This paper analyzes the problem of transmitting a Gaussian source over an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel in the presence of an unknown interference. The goal is to estimate the source at the receiver with minimum mean squared error (MMSE) distortion. We introduce a lattice-based coding scheme and calculate its achievable distortion. If the interference distribution and the lattice voronoi region satisfy some conditions, the effect of interference can be reduced.


Herbivore damage by chewing insects activates jasmonate (JA) signalling that can elicit systemic defense responses in rice. Few details are known, however, concerning the mechanism, whereby JA signalling modulates nutrient status in rice in response to herbivory. (15 NH4 )2 SO4 labelling experiments, proteomic surveys, and RT-qPCR analyses were used to identify the roles of JA signalling in nitrogen (N) uptake and allocation in rice plants. Exogenous applications of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) to rice seedlings led to significantly reduced N uptake in roots and reduced translocation of recently-absorbed 15 N from roots to leaves, likely occurring as a result of down-regulation of glutamine synthetase cytosolic isozyme 1-2 and ferredoxin-nitrite reductase. Shoot MeJA treatment resulted in a remobilization of endogenous unlabelled 14 N from leaves to roots, and root MeJA treatment also increased 14 N accumulation in roots but did not affect 14 N accumulation in leaves of rice. Additionally, proteomic and RT-qPCR experiments showed that JA-mediated plastid disassembly and dehydrogenases GDH2 up-regulation contribute to N release in leaves to support production of defensive proteins/compounds under N-limited condition. Collectively, our results indicate that JA signalling mediates large-scale systemic changes in N uptake and allocation in rice plants.


The performance of Friedel−Crafts modified polystyrene (FCMPS) as a volatile organic compound (VOC) sorbent is compared with commercially available polymers and activated carbon. Detailed analyses of the equilibrium isotherms are presented, including vapor phase isotherm temperature dependence and isosteric heats of sorption. Although significant absorption contributions are observed for the polymeric sorbents of this study, the data are mathematically well represented by Polanyi potential analysis. FCMPS can be synthesized with desirable performance qualities such as ultimate VOC sorption capacity of ∼2 mL/g, competitively high capacity in dilute streams versus activated carbon, insensitivity to humidity in vapor phase applications, and comparative ease of regeneration.


Discrete-time models of asset pricing have hitherto generally avoided studying the relationship between the underlying technology inherent in the economy and the determinants of the price of capital. A fully articulated economy is constructed in which there is a nontrivial technology for producing capital. The existence of adjustment costs in augmenting the quantity of capital has interesting implications for the stochastic properties of asset prices, as well as other macroeconomic variables. Examples of such economies are used to illustrate this point.


Abstract Successive crises in the European Union have led critics to identify a pervasive tendency to emergency politics, where democratic deliberation gives way to policy decisions forced through by executive authority. By contrast, in this article it is argued that crises may stimulate deliberation and compromise, even when preceded by open conflict and an evident collective action failure. Drawing on a new dataset of 1759 policy-related actions covering the EU and its member states' responses to COVID-19 between March and July 2020, the timing, sequencing and origins of policy claims and steps are traced. Both urgent epidemiological responses are found, where emergency measures were in evidence; and responses to anticipated economic challenges that had to overcome disagreement concerning necessary institutional reforms. The findings depict a multifaceted crisis response. The European Commission acted swiftly but also bought time for member state governments to deliberate. This casts doubt on the many-crises-one-script account of EU emergency politics.


In this paper, the influence of a crack on the natural frequency of cracked cantilever L-shaped beam with coupled bending and torsional vibrations by analytically and experimentally is analyzed. The L-shaped beam with a crack is modeled by Hamilton's principle with consideration of bending and torsional energy. The two coupled governing differential equations are reduced to one sixth-order ordinary differential equation in terms of the flexural displacement. The crack is assumed to be in the first, second and third mode of fracture and to be always opened during the vibrations. The theoretical results are validated by a comparison with experimental measurements. The maximal difference between the theoretical results and experimental measurements of the natural frequency is less than 7.5% in the second vibration mode.


Aims and goals of this paper. The article is devoted to analysis of issues related to development of public-private partnership (PPP) projects in mineral resources sector of Russia. The special emphasis is given to the most common PPP model in the field of industrial infrastructure construction using the Investment Fund of RF. We offer specific tools to be used with Russian models for assessment of PPP projects and forecasting of its efficiency for its participants. This model allows evaluating the results of the whole deposit development process, constructing graphs of all types of expenditures and revenues (by years), and having rent assessment of deposit NPV (net present value) and internal rent rate (IRR). Methods and results. The iteration process at each step enables assessment of budget revenue forecast, living standards indexes, ecological parameters and performance indicators, as well as a certain variant of PPP project implementation for investors (direct government expenses on implementation of infrastructure objects and environmental activities, tax benefits). We have a set of tools for supporting the management decision making process in developing efficient PPP mechanism, balancing long-term government interests, private sector and local people interests arising during socio-economic development of mineral resources area. This method using the suggested tools for analyzing efficiency of a specific partnership mechanism is shown on the examples of projects of developing different deposits in Transbaikal region.


The present document includes a state-of-the-art review of solar envelope systems that are already on the market or that can potentially reach that stage in a short-medium timeframe. The analysis focuses on the technological integration of such solutions in the envelope and building, but non-technical issues such as aesthetic, architectural integration and customer acceptance are also tackled. The solar envelope systems are classified in: Solar harvesting systems: systems that generate electricity or heat; Solar gains control systems, controlling; Hybrid systems: combination of solar harvesting and solar gains control systems.


Instability remains one of the leading causes of revision total hip arthroplasty. It is important to understand the etiology of recurrent instability prior to surgical intervention to solve instability. Understanding the patient factors and surgical factors that lead to instability is critical. Once the decision to have surgery has been made, it is critical to correct the problem that lead to instability. Today, several options exist to help reduce the risk of instability, but correction of component malposition is the most critical. This chapter reviews current options in the treatment of recurrent instability.


The crystal structures of three recombinant human hemoglobins, rHb1. 0, rHb1.1 and rHb1.2, have been determined in the deoxy state at 1.8 A resolution. Two of the three proteins, rHb1.1 and rHb1.2, contain a genetic fusion of the alpha subunits, a one- or two-glycine link, respectively, whereas rHb1.0 does not. The glycine crosslinks, localized between one N- and C--termini pair of the alpha subunits in the deoxy crystalline state, do not perturb the overall tertiary or quaternary or even the local structure of hemoglobin. Therefore, genetic fusion to prevent the dissociation of the hemoglobin tetramer, thereby inhibiting renal clearance based upon molecular size, is a structurally conservative method to stabilize hemoglobin for use as an oxygen-delivery therapeutic.


Staff at a children's urology department, in response to a growing caseload and reports of a sense of isolation among children, young people and their carers, agreed there was a need to develop innovative new strategies to provide a quality service that could be delivered within existing financial constraints. The aim was to encourage service users while showing them they were not alone and without breaching confidentiality. Paediatric urology seminars for parents were developed as a result and they have proven to be effective, including in areas that were not at first anticipated, such as parents being able to appreciate from a non-judgmental approach that their children are neither naughty nor lazy.


The oldest records on the sharks of the Sea of Marmara are limited to a few notes on two great white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias , which were caught in the southern part of the Bosphorus Strait by the bluefin tuna ( Thunnus thynnus ) handliners in February and November of 1881 (Fergusson, 1996: Appendix 3, 345). A review of the shark-specific or general ichthyology studies of the Sea of Marmara, as well as of the daily newspapers published since the beginning of 1900s, providing information on the capture of sharks in Marmaric waters, revealed the historical and contemporary occurrence of 21 shark species in the Sea of Marmara. The contemporary occurrence of 13 of the 21 species in the Sea of Marmara has been confirmed by recent studies and fishery records. Recent studies showed that the fish fauna of the Sea of Marmara comprises 235 species, 13 of which are shark species, with the confirmed contemporary occurrences of sharks representing 5.53% of the total ichthyofauna.


Background and aims In endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-fine-needle biopsy (FNB) of solid pancreatic mass lesions, the number of times the needle moves back and forth within the lesion might affect the collection of the sample and the subsequent diagnostic accuracy. Thus, this study was designed to compare the diagnostic adequacy between different numbers of back-and-forth movements in EUS-FNB. Methods Fifty-five patients with solid pancreatic masses underwent EUS-FNB sampling with the needle (22-gauge) moved 20 times (MTT) and 40 times (MFT) randomly and sequentially for a total of four alternating passes. We compared the acquisition rate of appropriate and adequate specimens for histologic assessment and diagnostic accuracy. Results Finally, 55 patients (35 men and 20 women) were included in the study. We found that 56.4% (31/55) and 60% (33/55) of the specimens obtained using MTT and MFT, respectively, could be adequately diagnosed histologically (P = 0.815, McNemar test). The diagnostic accuracy of MTT and MFT was 72.7% (40/55) and 80% (44/55), respectively (P = 0.289, McNemar test). The overall diagnostic accuracy was 89.1%. Conclusion There was no significant statistical difference between the histopathological diagnostic samples obtained in MTT and those obtained in MFT. Therefore, a large number of back-and-forth movements of the needle should be avoided during EUS-FNB, which can help reduce the operation time and may reduce the risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications (Clinical trial registration number: ChiCTR2000031106).


ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is recognized for its ability to colonize diverse habitats, ranging from soil to immunocompromised people. The formation of surface-associated communities called biofilms is one factor thought to enhance colonization and persistence in these diverse environments. Another factor is the ability of P. aeruginosa to diversify genetically, generating phenotypically distinct subpopulations. One manifestation of diversification is the appearance of colony morphology variants on solid medium. Both laboratory biofilm growth and chronic cystic fibrosis (CF) airway infections produce rugose small-colony variants (RSCVs) characterized by wrinkled, small colonies and an elevated capacity to form biofilms. Previous reports vary on the characteristics attributable to RSCVs. Here we report a detailed comparison of clonally related wild-type and RSCV strains isolated from both CF sputum and laboratory biofilm cultures. The clinical RSCV had many characteristics in common with biofilm RSCVs. Transcriptional profiling and Biolog phenotypic analysis revealed that RSCVs display increased expression of the pel and psl polysaccharide gene clusters, decreased expression of motility functions, and a defect in growth on some amino acid and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates as sole carbon sources. RSCVs also elicited a reduced chemokine response from polarized airway epithelium cells compared to wild-type strains. A common feature of all RSCVs analyzed in this study is increased levels of the intracellular signaling molecule cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP). To assess the global transcriptional effects of elevated c-di-GMP levels, we engineered an RSCV strain that had elevated c-di-GMP levels but did not autoaggregate. Our results showed that about 50 genes are differentially expressed in response to elevated intracellular c-di-GMP levels. Among these genes are the pel and psl genes, which are upregulated, and flagellum and pilus genes, which are downregulated. RSCV traits such as increased exopolysaccharide production leading to antibiotic tolerance, altered metabolism, and reduced immunogenicity may contribute to increased persistence in biofilms and in the airways of CF lungs.


Despite the benefit of Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) that supports encrypted computation, writing an efficient FHE application is challenging due to magnitude scale management. Each FHE operation increases scales of ciphertext and leaving the scales high harms performance of the following FHE operations. Thus, rescaling ciphertext is inevitable to optimize an FHE application, but since FHE requires programmers to match the rescaling levels of operands of each FHE operation, programmers should rescale ciphertext reflecting the entire FHE application. Although recently proposed FHE compilers reduce the programming burden by automatically manipulating ciphertext scales, they fail to fully optimize the FHE application because they greedily rescale the ciphertext without considering their performance impacts throughout the entire application. This work proposes HECATE, a new FHE compiler framework that optimizes scales of ciphertext reflecting their rescaling levels and performance impact. With a new type system that embeds the scale and rescaling level, and a new rescaling operation called downscale, HECATE makes various scale management plans, analyzes their expected performance, and finds the optimal rescaling points throughout the entire FHE application. This work implements HECATE on top of the MLIR framework with a Python frontend and shows that HECATE achieves 27% speedup over the state-of-the-art approach for various FHE applications.


Background A considerable amount of data is collected on a regular basis about health and social care services in Ireland. We rely on this for the planning and delivery of safe and efficient services and to inform future policy and service planning. Therefore, it is vital that there is confidence and trust in the quality of this data in order to support the provision of safe and efficient care to patients and service users. The aim of this research was to develop guidance on the development of a data quality framework for health and social care organisations in Ireland, to enable them to systematically assess, monitor, evaluate and improve the quality of their data and information. Methods This research involved four key stages; an international review of evidence to compare and contrast international approaches as well as the key components of a data quality framework, the establishment of an Expert Working Group to provide advice and knowledge, interviews and consultation with national and international experts, and finally, the conduct of a targeted consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including national evidence and policy makers, representatives from national data collections, service providers and academia. The findings were collated and assessed thematically in order to inform the finalised guidance. Results Guidance on a data quality framework for health and social care organisations in Ireland was developed. The components of the framework include: a data quality strategy which outlines key components including audit, governance and training; a data quality assessment tool which provides a detailed set of criteria organisations can use to comprehensively assess its data sources across all five dimensions of quality; reporting on data quality using key performance indicators and data quality statements, and a data quality improvement cycle detailing the continuous approach organisations can undertake to improve the quality of their data and information. Conclusion The guidance, which is the first of its kind in Ireland, provides tools to support health and social care organisations in ensuring that their data is 'fit for purpose'. By applying this guidance, it is possible for organisations to establish a baseline for data quality and identify areas for improvement. Where organisations adopt a systematic approach to assessing, improving and maintaining the quality of their data, sector-wide improvements in the quality of data can be observed and stakeholders can be assured that the data they use to support decision making is of high quality.


Developing devices using disordered organic semiconductors requires accurate and practical models of charge transport. In these materials, charge transport occurs through partially delocalized states in an intermediate regime between localized hopping and delocalized band conduction. Partial delocalization can increase mobilities by orders of magnitude compared to those with conventional hopping, making it important for the design of materials and devices. Although delocalization, disorder, and polaron formation can be described using delocalized kinetic Monte Carlo (dKMC), it is a computationally expensive method. Here, we develop jumping kinetic Monte Carlo (jKMC), a model that approaches the accuracy of dKMC for modest amounts of delocalization (such as those found in disordered organic semiconductors), with a computational cost comparable to that of conventional hopping. jKMC achieves its computational performance by modeling conduction using identical spherical polarons, yielding a simple delocalization correction to the Marcus hopping rate that allows polarons to jump over their nearest neighbors. jKMC can be used in regimes of partial delocalization inaccessible to dKMC to show that modest delocalization can increase mobilities by as much as 2 orders of magnitude.


Preface. Introduction. The Authors. 1. Understanding the Basics of Research. Learning Objectives. Making Decisions: Intuition Versus Science. Using the Scientific Method in Research. Formulating a Research Question. Understanding Research Terminology. Research Methods That Can Help Answer Your Question. 2. Ethical Considerations for Using the Internet for Research. Learning Objectives. Defining Ethics and Its Role in Conducting Research. What Can We Learn from Debriefing Statements? Deception and Online Research: Participant Privacy, Anonymity, and Other Issues. 3. Getting to Know Microsoft Expression. Learning Objectives. How the Internet Works. Introducing Microsoft Expression. Creating and Modifying Tables. 4. Planning Your Research Study. Learning Objectives. Formulating Your Research Question. 5. Creating a Simple Survey on the Internet. Learning Objectives. Planning the Survey. Constructing the Survey. Designing and Creating the Database and Connecting It to the Online Survey. Specifying the Survey Processing. 6. Introduction to Survey Development: Easy Steps to Creating an Online Survey. Learning Objectives. Survey Methods: Interviews and Questionnaires. General Guidelines for Formatting an Online Survey. 7. Using Styles, Style Sheets, and Graphics. Learning Objectives. Exploring Styles. Working with Style Sheets. Working with Pictures and Graphics. 8. Creating More Complicated Internet Surveys. Learning Objectives. Style Guidelines. Chunking Questions. 9. Sampling Procedures. Learning Objectives. Understanding Populations and Samples. 10. Developing Experimental Designs. Learning Objectives. Introduction to Experiments and Between-Subjects Designs. 11. Introduction to Web Programming. Learning Objectives. Javascript Programming. Creating Multiple Versions of a Page to Eliminate Bias. 12. Repeated Measures and Matched Groups Designs. Learning Objectives. Introduction to Within-Subjects Designs (Repeated Measures). 13. Advanced JavaScript Programming. Learning Objectives. Variable Scope. Using Cookies to Prevent Multiple Submissions. 14. Advanced JavaScript Programming II. Learning Objectives. Using Query Strings. When Things Go Wrong. 15. General Tips on Storing and Analyzing Your Data Using Statistics. Learning Objectives. Getting Data Out of the Web Survey. Descriptive Analyses. Testing Your Research Hypothesis Using Inferential Statistics. Helpful Resources and Links to Analyze Data. Appendix. Using Photoshop to Create Buttons and Banners. Resources. Glossary. References. Index.


The graphite particles with average size of 15 μm were used as the anode base materials for lithium ion battery. Tin oxide was incorporated into graphite particles by a precipitation method. As SnO2 content increased from 0 to 80 wt%, the initial discharge capacities of SnO2/graphite composite electrodes raised from 357 to 688 mAh/g, approaching to their theoretical capacities. The composite electrodes exhibited plateau characteristics of SnO2 at 0.85 1 V range in the charge voltage-capacity curves of the first cycle. Increased reversible capacity of the composites suggested that lithium ion could be stored in the both lattices of tin and graphite. It was demonstrated by XRD that the tin metal decomposed from tin oxide in the first cycle of charge played a leading role of charge/discharge thereafter.


Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) is widely used for high frequency analysis. This paper particularly deals with a beam-plate coupled system in the SEA framework. An asymptotic representation for the CLFs of this beam-plate system when the plate is excited is investigated by assuming that a diffuse vibrational field exists on the semi-infinite plate. For this, the corresponding wave transmission coefficient into an infinite beam is derived and its dynamic characteristics are discussed. A comparable representation for the beam-excited case, so-called an equivalent loss factor (ELF), is also discussed based on the wave approach. The energy normalised by the power input is predicted using an SEA model involving these coupling parameters. It shows that such coupling parameters can be used for the particular coupling situation. For comparison, an exact response of the beam-plate coupled system is derived using a Fourier technique, which is not presented in this paper.


The receptor for the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is encoded by the MET oncogene and its activation results in cell growth, survival, motility and invasiveness. Deregulated HGF/MET signaling is observed in many tumors and both HGF and MET are attractive candidates for targeted therapies. Unexpectedly, we found that in ovarian cancer cells the activation of the MET receptor downmodulated the expression of the small heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), which functions as a molecular chaperone and as an antiapoptotic protein. In MET addicted gastric carcinoma cells, where MET is constitutively active, MET kinase inhibition by JNJ-38877605 up-regulated HSP27 expression. More importantly, in these gastric carcinoma cells suppression of HSP27 was alone able to induce cell death and increased cell susceptibility to MET inhibition. HSP27 suppression did not affect MET stability and phosphorylation, but increased activation of caspase 3, which is a known HSP27 client protein. Regulation of HSP27 expression by MET signaling occurred at transcriptional level, as confirmed by the use of HSP27 promoter in a reporter assay. It was not due to the engagement of HSF1, the master key transcription factor regulating HSPs expression, but depended on MEK activation and resulting HIF 1alpha stabilization. MEK inhibition and HIF 1 alpha silencing resulted in the induction of HSP27, suggesting a direct or indirect transcriptional repression. Altogether data show that MET activation down-regulates and MET inhibition up-regulates HSP27 expression, and that HSP27 increased expression protects cells from death induced by MET inhibitors. Therefore, in therapies with MET targeting agents, HSP27 increase might impair the effectiveness of MET inhibitors. As it is known that HSP27 protects cells for chemotherapeutics, data suggest that HSP27 might strongly affect combinatorial treatments.


PURPOSE
To determine the mucinogenic effect of dry eye (DE) treatment drugs currently in use, we compared the levels of mucin production and inflammatory cytokine expression on the ocular surfaces using a DE-induced mice model.

METHODS
C57BL/6 mice were separated into 6 groups: a control group, DE-induced mice with the vehicle and treated with cyclosporine A (CsA), rebamipide (Reb), diquafosol tetrasodium (DQS), or prednisolone (Pred). The mRNA expression of MUC 1, 4, 16, 5AC, and proinflammatory cytokines on the corneal epithelia were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Expression of each MUC was evaluated using flow cytometry and immunohistostaining. Conjunctival goblet cells were analyzed through periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining.

RESULTS
Desiccating stress significantly decreased both mRNA and protein levels of all MUCs in the cornea. CsA mainly enhanced MUC5AC, with an increase in PAS-positive cells, whereas DQS chiefly increased membrane-associated mucins (MM). However, Reb only minimally increased expression of MUC5AC and Pred only increased MUC4. MUC16 did not show any significant change in any group. On the contrary, the mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, -6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interferon (IFN)-γ were increased in the DE corneas of the control mice and were reduced by all treatments; in particular, IL-6 was significantly suppressed.

CONCLUSION
Topical DQS and CsA not only ameliorated ocular surface inflammation under desiccating stress but also upregulated both MM and secretory mucins (SM) and contributed to conjunctival goblet cell recovery, compared to Reb and Pred. Both anti-inflammatory and secretory factors should be considered simultaneously when measuring the treatment effect of DE drugs.


Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) have been found useful in reducing steatorrhoea in adults and children with liver disease. However, some authors question the place of MCT in managing such patients. Large doses of MCT given intravenously are narcotic in experimental animals. Since levels of medium and short chain fatty acids are high in patients with hepatic encephalopathy, is has been suggested that these fatty acids may be neurotoxic. Certainly medium chain fatty acids readily enter the cerebrospinal fluid in patients with cirrhosis, but this has not been clearly related to neurotoxicity in man. In this paper, the authors study the effects of a single oral dose of 60 ml of coconut oil (Cs and C1o saturated fatty acids) on serum medium chain fatty acids, arterial ammonia, venous blood sugar and EEG in 11 adults with cirrhosis and 11 control subjects. A second group of 12 patients and 3 controls received 30 ml of coconut oil 3 times a day for 1 week. 2 other patients with cirrhosis were maintained on this dose of MCT for 3/12 and 6/12. EEG, arterial ammonia levels and liver function tests were recorded. In 3 patients, serum levels of medium chain fatty acid and EEG recordings were performed 1 and 2 hours after an oral dose of pure MCT. After a single 60 ml dose of coconut oil, there was no difference in EEG patterns, venous blood sugar or arterial ammonia level. Serum levels of medium chain fatty acids were about 3 times higher in patients than in controls. Following 30 ml of coconut oil 3 times daily for 1 week, there were no significant changes in EEG, arterial ammonia or liver function tests. Serum levels of medium chain fatty acids were insignificant in fasting patients. A single dose of pure MCT (C6 saturated fatty acid) produced minor EEG changes but no change in clinical state in 3 cirrhotic patients. This study, then, shows no deleterious effect of oral MCT on clinical condition or EEG,whether given as a single dose or for a longer period. Although serum levels of medium chain fatty acids were higher in patients with cirrhosis, there is no evidence that this produces neurotoxicity. This may be only another manifestation of impaired liver function. It appears that MCT in usual therapeutic dosage do not produce deterioration in patients with cirrhosis. Doses high enough to be comparable with those producing narcosis in experimental animals will not be accepted, orally, by patients. This investigation confirms our own cliniqal experience with the use of MCT diets in children with liver disease including neonatal hepatitis, biliary atresia and cystic fibrosis. We have found no instance of clinical deterioration in any of these children fed MCT. The present paper answers the theoretical objection raised to the use of MCX in liver disease. There is no reason for clinicians to be reluctant to prescribe MCT in patients with liver disease and steatorrhoea. Improvement in well-being and reduction in steatorrhoea can be expected. V. Burke


The House of Representatives has authorized $161.7 million more than President Ronald Reagan proposed for the fiscal 1984 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) budget. The House NASA authorization bill (H.R. 2065) passed by voice vote on April 26. Five days earlier, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Technology Committee marked up S. 1096, the Senate's NASA authorization bill, and recommended $171.6 million more than the Reagan proposal. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill in mid May, after which time a conference committee will iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions.

President Reagan requested a total NASA budget of $7.1065 billion: $5.7085 billion for research and development, $150.5 million for construction of facilities, and $1.2475 billion for research and program management (Eos, February 15, 1983, p. 65).


This paper describes a May 20, 2004 Special Report that was prepared by TD Economics that announced "After a quarter century of under-investment, Canada's system of public infrastructure is in need of major repair and upgrade". The report suggests that the infrastructure gap, i.e. the backlog of deferred maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement of public assets, could be as high as $125 billion or 6-10 times annual investment flows. Transportation facilities account for some 60 percent of the public infrastructure. These funding shortfalls are considerable and a significant increase in funding is not likely. Pavement maintenance and rehabilitation needs studies frequently indicate that current funding levels are not sufficient to maintain the road system at an optimal level of service. In consideration, municipalities are now focusing on maintaining the overall value of their roadway assets and are striving to make better-informed decisions on how they allocate funding to minimize the deterioration of their assets. One method municipalities have been using to prioritize and justify expenditures is regular road surface condition ratings that are summarized using an index value such as, pavement condition index (PCI), distress manifestation index (DMI), or similar. In the absence of other overriding factors such as, level of service improvements (widening, etc) or underground utility maintenance/rehabilitation, road surface condition ratings can be successfully used to program short term road needs. In conjunction with construction history information, the road surface condition ratings can be used to generate pavement performance prediction models for each pavement surface and construction type. Although pavement prediction models generated in this manner are purely empirical, the technology is relatively simple and allows for longer term forecasting of reconstruction and rehabilitation needs. This paper provides an overview of the pavement management process and presents a relatively simple methodology for developing pavement prediction models using existing inventory and condition data available to most municipalities.


Isolated and cultured rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LECs) retain the ability to specifically bind 125I‐hyaluronan (HA) internalize it using a coated pit pathway [Biochem J, 257:875–884, 1989]. Here we have determined the effect of Ca+2 on the binding and endocytosis of HA by LECs. 125I‐HA binding to intact LECs at 4°C occurred both in the absence (10 mM EGTA) or the presence of physiologic concentrations of Ca+2 (1.8 mM). However, the specific binding of 125I‐HA to LECs increased linearly with increasing Ca+2 concentrations. After permeabilization with the nonionic detergent digitonin, the Ca+2‐independent HA binding activity increased ∼743%, while the Ca+2‐dependent binding activity was enhanced only ∼46%. Therefore, the Ca+2‐dependent HA binding activity appears not to be intracellular, whereas the Ca+2‐independent HA receptor is found both inside LECs and on the cell surface. When LECs were allowed to endocytose 125I‐HA at 37°C in 10 mM EGT A or in 1.8 mM Ca+2, no differences were seen in the extent or rate of endocytosis. When LECs were allowed to endocytose 125I‐HA in the presence of 10mM Ca125, the amount of cell‐associated radiocctivity increased appoximately 20–50‐fold. However, this additional cell‐associated 125I‐HA was not sensitive to hyperosmolarity and was removed by washing the cells in 10mM EGTA at 4°C. Therefore, the Ca+2‐dependent cell‐associated 125I‐HA had accumulated on the cell surface and had not been internalized. From these studies we conclude the LECs have at least two trypes of specfic HA binding sites. One, the previously characterized HA receptor, is Ca+2‐indepoendent, localized both extracellularly and intracellular, and medicates he efficient binding and subsequent endocytosis of HA using a coated pit pathway. The other newly recognized HA binding activity is Ca+2‐dependent, localized wxtracellularly, and is not responsible for the endocytosis of HA in rat LECs.


This paper presents the development of a virtual robot design program. Robot design requires numerical software, robot solution software and multi-body dynamics software to complete several designs. However using a commercialized software implies some disadvantages, such as the waste of time and money it costs to learn how to use the software. We developed a virtual robot design program with which a user can design a robot with rapidity and reliability. The virtual robot design program is composed of robot kinematics module and robot dynamics module. The program is powerful software which may be used to solve various problems of a robot. The 3D animator and a 2D/3D graph of the program can analyze the design results into visual data. The virtual robot design program is expected to increase the competitiveness and efficiency of the robot industry.


A total of 1,157 records of the birth weight of 324 MEVEZUG creole sheep were used, with parturitions between 2004 and 2017, located at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics N.1 of the Autonomous University of Guerrero, Mexico. The purpose of the study was to determine the non-genetic factors that affected birth weight of lambs. A mixed generalized linear model was applied using the GLIMMIX SAS procedure, which considered birth year, birth season, parturition number, type of parturition and sex as fixed effects, and the random effect associated with each sheep. The general mean of birth weight was 2.71 kg. The studied non-genetic factors were significant (P <0.0001). The highest birth weights were obtained in the rainy season (2.48 ± 0.05 kg). Lambs born from the first calving of the sheep were less heavy, with a mean of 2.18 ± 0.04 kg. Single calving lambs were born with superior average weight (3.19 ± 0.04 kg) compared to double parturitions (2.58 ± 0.03 kg) and with triple and quadruple parturitions (2.07 ± 0.05 and 1.86 ± 0.11 kg, respectively). It is concluded that the effects of year and season of birth, parturition number, type of parturition and sex, had a significant effect on lamb birth weight. Therefore, these factors should be considered for general sheep herd management purposes, as well as for the future design of a breeding program for the MEVEZUG breed. Keywords: hair sheep, crosses, environmental factors


The hop rate of a localized particle in newly proposed marginal Fermi liquid is examined. It is found that due to the disappearance of the quasi-particle spectral weight at the Fermi surface, the hop rate behaves quite differently from that in all other materials. In particular, the hop rate increases with temperature at finite T, contrary to that in all other known materials. Furthermore, localization can occur at extremely low T. The experimental consequence of this prediction, as well as its connection with muon spin relaxation, is also discussed.


A method is described for the purification of human prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) from Nitschmann fraction III by membrane radial column ion-exchange chromatography, which allows large sample volumes to be processed at low operation pressure. The Nitschmann fraction III (15 g) was mixed with 1,000 mL 0.06 mol/L Tris-HCl(pH 7.5). The centrifuged supernatant(10,000 r/min, 15 min, 20 degrees C) was applied onto a DEAE ion-exchange liquid chromatographic column(XK-16 DEAE fast flow Sepharose and DEAE membrane radical column chromatography) with almost the same excellent separation efficiency. The parameters of sample flow rate, elution flow rate and sample capacity were optimized.


Though often well intended, the transfer of the mentally ill from psychiatric hospitals to the community has provoked a tragedy. As a result of government policy, some 100,000 people have left psychiatric hospitals in the last 30 years, but community places have only been provided for 15,000. For most of the remaining "care in the community" has meant no care at all. Professor Elaine Murphy, a leading figure in the planning of mental health care in Britain, argues that appalling mismanagement and penny-pinching has resulted in the failure of the community care policy. This book outlines the mistakes of the last 30 years and sets an agenda for correct planning and provision in the future. Professor Murphy argues that there will always be a need for some residential hospital places for chronic patients but that care in the community can succeed for the majority of the mentally ill, provided certain principles and guidelines are followed. By the author of "Dementia and Mental Illness in the Elderly".


OBJECTIVE
To study to what extent a brief intervention increases the rate of participation in the programme of early diagnosis of breast cancer (EDBC).

DESIGN
Before-and-after intervention study without a control group on women who had not had a mammography.

SETTING
Primary care: 3 rural lists and 2 urban ones.

PARTICIPANTS
All women between 52 and 67 who attended the clinic during a 6-month period.

INTERVENTION
If they had had no mammography in the previous 2 years, the reasons were explored and a brief structured intervention, depending on the reason, was conducted. After this, the woman was invited to make an appointment with the EDBC Unit.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS
Effective intervention: checking that the mammography had been done at the EDBC Unit. It was checked whether women who had not attended for consultation attended the unit with their mammography done.

RESULTS
Out of a target population of 565 women, 403 (71%) attended for consultation. Of these, 315 (78%) were in the programme, 51 (13%) had had a mammography outside the programme, and 37 (9%) had not had a mammography. After the intervention, 21 women had a mammography (56.7% [95% CI, 41-73] success of intervention). Seventy of the 162 women who did not attend for consultation had a mammography in the programme. The rate of participation in the EDBC rose from 68% (385/565) to 72% (406/565).

CONCLUSIONS
The brief intervention was effective in over half the women. This small increase contributed to reaching the minimum levels of coverage recommended in a programme of this kind.


The mapping of advanced producer and financial service firms across global cities began to increase understanding of the role of cities in global governance, the presence and influence of cities in the shifting architecture of global political economy, and the role of globalization in shaping the landscape of local and regional governance. The literature that emerged from such studies has also emphasized 1) increasing levels of inequality in global cities and 2) attendant contests over local outcomes of globalization while seeking other ways of measuring and articulating the emergence of globalizing cities. Analyzing location strategies in other sectors can speak to these issues. This paper extends methodology common to the global cities literature to map non-governmental organization (NGO) and energy corporation offices in the Americas, focusing on the convergence and divergence of these networks with those of advanced producer and financial services firms. Mapping all three sectors might reveal multiple geographies of globalization in the Americas. Because globalizing cities have become the centers of integrated world capital, radical poverty, and environmental injustice, studies of poverty in the Americas must take seriously the urban centers that increasingly have become the hub of economic and ideological flows. The urban location strategies of advanced producer and financial services, global NGOs, and global energy corporations must be understood in order to grapple more fully with issues of inequality in American cities.


The time course of changes in rat myocardial alpha(1)- and beta-adrenoceptors and of muscarinic cholinergic (M-Ach) receptor characteristics was studied parallel with the changes in exercise systemic O(2) transport during a 21-day period of hypoxia (barometric pressure 380 Torr) to assess the effects of receptor modification during acclimatization on maximal exercise capacity. Hypoxia resulted in polycythemia, pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy, and transient left ventricular weight loss. Maximal O(2) consumption at 30 min of hypoxia was reduced to 60% of the normoxic value and remained unchanged. This was partly due to a gradual decrease in maximal cardiac output and heart rate (HR(max)), which offset the increase in blood O(2) content. HR(max) correlated positively (r = 0.994) with beta-adrenoceptor density and negatively (r = -0.964) with M-Ach-receptor density, suggesting that HR(max) reduction results from intrinsic changes in myocardial receptor characteristics leading to reduced responses to adrenergic stimulation and elevated responses to cholinergic stimulation. alpha-Adrenoceptor density in both ventricles increased initially to eventually fall below normoxic values. The dissociation between the different patterns of right and left ventricular weight and the similar pattern of alpha-adrenoceptor change in both ventricles do not support a role for these receptors on right ventricular myocardial hypertrophy.


PROBLEM
A faculty development curriculum aimed at increasing health literacy and awareness of patient care issues in ethnogeriatrics is essential to address serious deficiencies in faculty and health professionals' training and to prepare future health care professionals to care for older adults.

APPROACH
Authors from the Stanford Geriatric Education Center developed and implemented a faculty development program in Health Literacy and Ethnogeriatrics (HLE). The goal was to enhance faculty and health professionals' knowledge, skills, and attitudes in HLE-related areas (e.g., health disparities, low health literacy, quality of care for ethnically diverse elders, patient/provider communication). The curriculum was implemented during an intensive weeklong program over a three-year period (2008-2010). The eight-module core curriculum was presented in a train-the-trainer format, supplemented by daily resource sessions.

OUTCOMES
Thirty-four faculty participants from 11 disciplines, including medicine, came from 19 institutions in 12 states. The curriculum positively affected participants' knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to topics in HLE. Participants rated the curriculum's usefulness highly, and they reported that over 57% of the content was new. The HLE curriculum provided a mechanism to increase the self-assessed knowledge, skills, and attitudes of participants. It also fostered local curricular change: Over 91% of the participants have either disseminated the HLE curriculum through seminars conducted at their home sites or implemented HLE-related projects in their local communities, reaching diverse patient populations.

NEXT STEPS
Next steps include measuring the impact on the participants' teaching skills and at their home sites through their trainees and patients.


A method to quantify clutter in hyperspectral infrared (HSI) images in a framework similar to work done on single-band images is presented. Hereby, all objects in a scene that may be mistaken for targets by an automatic target recognition (ATR) algorithm are considered clutter. A hyperspectral image contains a number of contiguous discrete bands within the spectrum. The aim is to obtain a measure of complexity for hyperspectral images, which will indicate the inherent difficulty for an ATR to detect targets. We implemented 129 different image clutter metrics, and computed them for a database of synthesized HSI images. A matched filter ATR was used to determine the amount of clutter in the images as a baseline. We developed a method to select a subset of the metrics that in combination correlated best with the amount of clutter in an image, and defined this as the clutter complexity measure (CCM). Multiple runs of this selection procedure for different training image groups show a dominance of a further subset of metrics that best predict the CCM. Our results also show that the CCM obtained from a varying number of random sample images generalizes well for the entire database


In this paper, we analyse the effects of input price discrimination by an upstream monopolist selling to firms with various degrees of efficiency. When downstream markets are independent, we first study whether the upstream monopolist has an incentive to reduce or to increase the relative cost difference amongst downstream firms. Then, we examine the impact of input price discrimination on output and welfare. A key determinant of the effects of input price discrimination on prices, output, and welfare is the sum of demand curvature and pass-through elasticity. We apply our findings to the set of demand forms with constant pass-through rates, as well as other demand forms. We also discuss the cases of demand asymmetries across markets and price competition downstream.


It is becoming increasingly important for machine learning methods to make predictions that are interpretable as well as accurate. In many practical applications, it is of interest which features and feature interactions are relevant to the prediction task. We present a novel method, Selective Bayesian Forest Classifier, that strikes a balance between predictive power and interpretability by simultaneously performing classification, feature selection, feature interaction detection and visualization. It builds parsimonious yet flexible models using tree-structured Bayesian networks, and samples an ensemble of such models using Markov chain Monte Carlo. We build in feature selection by dividing the trees into two groups according to their relevance to the outcome of interest. Our method performs competitively on classification and feature selection benchmarks in low and high dimensions, and includes a visualization tool that provides insight into relevant features and interactions.


Graphene is a monolayer plasmonic material that has been widely studied in the area of plasmonics and nanophotonics. Combining graphene with traditional plasmonic structures provides new opportunities and challenges. One particular application for nanostructured metals is enhanced optical transmission. However, extraordinary transmission (EOT) is known to have a frequency-selective performance due to size and periodicity of the nanohole arrays. Here, we propose to use a continuous graphene layer to enhance transmission through gold nanoslit arrays at mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelengths. Although graphene absorbs 2.3% of light, by exciting surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the graphene/gold nanoslit arrays interface, we have theoretically demonstrated enhanced infrared transmission over broad range of wavelengths in the mid-IR region. Our analyses of the effects of various structure parameters on the transmittance spectra shows that surface plasmon polaritons excited at the graphene/metal interface is responsible for enhanced transmission behavior. Moreover, calculated steady-state electric field distribution supports our predictions. Our work opens new directions to study 2D plasmonics using a continuous graphene film without the need of structuring it and also employs the broadband optical response of graphene to enable broadband extraordinary transmission enhancement.


The data used in this study was collected for the project titled 'Russian Jewish Immigration in Jerusalem and Berlin: A Comparison.' The project
focuses on the process of social integration of young Russian Jews who emigrated to Israel and Germany and had resided in the new society for roughly five to six years at the time of the interview (1995/1996). The interview subjects were 38 young Russian Jews in Jerusalem, whose mean age was 24 years, and 46 in Berlin, with a mean age of 22.6 years. The interviews in Israel were conducted exclusively with university students, while the Berlin group consisted of 35 university students and 11 individuals preparing to enter the university or other educational institutions. The central question of this study can be summarized as follows: Do the different approaches to Russian Jewish emigrants taken by Israel and Germany - approaches which are historically, politically, and culturally distinct - have diverging effects on the process of integration, and thus on the immigrants' future perspectives in the new society? In this paper, we have dealt only with a part of this question, namely social relations between emigrants and native residents.


Recent studies using phoneme detection tasks have shown that spoken-language processing is neither facilitated nor interfered with by optional assimilation, but is inhibited by violation of obligatory assimilation. Interpretation of these results depends on an assessment of their generality, specifically, whether they also obtain when listeners are processing nonnative language. Two separate experiments are presented in which native listeners of German and native listeners of Dutch had to detect a target fricative in legal monosyllabic Dutch nonwords. All of the nonwords were correct realisations in standard Dutch. For German listeners, however, half of the nonwords contained phoneme strings which violate the German fricative assimilation rule. Whereas the Dutch listeners showed no significant effects, German listeners detected the target fricative faster when the German fricative assimilation was violated than when no violation occurred. The results might suggest that violation of assimilation rules does not have to make processing more difficult per se.


A review of 89 consecutive cases of perforated appendicitis recently treated surgically at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles revealed no mortality and a complication rate of 17%. Significant factors in this low morbidity are: adequate preoperative resuscitation, routine administration of broad spectrum antibiotics pre and postoperatively, and attention to surgical detail. Anaerobic organisms were invariably present in cultures of the peritoneal fluid taken at operation. Anaerobes were also present in the blood in all 5 patients having positive blood cultures and were frequently pathogens whenever postoperative infectious complications occurred. The use of antibiotics effective against anaerobic organisms was common in this series and produced no morbidity.


This paper introduces a new ultra-wideband (UWB) printed circular dipole antenna having a filtering feature for rejecting the Wi-Fi band (4.9-5.9 GHz). UWB regulation in Europe [1] and Japan require the rejection or the avoidance of the 5GHz Wi-Fi frequency band, but due to the very wide frequency band used by UWB technology, it is also particularly exposed to other systems disturbances. Some experiments revealed problems of coexistence between UWB and the local wireless networks working in the WLAN bands [2]. The proposed paper describes a Wi-Fi band rejection filter included in a previously developed compact UWB antenna [3]. Constraints such as the size and the cost of the antenna are taken into account in the design. Efficiency measurements of the realized filtering small antenna, using Schantz's method, are in conformance with simulations.


While mining coal seams with caving there is air flow through a caving zone, which depends on the used ventilation system. Air flow into a caving zone is one of the factors causing a fire hazard. Therefore, it is important to know air flow velocity distribution in goaf as it is one of the factors allowing for the selection of the proper method for fighting coal self-combustion.


From a legal-philosophical point of view, The Redress of Law presents a critical analysis of a number of related doctrinal fields: constitutional, labour and EU Law. Focusing on the organisation and protection of work, this book asks what it means to protect work as an essential aspect of human (individual and collective) flourishing. This is an ambitious and highly sophisticated intervention in contemporary academic and political debates around a set of critically important questions connected to processes of globalisation and market integration. The author redefines the nature of legal and political thought in an age in which market rationality has exceeded its classic domain and has come to pervade the organization of social and political life. This restatement of critical legal theory is intended to defend the concept of constitutionalism and suggest new ways to deploy the law strategically.


A previous positron emission tomography (PET) study of musicians with and without absolute pitch put forth the hypothesis that the posterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in the conditional associative aspect of the identification of a pitch. In the work presented here, we tested this hypothesis by training eight nonmusicians to associate each of four different complex musical sounds (triad chords) with an arbitrary number in a task designed to have limited analogy to absolute-pitch identification. Each subject under-went a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning procedure both before and after training. Active condition (identification of chords)- control condition (amplitude-matched noise bursts) comparisons for the pretraining scan showed no significant activation maxima. The same comparison for the posttraining scan revealed significant peaks of activation in posterior dorsolateral prefrontal, ventrolateral prefrontal, and parietal areas. A conjunction analysis was performed to show that the posterior dorsolateral prefrontal activity in this study is similar to that observed in the aforementioned PET study. We conclude that the posterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is selectively involved in the conditional association aspect of our task, as it is in the attribution of a verbal label to a note by absolute-pitch musicians.


This investigation evaluated patient–controlled analgesia (PCA) for subjective well–being and mood in the postoperative period in comparison with the intramuscular (im) administration of morphine given on demand. Patients scheduled for elective upper abdominal surgery were assigned at random to either PCA (n = 17) or im morphine (n= 14). The PCA group experienced significantly more pain relief and consumed more morphine than those who received im morphine. The PCA patients suffered from more fatigue and showed less vigour than the im group. Neither preoperative trait anxiety nor locus of control was associated with postoperative pain in either of the groups.


During the next decade, railway stations in England will be impacted by the billions of pounds being invested in current projects such as High Speed 2, Cross Rail and new refurbishment schemes to modernise and develop rail infrastructure. Railway stations are highly networked and open locations that are often crowded, which makes them particularly vulnerable to security threats. Hence, there is a clear need to identify the range of stakeholders and policies that influence the resilience of railway stations to security threats, and to understand the challenges that are inherent in addressing the legislative and operational requirements of their design. As part of an on-going research project, a state-of-the-art literature review, stakeholder analysis and mapping and interviews with key stakeholders have established critical implications for the future resilience of railway stations. Findings reveal that there is a multiplicity of stakeholders responsible for the complex operational and legal frameworks affecting major railway stations. Regardless of the interdependencies between stakeholders and their intersecting individual operational regulations and legislative requirements, there is a distinct lack of a coherent consistent and collective approach to resilience, with issues being dealt with by separate stakeholders and policies. This paper provides a current and innovative contribution to aid the understanding of the complex and interconnected forms of relationships which exemplify the station. The diverse range of stakeholders will gain an increased knowledge and appreciation of the necessity for a collaborative and integrated strategy, which is essential in both addressing the design and operation of the railway station. The findings advocate changes in institutional practices, so these interconnections are addressed now to ensure the effective assimilation of strategies are cohesive and which safeguard the resilience of railway stations for future generations.


BACKGROUND
Numerous techniques have been developed for the treatment of disc herniation. Oxygen-ozone (O2-O3) mixture therapy is a minimally invasive percutaneous treatment for disc herniation.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study is to investigate the 6-month efficacy and safety of O2-O3 mixture therapy in patients with cervical disc herniation (CDH) and chronic neck pain.

STUDY DESIGN
This is a cross-sectional, single-center study.

SETTING
The study was conducted from January 2012 to May 2016 on patients visiting Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital's pain clinic.

METHODS
Each patient was evaluated before the procedure (baseline) and at 2 weeks (W2), 6 weeks (W6), and 6 months (M6) after the procedure using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index scores.

RESULTS
A total of 44 patients with CDH underwent the same treatment with an O2-O3 mixture. Significant pain relief was observed compared with preoperative pain at W2, W6, and M6 according to patient self-evaluation (P = 0.01). The mean VAS score was 7.89 ± 1.13 before the procedure, 4.22 ± 1.62 at W2, 3.03 ± 1.66 at W6, and 2.27 ± 1.25 at the end of M6. No significant complications or side effects were reported during or after the procedure.

LIMITATIONS
Our study was conducted retrospectively, which resulted in problems obtaining follow-up data. In addition, this study was performed in a small patient group.

CONCLUSION
Based on our results, intradiscal injection of an O2-O3 mixture treatment showed a beneficial long-term effect.

KEY WORDS
Cervical disc herniation, chemonucleolysis, injection, intradiscal, oxygen-ozone mixture, percutaneous treatment.


This article examines the potentials of world-systems analysis ( WSA ) and uneven and combined development ( UCD ) for the history of nineteenth-century Habsburg Monarchy by critically engaging with Andrea Komlosy's account of the Monarchy, written from the perspective of WSA . It argues that Komlosy does not provide a consistent WSA interpretation of the Monarchy's history by trying to analyze the Monarchy as a world-economy in its own right, thus excluding geopolitical dynamics and the world-economy. Furthermore, core-periphery relations within the Monarchy are dealt with in a contradictory fashion. Crucially, the quite anomalous state formation is not accounted for. The problematic account of state formation, it is argued, is due to the limitations of WSA . By taking a closer look at the genesis of the Austro–Hungarian Compromise, the article claims that UCD is better suited for explaining state formation in the Monarchy.


Introduction: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) classified health care professionals and exposure risk to Coronavirus, identifying Dental Professionals in very high risk group due to specificity of dental procedures and instrumentations used As per guidelines from relevant bodies to provide only emergency and urgent dental treatment has led majority of dental practice to stop, instilling apprehension in profession and fear in public Aim: To narrate the experience from Department of Dentistry, on how to safely and effectively practice dentistry that would provide guidance to practicing dental professionals without major environment alteration and capital items requirement Materials and Methods: This was an observational study from Department of Dentistry from May to August 2020, attached to a rural tertiary care medical teaching institute, following customised protocol after reviewing available guidelines in relation to Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) and dentistry Data collection was done from Institutional Electronic Medical Record System for patients receiving dental treatment during the study period It used descriptive narrative analysis to provide chronology of experiences for practicing dentistry as per various unlock phases declared by Government of India Results: The Department of Dentistry was able to manage four Non-Aerosol Generating Procedures (Non-AGP), three Aerosol Generating Procedures (AGP) and eighteen Outdoor Patient Department (OPD) consultations on an average for a working day, from May to August 2020 During the tenure while providing dental care, none of the member of dental team was detected COVID positive The result was achieved by simple alteration done by patient, man-power, practice and environment management Conclusion: A simple alteration in practice and practice area ensuring safety of all members of dental team was made by department It included the effective use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during all dental procedures including oral examination Special emphasis on history of patients, facility and environment management along with regular training for hand hygiene, donning-doffing, aerosol appointment and practice was given An attempt to provide prophylactic and elective dental need of patients were done and department was successfully able to treat seven patients per day on an average during May to August, 2020


Introduction Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRNs) and health systems may provide timely, reliable data to guide the development and distribution of public health resources to promote healthy behaviors, such as quitting smoking. The objective of this study was to determine if PBRN data could be used to make neighborhood-level estimates of smoking prevalence. Methods We estimated the smoking prevalence in 32 greater Boston neighborhoods (population = 877,943 adults) by using the electronic health record data of adults who in 2009 visited one of 26 Partners Primary Care PBRN practices (n = 77,529). We compared PBRN-derived estimates to population-based estimates derived from 1999–2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data (n = 20,475). Results The PBRN estimates of neighborhood smoking status ranged from 5% to 22% and averaged 11%. The 2009 neighborhood-level smoking prevalence estimates derived from the BRFSS ranged from 5% to 26% and averaged 13%. The difference in smoking prevalence between the PBRN and the BRFSS averaged −2 percentage points (standard deviation, 3 percentage points). Conclusion Health behavior data collected during routine clinical care by PBRNs and health systems could supplement or be an alternative to using traditional sources of public health data.


We present two major advances in preclinical fluorescence-enhanced diffuse optical tomography (fDOT) system and assess its performance. It is now possible to perform experiments without adaptation liquid or a glass plate over the animal, and our system is equipped with a filter wheel in order to discriminate two injected fluorophores. Evaluation carried out on characterization phantoms and in vivo on mice demonstrates enriched use of the system for biological studies on small animals.


Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a useful non-invasive technique that offers spatial and chemical information of samples. Often, different HSI techniques are used to obtain complementary information from the sample by combining different image modalities (Image Fusion). However, issues related to the different spatial resolution, sample orientation or area scanned among platforms need to be properly addressed. Unmixing methods are helpful to analyze and interpret the information of HSI related to each of the components contributing to the signal. Among those, Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) offers very suitable features for image fusion, since it can easily cope with multiset structures formed by blocks of images coming from different samples and platforms and allows the use of optional and diverse constraints to adapt to the specific features of each HSI employed. In this work, a case study based on the investigation of cross-sections from rice leaves by Raman, synchrotron infrared and fluorescence imaging techniques is presented. HSI of these three different techniques are fused for the first time in a single data structure and analyzed by MCR-ALS. This example is challenging in nature and allows describing clearly the necessary steps required to perform unmixing in an image fusion context.


Background and Objectives: The GHQ-12 is a valid mental health screening tool. One of the proposed scoring styles for the GHQ-12 is C-GHQ. This study was designed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the GHQ-12 with the C-GHQ scoring style in women living in Kashan. Materials and Methods: In this psychometric analysis study, GHQ-12 was translated from English to Persian through back & forward method. A total of 139 women, referred to two health centers in Kashan in summer 2007, were selected through sequential sampling. Data were collected using the GHQ-12 and were scored with the proposed style. Reliability was determined via stability and internal consistency approaches. Validity was assessed via concurrent validity and exploratory factor analysis. The data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient, intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), spearman-brown, Guttman, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and factor analysis in the SPSS-16. Results : T he Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0/79. The questionnaire stability was reported excellent using the test-re-test method. The item-total correlation confirmed the reliability. The GHQ and life satisfaction scale scores had significant correlation (r=-0/462, p<0/0001). The factor analysis extracted two factors with Eigen value more than one which could explain % 46/66 of the total variance Conclusion: The Persian GHQ-12 with C-GHQ scoring style was valid and reliable in measuring women's mental health.


A novel approach for analyzing the relationship between code metrics and change count histories is presented. Specifically, neural networks are employed to determine a mapping between metrics and change count. While these neural networks can be trained to a high degree of accuracy, their internal workings remain opaque to the user. As such, a fuzzy modeling approach is additionally employed to generate the rules governing the neural computation. These rules are linguistic in nature and are thus more easily interpreted by software project managers. Application of this method to Mozilla change data reveals the importance of fan-out, total lines of code and maximum cyclomatic complexity metrics in predicting amount of change per file.


In spite of the promised increase in signal-to-noise ratio and contrast to noise ratio, 3D whole-heart imaging at 7T remains challenging predominantly due to B1, B0 inhomogeneity, specific absorption rate limitations and coil-depth issues for single transmit. Here, we developed a toolbox to optimize the adiabatic hyperbolic secant refocusing pulse with respect to B1 and B0 inhomogeneity typically used for T2-preparation in non-contrast 3D Coronary Magnetic Resonance Angiography (CMRA). We present phantom and in vivo data for 3D CMRA employing a low excitation flip-angle scheme.


As East Asian countries democratize, the question of the relationship between religion or ideology and the state assumes increasing significance for two reasons. First, there is the political question of whether or not such states as China, Singapore, and Vietnam will allow a genuine civil society to emerge that is wholly independent of state control and manipulation. Second, and more importantly for our interests in this paper, is the theoretical question of what kind of connection is likely to develop between the state and a leading ideology in the region, Confucianism. Will the Confucianism that materializes from this political transition be one that legitimates state actions, as has often been the case historically with Confucianism, or will a new kind of Confucianism surface that challenges political authoritarianism? To explore these questions, we analyze the role of Confucianism in four East Asian countries: Taiwan, the People's Republic of China, South Korea, and Singapore. The data for our article come from three sources: public-opinion surveys, documents related to the transmission of Confucianism in the four countries, and in-person interviews with Taiwanese political leaders and activists. We particularly focused on Taiwan because it is culturally Chinese, which Korea is not, but also adheres to liberal-democratic norms, which is not the case in China and Singapore. In order to frame the debate over the political role of Confucianism, we examine three theories that are prevalent in the literature on ideology and the state: Marxism, Weberianism, and rational choice theory. These interpretations offer contending explanations for how, or if, religion or ideology is autonomous from the state, and they provide competing predictions about what is likely to happen to Confucianism as East Asian societies democratize. Our investigation indicates that although authoritarian regimes found and continue to find many resources in Confucianism to buttress their rule, today's liberal-democratic states in East Asia have begun to create a space for the development of a truly independent Confucianism that is either politically "neutral" or even supportive of democracy and human rights.


Looking at Bapedi ancestor veneration constructively, one finds it a source of communication that enhances the community's norms, values and personal well-being. The Bapedi community has a belief system that is based on the spiritual world, and this includes ancestor veneration. Communication with the spiritual world happens through sacrifices, songs and dance. Malopo is a ritual that not only binds the people to their ancestors (the ancestral realm) but also provides a healing therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the religious and social functions of ancestor veneration in the Bapedi society, as well as the relationship between culture, music and identity in veneration in the traditional healing Sepedi context. To achieve this aim, the study employed a naturalistic approach and data were collected through video recordings of malopo rituals, interviews and observations. The main questions the study addressed are (1) what are the religious and social functions of ancestor veneration in the Bapedi society? and (2) what is the relationship between culture, music and identity in veneration in Sepedi traditional healing context? The results demonstrated that ancestors are vital to Bapedi society, and the most effective ways of reaching them are through music and dance – malopo rituals, as well as divination bones.


For most psychologists, the topic of hallucinations immediately brings to mind the association with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. The comprehensive text by Drs. Aleman and Larøi presents a much broader view of this phenomenon, looking at the many manifestations of hallucinations as the basis for the construction of a cognitive model to account for this phenomenon. Chapter 1 is devoted to the development of a working definition of hallucinations. The authors examine historic accounts of hallucinations and the explanations offered for these experiences. This information provides context for discussion of the current range of definitions. For the remainder of the text, hallucinations are defined as a sensory experience that is vivid enough to be perceived as real, yet occurs without external stimulation of the corresponding sensory organ. Hallucinations are differentiated from illusions which involve external stimulation that is misinterpreted, yet hallucinations are tied to a continuum of sensory experience. In Chapter 2, the authors describe hallucination presentations by sensory modality and content. They examine cultural factors and emotional factors, demonstrating how each of these factors shape hallucination incidence and content, as well as define where the experience falls on a continuum from valued or appropriate to feared or deviant. Chapter 3 provides a comprehensive review of the adult and pediatric literature regarding the incidence of hallucinations. In addition to their occurrence in psychiatric populations (e.g., psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, postpartum depression), the authors also explore incidence in neurological disorders and in the context of sensory loss0 deprivation. In contrast to these clinical populations, hallucination incidence is also reported for what the authors define as "nonclinical populations". As the reader discovers, "nonclinical" does not necessarily refer to individuals free of significant situational stresses (e.g., loss of a loved one, past sexual abuse), precipitating behaviors (e.g., use of drugs, marijuana), or emotional symptoms (e.g., anxiety0depression). Some of the nonclinical populations might be better defined as individuals who have not sought mental health services. Based on data presented in Chapter 3, the authors propose that hallucinations are not a separate entity, different from normal experience, but rather are part of a continuum of experience. In Chapter 4, they present the initial framework of their theoretical model. They report literature involving language processing, attention modulation and perceptual expectations in individuals experiencing hallucinations and individuals not reporting hallucinations. The authors conclude that both sensory processing impairment (bottom-up factors) and perceptual expectation (top-down factors) contribute to the experience of hallucinations. Chapter 5 further explores the top-down component by focusing on metacognition. Metacognitive models of hallucinations are explored through research on misattribution of speech, reality testing, reality monitoring, and inhibition in clinical and nonclinical populations. Some of the studies presented in this chapter involved multiple groups and0or multiple conditions. The addition of summary tables or graphics would have been helpful. This was also true of some studies presented in Chapter 3. In Chapter 6, research directly focused on brain activity is explored. The authors review the potential role of specific neurotransmitters in increasing or decreasing the probability of hallucination generation. Early brain stimulation studies, as well as recent functional neuroimaging studies are also reviewed. Information presented to this point is integrated in a schematic model for the production of hallucinations and other sensory processing errors in Chapter 7. Targeted brain regions for mediation of components are identified. The resulting model provides multiple routes to the processing error(s) that culminate in hallucination production and hallucination content. This interesting model is offered as a framework for continued research. Chapter 8 is of primary interest to treating clinicians. The authors review available research into treatment approaches for individuals whose hallucinations are affecting quality of life. While medication and Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2008), 14, 1095–1099. Copyright © 2008 INS. Published by Cambridge University Press. Printed in the USA.


Objective
To investigate the chlorhexidine acetate-resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae (K.pneumoniae) clinical isolates and to analyze the possible mechanisms and molecular epidemiology of resistant isolates.

Methods
A total of 332 K. pneumoniae clinical isolates were collected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in 2015. Standard agar dilution was used to screen chlorhexidine acetate-resistant isolates. The minimum inhibition concentrations (MIC) of chlorhexidine acetate to resistant isolates with and without the presence of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone (CCCP), which was an efflux pump inhibitor, were analyzed. Efflux pump genes of cepA, qacE and qacΔE1 that carried by and expressed in those isolates were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), respectively. The biofilm formation ability was measured by crystal violet staining. The homology among the chlorhexidine acetate-resistant isolates was investigated with multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

Results
Twenty-five K. pneumoniae strains were resistant to chlorhexidine acetate. The MIC values of chlorhexidine acetate for them were reduced by at least four-fold in the presence of CCCP. Strains carrying the genes of cepA, qacE and qacΔE1 accounted for 100%, 40% and 40%, respectively. The expression of the efflux pump genes in the chlorhexidine acetate-resistant isolates was higher than that in the susceptible isolates. The biofilm formation ability of the chlorhexidine acetate-resistant isolates was better than that of the susceptible isolates. Furthermore, negative, weak-positive and positive biofilm formation ability was observed in four (16%), 20 (80%) and one (4%) strains, respectively. The results of MLST and PFGE showed that the 25 chlorhexidine acetate-resistant isolates belonged to 19 different sequence types (ST) with diverse PFGE patterns.

Conclusions
This study suggested that active efflux was the main mechanism of chlorhexidine acetate resistance in K. pneumoniae. The 25 chlorhexidine acetate-resistant K. pneumoniae strains possessed different biofilm formation ability and shared low homology.

Key words:
Chlorhexidine acetate; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Resistance mechanism; Molecular epidemiology


Aim: The aim of this study was to explore mechanisms of change in relation to outcome in a successful case of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of outcome was put into the context of therapeutic alliance development and its mediation by responsiveness between the psychotherapist and the client. An evidence-based case study design was used to integrate data into a clinically meaningful and complex presentation. Methods: The full course of 18 sessions was videotaped and transcribed. Helpful Aspects of Therapy form was administered to both participants after every session. After the sessions 3, 9, and 13, Interpersonal Process Recall interviews were conducted with both participants. At the end of the psychotherapy, both participants completed Client Change Interviews. As the outcome measures, Symptom Checklist - 90, Personal Health Questionnaire - 9, and Clinical Outcome in Routine Evaluation were used. Session Rating Scale and Working Alliance Inventory were used as alliance measures. Results: Both quantitative and qualitative outcome evaluation strongly supported the good outcome hypothesis. However, after 18 sessions, the client chose to drop out without consulting with the therapist. The analysis of qualitative data showed that the established setting of working alliance had different functions over different stages of psychotherapy. Changes in the client's life required a different setting, however, a persistence of the psychotherapist may have contributed to the dropout. Discussion: The responsiveness of the psychotherapist to the client's needs proved to be a crucial aspect in identifying the need to transform psychotherapy setting in response to the changing context.


In this issue of Blood, Garcia-Santos et al advance the field of heme regulation, a highly complex process involving iron and globin metabolism. They focus on a key enzyme involved in heme catabolism, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), which, ironically, has been poorly investigated in erythroid cells, the largest pool of heme-containing cells.


Mynard Keynes's The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money published in 1936, highlighted that the deep, global financial and economic crises have a profound effect on economic thinking and the economic policy-makers. The sage learns from this, and the fool recovers back to his previous flawed theories and practices. Today, it is also clear that the shocks that trigger these crises are living with us, breaking the growth trends of the economy from time to time, which raises again and again the question, what economics and economic policy practitioners have learned, and can learn from it, or the short-term economic policy interest overcomes the adjustments after the corrections? In his study, the author checks the effects of the recent global exogenous crisis caused by the pandemic and the desirable correction methods, without which the consequences of the current crisis may be protracted. Keywords: crisis, economic thinking, economic policy, pandemic, sustainability


A nonlinear model for dynamic studies of hydro turbines is proposed. The model of a single turbine and its water supply conduit is given in the first section of the paper, together with a parameter estimation from field tests. The second section is devoted to die modeling of multiple turbines supplied from a common tunnel taking into account the hydraulic coupling effects. Comparisons between simulation results and experimental data are presented. >


We applied the tagged-particle method or the saccharin method or both to the nasal mucociliary clearance. There was no effect of ageing on the transport time of saccharin in control subjects of ages under 60, and 70% of control subjects of ages more than 60 had the same transport time as that obtained in younger control subjects. The significant inverse correlation between the mucociliary transport rates with the particle method and the transport time with the saccharin method were established in control subjects, but not, however, in patients with chronic sinusitis. The mucociliary transport rates were measured under non-physiologic conditions of the nose: laryngectomy, chronic sinusitis, Sjögren's syndrome, and Kartagener's syndrome.


In present scenario, efficient energy conservation has been the greatest focus in Mobile Adhoc Networks (MANETs). Typically, the energy consumption rate of dense networks is to be reduced by proper topological management. Honeycomb based model is an efficient parallel computing technique, which can manage the topological structures in a promising manner.  Moreover, discovering optimal routes in MANET is the most significant task, to be considered with energy efficiency. With that motive, this paper presents a model called Improved Energy Efficient Honeycomb based Routing (IEEHR) in MANET. The model combines the Honeycomb based area coverage with Location-Aided Routing (LAR), thereby reducing the broadcasting range during the process of path finding. In addition to optimal routing, energy has to be effectively utilized in MANET, since the mobile nodes have energy constraints. When the energy is effectively consumed in a network, the network performance and the network longevity will be increased in respective manner. Here, more amount of energy is preserved during the sleeping state of the mobile nodes, which are further consumed during the process of optimal routing. The designed model has been implemented and analyzed with NS-2 Network Simulator based on the performance factors such as Energy Efficiency, Transmission Delay, Packet Delivery Ratio and Network Lifetime.


Abstract Introduction: The article presents a rapid and simple analytical procedure for determination of four tetracyclines (oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, and doxycycline) in animal medicated feedingstuffs. Material and Methods: Two-gramme samples were extracted by a Na2EDTA-McIlvaine buffer (pH 4)/methanol mixtures (40/60, v/v). The determination was achieved by liquid chromatography using a Zorbax Eclipse XDB C18 analytical column with mass spectrometer detection (LC-MS). Results: Recoveries of the antibiotics from spiked feed samples ranged from 78.2% to 113.5%. The LOD and LOQ for tetracyclines in feeds ranged from 2.8 to 4.2 and from 4.3 to 5.7 mg/kg, respectively. Conclusion: The method was successfully validated and proved to be efficient, precise, and useful for quantification of tetracyclines in medicated feedingstuffs.


Chronic immobilization stress (CIS) results in sex‐dependent changes in opioid peptide levels and receptor subcellular distributions within the rat dorsal hippocampus, which are paralleled with an inability for males to acquire conditioned place preference (CPP) to oxycodone. Here, RNAScope in situ hybridization was used to determine the expression of hippocampal opioid peptides and receptors in unstressed (US) and CIS estrus female and male adult (∼2.5 months old ) Sprague Dawley rats. In all groups, dentate granule cells expressed PENK and PDYN; additionally, numerous interneurons expressed PENK. OPRD1 and OPRM1 were primarily expressed in interneurons, and to a lesser extent, in pyramidal and granule cells. OPRK1‐was expressed in sparsely distributed interneurons. There were few baseline sex differences: US females compared to US males had more PENK‐expressing and fewer OPRD1‐expressing granule cells and more OPRM1‐expressing CA3b interneurons. Several expression differences emerged after CIS. Both CIS females and males compared to their US counterparts had elevated: (1) PENK‐expressing dentate granule cells and interneurons in CA1 and CA2/3a; (2) OPRD1 probe number and cell expression in CA1, CA2/3a and CA3b and the dentate gyrus; and (3) OPRK1‐expressing interneurons in the dentate hilus. Also, CIS males compared to US males had elevated: (1) PDYN expression in granule cells; (2) OPRD1 probe and interneuron expression in CA2/3a; (3) OPRM1 in granule cells; and (4) OPRK1 interneuron expression in CA2/3a. The sex‐specific changes in hippocampal opioid gene expression may impact network properties and synaptic plasticity processes that may contribute to the attenuation of oxycodone CPP in CIS males.


Abstract The meaning, measurement, and implications of 'public opinion' have long been a source of debate. In this paper, we examine the extent to which the educational priorities of elites in the US reflect the educational priorities of the American public. To do so, we focus on one particular segment of the education policy-making elite – education poll creators. Through a content analysis of questions asked between 1969 and 2013 in the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes toward the Public Schools, we examine the salience of key educational issues over time. We compare these trends to the proportion of poll respondents who label those issues the 'biggest problem' facing schools, thereby approximating two different conceptions of public opinion regarding education. We find that the issues that receive the most coverage by pollsters do not typically match the issues that respondents claim to be the biggest problems in schools. In light of the important role that opinion polls may play in shaping discussion and debate over educational issues, we argue that further study of the construction of public opinion is warranted.


A field experiment was conducted during rainy seasons of 2013 and 2014 at Agricultural college farm, Raichur, India to study the influence of varieties and nitrogen levels on growth, yield and nutrient status of rice soil under transplanted rice (TPR) and direct seeded rice (DSR) cultivation. The treatments included three rice genotypes ['BPT 5204', 'Gangavathi sona' and 'JKPH 3333') and three nitrogen levels, [75%, 100% and 125% RDN per ha. (100% RDN is 150 kg/ha)] the experiment was laid out in a split plot design. Transplanting method recorded higher growth components and grain yield than direct seeding. The yield increased with the increase in nitrogen level and reached maximum with 125 per cent RDN. Plant height, leaf area index and dry matter production were the highest with JKPH 3333 + 125 % RDN at all the stages during both the years of study. Nitrogen uptake by grain and straw were also significantly higher in the JKPH 3333 + 125 % RDN. Increasing levels of nitrogen progressively enhanced nitrogen uptake by grain and straw. Genotypes and nitrogen levels interaction was non significant and the highest grain yield and economics were recorded with 'JKPH 3333' at 125 % RDN/ha and it was found to be optimum combination. Keywords: Direct seeded rice, Transplanted rice, Nitrogen levels, Genotypes


Purpose

Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is one of the most popular additive manufacturing processes, and is widely used for prototyping and fabricating low-cost customized parts. Current FDM machines have limited techniques to monitor process conditions to minimize process errors, such as nozzle clogging. Nozzle clogging is one of the most significant process errors in current FDM machines, and may cause serious consequences such as print failure. This paper aims to present a physics-based dynamic model suitable for monitoring nozzle clogging in FDM machines.

Design/methodology/approach

Liquefier mount of an FDM extruder is analysed as a beam excited by a uniform loading distributed over a partial length. Boundary conditions and applied loads for a direct-type FDM extruder are identified and discussed. Simulation of nozzle clogging was performed by using nozzles of different diameters from 0.5 to 0.2 mm, in step change of 0.1 mm. Sets of experiments were carried out by measuring vibrations of the liquefier block mount during FDM extrusion.

Findings

The mount of a liquefier block in an FDM extruder can be used to place a vibration sensor to monitor process errors such as nozzle clogging. Liquefier block mount's transverse vibration amplitudes increase non-linearly when nozzle starts to block.

Practical implications

The proposed model can be effectively used for monitoring nozzle clogging in FDM machines, as it is based on the physics relating the FDM process parameters and the nozzle blockage.

Originality/value

The novelty of this paper is the unique method of modelling the FDM process dynamics that can be used for monitoring nozzle clogging.


Most of the studies analyzing the effect of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) on children's health do not contain information on early stages or do not use accurate methods. We investigated the association between PA and body composition using objective methods, perinatal data, lifestyle behaviors, and World Health Organization (WHO) physical activity (PA) recommendations. The CALINA study is a longitudinal observational cohort study of children born in Aragon (Spain) in 2009. A total of 308 7-year-old children (52.3% boys) were assessed. We used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and accelerometry. Rapid weight gain until 12 months and lifestyle behaviors were considered as covariates both in the ANCOVA and linear regression models. A higher percentage of boys met the WHO PA recommendations compared to girls (69.6% vs. 40.9%, respectively; p < 0.001). There was a negative association between MVPA and subtotal fat and abdominal fat in both girls and boys. After adjusting for perinatal and lifestyle variables, we found that subtotal body fat, abdominal fat, and fat mass index (FMI) were significantly lower in those classified as active. MVPA was associated with body fat both in boys and girls. More research is needed to identify the cutoffs points of MVPA that generate benefit to boys and girls in all body composition components.


Motivated by a paucity of research into the impact of corporate governance from a debtholder perspective, we examine the impact of corporate governance on loan monitoring decisions. The active and close involvement of a major UK bank facilitated the development of extremely realistic experimental scenarios with a great deal of accurate institutional detail. The results show that the likelihood of loan officers increasing the level of monitoring in the context of a debt covenant breach is associated with board independence, director financial expertise and the presence of a blockholder. The two-way interaction between financial expertise and board independence is also documented. Apart from extending the academic literature, this study provides empirical evidence on the efficacy of good corporate governance in reducing debt contracting costs that should also be of interest to regulators and practitioners.


Breast cancer remains the most common malignancy in women, with the aggressive triple negative subtype accounting for nearly half of all breast cancer deaths. In this abstract, we describe a novel tetraspan protein, epithelial membrane protein-2 (EMP2) that is highly expressed in the majority of breast cancer tumors examined compared to healthy mammary epithelium. In particular, high levels of EMP2 were observed in over 70% of triple negative breast cancer cases examined. In tumor cells, EMP2 altered the integrin expression profile as well as promoted endothelial cell migration and tube formation through upregulation of VEGF. We produced a fully human intact IgG1 to test their effect on EMP2 expressing breast cancer cell lines. In vitro treatment with anti-EMP2 IgG1 decreased Src and FAK activation and resulted in cell death. Moreover, cultured supernatant from treated cells reduced endothelial cell migration and capillary-like tube formation. To determine the in vivo efficacy of EMP2 treatment, we first characterized potential toxicity from systemic administration. Anti-EMP2 IgG1 produced no observable toxicity (weight, CBC counts, tissue pathology) when administered at 10mg/kg over 7 weeks. Using similar conditions in preclinical xenograft and syngeneic mouse models, anti-EMP2 IgG1 decreased tumor growth with induction of necrosis. This effect was specific as no difference in tumor size was observed in EMP2 negative (Ramos) cell tumors. As in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity was observed in both triple negative cell lines as well as cells expressing estrogen and progesterone receptors and/or Her-2/neu, these results present compelling evidence that EMP2 is a novel therapeutic target in triple negative breast cancers as well as other variants. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4621. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4621


A method for the determination of 12 sulfonamides (SAs) (sulfanilamide, sulfamonomethoxine, sulfacetamide, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine, sulfisoxazole, sulfathiazole, sulfadi-methoxine, sulfamerazine, sulfaquinoxaline, sulfamethazine, sulfanitran) in cosmetics was developed by ultra performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector (UPLC-PDA). The chromatographic column used was Acquity UPLC BEHC C18 (50 mm x 2. 1 mm, 1. 7 microm) and the mobile phase was acetonitrile-0. 1% formic acid aqueous solution. A gradient elution program was utilized for the separation and determination. After liquid-liquid extraction, SAs were separated and detected by UPLC-PDA. The qualification analysis was done by using retention time and spectrum, and the quantification was based on the detection wavelength of 268 nm. The limits of qualification (S/N = 3) and quantification (S/N = 10) for 12 SAs were 1 microg/g and 2 -3 microg/g, respectively. The correlation coefficient of linear calibration curve was over 0. 999 7 within the SAs concentration range of 1 - 25 mg/L (except sulfanitran 0. 5 - 12. 5 mg/L). At the spiked levels of 40 and 8 microg (except sulfanitran 20 and 4 microg), the average recoveries for 12 SAs were 86. 8% - 98. 1% and 80. 1% - 96. 9%, respectively. Relative standard deviations were less than 10%. Routine tests show that the method is simple, fast, and has a good separation efficiency. It can be routinely used for the determination of these SAs in cosmetics.