtual objects in AR, the remapped hands could effectively improve the realism and naturalness of the experience.


METHODS
We conducted a comprehensive structured review of the literature, analyzing 940 citations from 1966 through September 1993 and completed a narrative review. We also attempted quantitative synthesis of the accuracy of SPECT evaluation of low back pain.

RESULTS
We found thirteen reports on accuracy. Only three provided a reasonable gold standard reference test and allowed the calculation of sensitivity and specificity. There is weak evidence that SPECT is useful in: (a) detecting pseudarthroses after failed spinal fusion, (b) evaluating young patients with back pain and (c) distinguishing benign from malignant lesions in cancer patients. SPECT has not been sufficiently studied in any other setting. We found no reports on the clinical outcome of SPECT or its cost-effectiveness.

CONCLUSION
The decision to use SPECT in most patients with low back pain cannot be supported by clinical trials. Its effect on clinical management and cost-effectiveness are unknown. The medical community should mount a large-scale, prospective evaluation of SPECT in low back pain.


Midland & Scottish Resources PLC (MSR) is a company which was established to exploit production opportunities in marginal fields, with a combination of reusable facilities and a management structure which directs and responds through short and effective lines of communication. As owner and licensed operator of the Emerald Field, MSR's wholly owned subsidiary Midland & Scottish Energy Limited (MSE) had to develop and apply realistic strategies for ensuring safe and stable operations in the face of a declining asset. The paper deals frankly and openly with the experience gained and lessons learned from developing and applying innovative techniques to meet this challenge. From the outset, the Safety Case and a Total Quality Management System were used as both focus and drive for a company strategy that demanded change in both workforce attitude and management practice. It provided an opportunity for fostering workforce involvement but techniques and procedures had to be developed in order to demystify terms such as ALARP and to make them usable in the workplace. A system was conceived and developed by the company to enable workplace risk assessments to be performed and demonstrated. This approach has not only improved risk management but also led to generation and continuous renewal of operating procedures that are effectively targeted to critical activities and visibly linked to the Safety Case. Innovations in the production and treatment of safety management system documentation, that enabled their active ownership, were also developed. These were intended to facilitate accurate translation of policy into practice and underpin the Safety Case by ensuring it faithfully reflected operational activity. Difficulties arose for some, in the acceptance and understanding of devolved authorities and in determining the appropriate authority levels for certain decision making. Cautionary lessons were also learned when certain innovative changes to safety management practices were misunderstood. The paper concludes by outlining the next stages of development for the management systems in order to deliver improved mechanisms for change control, performance standards and competency.


Research in DLBCL pathogenesis has largely focused on the lymphoma cells that defined molecular subtypes. To elucidate the role of the lymphoma microenvironment (LME) in this process, we developed and deconvoluted transcriptomics signatures of LME cells and pathways from 3,026 DLBCLs from 13 datasets including our new cohort of 127 pts. Mutations were available for 562 pts of the datasets and for 22 pts from our cohort (WES with matched normal). Applying density-based clustering we identified 4 LME signatures, independent of reported transcriptional and genetic classifications based on lymphoma cells:
 LME-1 DLBCLs (n=726, 24% - GCB/ABC: 35%/36%) were characterized by an "immunosuppressive" ME enriched for Tregs, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, CD8PD1high, natural killer and macrophages type 2 and prevalence of genetic mechanisms of immune escape in malignant cells such as mutations in B2M (33%) and CD70 (10%). Malignant cells in LME-1 DLBCL presented high activity of NF-kB and JAK/STAT signaling pathways, likely due to high frequency of co-occurring MYD88L265and CD79B mutations (40%) and the presence of a cytokine rich milieu including high expression of IL10, IL6 and TNFS13B. Good outcome genetic groups BN2 and EZB constituted 46% of pts
 LME-2 DLBCLs (n=484, 16% - GCB/ABC: 55%/30%) were characterized by an "anti-tumor immunity" ME enriched for T cells, follicular TH and follicular dendritic cells (FDC). Lymphoma cells presented the highest number of BCL2 translocations and EZH2 mutations (40%, p=0.001 vs. other LME groups) and activation of cell motility and chemotaxis pathways that likely account for the advance stage at presentation (70% were stages III/IV p=0.02 vs. 40-50% in the other LME groups). Lymphoma cells expressed higher levels of CCL20, CCR6 and CXCR5. Good outcome genetic groups BN2 and EZB constituted 74% of pts. Notably, ABC LME-2 DLBCLs had better prognosis that any other ABC DLBCL (p<0.007 n=848) and similar to GCB DLBCLs
 LME-3 DLBCLs (n=847, 28% - GCB/ABC: 56%/25%) were characterized by a "mesenchymal" ME enriched for cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), reticular DC, FDC and endothelial cells. Lymphoma cells showed higher mutations in BCR/Pi3K signaling intermediates SGK1 and GNA13 (20 and 13%) and activation of the TGFB signaling and matrix remodeling pathways. LME-3 DLBCLs expressed higher levels of MMP9, MMP2, TIMP1 and TIMP2. Good outcome genetic groups BN2 and EZB constituted 75% of pts, and were no patients harboring NOTCH1 mutations. LME-3 DLBCL also had the higher proportion of non-cellular LME component represented by the extracellular matrix (ECM). Patients with DLBCL with higher ECM proportion had better progression free survival (p=0.0004). We specifically tested the ECM effect in a murine DLBCL model by analyzing changes in ECM proteins associated with disease progression by serial proteomics. DLBCL progression was accompanied by increase in lymphoma cells in detriment of CAFs and ECM proteins. Among them, we identified the small proteoglycan decorin (DCN). Accordingly, parental administration of recombinant DCN to DLBCL mice (n=10 vs vehicle n=10) decreased tumor volume (p<0.001) and lymphoma cell proliferation while improving the LME immune infiltrate
 LME-4 DLBCLs (n=969, 32% - GCB/ABC: 46%/38%) were characterized by a "depleted" ME with increased proportion of lymphoma cells with mutations in MYD88, PIM1 and HLA-C (36, 38 and 13%), higher genomic instability and epigenetic heterogeneity (by DNA methylation). Good outcome genetic groups BN2 and EZB constituted 68% of pts. Lymphoma cells showed activation of Pi3K signaling and hypermethylation and low expression of the TGFB mediator SMAD1 (p<0.01 vs other LME groups). In agreement with our demonstration that pharmacologically reversible SMAD1 hypermethylation drives chemoresistance in DLBCL (Cancer Discovery 2013), patients with LME-4 DLBCL had less favorable outcomes in overall survival (HR=1.65 P<0.005 n=1,980) and response to immunochemotherapy (p<0.0001 n=810) than any other LME groups; likely reflecting the acquisition of ME-autonomous survival mechanisms by lymphoma cells. The bad outcome of LME-4 DLBCLs was not dependent on MYC/BCL2 or BCL6 double translocations, or the overall mutational load.
 In sum, ME signatures in DLBCL associate with clinical outcomes independently of existing molecular subtypes, contribute to explain DLBCL biology and provide potential novel therapies

 Rutherford: Karyopharm: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Verastem: Consultancy, Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Heron: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen Scientific Affairs: Consultancy, Honoraria; Juno Therapeutics Inc: Consultancy, Honoraria. Martin:Celgene: Consultancy; Teneobio: Consultancy; Sandoz: Consultancy; I-MAB: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy. Leonard:Nordic Nanovector: Consultancy; Nordic Nanovector: Consultancy; Miltenyi: Consultancy; MorphoSys: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy; Miltenyi: Consultancy; Sandoz: Consultancy; Epizyme, Inc: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Bayer Corporation: Consultancy; Bayer Corporation: Consultancy; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Consultancy; Genentech, Inc./F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy; Sutro Biopharma: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; BeiGene: Consultancy; Akcea Therapeutics: Consultancy; Sandoz: Consultancy; Akcea Therapeutics: Consultancy; BeiGene: Consultancy; MorphoSys: Consultancy; Sutro Biopharma: Consultancy; Genentech, Inc./F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Epizyme, Inc: Consultancy; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy.


Objective: To determine the anatomical aspects and results of surgical treatment of herniated disk and lumbar spinal stenosis observed in the Rheumatology unit of CHU SO of Lome.
Patients and methods: This was a transversal study conducted on a series of patients cases admitted to the Rheumatology Unit of CHU SO of Lome and who underwent surgery for a herniated disk or lumbar spinal stenosis.
Results: One hundred and two patients (37 women, 65 men) were included in the study: 30 (8 women, 22 men) underwent surgery for a herniated disk and 72 (29 women, 43 men) for a lumbar spinal stenosis. Both diseases have occurred in individuals in the prime of age, 92 (90%) with an age between 40 and 60 years. The time between the intervention and the evaluation of the treatment was 9 years on average for the herniated disk and 13 years for the lumbar spinal stenosis. Herniated disk occurred in discs L4L5 and/or L5S1. Lumbar spinal stenosis was showing a rosary image. The responsible factors for the narrowing were hypertrophy of the yellow ligament, posterior interapophysis osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease. The outcome of surgical treatment was satisfactory in 29 of the 30 patients operated on for herniated disk, and 70 of the 72 were operated on for lumbar spinal stenosis. It has resulted in the disappearance of the nerve root pain and the resumption of normal activity. Low back pain requiring the use of analgesics was present in 40 of 102 patients (39%). Twenty patients, including 10 of the 15 who underwent fusion made use of a lumbar belt. Two patients were subjected to reoperation. Spondylodiscitis complicated the postoperative course of one female patient.
Conclusion: Our results are very similar to those described in the literature both on anatomical aspect and therapeutical aspect.


The site of impulse initiation is crucial for the integrative actions of mammalian central neurons, but this question is currently controversial. Some recent studies support classical evidence that the impulse always arises in the soma-axon hillock region, with back-propagation through excitable dendrites, whereas others indicate that the dendrites are sufficiently excitable to initiate impulses that propagate forward along the dendrite to the soma-axon hillock. This issue has been addressed in the olfactory mitral cell, in which excitatory synaptic input is restricted to the distal tuft of a single primary dendrite. In rat olfactory bulb slices, dual whole cell recordings were made at or near the soma and from distal sites on the primary dendrite. The results show that the impulse can be initiated in either the soma-axon hillock or in the distal primary dendrite, and that the initiation site is controlled physiologically by the excitatory synaptic inputs to the distal tuft and inhibitory synaptic inputs near the soma.


Abstract Background: System lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe multisystem autoimmune disease. Objective: To describe the clinical and pathological features, treatment, and renal outcome in children under 18 years with lupus nephritis (LN). Methods: The study was undertaken by a questionnaire completed in 26 Grade 3A hospitals' paediatric renal units in China. The study comprised 788 children (619 girls, 169 boys) diagnosed with SLE by the American College of Rheumatology criteria (1997) during 2005–2010. Results of renal biopsies were classified according to the guidelines of The International Association of Nephrology and the Renal Pathology Society (2003). Guidelines by the Chinese Society of Paediatric Nephrology were applied for the diagnosis and treatment (for trial implementation) in 2010 to determine inclusion. The data included the prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI), SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI), renal histopathology and the induction of therapy mode. Results: The mean (SD) age of onset of SLE was 10.9 (2.90) years (range 1–18) and at diagnosis was 11.3 (2.9) years. The mean (SD) SLEDAI score was 13.5 (5.53). The clinical classification was as follows: about 36 (4.6%) patients had isolated haematuria, 99 (12.6%) isolated proteinuria, 60 (7.6%) isolated haematuria and proteinuria, 157 (19.9%) acute glomerulonephritis, 392 (49.7%) nephrotic syndrome, 20 (2.5%) rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, 15 (1.9%) chronic nephritis, 2 (0.3%) tubule-interstitial damage and 7 (0.9%) subclinical LN. A total of 549 children (69.7%) underwent renal biopsy. The most frequent renal histopathological findings of LN were Class IV, followed by Class II and Class V + IV. There were no significant differences between the age groups in either renal pathological types or prognosis. In 242 (30.7%) patients, LN was complicated by AKI. Those with AKI had an older mean (SD) age at onset than the non-AKI patients [11.5 (2.8) years vs 10.7 (2.9) years, respectively, p < 0.0001] and a higher SLEDAI score [14.3 (5.8) vs 13.1 (5.4), respectively, p = 0.003]. In the induction phase, cyclophosphamide (CTX) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) were equally effective in the patients with the same pathological type. Follow-up records were only available for 482 (61.2%) patients, with a mean (SD) follow-up time of 21.5 (18.4) months. Six of the 35 patients who deteriorated required dialysis and seven died. Conclusion: In LN, AKI is a risk factor for poor outcome. Owing to different times of onset and remission, the pathological types of LN cannot be estimated by clinical manifestation alone, and therefore renal biopsy should be undertaken in all LN children with AKI. In the induction phase, there was no significant difference in efficacy between CTX and MMF. Follow-up of children with LN in China needs to be improved.


Thermal analyses have been made of fused mixtures of MnCl2 and alkali chlorides and the results related to their electron spin resonance spectra. Two types of spectrum have been identified, that due to MnCl2 and that due to XMnCl3 where X is the alkali ion. KMnCl3 and RbMnCl3 have been found to be antiferromagnetic with Curie temperatures of 100 and 85°K respectively. Studies of the static magnetic susceptibility have confirmed these observations.


Basalt vessels are rare, but ubiquitous items in elite Predynastic (4000–3100 BCE) and First Dynasty (3100–2800 BCE) Egyptian burials. Where the bedrock sources can be identified, these artefacts can be used to study trade and social interaction between communities before the advent of writing. Seven Egyptian, post-Jurassic (unaltered), alkali and tholeiitic basalt units, representing all likely sources, were multiply sampled, and augite, plagioclase, pigeonite (tholeiites), and olivine analyzed (~1000 electron-microprobe analyses) in each sample. Flows can be distinguished using combinations of major and minor constituents from individual minerals (e.g., Al2O3 versus SiO2 in plagioclase or augite, and FeO versus SiO2 in olivine). However, plots of the composition of coexisting minerals (e.g., CaO/(CaO + Na2O + K2O)Plagioclase versus CaO/(CaO + MgO + FeO)Augite or MgO/ (MgO + FeO)Olivine; K2O/FeOPlagioclase versus MnO/TiO2Augite, or K2O/(CaO + Na2O + K2O)Plagioclase versus SiO2/TiO2 Olivine) and multidimensional scaling applied to augite and plagioclase indicate that multi-mineral discrimination of units is more effective than single-mineral discrimination. Discriminant analysis (multivariate analysis of variance) shows that units can be efficiently distinguished using multi-mineral data, although single minerals also provide effective discrimination. Furthermore, the combination of TiO2, FeO and CaO in augite, and SiO2, Al2O3 and Na2O in plagioclase, discriminates between Egyptian alkaline and tholeiitic basalts as well as do the whole-rock data. Approximately 2700 electron-microprobe analyses of minerals in microsamples (1 mg) from 117 Egyptian basalt vessels indicate, unequivocally, that the bedrock source of every vessel is the Haddadin lava flow in northern Egypt. During the Predynastic period, the trade in basalt vessels was probably controlled from Maadi, the settlement closest to the Haddadin flow and richest in recycled "factory seconds".


Entry level reference librarians must make a rapid transition from the reference classroom to the scheduled service hours at the reference desk. A questionnaire was sent to academic and public librarians to ask them to list the most important items of information or abilities they find they need to teach the entry level librarian. This is a brief discussion of relevant literature and a report of the 72 per cent return on the questionnaire. Five "needs" surfaced as ranking high for each type of library with three listed in common. Some suggestions are given for developing in-service education programs for reference librarians.


As MZR disks have different bandwidths and capacities depending on the zone in use and the performance of continuous media servers is strongly dependent on the block placement scheme for the disks, data placement schemes for traditional CAD disks are not suitable for MZR disks. In this paper, we propose a new block placement algorithm for MZR disk arrays used for continuous media servers. The proposed scheme exploits the bandwidth-saving effect of smoothing VBR data before storing them. To fully utilize characteristics of MZR disks, VBR data are smoothed using multiple smoothing rates (multiplicity is the number of zones of MZR disk). In addition, as the service time of an object in each round is fixed during the lifetime of the stream, it is easy to determine whether the system can provide deterministic service to the new request, which simplifies admission control. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms previous schemes such as CRT and NCTT.


Distance education has been identified as a tool for opening up access to education. In South Africa in particular, the model has been identified as being able to redress past inequities. In this article, the researcher investigates to what extent 'access' is being given to distance education students enrolled in the B.Ed. (Hons) Education Management, Law and Policy programme at a university, and what the quality of the access is in comparison to its conventional counterparts. The study uses a combination of surveys, interviews and administrative records. The findings reveal that enrolled distance education students on the programme enjoy open access in terms of the university's admission policies. However, paradoxes exist in relation to the use of media, non-instructional support services, the absence of bridging courses, the lack of financial assistance to prospective students without jobs, lack of access to library services, limited access to bursaries for enrolled students, and limited faculty–student contact. Recommendations include: introduction of counselling services, decentralised library facilities, toll-free telephone services, and the release of government funds for bursaries, as is the case for conventional students. It is encouraging that the newly reviewed programme, rolled out in October 2010, contains most of these recommended opportunities.


Two newly developed 4-nitrophenylhydrazone derivatives, 4-diethylaminobenzaldehyde 4-nitrophenylhydrazone, DEANPH, and 5-bromothiophene-2-carbaldehyde 4-nitrophenylhydrazone, BTNPH, which exhibit very strong second harmonic signals that are three orders of magnitude greater than that of the urea standard were investigated by single crystal X-ray analysis. The structural comparison with three other strongly optically nonlinear hydrazones revealed that the hydrogen bond-directed lambda-shaped supramolecular assemblies are the key and fundamental bases of all these non-centrosymmetric crystal packings. The high occurrence within this class of acentric crystals is likely due to this hydrogen bonded lambda-shaped packing motif. Since the chromophores are preferentially arranged in a lambda-shape, the acentric crystals are generally optimized for second-order nonlinear optical effects such as second harmonic generation.


Alan Watson once argued that a rule which is transplanted is different in its new home. For a poor village housewife 'bread' does not have the same meaning as for the wealthy Parisian businessman. The housewife has much less choice, is close to the source of supply, and bread plays a very different role in the family diet. Similarly, foreign legal rules transplanted to the legal system of Kosovo may have different results than in their legal system of origin. Kosovo is a country with a unique history of state-building. As a new state, Kosovo had to be built from scratch, which entailed a lengthy process of legal changes. Laws that were in force Kosovo before 1999 could not support the new developments in its economic and social order, especially the transition from a state-controlled economy to an open-market economy, thus Kosovo has relied heavily on foreign experience in drafting its legislation. Since 1999 Kosovo has received millions of Euros in legal aid from international organizations for the purpose of legal reform. However, this assistance may prove to be very costly for Kosovo as it implies importing foreign rules to Kosovo legislation.Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the impact of external factors on the development of Kosovar law. The paper will assess whether the transplanted law comports with the culture and tradition of Kosovo and whether the models are likely to fit with the adopting legal system? Is there a timeframe to determine on whether something foreign really "fits in" the local environment? By exploring the above I want to show the impact of legal transplants on the legal order of Kosovo and whether legal solutions that were effective in foreign countries can be effective in Kosovo too.


MUCH of the confusion that confronts the medical profession in dealing with disabling conditions of the shoulder attended with pain and stiffness is the result of the terminology employed. The following diagnoses are commonly used without regard for the actual pathologic changes present: subdeltoid bursitis (1867 and 1869), subacromial bursitis or adherent subacromial bursitis, calcified bursitis, frozen shoulder, arthritis, Duplay's disease (1872), periarthritis, scapulohumeral arthritis, periarticular adhesions, bicipital tenosynovitis, peritendinitis, tendinitis of the short rotators, adhesive capsulitis, osteoporosis, neuritis, fibrositis, myositis, post-traumatic strains and sprains, musculotendinous cuff tears, Codman's 1 "rim rents" (first mentioned in 1902) and many others. Furthermore, painful stiff shoulders may result from trauma with or without fracture, infections, such as osteomyelitis, or septic joints, from mastectomy or some other regional surgical procedure, from primary or secondary tumors and from many other skeletal lesions. Osteoporosis may accompany the lesion. All these conditions may be attended with a


This work is motivated by the need for a complete thermal calibration record of the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) thermal band (band 6). It is through fusion of environmental data sources (i.e. buoy observations, surface observations and radiosonde observations) that a vicarious calibration approach will be implemented to construct the complete calibration record. Initial results from a limited data set indicate that a potential temperature bias may exist over time. This analysis, however, is ongoing. Future work will include an expansion to the current data set, data filters to account for high atmospheric moisture and volcanic aerosol contamination, as well as, an error propagation study to establish the appropriate level of confidence regarding the final calibration results.


The majority of reactions that occur during blood transfusion are stimulated when the recipient receives antigen from donor blood to which he has developed antibody. The reaction may be immediate or insidious in its onset. Side effects range from mild discomfort to death. The transfusionist needs to be able to distinguish symptoms of a reaction and be prepared to treat them immediately.


In India, public servants displayed a high level of dedication and competence in performing their duties in the initial years of Indian Administrative Service. The respect they commanded was eroded progressively by successive political masters as also the sporadic instances of corruption and political nexus that swelled in numbers by each passing year. This article examines the core issue of how to restore the credibility of public service as an institution of sound governance and restore civil servants their self-respect. It examines viability of Civil Service Act as an institutional arrangement to ensure excellence in public service. This excellence can also be achieved through a concerted effort by public servants as a class.


Functional analyses were conducted to identify reinforcers for noncompliance exhibited by 3 young children. Next, the effects of three antecedent-based interventions-noncontingent access to a preferred item, a warning, and a high-probability instructional sequence-were examined. The high-probability instructional sequence was effective for 1 child. Antecedent interventions were ineffective and extinction was necessary for the other 2 children.


Abstract Ethanol extract of Calotropis gigantea flowers (CGFE) was evaluated for its antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity to validate its use in traditional therapeutic indications. This CGFE exhibited significant antioxidant activity (at 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 µg/ml in vitro) as evidenced by its hydroxyl, nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide anion radical scavenging activities. This in vitro antioxidant activity was reinforced by a significant hepatoprotection (at 250 and 500 mg/kg dose) by decreasing the activity of serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase. The hepatoprotective activity of the CGFE was comparable with standard drug silymarin (100 mg/kg, p.o.).The results obtained from present study indicate the presence of natural antioxidants and hepatoprotective constituents. Hence, the above finding confirms in vitro antioxidant and hepatoprotective potential of CGFE in mice.


Objectives: To analyze the clinical features and estimate the hospitalization disease burden of rhinovirus infection in children in Hong Kong. Methods: In this prospective study, nasopharyngeal aspirates were taken from children aged <18 years with symptoms of acute respiratory infection admitted to Queen Mary Hospital on one fixed day of the week during August 2001–July 2002 for detection of common respiratory viruses by immunofluorescence, viral culture, and for rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, and coronaviruses by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The clinical features of rhinovirus infections were analyzed and hospitalization disease burden was estimated. Results: Altogether 239 of the 426 nasopharyngeal aspirates (56.1%) were positive for respiratory viruses, including 151 patients with rhinovirus (35.4%). The median age was 2.34 years. Upper respiratory infection, asthma exacerbation, pneumonia, and acute bronchiolitis were diagnosed in 44.4%, 19.9%, 11.3%, and 7.9%, respectively. The most common symptoms were cough (81.5%), runny nose (76.8%), and fever (68.9%). Shortness of breath, wheezes, and crepitation were present in 25.8%, 29.1%, and 18.5%, respectively. Fifty-five of 99 patients (55.6%) had chest radiographic abnormalities, most commonly perihilar streakiness. Children with chronic diseases were more likely to have lower respiratory tract infection and these children required longer hospitalization (mean 0.6 days longer). Coinfection with other respiratory pathogens was common (33.1%). Conclusion: Rhinovirus is frequently associated with asthmatic exacerbations and lower respiratory tract infection, especially in children with chronic diseases and is potentially an important contributor to hospitalization in children in Hong Kong.


Background: Public health functions at the county level and city level through the work of local health departments (LHDs). Local boards of health (LBoHs) work closely with LHDs as an administrative oversight body. In 2013, legislation was passed in the state of Ohio pertaining to the accreditation of LHDs, which included a provision requiring that Ohio's LBoH members engage in 2 hours of continuing education (CE) per year. To assist LBoHs in fulfilling these requirements, a partnership was developed between the Ohio Association of Boards of Health (OABH) and the Kent State University College of Public Health (KSU-CPH) to deliver CE content.
Methods: The process for developing the CE modules encompasses 3 steps: (1) needs assessment, (2) module development and delivery, and (3) evaluation. Feedback was solicited from Ohio's LBoH members to determine topics of interest for CE modules. Taking this feedback, a curated set of 8 modules will be developed. Module content will be derived from graduate courses within KSU-CPH as well as from subject matter experts. The modules will be delivered online to LBoH members during their regularly scheduled meetings.
Results: This program proposes to fulfill state requirements that LBoH members regularly engage in CE. Partner-ing with KSU-CPH allows for the use of academic content in these trainings.
Conclusion: An adequately trained public health workforce is essential for a well-functioning public health system, which includes governing entities like LBoHs. There is limited understanding of how workforce development can be targeted specifically to LBoHs. This CE program contributes to current efforts to promote workforce development within the field of public health.


A significant proportion of patients with burn injury have diabetes. Although hyperglycemia during critical illness has been associated with poor outcomes, patients with chronic hyperglycemia based on elevated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) measurements at admission have been shown to tolerate higher glucose levels during hospitalization. This relationship has not been evaluated in the burn population. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of chronic glucose control on outcomes in the acute period after burn. This is a retrospective analysis comparing outcomes in patients with chronic hyperglycemia (HbA1c ≥6.5%) and euglycemia (HbA1c <6.5%). Patients aged 18 to 89 years, admitted for initial burn care between January 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, with an HbA1c measurement at admission were included. The primary endpoint was unplanned readmissions, with secondary endpoints of length of stay and mortality. We included 258 patients (32 with chronic hyperglycemia and 226 with euglycemia). Burn severity was similar between the groups. Patients with chronic hyperglycemia were significantly older and were more likely to have diabetes, respiratory disease, and hypertension. Chronic hyperglycemia was associated with significantly higher time-weighted glucose and glucose variability. Survival rates were similar, but the chronic hyperglycemia group had a significantly longer length of stay (13 vs 9 days; P = .038) and a higher rate of unplanned readmission (18.8 vs 3.6%; P = .001). Chronic hyperglycemia before burn injury is associated with altered glycemic response after burn injury and worse outcomes. Further research is needed to identify whether chronic hyperglycemia necessitates a modified approach to burn care or glycemic management.


Biological invasions of parasites and their hosts are ideal to study coevolution in nature. Two closely related copepod parasites have invaded Eastern Atlantic mussels and oysters. Specialist Mytilicola intestinalis have invaded from the Mediterranean Sea and generalist Mytilicola orientalis from the inland sea of Japan. A transcriptomic backbone of these parasites will be generated as a genomic resource. Here we report the first results of these transcriptomic resources and present dN/dS ratios of homologous genes and polymorphism data. We expect to find neutral and selective markers for downstream applications and to find targets of selection. These could explain a parasitic and generalist versus a specialist life style


This paper investigates the utilization of brown clay and cement in order to stabilize soft clay. Brown clay mixed with a suitable amount of cement paste is capable to impart filler and pozzolanic effect. Therefore, the mechanical behavior of the soil would be improved. Treatment of fine grained soils with cement is not novel. While stabilization of fine grained soil with brown clay has not been completely investigated, this paper attempts to assess the mechanical behavior of treated soil with cement and brown clay. Laboratory investigations include direct shear, vane shear, unconfined compression and CBR tests which were applied on the test specimens. In addition, laboratory compaction test was performed to supply the soil specimens with optimum moisture content and maximum dry density. The outcome of the study is an optimal mix design of stabilized clay, which can be applied to improve soft clay. For the optimal mix design, binder composition of cement 8.5%, brown clay 1.5%, silica sand 5% was obtained. Therefore, input cement can be saved due to partial replacement of ordinary Portland cement with 1.5% brown clay.


With the motivation of determining the critical roughness size, a global stability and sensitivity analysis of a three-dimensional Falkner–Skan–Cooke (FSC) boundary layer with a cylindrical surface roughness is performed. The roughness size is chosen such that breakdown to turbulence is initiated by a global version of traditional secondary instabilities of the cross-flow (CF) vortices instead of an immediate flow tripping at the roughness. The resulting global eigenvalue spectra of the systems are found to be very sensitive to numerical parameters and domain size. This sensitivity to numerical parameters is quantified using the $\unicode[STIX]{x1D700}$ -pseudospectrum, and the dependency on the domain is analysed through an impulse response, structural sensitivity analysis and an energy budget. It is shown that while the frequencies remain relatively unchanged, the growth rates increase with domain size, which originates from the inclusion of stronger CF vortices in the baseflow. This is reflected in a change in the rate of advective energy transport by the baseflow. It is concluded that the onset of global instability in a FSC boundary layer as the roughness height is increased does not correspond to an immediate flow tripping behind the roughness, but occurs for lower roughness heights if sufficiently long domains are considered. However, the great sensitivity results in an inability to accurately pinpoint the exact parameter values for the bifurcation, and the large spatial growth of the disturbances in the long domains eventually becomes larger than can be resolved using finite-precision arithmetic.


Previously, we have shown that retina/pigment epithelium membranes from the amphibian can synthesize 11-cis-retinoids from added all-trans-retinol [Bernstein, P.S., Law, W.C., & Rando, R.R. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 1849-1853]. The activity was largely localized to the pigment epithelium. Here it is shown that, in the bovine system, the activity resides exclusively in the membranes of the pigment epithelium. Subcellular fractionation does not reveal a particular organelle where the activity resides. Washed bovine pigment epithelium membranes, which are devoid of retinoid redox activity, convert added all-trans-retinol to a mixture of 11-cis-retinol and its palmitate ester. all-trans-Retinal and all-trans-retinyl palmitate are not converted into 11-cis-retinoids by the membranes. The membranes show substantial ester synthetase activity, producing large amounts of all-trans-retinyl palmitate. Diverse chemical reagents, such as ethanol, hydroxylamine, and p-(hydroxymercuri)benzoate, inhibit both ester synthetase and isomerase activities in a roughly parallel fashion, suggesting a possible functional linkage between the two activities.


In this project compressor rotor blade is employed with new design of scimitar shaped rotor blades. Analyzed using FEA software –ANSYS and studied the parameters like stress and failure point occurring in the rotor blade section. The basic requirements of the compressor for aircraft gas turbine application are well known .In generally,they include high air flow capacity per unit frontal area, high  efficiency and easily stackable to obtain the required pressure ratio. The fan and compressor of modern aircraft engine must be capable of operation over widely diverse conditions and improving the flow margin between the fan operating range of the compressor ,under many circumstances unstable flow conditions are initiated in the tip region of a fan or compressor thus if stall in the tip region can be delayed ,the weight flow range of the fan or compressor may be increased.


This study examines environmental health and safety problems associated with urban solid waste management and provides a set of interventions options using the ecosystem approach. In particular, it investigates the health problems faced by child wastepickers of Dhaka City, who collect recyclable and reusable items from garbage bins and landfill sites. The study tracks down these problems with the help of an impact-pathway based analysis. It then develops a set of intervention options through extensive multi-stakeholder consultations and interviews. The recommendations formed thereby have been presented in an impactintervention matrix. The intervention matrix addresses each part of the impact-pathway from source to health impacts, and explores a range of policy tools to devise 'integrative' and 'sustainable' interventions. Based on urgency, ease of implementation and resource requirements, the paper also indicates tentative time-frames these interventions.


Three special cases of tabic arthropathy are reported. The disease is displayed in detail. One case showed an aneurysma of the arteria ulnaris. After resection of the aneurysma conservative treatment was performed. In a second case with active not yet diagnosed tabic hip a cemented total hip was implanted, which failed only 9 weeks later. The third case was an inactive tabic hip joint. The implantation of a cementless Autophor hip proved well. Total joint replacement has not to be performed in an active state of the disease, but can be done after consolidation. The significance of the VDRL-test for justing the activity of the disease is displayed.


Video delivery and caching over the millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum is a promising technology for high data rate and efficient frequency utilization in many applications, including distributed vehicular networks. However, due to the short handoff duration, calibrating both optimal power allocation of each base station toward its associated vehicles and cache allocation are challenging for their computational complexity. Heretofore, most video delivery applications were based on on-line or off-line algorithms, and they were limited to compute and optimize high dimensional objectives within low-delay in large scale vehicular networks. On the other hand, deep reinforcement learning is shown for learning such scale of a problem with an optimized policy learning phase. In this paper, we propose deep deterministic policy gradient-based power control of mmWave base station (mBS) and proactive cache allocation toward mBSs in distributed mmWave Internet-of-vehicle (IoV) networks. Simulation results validate the performance of the proposed caching scheme in terms of quality of the provisioned video and playback stall in various scales of IoV networks.


Hand hygiene is a milestone to control infectious diseases and prevent cross transmission of microorganism and reduces the incidence of healthcare associated infections, improved hand hygiene practice has been recognized as an important public health measure. The study was carried out in a Tertiary care teaching hospital over a period of three months. A total two seventy six (276) students were included in this study. A descriptive approach was adopted, including collection of information through questionnaire based survey. Structured knowledge questionnaires were prepared according toW.H.O. criteria. The present study concluded that the knowledge regarding hand hygiene was found to be average, 186 (67.4%) of the medical students and nurses attending tertiary care hospital, whereas 190 (68.8%) had average score for attitude of handhygiene and173 (62.7%)had average score for practice of hand hygiene. So frequent orientation, regular training, workshops, seminars and hand hygiene education should be given mandatory for all the students and staffs for understanding the importance of hand hygiene were improved hand hygiene practice should reduce the healthcare cost which help in preventing hospital acquired infections.


The authors analyzed prevalence of individual types of upper limb compression neuropathy in miners of coal and iron-ore mines. Medical examination covered main mining occupations exposed to suchhazards as local vibration, cooling microclimate, functional overstrain. Some types of compression neuropathies appeared to depend on duration of exposure to the hazards and on the occupation hands disease stage.


Linguistic Data Consortium (LDC) at the University of Pennsylvania has participated as a data provider in a variety of governmentsponsored programs that support development of Human Language Technologies. As the number of projects increases, the quantity and variety of the data LDC produces have increased dramatically in recent years. In this paper, we describe the technical infrastructure, both hardware and software, that LDC has built to support these complex, large-scale linguistic data creation efforts at LDC. As it would not be possible to cover all aspects of LDC's technical infrastructure in one paper, this paper focuses on recent development. We also report on our plans for making our custom-built software resources available to the community as open source software, and introduce an initiative to collaborate with software developers outside LDC. We hope that our approaches and software resources will be useful to the community members who take on similar challenges.


A complex de novo translocation was found in leukocytes and fibroblasts from a boy with mental retardation and minor abnormalities. The 45,XY chromosome constitution found in all cells was initially interpreted from routine G- and Q-banding techniques as a balanced translocation of part of the short arm of 12 to the short arm of 15 and of the long arm of 21 to the short arm of 12. With additional staining techniques and use of prometaphase chromosome preparations, it was determined that the distal portion of band 12.3 of the short arm of chromosome 12 was missing from the 12/15 and the 12/21 translocation chromosomes. This interpretation was confirmed by a decreased concentration of the LDH-B subunit in lactate dehydrogenase isozymes of the patient's fibroblasts, consistent with his being hemizygous for the LDHB locus.


Vernacular architecture is evolving from the participation of people living under different worldwide climatic conditions by adopting local and regional resources in response to the local climate and with the help of climate responsive design strategies. The traditional houses existing in urban settlement changing the moving patterns of living by adopting modern lifestyle and change in climate. This paper aims to understand the thermal characteristics of the vernacular architecture of the warm-humid region and to understand climate change and its impact on studyon Pune city, cultural capital of Maharashtra State, India. Literature method is adopted to analysedthe changes in vernacular-built environments and the causes.


During the last decade, great floods, destructive winds, desertification and grain shortages in Burkina Faso have spotlighted agro-ecological change as a crucial challenge for achieving sustainable development in eastern part of the country especially in the Gourma region. In fact, the new agro-ecological order has reshaped and transformed geographical representations, land tenure and norms and techniques of crops production in this auto-subsistence agrarian society of Gourmantche. In response to the current agro-ecological and social framework, local farmers have invented methods of crop production: the zai techniques which enable the maintenance or restoration of the soil fertility, rotational practice (combining or mixing food and cash crops in the same field), shifting cultivation as well as the fragmentation of households in order to optimize the productivity of manpower in nuclear families. These technological innovations allow local farmers to manage sustainably their landscape.  Key words: Agro-ecological change, auto-subsistence, innovations, farming strategies, Burkina Faso, West Africa.


PROMISE AND PERFORMANCE: IRISH ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES ANALYSED, edited by John Blackwell and Frank J. Convery. Dublin: The Resource and Environmental Policy Centre, University College Dublin, 1983. 434 pp. IR£7-95. Reviewed by: J.G. TyrrellLANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY IN IRELAND, edited by T. Reeves-Smyth and F. Hamond. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports British Series 116, 1983. 389 pp. £17-00stg. Reviewed by: G.F. MitchellIRELAND AND SCOTLAND 1600–1850: PARALLELS AND CONTRASTS IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, edited by T.M. Devine and D. Dickson. Edinburgh: John Donald, 1983. 283 pp. £16-00stg. Reviewed by: Stephen A. RoyleGEORGIAN DUBLIN: IRELAND'S IMPERILLED ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE, by Kevin C. Reams. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1983. 224 pp. IR£12-95. Reviewed by: Anngret SimmsSOILS OF COUNTY MEATH, by T.F. Finch, M.J. Gardiner, A. Comey and T. Radford. Dublin: An Foras Taluntais Soil Survey Bulletin No. 37, 1983. 162 pp. + 2 maps in colour. IR£10-00. Reviewed by: J.G. CruickshankKILLARNEY NATIONAL PARK: AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE, by Alan Craig. Dublin: National Parks and Monuments Service, Office of Public Works, 1983. 40 pp. IR£0-80. Reviewed by: J.P. HaughtonAGRICULTURE IN IRELAND: A CENSUS ATLAS, by A.A. Horner, J.A. Walsh and J.A. Williams. Dublin: Department of Geography, University College Dublin, 1984. 104 pp. IR£12-00. Reviewed by: Kevin WhelanA STUDY OF PART-TIME FARMERS IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, by J. Higgins. Dublin: An Foras Taluntais, Socio-economic Research Series, No. 3, 1983. 118 pp. IR£2-50. Reviewed by: J.A. WalshDEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN THE WEST OF IRELAND 1970–1980, by M.S. 0 Cinneide and M.E. Cawley. Dublin: An Chomhairle Oiluna Talmhaiochta, Blackrock, 1983. 110 pp. IR£12-00; AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT STUDY OF THE MID-WEST REGION. Mid-West Regional Development Organisation and An Foras Taluntais, 1982. 173 pp. IR£5-00. Reviewed by: Desmond A. GillmorRURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE WEST OF IRELAND: OBSERVATIONS FROM THE GAELTACHT EXPERIENCE, edited by Proinnsias Breathnach. Maynooth: Department of Geography, St Patrick's College, Occasional Paper No. 3, 1983, 87 pp. lR£3-00. Reviewed by: Mary E. CawleyCOMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE KILLALA AREA, by D. O'Cearbhaill and M.S. O'Cinni'ide. Galway: Social Sciences Research Centre, 1983. 65 pp. No price given. Reviewed by: Kevin HourihanIRELAND IN THE YEAR 2000: TOWARDS A NATIONAL STRATEGY, ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES. Dublin: An Foras Forbartha and National Board for Science and Technology, 1983. 99 pp. IR£5-00. Reviewed by: F.H.A. AalenANTIPODE. Volume 12, Number 1. Special issue on Ireland, edited by Jim McLaughlin, Dennis Pringle, Colm Regan and Francis Walsh. Worcester, Mass., (1980). 117 pp. Reviewed by: A.A. HomerTWENTY YEARS OF PLANNING: A REVIEW OF THE SYSTEM SINCE 1963, by Berna Grist. Dublin: An Foras Forbartha, 1983. 49 pp. IR£3-00. Reviewed by: A.J. ParkerPUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYMENT: AN EXAMINATION OF STRATEGIES IN IRELAND AND OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, by P.C. Humphreys. Dublin: Institute of Public Administration, 1983. 332 pp. IR£18-00. Reviewed by: M.J. Bannon75:25 IRELAND IN AN UNEQUAL WORLD, by Colm Regan and others. Dublin: Development Education Commission, CONGOOD, 1984. 208 pp. IR£2 00. Reviewed by: H.J. PollardSHEETS OF MANY COLOURS: THE MAPPING OF IRELAND'S ROCKS 1750–1890, by Gordon L. Hcrries Davies. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society, 1983. 242 pp. IR£15-00. Reviewed by: Barbara MillerTHE BOOK OF MAPS OF THE DUBLIN CITY SURVEYORS 1695–1827, an annotated list by Mary Clark. Dublin: Dublin Corporation Archives, City Libraries, 1983. 69 pp. IR£3 00. Reviewed by: Paul FergusonIRISH MAP HISTORY: A SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SECONDARY WORKS, 1850- 1983, ON THE HISTORY OF CAROGRAPHY IN IRELAND, by Paul Ferguson. Dublin: Tenth International Conference on the History of Cartography, 1983. 26 pp. IR£2-00. Reviewed by: Avril ThomasMAP REVIEWSFERMANAGH LAKELAND OUTDOOR PURSUITS MAP AND NAVIGATION GUIDE: LOWER LOUGH ERNE. 1:25,000. Belfast: Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, 1984. £2-00stg; LONDONDERRY STREET MAP. 1:10,000. Belfast: Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, 1983. £l-50stg. Reviewed by: E. Buckmaster


ABSTRACT Physicians in residency training experience high levels of medical uncertainty, yet they are often hesitant to discuss uncertainty with parents. Guided by the theory of motivated information management and a multiple goals perspective, this mixed-methods longitudinal study examines associations among residents' tolerance of and reactions to uncertainty, efficacy communicating about uncertainty, and perceptions of parents' trust in them as physicians. To contextualize these associations, we also examined residents' task, identity, and relational goals when communicating about uncertainty with parents. We surveyed 47 pediatric residents at the beginning of each year of their residency program. As they progressed through their training, residents' uncertainty-related anxiety and reluctance to communicate uncertainty to parents decreased, and their efficacy communicating uncertainty with parents increased. Residents' concerns about bad outcomes remained unchanged. Residents pursued multiple, often conflicting, conversational goals when communicating uncertainty with parents. Results reveal important considerations for addressing how residents can manage their uncertainty in productive ways.


Matting refers to the problem of accurate foreground estimation in images and video. It is one of the key techniques in many image editing and film production applications, thus has been extensively studied in the literature. With the recent advances of digital cameras, using matting techniques to create novel composites or facilitate other editing tasks has gained increasing interest from both professionals as well as consumers. Consequently, various matting techniques and systems have been proposed to try to efficiently extract high quality mattes from both still images and video sequences.

This survey provides a comprehensive review of existing image and video matting algorithms and systems, with an emphasis on the advanced techniques that have been recently proposed. The first part of the survey is focused on image matting. The fundamental techniques shared by many image matting algorithms, such as color sampling methods and matting affinities, are first analyzed. Image matting techniques are then classified into three categories based on their underlying methodologies, and an objective evaluation is conducted to reveal the advantages and disadvantages of each category. A unique Accuracy vs. Cost analysis is presented as a practical guidance for readers to properly choose matting tools that best fit their specific requirements and constraints.

The second part of the survey is focused on video matting. The difficulties and challenges of video matting are first analyzed, and various ways of combining matting algorithms with other video processing techniques for building efficient video matting systems are reviewed. Key contributions, advantages as well as limitations of important systems are summarized.

Finally, special matting systems that rely on capturing additional foreground/background information to automate the matting process are discussed. A few interesting directions for future matting research are presented in the conclusion.


Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease characterized by proliferation of abnormal TSC1/2-mutated smooth muscle cells in the lung parenchyma, leading to progressive cystic destruction, lung function decline, and respiratory insufficiency. LAM may be either sporadic (S-LAM) or associated with the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC-LAM). Cross-sectional studies have suggested that TSC-LAM is less severe than S-LAM, but no longitudinal data are available. We retrospectively compared the rate of FEV1 decline in 16 patients with TSC-LAM and 53 patients with S-LAM diagnosed according to ERS 2010 criteria with a lung function follow-up ≥1 year. Results are shown below. Conclusion: Although diagnosed at an earlier age than S-LAM, patients with TSC-LAM had similar mean FEV1 at diagnosis, and similar mean rate of FEV1 decline. Lung function follow-up similar to S-LAM may be recommended in TSC-LAM.


Background and aim Drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) improves the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intermediate stage [i.e. Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer-B (BCLC-B)]. The aim of our study was to analyse the overall survival (OS) and prognostic factors of patients with HCC treated with DEB-TACE. Patients and methods Patients' clinical course was recorded from January 2005 to July 2014. The median OS was obtained by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. The prognosis factors associated with OS were determined by a multivariate Cox regression analysis and the accuracy of the OS prediction was determined by calculation of the assessment for retreatment with TACE score (ART score). Results A cohort of 147 consecutive patients treated with DEB-TACE was included. Median age of the patients was 73.4 years. Overall, 68.7% were men, and all had cirrhosis, with 68.8% being hepatisis C virus positive. Moreover, 35.2% were staged as BCLC-A and 60.2% as BCLC-B. After a median follow-up of 19.2 months, 29.3% were alive, 4.3% needed treatment with sorafenib and 56.1% underwent DEB-TACE retreatment. Median OS was 22.8 [95% confidence interval (CI)=19.6–25.9]. After censoring for ascites and more than one nodule, OS was 23.87 (95% CI =20.72–27.01) and 26.89 (95% CI =21.00–32.78), respectively. The risk of death decreased by 22.3% with the number of DEB-TACE sessions (hazard ratio=0.777) and increased by 25.9% with higher Child–Pugh score (hazard ratio=1.259). Overall, 61.2% of the cohort had an ART score between 0 and 1.5. There were no statistical differences in OS between cohort groups with ART of 0–1.5 and at least 2.5. Conclusion The results validate the efficacy and safety of DEB-TACE in patients with HCC and the importance of some prognostic factors for patient survival.


Ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (Ufm1) is a newly identified ubiquitin-like protein. Like ubiquitin and other ubiquitin-like proteins, Ufm1 is synthesized as a precursor that needs to be processed to expose the conserved C-terminal glycine prior to its conjugation to target proteins. Two novel proteases, named UfSP1 and UfSP2, have been shown to be responsible for the release of Ufm1 from Ufm1-conjugated cellular proteins as well as for the processing of its precursor. They show no sequence homology with known proteases. Here, we describe the 1.7Å resolution crystal structure of mouse UfSP1, consisting of 217 amino acids. The structure reveals that it is a novel cysteine protease having a papain-like fold, with Cys53, Asp175, and His177 that form a catalytic triad, and Tyr41 that participates in the formation of the oxyanion hole. This differs from the canonical catalytic triad of papain-like proteases in that the aspartate and the histidine residues are from the "Asp-Pro-His" box. The Asp-Pro-His configuration seen in UfSP1, together with Atg4B and M48USP, seem to form a new subfamily of the cysteine protease superfamily. The mutagenesis study of the active site residues confirms structural basis for catalysis. The interaction between UfSP1 and Ufm1 appears quite substantial, since the KD value was estimated to be 1.6 μm by the isothermal titration calorimetry analysis. Furthermore, the NMR data shows that the loop between β3 and α2 in addition to the C-terminal region of Ufm1 plays a role in binding to UfSP1.


After the political reformation,, the Tempo Weekly News Magazine published investigation report regarding corruption case of the Megaproject Hambalang Sport Facilities. The aim of the research was to find out how Tempo Weekly News Magazine scheduled and expressed the corruption case of Megaproject of Hambalang Sport Facilities, so it encouraged the formation of public opinion. The data were obtained by making investigation on archives about articles issued in March and December 2012 and July 2013. The data were analyzed using discourse analysis technique with Teun A. van Dijk approach who divided text into discourse structure and elements. The results of the research indicate that Anas Urbaningrum, Andi Alfian Mallarangeng, Deddy Kusnidar, Machfud Suroso, Teuku Bagus Muhammad Noor, and Wafid Muharam very clearly involve in corruption case of megaproject of Hambalang Sport Facilities as it is contained in three editions of Tempo magazine. The text is not derived from a reality as what it is but from a reality of an event. It is constructed by those who are behind the text discourse. This similarly happens to Hambalang case. Corruption case in Hambalang is not natural, but it is planned and systematically done by certain parties.


This position paper identifies three significant research challenges in support of deeply embedded system survivability: achieving dependability at the enterprise/embedded interface gateway, finding a viable security patch approach for embedded systems, and surviving run-time software faults.


SCOPE
Unlike other classes of polyphenols, there is a lack of knowledge regarding brown seaweed phlorotannins and their bioactivity. We investigated the impact of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation on the bioactivity of a seaweed phlorotannin extract from Ascophyllum nodosum and its high molecular weight (HMW) and low molecular weight (LMW) fractions.

METHODS AND RESULTS
The highest phlorotannin and total polyphenol (TP) concentration was observed in the HMW fraction. Antioxidant capacity broadly followed phlorotannin and TP levels, with HMW having the highest activity. Both gastrointestinal digestion (GID) and colonic fermentation (CF) significantly affected phlorotannin and TP levels, and antioxidant capacity of the extract and fractions. Despite this, in HT-29 cells, all GID extracts significantly inhibit cell growth, whereas CF extracts effectively counteracted H2 O2 induced DNA damage.

CONCLUSION
Although phlorotannins, TP levels and antioxidant power of the extracts were strongly reduced after in vitro digestion and fermentation, their anti-genotoxic activity and cell growth inhibitory effect in colon HT-29 cells was maintained and enhanced. HMW was the most effective fraction, indicating that the high molecular weight phlorotannins potentially exert a stronger beneficial effect in the colon.


The mobile agent (MA) paradigm advocates the migration of agent code to achieve computational goals. MAs require an executable environment on hosts where mobile code can be executed. The execution of foreign code on a host raises security concerns for both the agent and the host. In Corradi et al. [2000] it has been recognized that most of the approaches for providing security in MA suffer from a limitation of expressing complex security requirements. Thus, approaches have been proposed that introduce the use of a policy language for specifying security policies to control MA's access to host resources. With this paper, we outline a framework where security policies can be uniformly specified for protecting both MAs and host resources.


A tissue may be defined as nonviable if the cells have been killed or severely damaged. On the other hand, the extracellular tissue may very well remain intact after this treatment. From the field of general biology, we know several procedures, such as freezing or dehydration, that can be expected to have this effect; such tissue can subsequently be preserved in the dehydrated or deep-frozen state for a long time with only minimal autolysis. Lately, these aspects have become of significant importance in the field of keratoplasty. Can nonviable donor material be used in penetrating keratoplasty? The answer is no at the present time. The dead grafts swell tremendously and finally become scarred as was shown by Smelser and Ozanics (1946), Katzin (1947), and Leopold and Adler (1947). For lamellar grafts, on the other hand, favorable results have been achieved after subjecting the donor tissue to dehydration which kills the


Since liberalization, most of domestic rice value chains in West Africa are made of numerous intermediaries using little capital and supplying low quality rice. Despite several attempts of upgrading these value chains, West African States increasingly rely on imports to satisfy rice consumption. Nevertheless, the 2007 world price crisis highlighted the risks of such strategy. West African Governments subsequently implemented self-sufficiency policies aiming at upgrading domestic rice value chains. Ten years after the first world price crisis, we explore upgrading of domestic rice value chains in Africa. The theoretical framework of governance of value chains analyses the technical and organizational changes along the chain. The results presented in this paper are based on a literature review and secondary data. Governments, development organizations and private sector actors have invested significantly in rice value chain upgrading. Paddy production increased through land expansion and sometimes intensification. The processing capacity increased thanks to substantial investment in industrial and semi-industrial technologies. These investments were sometimes coupled with contract farming and vertical integration to secure paddy supplies. In certain cases, producer organization were able to integrate processing through innovative business models. These upgraded value chains supply quality rice and in some cases reward producers better than traditional value chains. Never the less, several impediments hamper competitiveness of upgraded rice value chains with imports. First, economies of scale are rarely realized because industrial mills are often unable to get enough paddy supplies. As a result, depreciation costs are high and marketing prices are inflated. Second, there are limitations to collective action that often prevent producer organizations to integrate rice husking into their business models. Third, financial arrangements offered to wholesalers are often more attractive in import value chains than in domestic value chains. Fourth, low quality infrastructure of domestic rice value chains induces spatial segmentation of end-markets, with local rice being produced and consumed in the hinterlands and imported rice being consumed in coastal areas. Further research should be conducted on upgrading rice value chains and primary data collection should be expanded to obtain more insights on how to support competitive rice value chain upgrading in West Africa.


Surfaces than can switch their properties in response to external stimuli are of fundamental as well as technological interest. A prerequisite for successful switching in thin surface layers is sufficient free volume in the layer to allow molecular motions or reactions. Multilayer films grafted from aryldiazonium salts have a loosely packed structure and are good candidates for preparation of switchable surfaces. In this work, the pH-dependent wettability of carboxyphenyl films on glassy carbon surfaces is examined using water contact angle measurements. The film structure is manipulated by exposing freshly grafted films to solvents of different polarity; this influences the wettability differences observed between low- and high-pH measurements. The order of measurement of contact angles (from low pH to high, or vice versa) also influences the pH-dependent wettability. The results are consistent with film reorganization, including the formation of dimeric hydrogen-bonded structures, in response to the polarity and pH of the surrounding medium.


Eggs and sibling 1-, 3-, and 5-d-old chicks from seven black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) broods were collected from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and analyzed for organochlorines. The concentration (μg/g) of nine organochlorines either decreased (n = 7) or remained the same (n = 2) as the chicks grew older. In contrast, the total mass (μg) of these nine organochlorines increased (n = 7) or remained the same (n = 2) as the chicks grew older. Accumulation rates of mass (μg/d) between egg and 5-d-old chicks for each of the nine organochlorines were positive and varied from 0.2 μg/d (p,p′-DDT) to 42 μg/d (PCBs). These results suggest that the loss of contaminant mass from eggs to chicks reported in some earlier studies was because the entire carcass was not analyzed (i.e., not including skin, gastrointestinal tract, etc.). These results also support the use of contaminant accumulation rates as an indicator of local contamination.


Sustainability has been very critical for civil engineering graduates. A lack of understanding the fundamentals of sustainable material brings obstacles in implementing the concepts of sustainability in civil engineering practices. Building industry being a leading contributor of green house gases has been largely occupied by civil engineers. Materials are one of the areas that need sustainability in an integrated manner. Concrete and steel structures in addition to water resources and solid waste are most commonly managed by civil engineers. In this paper, two main components were tested to measure sustainability applications in the learning process. ACI-Life 365 program and direct measure approach have been applied. The two components provided real mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of the two approaches in enhancing sustainability learning. The result showed strong interest and improved learning outcomes in sustainability concepts by allowing learners to analyze various sustainability scenarios and choose the most effective one. It saved cost and increased the service life of buildings. The direct measure showed high success rate between 88%-94% which meets the threshold passing criteria related to sustainability applications.


Five patients with idiopathic interstitial nephritis and uveitis without bone marrow granulomas were followed-up for 1 year. Ophthalmological examination revealed bilateral anterior uveitis. Light microscopy of the renal tissue revealed predominant lymphocyte infiltration of the interstitium. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed a clear predominance of memory T lymphocytes (CD45RO+) in the interstitial and tubular infiltration. HLA typing, and immunophenotypic studies of peripheral blood mononuclear cells including absolute lymphocyte and monocyte counts were assessed. The patients' peripheral T-cell subpopulation did not significantly differ from control studies. With steroid treatment maintained during a period of 6-9 months renal function and uveitis responded dramatically in all patients. After 1-year follow-up, only 1 patient showed a relapse of uveitis, but there was complete clinical recovery of the nephritis in all 5 patients. The aim of this study was to describe the 1-year follow-up of 5 new cases of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome, and assess some aspects of their cellular immunity.


Plan Country Ghana [10] Date established 2010 Summary The overall goal of the NCCAS is to to enhance Ghana's current and future development by strengthening its adaptive capacity and building resilience of the society and ecosystems to the impacts of climate change.The NCCAS, which is expected to be operational from 2010 to 2020, intends to (i) ensure a consistent, comprehensive and targeted approach to increasing climate resilience and decreasing vulnerability; (ii) deepen public awareness, and in particular the awareness of policy makers, about the critical role of adaptation in national development; (iii) position Ghana so as to access funding for national adaptation requirements; (iv) strengthen Ghana's international recognition, in order to facilitate action; (v) facilitate the mainstreaming of climate change and disaster risk reduction into national development. The NCCAS recognises the important role that forests play in regulating rainfall, important in particular for agricultural production. It also highlights the sensitivity of the forestry sector to climate change. The lead institution for the implementation of the NCCAS is the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI). MESTI will be assisted at the national level by the National Climate Change Committee.