Background Some studies have shown an association between HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use, STD acquisition and increased sexual risk behaviors (e.g. condomless sex). The objective was to determine the association between PrEP use, STD infection (i.e. syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia) and sexual risk behaviors (i.e. condomless sex, sex partner concurrency) in one mid-Atlantic city with an established epidemic of HIV. Methods Data came from the Understanding Sexual Health in Networks Study (USHINE), an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of MSM between the ages of 18–45. Participants completed an egocentric sexual network survey. Summary statistics, chi-squared tests, and t-tests were used for hypothesis testing. Results 173 men completed the sexual network survey. 52 (30.1%) men were HIV uninfected and 52 (30.1%) men reported PrEP use. PrEP users (vs non-users) were less likely to be positive for syphilis (10.6% vs 26.8%, p=0.03), but no more likely to be positive for gonorrhea (15.4% vs 8.0%, p=0.25) or chlamydia (17.3% vs 16.0%, p= 0.86). PrEP users (vs non-users) were more likely to report condomless sex (88.5% vs 69.2%, p =0.02) and sex partner concurrency (57.7% vs 32.7%, p=0.01). Conclusion PrEP users were less likely to be infected with syphilis and no more likely than non-PrEP users to be gonorrhea and chlamydia infected. PrEP users were more likely to report sexual risk behaviors including condomless sex and sex partner concurrency compared to non-PrEP users. The increased sexual risk behaviors among PrEP users is concerning and emphasizes the importance of prevention messaging for PrEP users. Disclosure No significant relationships.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of creatine phosphate (CP) in the treatment of myocardial damage following neonatal asphyxia.

METHODS
Medical databases were searched for a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized trials on the treatment of myocardial damage with CP following neonatal asphyxia. The data was analyzed using Review Manager 5.1.

RESULTS
Six trials involving 400 patients (CP treatment/control: 202/198) were included in the survey. The meta-analysis indicated that CP treatment for 7 days decreased serum myocardial enzyme levels (CK, CK-MB, LDH, HBDH and cTnI levels). Both the total effective rate (RR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.48) and the significantly effective rate (RR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.32, 2.41) in the CP treatment group were significantly higher than in the control group. CP treatment reduced the hospitalization period by 4.07 days compared with the control group (95% CI: -5.25, -2.89).

CONCLUSIONS
CP treatment appears to be more effective than routine treatment alone for myocardial damage following neonatal asphyxia. It appears to be safe and it can both decrease serum myocardial enzyme levels and shorten the period of hospitalization. However, as the evidence obtained in this study is not robust due to the poor quality of current studies, further studies of high-quality, large-scale trails are needed.


We sought to quantitate the effect of extensions of transbasal approaches (TBAs) on midline and paramedian targets of the cranial base. Eight silicone-injected cadaveric heads were dissected with extensions of TBA level I removal of the orbital bar. Objective measures were the comparisons of the accessibility of midline and paramedian targets with progressive dissections by level II detachment of the medial canthal ligaments and removal of the nasal bone and by level III removal of the lateral orbital walls with lateral orbital retraction. Mean areas of freedom increased for most targets with progressive bone removal. For midline targets, the most effective freedom increment was at the pituitary gland (level II: 28.8%, p = 0.05; level III: 107.1%, p < 0.001). For paramedian targets, the best freedom increment was for the foramen rotundum (level II: 56.4%; level III: 134.5%, all p < 0.001). Extensions of the TBA can increase the surgical corridor to midline and paramedian structures, especially for pituitary and maxillary regions. Level II exposure offers no clear benefit for most targets except the foramen rotundum. With level III exposure, all targets are effectively exposed compared with levels I and II.


This paper describes an intelligent Vehicle to Grid (iV2G) Charging Platform for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles that can be used at user's home, and which includes a mobile control system. The car drivers can control remotely the charging or discharging process through a mobile communication device. This mobile communication device can also gather information about charging places, their availability and the best road paths to reach them, as well as energy market prices, informing the best periods to charge the car regarding the energy costs.


Objective: To report teicoplanin-related neutropenia that developed after an episode of neutropenia induced by vancomycin therapy. Case Summary: A 57-year-old female suffered from osteomyelitis of the left humerus, with a white blood cell (WBC) count of 2.8 × 103/mm3 and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 0.28 × 103/mm3, occurring after 24 days of vancomycin therapy. Vancomycin was changed to teicoplanin and the agranulocytosis resolved 4 days later. However, a new episode of neutropenia, with a WBC count of 2.8 × 103/mm3 and ANC of 0.448 × 103/mm3, occurred 11 days after teicoplanin initiation. Agranulocytosis resolved 4 days following withdrawal of teicoplanin. Discussion: Because of the close time relationship between drug administration and the development of symptoms and signs, as well as between drug withdrawal and changes in WBC count and ANC, the episodes of neutropenia were suspected to be drug related. Teicoplanin-induced agranulocytosis that followed vancomycin-induced agranulocytosis suggests a possible cross-reactivity between the 2 drugs. Both reactions were categorized as probable according to the Naranjo probability scale. Conclusions: For all patients with vancomycin-induced neutropenia, possible cross-reactivity of teicoplanin should be monitored.


This study investigated the mediating properties of stigma coping and social support on the relationship between societal stigma, internalized stigma, mental health recovery, and quality of life among people with serious mental illness (SMI). Participants were 101 adults with SMI living in New York City and Boston. We used 11 measures to assess the study variables. Descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. Results showed that secrecy and withdrawal coping and emotional and tangible support mediate the effect of societal stigma on internalized stigma and recovery. Challenging and educating others coping were frequently used and positively linked to recovery. The sample reported low levels of social support and social support was linked to higher levels of societal and internalized stigma and lower levels of recovery and quality of life. Social support and coping should be incorporated into treatment to reduce the negative effects of stigma.


Double diffusive flow in a cavity has attracted lots of attention due to its importance in many engineering fields such as ocean circulation, crystal growth, pollution transportation in air, metal manufacturing process and so on. When heat and mass transfer occur simultaneously in the double diffusive flow, the fluid flow is not only driven by the temperature gradient but also by the concentration gradient as well. In some cases, the Dufour and Soret effects will play a significant role in the double diffusive flow process. The energy flux created by the concentration gradient is called Dufour effect and the temperature gradient can cause the mass flux which is Soret effect. When taking the Soret and Dufour effects into account, the temperature and concentration equations become coupled with each other. However, the coupling diffusivities matrix can be diagonalized. The coupled system can then be transformed to two uncoupled diffusion-advection equations of two independent species. The temperature and concentration can be obtained by the inverse transformation of these two independent species. As a numerical method developed in the past two decades, lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is powerful in simulating complex heat transfer and fluid mechanics problems. In the current study, a lattice Boltzmann model was developed and implemented for the double-diffusive convection with Soret and Dufour effects. Three distribution functions were used to compute the fluid velocity, specie 1, and specie 2, respectively. Specifically, a rectangular enclosure with horizontal temperature and concentration gradients was investigated. On the other hand, the graphics processing units (GPU) computing becomes popular since the advent of the NVIDIA's CUDA platform, which includes both hardware components and software programming environment. The developed LBM code was adapted on the CUDA platform to accelerate the computation for parametric studies. The GPU is responsible for the parallel tasks while CPU tackles the sequential steps in the computation. To verify the improvement on computation ability by using GPU, the ratio of the computational time between CPU code and CUDA code is presented by simulating the classical natural convection process in a cavity. The computational speed can be accelerated by more than 20 times when large number of nodes is used. The fluid flow, temperature field and concentration field are presented for different Rayleigh numbers, buoyancy ratios, Prandtl numbers, Lewis numbers, aspect ratios, as well as Soret and Dufour coefficients. In addition, the results of Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are shown for different parametric conditions. As a result, lattice Boltzmann method was demonstrated as a good option to study the complex double-diffusive convection with Soret and Dufour effects in a vertical cavity.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


The increasing deployment of security-oriented software, as well as the inclusion of related functionality within general tools and applications, means that end-users are increasingly likely to encounter security-related events. However, the way in which security is conveyed can often serve to complicate matters, which may ultimately prevent users from using security as they desire or expect. This paper presents the results from an initial study involving 26 endusers in order to assess the extent to which systemand user-initiated security events occur during their day-to-day use of their system, and the extent to which these events are understood. The results expose issues of difficulties on the security events, with more intense when actually end users make use of security intentionally.


This study aims at identifying tense and aspect forms of Leki, an insular language in
Ukerewe district, examining the functions and morph-syntactic distribution of tense
and aspect (T/A) markers, and finding out the degree of remoteness distinctions
inherent in the T/A system of the language based on cognitive theory. The study
employed an integrative model in which two theories (cognitive and functional
theories) were brought together. This study is descriptive in nature, employing
interviews (structured and unstructured), focus group discussion and introspection.
The obtained data were analysed by descriptive methods used in linguistics (i.e the
use of morphological parsing). The findings reveal that tense and aspect are verb
inflectional categories marked either at the T-position or at the FV-position or at
both. Specifically, tense is basically marked at the T-position common in simple
constructions while aspect is marked by compound markers (in compound
constructions). The findings reveal also a close interaction between the T/A forms
and other elements such as temporal adverbials, subject markers, negative markers
and tone. Lastly, there is a multiplicity of T/A forms in the language, a structure
which reflects speakers' conception of time in the material universe. Conclusively,
language structure reflects speakers' view of time in the material universe. Finally,
this study recommends that there is a compelling need to study the roles of subject
markers in expressing tense and aspect in the language.


This paper aims to explore the literary creations of the Czech poet Julius Zeyer (1841–1901) within the complexity of his poetic works, except dramas. The poet, prosaist, and dramatist Julius Zeyer ranks among the classic Czech authors active in the second half of the 19th century. Literary historians traditionally link him with the Lumír generation but he is often grouped also with the New Romantics contributing to periodicals Ruch, Lumír, and Květy, or, possibly, with the 'sensitives' of the 19th-century European culture.His works comprise texts of indisputable, time-honoured value, beside the texts on the verge of conventional fiction. Quantitatively, the literary production of Julius Zeyer comprises more than two thirds of epic works; almost two fifths are dramas; only a few of them are (purely) lyrical poems representing just a fraction of his comprehensive output. The proportions of the explored poetry and prose also feature two-third ratio in favour of prose against (in Zeyer, mostly epic) poetry.The starting point of our search for specific features of his authorial style was the accentuation of Zeyer's "epicism" and "lyricism" in references, i.e. throughout the overall reception of the poet's texts, regardless of literary genres, often coexisting in contradictory meanings. Specifically, this study aims at the identification and linguistic analysis of selected devices to convey epic and lyric aspects in Zeyer's epic poetry and prose.Despite the dominant representation of epics and prose, Zeyer's style shows distinctly lyrical features, even within the extent of his production as a whole. The lyrical nature of his epic works is enhanced by his exclusively visual imagery, purposely different from common speech, with stylistically marked bookish and archaic elements, bearing the marks of literary art nouveau.In the middle and final stages of the poet's creative career, his lyricism is enhanced by the changing rhythm of his narrative accentuated by the receding textual dramatization; by a greater share of non-narrative segments in the story; and through the tension ensuing from the contrasts between subjectivity / objectivity; between personification / impersonality; or between outer / inner perspective of the narrative, based on the linguistic form of concrete fictional texts and on the concrete perspective in which the story is actually mediated. Displayed in all of his literary works, lyricism is a characteristic and permanent feature of Julius Zeyer's authorial style.


We present a new derivatization procedure for the simultaneous gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of free fatty acids and 3-hydroxyfatty acids in plasma. Derivatization of target compounds involved trifluoroacetylation of hydroxyl groups and tert-butyldimethylsilylation of the carboxyl groups. This new derivatization procedure had the advantage of allowing the complete baseline separation of free fatty acids and 3-hydroxyfatty acids while the superior gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric properties of tert-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives remained unchanged, permitting a sensitive analysis of the target compounds. Thirty-nine plasma samples from control subjects and patients with known defects of mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation were analyzed. A characteristic increase of long-chain 3-hydroxyfatty acids was observed for all of the long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase-deficient and mitochondrial trifunctional protein-deficient plasma samples. For medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency and very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, decenoic and tetradecenoic acids, respectively, were the main abnormal fatty acids, whereas the multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase-deficient patients showed variable increases of these unusual intermediates. The results showed that this selective and sensitive method is a powerful tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation disorders.


Among oxygenated alternative fuels, n-butanol is considered as a promising alternative biofuel which can partially (or fully) replace conventional transportation fuels currently in use. However, before n-butanol can be commercially utilised, its fundamental combustion characteristics need to be fully understood. In this work, the effect of adding n-butanol on autoignition property of iso-octane was studied. Measurements of ignition delay times for the two blends of n-butanol proportions of 30% and 50% by mole weight were made in a Rapid Compression Machine for stoichiometric mixtures at 2.0 MPa and temperature range 651-918 K. n-butanol increased ignition delay times of iso-octane at lower temperatures and hence acted as an octane enhancer, while at higher temperatures delay times were reduced. In the intermediate temperatures there was visually no difference in delay times between the two blends. Throughout the temperature range studied, the delay times of both blends were much closer to those of pure n-butanol which suggests that the combustion chemistry of n-butanol was dominant over that of iso-octane. These results have shown that n-butanol can enhance fuel octane rating and therefore can potentially improve thermal efficiency of SI engines, whilst CI engines can benefit from the reduced delay times at higher temperatures.


Radiographic measurements was performed on 124 normal adults for anterior, posterior and middle heights of the vertebral bodies in thoracic and lumbar spine. The normal ratios of vertebral height in one vertebral body and one with the adjacent bodies were presented. The method for measurement and its diagnostic value to osteoporotic vertebral fractures were discussed.


Genotyping techniques are valuable tools for the epidemiologic study of Staphylococcus aureus infections in the hospital setting. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is the current method of choice for S. aureus strain typing. However, the method is laborious and requires expensive equipment. In the present study, we evaluated the natural polymorphism of the genomic 16S-23S rRNA region for genotyping purpose, by PCR-based ribotyping. Three primer pairs were tested to determine the size of amplicons produced and to obtain better discrimination with agar gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining. The resolution of the typing system was determined using sets of bacteria obtained from clinical specimens from a large tertiary care hospital. These included DNA from three samples obtained from a bacteremic patient, six strains with known and diverse PGFE patterns, and 88 strains collected over a 3-month period in the same hospital. Amplification patterns obtained from samples from the same patient were identical, and PFGE from samples known to be different produced three genotypes. Amplification of DNA from 61 methicillin-resistant isolates produced only one pattern. Methicillin-sensitive strains yielded a diversity of patterns, pointing to a true polyclonal distribution throughout the hospital (22 unique patterns from 27 strains). Computer-based software can be used to differentiate among identifiable strains, given the low number of bands and good characterization of PCR products. PCR-based ribotyping can be a useful technique for genotyping methicillin-sensitive S. aureus strains, but is of limited value for methicillin-resistant strains.


Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) are produced by the gut microbiota and are present in varying concentrations in the intestinal lumen, in feces but also in the circulatory system. By interacting with different cell types in the body, they have a great impact on host metabolism and their exact quantification is indispensable. Here, we present a derivatization-free method for the gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based quantification of SCFAs in plasma, feces, cecum, liver and adipose tissue. SCFAs were extracted using ethanol and concentrated by alkaline vacuum centrifugation. To allow volatility for separation by GC, samples were acidified with succinic acid. Analytes were detected in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode and quantified using deuterated internal standards and external calibration curves. Method validation rendered excellent linearity (R2 > 0.99 for most analytes), good recovery rates (95–117%), and good reproducibility (RSD: 1–4.5%). Matrix effects were ruled out in plasma, feces, cecum, liver and fat tissues where most abundant SCFAs were detected and accurately quantified. Finally, applicability of the method was assessed using samples derived from conventionally raised versus germ-free mice or mice treated with antibiotics. Altogether, a reliable, fast, derivatization-free GC-MS method for the quantification of SCFAs in different biological matrices was developed allowing for the study of the (patho)physiological role of SCFAs in metabolic health.


The study was conducted to assess the impact of conservation agriculture practice on livelihood status of farmers in Bangladesh. A total of 300 farmers (50 focal, 100 proximal and 150 control) from five districts (Mymensingh, Bogra, Tangail, Sherpur and Jamalpur) were selected. Focal farmers were selected purposively; and proximal and control farmers were selected randomly. Descriptive statistics like sum, averages, percentages and ratios were calculated to evaluate the socioeconomic data as well as to identify the nature and extent of conservation agriculture practiced. Expenditure elasticity measured the responsiveness of change in expenditure of the farmers with change in income. Difference-in-difference (DID) analysis and Ravallion test were done to evaluate the impact of conservation agriculture practice on farmers' income and expenditure. Multidimensional poverty index (MPI) was used to document the intensity of poverty. About 26.0, 25.0 and 18.6 percent focal, proximal and control farmers, respectively had basic knowledge about conservation agriculture practice; and 28.0, 19.0 and 15.3 percent, respectively received training on such practice. The adoption of different principles of conservation agriculture practice by focal farmers was satisfactory. The BCRs (Benefit cost ratio) for practicing conservation agriculture of focal, proximal and control farmers was 2.15, 2.07 and 1.92, respectively. The results of DID analysis and Ravallion test indicated that the impact of conservation agriculture practice on average annual income and expenditure of the farmers was statistically significant. The expenditure elasticity of focal, proximal and control farmers was 0.31, 0.44 and 0.58 percent, respectively. A remarkable improvement in farmers' livelihood status was found after adopting conservation agriculture practice. Input support, motivation, training programmes and extension services by different government and non-government organizations should be properly implemented to raise the awareness and enrich the knowledge of the farmers on conservation agriculture practice. SAARC J. Agri., 14(1): 119-140 (2016)


Coil inductance and capacitor capacitance depend on overall dimensions, structure, and ambient factors. They do not vary with frequency. Reactive component impedance is determined by inductance or capacitance respectively, if active resistance is not considered. This is true for the frequencies which are significantly lower than the self-resonant frequency of the component. Parasitic parameters contribution increases on approaching the self-resonant frequency. Therefore, the component's actual inductance and actual capacitance on operating frequency are defined. They are provided by manufacturers and differ from the nominal values. The actual values provide more accurate impedance of components near the considered frequency. Significant deviation from the considered frequency can cause impedance mismatch even more than the nominal values can provide. Frequency response of the high-frequency circuits such as analog filters and impedance match networks are determined by components impedance, not the nominal values. Thus, calculated values must be close to the actual values. The purpose of this article is to justify actual values application instead of nominal values.


Nanostructured metal oxide semiconductors have been widely investigated and are commonly used in gas sensing structures. After a brief review which will be focused on chemiresistive oxygen sensing employing this type of sensing materials, for both room temperature and harsh environment applications (particularly, at high ambient temperature and high relative humidity levels), paper reports new results concerning O 2 detection of a structure using a sensing layer comprising nanostructured (typical grain size of 50 nm) SrTi 0.6 Fe 0.4 O 2.8 (STFO40), synthesized by sonochemical methods, mixed with single wall carbon nanotubes. The structure is a Microelectromechanical System (MEMS), based on a Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI), Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible micro-hotplate, comprising a tungsten heater which allows an excellent control of the sensing layer working temperature. Oxygen detection tests were performed in both dry (RH = 0%) and humid (RH = 60%) nitrogen atmosphere, varying oxygen concentrations between 1% and 20% (v/v), at a constant heater temperature of 650 °C.


Innovative learning pedagogies are increasingly used in the west towards equipping graduating engineers with the set ofskills and competencies essential for the engineer of the 21st century. The successful globalization of such pedagogies in thedeveloping world is key to educational reform and the building of sustainable knowledge-based economies. In this paper,we report on the development of an exportable model for effective Problem-Driven Learning (PDL), a problem-basedlearning pedagogy, transfer across cultures. The system is demonstrated using a case study in transnational exchange andcooperation between Georgia Tech (GT) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA and Khalifa University (KU) in Abu Dhabi, UAEaround the design of a biomedical engineering course delivered using PDL. Although the underlying framework of theinnovative pedagogy was adopted from GT, various local elements were implemented to ensure cultural compatibility. Themain hypothesis postulates that cultural consideration is critical to the successful globalization of a learning pedagogy.Cultural relevance and sensitivity are critical to effective cross-cultural transfer.


ince its inception, Greentech has been supporting the PIM Organization. The company is very proud of it. It s never easy to create and above all to develop a world enowned Congress. After four editions, the SPIM attracts any nations represented by Scientists and high-level octors. his result is the fruit of the work accomplished by the cientific Committee which invites outstanding speakers, xpert in their field. We must warmly thank those speakers ho mostly are already approached, but agree to do a long ourney. These Experts came to immerse themselves in this onvivial and friendly atmosphere with high level scienific exchanges, thanks to a limited size of 200 people, the resence of young researchers and several topics discussed


THE UNITED STATES PETROLEUM SUPPLIES CANNOT KEEP UP WITH THE DEMANDS MADE UPON THEM BY THE USE OF AUTOMOBILES. INCREASED IMPORTATION OF OIL IS NOT A SATISFACTORY LONG-TERM SOLUTION. SUPPLIES OF COAL, NUCLEAR, AND SOLAR ENERGY, HOWEVER, ARE ABUNDANT. WE SUGGEST THAT "CLEAN" FUELS COULD BE SYNTHESIZED FROM THESE RESOURCES BY USING THESE ABUNDANT MATERIALS. THIS PAPER EXAMINES THE POSSIBILITIES OF MAKING METHANOL, ETHANOL, HYDROGEN, AND AMMONIA FOR USE AS VEHICLE FUELS. IN THE SHORT TERM, METHANOL AND METHANOL-GASOLINE BLENDS APPEAR ATTRACTIVE. IN THE LONG TERM, HYDROGEN IS IDEAL IF ITS HANDLING PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED. /AUTHOR/


The paper focuses on early Holocene tree growth and alpine tree-limits in the northernmost Swedish Scandes (Lapland). Megafossil wood remnants in peats and lakes were searched for over a large area at elevations high above the modern tree-limits. Wood of Pinus sylvestris, Betula pubescens spp. tortuosa and Alnus incana was discovered near the shore of a small lake (999 m a.s.l.) c. 500 m higher than today's tree-limit of Pinus sylvestris in this region. Radiocarbon dating yielded values of unprecedented age, c. 8500–8100 14C years BP for all three species and in addition 5400–4500 14C years BP for Betula and Alnus. The highest position of the Pinus tree-limit occurred during the early Holocene, which compares well with the situation reconstructed by megafossils in the southern Scandes. It now appears that the long-term tree-limit and climate histories are broadly the same in entire mid- and northern Fennoscandia. Corrected for glacio-isostatic land uplift, the tree-limit record suggests that the summers were c. 2.4°C warmer than today at 8500 14C years BP. A dry continental climate with substantial seasonal contrasts is likely to have prevailed during this period, which restricted the occurrence of glaciers and glacier activity. Most circumstances point to the overriding importance of the Milankovitch orbital theory for pacing or forcing the long-term postglacial climate change. The results are inconsistent with most inferences based on pollen, certain macrofossil records and general circulation simulations. These proxy environmental histories have frequently advocated a mid-Holocene thermal optimum and an oceanic and humid climate in northern and western Fennoscandia during the early Holocene. The uncovered discrepancy between the outcome of the objective and factual megafossil method and more subjective/inferential microfossil methods should be important for Quaternary plant ecology in general, stressing the usefulness of megafossil studies.


To compare rectal gland morphology of bull sharks Carcharhinus leucas, animals captured in the freshwater reaches of the Brisbane River, Australia, were acclimated to sea water over 17 days with 1 week in the final salinity. A control group was left in fresh water for 17 days. Animals in fresh water and sea water were strongly hyper- and hypo-ionic with respect to plasma Na+ and Cl–, respectively. This difference necessitates NaCl secretion by the rectal gland in sea water and conservation of NaCl in fresh water. Structural differences in the rectal gland of freshwater and seawater acclimated bull sharks were limited. There was no difference in rectal gland cross-sectional area, lumen area, rectal gland vein area, number of secretory tubules or secretory cells per secretory tubule in freshwater and seawater acclimated animals. At a cellular level, there was no difference between the degree of basolateral and lateral folding, number of mitochondria or number of desmosomes per tight junction. Tight junction width was significantly greater in seawater acclimated animals. The number of red blood cells in the interstitial tissue was also significantly higher in seawater acclimated animals, possibly as a result of increased blood perfusion of the secretory epithelia. The lack of major structural changes in the rectal glands of bull sharks acclimated to fresh water and sea water most likely represents the salinity gradient in the Brisbane River where animals are found throughout the river and can experience large fluctuations in salinity over short distances. Differences in rectal gland morphology of bull sharks in fresh water and sea water are discussed in terms of their relevance to osmoregulation in elasmobranchs.


Each language in the context of communication symbolizes something. The what of what is symbolized determines the type of language. Therefore, one can speak of ordinary language, the language of science, the language of philosophy, and language of art. In this respect, each subject constructs its own language, the structural qualities and limitations of that language. The subject of art, then, is artistic construction and the language of art is about the limitations of that construction. The language of art depicts this subjective world of construction.


This paper examined the profitability of cassava-based cropping system in Rivers State of Nigeria. A total of 180 farmers were sampled for this study using the three-stages random techniques. The cropping system studied include cassava/maize, cassava/melon, cassava/yam, cassava/maize/melon and cassava/maize/yam. Data collected through field visit and questionnaire were analyzed using farm budgeting technique. Results show that cassava/maize/yam gave the highest gross margin per hectare (N64,209) followed by cassava/yam (N 46,730.20) while cassava/maize attracted the least profit of (N 14,214). Difference among the gross margin was observed at 5% level of significance. The production cost for cassava/maize/yam was the highest (N 35,069.6) followed by cassava/yam (N 32,260.3) while the least was cassava/melon. The observed high costs of enterprises were mainly due to the increase in the prices of resource inputs utilized by the farmers. Recommendations therefore include timely credit delivery and subsidized cost of inputs to the farmers by all levels of Government as well as adoption of improved varieties for the crop mixture farming.


The neuropathological aspects of vaccination against pertussis have been analysed. This has been done partly by considering the previous literature and partly by searching for data on any child whose death since 1960 has been thought to have a possible relationship to the vaccination. Twenty‐nine in due course were identified on whom a post‐mortem examination had been made. Eighteen had died within 3 weeks of inoculation ‐ the remaining eleven had survived the initial illness but had remained retarded, epileptic and disabled. Although a variety of cerebral abnormalities were found, neither those recorded in the present study nor those abstracted from previous case reports, have demonstrated a recurring pattern of inflammatory or other damage which could be accepted as a specific reaction to immunization against whooping cough. Those reactive changes that were occasionally found appear to be indistinguishable from those seen in many other infantile encephalopathies occurring as the result of a hypoxic/ischaemic state supervening on a complex of respiratory complications, fever and convulsions.


We investigate three multihop fusion schemes for distributed detection in geographically dispersed sensor networks, multihop forwarding (MF) and Log-likelihood ratio Fusion (LF), which are different in the transmitted messages, fusion rules, and communication structure. Simulation results show that transmission energy is significantly reduced by multihop fusion schemes as compared to direct transmission, with LF outperforming the others. Moreover, it is shown that LF exhibits the most favorable energy scaling law with the network size among these schemes.


This is a comparative study of the image of the scientist held by Israeli Jewish and Arabic student teachers from various backgrounds. The image of female scientists among these groups was also investigated. Five groups of female students (N=500) from four colleges were studied. Traditional tools (DAST) were combined with more informative methods (captions, statements, and free writing) and supplemented by interviews. The stereotypic image of the scientist was found to be a bespectacled male using conventional research equipment, who prefers intellectual occupations for leisure pursuits was perceived by most participants. The image held by the secular Jewish student teachers largely conformed to the Western image of the scientist – a disheveled man working in a laboratory, with few social connections. An image of a scientist as a revered, authoritative teacher or scholar emerged amongst the traditional groups (Bedouin, Orthodox, and Ultra-Orthodox). The image found amongst Arabic student teachers of the North (a moderately traditional group) was unique: a young scientist, using computers, whose work is partially done outside of the laboratory. Among the traditional groups, the female scientist is perceived to be "torn" between her career and tradition. Conclusions from this research and implications for science study and teaching curricula are discussed.


Although various immune cells could infiltrate the cellular and tissue environment surrounding a tumor, the tumor microenvironment nevertheless presents immunosuppressive conditions unfavorable for immune cells to conduct large scale attack on cancer cells. For example, T-cells that make it to the tumor microenvironment are typically non-functional in containing tumor growth. On the other hand, macrophages could infiltrate the tumor microenvironment and is an important cell type modulated by and which also modulates the tumor. Specifically, two variants of macrophages with different phenotypes are known to exhibit close interactions with tumors. Known as M1 and M2 macrophages, they present dichotomously different signals to the tumor. Specifically, M1 macrophages control tumor growth while M2 macrophages promote tumor growth. Thus, from a treatment perspective, it would be desirable to tune the phenotypes and cell differentiation program of macrophages towards the M1 subset. To do that, differential gene expression of macrophages in the M1 and M2 lineages must be understood. Such a goal could be achieved with the profiling of tumor associated macrophages from tumor biopsy samples for gene expression patterns characteristic of the two dominant macrophage lineages. Single cell RNA-sequencing conducted after flow cytometry sorting of M1 and M2 macrophages would highlight gene expression patterns associated with each lineage, and the cellular differentiation programs that prompted entry into particular macrophage subtype. Knowledge of gene expression pattern associated with each macrophage lineage is not useful for tuning their differentiation state unless specific transcription factor that trigger the regulon could be identified. To this end, transcription factors that have been upregulated in the differentiation program could be profiled from the transcriptome data, and help inform the design of vectors for targeted overexpression of specific transcription factor for modulating cellular differentiation of macrophage. Given their low immunogenicity, adeno-associated virus (AAV) could serve as vectors for ferrying the gene cassette containing specific transcription factors into macrophages. Delivery methods for the AAV could be via targeted local infusion of vectors to tumors or through the systemic circulation, but the latter approach would result in lower transfection efficiency. Collectively, possibility exists of tuning the differentiation state of macrophage associated with tumors for enabling tumor controlling lineage to be dominant. Such immuno-targeted therapy would harness the body's macrophages for controlling tumor growth and represents a treatment option that may yield fewer side effects compared to conventional chemotherapy. But, identification of genes that control lineage-specific differentiation program and the delivery of gene cassette to macrophages for modulating their differentiation remain key challenges.


A 46-year old man, who had a history of right pneumonectomy for pulmonary tuberculosis 28 years ago, was referred to our hospital for surgical treatment of contralateral pneumothorax. The patient underwent multiple excisions of bullae and parietal pleurectomy through the median sternotomy in order to save pulmonary function. The postoperative course was satisfactory as he could maintain preoperative pulmonary function. He returned to his work soon. We consider that the median sternotomy would be the most useful approach to save pulmonary function of patients who plan to undergo surgical treatment of contralateral pneumothorax after pneumonectomy.


BACKGROUND
In cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts, stretch induces a growth response.

METHODS
To investigate which signal transduction pathways are involved in the stretch-induced growth response of cardiomyocytes and cardiac fibroblasts, we used a model of mechanical stress in which cells are submitted to biaxial cyclic stretch.

RESULTS
In stretched cardiomyocytes major bands of tyrosine-phosphorylated (P-Tyr) proteins of 58, 49, and 27 kDa were detected and minor bands of 65 and 40 kDa. Furthermore, major bands of serine/threonine phosphorylated (P-Ser/Thr) proteins of 46, 42, and 21 kDa were detected. Phosphorylation of the 40 kDa P-Tyr protein increased significantly upon stretch. In cardiac fibroblasts major bands of P-Tyr proteins of 63, 53, and 23 kDa were detected and minor bands of 72 and 39 kDa. In addition, major bands of P-Ser/Thr proteins of 51, 47, and 23 kDa were detected and minor bands of 54 and 33 kDa. Phosphorylation of the 54 and 33 kDa P-Ser/Thr proteins increased significantly upon stretch. Phosphorylated JNK 1 and JNK 2 activities were not detected in fibroblasts. In cardiomyocytes levels of phosphorylated JNK 1 and 2 were very low, but tend to increase upon stretch. Phosphorylated p38 MAPK could not be identified in both cell types. The intensity of phosphorylation of paxillin increased upon stretch in both cell types, although the increases were only significantly different in stretched fibroblasts. Finally, stretch increased PLC activity in cardiomyocytes as well as in fibroblasts.

CONCLUSION
Our findings are in favour of mechanotransduction of the stretch signal via integrins and focal adhesion components such as FAK, Src kinase, PLC and paxillin. The activation of the last two focal adhesion components by stretch of cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts is demonstrated in this article.


Childhood conduct disorders, a serious mental health concern, put children at risk for significant mental health problems throughout development. Elevations on callous-unemotional (CU) traits designate a subgroup of youth with conduct disorders who have unique causal processes underlying their problem behavior and are at a particularly high risk for serious impairment relative to others with these disorders. As a result, these traits have recently been integrated into major diagnostic classification systems for conduct disorders. Given that CU traits are partly defined by deficits in empathy, we review research on empathy development in typically developing children and use this research to (a) advance theories on the specific emotional deficits that may be associated with CU traits, (b) explain the severe pattern of aggressive behavior displayed by children with elevated CU traits, and (c) suggest possible ways to enhance prevention and treatment for children with conduct disorders and elevated CU traits. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, Volume 17 is May 7, 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.


ABSTRACT:"Body positivity" refers to the movement to accept our bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. The movement is often implicitly understood as the effort to celebrate diversity in bodily aesthetics and to expand our narrow beauty standards beyond their present-day confines. Like other feminists, I question whether the push to broaden beauty norms should occupy as central a role as it does now in the movement's mainstream incarnations, and I believe that, beyond challenging confining beauty standards, body positivity should teach us that all bodies are worthy—for example, of care and respect. My aim in this paper is to offer a general account of body positivity. I argue that body positivity should be understood as the transition from limiting body shame to proper body pride. I adopt a pluralistic approach to body positivity, incorporating the idea that we should not only expand aesthetic standards, but also celebrate such aspects of embodiment as our capacity for bodily pleasure or our bodily abilities. What is common to these different ways of developing empowering relations to our bodies is the move to resist all forms of body shame that limit our flourishing and to cultivate proper pride in one's body. I conclude by considering several avenues toward embodying such pride and, thus, embracing body positivity: expanding beauty ideals; promoting equal access to physical activities and celebrating the accomplishments of all athletes, regardless of body size or level of ability; and consciousness-raising.


This paper proposes an extension of the unconditionally stable finite-element time-domain (FETD) method for the global electromagnetic analysis of active microwave circuits. This formulation has two advantages. First, the time-step size is no longer governed by the spatial discretization of the mesh, but rather by the Nyquist sampling criterion. Second, the implementation of the truncation by the perfectly matched layers (PML) is straightforward. An anisotropic PML absorbing material is presented for the truncation of FETD lattices. Reflection less than -50 dB is obtained numerically over the entire propagation bandwidth in waveguide and microstrip line. A benchmark test on a microwave amplifier indicates that this extended FETD algorithm is not only superior to finite-difference time-domain-based algorithm in mesh flexibility and simulation accuracy, but also reduces computation time dramatically.


This paper explores reflective practice through the lens of counterfactual thinking and examines its role in encouraging student teachers to reflect on negative 'critical incidents'. The paper posits that reflections on critical incidents are often not 'critical' in nature. They more frequently result in counterfactual thinking processes which leads to a counterfactually mutated outcome congruent with one's initial beliefs. To explore this issue the study examined a collection of school placement reflections (n=180) from a cohort of initial teacher education students on a 4-year B.Ed programme in the Republic of Ireland. The data revealed that, where present in the student teachers' reflections, critical incidents of a negative nature did invoke counterfactual thinking. These counterfactually mutated scenarios and actions tended to draw on quite traditional views of teaching and tended to reinforce the idea that teachers should be authority figures. The paper discusses some of the factors, specific to teacher education, that increase the likelihood that counterfactually thinking is invoked and raises questions about current practice in teacher education that contribute to this.


Background Most cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) act through receptors that trigger distinct signalling pathways that are initiated through activation of the JAK/STAT system which up-regulates the expression of several genes, including those related to suppressors of cytokine signalling (SOCS). SOCS1 and SOCS3-deficient mice show severe joint inflammation. By contrast, SOCS3 overexpression alters T-cell response and prevents the development of collagen-induced arthritis. Studies on SOCS expression in patients with RA are limited and contradictory. Objectives To study the expression of SOCS1, SOCS2 and SOCS3 during the follow-up of patients with early arthritis (EA). Methods We have analyzed data from 190 patients from our prospective EA register (82% women, median age 53.6 years). Demographic, disease-related and prescribed treatment variables, as well as peripheral blood samples, were collected at each visit (baseline, 6, 12, 24 and 60 months) according to the protocol. Levels of SOCS1, SOCS2 and SOCS3 expression and β-actin as housekeeping gene were measured using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in 327 mRNA samples obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. qRT-PCR data were normalized against β-actin expression and 2-ΔΔCt were calculated against the mean expression of SOCS genes in 17 healthy volunteers (53% female, 42.5 years). For 68 patients, we have collected two to four samples, including the baseline visit (184 samples). In order to determine the effect of the independent variables on levels of SOCS expression, a generalized linear model, nested by patient and visit, was fitted using the xtgee command of Stata 10.1 for Windows (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). Results SOCS1, SOCS2 and SOCS3 expression levels were significantly lower at baseline for patients with EA than for healthy controls (median 2-ΔΔCt 0.57 [IQR: 0.27-1.2] versus 1.31 [0.96-1.64], p=0.001; 0.57 [0.34-1.1] versus 0.94 [0.78-1.66], p=0.0009 and 0.61 [0.26-1.3] versus 0.95 [0.77-1.97], p=0.01, respectively). In addition, levels of all three SOCS diminished over the follow-up According to this finding, in the multivariate analysis an increase of SOCS2 and SOCS3 levels was significantly associated to high disease activity assessed through the DAS28, whereas the increase in SOCS1 levels was significantly associated with a decrease in haemoglobin concentration and with the use of TNF blockers. Finally, elderly patients showed significantly lower levels of SOCS3. Conclusions SOCS expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with EA is lower than that of healthy controls, even at baseline when the expression of these molecules should theoretically be increased due to higher disease activity. This work has been supported by the RETICS Program, RD08/0075 (RIER) and FIS 080754, from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII). Disclosure of Interest None Declared


We propose an interferometric method to investigate the non-locality of high-dimensional two-photon orbital angular momentum states generated by spontaneous parametric down conversion. We incorporate two half-integer spiral phase plates and a variable-reflectivity output beam splitter into a Mach-Zehnder interferometer to build an orbital angular momentum analyzer. This setup enables testing the non-locality of high-dimensional two-photon states by repeated use of the Clauser-Horne inequality.


Creativity has become a topic of ever-increasing interest in educational settings where principals are responsible for improving schools. In Iran, there is a need for research on evaluating the creativity of school principals due to the importance of their role in improving schools. In this paper we aim to assess the creativity of school principals in schools of Iran and investigate its relationship with their job performance and relations with students and teachers. The effect of age and educational level factors on their creativity were also studied. This is a case study conducted in boys' middle schools of Urmia city located in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Participants included 52 schools principals aged between 34-54 years working in the academic year 2012-2013 who were randomly selected using Krejcie and Morgan table. Their creativity (CR), job performance (JP), and human relations (HR) were measured using designed Persianlanguage questionnaires. Collected data were analyzed using statistical tests (mean and standard deviation) and three formulated research hypotheses were tested by applying Pearson's correlation coefficient and one-way ANOVA in SPSS software. Their scores showed that they had a relatively good level of CR, HR and JP. Results of statistical analysis revealed that there was no significant relationship between Iranian school principals' creativity and human relations, but their creativity was significantly related to their job performance. Also, it was found that age and educational level had no significant effect on their creativity.


Background
 HD is a B-lineage lymphoma characterized, depending on subtype, by a prominent inflammatory infiltrate and fibrosis. Clinically, inflammatory symptoms like fever, weight loss and night sweats (B-symptoms) and increased blood biomarkers of inflammation, including ESR and CRP, are characteristic of more advanced disease.
 The clinical trial EURONET-PHL-C2 (Second International Inter-Group Study for Classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Children and Adolescents) is a randomized, prospective trial that compares chemo- and radiotherapy treatment concepts of different intensities in patients with intermediate and advanced HD. Patients are stratified by risk into 3 therapy groups (TL-1 to TL-3). An ESR> 30mm/h had been a risk factor for relapse in previous studies and leads to upstaging from the lowest (TL-1, Ann Arbor stage I and IIa without additional risk factors) to the intermediate risk group TL-2 in the current study.
 This addon pilot study tested urine proteomic patterns from pediatric patients with HD at diagnosis and compared them to the patterns of normal children. The questions were: Is there a HD-specific pattern, a pattern that identifies high risk or a pattern that correlates with inflammatory markers?
 Patients and methods
 Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE-MS) was used to compare the peptide profiles in the mass range of 0.8 to 20 kDa of urine samples (N=34) from 16 children with pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma (PHL) as case and 32 age-matched children with no evidence of a disease (N=28) or with urinary tract infection (N=4) as control groups. Marker selection was based on a two-step strategy. First, a group-wise comparison of rank sum differences was performed on a set of 2418 annotated peptides with distribution frequencies above 30% in at least one of the groups with subsequent adjustment for multiple testing by the method of Bonferroni. In the second step marker candidates were further restricted to those demonstrating a significant positive or negative Spearman rho correlation coefficient (≥0.34 or ≤-0.34) to the Ann-Arbor classification criteria. From the resulting peptides a multivariate peptide marker classifier was established by support vector machine modeling and applied to an independent confirmation set of PHL (N=16, 31 urine samples) and control (N=18, 18 urine samples) patients to determine classification accuracy in receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. Peptides included in the PHL classifier were resolved in their amino acid sequence by tandem mass spectrometry to identify the proteins from which the peptide markers are derived.
 Results
 The established multivariate peptide marker model consisting of 40 naturally occurring urinary peptides enabled absolute differentiation between PHL patients and children without signs of disease or urinary tract infection in independent validation as revealed by an area under the ROC curve value of 1.0 (95% confidence interval: 0.93 to 1.00, p<0.0001). Amino acid sequencing revealed that the majority of peptides are interstitial collagen fragments from specific hot-spot regions within the proteins linear sequence and in part with overlapping amino acid sequences indicative for the activity of specific extracellular matrix degrading proteases. Other PHL peptide markers are derived from the tumor associated proteins S100-A9, Prostaglandin-H2 D-isomerase and Cytokeratin-8.
 Conclusions and perspective
 We were able to identify a proteomic pattern characteristic for HD, markers for relapse risk group or HD-associated inflammation were not yet identified.

 Metzger: Mosaiques Diagnostics: Employment.


The introduction of Software-Defined Networks (SDN) and the evolution towards programmable data planes bring the opportunity to offload several functions to the data plane. In this context, the P4 programming language opens the door to the customization of data planes. It can provide packet processing functionalities that can be applied to improve network security among other areas. This paper presents P4Knocking, a P4-based port knocking implementation that can externally open ports that appear to be closed. The goal of bringing port knocking capabilities to the network is to seamlessly deploy firewall functions in the data plane, reliving hosts from dealing with unintended traffic. Our work presents a total of four implementations that involve data and control planes in different degrees. In this case, P4Knocking can provide a more transparent and efficient way to deploy the port knocking service compared to a host-based port knocking implementation. In fact, it requires no specific purpose externs apart from registers, hence its higher portability and flexibility with local or remote control planes.


Aim and background: A stability-indicating gradient reverse phase liquid chromatographic (RP-LC) method was developed for the quantitative determination of related substances of guaifenesin in pharmaceutical formulations. Materials and methods: The baseline separation for guaifenesin and all impurities was achieved by utilizing a Water Symmetry C18 (150 mm × 4.6 mm) 5 μm column particle size and a gradient elution method. The mobile phase A contains a mixture of 0.02 M KH2PO4 (pH 3.2) and methanol in the ratio of 90:10 v/v, while the mobile phase B contains 0.02 M KH2PO4 (pH 3.2) and methanol in the ratio of 10:90 v/v, respectively. The flow rate of the mobile phase was 0.8 ml/min with a column temperature of 25°C and detection wavelength at 273 nm. Results: Guaifenesin was subjected to the stress conditions of oxidative, acid, base, hydrolytic, thermal, and photolytic degradation. Conclusion: The developed method was validated as per ICH guidelines with respect to specificity, linearity, limit of detection and quantification, accuracy, precision, and robustness.


The rapid adoption of Cloud-based information and communication technology (ICT) services reflects a Schumpeterian creative destruction scenario [Schumpeter, J. A. 1942. Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. New York: Harper & Row], as they increasingly supplant traditional in-house ICT capital investment models [Ross, P. K., and M. Blumenstein. 2012. Leveraging the Opportunities of the Cloud: The Impact of Cloud Computing Strategies on Organisational Structures, Management Practices and ICT Worker Skill Sets in Queensland Private and Public Sector Organisations. Brisbane: Griffith University and the Department of Science, Information, Technology, Innovation and the Arts (SITIA)]. This research examines how Cloud technologies facilitate the development of internationally orientated small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) entrepreneurship by providing greater access to global markets, lowering opportunity costs and supporting collaboration and innovation in an increasingly connected world. The Cloud computing paradigm also brings associated threats for SMEs, including potential challenges in adapting to Cloud-based and supported business models and increased competition from globally based competitors. Therefore, while Cloud technologies offer a potential boon to SME entrepreneurship, they may also usher in a period of rationalisation, as some firms will inevitably fail to successfully adapt to a globally competitive Cloud environment.


Nowadays the world of scholarly publishing is in serious trouble because of the increasing number of predatory publishing. Besides, citation of articles from predatory journals is also unethical that undermines the quality of research papers. Because of ignorance of predatory publishing and/or compulsion of getting published in a limited time, scholars from Universities and young researchers become victim to predatory or hijacked journals. The purpose of this paper is to create awareness among authors, especially novice ones, about predatory publication. Research institutions should encourage their researchers to publish their articles  in valuable journals indexed in Web of Science's Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Clarivate Analytics, formerly part of Thomson-Reuters) or other famous scientific databases such as Scopus, PubMed and MEDLINE. In this way, attention to the Thomson Reuters' Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and Journal Ranking (JRK) and Scopus grade (Q1, Q2 and Q3) may be useful and necessary.


Lesions of the articular cartilage now are recognized as a common, often treatable source of joint disability. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of articular cartilage is a sensitive, noninvasive method for the detection of focal articular cartilage lesions. Advancement in imaging technology now allows for high spatial resolution acquisitions that are able to identify most cartilage lesions, and these acquisitions can be incorporated into everyday clinical imaging protocols. Thus, screening for cartilage abnormalities can be accomplished, along with routine evaluation for ligament and meniscal abnormalities. Familiarity with the appearances of normal cartilage and the full spectrum of cartilage lesions will aid in specific diagnoses. Grading and sizing of cartilage lesions and any underlying bony abnormalities on MRI can help the surgeon in treatment planning; however, some significant cartilage lesions can be difficult to identify and grade by MRI.


The availability and rapidity of onset of pharmacologic agents for the treatment of hypertensive crisis allow the pediatrician to treat nearly every case effectively. Diazoxide seems to be the agent of choice as a first drug for the patient with encephalopathy. Failure of the blood pressure to respond to this agent should lead to consideration of the use of sodium nitroprusside. The possibility of the presence of a cathecholamine-secreting tumor should also be considered in these rare patients. In less severe cases, reserpine and hydralazine--alone or in combination--offer sufficiently rapid and prolonged action to prevent the development of encephalopathy in patients with acute elevations of blood pressure.


Two approaches to biomass mapping of shrublands across sub-humid and arid transition zones are integrated. The first generalizes relationships between biomass and precipitation from sites in the Mediterranean Basin, California, Namibia and Mongolia. The second represents existing Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)-based models for biomass estimation on a regional scale. A new modified NDVI-based model is presented that uses relative rain availability as the ratio between the mean annual precipitation and the threshold rain level representing the transition from herbaceous growth to shrub dominance. While the data accounts for the actual vegetation cover, the relative rain parameter accounts for the potential biomass production. Implementation of the modified relative rain model with Landsat imagery of climatic gradients (the east-west gradient between the Judean Mountains and the Judean desert and the north-south gradient between the Judean Mountains and the Negev Desert) yielded realistic estimates of biomass in areas of high human disturbance to the natural ecosystems. These results support the possibility that the modified model can be used to map biomass across wide Mediterranean and desert-fringe ecosystems.


The rapid changing of life requires a support for continuous learning and ongoing creation of new ideas and skills. The life-long education is becoming a necessity in tomorrow's world. Thanks to Internet, the education process changed significantly in last two decades. E-learning becomes important source of knowledge for lifelong learners, as well as full-time students. The paper presents different definitions of e-learning, which are changing by development of technologies through the years. Although learning resources are often considered as key intellectual property in a competitive higher education world, more and more institutions and individuals are sharing their digital learning resources over the Internet openly and for free, as Open Educational Resources (OER). The concept of using the educational resources has changed significantly in last decade. The development led from free content that one can individually teach himself, to social learning, where users have the possibility of mutual communication and exchange of opinions. Linking databases of resources, which will allow the user to use the information adapted to his previous knowledge, is expected in the near future. The paper touches also the quality of educational materials and the problem which appears because a lot of the materials are pedagogically inadequately prepared. There are also several good practices of OER, ideas and existing initiatives presented.


The effect of cytochalasin B (Cyt-B; 3 and 6 micrograms/ml; for the last 28 h) on micronuclei (MN) was studied in 72-h purified lymphocyte cultures of three male donors. The frequency of MN was much higher in multinucleate cells (mean 100-204 MN per 1000 cells) than in binucleate cells (mean 8.2-21.0 MN per 1000 cells), tetranucleate cells containing more MN than trinucleate cells. The presence of whole chromosomes in the MN was studied in two separate experiments by immunofluorescence using antikinetochore (CREST) serum and by a centromeric alphoid DNA oligomer probe (in situ hybridization, ISH). In the tri- and tetra-nucleate cells produced by Cyt-B, MN were clearly more often kinetochore-positive (K+) (mean 82-86%) and centromere-positive (C+) (mean 73-83%) than in mononucleate cells of cultures containing no Cyt-B (mean 63% for CREST and 50% for ISH), indicating that most of the excess MN in the multinucleate cells were due to whole chromosomes. The binucleate lymphocytes had about as high prevalence of K+MN (mean 79-84%) as the tri- and tetra-nucleate cells, despite their low MN count. Also in the ISH analysis, the majority of MN in binucleate cells were positively stained (mean 58-62%). If it is assumed that the extra labelled MN are due to Cyt-B, the present findings suggest that Cyt-B could be responsible for approximately 45-57% (CREST data) or approximately 17-23% (ISH data) of MN in binucleate cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This article introduces the consumer job journey as a more holistic perspective by which to understand consumption journeys undertaken to acquire and use goods and services. It aids scholars and managers by helping make evident some key consumer decisions and behaviors that otherwise would be invisible. Four tenets lay the foundation for the concept of a consumer job journey, establishing some key differences relative to a traditional perspective on consumption journeys. A consumer job journey involves a sequence of goal-directed steps (and associated evaluative criteria) in pursuit of an overall job and the consumer actions directed by these steps to acquire, assemble, and integrate market and nonmarket resources. Propositions highlight the consumer's role as an active project manager who continually adapts their resource configuration given job journey goal priorities, psychological tensions, and disruptions. In combination, the tenets and propositions highlight both research gaps and unique managerial implications.


PURPOSE
We compared healing after laparoscopic cystotomy using fibrin glue, sutures, or a combination to determine whether fibrin glue can obviate the need for sutures and whether there is any detriment when glue is used in the presence of sutures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In 24 Yorkshire pigs, a 3.5 cm vertical cystotomy was created laparoscopically and repaired as follows: Group 1--no closure; group 2--fibrin glue closure; group 3--suture repair; group 4--combined fibrin glue and suture repair. All animals had a Foley catheter for 1 week. In each group, three animals were harvested at 1 week (acute) and three animals were harvested at 6 weeks (chronic).

RESULTS
Acute: Group 1--all pigs had an unhealed defect that leaked when evaluated by cystography. Groups 2, 3, 4--mean leak pressures were 80, 97, and 60 cm H(2)O (P = 0.36), respectively. Mean bladder capacity was not significantly different between groups. Chronic: No leakage seen on a cystogram at 1 week; at 6 weeks, bladders were filled at > or =95 to 100 cm H(2)O without leakage. Histologically, there was more inflammation in the acute group v chronic group pigs. In the acute group pigs repaired with glue or suture + glue, there was more inflammation and less epithelial continuity than in the suture alone group. At 6 weeks, there was no difference between groups.

CONCLUSION
Fibrin glue provoked an intense inflammatory response that might have delayed healing acutely, resulting in a lower burst pressure in both scenarios in which it was used (i.e., alone or in combination with sutures). However, by 6 weeks, there did not seem to be any difference between groups either clinically or histopathologically.


The cross-correlation of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZ) and weak-lensing imaging surveys can be used to test how well hot baryons trace dark matter in clusters of galaxies. We examine this concept using mock SZ and weak-lensing surveys based on the forthcoming AMiBA experiment and generated from a pre-heated cosmological N-body/hydrodynamic simulation. A cross-correlation diagram between matched lensing convergence and Compton y maps exhibits butterfly-wing-like structures, corresponding to individual clusters, that encode rich information about the distributions of hot gas and dark matter. When the cluster redshift and temperature are available the slope of a wing reveals the cluster gas fraction and the width of the wing indicates how badly the hot gas traces dark matter. On the basis of simulated data we discuss systematic errors in the projected gas fraction estimates that would be obtained from such survey comparisons.


The design and realization of a nanosecond, high-voltage electric pulse generator for bioelectrical applications is reported in this paper. A Blumlein type architecture was adopted, with some modifications, and realized in a microstrip line configuration with meander-shaped conducting strips, and with ultra-fast, high voltage solid state switches. Three microstrip-lines have been realized in such a way that, being interchangeable within the structure, they allow to match different load impedances. A fiber optic-based system was also realized to separate the high voltage side of the system from the switch-control circuit. The system is suitable for applying high voltage nanosecond electric pulses, with variable pulse duration, amplitude, repetition rate and polarity, to liquid media with different electromagnetic characteristics, hosted in electroporation cuvettes with different gap dimensions.


Political parties with activists are in decline due to various external shocks. Societal changes, like the emergence of new technologies of communication have diminished the role and number of activists, while party elites increasingly can make do without grassroots activists. However, recent scholarship concerning different democracies has shown how activism still matters for representation. This book contributes to this literature by analyzing the unique case of the Uruguayan Frente Amplio (FA), the only mass-organic, institutionalized leftist party in Latin America. Using thick description, systematic process tracing, and survey research, this case study highlights the value of an organization-centered approach for understanding parties' role in democracy. Within the FA, organizational rules grant activists a significant voice, which imbues activists' participation with a strong sense of efficacy. This book is an excellent resource for scholars and students of Latin America and comparative politics who are interested in political parties and the challenges confronting new democracies.


AIMS
This paper discusses the application of transformational leadership to the teaching and learning of safe medication management.

BACKGROUND
The prevalence of adverse drug events (ADEs) and medication-related hospitalisations (one hundred thousand each year in the USA) are of concern.

EVALUATION
This discussion is based on a narrative literature review and scrutiny of international nursing research to synthesise pedagogical strategies for the application of transformational leadership to teaching medication safety.

KEY ISSUES
The four elements relating transformational leadership to medication safety education are: 'Idealised influence' or role modelling, both actual and exemplary, 'Inspirational motivation' providing students with commitment to medication safety, 'Intellectual stimulation' encouraging students to value improvement and change, and 'Individualised consideration' of individual students' educational goals, practice development and patient outcomes. The model lends itself to experiential learning and a case-study approach to teaching, offering an opportunity to reduce nursing's theory-practice gap.

CONCLUSION
Transformational leadership for medication safety education is characterised by a focus on the role of nurse educators and mentors in the development of students' abilities, creation of a supportive culture, and enhancement of students' creativity, motivation and ethical behaviour. This will prepare nursing graduates with the competencies necessary to be diligent about medication safety and the prevention of errors.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT
Teaching medication safety through transformational leadership requires the close collaboration of educators, managers and policy makers. Investigation of strategies to reduced medication errors and consequent patient harm should include exploration of the application of transformational leadership to education and its impact on the number and severity of medication errors.


We investigate the possible drawbacks of employing the standard Pearson estimator to measure correlation coefficients between financial stocks in the presence of non-stationary behavior, and we provide empirical evidence against the well-established common knowledge that using longer price time series provides better, more accurate, correlation estimates. Then, we investigate the possible consequences of instabilities in empirical correlation coefficient measurements on optimal portfolio selection. We rely on previously published works which provide a framework allowing us to take into account possible risk underestimations due to the non-optimality of the portfolio weights being used in order to distinguish such non-optimality effects from risk underestimations genuinely due to non-stationarities. We interpret such results in terms of instabilities in some spectral properties of portfolio correlation matrices.


Since the publication of the Government White Paper 'Valuing People: a new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century', the responsibility for providing health care for people with learning disabilities has shifted rapidly to primary care. However, people with learning disabilities are supported by a disparate group of providers, from health care through local authorities to the voluntary sector, with resultant difficulties in providing seamless care. There would seem to be considerable potential for 'joined-up' data and information services to improve this situation, and Semantic Web technologies offer many enticing possibilities in this regard. However, to be effective, many organisational and policy issues have to be addressed; not least among these is the concern of patient confidentiality. This is particularly pertinent given that people with learning disabilities might be less able to make informed decisions. The approach that this paper takes is to review the policy and service scenarios that would benefit from 'joined-up' data, and then, based on user feedback from a series of seminars with stake-holders on these issues, explore what works well, what works less well, and to offer suggestions for future developments.


We describe here the computer program for modeling the FPCs and SSDs used in the ground calibration, relative and absolute, of AXAF. The program is called as a subroutine by XSPEC. The design is hierarchical: at the lowest level are models for single electron spectra, upon which are based the computation of moment generating functions (mgfs) for the detector response functions. Any number of discrete lines and a continuum are allowed. The continuum is the source x-ray spectrum as modified by intervening filters. The overall mgf is numerically transformed into the count spectrum via an inverse fast Fourier transform. The component mgfs have unit normalization, and final fitted normalizations give the count rate for each component.


Based on an incremental path search algorithm, this paper addresses the problem of path selection for delay and power performance optimization. Delay and power/area constraints are managed through circuit path sizing alternatives defined with a realistic evaluation of gate delays. Demonstration of this technique is given through examples of path enumeration and optimization evaluated on several ISCAS'85 benchmarks.


In most data sharing protocols for cloud storage, to update the outsourced data, the data updating operation is only executed by data owner. Obviously, it is far from practical owing to the tremendous computational cost on data owner. Until now, there are a few protocols in which multiple cloud users are allowed to update the outsourced data with integrity assurance. And these protocols do not consider collusion attack between misbehaving cloud servers and the revoked users, which is an important challenge in data sharing protocol. To support multi-user modification and resist collusion attack, we propose a novel public auditing for data sharing with multi-user modification in this paper. Our scheme does not support public checking and efficient user revocation, but provides backward security. At the same time, our scheme is provably secure under the bilinear Diffie-Hellman problem. To increase efficiency of the auditor's verification, an improved protocol is given. In the improved protocol, only one pairing operation is required in the auditor's verification phase. By comparison with the other protocols, our scheme has lower computation cost on the auditor and stronger security.


Objectives. To assess the effectiveness of human patient simulation to teach patient safety, team-building skills, and the value of interprofessional collaboration to pharmacy students. Design. Five scenarios simulating semi-urgent situations that required interprofessional collaboration were developed. Groups of 10 to 12 health professions students that included 1 to 2 pharmacy students evaluated patients while addressing patient safety hazards. Assessment. Pharmacy students' scores on 8 of 30 items on a post-simulation survey of knowledge, skills, and attitudes improved over pre-simulation scores. Students' scores on 3 of 10 items on a team building and interprofessional communications survey also improved after participating in the simulation exercise. Over 90% of students reported that simulation increased their understanding of professional roles and the importance of interprofessional communication. Conclusions. Simulation training provided an opportunity to improve pharmacy students' ability to recognize and react to patient safety concerns and enhanced their interprofessional collaboration and communication skills.


This study discusses the relation between the working memory and the readers' performance on written texts comprehension tasks, aiming to investigate the relation between the working memory and reading comprehension by identifying the theoretical foundation that supports the hypothesis that the working memory, a component of the executive function of the brain, is associated to abilities of reading comprehension. The working memory resources seem to affect the individual ability to perform many of the processes associated to the construction of the text representation, such as the integration and inference processes. Failures in the processing variables and knowledge can lead to comprehension difficulties such as inefficient lexical processing, impaired ability of inference and the ability of comprehension monitoring besides working memory limitations.


Purpose: This study was done to develop a new nursing intervention, Meridian Massage, and to investigate its effect on weight in infants and mother-infant interaction. Method: This study was conducted using a quasi experimental non equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Thirty-one newborn infants from a postpartum Management Center were selected and assigned to two groups, experimental and control. Data were collected from February 1 to September 30, 2004. Infants in the experimental group (16) were given Meridian massage for 15 minutes daily for 6 days and weighed every day at 10 am. Using the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale(1978), mother-infant interaction was determined before the treatment, after 1 week and 1 month after the massage. Results: Infants in the experimental group had a higher average weight than those in the control group and the difference was significant (Z=-2.29, p=.022). For mother-infant interaction, the experimental group had higher scores than the control group, and the difference was significant between both the two groups, and the 3 measurement times. Conclusion: The Meridian Massage in this study showed positive weight gain and positive mother-infant interaction. This study shows that meridian massage is an effective nursing intervention in improving infant development.


Molecular Communication is evolving as a supra- discipline of bioinspired information and communication technologies. The next breakthroughs in molecular communication will greatly depend on the deep understanding of complex diseases, epitomized by brain malignancies. This will be achieved by delineating underlying cellular and sub-cellular processes in the context of interactive bionanomachines and their comprehensive management with diagnostic and therapeutic interventions controlled externally. In this paper, we present our recent progress in the fields of Externally Controllable Molecular Communication and brain malignancies, aiming towards drastic transformation in the way we diagnose and treat such disorders. Promising recent data involve targeting cell- and exosome-mediated theranostic systems as well as phenotypic switching and network formation. With the aim to transform Externally Controllable Molecular Communication from a theoretical concept to a clinically applicable technology, we identify gaps and challenges and share our views and thoughts on how advancements in diagnostics and therapeutics based on bionanomachine, nanonetwork and bionanodevice interfaces can bring a paradigm shift in the way we manage malignant disorders, via targeted breakthroughs.


The band properties of corundum-phase have been calculated in the local-density approximation with the use of the linear augmented-plane-wave method. The results consist of low-lying O 2p states and a partially filled complex near where metallic behaviour originates from overlapping and subbands. Decreasing the c/a ratio (even beyond the observed low-temperature value) reduces but does not eliminate this - band overlap, thereby precluding a band explanation for the metal - insulator transition that is observed in this system with no accompanying structural distortion.


This Events and Sightings installment covers a range of recent events focusing on the history of computing. Akihiko Yamada recaps the 5th Commemoration: One Step on Electrotechnology (Look Back to the Future) of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (IEEJ), held at the Hiroshima Institute of Technology on 22 March 2012 during the IEEJ annual convention. Dag Spicer also reviews activities and developments at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, over the last year.


Crystallization of amorphous silicon (a-Si) which starts from the middle of the a-Si region separating two adjacent metal-induced crystallization (MIC) polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) regions is observed. The crystallization is found to be related to the distance between the neighboring nickel-introducing MIC windows. Trace nickel that diffuses from the MIC window into the a-Si matrix during the MIC heat-treatment is experimentally discovered, which is responsible for the crystallization of the a-Si beyond the MIC front. A minimum diffusion coefficient of 1.84 × 10 − 9 cm2/s at 550 °C is estimated for the trace nickel diffusion in a-Si.


Background Hemidesmosomes are a complex of proteins that play crucial role in the adhesion of the epithelial cells to the underlying basement membrane located in the undersurface of the basal keratinocytes. When any of the hemidesmosomal proteins are disrupted or mutated, it would lead to skin fragility or blisters causing abnormalities in protein-protein interaction and cell-cell communication. Material and methods By looking at the cDNA sequence that we have been provided with, the first step was to perform BLASTp. This was to find out the altered protein. Both sequences (normal and mutated patient), were identified to be related to collagen XVII protein a1. So far our Blast confirmed that Collagen XVII is the mutated protein in our patient. By comparing the two sequences the mutation is a nonsense mutation that converts Argenine (CGA) to a Stop codon (TGA).  Results Since Collagen XVII is a component of hemidesmosomes, if a mutation occurs in this protein (eg transmission from a C to a T), then this means that there is no production of this protein in skin, because the transcription will be prevented at the stop codon. This will lead to disruption of the hemidesmosome complex, which is unable to provide adhesion between the dermal-epidermal junction. As a result blisters will form between the layers. Conclusion The live patient in our study case has the homozygous recessive form of JEB which mean he has two copies of the defective gene, one from each parent, therefore showing symptoms.


In the presence of KSF-supported heteropoly acid as a heterogeneous, reusable and inexpensive catalyst, three-component reactions between aldehydes or ketones, amines, and trimethylsilyl cyanide preceded to afford α-aminonitriles in excellent yields, very short reaction times, and low loading of catalyst. This catalyst was highly selective and other functional groups including carbon-carbon double bond, and heterocyclic moieties did not affect the reaction. KEY WORDS : Heterogeneous catalysis, Clays, Combinatorial chemistry, α-Aminonitrile, Heteropoly acid Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2010 , 24(2), 209-215.


We present an approach for user assisted segmentation of objects of interest, as either a closed object or an open curve. The proposed method combines point based soft constraint on object boundary and stroke based regional constraint. The user points act as attraction points and are treated as soft constraints, rather than hard constraints that the segmented boundary has to pass through the user specified control points. User can also use strokes to specify region of interest. The probabilities of region of interest for each pixel are then calculated and their discontinuity is used to indicate object boundary. This combined approach is formulated as an energy minimization problem on a multilayered graph and is solved using a shortest path search algorithm. We show that this combined approach allows efficient and effective interactive segmentation, which can be used in open or closed curves to segment a variety of images in different ways, and the method is compared against several other techniques, qualitatively.


In the last years, operative laparoscopy became a standard approach in gynaecology and general surgery. Even in pregnancy its use is becoming more widely accepted. In fact, it offers advantages similar to those in no pregnant women, associated with good maternal and fetal outcomes. Around 0.2% of pregnant women require abdominal surgery. The most common indications of laparoscopy in pregnancy are cholelithiasis complications, appendicitis, persistent ovarian cyst and adnexal torsion. Authors describe a very rare case of acute abdomen due to isolated Fallopian tube torsion in a 24(th) weeks pregnant woman, managed by laparoscopic salpingectomy.


Majority of wells completed offshore Malaysia have downhole screens installed for sand and fines control. It is however observed that the PI of most of these wells drop multifold times within first few years of production. This paper illustrates the workflow with novel technique of screening such wells for stimulation to restore well production. This paper will also illustrate a few examples of actual implementation of the stimulation jobs and the excellent results from these jobs.
 Hundreds of strings operated by PETRONAS in Malaysia Offshore across various fields have some form of downhole screen (standalone or as part of the gravel pack) installed to control sand and fines. Although these completions remain effective initially, but water break through results in significant PI decrease. It has been established that the predominant cause of this decline is the screen or gravel pack plugging by the fines mobilized by water which is followed in many cases by deposition of inorganic or organic scales. A workflow was developed using data from existing digital production monitoring system to identify wells showing the plugging behaviour.
 The workflow used several factors such as liquid rate decline, GOR, water cut, reservoir pressure, artificial lift performance etc to shortlist a list of wells on which a detailed nodal analysis was applied to estimate gains assuming 70% skin reduction. The wells which passed the workflow and showed maximum benefit from stimulation were then grouped together such that a campaign-based execution could be done to optimize cost. Detailed customized stimulation recipe for each well was prepared and optimized well level operation program was prepared. Optimization such as using bullheading technique instead of using coil tubing in some cases was done. Stimulation treatment in 4 of the wells has been pumped successfully with excellent results and an estimated 1,000 bopd total gains. The post job oil rate is double the initial rate in many cases and even 200% more in some of the cases. Post job nodal analysis suggests up to 90% damage skin removal in these wells. Optimized operation program and campaign-based execution coupled with other cost saving measures implied that the payback time was less than 1 month. PDG data from one of the wells was used extensively to evaluate pre & post stimulation well behavior.
 The high damage skin in the screen completed wells is one of the most pertinent issues which leads to significant production loss in wells offshore Malaysia. This paper details a quick and robust method to identify such wells for stimulation. The results from these stimulation jobs on candidate wells are very encouraging particularly considering the economics of the jobs. Following the success of the initial jobs, many more candidate wells have been lined up for execution in near future.


Through a study of local party adaptation to the introduction of the Single Transferable Vote (STV) in the 2007 Scottish local government election, this article asks whether party organisations can be strategic, vote‐maximising actors when a new electoral system is introduced. By examining candidate and 'vote management' strategies, the article demonstrates that local parties tended to adapt best in areas of organisational and electoral strength. However, despite some comprehensive attempts to adapt to the STV system, parties were hampered by a lack of experience with the new system and a lack of adequate data upon which to base candidate and campaigning decisions.


Glass ionomer cements have been used in pediatric restorative dentistry for more than two decades. Their usefulness in clinical dentistry is preferential to other materials because of fluoride release from the glass component, biocompatibility, chemical adhesion to dentin and enamel, coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of tooth structure, and versatility. The purpose of this paper was to review the uses of glass ionomer materials in pediatric dentistry, specifically as pit and fissure sealants, dentin and enamel replacement repair materials, and luting cements, and for use in glass ionomer/resin-based composite stratification tooth restoration (the sandwich technique). This article can also be used as a guide to research and clinical references regarding specific aspects of the glass ionomer systems and how they are used for young patients.


Skin conditions are one of the most frequent reasons for visiting a primary health care facility, making it of vital importance that general practitioners (GPs) have the right knowledge and tools to diagnose the most frequent dermatological conditions. Methods: This study evaluates the accuracy of dermatological diagnoses made by 120 GPs based on photographs taken with a smartphone by an anonymous online cross-sectional survey. Results: The study was carried out between August and October 2018. The results show that the majority of the participants are in favor of using mobile phones to communicate with other professionals and use them to consult medical images. The majority (69%) took dermatological photographs and the preferred device was a smartphone (70%). From 22 different images evaluated, in 69% of responses, participants expressed a high degree of confidence in their ability to diagnose the lesion shown and in 72% of the cases, the diagnosis chosen was correct. Conclusions: The study confirms that the use of smartphone to send medical images is growing rapidly and its potential for taking medical images is an opportunity to help primary care teams deal with dermatological problems. The results suggest that GPs need further training in interpreting dermatological images, to increase their diagnostic confidence and to avoid the need for referrals to face-to-face visits.


Tropical forest ecosystem are characterised by high species diversity compare to other forest types. Very vast area under forest of India falls in same category while the state entirely falls in this category. In addition, maximum area of state falls in the arid and semi-arid tracts which also represent unique sub-forest type, Tropical Desert Thorn Forest". Such forest area represents endemism and site specific distribution of plants which harbour attention of conservation scientist. On the other hand, the infrastructure and industrial development leads to the loss of such unique and important biodiversity. Hence in present book an attempt was made to know the distribution, associated species of threatened plants of Kachchh district. Here an emphasis was also made to know the various threats to its existence and suggested management and conservation measures.


The development of a novel generation of drug-eluting stent (DES) relies upon the idea to obtain very flexible platforms able to overcome some issues associated to available devices and widen their field of application, especially to the currently emerging biotech therapeutics. Here, we propose a new concept of DES named microsphere-integrated drug-eluting stent (MIDES) composed of drug eluting biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) microspheres--encapsulating an hydrophilic model molecule (dextran)--fully integrated in a poly(2-hydroxy-ethyl-methacrylate) coating. By implementing a modified spray-coating technique, we have been able to achieve a thin (10 μm), smooth, and homogeneous hydrogel surface embedding underneath a population of two different microparticles formulations--Dex502H and Dex506. The amount of drug can be tailored, resulting in a dextran loading as high as 1.4 μg/cm, by simply reiteration of coating layer deposition making the MIDES a custom-made device where the release kinetics can be further modified by opportunely choosing microsphere properties. DES use is nowadays restricted to delivery of hydrophobic pharmaceuticals; release of hydrophilic therapeutics from MIDES can, however, be finely controlled by specifically engineering biodegradable microspheres. By varying polymer resomer, we obtained a tunable release rate in the first month of delivery. Depending on the microspheres properties release profile changes drastically moving from a biphasic release, in the case of Dex502H, with a burst of about 20% in the first day to a more sustained release for Dex506 particles. As proof of principle, we also demonstrated that MIDES approach can allows the delivery of two different agents opening up the way to a multitherapy in restenosis treatment.