Bearings are among the key mechanical components for conversion from wind to electrical energy in wind turbines, but their reliability are affected by the external and internal environment. Wear is among the most frequent cause of failure of wind turbine tribological components such as bearings. In this paper, a fault tree analysis (FTA) is conducted for bearing failures due to wear. Influence of material bearing and its place of installation have been investigated. Occurrence of different wear types and failure detection in bearings are studied.


This article reviews the evolution of the legal framework and policy basis of the prison system in socialist China. The discussion will also trace the dual goals in the implementation of prison sentences, i.e., punishment and reformation. Stability and security have been the top priority in China's prison management. Commensurate with the scheme, recent prison reform initiatives include several legal and policy reforms to institutionalise and professionalise prison management. On the one hand, reforms set out to separate the administration of prison finances from prison-run enterprises. On the other hand, the Ministry of Justice reconfigures the reformation programs to encourage the attitudinal compliance of inmates. However, the inextricable links between security and compliance might inflame tensions over the preservation of stability/security and the cultivation of inmates' autonomy/independence.


Received: 22 September 2021 Accepted: 24 December 2021 Parameters optimization has become a gateway to achieving quality welds with improved properties desirable for construction and industrial applications. The complex interaction of welding input parameters requires process optimization to achieve optimal responses (s). This study reports the optimization of input parameters for Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) for optimal ultimate tensile strength in AISI 1008 steel joints. Three levels of arc voltage, welding current, and gas flow rate were selected as input parameters, while the targeted output response is the ultimate tensile strength. Taguchi's method with an L9 orthogonal matrix was adopted for the process optimization. The MINITAB 17 software was used to analyze the response through analysis of variance and signal-tonoise ratio. The result revealed that the parameter settings for optimal tensile strength for the GMA welding of 6 mm thick AISI 1008 steel joint are arc voltage set at 30 V, current at 180 A, and gas flow rate set at 17 L/mm. The analysis of variance showed that the arc voltage had the most significant influence on the ultimate tensile strength with a 39.76% contribution, followed by the gas flow rate with 31.15%, while the welding current had 6.28% contributions. The surface plots show that a lower-level voltage, higher-level welding current, and higher-level gas flow rate favoured maximum ultimate tensile strength.


The cell-cell interactions between fibroblasts and mononuclear leukocytes (MNL) which promote alterations in collagen accumulation were examined using a system of co-culture of human fibroblasts and peripheral blood MNL. The stimulation of collagen production was optimal after 48 h of co-culture and the increase in collagen correlated directly with the number of MNL added. The enhancement of collagen production was seen in both autologous and allogeneic co-cultures. Stimulation of non-collagenous protein was also noted. Co-culture supernatants contained soluble substances that were capable of stimulating collagen production, although they stimulated collagen production to a lesser degree than direct co-culture. Fractionation of these supernatants on Sephadex G-200 revealed a predominant area of stimulatory activity at 160,000 mol wt. Lesser areas of activity were noted at molecular weights of 80,000 and 25,000. Determination of the types of collagen produced by fibroblasts during co-culture with MNL showed that the ratio of type I:III collagen was decreased. These alterations in both the quantitative and qualitative accumulation of collagen mimic the changes often seen in wound healing and early inflammation suggesting that cellular interactions between fibroblasts and MNL may be important in the modulation of collagen production in normal and pathologic states.


A correction of field gradients in quadrupole accelerator magnets measured by stretched-wire methods is described. The gradient is first measured by means of the single-stretched-wire method. By using the same experimental setup, the relative multipole-field errors of the quadrupole are then measured by means of the oscillating-wire technique and used for the correction scheme. Results of the experimental validation are presented for a prototype quadrupole for the CLIC accelerator study at CERN.


This article asks whether or not Indonesia's national human rights law regime can withstand the rise of political Islam in contemporary Indonesia. If it cannot, using Alfred Stepan's democratic theory of the 'twin tolerations', the article argues that the ideological ramifications for Indonesia's nascent democracy are inherently illiberal and undemocratic. The findings of this article are based on two landmark blasphemy cases: the Indonesian Constitutional Court's 2009-2010 material review of the country's Blasphemy Law and the May 2017 decision of the North Jakarta State Court to convict the former governor of Jakarta, Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama, of blasphemy. Analysing both Ahok's legal defence, as well as the judgment of the court, what becomes clear is that, as long as the Blasphemy Law prevails in contemporary Indonesia to the extent that it is used to stifle both public criticism of religion and mere doctrinal disagreement, the country's national human rights law regime will effectively remain dormant indefinitely.


Over the last 50 years, the number of cancer related deaths has decreased by only 2%. One of the most promising approaches to reduce breast cancer mortality is to develop tools for early detection and early intervention of breast cancers. Normal mammary gland homeostasis requires the coordinated regulation of signaling networks; whereas, dysregulation of signaling networks occurs during breast cancer initiation. Reverse-phase protein microarray (RPPM) is a high-throughput proteomic tool, developed to test for dysregulation of protein signaling networks in human biopsy specimens. For example, ErbB2/HER2/neu, Erb3, EGFR, Akt, Erk1/2 receptor tyrosine kinases all play a role in cancer cell growth and survival, and developing targeted therapies against these pathways is a promising tailored approach to breast cancer treatment. To test which tyrosine kinases are activated in early mammary carcinogenesis, reverse phase protein microarray analysis (RPPM) was performed on 31 random periareolar fine needle aspirates (RPFNA) obtained from a cohort of asymptomatic high-risk women, testing 59 antibody endpoints related to cell growth and survival pathways, including ER, EGFR, Her2, Erb3, Akt and Erk1/2, to test for patterns of differential protein expression. RPFNA allows for serial sampling of breast cytology and subsequent histology from asymptomatic women at high risk for developing breast cancer and also provides the ability to monitor response to preventative treatments. Epithelial cell clusters from RPFNA samples were isolated using AutoPix automated laser capture microdissection. RPPM uses denatured lysate so antigen retrieval, which is a limitation for tissue arrays, is not a problem. In addition, each sample is printed in serial dilution, providing an internal standard, and RPPM does not require direct labeling of the sample, thus improving reproducibility, sensitivity, and robustness. An interrogation of phosphorylated versus non-phosphorylated state of proteins was performed using a Wilcoxon rank sum test. Spearman rank correlation coefficients were used to estimate the association between RPPM total- and phospho-protein expression as a function of cytology; a 2-sided p value Four distinct clusters of phospho-proteins were identified amongst the 31 RPFNA samples. Varying cell lines, including 15hTert, MDA231, T47D, were then treated with inhibitors based on the protein pathways identified in these clusters. Fluoxetine, a common antidepressant, was shown to affect cancer cell viability as well as the phosphorylation of Erk1/2 pathway in a concentration and time dependent manner. Diagnosing cancers based on proteomic signatures in addition to histopathology will allow for individualized selection of therapeutic combinations that can best target the entire disease-specific errant protein network of a patient. This proteomic signature has great potential for daily clinical practice considering the RPPM technology is commercially available through Theranostics Health and could be used every time a woman undergoes a routine biopsy. In addition, understanding a key protein pathway and how it is wired could have a profound effect on both functional biology and on the understanding of cancer mechanisms as a whole. Citation Information: Clin Cancer Res 2010;16(14 Suppl):A15.


Patella infera is a pathologic shortening of the patellar tendon, secondary to disease, trauma, or surgery, that can lead to knee pain and patellofemoral arthrosis. Caton et al.1 coined the term patella infera in 1982 and found that the condition was frequently associated with chronic knee pain. In 1986, Wojtys et al.2 presented radiographic and clinical findings for a group of patients in whom the condition developed following trauma or surgery about the knee joint. Patella infera has most commonly been reported as a complication of reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament3-5. Windsor et al.6, in a study of patients managed with total knee arthroplasty after a failed proximal tibial osteotomy, found that 80% of forty-one knees had patella infera after the osteotomy and before the arthroplasty. Osteotomy of the tibial tubercle and repairs of patellar tendon ruptures also have been associated with the condition7. Traumatic causes of patella infera such as rupture of the quadriceps tendon, fracture of the femoral shaft, and intra-articular fracture of the knee have also been described2,8. Patella infera was reported in association with surgically treated patellar fractures in six of fifty patients in one series8.

The case of our patient demonstrates that severe patella infera can also develop after nonoperative treatment of a patellar fracture.

A healthy forty-three-year-old woman slipped and fell onto her left knee while climbing stairs. She reported pain and swelling in the knee, and radiographs revealed a comminuted, minimally displaced fracture of the inferior pole of the patella ( Fig. 1 ). The patient was treated with needle evacuation of 25 mL of blood and injection of 10 mL of 0.25% Marcaine (bupivacaine), after which she was actively able to fully extend the knee, …


Periodic temporal variations in peripheral blood parasite density were evaluated in a simple parallel study of symptomatic young men and women in an endemic village in eastern Nigeria. Our main objective was to find the effect of chronobiology, on malaria definition and parasitaemia. Parasite densities were recorded four square times in each study subject at four hours interval. A total of fifty-one subjects with signs and symptoms suggestive of malaria were enrolled. Amplitude of variations of more than ten times was observed between the four hour interval. Results showed that frequent negative smears were observed mainly in the morning and evening hours while the highest parasite densities occurred at noon. Results further showed that there was significant difference between the parasite densities observed around noon and morning or evening period. Profiles of individual parasite densities are presented. These variations which are probably due to sequestration-release mechanism or any other mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Keywords : Chronobiology, Circadian, Cryptochrome, Sequestration.


This article analyzes the post-communist regime track record in comparative perspective and reevaluates the impact of modernization on the democratic prospects in developing countries. The analysis shows that ex-communist countries were less democratic than their socioeconomic development levels would have predicted, and that the development-democracy link was different than elsewhere, due to the distorted nature of communist development. The article then traces this democratic deficit to individual-level deficits in democratic attitudes and civic and political participation. Post-communist democratic prospects are further undermined by the fact that the participatory deficit is greater among the relatively prodemocratic middle class, than among the lower class, which had experienced mobilization from above under communism, but was less likely to subscribe to democratic values than lower classes in non-communist countries.


We present a video CODEC framework which exploits extrinsic scene knowledge to condition a perspective motion model. An approximate textural-geometric model of the scene is prepared prior to coding. During coding, the locations of planar surfaces in the scene are tracked, facilitating the computation of accurate perspective motion warp parameters. These algorithms are integrated with H.264 into a hybrid CODEC framework, achieving savings of up to 48% for equivalent visual quality.


Introduction Falls in hospitals and care homes are a major issue of international concern. Inpatient falls are the most commonly reported safety incident in the UK's National Health Service (NHS), costing the NHS £630 million a year. Injurious falls are particularly life-limiting and costly. There is a growing body of evidence on shock-absorbing flooring for fall-related injury prevention; however, no systematic review exists to inform practice. Methods and analysis We will systematically identify, appraise and summarise studies investigating the clinical and cost-effectiveness, and experiences of shock-absorbing flooring in hospitals and care homes. Our search will build on an extensive search conducted by a scoping review (inception to May 2016). We will search electronic databases (AgeLine, CINAHL, MEDLINE, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, Scopus and Web of Science; May 2016–present), trial registries and grey literature. We will conduct backward and forward citation searches of included studies, and liaise with study researchers. We will evaluate the influence of floors on fall-related injuries, falls and staff work-related injuries through randomised and non-randomised studies, consider economic and qualitative evidence, and implementation factors. We will consider risk of bias, assess heterogeneity and explore potential effect modifiers via subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses. Where appropriate we will combine studies through meta-analysis. We will use the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations) approach to evaluate the quality of evidence and present the results using summary of findings tables, and adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines. Ethics and dissemination We will follow the ethical principles of systematic review conduct, by attending to publication ethics, transparency and rigour. Our dissemination plan includes peer-reviewed publication, presentations, press release, stakeholder symposium, patient video and targeted knowledge-to-action reports. This review will inform decision-making around falls management in care settings and identify important directions for future research. PROSPERO registration number CRD42019118834.


Mobile sensor networks are characterized by dynamic changes in communication links and network topology caused mainly due to node mobility. In such networks, it is a challenge to build a communication system that lasts longer and requires less reconfiguration and less communication overhead. In this paper, we propose an on-demand topology reconfiguration approach for mobile sensor networks aimed at enhancing the connectivity and performance. The proposed strategy groups nodes, elects cluster-heads, and, finally, selects gateways for inter-cluster communication. Neural networks are used to form clusters. Cluster-heads are elected based on the concept of minimum dominant set and the gateways are selected based on a willingness function. We demonstrate through simulations that the proposed strategy results in a well connected network.


In designing drug delivery systems with improved release properties and bioavailability, the dynamic features of the active pharmaceutical ingredient can be crucial for the final product properties. In this work, we aimed at obtaining the first characterization of the molecular dynamic properties of one of the most common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen, intercalated in hydrotalcite, an interesting inorganic carrier. By exploiting a variety of solid state NMR techniques, including 1H and 13C MAS spectra and T1 relaxation measurements, performed at variable temperature and carrying out a synergic analysis of all results, it has been possible to ascertain that the mobility of ibuprofen within the carrier is remarkably increased. In particular, strong indications have been obtained that ibuprofen molecules, in addition to internal interconformational dynamics, experience an overall molecular motion. Also considering that ibuprofen is "anchored" to the charged surface of the hydrotalcite layers through its carboxylate moiety, such motion could be a wobbling-in-a-cone. Activation energies and correlation times of all the motions of intercalated ibuprofen have been determined.


In the paper, LDPC (low-density parity-check) coded OFDM system applicable for impulsive noise channel, such as powerline channel (PLC) will be presented. Performance degradation in the proposed system over impulsive noise channel is mitigated using a simple estimator based on the Gaussian approximation with estimated channel information (ECI) and a signal level limiter. At first, it will be shown that the performance of a conventional LDPC coded OFDM system is seriously degraded due to the imperfection of estimating the initial LLRs (log likelihood ratios) of sum-product decoder over impulsive noise channels and hard evaluation of the initial LLRs from the decentralized noise samples by OFDM demodulator. Thereafter, to overcome the problems, the system using the simple estimator and the received signal level limiter is proposed. Simulation results show that the proposed system has much better performance than that of conventional systems. For the verification, Monte Carlo simulation is applied


A multiplex colony PCR assay was developed for the detection of 5 genes encoding Bacillus sphaericus mosquito larvicidal toxins, namely binA, binB, mtx1, mtx2, and mtx3. Primers designed for these 5 genes yielded specific PCR amplicons of the expected size from type cultures of B. sphaericus. This method of detecting multiple toxin genes by colony PCR in a single tube reaction is a simple, rapid, and economical technique for identification of highly toxic environmental B. sphaericus isolates.


This study investigates correlation between journal self – citation and impact factor in Agriculture and Veterinary subject category through the scientific journals indexed in ISC's PJCR during 2001 to 2007. Citation analysis is used to conduct the research. The results indicate a significant correlation between impact factor and journal self – citation (r=0.425, sig= 0.000); that is, journals with low impact factor have less self – citation that indicates self – citation has a positive effect on impact factor. Pearson Correlation Coefficient demonstrates a relationship between impact factor and number of articles in negative side (r=-0.170, sig=0.037) that means the number of articles does not affect journal impact factor and also journals with more articles do not have higher impact factor. There is a significant relationship between the number of articles and journal self – citation (r= 0.596, sig = 0.000) that indicates the more number of articles the more number of self-citations. Findings show that journal self – cited rate in Agriculture and Veterinary subject category during 2001 to 2007 has undergone a descending process. After the removal of journal self – citation, the rank of 47 journals descended, 86 journals ascended, the rank of 18 journals did not change and the impact factor of 28 journals decreased to zero.


The present main roles of reliability engineering methods in reactor safety are to improve the design of protection systems and to enhance quality assurance. This paper reviews the continuing efforts to strengthen the credibility of probabilistic safety evaluations and to expand the analysis role in guiding safety support activities. A trend toward situation-oriented analysis is noted, along with innovations in exploiting the limited information available for analysis input.


We report the observation of transverse polarization-dependent azimuthal correlations in charged pion pair production with the STAR experiment in p^{↑}+p collisions at RHIC. These correlations directly probe quark transversity distributions. We measure signals in excess of 5 standard deviations at high transverse momenta, at high pseudorapidities η>0.5, and for pair masses around the mass of the ρ meson. This is the first direct transversity measurement in p+p collisions.


Background:To determine the role of nitric oxide and adenosine triphosphate–sensitive potassium (KATP) vascular channels in vascular decompensation during controlled hemorrhagic shock in swine. Methods:Thirty instrumented, anesthetized adolescent Yorkshire swine were subjected to controlled isobaric hemorrhage to a mean arterial pressure of 40 mmHg for 2 h (n = 6) or 4 h (n = 10) or 50 mmHg for 4 h (n = 8). An additional six animals were used as anesthetized instrumented time controls. During controlled hemorrhage, plasma and tissue samples were obtained every 30 to 60 min. Before euthanasia, tissue (carotid artery, lung, liver, and aorta) was obtained for analysis of nitrate concentrations and nitric oxide synthase activity. Isolated carotid artery ring reactivity to norepinephrine was also determined with and without glibenclamide. Results:Animals hemorrhaged to 40 mmHg decompensated earlier than animals hemorrhaged to 50 mmHg. Plasma nitrate concentrations and nitric oxide synthase activity rose consistently throughout hemorrhage in both groups. However, they were substantially higher in the mean arterial pressure 40 group. Constitutive nitric oxide synthase activity was the major contributor to total nitric oxide synthase activity throughout the protocol with only the animals maintained at 40 mmHg for 4 h showing evidence of inducible nitric oxide synthase activity. Profound KATP channel activation and hyporeactivity of isolated vessel rings to norepinephrine was not observed until 4 h after the initiation of hemorrhagic shock. Only those animals with inducible nitric oxide synthase activity showed a decreased response to norepinephrine, and this hyporeactivity was reversed with the KATP channel inhibitor, glibenclamide. Conclusions:The data indicate that profound KATP activation associated with increased nitric oxide concentrations and inducible nitric oxide synthase induction is a key factor in vascular smooth muscle hyporeactivity characteristic of the late decompensatory phase of hemorrhagic shock in swine.


The characteristics of three different low energy Mather-type plasma focus devices are investigated and compared. The effects of anode length and insulator sleeve length on neutron yield and on fluence anisotropy are studied. It is found that proper tuning of the focus tube inductance with that of the driver enhances the neutron emission from the focus region, increases the neutron pulse width and broadens the deuterium pressure range for high neutron yield. The insulator contamination which occurs due to Cu evaporated from the electrodes drastically changes the device characteristic. The possibility of using the device as a multi-pulse neutron generator is also examined.


The early studies of cardiac and smooth muscle cells provided evidence for two different calcium channels, the L-type (also called high-voltage activated [HVA]) and T-type (low-voltage activated [LVA]). These calcium channels provided calcium for muscle contractions and pace-making activities. As might be expected, the number of different calcium channels increased when researchers studied neurons and the identification of the neuronal calcium channels has proven to be much more difficult than with the muscle calcium channels. There are two reasons for this difficulty; (1) a larger number of different calcium channels in neurons and (2) many of the different calcium channels have similar kinetic properties. This review uses the N-type calcium channel to illustrate the difficulties in identifying and characterizing calcium channels in neurons. It shows that the discovery of toxins that can specifically block single calcium channel types has made it possible to easily and rapidly discern the physiological roles of the different calcium channels in the neuron, Without these toxins it is unlikely that progress would have been as rapid.


In recent years, interest in water-based EOR methods and the combination of modified seawater with chemicals has grown due to their economic improvement of oil production. The hybrid application of low salinity water with surfactants (LSS) flooding has a promising potential to significantly increase the oil recovery. LSS flooding, a novel hybrid EOR approach, has recently proven its capability of altering rock surface wettability and reducing oil-water IFT. In this study, we present a comprehensive assessment of the fundamentals and recent developments of LSS flooding, as well as lessons learned from previous studies and the key uncertainties associated with successful implementation. The study begins with an overview of surfactant flooding, low salinity water (LSW) flooding and the hybrid application of LSW flooding processes. The LSS flooding process in different reservoir types and the recovery mechanisms associated is then discussed. The recent laboratory studies for LSS flooding and the surfactant losses associated in porous media are also reviewed. Recent studies of LSS flooding have concluded the advantages of higher oil recovery, higher surfactant stability, lower surfactant retention, and lower chemical consumption compared to conventional surfactant flooding. Most of the LSS flooding application has been performed on sandstones with remarkable outcomes, meanwhile, it's application in carbonates has garnered attention in recent years and some promising findings were reported. The efforts of this work can provide further understanding of the LSS flooding process and its underlying mechanisms, especially in carbonates which are not fully covered in the literature. Finally, this paper gives more insight into the potential success of LSS flooding over surfactant and LSW flooding processes.


Most Zimbabweans, like other people in the Southern Africa region, have suffered in a number of ways as a result of the HIV and AIDS pandemic, persistent droughts and such environmental challenges. The death of parents has an impact on the survival strategies for orphans and other vulnerable children (OVCs). Without strong legislation and services for OVCs in Zimbabwe, services become influenced by Western values such as individualism. Such values are espoused in policy instruments such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Zimbabwe ratified. Even the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Children's Act (Zimbabwe) demonstrate western values. However, these frameworks have all been proven to be ineffective in dealing with children's challenges in different environmental challenges for OVCs in Zimbabwe. The study wanted to establish the sustainability of kinship-based foster care in the care of orphans and other vulnerable children in rural areas. The study used a qualitative research design. The study therefore employed in-depth interviews to collect data from OVCs themselves on the sustainability of kinship based foster care under the current environmental challenges facing the country as a whole. Focus group discussions were used to gather information from household heads, community members and other people with the experience of caring of OVCs. Key informant interviews were used to collect information from community experts who normally provide valuable information on the sustainability of kinship based foster care in challenging environmental situations. The study realized that families are facing a number of challenges in meeting the health, education and social welfare needs of orphans under kinship-based foster care. The study came up with suggestions for improving OVC policies and intervention strategies. One of the recommendations was that of expanding domestic financing for child and social protection. Revival and supporting of Zunde raMambo projects through irrigation schemes as well as political will by the government to support orphans under kinship-based foster care. Keywords: Sustainability, foster care, kinship, policy


This study was focused on the phytochemical composition and biological activities of Anchusa officinalis and Melilotus officinalis polyphenolic-rich extracts obtained by nanofiltration. The high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed that chlorogenic acid and rosmarinic acid were the main phenolic acids in both extracts. The main flavonoid compound from A. officinalis extracts is luteolin, whereas rutin and isoquercitrin are the main flavonoids in M. officinalis. M. officinalis polyphenolic-rich extract had the highest α-amylase (from hog pancreas) inhibitory activity (IC50 = 1.30 ± 0.06 μg/mL) and α-glucosidase (from Saccharomyces cerevisiae) inhibitory activity (IC50 = 92.18 ± 1.92 μg/mL). However, both extracts presented a significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Furthermore, the hyaluronidase inhibition of polyphenolic-rich extracts also proved to be stronger (IC50 = 11.8 ± 0.1 μg/mL for M. officinalis and 36.5 ± 0.2 μg/mL for A. officinalis), but there was moderate or low lipoxygenase inhibition. The studies on the fibroblast cell line demonstrated that both A. officinalis and M. officinalis polyphenolic-rich extracts possess the cytotoxic effect at a concentration higher than 500 μg/mL. The experimental data suggest that both extracts are promising candidates for the development of natural antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory food supplements.


This paper presents an automatic technique for detecting important facial features' points using a developed anthropometric face model. The facial features' points we work on are about the areas of mouth, nose, eyes and eyebrows. The anthropometric means the scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human face. Several processes are performed in order to recognize human personality authenticated or not, these processes are beginning by capturing colored image using fixed digital camera and ending by features isolated into separated sub images and the lengths and distances among them representing authenticated persons information are stored into database.. In authenticatio n stage all the extracted features are compared with stored authenticated facial features in the database, the person is authenticated if a percentage of similarity equal to or greater than 78% is achieved.


Objective: A number of studies compare the microarray normalization methods MAS5 (Microarray Suite Version 5), RMA (Robust Multi-array Average) and PLIER (Probe Logarithmic Error Intensity Estimate) with respect to the rate at which genes of interest are identified. Here we evaluate and compare the stability of the measured gene expression when identical or technical replicate arrays are analyzed in batches of differing sizes and composition. These variations in measured gene expression have implications for clinical applications, which have requirements that differ significantly from those of research applications.Methods: We evaluated the samples from data set E-MTAB-1532, available on ArrayExpress, a public repository of microarray data using the MAS5, RMA, and PLIER methods. We then evaluated a sample run as triplicate arrays and compared results among the different normalization methods.Results and conclusion: Our study found that for some applications MAS5 is superior to the other methods, although the MAQC (Micro Array Quality Control) project, which extensively evaluated the performance of the platforms, reached a different conclusion.


The following article deals with the image of Montenegro, a little country from the South-east European periphery, as perceived by a member of the nineteenth century British political elite. The history of this petty entity, less populated than an average English city, became especially important on the eve of the Holly Places Crises (of Palestine, 1853). A single dispute over the Montenegro-Ottoman border threatened to turn into European war, just a year before the Crimean War commenced. In regard the Montenegrin question, the always sensitive European "balance of power" was upset with the appearance of the unexpected alliance between Russia and Austria. The unique interest of the British Empire then started, for a short period of time, to be tied in with this almost unknown principality. The attitude of British diplomacy to Montenegro, image of the principality reconstructed in the Colonel Hugh Rose's report and its sources, could contribute not only to the advance the history of British foreign relations, but also to the development of the history of Montenegro.


BACKGROUND
9-[2-(phosphonomethoxy)ethyl] guanine (PMEG) is a nucleotide analogue with anticancer activity. Here we investigate the role of ERK, p38, JNK and AKT kinases in PMEG-induced apoptosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
CCRF-CEM and HL-60 leukemia cells were used to assess MAPK mRNA and protein expression in PMEG-treated cells. MAPK activation was measured using phospho-specific antibodies. Apoptosis was evaluated by caspase-3 and PARP cleavage.

RESULTS
Up-regulation of p38β, γ and δ mRNA were observed following PMEG treatment of CCRF-CEM cells, however, the total protein expression remained unchanged. Neither PMEG nor its analogue 9-[2-(phosphonomethoxy) ethyl]-2,6-diaminopurine (PMEDAP) induced p38 kinase phosphorylation in CCRF-CEM cells, whereas increased p38 phosphorylation was observed in HL-60 cells. The ERK pathway was also activated by these compounds. Pretreatment of the cells with the p38 inhibitor SB203580 diminished drug-induced apoptosis whereas inhibition of ERK, JNK or AKT pathways did not. [corrected].

CONCLUSION
PMEG- and PMEDAP-induced. [corrected].


The microbiome had been hypothesized to be involved in the physiology and pathophysiology of assisted reproduction before the first success in IVF, while the data supporting or refuting this hypothesis were less than conclusive. Thanks to sequencing data from the 16S rRNA subunit, we characterized the microbiome in the reproductive tract of infertile women, and we found that changes in the vaginal microbiome are related to female infertility. We also found that the characteristic microbiome bacteria are mainly members of several genera and that the vaginal microbiome of infertile women is not sensitive to hormonal changes during IVF. In conclusion, our report provides data that can be used for discovering the role of the vaginal microbiome in patients suffering from secondary infertility. ABSTRACT Perturbation of vaginal microbiome of reproductive-age women influences all the phases of a woman's reproductive life. Although studies have shown that dynamic changes in vaginal microbiome can affect pregnancy, its role in secondary infertility (i.e., inability to become pregnant or to carry a pregnancy successfully after previous success in delivering a child) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) remains to be unraveled. To determine the vaginal microbiome in women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) and investigate its potential correlations with hormone stimulation, we recruited 30 patients with secondary infertility and receiving IVF and 92 matched healthy women and analyzed their vaginal microbiome composition using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our results show that women suffering from infertility (infertile women) exhibit a significant decrease in microbiome diversity and richness compared with healthy women during the nonovulation period (follicular phase) (P < 0.01), whereas vaginal microbiome of healthy women reveals dramatic fluctuations during ovulation (P < 0.05). Interestingly, infertility patients show no change of the vaginal microbiome under conditions of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist and recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG) induction (P > 0.05). Moreover, our results indicate that infertile women show characteristic variations in vaginal microbiome, such as increased abundance of Atopobium, Aerococcus, and Bifidobacterium and decreased abundance of Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc. IMPORTANCE The microbiome had been hypothesized to be involved in the physiology and pathophysiology of assisted reproduction before the first success in IVF, while the data supporting or refuting this hypothesis were less than conclusive. Thanks to sequencing data from the 16S rRNA subunit, we characterized the microbiome in the reproductive tract of infertile women, and we found that changes in the vaginal microbiome are related to female infertility. We also found that the characteristic microbiome bacteria are mainly members of several genera and that the vaginal microbiome of infertile women is not sensitive to hormonal changes during IVF. In conclusion, our report provides data that can be used for discovering the role of the vaginal microbiome in patients suffering from secondary infertility.


In this paper it is described a Pilot that took place at Emídio Garcia School from Bragança, Portugal. The presented Pilot is based on a Challenge based Learning Approach, being an activity of the RoboSTEAM - Integrating STEAM and Computational Thinking development by using robotics and physical devices - ERASMUS+ Project. In the presented educational experiment it were used physical devices, being chosen the mBot robot, programmed using Scratch. The presented challenges had as research question a global problem that was Wildfires. Student had to propose and to develop solutions based on the use of robots to prevent and fight wildfires. The students that participated in the experiment were secondary school students, from Spain and Portugal, with their background in technology and arts respectively. Previously to the experiment the involved students filled a STEM semantic Survey and during the experiments their performance was evaluated.


The degradation of water quality in many groundwaters of Europe is a major source of concern. Rises in turbidity and nitrate concentrations represent present or potential threats for the quality of drinking water in rural areas. They are for the most part a consequence of agricultural intensification which has considerably affected land cover and land use in recent decades. In our case-study (a karstic catchment) the mechanisms which explain changes in water quality, as far as turbidity and nitrate are concerned, result from a strong continuity between surface and underground waters. The karstic system of the Brionne Basin can be considered as both the focus of rapid horizontal flows (runoff, a rapid process in which rainwater reaches the spring directly through sinkholes) and slow vertical flows (leaching, in which rainwater filters through the soil to the spring). A hierarchical approach to the water pollution problem of the basin suggests that turbidity or nitrate concentrations peak during heavy rain episodes and are short-term events. In terms of management, this implies that the solution to water pollution caused by such events is also short-term and can therefore be addressed at a local scale. The rise of nitrate concentrations during the past twenty years is the main concern. The solution can only be found at a global scale (all the catchment area must be taken in account: land plots and their spatial configuration), and by taking a long-term approach.


A multicrystal positron camera (MGH type) has been constructed for diagnostic investigation with shortlived positron emitters produced by the NIRS cyclotron. In order to use this camera clinically and experimentally a computer system has been constructed for data collection, reconstruction, image processing, display and driving optional terminals. Since the speed of data collection must be as fast as possible for the dynamic image collection, direct memory access transfer mode are selected for data Timing signals and physiological data are multiplexed with detected event data. For the clinically suitable image display a display terminal with a fine pixel size has been constructed which can be also available to display a fine image such as x-ray CT images. A rotating disc chair has been constructed for transverse section image construction with the positron camera. The chair is automatically controlled by a host minicomputer.


This chapter documents the making of a performance in 2018 called A Fortunate Man inspired by the book of the same name by John Berger and Jean Mohr, which toured the UK. The piece is in three acts, Landscapes, Portraits and X-Ray. Berger said 'to understand a landscape we have to situate ourselves in it' so that is what we are trying to do. We set the scene (Landscapes) then we tell you about the people who live and work there (Portraits). Then in the final act we zoom into the doctor's mental health more (X-Ray) and how he felt he was failing to care for his patients. In fact, there was a river that ran through the Doctor's village and Berger tells us 'There is a bend in the river that reminds him of his failure'. This chapter, like the performance it documents, is in three parts. The first part is an interview about the making of a performance, the second part explores the interviews I held with doctors today about the book that inspired the performance, the third part is an excerpt from the performance itself which aims to illustrate the inherent dialogue between image and text that Berger and Mohr explored in the writing of the book.


Fine-resolution population distribution mapping is necessary for many purposes, which cannot be met by aggregated census data due to privacy. Many approaches utilize ancillary data that are related to population density, such as nighttime light imagery and land use, to redistribute the population from census to finer-scale units. However, most of the ancillary data used in the previous studies of population modeling are environmental data, which can only provide a limited capacity to aid population redistribution. Social sensing data with geographic information, such as point-of-interest (POI), are emerging as a new type of ancillary data for urban studies. This study, as a nascent attempt, combined POI and multisensor remote sensing data into new ancillary data to aid population redistribution from census to grid cells at a resolution of 250 m in Zhejiang, China. The accuracy of the results was assessed by comparing them with WorldPop. Results showed that our approach redistributed the population with fewer errors than WorldPop, especially at the extremes of population density. The approach developed in this study—incorporating POI with multisensor remotely sensed data in redistributing the population onto finer-scale spatial units—possessed considerable potential in the era of big data, where a substantial volume of social sensing data is increasingly being collected and becoming available.


We describe a very general abstract form of sieve based on a large sieve inequality which generalizes both the classical sieve inequality of Montgomery (and its higher-dimensional variants), and our recent sieve for Frobenius over function fields. The general framework suggests new applications. We get some first results on the number of prime divisors of ``most'' elements of an elliptic divisibility sequence, and we develop in some detail ``probabilistic'' sieves for random walks on arithmetic groups, e.g., estimating the probability of finding a reducible characteristic polynomial at some step of a random walk on SL(n,Z). In addition to the sieve principle, the applications depend on bounds for a large sieve constant. To prove such bounds involves a variety of deep results, including Property (T) or expanding properties of Cayley graphs, and the Riemann Hypothesis over finite fields. It seems likely that this sieve can have further applications.


7-thia-8-oxoguanosine (immunosine) is a nucleoside analog showing efficient antiviral activity in rodent models as a consequence of enhancement of the immune response. However, little is known about the mechanisms of its action. In this work the effect of immunosine on proliferation of mouse and rat splenocytes in culture was studied. It was found that the compound stimulated proliferation of lymphocytes in a dose-dependent manner without any additional stimuli. The effect is predominantly mediated by interleukin-2 (IL-2) as judged by increased IL-2 production, upregulation of IL-2 receptor alpha (IL-2R alpha) expression and by significant inhibition (60-75%) of cell proliferation by anti-IL-2R alpha monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Immunosine also stimulated proliferation both of T- and B-cells purified by immunomagnetic sorting. The response of B-cells was much higher than that of T-cells. The stimulatory effect of immunosine on both lymphocyte subpopulations was further increased by the addition of enriched splenic antigen-presenting cells or purified dendritic cells. Proliferation of purified T-cells to immunosine was also significantly potentiated by an anti-alpha beta T-cell receptor mAb (R 73). All these data suggest that T-, B- and accessory cells in splenic cultures are the targets of immunosine action.


The risk of recurrence with early estrogen receptor positive breast cancer continues for decades (1). Because of that risk, long-term follow-up (LTFU) from trials of adjuvant endocrine therapy is quite important. The recent report of the BIG 1-98 trial from Ruhstaller and colleagues (2) provides us with another opportunity to view breast cancer through a longer time course.


Introduction: Risk-adapted therapy of AML patients (pts) is presently based on cytogenetic and molecular findings. However, the outcome remains poor for the majority of pts. Overexpression of BAALC is implicated in leukemogenesis and poor survival of CN-AML pts, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesized that the elevated expression of BAALC might result from a genetic variant in or close to the gene (in cis). Methods and Results: BAALC and RUNX1 expression were measured in pre-therapy samples from a test set of 253 CN-AML pts (Cancer And Leukemia Group B) using Affymetrix U133 plus 2.0 arrays. Pts were grouped as high or low BAALC and high or low RUNX1 expressers using the median expression value as the cut-off and screened for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) by direct sequencing of the BAALC gene. Nine informative SNPs were identified. By genotyping, marker rs62527607, a non-coding SNP in the promoter region correlated with high BAALC expression (rs62527607G>T: genotypes TT/GT vs. GG: P=2.01E-04). Luciferase reporter constructs (pGL4.11) spanning the respective alleles demonstrated that the T allele ("risk allele") of rs62527607 increased luciferase activity compared to the G allele (P=1.0E-02). The T allele of rs62527607 is predicted to create a binding site for the transcription factor RUNX1. Indeed, RUNX1-cotransfection showed an increase in luciferase activity for the T allele of rs62527607 (P=2.0E-02) but not for the G allele (P=2.7E-01). An Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay comparing the binding activity of the two alleles showed highly increased binding activity of RUNX1 to the T allele vs. the G allele. Testing of the pt samples for a potential correlation of RUNX1 and BAALC expression levels revealed a positive correlation in pts with genotypes TT/GT but not GG when restricting the analysis to the high RUNX1 expressing group (P=1.18E-04). For validation of our findings, a set of 105 CN-AML pts comprising 52 high and 53 low BAALC expressers (AML Study Group [AMLSG], quantitative Real-Time PCR [qPCR]) was genotyped for rs62527607, determined for RUNX1 expresser status (qPCR) and analyzed alone and in combination with the test set. A non-significant association of TT/GT vs. GG with high BAALC expression (31% vs. 19%; P=1.6E-01) was seen. Analyzing both sets combined resulted in a P-value of 9.3E-05 (Odds Ratio [OR]=2.59 [1.62, 4.22; 95%CI]). Combining the results of the CALGB & AMLSG series showed a highly significant association between RUNX1 and BAALC expression in pts with genotypes TT/GT belonging to the high RUNX1 expressing group (P=7.97E-05, OR=4.02 [2.05, 8.21; 95%CI]). Conclusion: We show that the risk allele of rs62527607 creates a RUNX1 binding site, thereby leading to increased transcription of BAALC. The observation that a heritable trait is involved in the leukemogenesis process might initiate a new era of personalized medicine in AML. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1307. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1307


Background: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with deletion of the long arm of chromosome 5 involving bands q31-q33 (del(5q)) are heterogeneous diseases. While patients with an isolated del(5q) and a low blast count have a long overall survival and a low probability to transform into acute myeloid leukemia (AML), patients with a complex karyotype including del(5q) are threatened by rapid transformation into AML. METHODS: In an analysis of 43 untreated patients with del(5q) and complex karyotypic abnormalities, we show that the median overall survival is 7 months, irrespective of the medullary blast percentage of the patients. We treated 4 patients with del(5q) and a complex karyotypic abnormality with lenalidomide, all of whom had an International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) evaluation of intermediate (int)-1 or int-2. The patients were aged 59, 66, 67, and 77 years. 2 were male, two female. MDS diagnosis was made 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.1 year before treatment commencement. Diagnosis according to World Health Organization classification was RCMD in 2 patients, RCMD-RS, and RAEB-1 (6% medullary blast count). Karyotypes were: 46, XX, del(5)(q15q35), -6, add(17)(p), der(21), +mar; 44, XY, del(5)(q13q33), -7, -15, -18,-19,-19, 3mar; 46, XX, der(1)t(1;2)(p13;?), der(2)t(1;2)(p13;q31), del(2)(p23), del(5)(q15q31); 46, XY, del(5)(q21q34), t(7;10)(q10;q10), add(10)(p12). Treatment was begun with 10 mg orally once a day and dose was reduced in case of adverse events (AE) grade III or IV according to National Cancer Institute (NCI). RESULTS: All four patients are alive 10 months (m), 8 m, 4 m, and 26 m after treatment onset. 2 of the patients achieved complete hematologic and cytogenetic remission of the disease (confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization), ongoing for 4+ m and 26+ m. One of the two remaining patients has intermittently had a partial response with transfusion independence for 6 m, but has relapsed requiring 2 packed red cell transfusions every 3 weeks (reduction of 50% to pre-treatment levels). The fourth patient had an increase in platelet counts without other hematologic or cytogenetic response and has interrupted drug intake for 4 m for AE. Drug dose reductions have been done in 2 patients, 1 for pruritus and diarrhea, 1 for lack of appetite. The ongoing responders take 5 mg three times a week (response 26+ m), and 10 mg daily (4+ months). DISCUSSION: Lenalidomide leads to cytogenetic remissions even in high risk MDS with del(5q) and complex karyotypic abnormalities. A long-term complete cytogenetic remission (CCR) exceeding two years has been observed in one of our patients with two follow-up cytogenetic examinations confirming CCR. Another patient has gone into CCR after 6 weeks of treatment on continuous drug treatment. These response patterns suggest the possibility of long-term suppression of the del(5q) clone even in the presence of additional karyotypic abnormalities. While patients with complex karyotypic aberrations including del(5q) rapidly succumb without treatment, lenalidomide may prove to induce long-term remissions in a substantial portion of patients.


Regression testing is an expensive maintenance process used to revalidate modified software. Regression test selection (RTS) techniques try to lower the cost of regression testing by selecting and running a subset of the existing test cases. Many such techniques have been proposed and initial studies show that they can produce savings. We believe, however, that issues such as the frequency with which testing is done have a strong effect on the behavior of these techniques. Therefore, we conducted an experiment to assess the effects of test application frequency on the costs and benefits of regression test selection techniques. Our results expose essential tradeoffs that should be considered when using these techniques over a series of software releases.


Abstract A great deal of researchers elaborated on the importance of the urban spaces and human life. Urban spaces are necessary types of spaces for a city and they have a timeless value. This research is focused on people's perception about urban spaces in Larisa, Greece, a medium-sized city selected as case study. An electronic questionnaire survey was conducted and conclusions are drawn on how adequate are the urban spaces in Larisa. Moreover, people are asked to propose ideas on how other spaces, function more as urban gaps, can be integrated on the urban grid. In that way, it is easy to study what people believe about the city's life and how the existing urban spaces function. Some conclusions derived from this research can be also useful in succeeding a combined traffic and urban planning in other Greek, in the context of the implementation of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP).


Proximate composition and fatty acid (FA) profile of three commercial sea cucumbers; Holothuria tubulosa, Holothuria polii and Holothuria mammata caught from Aegean Sea of Turkey were analysed. The effects of regional variation and drying process on FA composition were also investigated. Moisture, protein, fat and ash contents of the species ranged between 81.24% and 85.24%, 7.88% and 8.82%, 0.09% and 0.18%, and 5.13% and 7.85%, respectively, with a significant changes among species (P < 0.05) with some exceptions. Although FA values varied significantly (P < 0.05) among species and regions, the changes for most FA types representing the same region for different species were not significantly different. Total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) were found to be higher than total saturated (SFA) and monosaturated FAs (MUFA) accounting for 53.0-62.12% for ∑PUFA, 13.28-16.41% for ∑MUFA and 13.99-19.21% for ∑SFA. While some individual SFAs and PUFAs decreased after drying process, various individual FAs of MUFA increased in their amounts (P < 0.05). Among PUFAs, the highest mean value of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid for all regions were determined for H. polii as 7.25% and H. tubulosa as 12.37% in fresh samples, respectively. This study represents new information relating to FA contents and drying effect on FA profile for these species.


Despite the limited government's budget, universal healthcare access insurance service – as a mean of alleviating poverty – is possible to develop in Indonesia. this argument is supported by examples of policy and practical innovation of social security system in seven districts/ municipalities. there are three types of social security system according to its funding sources and that mechanism, namely: 1) operational subsidy of basic healthcare service; 2) subsidized public health insurance service; and 3) co-funding between government and public. Comparative analysis on the three systems above, along with review on the available constitutional apparatus, and on universal healthcare insurance models concluded that integrated-decentralized model are more appropriate to be implemented in Indonesia.


The present study examined cognitive and attitudinal factors relevant to drunk-driving tendencies in individuals having zero, one and multiple drunk-driving convictions. Results indicate that the awareness of consequences of being in an accident was related to driving record but not to drunk-driving tendencies. In contrast, the awareness of consequences of being arrested for drunk driving (e.g., receiving fines, having one's name appear in the news and having a criminal record) was negatively related to drunk-driving tendencies. Attitudes toward alternatives to drunk driving (e.g., take a taxi, call a friend) were also negatively related to drunk-driving tendencies. The findings are discussed with respect to developing prevention programs.


Background Clinical impressions suggest that joint hypermobility, a condition in which range of motion is greater than normal at most joints, is associated with osteoarthritis (OA), but results vary across the few published cohort studies on this subject. To our knowledge, no prior cohort study has examined the association of hypermobility and ankle radiographic features and symptoms of OA. Objectives This cross-sectional analysis examined the association of joint hypermobility and ankle OA outcomes in a large community-based cohort in the United States. Methods Of the 863 participants with complete tibiotalar radiograph data collected during 2012–2015, 848 had Beighton (joint hypermobility) data available for analyses. The Beighton criteria determined the ability to complete nine maneuvers: passive dorsiflexion right/left fifth finger ≥90 degrees, passive apposition right/left thumbs to forearm, right/left elbow hyperextension ≥10 degrees, right/left knee hyperextension ≥10 degrees, and palms on floor during forward trunk flexion with knees extended. One point was assigned for each completed maneuver (total score: 0 [unable to perform any maneuver] to 9 [performed all maneuvers]). Joint hypermobility was defined as a Beighton score ≥4; we also focused on the knee maneuver since the knee and ankle are closely linked along the kinetic chain. Radiographs were read for tibiotalar osteophytes (OST) and joint space narrowing (JSN). Presence of ankle symptoms consistent with OA was based on an affirmative response to the question: "On most days of any one month in the last 12 months did you have pain, aching or stiffness in your left/right ankle?" Separate logistic regression models were used to estimate associations of ankle OST, JSN, and symptoms with hypermobility, adjusting for covariates of gender, race, age, body mass index (BMI), and history of ankle injury. Statistical interactions between hypermobility and covariates were examined at the 0.10 significance level. Results The sample was 68% women and 33% African American with a mean age of 71 years and mean BMI of 31 kg/m2. Hypermobiltiy was present in 59 participants (7.0%), which was most common among those <55 years (12.1%); 643 (75.5%) participants had OST, 65 (7.5%) had JSN, and 146 (17.2%) had ankle symptoms. Although not statistically significant, the adjusted odds of OST and ankle symptoms were 87% and 55% higher, respectively, among participants with vs. without hypermobility (Table). The adjusted odds of ankle symptoms was over 4 times as high among participants able vs. unable to perform the knee maneuver. There were no statistically significant interactions of hypermobility by covariates, but the estimates of the hypermobility-OST association generally increased with age (<55 years: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.02; 55–<65 years: aOR = 2.20, 65+years: aOR=2.88), while the hypermobility-ankle symptoms estimates declined (<55 years: aOR = 2.02; 55–<65 years: aOR = 1.68, 65+ years: aOR = 0.82). Conclusions Joint hypermobility may be associated with OST and symptoms of the ankle. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the contribution of hypermobility to the incidence and progression of ankle OA outcomes. Disclosure of Interest None declared


Magnesium is a predominantly intracellular ion and plays an important role in energy metabolism and in the maintenance of energy homeostasis. This study aimed to estimate the dietary intake of magnesium and its association with adiposity parameters in obese women. This cross-sectional study included 125 women, aged between 20 and 50 years, who were divided into two groups: obese group (n = 62) and control group (n = 63). The control group was age-matched. Adiposity parameters determined were weight, body mass index and waist circumference as well as the intake of calories, macronutrients, and magnesium were calculated. The cut-off for obesity was body mass index between 30.0 and 39.9 kg/m2 and for control group was between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2 Food intake was calculated using 3-day food records, and energy consumption as well as the intake of macronutrients and magnesium was calculated using the NutWin software version 1.5. The reference values used were the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for macronutrients and the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for magnesium. The average levels of magnesium found in the diet were lower than those recommended (169.1 ± 64.5 mg Mg/day and 158.5 ± 42.9 mg Mg/day, for obese women and control group, respectively) and the differences between the groups were not statistically different (p > 0.05). The correlation analysis indicated that the association between the dietary intake of magnesium and adiposity was not significant. The results of this study indicate that dietary magnesium does not influence the adiposity parameters in obese women.


Twenty-one patients with malignant melanoma stage III and IV were treated by intradermal injections of MER--methanol extraction residue of Baccillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Twelve of the patients, all with active disease, received chemotherapy in addition. Tests of skin reactivity to recall antigens and in vitro lymphocyte transformation by phytohemagglutinin (PHA), purified protein derivative (PPD), Canadidine, and Varidase were performed in 19 of the patients before and after the MER therapy. The skin reactivity improved in 8 patients, 5 patients maintained their cutaneous competence, 3 remained incompetent, and in 3 other patients a decrease in reactivity occurred. Improvement or maintenance of cutaneous response was more common in stage III than in stage IV patients. The in vitro lymphocyte stimulation tests have shown that reactivity increased or remained at a high level in 9 of 11 patients in stage III. It dropped or remained low in 2 patients in respect to all antigens used in spite of repeated MER injections. In most patients with stage IV disease no improvement could be detected. MER seems to be a potent immunostimulator in patients in stage III. The side effects were tolerable in all patients and consisted of local reactions and influenza-like symptoms. In 4 patients treated with MER by intralesional injections, transient flattening of nodules occurred but no complete regression was observed.


In the paper is considered synthesis of the controller with tachometric feedback with feedforward compensation of disturbance torque, velocity and acceleration errors. It is di‐cult to obtain the desired control performance when the control algorithm is only based on the robot dynamic model. We use the neural network to generate auxiliary joint control torque to compensate these uncertainties. The two-layer neural network is used as the compensator. The main task of control system here is to track the required trajectory. Simulations are done in MATLAB for RzRyRy robot minimal conflguration.


This paper intends to review with the student's learning style dimensions of divergent and convergent. Both interact with the methods of debate and methods of discussion. Differences in learning styles impact on student learning, student learning outcomes specify a maximum learning. Therefore, teachers need to understand the learning style that is owned by the students, before applying the learning method that will be chosen. This paper concludes convergent learning style has a stronger interaction with the method of debate while the divergent learning style has a stronger interaction with the method of discussion


We have calculated the chameleon pressure between two parallel plates in the presence of an intervening medium that affects the mass of the chameleon field. As intuitively expected, the gas in the gap weakens the chameleon interaction mechanism with a screening effect that increases with the plate separation and with the density of the intervening medium. This phenomenon might open up new directions in the search of chameleon particles with future long-range Casimir force experiments.


The peer-to-peer (P2P) based video streaming has emerged as a promising solution for Internet video distribution. Leveraging the resource available at end users, this approach poses great potential to scale in the Internet. We have now seen the commercial P2P streaming systems that are orders of magnitude larger than the earlier academic systems. We believe understanding its basic principles and limitations are important in the design of future systems. The Coolstreaming, first released in summer 2004, arguably represented the first successful large-scale P2P live streaming system. Since then, the system has been significantly modified and commercially launched. This paper takes an inside look at the new Coolstreaming system by exposing its design options and rationale behind them, and examines their implications on streaming performance. Specifically, by leveraging a large set of traces obtained from recent live event broadcast and extensive simulations, we study the workload characteristics, system dynamics, and impact from a variety of system parameters. We demonstrate that there is a highly skewed resource distribution in such systems and the performance is mostly affected by the system dynamics. In addition, we show that there are inherent correlations and fundamental trade-off among different system parameters, which can be further explored to enhance the system performance.


Stability of standard solutions of mercury of concentrations lower than 0.02 mg.l-1 was examined using various stabilizing agents - HNO3, HNO3-HCl-K2Cr2O7 (1 %), HNO3-KMnO4 (0.05 %), K2Cr2O7-HNO3. The Hg concentration in standard solutions was measured immediately after their preparation and after a week. The best results were obtained with HNO3-HCl-K2Cr2O7 (1 %).


The sensitivity of an electrothermal displacement sensor is heavily dependent on its noise profile, particularly on the flicker noise inherent to the doped silicon heater. We show that the flicker noise in a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) electrothermal displacement sensor can be reduced by driving the silicon heaters with a high-frequency voltage. The proposed technique has been applied to a MEMS electrothermal sensor fabricated in the standard silicon-on-insulator process. Experimental results demonstrate an 8-dB improvement in noise level compared to the conventional measurement technique. The achieved noise floor is less than -100 dBVrms around the 20-Hz measured signal.


The paper deals with the solution of Navier-Stokes equation de- scribing the motion of a viscous uncompressible liquid. The solution is received by imposing a series of conditions fulfi lled approximately under a real melt motion and represents the well-known in hydrody- namics Bernoulli equation. The analysis of conditions imposed on Navier-Stokes equation, carried out in the paper, enables to assess the application range of Bernoulli equation for calculation of foundry ga- ting system structures.


BACKGROUND
Autogenous bone is the best material in cranioplasty because of biological advantages. Previously, skull, rib, ilium, and fibula have been used in the reconstruction of cranial defects. However, the application of autologous mandibular outer plate in the treatment of skull defect is rarely reported. This study evaluated the application of the autogenous mandibular outer plate in the reconstruction of cranial defect.

METHODS
Eleven patients who underwent cranioplasty with mandibular outer plate were recruited. Three-dimensional tomography data were collected to calculate the preoperative, immediate postoperative, and long-term follow-up volume of the bone graft area and donor bone site, and then the absorption rate and the regeneration rate of autogenous bone were analyzed.

RESULTS
The majority of the patients were satisfied with the reconstructive outcome. There are statistical differences in the volumetric measurements of the bone graft area and bone donor site at different time periods (P<0.05). The mean absorptivity of mandibular outer plate implanted in the cranial defect area was (17.30 ± 5.03)% after 3 to 24 months postoperatively, the average regeneration rate of mandibular outer plate volume was (41.65 ± 9.85)% at the same period.

CONCLUSION
This report shows that the cranioplasty with mandibular outer plate bone graft may be an optional surgical procedure.


AIMS
To study the influence of the CYP2D6*10 allele on the disposition of debrisoquine and nortriptyline.

METHODS
The pharmacokinetics of debrisoquine and nortriptyline and their main metabolites were determined in ten Koreans with the CYP2D6*1/*1 (n = 5) and CYP2D6*1/*10 (n = 5) genotypes after single oral doses of 20 mg debrisoquine and 25 mg nortriptyline, respectively. The data were compared with previously published findings from 21 Caucasians with 0, one, two, three, four or 13 functional CYP2D6 genes.

RESULTS
The AUC0-8 of 4-hydroxydebrisoquine was significantly lower in Koreans with CYP2D6*1/*10 genotype compared with CYP2D6*1/*1[95% confidence interval (CI) for the ratio between means 1.17, 1.85]. No other genotype-related differences were found in the plasma kinetics of nortriptyline and debrisoquine, or their hydroxy metabolites. The AUCnortriptyline/AUC10-hydroxynortriptyline ratio did not differ between the *1/*1 and *1/*10 genotype groups (95% CI for the ratio of means 0.60, 1.26). Similarly, there was no difference between these genotypes with respect to the AUCdebrisoquine/AUC4-hydroxydebrisoquine ratio (95% CI for the ratio of mean values 0.38, 1.46). Both Korean genotype groups had similar AUCs and parent compound/metabolite AUC ratios of debrisoquine and nortriptyline to Caucasians with two functional CYP2D6 genes.

CONCLUSIONS
Heterozygosity for CYP2D6*10 decreases the CYP2D6-dependent elimination of nortriptyline and debrisoquine to only a limited degree. Further studies in subjects homozygous for CYP2D6*10 are required to elucidate fully the pharmacokinetic consequences of this CYP2D6 genotype in Orientals.


Sheet molding compound (SMC) composite has been studied under humid-aging conditions. Diffusion of water within the material, as measured by gravimetry, was found to be in good agreement with the "Langmuir-type" diffusion model developed by Carter and Kibler. In their theory, Carter and Kibler consider the existence of two types of water molecules in the material, «mobile» and «bound». In this study, these two types have been considered separately. Furthermore, Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis has been performed by decomposition of signals to study the fraction of free (mobile) and hydrogen-bounded water. Thermal analysis and microscopic observations were put forward to explain the two types of water molecules. In this contribution, we found a "bi-phasic" water diffusion. We suggest that the «mobile» water corresponding to the diffusion in the micro-porosities follows a Fickien kinetic, which turns to sigmoidal one at a specific time of immersion τ. Whereas the kinetic of «bound» water, referring to crosslinking and plasticization, follows a sigmoidal kinetic, which turns to Fickien behavior when the overall network is saturated.


1823 CD44 comprise a group of cell transmembrane receptors that bind hyaluronan (HA). They exist in a variety of isoforms due to alternative splicing and post-translational modifications. The most common isoform, CD44 standard (CD44s) has been shown to be involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a group of endopeptidases that degrade most of the ECM. MMPs play an important role in invasion and metastasis of tumors, in which they are frequently overexpressed. Because some MMPs are known to bind CD44 (e.g., MT1-MMP, MMP-9) or are regulated by the CD44s-HA interaction (e.g., MMP-2, MMP-9), we investigated the effect of CD44s expression on MMPs expression and activity in CD44s-negative ovarian (OVCAR-3) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines. We generated CD44s-stable transfectants (i.e., MCF-7/CD44s and OVCAR-3/CD44s). CD44s expression levels were confirmed by RT-PCR and immunoblotting. The in vitro migration and invasion of the clones was determined. The activity of MMPs was assayed by gelatin (MMP-9 and –2) and fibrinogen (MT1-MMP) zymography. OVCAR-3/CD44s clones that expressed CD44s mRNA and protein migrated and invaded more compared to OVCAR-3 cells. The two clones that invaded and migrated the most, showed the expected CD44s band and also a slightly higher molecular weight CD44s band, presumably a posttranslational modified CD44s. These two clones also had an up-regulation of MMP-9 activity and a 50 kDa MMP activity yet to be identified. proMMP-2 processing and MMP-2 activity showed a modest increase in these clones. proMT1-MMP activity was observed in parental as well as in each CD44s clones, but only the most invasive clone showed a band corresponding to active MT1-MMP. MCF-7/CD44s showed a significant up-regulation of MMP-9 compared to MCF-7. No MMP-2 activity was detected for either MCF-7 or MCF-7/CD44s clone. MT1-MMP expression was also up-regulated as shown by RT-PCR. MCF-7/CD44s also showed an increase in migration and invasion compared to MCF-7 cells. In both cell lines, the increase in migration and invasion correlated with an increase in CD44s-mediated MMPs activity. The predominant MMP activity in ovarian and breast cancer cells was MMP-2 and MMP-9, respectively. Experiments are in progress to identify the 50 kDa gelatinolytic activity and the putative modification of CD44s. These findings suggest that CD44s is involved in the regulated expression of MMPs. The ability of CD44 to up-regulate MMPs contributes to a higher metastatic potential and aggressive phenotype.


Cellular senescence is accelerated by hyperglycemia through multiple pathways. Therefore, senescence is an important cellular mechanism to consider in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and an additional therapeutic target. The use of drugs that remove senescent cells has led to improvements in blood glucose levels and diabetic complications in animal studies. Although the removal of senescent cells is a promising approach for the treatment of T2DM, two main challenges limit its clinical application: the molecular basis of cellular senescence in each organ is yet to be understood, and the specific effect of removing senescent cells in each organ has to be determined. This review aims to discuss future applications of targeting senescence as a therapeutic option in T2DM and elucidate the characteristics of cellular senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype in the tissues important for regulating glucose levels: pancreas, liver, adipocytes, and skeletal muscle.


I argue that the metaphysical import of the Aharonov-Bohm effect has been overstated: correctly understood, it does not require either rejection of gauge invariance or any novel form of nonlocality. The conclusion that it does require one or the other follows from a failure to keep track, in the analysis, of the complex scalar field to which the magnetic vector potential is coupled. Once this is recognised, the way is clear to a local account of the ontology of electrodynamics (or at least, to an account no more nonlocal than quantum theory in general requires); I sketch a possible such account.


This paper reviews empirical research on the use of evaluation from 1986 to 2005 using Cousins and Leithwood's 1986 framework for categorizing empirical studies of evaluation use conducted since that time. The literature review located 41 empirical studies of evaluation use conducted between 1986 and 2005 that met minimum quality standards. The Cousins and Leithwood framework allowed a comparison over time. After initially grouping these studies according to Cousins and Leithwood's two categories and twelve characteristics, one additional category and one new characteristic were added to their framework. The new category is stakeholder involvement, and the new characteristic is evaluator competence (under the category of evaluation implementation). Findings point to the importance of stakeholder involvement in facilitating evaluation use and suggest that engagement, interaction, and communication between evaluation clients and evaluators is critical to the meaningful use of evaluations.


Previous research has shown that people with higher levels of Openness to Experience show higher levels of cognitive functioning. However, the mechanisms underlying this personality-cognition relation are not well understood. The goal of the current project was to examine whether strategy use mediates the relation between Openness to experience and retrospective memory, and whether the role of strategy use in the Openness-memory relation was the same in younger and older adults. Method: Two studies were conducted. In each of them, younger and older adults were administered a retrospective memory task (29 younger and 27 older in Study 1, 43 adults of all ages in Study 2). They were asked to report the strategies they used during the task, and to complete an Openness to Experience scale. Results: Consistent with previous reports, higher scores of Openness to experience and greater use of efficient memory strategies were associated with higher levels of memory performance. In addition, individual differences in memory strategy use mostly mediated the relation between Openness and memory performance. Results did not support a mediation model moderated by age. That is, the role of memory strategy use in the relation between Openness and memory was the same in younger and older adults. Conclusion: Higher levels of Openness are associated with better memory performance, mostly because people with higher levels of Openness use more efficient memory strategies.


A case of bone metastases from breast cancer is reported. After 6 months of therapy with calcitonin, the skeletal radiological examination showed an evident change in the roentgenographic pattern of a large metastasis of the left femur. A possible relationship between the calcitonin treatment and the radiological change is discussed.


Graphs can represent various phenomena and are increasingly used to tackle complex problems. Among the challenges associated with graph processing is the ability to analyze and mine massive-scale graphs. While the massive scale is usually associated with distributed systems, the complex nature of graphs makes them an exception to the rule. Currently, most graph processing is performed within a single computer. In this research, we describe a solution at a conceptual level in the context of the Graph-Massivizer architecture. We use two approaches to provide graph analytics and querying functionalities at scale. First, we leverage graph sampling techniques to obtain relevant samples and avoid processing the whole graph. Second, we support heuristic and neural query execution engines. We envision an interface that will decide which queries to execute with a given engine, given constraints (e.g., execution time boundaries, exactness of results, energy saving requirements).


The profound consequences of early reading failure necessitate the provision of early literacy interventions to struggling readers. Many schools struggle, however, to address early reading difficulties because of insufficient human resources. Accordingly, the present study investigated the effectiveness of incremental rehearsal (IR) as a Tier 3 intervention to improve letter sound knowledge and fluency with four kindergarten students. Four participants not making adequate progress toward letter sound fluency benchmarks were selected for an IR intervention targeting letter sounds that was delivered via a computerized tutoring program. All four students improved their letter sound knowledge and fluency. Overall, results indicated that a computer-aided IR intervention is an effective, efficient, and acceptable intervention. Implications for research and practice are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The negative-bias temperature instability (NBTI) is one of the dominant aging degradation mechanisms in today Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) Integrated Circuits (IC). With the further decreasing of the transistor dimensions and reduction of supply voltage, the NBTI degradation may become a critical reliability threat. Nevertheless, most of the EDA tools lack in the ability to predict and analyse the impact of the NBTI. Other tools able to analyse the NBTI, are often on very low design level and requiring significant computational resources.

The purpose of this master work is to analyse the impact of the NBTI aging degradation in the combinational part of VLSI CMOS circuits. For that purpose, a gate-level NBTI simulation flow for estimating the degraded circuit performance parameters is proposed and implemented. The flow is NBTI model independent and tool independent. A particular implementation is made based on the Reaction-Diffusion NBTI model, and the tools: HotSpot 5.0, Candance Encounter, Synopsys Design Compiler, Synopsys Prime-Time. The results of the NBTI simulation are outputted in the format of statistical data of the gate delay degradation, the critical path delay degradation and length change, and the power consumption change. In addition, a heatmap visualizing the delay degradation is generated.

Finally, a set of simulations are performed on circuits from the ISCAS89 and NXP benchmark suits. The statistical data are presented, and the impact of the NBTI degradation is analysed.


ABSTRACT Accurate characterization of wetting-drying fronts in free surface flows is challenging because it is difficult and computationally demanding to track the exact position of the interface. This work presents a novel numerical treatment of the wetting-drying fronts applied to an approximate Roe Riemann solver and compares it to four other approaches. The numerical treatments were implemented both for the shallow water equations and for the local inertial equations. The results of this comparison overall showed a good agreement. For the tests conducted it was verified that element removal numerical treatments with global distributing of water can introduce errors and degenerate the solution introducing or displacing water upstream. Local correction and flux restricting numerical treatments show the best results. The negative depth numerical treatments provided similar results to the local correction and flux restricting numerical treatment, although with mass conservation errors.


In the present paper we report theoretical calculations for the Hugoniot of shock-compressed rubidium. We use an all-electron full-potential method based on density-functional theory to obtain the total energy, pressure and electronic density of states. Thermal contributions to the equation of state (EOS) were introduced through temperature dependent occupation of the electronic states and a Gruneisen model was used for determining the nuclear thermal motion. The calculated Hugoniot is in very good agreement with the shock experiments. A temperature of about 10 000 K is reached at the pressure of about 300 kbar, the highest reached experimentally. Rubidium was chosen for this study because it undergoes a sequence of unusual pressure-induced structural transitions which have been attributed to s-d electron transfer. Since most studies of s-d transfer have been carried out at temperatures below 500 K, little is known of how it effects the equation of state at very high temperature. We found that the predicted Rb Hugoniot is very sensitive to the thermal s-d electron transfer, which leads to a considerable lowering of the predicted Hugoniot pressure and temperature.


Purpose of reviewTo provide a general understanding of Clostridium difficile infection with a focus on recent publications that evaluate the disease in solid organ transplant recipients. Recent findingsThe incidence of C. difficile infection is increasing worldwide. Epidemics due to a hypervirulent C. difficile strain are associated with an escalating severity of disease. New evidence further supports basing initial treatment choice on disease severity. SummaryC. difficile is a significant pathogen in solid organ transplant recipients. Multiple risk factors are found in this population that may result in more severe disease. A high index of suspicion is necessary for the early diagnosis and treatment of C. difficile infection in transplant recipients. Metronidazole and vancomycin show equivalent efficacy in the treatment for mild-to-moderate disease, but vancomycin has demonstrated superiority in the treatment of severe disease. Surgical intervention is also an important consideration in the treatment of solid organ transplant recipients with severe colitis. Rigorous infection control practices are essential for preventing the spread of C. difficile within the hospital environment.


Abstract During the development of the cerebral cortex, N-cadherin plays a crucial role in facilitating radial migration by enabling cell-to-cell adhesion between migrating neurons and radial glial fibers or Cajar–Reztius cells. ADP ribosylation factor 4 (Arf4) and Arf5, which belong to the Class II Arf small GTPase subfamily, control membrane trafficking in the endocytic and secretory pathways. However, their specific contribution to cerebral cortex development remains unclear. In this study, we sought to investigate the functional involvement of Class II Arfs in radial migration during the layer formation of the cerebral cortex using mouse embryos and pups. Our findings indicate that knock-down of Arf4, but not Arf5, resulted in the stalling of transfected neurons with disorientation of the Golgi in the upper intermediate zone (IZ) and reduction in the migration speed in both the IZ and cortical plate (CP). Migrating neurons with Arf4 knock-down exhibited cytoplasmic accumulation of N-cadherin, along with disturbed organelle morphology and distribution. Furthermore, supplementation of exogenous N-cadherin partially rescued the migration defect caused by Arf4 knock-down. In conclusion, our results suggest that Arf4 plays a crucial role in regulating radial migration via N-cadherin trafficking during cerebral cortical development.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assist public sector organizations to carry out better change management strategies and thus achieve better change processes and also to provide a critique of top-down change strategies, especially when employed by public sector agencies. Furthermore, the paper uses the case of one such public sector organization to highlight the need to complement top-down change strategies with other approaches.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper used a three-year longitudinal case study approach to ascertain the efficacy of top-down change in a large public sector organization. Data were collected by means of a series of employee focus groups and interviews with key management personnel. This was supplemented by organizational communication outputs.

Findings – The paper finds that a top-down change strategy needs to be coupled with other change strategies for change to become successfully embedded in the organization. Organizational factors and processes can limit the effectiveness of communicating top-down change and prevent information from filtering through the organization in the expected way.

Practical implications – The paper shows that genuine consultation and meaningful two-way communication must be established for top-down change strategies to function effectively together with other techniques.

Originality/value – The paper complements previous literature on top-down change and corroborates earlier findings. In addition, it highlights the vital importance of middle managers in communicating organizational change and the need to establish a genuine two-way communication flow.


SLAs are common means to define specifications and requirements of cloud computing services in business relationships. The terms that define the guaranteed availability for a given period are fundamental to these contracts. In this context, a natural question for cloud providers is: How to guarantee the availability promised? This paper studies the level of availability offered to a virtual machine during an SLA period in clouds with different: size, redundancy, and fault tolerance techniques. Finally, this paper proposes the use of the SLA -budget for the implementation of smart policies in: i) the assignment of spare servers when virtual machines are restored. ii) the dynamic use of different fault tolerance licenses. Using such policies results in a considerable reduction of the probability of breaching the SLA guarantee, by making an efficient use of the cloud resources available. This paper is a first step in the design of SLA-aware cloud architectures.


Experimental observation of a (Pb1-xCax)TiO3 complex perovskite ceramic near x=0.5 has suggested that the Pb and Ca atoms are ordered alternately on a particular A site (111) plane. Furthermore, a body-centred superlattice ordered structure has been observed in (Ba1-xPbx)TiO3 ceramic. In this paper, the eight-point cluster variation method, in which the second- and third-neighbour interactions are considered, has been employed to study these ordered structures and calculate the phase diagrams as a function of reduced temperature and composition for various interaction parameters. Theoretical results explained well the formation mechanism of these ordered structures.


Alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins (ACDMPV) describes a group of developmental disorders affecting the lungs with its pulmonary vasculature. Mutations in the FOXF1 gene have been reported in most cases, and extrapulmonary findings were described. We present two patients with ACDMPV and FOXF1 mutations that illustrate the variability in presentation and outcome of their disease. Patient 1 was a full‐term infant with imperforate anus and pulmonary hypertension. He required Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation on day of life (DOL) 3, and passed away on DOL 13 after no clinical improvement. Postmortem findings were consistent with ACDMPV. FOXF1 testing revealed a heterozygous pathogenic frameshift de novo mutation, c.1057_1078dup, p.(Gly360Valfs*58). Patient 2 is a 6‐month‐old female, with a small omphalocele. She had intermittent retractions at 1 week of age. She was admitted with pulmonary hypertension at 7 weeks of age. Lung biopsy confirmed ACDMPV. FOXF1 testing revealed a de novo, heterozygous likely pathogenic missense mutation c.253T>C, p.(Phe85Leu]). Our two patients had different presentations, ages of onset, and progression of their disease. Our second patient had patchy lung involvement on biopsy, which may explain the relatively delayed onset and longer survival. ACDMPV is an important consideration for full‐term infants with worsening pulmonary hypertension early in life.


Ultrasound reports describe carotid plaque as being located within the bulb or bifurcation. These terms are used interchangeably; however they refer to two distinct regions. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of a bulbous region within the common (CCA), internal (ICA) or external (ECA) carotid arteries by using ultrasound. Ultrasound images were examined from 100 carotid systems from 53 males and 47 females ranging in age from 17–88 years (mean age 65 ± 15 years). An outward dilation, consistent with the expected appearance of a carotid bulb, was observed in the ICA in 49 patients. Nineteen patients had a bulb in both the ECA and ICA. In 10 patients, a bulb was present within both the ICA and CCA. In 5 patients, the CCA, ICA and ECA all contained bulbous regions. A bulb was present only within the CCA in five patients and only within the ECA in three patients. No bulb was present in nine patients. These data reveal that a bulbous region occurs in multiple segments. Defining plaque as being present within the carotid bulb is ambiguous since this applies to more than one vessel. Based on these findings, it is more appropriate to define plaque by using terms such as proximal, mid or distal. Carotid bifurcation refers to a specific anatomic region and would be acceptable as defining the location of disease. However, given carotid bulb variability, the term "carotid bulb" should be removed from common use within carotid duplex interpretations.


The article explores Evelyn Waugh's views on art, especially his criticism of modernism, expressed in his novel Brideshead Revisited. Drawing on the works of aesthetic theory alluded to or directly mentioned in the novel, as well as on the existing literary criticism on the work, the article examines Waugh's idea of the function and value of art through a close reading of key fragments of the novel dealing with the question of art. The article argues that Waugh's criticism of the modernist aesthetics finds its closest ally and its best theoretical elucidation in one of the less known —and most probably unknown to Waugh himself— texts of Roger Fry, who is generally considered to be an icon for practitioners and theorists of modernist art Britain and who plays such a role in Waugh's novel.


We estimate the elasticity of the long-run relationship between energy consumption and GDP for 10 countries in Latin America from 1971 to 2007. We employ Pedroni's (1999, 2004) panel cointegration test to determine if such a long-run relationship exists. Westerlund's (2006) cointegration test for panel data is used to estimate the slopes of the long-run relationship variables. These findings provide empirical guidance for policies to promote energy conservation and efficiency. Cointegration between the two variables is found to exist in both directions. This paper discusses the energy dependence of some countries and describes potential implementation of energy conservation policies in others.


The already existing and future economic atmosphere will significantly affect scientific publishing during the next several years. Distributors and retailers are joining what was essentially a one-component (i.e., the publisher-manufacturer) industry. The original product (the journal or book) is spawning a wide variety of secondary, derivative, and aftermarket information products. It is becoming possible to deal in machine-readable information equivalents, e.g., a scientist's current workbook entries, rather than with a post-experiment journal paper describing the research.


Introduction Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a classic T cell mediated autoimmune disease: an autoantigen has been described and high levels of antigen specific liver infiltrating auto-reactive CD4+ T cells found. However, unlike in other autoimmune conditions steroid therapy is not considered effective in PBC although there is existing evidence that it can improve histological and biochemical parameters.1 We sought further evidence that PBC is a steroid sensitive disease by using two in vitro measures of steroid sensitivity. Methods We have applied an in vitro dexamethasone (Dex) inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation assay (DILPA), which correlates well with clinical steroid sensitivity and outcome in ulcerative colitis2 and alcoholic hepatitis,3 to 20 patients with PBC diagnosed by liver biochemistry, antibodies and liver histology (when performed). The DILPA assesses peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) sensitivity to treatment with steroids in vitro. We also examined the role of CD14+ monocytes, which produce pro-inflammatory cytokines to recruit T cells to the tissue of inflammation. PBMCs were isolated from peripheral blood by density gradient centrifugation over Ficoll. CD14+ cells were obtained by positive microbead selection and cultured with 300 ng/ml lipopolysaccharide in the presence or absence of Dex 1×10−6M for 24 h. Supernatants were then collected and interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and TNFα were measured by cytokine bead array (BD biosciences) according to manufacturer's instructions. Suppression of cytokine production by Dex was calculated. Results In 20 patients with PBC, just one individual demonstrated in vitro steroid resistance by DILPA, and peripheral lymphocytes were sensitive to steroids in all other study subjects. Suppression of lymphocyte proliferation by Dex was significantly greater in patients with PBC compared to 37 healthy volunteer controls (86% vs 76%, p=0.04). Furthermore, Dex induced a 40%–100% suppression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα (mean 75%, 74% and 79%, respectively) in the supernatants of CD14+ monocyte cultures. This suggests that both peripheral blood lymphocytes and monocytes in patients with PBC are steroid sensitive. Conclusion Using a validated measure of lymphocyte steroid sensitivity and a further assessment of monocyte steroid sensitivity we have demonstrated that PBC is a steroid sensitive disease. Together with existing clinical studies of glucocorticoids in PBC1 our in vitro evidence suggests that steroid treatment should not be dismissed outright as it may provide a useful option in selected patients with PBC. Competing interests None declared. References 1. Mitchison HC, et al. Hepatology 1989;10:420–9. 2. Hearing SD, et al. Gut 1999;45;382–8. 3. di Mambro AJ, et al. Hepatology 2011;53:1316–22.