The role of invasive Salmonella in contamination of ground poultry is poorly defined. Salmonella harborage sites were determined in experimentally infected chickens and turkeys. Bioluminescent-tagged Salmonella were used to follow their spread in bone, meat, and skin following infection. Immunohistochemistry and culture were used to localize Salmonella. Chicken neck skin was positive for S. Heidelberg and S. Typhimurium throughout the experimental period, and the bacteria were localized on the stratum corneum of the epidermis and feather follicles. S. Heidelberg and S. Typhimurium were intermittently detected in drumstick muscle of chickens, with Salmonella primarily localized in connective tissues and lymphatics. Twenty percent of the drumstick muscles were culture positive for Salmonella in chickens at 42 days of age. Blood and tibiotarsus bone were culture positive for S. Heidelberg and S. Typhimurium during the first two weeks of infection. Salmonella levels in neck skin and muscle were <102 CFU/g in chickens at 42 days of age. Multiple S. Heidelberg isolates associated with foodborne outbreaks were used to infect chickens and turkeys to determine whether some strains attained high abundance in the muscle of infected birds. No chicken drumsticks or thighs were Salmonella positive by bioluminescence in chickens at 42 days of age (n = 210). In turkeys, all drumstick muscles (n = 132) and tibiotarsus bone (n = 93) were negative for S. Heidelberg. Thirty percent of the breast skins (n = 93) were culture positive for S. Heidelberg when turkey hens were 11 weeks old. S. Heidelberg were primarily localized on the stratum corneum of the epidermis in turkeys. Exclusion of skin from ground poultry products may be the best option for reducing Salmonella contamination in ground chicken and ground turkey.


Structural behaviour of cyclo-octane under high pressure is studied by using a synchrotron x-ray source in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) up to 40.2 GPa at room temperature. The cyclo-octane firstly solidifies to the triclinic phase at 0.87GPa. With the increasing pressure, the phase of cyclo-octane changes to the tetragonal phase at about 6.0 GPa and then transforms to amorphous phase above 18.2 GPa, which is kept till to 40.2 GPa. All the phase transitions of cyclo-octane are irreversible.


The article deals with the influence of planting depth of potato tubers on productivity, structure, quality of products and the marketability of potato crop in the conditions of the Chuvash Republic. The depth of seeding of tubers has a direct impact on all processes of growth and development. The more favorable the complex of conditions in the zone of placement of planted tubers, the faster they germinate and give early and amicable shoots, the more successful the further development of the potato plant and the formation of the crop. Determining the dependence of the potato tuber planting depth on the productivity, structure, quality of the products and the marketability of potato plants hinders many causes that are directly related to the growth and development of potato plants, as the productivity of potato plants is significantly increased by optimizing the priority conditions that are necessary in potato cultivation, when there is an increase in all indicators of photosynthetic activity of potato plants. The density of plants should be such that plants could form a powerful leaf surface, a root system and make the best use of solar energy and soil nutrients [11 12]. In numerous studies by our and foreign authors on the definition of optimal areas of potato nutrition, the following general provisions are present: late varieties, that develop a powerful top, are placed less often, early - thicker; the less moisture in the soil, the less should be the density of planting [6]. In this study, in order to determine potato productivity, we first of all determined crop yields, structure, product quality and marketability of tubers. Norms of planting can be determined depending on the density of the stalk. The high density of plant standings promotes acceleration of passage of development phases by plants, early tuber formation and ripening of a potato [3,4,5,7,8,9]. Thus, in the experiments, carried out by V.T. Spiridonov (1972) in the Chuvash Agricultural Institute in the variant where the planting was carried out according to the scheme of 70x30 cm, the entry of plants into the mass flowering phase was noted 2-3 days earlier than when planting according to the scheme of 70x35 cm. Reduction of the distance between tubers to 25 cm accelerated the development of plants 5 days.


This article examines two different models of space management, devised by NGOs to confront the marketization of public space in New York City through privatizing the land of community gardens. The Trust for Public Land promotes a model that emphasizes community ownership, while the New York Restoration Project promotes a model that emphasizes the preservation of land. The article compares the two models of NGO management of community gardens particularly through the lens of community participation, sense of ownership and control over space, and argues that both models transform the meaning of public space in ways that undermine its opportunity to develop as an autonomous community space.


Consultants at Cambridge Associates have shown how to build what they believe is a better "core-satellite" portfolio. Get rid of the passive core component (such as an S&P 500 Index fund) completely and load up on the satellites. The team compared hypothetical core-satellite portfolios with hypothetical "donut" portfolios, which lacked the core component. "...over sufficient time periods, not only were the median and higher-end outcomes better for the donut portfolio, but the lowest percentile performance was similar to the core-satellite portfolios," said Cambridge Managing Director Hamilton Lee. "And these results are net of fees." If you are employing this structure, it's important not to look at individual manager performance, but at the composite level -- and to look at it over a longer time frame, not shorter time frames. "It's interesting that among proponents of passive management I have gotten less pushback than I expected," said Cambridge Managing Director Jackie Williams. "The results are compelling."


The joint entity and relation linking task aims to connect the noun phrases (resp., relational phrases) extracted from natural language documents to the entities (resp., predicates) in general knowledge bases (KBs). This task benefits numerous downstream systems, such as question answering and KB population. Previous works on entity and relation linking rely on the global coherence assumption, i.e., entities and predicates within the same document are highly correlated with each other. However, this assumption is not always valid in many real-world scenarios. Due to KB incompleteness or data sparsity, sparse coherence among the entities and predicates within the same document is common. Moreover, there may exist isolated entities or predicates that are not related to any other linked concepts. In this paper, we propose TENET, a joint entity and relation linking technique, which relaxes the coherence assumption in an unsupervised manner. Specifically, we formulate the joint entity and relation linking task as a minimum-cost rooted tree cover problem on the knowledge coherence graph constructed based on the document. We then propose effective approximation algorithms with pruning strategies to solve this problem and derive the linking results. Extensive experiments on real-world datasets demonstrate the superior effectiveness and efficiency of our method against the state-of-the-art techniques.


PRIMARY tumors of the duodenum occur infrequently, and of the tumors of the duodenum the leiomyosarcoma is the rarest. Von Salis in 1920 reported on the first patient with duodenal leiomyosarcoma.1Weinstein and Roberts in 1952 summarized the literature and found 28 cases, including 1 which they had reported.2Because of the rarity of this disease, the fact that there has been no reported successful removal of such a tumor from the fourth portion of the duodenum, and the fact that there are no published data to indicate that any of the patients with leiomyosarcoma of the duodenum have survived operative removal by more than three years, it was thought that the following case should be reported. The patient survived removal of a leiomyosarcoma of the fourth portion of the duodenum and lived for three years and eight months. Weinstein and Roberts related that a typical history is


The work shows a significant effect of the focusing magnetic field on the output characteristics of the klystron. When the calculations are done using nonlinear one-dimensional models, optimization of the parameters makes it possible to obtain versions of devices with the efficiency of 0.8 – 0.9 and higher. However, when testing these options using nonlinear two-dimensional models that take into account the radial motion of electrons, there is a significant discrepancy in the output characteristics obtained from the one-dimensional and two-dimensional models. This is due to the fact that during the motion of the electron beam, the radii of the leading centers of the large particles change the coefficients of interaction of the particle fields with the electromagnetic fields of the resonators change, which leads to a change in the output characteristics of the klystrons: efficiency, output power, and gain. On the other hand, it seemed that setting a large focusing magnetic field to exclude the radial motion of particles could eliminate this drawback, however, another problem arises here - the magnetic system for focusing becomes unacceptably large and it is technically difficult to obtain magnetic induction values of more than 2 T (the weight of the magnetic system can be several hundred kilograms). Therefore, one should choose the magnetic field induction for focusing the electron beam no more than 1T. In this paper, a twodimensional nonlinear mathematical model (2.5D) is proposed that takes into account the azimuthal component in the equations of motion. In the model, the induction of the focusing magnetic field is set in the form of tables. This makes it possible to set the inhomogeneity of the magnetic field at any place in the interaction space of the klystron. The calculation of a powerful relativistic klystron with an accelerating voltage of 1000 kV and the beam current of 250 A was carried out. The use of an inhomogeneous magnetic field makes it possible to reduce the deposition of electrons in the region of the gaps. Therefore, a decrease in the electron deposition leads to an increase in the durability of klystrons.


Objective Epidemiological studies have investigated the association between Parkinson disease (PD) occurrence and the risk of brain tumors, while the results remain controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to clarify the exact relationship between PD and brain tumors. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect and CBM (China Biology Medicine Disc) before February 2016. Eligible studies were those that reported risk estimates of brain tumors among patients with PD or vice versa. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled odds ratio (OR) of the outcomes. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analysis were conducted to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity. Results In total, eight studies involving 329,276 participants met our inclusion criteria. The pooled OR was 1.51 (95%CI 1.21–1.89), indicating that PD carried a higher risk of brain tumor. Analyses by temporal relationship found that the occurrence of brain tumor was significantly higher after the diagnosis of PD (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.18–2.05), but not statistically significant before PD diagnosis (OR 1.21, 95%CI 0.93–1.58). Subgroup analysis showed that gender differences, ethnicity differences and the characteristic of the tumor (benign or malignant) did not make much change in the association between brain tumor and PD. Conclusions Our meta-analysis collecting epidemiological studies suggested a positive association of PD with brain tumors, while the influence of anti-parkinson drugs and ascertainment bias could not be excluded. Further studies with larger sample size and more strict inclusion criteria should be conducted in the future.


A new design for anisotropic piezoelectric disk resonators is demonstrated using single-crystal Al0.3Ga0.7As films. The shape of the disk resonator is based on the velocity propagation profile of the elastic wave in the plane of the piezoelectric film, with lateral dimensions scaled to the half wavelength of the desired resonance frequency. The resonators are designed with supports which emulate free-free boundary conditions. Prototype resonators are fabricated using a three-layer Al0.3Ga0.7As heterostructure containing silicon-doped electrodes and an undoped piezoelectric Al0.3Ga 0.7As layer. Quality factors as high as 11 200 are measured in air for a 23.25 MHz fundamental resonant mode, with a corresponding motional resistance of 1.67 kOmega. A finite-element model for the resonator design is also described. Simulation results agree well with both theoretical calculations and experimental data


This article intends to compare the speeches of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez with the help of Critical Discourse Analysis. This article has applied Van Dijk's theoretical framework to dig out the issues of domination, imperialism, violence, resistance, and injustice not only in a social context but also in a political arena inculcated in speeches. The research has analyzed one speech of each president qualitatively to investigate the concepts of resistance against the hegemonic domination of the US. The study finds that both the leaders have utilized positive self-representation and negative other representation with the help of discursive devices. The study has also found the brutality, domination, and injustice of the US. There may be found ideological similarities between the two presidents' positions over the imperialist designs. They are agreed that certain global powers' incursions and hegemonies need to be resisted due to their designs of imperialism and hegemony in places like the Middle East and Venezuela. The Study recommends that resistance rhetoric in politics can be significantly helpful in terms of international political diplomacies and policies for the nations of the world.


CONTEXT
There is a lack of knowledge about hormonal and anthropometric changes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) after the menopause.

OBJECTIVE
To study reproductive hormones and anthropometry in women with PCOS up to an age above 80 years.

DESIGN
Prospective cohort study.

SETTING
University Hospital.

PATIENTS
A well-defined cohort of women with PCOS, previously examined in 1987 and 2008 (21 years period) was re-examined in 2019 (11 years period). Of the original cohort (n = 37), 22 women were still alive and 21 (age range 72-91 years) participated. Comparisons were made with age-matched controls (n = 55) from the original control cohort (BMI similar to PCOS women). The results were compared with results from 1987 and 2008.

INTERVENTIONS
Hormonal measurements and physical examination.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
FSH, LH, testosterone, SHBG, free androgen index (FAI), hirsutism score, BMI, and waist-hip ratio (WHR).

RESULTS
At mean age 81 years, FSH levels were lower in women with PCOS (50 vs. 70 IU/L) who were still more hirsute than controls (33% vs. 4%). No differences were found in FAI, testosterone, SHBG or LH levels, BMI or WHR.From perimenopausal age until the present age, levels of testosterone and FAI continued to decline in women with PCOS. SHBG levels continued to increase with age. FSH had not changed over time during the last eleven years.

CONCLUSIONS
Women with PCOS at ages 72-91 had lower FSH levels, remained clinically hyperandrogenic and had similar FAI and body composition as controls.


Abstract Studies regarding historical seismic events occurred during the pre-instrumental era are mostly based on the interpretation of coeval records reporting earthquake effects on humans and buildings as experienced and reported by witnesses. Historical sources typically consist of written documents such as letters, newspapers articles, chronicles and memoirs that survived the passage of time; from these documents and their historical context, seismologists isolate the relevant descriptive information on the effects of a seismic event in a place. This information is required to estimate a macroseismic intensity, in turn, used as input to assess the earthquake parameters such as the epicentre location and magnitude. Historical seismologists feel the need of a system for organizing the huge amount of data retrieved in their research, and able to keep trace of the complex relations among these data. A tool addressing these needs may well be used to perform the opposite action: being able to trace back each step of the research procedure, enabling seismologists checking the reliability of the background data, spotting potential errors or potential misinterpretations, and, possibly, to enrich and consolidate the description of an earthquake. This work, carried out with the collaboration of an experienced historical seismologist, investigates the peculiar needs of this field of research and proposes new tools, which are based on a Geographical Information System (GIS). Finally, a prototype system is presented. This solution enables to store, manage and analyse spatial and thematic data related to historical earthquakes, and integrates the relevant data resulting from seismic studies and from their original source documents. In particular, the conceptual model of the GIS spatial database is described and some examples of maps and queries are discussed for a case study represented by two earthquakes which occurred in Locris (Greece) on the 20th and 27th April 1894.


With the aim of improving the pharmacological properties of current protease inhibitors (PIs), the synthesis of various acyl and carbamate amino acid- or diglyceride-containing prodrugs derived from saquinavir, indinavir and nelfinavir, their in vitro stability with respect to hydrolysis and their anti-HIV activity in CEM-SS and MT4 cells have been investigated. l-Leucine (Leu) and l-phenylalanine (Phe) were connected through their carboxyl to the PIs while l-tyrosine (Tyr) was conjugated through its aromatic hydroxyl via various spacer units. Hydrolysis of the prodrug with liberation of the active free drug was crucial for antiviral activity. The Leu- and Phe-PI prodrugs released the active free drug very rapidly (half-lives of hydrolysis in buffer at 37 degree C of 3-4 h). The Tyr-PI conjugates with a -C(O)(CH(2))(4)- linker exhibited half-lives in the 40-70 h range and antiviral activities in the 21-325 nM range (from 2 to 22 nM for the free PIs). The chemically very stable carbamate "peptidomimetic" Tyr-PI prodrugs (no hydrolysis detected after 7 days in buffer) displayed a very low anti-HIV activity or were even inactive (EC(50) from 2300 nM to >10 microM). A very low antiviral activity was measured for the diglyceride-substituted saquinavir and for all of the disubstituted indinavir and nelfinavir prodrugs. All these prodrugs probably released the active parent PI too slowly under the antiviral assay conditions. These results combined with those from transepithelial transport studies (Rouquayrol et al., Pharm. Res., 2002, 19, 1704-1712) indicate that conjugation of amino acids (through their carboxyl) to the PIs constitutes a most appealing alternative which could improve the intestinal absorption of the PIs and reduce their recognition by efflux carriers.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) systems operated in dual band for the non-destructive measurement of the fat, protein, collagen, ash, and Na contents of soy sauce stewed meat (SSSM). Spectra in the waveband ranges of 650–950 nm and 960–1660 nm were acquired from vacuum-packed ready-to-eat samples that were purchased from 97 different brands. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) was employed to develop models predicting the five critical quality parameters. The results showed the best predictions were for the fat (Rp = 0.808; RMSEP = 2.013 g/kg; RPD = 1.666) and protein (Rp = 0.863; RMSEP = 3.372 g/kg; RPD = 1.863) contents, while barely sufficient performances were found for the collagen (Rp = 0.524; RMSEP = 1.970 g/kg; RPD = 0.936), ash (Rp = 0.384; RMSEP = 0.524 g/kg; RPD = 0.953), and Na (Rp = 0.242; RMSEP = 2.097 g/kg; RPD = 1.042) contents of the SSSM. The quality of the content predicted by the spectrum of 960–1660 nm was generally better than that for the 650–950 nm range, which was retained in the further prediction of fat and protein. To simplify the models and make them practical, regression models were established using a few wavelengths selected by the random frog (RF) or regression coefficients (RCs) method. Consequently, ten wavelengths (1048 nm, 1051 nm, 1184 nm, 1191 nm, 1222 nm, 1225 nm, 1228 nm, 1450 nm, 1456 nm, 1510 nm) selected by RF and eight wavelengths (1019 nm, 1097 nm, 1160 nm, 1194 nm, 1245 nm, 1413 nm, 1441 nm, 1489 nm) selected by RCs were individually chosen for the fat and protein contents to build multi-spectral PLSR models. New models led to the best predictive ability of Rp, RMSEP, and RPD of 0.812 and 0.855, 1.930 g/kg and 3.367 g/kg, and 1.737 and 1.866, respectively. These two simplified models both yielded comparable performances to their corresponding full-spectra models, demonstrating the effectiveness of these selected variables. The overall results indicate that NIRS, especially in the spectral range of 960–1660 nm, is a potential tool in the rapid estimation of the fat and protein contents of SSSM, while not providing particularly good prediction statistics for collagen, ash, and Na contents.


OBJECTIVES
Under-recognition of bipolar disorder (BD) is common and incurs significant costs for individuals and society. Clinicians are often encouraged to use screening instruments to help them identify patients with the disorder. The Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) is the most widely studied measure for this purpose. Some studies, however, have used the MDQ as a case-finding instrument rather than a screening scale. Such inappropriate use of screening scales risks distorting perceptions about many facets of BD, from its prevalence to its consequences.

METHODS
Studies using the MDQ were reviewed to identify those reports that have used the scale as a case-finding measure rather than a screening scale.

RESULTS
Multiple studies were identified in the BD literature that used the MDQ as a diagnostic proxy. The findings of these studies were misinterpreted because of the failure to make the distinction between screening and case-finding.

CONCLUSIONS
Inappropriate conclusions have been drawn regarding the prevalence, morbidity, and diagnostic under-recognition of BD in studies that rely on the MDQ as a diagnostic proxy. A conceptual critique is offered against the use of self-administered screening questionnaires for the detection of BD in psychiatric settings.


Using a variable temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM), we have investigated the process of nanopit formation as an intense electric field is applied to a Si(001) surface with a negatively biased STM tip at a large tip-sample distance while heating the sample at 400–500°C. We have found that nanopits are formed via layer-by-layer removal of atoms. We have demonstrated that atomic steps can be manipulated by the selective atom removal from step edges. Our results are qualitatively explained based on the field evaporation of surface Si atoms as positive ions, considering the site dependence of the binding energy and the field distribution on the surface.


Purposes To explore the value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in diagnosing pneumocystis jiroveciipneumonia (PJP) in the immunocompromised patients. Methods Data of 122 patients with PJP in an immunosuppressed state and 67 non-PJP patients were collected. The diagnostic efficacy of mNGS was compared with the conventional methods, including Gomori methenamine silver (GMS) staining and serum (1,3)-β-D-glucan (BDG). Changes of anti-microbial therapy for patients with PJP based on mNGS results were also reviewed. Results The diagnostic sensitivity of mNGS to PJP was higher than that of GMS and BDG (100% vs. 15 and 74.5%, p < 0.001). The diagnostic specificity (91.%) was lower than that of GMS (100%), and similar with BDG (89.6%). In addition to P. jirovecii, mNGS revealed co-pathogens like human β-herpesvirus 5, human γ-pesvirus 4, and some other opportunistic pathogens. The reads of mNGS were remarkably higher in BALF than in blood samples. Initial antimicrobial treatment was modified in 89.3% patients based on the mNGS results, and 74 cases (60.7%) were treated with anti-P. jirovecii therapy. Conclusion mNGS is highly efficient in diagnosing PJP and good at identifying pathogens in mixed infections.


ABSTRACT In recent years, Spain has been far and away the leader in records of publications on education in indexed international journals. For several years, the accreditation requirements of university professorates have included publications on education in indexed journals. This study reports that Spain's leadership in publications on education dovetails in time with the inclusion of these requirements in the regulations on access to the university professorate. Likewise, the number of education journals headquartered in Spain was also analysed, and significant increases have been found in the number of these journals during the period analysed; Spain is ranked near the top worldwide on this indicator as well. The main conclusion of this study is that the requirement to publish on teaching in the university professorate accreditation processes in recent years has significantly influenced the publication figures in indexed journals as well as the number of indexed journals headquartered in Spain.


Today, there is an urge to find long-term sustainable solutions. The increasing emphasis on creativity, innovation and collaboration as key sources of competitive advantage make the spaces in which these solutions are developed of key importance. The main research question of this thesis is to explore how Innovation Spaces contribute in shaping today's dynamic environment. The goal is to understand what mind-set and interaction processes are present inside an Innovation Space, what implications they have for the society, and the role of technology and innovation inside these spaces. A secondary research question aims at investigating the impact of forced remote/smart working, increased due to the emergence of Covid-19, on innovative practices that took place inside Innovation Spaces built around physical proximity. The methodology for this study is an explorative qualitative approach applied to a multiple case study. The data was collected through two kinds of sources: semi-structured interviews to respondents of six Innovation Spaces and a narrative literature review. Subsequently, the analysis of the primary data collection of interviews followed an Aspect-Thematic Analysis. The key result of the analysis is the existence of three overlapping spheres of Innovation Spaces. These are Mind-set & Human Interaction, Impact on Society & Sustainability and Innovation & Technology. The first sphere of Mind-set & Human Interaction represents a point of intersection between the other two. Although each sphere is vital for the effectiveness of the space, the focus is on the people involved, their mind-set and the interactions that take place. The success of an innovation space in shaping today's dynamic environment lies in the ability of who manages it to achieve the mind-set and interaction necessary to have an impact on society by leveraging effectively on innovation and technology.


We study vortex dynamics in a ring-shaped Josephson-junction array with emphasis on the interaction of the vortex with spinwaves. An offset charge Qx induces a persistent voltage which depends on the ratio of the charging to the Josephson coupling energy as well as on the ratio of the phase coherence length Lφ for a vortex to the system size. We determine the temperature dependence of Lφ and find an observable persistent voltage at low temperatures.


ABSTRACT This article examines a piece of corporate theatre. Although theatre has entered organization studies through the dramatistic writing of Kenneth Burke and the dramaturgical writings of Erving Goffman, this article is concerned with an approach variously described as organizational, radical, situation or corporate theatre that treats theatre not primarily as a resource, an ontology or a metaphor but as a technology. This approach involves the deployment by an organization of dramatists, actors, directors, set designers, lighting specialists, and musicians to put on performances in front of audiences. Using frameworks derived from studies of theatre a particular piece of corporate theatre is described and analysed. It is argued that this form of theatre appears to be used to contain reflection and to promote the views of a particular group within an organization. It does not confront an audience but subtly suggests alternative ways of evaluating, construing and understanding issues. This may be achieved by anaesthetizing audience reaction by encouraging imaginative participation in the performance so that cherished beliefs and values do not appear to be directly challenged.


Thermoelectric (TE) materials, or materials that can generate an electrical energy from temperature gradient, are promising for renewable energy technology. One fundamental aspect in the TE research is the demand to maximize the TE power-factor, PF^2=Sσ, by having as large Seebeck coefficient (S) and electrical conductivity (σ) as possible. In the early 90s, Hicks and Dresselhaus proposed the PF enhancement by using low-dimensional materials, in which electrons are confined in certain directions and they move freely in the other directions. This quantum effect is known as the confinement length (L) effect, in which L is the thickness or diameter of the two-dimensional (2D) or one-dimensional materials, respectively. However, a key challenge is to understand the critical value of L, at which the PF can be significantly enhanced. Recently, we reevaluated the confinement theory of the lowdimensional materials to solve this issue. We showed that electrons are fully confined only when L is smaller than an intrinsic length Λ, the so-called thermal de Broglie wavelength, which depends on the materials and can be experimentally measured. Monolayer 2D materials naturally satisfy the condition of L < Λ since their confinement length is ~ 1 nm, while their thermal de Broglie wavelength is ~ 5–10 nm. Therefore, they could be a good candidate for TE materials. In this review article, we first review the TE materials with low dimensions. Then, we show the basic concept of the confinement effect and the consequence of such an effect. Finally, based on this effect, we turn our attention to the progress achieved recently in the TE properties of the 2D materials such as monolayer InSe, GaN electron gas, and SrTiO_3 superlattices.


This thesis examines FtM (female to male) transgender YouTubers, their relationships with Internet platforms, with each other, with their bodies, and with mass media. Exploring content uploaded by trans YouTubers, as well as interviews with three YouTubers (Liam Rutz, Chase Ross and Charles Thomy), this thesis examines how the unprecedented modes of presenting and viewing the body through digital self-representation and online community legitimize trans identities. Topics of community, narrative, (self-)representation/archival, vernacular, binaries, accessibility, legitimization, the gendered body in cyberspace, and cyber/auto-ethnography are explored through ethnographic data as well as literature. Findings suggest that selfrepresentational digital media makes trans bodies, identities, and life experiences accessible to both trans and cis individuals.


People with psychosis are commonly socially isolated, both due to their condition, and the stigma towards them. Remote volunteering over smart-phone can be a way to overcome social isolation and physical distance, promoting social inclusion. This talk will present the qualitative findings from a feasibility study – the Phone Pal – which connected in the United Kingdom patients with psychosis with community volunteers, to communicate with each other for up to 12 weeks via smart-phone (through texts, WhatsApp messages, e-mails, audio or video calls). Participants described at the end of the study their experiences of communicating with their match over the smart-phone in terms of frequency, duration and timing of communication, their communication method, content and style, and the changes of communication over time. Several participants reported a positive impact of being connected with someone, meeting a new person, feeling supported and feeling better, and a few described challenges, such as disappointment, guilt and burden. These interview findings show that some matches were able to develop a positive and friendly relationship, and were willing to continue to be in contact with each other beyond the study duration. It is hoped that this talk will generate a lively discussion, gathering further understanding about the potential benefits and challenges of remote volunteering over smart-phone for patients and volunteers, and its potential usefulness in the current pandemic times. Disclosure No significant relationships.


Muslims in the Metropolis is about everyday social and cultural practices through which Muslim identity and ?community? are made. The study takes Birmingham, a city synonymous with Muslims and the area of Sparkbrook, which has decades long associations with racialised communities, as sites of Muslim-making. While there is considerable literature concerned with the Muslim presence in Western European public spheres, much of it treats the city as merely incidental in the lives of Muslims; as places where they have settled and, then, generated formal spaces, infrastructures and narratives relating to their presence. A key argument advanced in this thesis is that impressions of Muslims as a ?community? defined through the lens of settlement patterns resulting from immigration, folk-religious practices carried over from other homelands, socio-economic disadvantage and various other markers of their presence, lend them to being understood in essentialist ways. A number of scholars have noted this and how discourses about ?parallel lives?, ?clash of civilisations? and ?religious extremism? have culminated in the Muslim question.In this study I do not so much seek to challenge such representations, but to consider what is left over ? the excess - from these framings. A key consequence I argue is that Muslims, when viewed and worked with officially as a ?community? based on sensibilities of race relations management in the city, misses the vitality of Muslim life as it is made everyday in relation to discourses and materials linked with their presence in the city. Through the use of ethnography and specifically observations and interviews conducted with people involved in setting up and running an ?alternative Muslim arts centre?, a local ?community? radio station and diffuse networks of social action across the city, I trace different contours of Muslim identity and ?community? in the making.Ethnographic methods, I argue, allow valuable insights into how Muslims relate to the city as a place historically marked and presently targeted through racialised narratives and categories of control. There are complex negotiations that go on, where Muslims occasionally resist as well as fold into authoritative discourses and structures around them. Attention is paid to how Muslims live in the interstices of these and how through their social practices generate alternative meanings toward being Muslim; as something not given in the existing nomenclature of multicultural identities in the city, but in process and becoming. These everyday urban rituals of Muslims, therefore, present a challenge to official and academic efforts that attempt to represent or confer recognition on Muslims.


This research has been concentrated on Teakwondo major student process of socialization according to their learning styles. The process of socialization includes general social role, integrative role, controlling roles and emotional roles. This research has also been aimed at providing basic data for the learners` participation in positive social activites. The following are the conclusions: First, participatory learning affects their integrative and controlling attitudes. Second, independent learning also affects their socially integrative and controlling attitudes. Third, cooperative learning affects their social attitudes and socio-emotional attitudes. Fourth, competitive learing affects their social attitudes, socially controlling attitudes and socio-emotional attitudes. The following effects are expected based on the above conclusions: First, Teakwondo learners can foster socially integrative leadership and decision-making abilities. Second, Teakwondo learners can foster socio-emotional abilities through group-life and small-scale social activities. Third, Teakwondo learners can foster self-controlling abilities, respecting manners and emphasizing spiritual abilities. That is, they can control themselves, overcoming psychologist Freudian aggressive trends.


Abstract. Many industrial applications require dense point clouds of the installations. Acquisition of the rooms, filled with many objects, of an industrial scene leads to many Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) stations. A precise registration of all the per-station point clouds is crucial for the required accuracy of 1-2 cm of final data. Targets and tachometry, current best practice for registration, slows down the survey and limits the number of campaigns. Indoor geolocation system are faster but do not reach the final required accuracy. Otherwise, 3D primitives can be automatically extracted from the dense point clouds and possibly used for registration. In a four step primitive-based registration, Acquisition – Reconstruction – Matching – Solving, the matching is crucial. This article presents a probabilistic test for 3D lines matching using a priori distributions of approximated transformations. The stochastic model of approximated transformations and resulting uncertain lines is introduced. A test is performed on a real dataset of an industrial scene and the results are analysed. Improvements of the presented test and matching framework are also discussed.


Digital rights management makes it easier for vendors to practice price discrimination online. Public resistance is perhaps the main reason it is not prevalent in online information sales.


When we use the term "integration or amalgamation" in this book,we are taking a short form to express an alternative between integration (by the route of either pluralism or amalgamation) and amalgamation short of integration. We have done this because unification movements in the past have often aimed at both of these goals, with some of the supporters of the movements preferring one or the other goal at different times. To encourage this profitable ambiguity, leaders of such movements have often used broader symbols such as "union", which could cover both possibilities and could be made to mean different things to different men. Deutsch et al., Political Community , 1957 Western Europe is a security community. In contrast to the expectations of most contemporary theorists of security communities, this has not been achieved by erecting common security structures or institutions, but primarily through a process of "desecuritization", a progressive marginalization of mutual security concerns in favor of other issues. This chapter's main section traces how Western Europe has gone from insecurity (1940s and 1950s), over security (1960s) and desecuritization (1970s to the mid 1980s) to reach a situation in the 1990s of re-securitization. Mutual military fears are still absent at the level of state-to-state, but more issues are today cast in security terms, economy, environment and migration. Classical political security concerns appear but are mostly conceived for "Europe" not individual states. Re-securitization raises the specter of a possible unravelling of the West European security community, because when something is constituted as a security issue this enables more extreme action. Since Deutsch defines security community in terms of the absence of war, it really is a non-war-community, and security problems can continue to unfold within it.


Arterial hypertension has an important functional and morphological influence on the arterial system. The evaluation of functional and morphological changes is based upon such terms as compliance, stiffness, distensibility in the former and intima-media thickness (IMT), number and kind of atheromatous plaques in the latter case. Functional changes in the large arteries can be modified by antihypertensive and hypolipemic agents. The IMT as a non-invasive marker of vascular wall injury is increasingly frequently used in the studies. It has been identified as a significant predictor of coronary and cerebral vascular complications. Most studies on hypolipemic therapy demonstrate that the progression of IMT is slowed down. Ca-antagonists, ACE inhibitors and beta blockers are the most frequently studied agents with respect to their influence on IMT in the following patient populations: hypertensives, patients with coronary artery disease, at high cardiovascular risk and asymptomatic subjects with carotid plaque. The present paper summarises the results of these studies. The findings of the ELSA trial, the largest study evaluating the effects of therapy on IMT are noteworthy. It has been demonstrated that lacidipine has a better antiatheromatous effect than atenolol, which is independent of its hypotensive properties. Non-invasive, relatively easy ultrasound measurement of IMT in the carotid artery is an important tool to detect atheromatous lesions and because of its prognostic value. It may also serve as a predictor of cardiovascular complications, which helps in the process of therapeutic decision-making.


This paper is concerned with optimizing the weights of the global minimum-variance portfolio (GMVP) in high-dimensional settings where both observation and population dimensions grow at a bounded ratio. Optimizing the GMVP weights is highly influenced by the data covariance matrix estimation. In a high-dimensional setting, it is well known that the sample covariance matrix is not a proper estimator of the true covariance matrix since it is not invertible when we have fewer observations than the data dimension. Even with more observations, the sample covariance matrix may not be well-conditioned. This paper determines the GMVP weights based on a regularized covariance matrix estimator to overcome the abovementioned difficulties. Unlike other methods, the proper selection of the regularization parameter is achieved by minimizing the mean squared error of an estimate of the noise vector that accounts for the uncertainty in the data mean estimation. Using random-matrix-theory tools, we derive a consistent estimator of the achievable mean squared error that allows us to find the optimal regularization parameter using a simple line search. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method when the data dimension is larger than, or of the same order of, the number of data samples.


Pregnant women with inflammatory bowel disease and their physicians should be aware of factors that may affect the outcome of the pregnancy. Proper patient education, along with a physician team approach, usually ensure completion of an uneventful pregnancy.


Forests in urban and suburban environments share many of the characteristics of other forests discussed in this volume, particularly their structure and function. For those involved in the modern science and practice of forest ecology, urban forests present unique challenges and opportunities due to the intensity and duration of human–forest interactions. Urban forests are composed of trees growing in parks, natural areas, along streets and in gardens within a matrix of buildings, roads and waterways, all of which exist primarily due to the actions of humans. The development of the discipline of forest science was driven by the increasing world demand for wood products in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and most early foresters were focused on 'natural forests' or plantations and were uninterested in trees and forests in built environments (Miller 1988). Due mainly to the belief in the now outdated paradigm that humans were not components of ecosystems, this lack of interest in human settlements was also shared by the emerging, closely related scientific discipline of ecology (McDonnell 2011). As a consequence of the current rate and magnitude of the growth of urban areas around the globe, there is an increasing recognition of the need to create and maintain green, liveable, biodiversity rich, healthy and sustainable cities and towns (Forman 2014). Everyone involved in the science and practice of urban forest ecology and urban forestry has an opportunity to make significant contributions to the design, creation and management of sustainable human settlements in the future.


Background Mixtures ('cocktails') of various analgesics are more effective in controlling post-operative pain because of potential synergetic effects. Few studies have investigated such effects in large combinations of analgesics and no studies have determined the probabilities of effectiveness. Methods We used one-hot encoding of the categorical variables reported pain levels and the administered cocktails (from a total of eight analgesics) and then applied an unsupervised neural network and then the unsupervised DBSCAN algorithm to detect clusters of cocktails. We used Bayesian statistics to classify the effectiveness of these cocktails. Results Of the 61 different cocktails administered to 750 patients, we found that four combinations of three to four analgesics were by far the most effective. All these cocktails contained Metamizole and Paracetamol; three contained Hydromorphone and two contained Diclofenac and one Diclofenac-Orphenadrine. The ML probability that these cocktails decreased pain levels ranged from 0.965 to 0.981. Choice of a most effective cocktail involves choosing the optimum in a 4-dimensional parameter space: maximum probability of efficacy, confidence interval about maximum probability, fraction of patients with increase in pain levels, relative number of patients with successful pain level decrease. Conclusions We observed that administering one analgesic or at most two is not effective. We found no statistical indicators that interactions between analgesics in the most effective cocktails decreased their effectiveness. Pairs of most effective cocktails differed by the addition of only one analgesic (Diclofenac-Orphenadrine for one pair and Hydromorphone for the other). We conclude that the listed cocktails are to be recommended.


intensity independent registration criterion for non-rigid body registration of medical images. The criterion is defined as the weighted ratio image of two images. The ratio is computed on a voxel per voxel basis and weighting is performed by setting the ratios between signal and background voxels to a standard high value. The mean squared value of the weighted ratio is computed over the union of the signal areas of the two images and it is minimized using the Chebyshev polynomial approximation. The geometric transformation model adopted is a local cubic B-splines based model.


The effect of air drag on satellite orbits of small eccentricity (< 0-2) was studied in part I on the assumption that the atmosphere was spherically symmetrical. In reality the density of the upper atmosphere depends on the elevation of the Sun above the horizon and has a maximum when the Sun is almost overhead. In the present paper the theory is extended to an atmosphere in which the air density at a given height varies sinusoidally with the geocentric angular distance from the maximum-density direction. Equations are derived which show how perigee distance and orbital period vary with eccentricity throughout the satellite's life, and how eccentricity varies with time. Expressions are also obtained for lifetime and air density at perigee in terms of the rate of change of orbital period. The main geometrical parameter determining the long-term effect of this day-to-night variation is the angular distance p of perigee from the maximum-density direction. Results are obtained for <})pconstant and


Purpose:  To evaluate the effect of intravitreal Aflibercept injection on wet AMD both functionally and anatomically after loading doses. The secondary aim is to evaluate the effect of risk factors including (gender, age, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes meatus) on the patient's response.
Study Design:  Interventional case series.
Place and Duration of Study:  Al-Haitham Eyes Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, from November 2021 and September 2022.
Methods:  Fifty eyes of 47 patients with treatment naïve wet AMD were selected through convenient sampling. Data were collected for age, gender, smoking, and chronic disease. Clinical examination, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), optical coherence tomography angiography, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography SD-OCT were performed at baseline and then at 16 weeks, after three one-monthly injections of Aflibercept 2 mg/ 0.05 ml intravitreally.
Results:  Mean age was 68.23 ± 8.5 years. Mean difference in BCVA was 0.37 ± 0.03 (P = 0.000) and mean difference in central macular thickness was 105.72 ± 45.05 (P value < .0000) at 16 weeks. CNV was associated with intra-retinal fluid in 52% of cases, subretinal fluid in 72%, pigment epithelial detachment in 20%, intraretinal hemorrhage in 6% and subretinal hemorrhage in 4%. Studying associations between the responses of Aflibercept with the general features of the patients as age, gender, chronic diseases and smoking status, revealed no statistically significant difference.
Conclusion:  This study demonstrates that aflibercept is effective for the treatment of patients with wet AMD both functionally and anatomically after the loading doses. The presence of intraretinal fluid at presentation had a negative effect on the vision.


Ayurveda has a unique specialty of holistic approach and includes all the factors which are necessary for maintenance of health. Trigunas are essential drives of the mind which differentiate individuals on the basisof their psychological constitution. Genetically determined, these psychological characteristics are dependent on the relative dominance of the three Gunas. Manasa Prakruti features pertain to the mind and mental activities of the person. Due to their resemblance in qualities to that of almighty god, names were designated accordingly. Totally 16 types of Manasika Prakruti are described in Charaka Samhita. After proper understanding of Satwa Prakruti one should initiate appropriate therapy.  Maha Prakruti's are those which manifests due to influence of Satva, Raja and Tama and knowledge of the constitution is very much essential. Three types of psyche are described to be born from virtue, anger and delusion these are said to be superior, medium and inferior respectively. Seven, Six and three respectively are said to be the types of these psyche. To prescribe medicines, knowledge of this is essential.


The aim of this essay is to contribute to the discussion on the directions of teaching under the perspective of the resistance to the neoconservative ideas presented by the rules of capitalism under its "globalized" form. It draws a landscape in which the extraordinary potentialities of humanization and socialization of the individual given by the technological and cientific development are set against his growing loneliness and individualism in the social relationships and points to the need of opposing the aims of teaching proposed by the leading ways of thinking in our times - that is, the making of the worker and/as a consumer fit to the new technologies. It confronts this trend in education with a totally opposed view: education as a way of emancipating man.


Using a sample of $447.9\times 10^6$ $\psi(3686)$ events collected with the BESIII detector in 2009 and 2012, we study the decays $\chi_{c0,2}\to$ $\eta'\eta'$ and $\eta\eta'$. The decays $\chi_{c2}\to\eta'\eta'$, $\chi_{c0}\to\eta\eta'$ and $\chi_{c2}\to\eta\eta'$ are observed for the first time with statistical significances of $9.6\sigma$, $13.4\sigma$ and $7.5\sigma$, respectively. The branching fractions are determined to be $\mathcal{B}(\chi_{c0}\to\eta'\eta') =(2.19\pm0.03\pm0.14)\times10^{-3}$, $\mathcal{B}(\chi_{c2}\to\eta'\eta') = (4.76\pm0.56\pm0.38)\times10^{-5}$, $\mathcal{B}(\chi_{c0}\to\eta\eta') = (8.92\pm0.84\pm0.65)\times10^{-5}$ and $\mathcal{B}(\chi_{c2}\to\eta\eta') = (2.27\pm0.43\pm0.25)\times10^{-5}$, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The precision for the measurement of $\mathcal{B}(\chi_{c0}\to\eta'\eta')$ is significantly improved compared to previous measurements. Based on the measured branching fractions, the role played by the doubly and singly Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka disconnected transition amplitudes for $\chi_{c0,2}$ decays into pseudoscalar meson pairs can be clarified.


This paper proposes the use of the incremental method for principal components analysis, designed for human presence detection. The algorithm extracts principal components from the matrix of signal strength samples retrieved from the pre-existing wireless electrical infrastructure, based on smart outlets and smart light switches. By proposing the additional filter based on the Shannon Entropy, the level of false detections is minimized.


- The objective of this project is to implement the system for power saving. This paper presents the implementation of the power saving system. For the power control system, detection method is used for a power ON/OFF automatically in respective place. There are four parts in this project: the solar panel power, voltage switching source, sensor stage, and the energized relay portion. In the supplying power, sensor unit is employed for switching stage. The heart of this project is sensor portion. The sensor unit consist the LDR (Light Depending Resistor) the PIR (passive infrared sensor). The task of LDR is to detect the approaching of human person based on the principle of light/dark sensing. PIR sensor detects the radiated heat of a person and these data converts to an electrical signal and this signal is sent to the switching for processing. This signal creates a specific voltage for the relay to activate the power switching. But nobody is detected the power is automatically turned off. As a consequence the constructed energy control system prevents energy wastage.


Injection parameters for local drug delivery are frequently determined by studies with marker substances. However, the pharmacologic properties of the actual drug may influence delivery efficiency and lead to different results. Aim of this study was to assess the delivery capacities of two device‐drug combinations in order to verify this approach for further in vivo studies. Tritiated (3H) preparations (5 ml) of the hydrophylic low‐molecular‐weight heparin reviparin and the lipophilic taxane paclitaxel were injected into the left anterior descending artery of freshly explanted porcine hearts with the Infusasleeve II catheter system. A balloon support pressure of 6 atm and infusion pressures of 40, 60, 80, or 100 psi were used. In three additional groups, reviparin was injected following stent implantation and paclitaxel was injected prior to or following stent implantation. Arteries along with surrounding myocardium were harvested. The artery was carefully dissected, and artery and myocardium were separately homogenized, and activity was measured. Of the totally delivered activity, 0.09% ± 0.03% (40 psi) to 0.17% ± 0.13% (100 psi) of reviparin and 2.03% ± 0.67% (60 psi) to 2.68% ± 1.57% (100 psi) of paclitaxel were found in the vessel wall. The results for different injection pressures were not significantly different for either drug. The percentage activity delivered to the vessel wall was substantially larger in the paclitaxel group as compared to reviparin delivery (P < 0.01 at 60, 80, and 100 psi). The mean concentration of reviparin in the artery was 20 to 33 times higher than in the myocardium. For paclitaxel the factors were 110 to 243. Stent implantation prior to or following local delivery did not result in a different delivery efficiency. The results demonstrate that the characteristics of the delivered drug contribute largely to the delivery efficiency. Using identical injection parameters, drug concentrations in the arterial wall were significantly higher for the lipophilic paclitaxel as compared to the hydrophilic reviparin. Stenting of the artery did not influence delivery efficiency. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 47:102–106, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


We used a high-resolution Fabry-Perot spectrometer at Fritz Peak Observatory (39.9°N, 105.5°W) to determine the nighttime variation of thermospheric temperatures and winds from the line profiles and Doppler shifts of the O I 15,867-K (6300 A) line emission. With data obtained during the period April 1975 through March 1976 we examined the variation of the nighttime neutral gas temperature, zonal winds, and meridional winds at F layer heights throughout the year during solar cycle minimum. We compare our observed temperatures to predictions made by the MSIS (mass spectrometer and incoherent scatter) empirical model of neutral temperature and composition in the thermosphere. The calculated nighttime variation of thermospheric temperature is about 100°–150°K lower than measurements for summer and equinox months and about 50°–75°K lower than measurements for winter months. We compare the observed winds to the zonal and meridional winds, which we calculate from a three-dimensional semiempirical dynamic model of the thermosphere by using the pressure gradients specified by the MSIS model. The calculated nighttime winds are in general agreement with observed winds; both reveal a systematic monthly variation during geomagnetic quiet times. The nighttime equatorward meridional winds are greater in summer than in winter. The zonal winds are eastward throughout most of the night during winter; however, as the season progresses toward summer, a transition develops in the early morning hours from eastward to westward winds. This transition occurs earlier in the night as summer approaches. We use model predictions of the diurnal variations of winds and temperatures to calculate diurnal averages of the zonal and meridional wind components over Fritz Peak Observatory. The seasonal variation of these zonal mean values is presented.


The condition of the propulsion system in large scale ship directly affects the quality and safety of the ship's operation, so it is important to evaluate the condition of the propulsion system. The Nonlinear State Estimation Technology (NSET) method is a nonparametric modeling method, which is mostly used in nuclear power plant sensor calibration, equipment monitoring, and electronic product life prediction. In this paper, the nonlinear state estimation technology (NSET) method is applied to the condition evaluation of the propulsion system. According to the operating characteristics and state parameters of the propulsion system, this paper first performs data preprocessing, and then uses the prepossessed data to perform condition evaluation by the NSET method. The model method can be connected with the database system. It has the advantages of faster evaluation speed and higher precision, and can detect possible failures of equipment system in time. This method has a wide range of adaptability.


Objectives: The coronavirus 19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a renewed focus on end-of-life care. The majority of COVID-19 deaths occur in hospital, with patients cared for by generalists and hospital specialist palliative care teams (HSPCTs). This project aims at exploring the potential influences of HSPCTs on end-of-life care in COVID-19. Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out by exploring four end-of-life care themes in a Scottish hospital population who died from COVID-19. Comparison was made between cohorts seen by HSPCTs versus generalist clinicians. Results: Analysis of 119 patients across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) health board demonstrated that COVID-19 patients seen by HSPCTs were more likely to be younger (median 77 vs. 81 years; p = 0.02), have a cancer diagnosis (21.7% vs. 5.4%; p = 0.01), die sooner after admission (median four vs. six days; p < 0.01), and be commenced on a syringe driver (89.1% vs. 42.5%; p < 0.01). Differences detected across four end-of-life care themes comparing HSPCTs with generalist teams were minimal with documentation and prescribing in keeping with available guidance. Conclusion: Consistencies in end-of-life care observed across NHSGGC cohorts draw attention to the potential wider impact of HSPCT roles, including education, guideline development, and mentoring. Understanding such diverse effects is important to support funding and development of HSPCTs. Further research is required to better quantify the impact and heterogenous influences of HSPCTs in general.


A recent Oak Ridge National Laboratory report provided preliminary analyses to propose alternative design parameters for a nuclear reactor that could be fueled with natural UO3 or U3O8 and moderated with either heavy water or reactor-grade graphite. This report provides more specific reactor design and operating parameters for a heavy water–moderated reactor only. The basic assumptions and analytical approach are discussed together with the results of the analysis.


ABSTRACT Sun, M. and Niu, R.B., 2020. Multi-node data security detection method for stratified heterogeneous ocean sensor networks. In: Bai, X. and Zhou, H. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Environmental Protection, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 115, pp. 238-240. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Facing the further development of ocean detection sensor technology and the urgent situation of accelerating the expansion of my country's maritime power in the current international situation, we must conduct urgent research on the research progress and practical new development of ocean detection sensor technology. This article focuses on marine detection sensors and their development and application in the marine field. It briefly introduces the composition and system of ocean detection sensors, lists the main product types and key technologies of ocean detection sensors, introduces its main application fields according to the development of ocean detection sensors, and prospects the future development of the ocean. Detection sensor.


Abstract This article comments on Jörn Griebel and Milan Plücken's recent analysis in the Leiden Journal of International Law of the approach of the International Court of Justice to state responsibility in its judgment in the Genocide (Bosnia v. Serbia) case. The article also provides more general remarks on the law of state responsibility as it pertains to acts of non-state actors. In that regard, it discusses attribution based on de facto organ status and attribution based on direction and control, as well as whether, as a matter of policy, the law of state responsibility meets the needs of the modern world.


We carried out a detailed taphonomic study of the faunal remains from Nahal Hadera V (NHV), a large Kebaran open-air site on the northern coastal plain, Israel. Faunal remains were previously identified to bone element and species (Saxon, Martin & Bar-Yosef, 1978). However, NISP and MNI values were calculated based on teeth and epiphyses only. In this study we identified the maximum number of skeletal elements, including head fragments, vertebrae, ribs, carpals/tarsals, and shaft fragments. Further analyses included search for various bone surface modifications and the study of mode of bone fragmentation. We found minor loss of bones caused by various diagenetic processes, and no signs of carnivore activity. These results suggest that most of the bone destruction was caused during time of occupation, probably for marrow consumption, as indicated by mode of bone fragmentation. Absence of selective transport for gazelle (Gazella gazella) and fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica), the major prey species (with 70% and 20%, respectively), is supported by homogeneous representation of head-limb-toe elements. However, the carcasses may have been processed before transport to the site. Thus, a taphonomic analysis from NHV helps to illuminate the economy of NHV inhabitants and fine-tunes our understanding of the depositional history of the site. However, it does not overthrow results of earlier research using classical methods.


A statistical analysis of a typical videophone scene is presented. The approach to the traffic-control problem of ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) networks is described. The performance of this algorithm is discussed in view of video-coder picture quality, exploitation of the statistical-multiplexing gain, traffic-control response time, hardware complexity, and application for policing nonvideo-services traffic. The main features of the proposal are summarized. >


A new simple computational tool is proposed for the synthesis of multi-section coupled-line filters based on combined modified planar circuit method (MPCM) and transmission line method (TLM) analysis, referred to as MPCM-TLM. Due to its fundamentally simple architecture, the presented tool offers significantly faster optimization of coupled-line filters – for exactly the same initial simulation set-up – than other costly commercially-available tools, giving equally reliable results. Validity and accuracy of the proposed tool have been verified through the design of 3rd, 5th, and 7th order coupled-line filters and comparative analysis between results obtained from the proposed approach and the high-frequency structure simulator. A remarkable 99% time reduction in the analysis is recorded in the case of 7th order filter using the proposed tool, for almost identical results to HFSS. Therefore, it can be confidently claimed that the proposed technique can be used as a reliable alternative to existing complex, costly, processor-intensive CAD tools.


ABSTRACT This article argues that coloniality is an ongoing feature of university music education in Nigeria. It uses a multiple colonialisms framework in exploring Nigerian higher music education systems as historical and contemporary sites of colonialism within which Nigerian universities engage in music knowledge generation to reach this conclusion. It relies on information gleaned from scholarly sources. It shows that the dominance of Euro-American classical musical practice in bicultural university music education in Nigeria since 1961 has received little questioning. It identifies decolonisation as indigenisation, Africanisation, Islamisation, Nigerianisation and globalisation of university music education discourses as competing with this dominant paradigm. From the anti-colonial perspective, it argues that these six Nigerian music knowledge systems should not be simply celebrated, valorised and utilised. They should be critically engaged, interrogated, transformed, altered if necessary, and studied relationally, contextually and comparatively. Decolonising university music education in any society, it posits, involves centring music knowledge creation, understanding and sharing on multiplicity and entanglements.


The latest 5G mobile networks have enabled many exciting Internet of Things (IoT) applications that employ unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones). The success of most UAV-based IoT applications is heavily dependent on artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, for instance, computer vision and path planning. These AI methods must process data and provide decisions while ensuring low latency and low energy consumption. However, the existing cloud-based AI paradigm finds it difficult to meet these strict UAV requirements. Edge AI, which runs AI on-device or on edge servers close to users, can be suitable for improving UAV-based IoT services. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of edge AI on key UAV technical aspects (i.e., autonomous navigation, formation control, power management, security and privacy, computer vision, and communication) and applications (i.e., delivery systems, civil infrastructure inspection, precision agriculture, search and rescue (SAR) operations, acting as aerial wireless base stations (BSs), and drone light shows). As guidance for researchers and practitioners, this article also explores UAV-based edge AI implementation challenges, lessons learned, and future research directions.


In autotransplants of 1st group which exhibited all ultrastructural features of steroidogenesis most of cortical blood vessels were characterized by normal morphology corresponding to the vessels of control adrenal glands. However, 2nd group in which most of autotransplants showed possibility of steroid hormones synthesis capillaries were of changed structure. High endothelial cells did not form fenestrated membranes and most frequently they were situated on basement membrane composed of several layers. In autotransplants of 3rd group, devoid of steroidogenic features, all cortical vessels possessed changed structure. High endothelial cells did not form fenestrated membranes and they were situated on very thickened uniform or multi-layered basement membranes.


This article presents SpiralView, a visualization tool for helping system administrators to assess network policies. The tool is meant to be a complementary support to the routine activity of network monitoring, enabling a retrospective view on the alarms generated during and extended period of time. The tool permits to reason about how alarms distribute over time and how they correlate with network resources (e.g., users, IPs, applications, etc.), supporting the analysts in understanding how the network evolves and thus in devising new security policies for the future. The spiral visualization plots alarms in time, and, coupled with interactive bar charts and a users/applications graph view, is used to present network data and perform queries. The user is able to segment the data in meaningful subsets, zoom on specific related information, and inspect for relationships between alarms, users, and applications. In designing the visualizations and their interaction, and through tests with security experts, several ameliorations over the standard techniques have been provided.


A preliminary study on modelling tonal variation as a function of duration is carried out. An experimentally controlled acoustic database was utilized to construct functional linear models. In the construction of the linear models, duration was used as independent variable in predicting the shape of disyllabic pitch contours in Taiwan Mandarin, given the target tone sequences. Results showed that by moving duration values from short to long, tonal curve shapes of disyllables ranging from non-reduced to reduced were approximated with an adequate goodness-of-fit (usually below one semitone RMSE). This study provides a novel approach to examine the relation between duration and F0 realisation of small units such as disyllables and also supports the time pressure account of phonetic reduction in general.


To delay the onset of fatigue in endurance exercise it is advantageous to prolong muscle glycogen depletion. Oestradiol (the female sex hormone) has been shown to increase muscle glycogen content at rest and increase the availability of fats as a fuel source during exercise therefore delaying the onset of fatigue.
The effects of oestradiol administration on energy metabolism during sub-maximal exercise were examined by administering oestradiol using a transdermal oestradiol
therapy system in five amenorrheic athletes. The subjects completed two exercise trials for a period of two hours. Prior to each exercise trial they underwent three weeks of either an oestradiol or a placebo treatment. A three-week
washout period elapsed before the other treatment was administered. In all trials heart rates and perceived exertion were monitored, respiratory gases were collected, blood samples were taken from a vein in the antecubital space and analysed for metabolites and hormones. Pre and post exercise muscle biopsies were taken in two subjects and were analysed for glycogen and lactate.
Results from this study suggest that moderate elevation of semm oestradiol concentrations in amenorrheic athletes has no effect on substrate utilisation during two hours of sub-maximal exercise. There were no significant differences in heart rates, perceived exertion or respiratory exchange ratios, blood and plasma metabolites including glucose, lactate and free fatty acids; or plasma insulin, Cortisol and catecholamines. It therefore appears that raising oestradiol concentrations to those achieved in the present
study is not advantageous for an amenorrheic athlete during two hours of sub-maximal exercise.


In this article I focus on a handful of late poems from William Carlos Williams's 1962 collection Pictures from Brueghel, to demonstrate how Williams's attention to new beginnings may ignore his debt to what W. H. Auden in the "Musee des Beaux Arts" called the "old masters" such as Pieter Brueghel. I offer close reading techniques to draw interarts comparisons and address the meaning of grammatical elements in "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus," such as Williams's use of syntax to "minimize Icarus." My close reading of grammatical and syntactic features functions not so much to celebrate form for its own sake, but rather as a technical means to locate how Williams repositions Brueghel's painting through grammatical equivalencies. I emphasize that Williams was a creative reader of Brueghel, with his imaginative renderings of the Flemish master's paintings unconstrained by documenting the marks on a Brueghel canvas with uninflected veracity. This is true to the point that Williams takes great liberties with his literary impressions of Brueghel. Williams's creative readings and revisionary writings of Brueghel are thus as much examples of him looking outward as part of an inner dialogue.


Abstract In previous paper1, we have reported the utility of P(NEt2)3/THF for the synthesis of nitriles from amides or thioamides. Dehydration of amides and dehydrosulfurization of thioamides into nitriles are commonly accomplished by using reagents such as P2O5 2; PPh3/CCI4?Et3N3; PPh3/THF/(EtOCON)2 4; DMF/NaOEt/α-haloketone, ester, nitrile5; n-Bu2Sno/MeOH, (n-Bu3Sn)2O/benzene6; polyphosphate7. Amides, aldoximes reacted with dichlorocarbene8 or carbon disulfide9 under phase transfer conditions to give corresponding nitriles, but the yield of nitriles from thiomides was not so good8.


One of the most promising candidates for the air interface of the upcoming multiuser broadband communication systems is multicarrier code-division multiple-access (MC-CDMA). In the pursuit for higher data rates and reliability of communication in fading environments, a vast amount of spatial multiplexing and transmit diversity techniques have been recently proposed for the multi-antenna systems. In this paper, we study the receiver design for downlink (base station to mobile) multi-antenna MC-CDMA when layered space-time (LST) architectures and space-time coding techniques are utilized. Due to the inevitable complexity restrictions, sub-optimal chip and symbol-level minimum mean squared error (MMSE) based receiver front-ends are derived. For further improvements in performance, an iterative MMSE based detector with soft co-antenna interference cancellation is designed. Performance of the different algorithms is evaluated in spatially correlated and uncorrelated fading channels. The results demonstrated that the proposed multi-antenna schemes combining recently discovered space-time turbo coded modulation and group-wise LST architectures are able to provide significant improvements both in error rate performance and spectral efficiency over the conventional single-antenna system also in spatially correlated environments. By utilizing iterative processing at the receiver, the considered 4/spl times/4 system was found to perform within 1.5 dB from the channel outage capacity in a spatially uncorrelated frequency-selective fading channel.


Glutamate is an important signaling molecule in the nervous system and its extracellular levels are regulated by amino acid transporters. Studies on the role of glutamate transport have benefitted from the development of small molecule inhibitors. Most inhibitors, however, cannot be remotely controlled with respect to the time and place of their action, which limits their application in biological studies. Herein, the development and evaluation of inhibitors of the prokaryotic transporter GltTk with photo‐controlled activity, enabling the remote, reversible, and spatiotemporally resolved regulation of transport is reported. Based on a known inhibitor, seven inhibitors, bearing a photoswitchable azobenzene moiety, are designed and synthesized. The most promising photo‐controlled inhibitor, shows in its non‐irradiated form, an IC50 of 2.5 ± 0.4 μm for transport by GltTk. Photoswitching results in a reversible drop of potency to an IC50 of 9.1 ± 1.5 μm. This 3.6‐fold difference in activity is used to demonstrate that the transporter function can be switched on and off reversibly through irradiation. As a result, this inhibitor could be a powerful tool in studying the role of glutamate transport by precisely controlling the time, and the specific tissue or groups of cells, in which the inhibitor is active.


To simulate the anisotropic thermal stress with complex crystal–melt interface evolution by the fixed-grid method during seeded growth of monocrystalline silicon, a new method that can solve the global stress field involving the crystal and melt regions without a requisite of accurate locations of the interface was proposed. The melt is regarded as a kind of hypothetical solid material that has isotropic material properties. Free boundary conditions along the crystal–melt interface are implicitly satisfied with all of the stress components inside the melt region being close to zero compared to those inside the crystal region. Therefore, regardless of the complexity of the interface shape, the stress field can be easily analyzed by a simple solver and a set of simple fixed grids even for extremely complex interface evolution. Results of numerical simulations in the isotropic, [001], and [111] growths show good consistence with other numerical and experimental results.


Introduction: Adhesive capsulitis is one of the most common causes of pain and disability of the shoulder joint. Most patients are managed conservatively in a primary care setting with the expectation of a good outcome. There are many alternative forms of treatment for this condition. Several interventions are also used in combination for its management but most of it remained unclear. Ultra Sound Therapy (UST) is commonly employed as a first line agent for the management of adhesive capsulitis. But whether the UST (Ultra Sound Therapy) and MWD (Micro Wave Diathermy) therapy would produce a significant difference in out come was not yet settled.
Objective: To compare the efficacy of ultra sound therapy (UST) and micro wave diathermy (MWD) for the management of patients with adhesive capsulitis of shoulder joint.
Materials and Methods: This observational study was carried out in the Department of Physical Medicine at Combined Military hospital, Dhaka from 01 May 2015 to 30 November 2015. A total of eighty patients were enrolled in this study and they were divided into two equal groups. One group received counseling plus UST (Ultra Sound Therapy) (1MHz @ 1.0 Watt/cm2 area for 10 minutes for two weeks) with physical exercise. Another group received counseling, MWD (Micro Wave Diathermy) and physical exercise for same period. Each group received the above mentioned modalities on the basis of five days a week for 06 weeks.
Results: The result was observed by applying VAS (Visual analog scale) pain scale and SPADI (Shoulder Pain And Disability Index) pain score. The highest significant improvement (P<0.005) was observed in group "A" throughout the whole treatment period.
Conclusion: In this study, most patients with adhesive capsulitis were benefited with counseling plus Ultrasound therapy and physical exercise rather than counseling plus Microwave Diathermy with physical exercise.
Journal of Armed Forces Medical College Bangladesh Vol.11(2) 2015: 30-35


THE PERIODIC TABLE IS NATURE'S ROSETTA STONE. To the uninitiated, it's just 100-plus numbered boxes, each containing one or two letters, arranged with an odd, skewed symmetry. To chemists, however, the periodic table reveals the organizing principles of matter, which is to say, the organizing principles of chemistry At a fundamental level, all of chemistry is contained in the periodic table. That's not to say of course, that all of chemistry is obvious from the periodic table. Far from it. But the structure of the table reflects the electronic structure of the elements, and hence their chemical properties and behavior. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that all of chemistry starts with the periodic table. What has always struck me as remarkable about Dmitry Mendeleyev's discovery in 1869 of a way to arrange the elements known at that time into a meaningful and predictive periodic table is that he accomplished it without any ...


In a historical follow-up study, we evaluated the association of the fertility of daughters with five perinatal factors: short (< 15 months) or long (> or = 45 months) preceding birth interval, low (< or = 20 years) or advanced (> or = 40 years) maternal age and season of birth. We used data concerning 2062 women married before the age of 31 and born in the Saguenay region of Quebec, Canada, between 1850 and 1899. Time between the wedding and first birth was used for the estimation of differences in fertility. Using logistic regression and controlling for several potential confounders, we found a slightly increased risk of monthly failure of conception for daughters born after a short but not for those born after a long birth interval (odds ratios [ORs] 1.09 [0.89, 1.33] and 0.87 [0.65, 1.16], respectively, with intervals between 21 and 32 months as the reference category). A slightly increased risk of conceptive failure was also seen for daughters of younger and older mothers (ORs 1.08 [0.89, 1.30] and 1.11 [0.91, 1.35], respectively, compared with maternal age between 24 and 30 years as the reference category). Fertility varied by season of birth (P = 0.02), with summer-born daughters having lowest and winter-born daughters having highest fertility. These results are consistent with the idea that maternal factors before or around birth play a role in the aetiology of reduced fertility. The data, however, do not unequivocally support the hypothesis that gave rise to the present study, namely that ovarian development may be disturbed after conception in conditions with an increased risk of maternal menstrual cycle irregularities.


Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) has started to shine and played a prominent role in recent years in both semiconductor and Integrated Circuit (IC) field, especially in now thriving Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) applications on account of its distinctive operating mechanism and adaptive design variety. In this study, several crucial WLP technologies are disclosed in detail, including Wafer to Wafer (W2W) bonding, wafer level wire bonding, wafer level compound molding and lapping. Simplified and conceptual process flow of MEMS WLP and development approaches are introduced and explained. Furthermore, relevant experimental results and technology characteristics, including glass frit printing and bonding results & shear strength in W2W bonding technology, wire shift & vertical loop height & ball shear & wire pull in wafer level wire bonding technology, Thickness to Thickness Variation (TTV) & wire sweep & warpage in wafer level compound molding technology, have also been extensively demonstrated. After MEMS WLP packaging process, device performance is then determined by the difference of voltage readout with the implementation of Wafer Level Dynamic Test (WLDT) before and after Highly Accelerated Stress Test (HAST), and the wafer device yield is also presented.


Recorded uranium production and known resources in the Challis Volcanics and the Challis-related epizonal silicic plutons of Eocene age are small, but the potential resource is moderately high. Former production was from arkosic conglomerates and sandstones at the base of the Challis Volcanics in Stanley basin and from a scheelite deposit on the contact of the Summit Creek stock. Uranium mineralization also occurs in water-laid rhyodacite pumice-rich tuffs, in the Twin Springs pluton, in the Beaverhead stock, and in shear zones in the Castro granite. The Challis Volcanics are potash-rich, calc-alkaline rocks and, in general, are not known to be enriched in uranium. However, numerous highly differentiated silicic intrusions that acted, in part, as feeders to the closing phases of Challis volcanism are rich in uranium and thorium. These intrusions range from rhyolite, rhyodacite to granite, and from plugs, domes, dikes, stocks, to batholiths. Exploration in the Challis field should be concentrated in areas of silicic tuffs and breccias or in arkosic beds that occupy depressions in pre-Challis basement or volcanic-tectonic subsidences. Few such structures are known because detailed mapping of the field is incomplete; one exception is a trap-door graben that contains the uranium-rich arkoses of Stanley basin. Mineralized indicators of uranium are hematite staining, disseminated pyrite, and opaline silica alteration. Radioactive anomalies in present-day valleys can result from the fixation of uranium in organic-rich bogs or from accumulations of coarse detritus from granitic plutons. End_of_Article - Last_Page 769------------


Melamine wedges are often used as acoustic lining material for anechoic chambers. It was proposed here to study the effects of the mounting conditions on the acoustic properties of the melamine wedges used in the large anechoic chamber at the LMA. The results of the impedance tube measurements carried out show that the mounting conditions must be taken into account when assessing the quality of an acoustic lining. As it can be difficult to simulate these mounting conditions in impedance tube experiments, a numerical method was developed, which can be used to complete the experiments or for parametric studies. By combining the finite and the boundary element method, it is possible to investigate acoustic linings with almost no restrictions as to the geometry, material behavior, or mounting conditions. The numerical method presented here was used to study the acoustic properties of the acoustic lining installed in the anechoic chamber at the LMA. Further experiments showed that the behavior of the melamine foam is anisotropic. Numerical simulations showed that this anisotropy can be used to advantage when designing an acoustic lining.


The Quartz Hill molybdenum deposit, located 44 mi (70 km) east of Ketchikan, Alaska, contains one of the world's largest concentrations of molybdenite. It is related to a Miocene intrusive complex referred to as the Quartz Hill stock. This deposit was discovered in 1974 by U.S. BORAX geologists as a result of a comprehensive reconnaissance geochemical rock and stream sediment sampling program designed to explore the western margin of the Coast Range batholithic complex on the mainland portion of southeastern Alaska. The country rocks of the area, orthogneisses and paragneisses, are intruded by the Quartz Hill stock which represents at least five phases of igneous activity. The main rock type within the Quartz Hill stock is a quartz monzonite which has been intruded by steeply dipping bodies of porphyritic quartz latite, and late quartz monzonite. These rocks are chemically and mineralogically similar and consist of quartz, K-feldspar, sodic plagioclase, and minor biotite, with many of the textures suggesting isothermal "quench" textures. These intrusive felsic rocks have been subsequently intruded by regional dikes of felsic and intermediate composition. The Quartz Hill orebody occurs entirely within the Quartz Hill composite stock. The orebody forms a large, tabular to slightly convex downward shape and is at or near the surface. Molybdenite is the only mineral of economic importance. The ore body is approximately 9,200 ft (2,800 m) long by 4,900 ft (1,500 m) wide and extends from the surface to a depth of 1,215 to 1,640 ft (370 to 500 m). Reserve calculations have projected approximately 2.5 billion tons grading 0.125% MoS2. End_of_Article - Last_Page 984------------


We investigate constructions made from magnetic spheres. We give heuristic rules for making stable constructions of polyhedra and planar tilings from loops and saddles of magnetic spheres, and give a theoretical restriction on possible configurations, derived from the Poincaré-Hopf theorem. Based on our heuristic rules, we build relatively stable new planar tilings, and, with the aid of a 3D printed scaffold, a construction of the buckyball. From our restriction, we argue that the dodecahedron is probably impossible to construct. We finish with a simplified physical model, within which we show that a hexagonal loop is in static equilibrium.


Provenance information enable the analysis of large scale many-task computations often specified as scientific workflows. They allow for one to determine how each resulting data set was derived from other data sets and applications. In this work, we survey queries used for exploring provenance information about many-task computations. We present a set of patterns that can be identified in these queries, which is being used as a basis for the design and implementation of a provenance management system for many-task scientific computations, integrated to the Swift parallel scripting system. It has a data model similar to the Open Provenance Model, with extensions that enrich core structural provenance data, represented as consumption and production relationships between applications and data sets, with information about the runtime behavior of each application, and domain-specific information such as the scientific parameters used by applications.


SOLTES simulates the steady-state response of thermal energy systems to time-varying data such as weather and loads. Thermal energy system models of both simple and complex systems can easily be modularly constructed from a library of routines. These routines mathematically model solar collectors, pumps, switches, thermal energy storage, thermal boilers, auxiliary boilers, heat exchangers, extraction turbines, extraction turbine/generators, condensers, regenerative heaters, air conditioners, heating and cooling of buildings, process vapor, etc.; SOLTES also allows user-supplied routines. The analyst need only specify fluid names to obtain readout of property data for heat-transfer fluids and constants that characterize power-cycle working fluids from a fluid property data bank. A load management capability allows SOLTES to simulate total energy systems that simultaneously follow heat and power loads and demands. Generalized energy accounting is available, and values for system performance parameters may be automatically determined by SOLTES. Because of its modularity and flexibility, SOLTES can be used to simulate a wide variety of thermal energy systems such as solar power/total energy, fossil fuel power plants/total energy, nuclear power plants/total energy, solar energy heating and cooling, geothermal energy, and solar hot water heaters.


Ectomycorrhizal fungi are ubiquitous in forest ecosystems, benefitting plants principally by increasing the uptake of water and nutrients such as calcium from the soil. Previous work has demonstrated accumulation of crystallites in eucalypt ectomycorrhizas, but detailed morphological and chemical characterization of these crystals has not been performed. In this work, cross sections of acetic acid-treated and cleared ectomycorrhizal fragments were visualized by polarized light microscopy to evaluate the location of crystals within cortical root cells. Ectomycorrhizal sections were also observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive x-ray (EDS) microprobe analysis. The predominant forms of crystals were crystal sand (granules) and concretions. Calcium, carbon and oxygen were detected by EDS as constituent elements and similar elemental profiles were observed between both crystal morphologies. All analyzed crystalline structures were characterized as calcium oxalate crystals. This is the first report of the stoichiometry and morphology of crystals occurring in eucalypt ectomycorrhizas in tropical soils. The data corroborates the role of ectomycorrhizae in the uptake and accumulation of calcium in the form of calcium oxalate crystals in hybrid eucalypt plants.


New ways of curbing the ability of bacteria to evolve spontaneous resistance could mitigate the looming antibiotic resistance crisis. Progress toward this goal requires a comprehensive understanding of the key factors that contribute to resistance evolvability. Here, we present a systematic approach to identify cellular functions that affect the evolvability of resistance. Using a robotic lab-evolution platform that keeps population size and selection pressure under tight control for hundreds of Escherichia coli populations evolving in parallel, we quantified the effects of a genome-wide selection of pre-existing gene deletions on resistance evolution. Initial resistance of strains with gene deletions differed by more than tenfold but converged toward a hard upper bound for resistance during the evolution experiment, reflecting a global pattern of diminishing returns epistasis. We identified specific cellular functions that drastically curtail the evolvability of resistance; beyond DNA repair, these include membrane transport, LPS biosynthesis, and chaperones. Perturbations of efflux pumps prevented resistance evolution completely or forced evolution on inferior mutational paths, not explored in the wild type. We show that strong negative epistasis generally underlies these phenomena. The identified functions provide new targets for adjuvants tailored to block evolutionary paths to resistance when combined with antibiotics.


Many current cancer therapy drugs are severely hindered in efficiency due to issues of specificity and targeting. We aim to improve the efficacy of these drugs by linking or incorporating them directly to non-immunogenic targeting molecules called aptamers. These aptamers would guide drugs to tumor sites thereby limiting off-target effects and toxicity. As initial targets, we have developed aptamer-prodrugs directed against the cancer markers prostate membrane specific antigen (PSMA) and human transferrin receptor (hTfR). These constructs are capable of binding and internalizing specifically into target cells, but not into non-target cells in tissue culture. We are currently testing the cancer-specific toxicity of several FDA-approved cancer drugs delivered to cells via these aptamers. Additionally, we are developing approaches to directly identify tumor homing RNAs. These molecules will similarly be adapted for drug delivery. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-234. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-234


Chemotaxis, the directional locomotion of a cell toward a source of a chemical gradient, is an important phenomenon occurring for mobilizing immune cells at sites of infection and injury. This phenomenon has been simulated in analyzing the movement in vitro of a chemoattracted cell inside a glass micropipette. A microneedle filled with fMLP, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, at a concentration of 9.10(-7) M in 1% gelatin, is inserted in a glass micropipette containing Hanks buffer solution. After diffusion of fMLP in the glass micropipette until a constant gradient is established, the tip of the glass micropipette is moved near a polymorphonuclear neutrophil. Its spontaneous movement inside the micropipette towards the chemotactic source can be observed and quantified. Without any counter-pressure (positive pressure), the cell spontaneously advances with an average velocity of 0.14 +/- 0.04 micron/s. Corresponding to the maximal strength developed by the cell during its motion, the required strength to stop the chemotactic migration has been estimated to be 39 +/- 4 nN. Giving both qualitative and quantitative information on the dynamics of cell motility, this experiment will be helpful in the understanding of some aspects of cell motility in the tissues.