This article analyses the new role of specialized teacher towards children with special needs, in Italian inclusive school. Inclusion implies a (epistemological) redefinition of the concept of education for all specialized teachers and not, to take in and recognize the needs of students with special needs. Inclusive school, by needing to have the revolutionary structuring of institutional framework, launches a challenge, especially to the traditional role played by the teaching assistant who has to strengthen his/her knowledge and skills, however, without becoming an hyper-specialist. The current scientific debate leads to the evolution of the professional identikit of a teaching assistant who has reached a crossroad marked by antithetical, problematic, in progress, solutions. In this context it is important to reflect on the epistemological status of special education to underline the specific role of mediator-agent of change teaching assistant, to support differences and diversities, fairly and democratically.


We investigate electron shuttling in three-terminal nanoelectromechanical device built on a movable metallic rod oscillating between two drains. The device shows a double-well shaped electromechanical potential tunable by a source-drain bias voltage. Four stationary regimes controllable by the bias are found for this device: (i) single stable fixed point, (ii) two stable fixed points, (iii) two limit cycles, and (iv) single limit cycle. In the presence of perpendicular magnetic field, the Lorentz force makes possible switching from one electromechanical state to another. The mechanism of tunable transitions between various stable regimes based on the interplay between voltage controlled electromechanical instability and magnetically controlled switching is suggested. The switching phenomenon is implemented for achieving both a reliable active current switch and sensoring of small variations of magnetic field.


Abstract Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are pattern recognition receptors that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns and are indispensable for antibacterial and antiviral immunity. Our previous report showed that ionizing radiation increases the cell surface expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 and enhances their responses to agonists in human monocytic THP1 cells. The present study investigated how ionizing radiation increases the cell surface expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 in THP1 cells. The THP1 cells treated or not treated with pharmaceutical agents such as cycloheximide and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) were exposed to X-ray irradiation, following which the expressions of TLRs and mitogen-activated protein kinase were analyzed. X-ray irradiation increased the mRNA expressions of TLR2 and TLR4, and treatment with a protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide abolished the radiation-induced upregulation of their cell surface expressions. These results indicate that radiation increased those receptors through de novo protein synthesis. Furthermore, treatment with an antioxidant NAC suppressed not only the radiation-induced upregulation of cell surface expressions of TLR2 and TLR4, but also the radiation-induced activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway. Since it has been shown that the inhibitor for JNK can suppress the radiation-induced upregulation of TLR expression, the present results suggest that ionizing radiation increased the cell surface expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 through reactive oxygen species–mediated JNK activation.


We consider two algorithms which can be used for proving positivity of sequences that are defined by a linear recurrence equation with polynomial coefficients (P-finite sequences). Both algorithms have in common that while they do succeed on a great many examples, there is no guarantee for them to terminate, and they do in fact not terminate for every input. For some restricted classes of P-finite recurrence equations of order up to three we provide a priori criteria that assert the termination of the algorithms.


Background: Patients' satisfaction with provided healthcare services is one of the factors to measure the overall quality of the delivered health care. Main objective of our study was to determine the common predictors associated with patients 'satisfaction in three Balkan countries. Methods: We conducted web based survey among population in Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria using paid campaign over the social network Facebook. A questionnaire consisted of 31 questions was developed following studies on patients' satisfaction conducted elsewhere. Descriptive analysis was performed to assess the predictors associated with patients' satisfaction. In addition we performed content analysis to all open-ended responses. Results and discussion: In total 4118 respondents participated in the survey. Main predictors associated with low users satisfaction with the health care services in three surveyed countries are waiting time to appointments, huge administrative procedures, and attitudes of the medical personnel towards the patients. The analysis showed that there are many similarities in user experiences in three countries, but also there are some differences. Conclusions: The health care systems in these three counties are organized around centralized and monopolistic position of one health insurance fund that serves as main purchaser of health care services. Top three indicators of patients' satisfaction across three countries are trust and overall satisfaction with the attention of the doctors, as well as satisfaction with the outcome of the treatment. Long waiting time and huge administrative procedures are determined as common predictor for lower patients' satisfaction across these Balkan countries. Patients' privacy protection is issue for concern in all three countries.


Chromosome instability is a common feature of tumor cells, and may be an important mechanism in tumor formation. Nuclear division cycle 80 (NDC80) is closely associated with the stability of chromosomes. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between NDC80 and development of colon cancer using a range of methods. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were employed to determine the expression of this protein in different colon cells and tissues, cell proliferation was measured with an MTT assay, levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen were examined by immunofluorescence, and cell migration was observed using wound healing tests. Our results showed that the expression of NDC80 in colon cancer cells (CACO2, HCT8, HCT116, and SW480) and tissues (from 20 patients) was higher than that in controls. Moreover, cell proliferation and migration rates were elevated in cells transfected with NDC80 compared to control groups. In summary, NDC80 promotes the proliferation and metastasis of colon cancer cells, and may constitute a new target for gene therapy in treating this disease. Combined with clinicopathological grading, measurement of positive NDC80 expression may be helpful in diagnosing and estimating the prognosis of colon cancer patients.


Probabilities in a large sparse contingency table are estimated by maximizing the likelihood modified by a roughness penalty. It is shown that if certain smoothness criteria on the underlying probability vector are met, the estimator proposed is consistent in a one-dimensional table under a sparse asymptotic framework. Suggestions are made for techniques to apply the estimator in practice, and generalization to higher dimensional tables is considered.


Background: Extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE) procedure leaves a large pelvic floor defect, and can result in a high rate of perineal hernia. Pelvic peritoneum reconstruction (PPR) could reduce the rate of perineal hernia. In this article, the authors reconstructed pelvic peritoneum by retracing running sutures with unidirectional barbed thread after laparoscopic ELAPE. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PPR by retracing running sutures with unidirectional barbed thread in laparoscopic ELAPE. Materials and Methods: Intact clinical data were collected retrospectively from 27 distal rectal cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic ELAPE. All the patients underwent PPR by retracing running sutures with unidirectional barbed thread in the operation. Pooled data of perineal-related complications were analyzed. Results: After retracing running sutures, the tension of pelvic peritoneum was enhanced. Of the 27 patients included, 2 patients had perineal dehiscence and 1 patient developed bowel obstruction. There were no instances of perineal hernia and pelvic peritoneal internal hernia. Conclusions: PPR by retracing running sutures with unidirectional barbed thread in laparoscopic can reduce the risk of perineal hernia.


Some issues of establishing administrative liability of legal entities in the current legislation at the stage of ongoing reforms in the judicial branch of the country have been analyzed from the theoretical and practical point of view. The authors express their attitude to these issues. The article provides a systematic analysis of the scientific views of scientists and specialists of foreign countries on the administrative responsibility of legal entities. It also provides suggestions and recommendations for improving the legislation in the field of establishing administrative liability of legal entities based on the requirements of foreign legislation and the needs of national legislation.


Background: Early and effective treatment of patients with sepsis requires early recognition in emergency department and understanding the severity of the disease. Many studies have been conducted for this purpose, and many of scoring systems have been developed that provide early recognition of these patients and show their severity. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the scoring systems used to determine the mortality of patients with infections admitted in emergency department. Methods: In all, 400 patients who admitted to Uludağ University Hospital Emergency Department were prospectively included in this study. In addition to Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome score, Quick SOFA score, Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis score, Modified Early Warning Score, and Charlson Comorbidity Index score in all patients, CURB-65 score was calculated in the patients diagnosed with pneumonia. It has been aimed to determine the power of these scores' predictive mortality rates and their superiority to each other. Results: It was found that Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis score and Quick SOFA score could be used with similar efficacy (respectively p = 0.761 and p = 0.073) in determining early mortality in emergency department (5th and 14th days) and that MEDS score was more effective (p < 0.001) in predicting the 28th-day mortality. While these recommendations were valid in patients diagnosed with pneumonia, it was determined that CURB-65 score could also be used to estimate 5th-, 14th-, and 28th-day mortalities (respectively, for the 5th day, p = 0.894 and p = 0.256; for the 14th day, p = 0.425 and p = 0.098; and for the 28th day, p = 0.095 and p = 0.158). The power of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome score, previously used to identify sepsis, in predicting mortality was detected to be lower. Conclusion: Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis score and Quick SOFA score could be used with similar efficacy in determining early mortality in emergency department. However, if you want to predict 28th-day mortality rate, it can be better to use Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis score or CURB-65 (in patients diagnosed with pneumonia).


Angle-resolved optical spectroscopy is employed to investigate polariton dynamics under conditions of high excitations in CdTe-based microcavities. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements under non-resonant excitation clearly show the suppression of the relaxation bottleneck on the lower polariton branch, followed by the onset of stimulated emission from the ground polariton states at k|| = 0. To probe the coherent dynamics along the lower polariton branch, we use for the first time angle-resolved four wave mixing measurements. A sharp decrease of the dephasing time T2 is observed when pumping at the magic angle at high powers, as a result of stimulated parametric scattering.


We have measured 492 redshifts (311 new) in the direction of the poor cluster AWM 7 and have identified 179 cluster members (73 new). We use two independent methods to derive a self-consistent mass profile, under the assumptions that the absorption-line galaxies are virialized and that they trace an underlying Navarro, Frenk, & White (NFW) dark matter profile: (1) we fit such an NFW profile to the radial distribution of galaxy positions and to the velocity dispersion profile; (2) we apply the virial mass estimator to the cluster. With these assumptions, the two independent mass estimates agree to ∼15% within 1.7 h-1 Mpc, the radial extent of our data; we find an enclosed mass ∼(3 ± 0.5) × 1014 h-1 M⊙. The largest potential source of systematic error is the inclusion of young emission-line galaxies in the mass estimate. We investigate the behavior of the surface term correction to the virial mass estimator under several assumptions about the velocity anisotropy profile, still within the context of the NFW model, and remark on the sensitivity of derived mass profiles to outliers. We find that one must have data out to a large radius in order to determine the mass robustly, and that the surface term correction is unreliable at small radii.


In this work, a covalent-organic framework with high carbon and nitrogen content microstructures (named COF-LZU1), assisted by 3D nitrogen-containing kenaf stem composites (represented as COF-LZU1/3D-KSCs), was constructed. Moreover, it was utilized for immobilizing acetylcholinesterase (AChE) for identifying trichlorfon, a commonly applied organophosphorus (OP) pesticide. The development of COF-LZU1/3D-KSC was affirmed by SEM, PXRD, and EDXS. The findings confirmed that COF-LZU1 microstructures were uniformly developed on 3D-KSC holes using a one-step synthesis approach, which can substantially enhance the effective surface area. Also, the COF-LZU1/3D-KSC composite contains not only the nitrogen element in COF-LZU1 but also the nitrogen element in 3D-KSC, which will greatly improve the biocompatibility of the material. The AChE/COF-LZU1/3D-KSC integrated electrode was fabricated by directly fixing a large amount of AChE on the composite. At the same time, the integrated electrode had good detection efficiency for trichlorfon. Improved stabilization, a wide-linear-range (0.2–19 ng/mL), and a lower detection limit (0.067 ng/mL) have been displayed by the sensor. Therefore, this sensor can be used as an important platform for the on-site detection of OP residue.


The focus of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the athletic preparation, in terms of physical fitness and sport skill competencies for the mentally retarded participants in Wisconsin Special Olympics (WSO). The specific problems were to identify the effectiveness of WSO athletic preparation, the qualifications of personnel involved in athletic preparation and the priority placed on athletic preparation by the State and Area levels. Standards were developed as a basis for meeting the criteria for each of the five hypotheses. Data was gathered through surveys of the WSO Coaches and Area Coordinators, a personal interview of the State Program Coordinator and a review of public financial documentation. The questionnaire responses were tabulated in terms of tally and percentages. Results of the study indicated that the athletic preparation provided through WSO does not meet the minimal standards  related to necessary training time for the development of physical fitness and sport skill competencies. It was further identified that the majority of WSO Coaches do not meet the minimal standards established for effective coaching qualifications. In addition, available evidence does not indicate that WSO at the Area and State level regards athletic, preparation as a high priority within the total organization. Permanent Link http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/55746 Part of UW-L Seminar Papers Contact Us | Send Feedback The contributions of the Wisconsin Special Olympics Program in the development of physical fitness and sport skill competencies for the mentally retarded population 


A fragment condensation solution phase assembly of the naturally occurring CB1 inverse agonist nonapeptides, Pro-Val-Asn-Phe-Lys-Phe/Leu-Leu-Ser-His-OH (hemopressins), and two other homologues: N-terminal 2-amino acid (dipeptide) extended undecapeptide, Val-Asp-Pro-Val-Asn-Phe-Lys-Leu-Leu-Ser-His-OH, and three-amino acid (tripeptide) extended dodecapeptide, Arg-Val-Asp-Pro-Val-Asn-Phe-Lys-Leu-Leu-Ser-His-OH, both CB1 agonists, is reported.


Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquisition in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients confers a worse clinical outcome with increased rate of declined lung function. Telavancin, an approved lipoglycopeptide used to treat infections due to S. aureus has a dual mode of action causing inhibition of the peptidoglycan synthesis and membrane depolarization. CF-associated MRSA infections remain an important problem with no foreseeable decline in prevalence rates. Although telavancin is currently in clinical use for complicated skin infections and hospital-acquired pneumonia, the activity against CF-associated S. aureus infections has not been investigated. In this work, we studied the activity of telavancin against CF S. aureus strains collected from diverse geographical CF centers in the USA. We found that telavancin-MIC90 was 0.06 μg/ml, 8-fold lower than ceftaroline or daptomycin and 25-fold lower than linezolid and vancomycin. We demonstrate that telavancin at serum-free concentrations has rapid bactericidal activity with a decrease of more than 3 log10 CFU/ml during the first 4 to 6 hours of treatment, performing better in this assay than vancomycin and ceftaroline, including S. aureus resistant to ceftaroline. Telavancin resistance was infrequent (0.3%), although we found that it can occur in-vitro in both CF-and non-CF S. aureus strains by progressive passages with sub-inhibitory concentrations. Genetic analysis of telavancin in-vitro mutants showed gene polymorphisms in cell wall and virulence genes, and increased survival in a Galleria mellonella infection model. Thus, we conclude that telavancin represents a promising therapeutic option for CF infections with potent in-vitro activity and low resistance potential.


Objective: Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) has been widely used in many dental treatments such as pulp capping, dentin hypersensitivity and as an endodontic intracanal medicament. Ca(OH)2 is highly alkaline, has antimicrobial, and remineralization action by releasing Ca2+ and OH. Ca2+ release plays an important role in cell proliferation and remineralization of hard tissue healing. Indonesian limestone can be synthesized to produce Ca(OH)2 that can be an alternative to commercial Ca(OH)2 available. Therefore this study aimed to synthesized a Ca(OH)2 prototype and evaluate the Ca2+ released by the Ca(OH)2 prototype. Material and Methods: Ca(OH)2 prototype was synthesized from limestone by calcination process and characterized by XRD and FTIR. The Ca(OH)2 prototype was then manipulated to a pasta form by mixing the powder with distilled water in 0.8 w/p ratio then inserted to a polyethylene tubed (2x10mm) using and immersed in 10 ml distilled water. Samples were divided into three groups for different periods of Ca2+ evaluation (1, 7 and 14 days). The Ca2+ concentration released was measured by a Spectrophotometer (DIRUI DR-7000D). Data obtained were analyzed by Anova. Results: The observations on one day immersion was 3.589 mg/dL, the observation for seven days was 3.736 mg/dL, and for 14 days was 3.850 mg/dL. Statistically p<0.05. Conclusion: Calcium hydroxide prototype released a sustainable amount of Ca2+ up to 14 days with the highest concentration achieved


Milking machines may adversely affect udder health by damaging or changing the resistance of the cow's first line of defence : Teat skin, teat canal, and mucosal tissue. According to dairy scientist, Prof GM Jones of Virginia Tech in Blackburn, Virginia, the teat canal is the primary defence against bacterial invasion of the udder.
The teat canal, he explains, is lined with a keratin layer which plays an important role in preventing infections. The keratin layer can be removed by overmilking, high vacuum levels, and hard liner squeezes which increase infection rates, especially with higher production.


In the last few years strong evidence has accumulated to suggest that allergen-reactive type-2 T helper (T(H)2) cells play an important role in the induction and maintenance of the allergic inflammatory cascade. First, cytokines and chemokines produced by T(H)2 cells (GM-CSF, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-13, macrophage-derived chemokine) and those produced by other cell types in response to T(H)2 cytokines or as a reaction to T(H)2-related tissue damage (eotaxin, transforming growth factor-beta, IL-11) account for most pathophysiologic aspects of allergic disorders (production of IgE antibodies; recruitment or activation of mast cells, basophils, and eosinophils; mucus hypersecretion; subepithelial fibrosis; and tissue remodeling). The T(H)2 hypothesis may also explain the complex genetic background responsible for allergic disorders. Several genes are involved in the development and regulation of T(H)2 cells and may provide the reason why the prevalence of atopic allergy is increasing in Western countries. Indeed, a dramatic change has occurred in the last several decades in the "microbial" environment of children, thus probably altering the balance between T(H)1 and T(H)2 responses to "innocuous" antigens (allergens) in favor of T(H)2 responses. Finally, the T(H)2 hypothesis offers exciting opportunities for the development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies targeted to address allergen-specific T(H)2 cells or T(H)2-derived effector molecules in atopic individuals.


Purpose of review Update on controversies in the surgical management of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Recent findings There are multiple new reports regarding the development and management of retinal detachment. Current use of oral fluoroquinolones may be associated with onset of retinal detachment, although the clinical relevance of this correlation is uncertain at this time and the finding has not been replicated in subsequent studies. Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) continues to demonstrate efficacy as a primary treatment for retinal detachment, especially in pseudophakic patients. In many patients with macula-on retinal detachment, scheduling surgery after a short time delay is not necessarily deleterious and may actually be beneficial. Novel surgical tools, including bioerodible scleral buckling materials and artificial vitreous substitutes, are being investigated. Summary Retinal detachment remains an important cause of visual loss. Although current surgical techniques demonstrate high rates of anatomic and visual success, further advances will probably benefit patients with retinal detachment.


Abstract The metabolic fate of orally administered rutin or its aglycone, quercetin, has been investigated in rabbits. Evidence for the absorption and metabolism of these compounds is based upon the urinary excretion of degradation products. One of these products has been isolated and identified as 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. The amount isolated accounts for at least 2 5 per cent of the quercetin administered.


The pumping performance of the EAST tokamak upgraded divertor has been optimized by varying the height and width of the duct that connects the plasma and plenum volumes. The optimization is performed using a semi-analytic model which predicts the molecular pressure in the plenum given the plasma facing component geometry and plasma parameters along the divertor, specifically electron temperature, electron density, and the ion particle flux. The model is semi-analytic as the plasma parameters can come from experimental data (or plasma transport simulations), and uses a first-flight approximation for neutral transport. This model is computationally inexpensive, allowing for several geometries and sets of plasma parameters to be rapidly evaluated. A duct geometry is found that performs well for different plasma equilibria and strike point positions. The semi-analytic model results are compared to two dimensional plasma and neutral transport simulations using the SOLPS-ITER code, indicating that charge-exchange is a significant contributor to the plenum pressure at low electron temperature. An extension to the semi-analytic model improves the comparison over a broader range of temperature. The conservative prediction of the model and the broad maximum in the pressure contours imply that the inclusion of charge-exchange is not required in the optimization procedure, but that quantitative estimates should be provided with a high-fidelity model such as SOLPS-ITER.


Remigration trajectories describe the position of an image point in the image domain for different source-receiver offsets as a function of the migration velocity. They can be used for prestack time-migration velocity analysis by means of determining kinematic migration parameters, which in turn, allow to locally correct the velocity model. The main advantage of this technique is that it takes the reflection-point displacement in the midpoint direction into account, thus allowing for a moveout correction for a single reflection point at all offsets of a common image gather (CIG). We have tested the feasibility of the method on synthetic data from three simple models and the Marmousoft data. Our tests show that the proposed tool increases the velocity-model resolution and provides a plausible time-migrated image, even in regions with strong velocity variations. The most effort was spent on the event picking, which is critical to the method.


We define homogeneous principal Higgs and co-Higgs bundles over irreducible Hermitian symmetric spaces of compact type. We provide a classification for each type of object up to isomorphism, which in each case can be interpreted as defining a moduli space.


Convergence in nucleotide composition (CNC) in unrelated lineages is a factor potentially affecting the performance of most phylogeny reconstruction methods. Such convergence has deleterious effects because unrelated lineages show similarities due to similar nucleotide compositions and not shared histories. While some methods (such as the LogDet/paralinear distance measure) avoid this pitfall, the amount of convergence in nucleotide composition necessary to deceive other phylogenetic methods has never been quantified. We examined analytically the relationship between convergence in nucleotide composition and the consistency of parsimony as a phylogenetic estimator for four taxa. Our results show that rather extreme amounts of convergence are necessary before parsimony begins to prefer the incorrect tree. Ancillary observations are that (for unweighted Fitch parsimony) transition/transversion bias contributes to the impact of CNC and, for a given amount of CNC and fixed branch lengths, data sets exhibiting substantial site-to-site rate heterogeneity present fewer difficulties than data sets in which rates are homogeneous. We conclude by reexamining a data set originally used to illustrate the problems caused by CNC. Using simulations, we show that in this case the convergence in nucleotide composition alone is insufficient to cause any commonly used methods to fail, and accounting for other evolutionary factors (such as site-to-site rate heterogeneity) can give a correct inference without accounting for CNC.


The main purpose of this paper is to answer the question: how can we develop an effective global leadership? It is based on a research conducted using a qualitative method involving in-depth interviews of selected participants who have the experiences in the field of leadership in a selected university. The interviews were then transcribed verbatim, coded and analyzed. Going to the future Malaysia will intensify its efforts to become a developed nation by 2020. Transforming the nation from middle to higher income will require leaders who are robust enough to face diverse and complex environment. With rapid globalization, there is recognition for more global leadership development. Global leadership is defined as a leader who operates on a global stage with a open mindset in a complex and diverse environment. Currently, there was a shortage of global leaders. Organizations accept this situation and need to improve in developing global leaders. As organizations' operations expand across the world, the demand for global leaders is increasing. However, many organizations are struggling with a critical shortage of effective global leaders. They need the right opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills, abilities and other personality characteristics (KSAOs) to perform effectively as leaders on the global stage. There were various approaches in developing competencies for global leaders. Much emphasis was given to experience-based and action learning such as international assignments, working with multicultural teams and first hand global leadership experience. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for developing effective global leadership. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2015.v5n3p15


Objective Few studies have examined the effect of blood pressure (BP) on the retinal microvasculature in children. We examined the relationship between BP and retinal vessel caliber in a sample of preadolescent schoolchildren. Methods Eligible high school students [2353/3144 (response 75.3%); mean age, 12.7 years] from 21 randomly selected schools in Sydney, Australia, were examined during 2004–2005. Retinal vessel caliber was quantified from digital retinal images using well known computer-based programs. BP was measured using a standard protocol and high BP was defined according to published guidelines for this age group. Results After adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, iris color, axial length, birth weight and the fellow retinal vascular caliber, children in the highest quartiles of SBP, DBP or mean arterial BP had approximately 5 μm narrower mean retinal arteriolar caliber than those in the lowest quartiles of all three BP measures (all P for trend <0.0001). Children classified as having high BP had approximately 2.0 μm narrower mean retinal arteriolar caliber than normotensive children (P = 0.002). In boys, each 10-mmHg increase in SBP was associated with a 2.19-μm increase in the mean retinal venular caliber (P = 0.0003), but no similar significant association was evident in girls. Conclusion Elevated BP is associated with narrower retinal arterioles in preadolescent boys and girls, and also with wider retinal venules in boys. These data provide further evidence of early microvascular changes associated with high BP in older children.


The space shuttle main engine (SSME) is part of the Main Propulsion System (MPS) which is an extremely complex system containing several sub-systems and components, each of which must work precisely in order to achieve a successful mission. A critical component under study is the flow control valve (FCY) which controls the pressure of the gaseous hydrogen between the SSME and the external fuel tank. The FCV has received added attention since a Space Shuttle Mission in November 2008, where it was discovered during the mission that an anomaly had occurred in one of the three FCV's. Subsequent inspection revealed that one FCV cracked during ascent. This type of fault is of high criticality because it can lead to potentially catastrophic gaseous hydrogen leakage. A supervised learning method known as Virtual Sensors (VS), and an unsupervised learning method known as the Inductive Monitoring System (IMS) were used to detect anomalies related to the FCV in the MPS. Both algorithms identify the time of the anomaly in a multi-dimensional time series of temperatures, pressures, and control signals related to the FCV. This discovery corroborates the results of the inspection and also reveals the time at which the anomaly likely occurred. The methods were applied to data obtained from the March 2009 launch of Space Shuttle Discovery to determine whether an anomaly occurred in the same sub-system. According to our models, the FCV sub-system showed nominal behavior during ascent.


Coffea arabica L. plantlets obtained ex vitro after sowing somatic embryos produced in a bioreactor in horticultural substrate were compared with those obtained in vitro from the same embryo population under conventional culturing conditions on semi-solid media. The intensity and quality of aerial and root system development were compared. Shoot emergence was more efficient in vitro but rooting frequencies were low. In contrast, all ex vitro-regenerated embryos rooted. The cotyledon area of mature embryos produced in a bioreactor positively affected plantlet development when regeneration was carried out ex vitro. Embryos with an intermediate cotyledon area (0.86 cm2) had the highest rates of plant conversion ex vitro (63%), and also resulted in vigorous plantlets. Mortality was higher in nursery conditions, but better plant development was obtained. The quality of plantlets produced under ex vitro conditions was reflected in better growth of the aerial and root systems, and also by similar morphological, mineral and water status characteristics to seedlings. Unlike roots formed on semi-solid media, those produced in soil were branched, fine (30-50% had a diameter of less than 0-5 mm) and they bore root hairs. Leaves of plantlets regenerated ex vitro had a histological structure similar to that of seedling leaves, and a lower stomatal density (100 vs. 233 mm-2). Moreover, they were more turgid, as indicated by higher pressure potential (psiP) (0.91 s. 0.30 MPa) and relative water content values (97 vs. 93%). Furthermore, under in vitro conditions, leaves had larger stomata which were abnormally round and raised. Direct sowing of germinated somatic embryos resulted in the rapid production of vigorous plantlets under ex vitro conditions, whilst removing the need for problematical and costly conventional acclimatization procedures.


The generation of inrush current in the 10 kV grid system and the size and impact on the system is discussed in this paper, according to the cause of the inrush current, how to prevent the harm from the technology and grid structure is discussed and finally the adverse effects of inrush current on the system is prevented from the root causes, to ensure normal and reliable operation of the 10 kV grid system, to avoid protection malfunction and mistaken judgment of handling, to increase reliability of user power supply and security of grid operation.


We investigate nuclear pasta structures at high temperatures in the framework of relativistic mean field model with Thomas-Fermi approximation. Typical pasta structures (droplet, rod, slab, tube, and bubble) are obtained, which form various crystalline configurations. The properties of those nuclear pastas are examined in a three-dimensional geometry with reflection symmetry, where the optimum lattice constants are fixed by reproducing the droplet/bubble density that minimizes the free energy adopting spherical or cylindrical approximations for Wigner-Seitz cells. It is found that different crystalline structures can evolve into each other via volume conserving deformations. For fixed densities and temperatures, the differences of the free energies per baryon of nuclear pasta in various shapes and lattice structures are typically on the order of tens of keV, suggesting the possible coexistence of those structures. As temperature increases, the thermodynamic fluctuations are expected to disrupt the long-range ordering in nuclear pasta structures. We then estimate the critical conditions for nuclear pasta to become disordered and behave like liquid, which are found to be sensitive to the densities, temperatures, proton fractions, and nuclear shapes. If we further increase temperature, eventually the nonuniform structures of nuclear pasta become unstable and are converted into uniform nuclear matter. The phase diagrams of nuclear matter are then estimated, which should be useful for understanding the evolutions of neutron stars, supernova dynamics, and binary neutron star mergers.


In the anthropomorphic universe of medical terminology, where wounds can be "angry"; hepatitis, "aggressive"; ulcers, "silent" or "kissing," a "stealing" blood vessel is not likely to cause much surprise. We have already taken in our stride the subclavian, mesenteric, aorto-iliac, spinal, renal-splanchnic, and coronary "steals." It is when a therapeutic agent is implicated in the theft that our pulse quickens. After all, we have no wish to be accomplices in the crime. Such a crime is the strongly suspected participation of vasodilating drugs in the coronary steal during acute myocardial infarction. Coronary steal was first described by Effler et al 1 not in association with a drug, but with an aberrant left coronary artery originating from the pulmonary artery. The higher pressure in the normal vessel caused the blood to flow through anastomosing collaterals into the left coronary artery and thence retrograde into the pulmonary artery. Ligation of the anomalous artery


This study aims to analyse the discretionary fiscal policy of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia for the period 2003-2015 using the structural budget balance (SBB). The SBB considers the permanent component of oil revenue and therefore clearly defines the discretionary fiscal position and the aggregate demand effect of fiscal policy. The SBBs in Azerbaijan and Russia experience a deficit for most of the analysed period. A moderate SBB surplus is observed in Kazakhstan. The estimated SBBs also demonstrate that fiscal policies tend to be mainly pro-cyclical in Kazakhstan and Russia. Azerbaijan conducted a counter-cyclical fiscal policy for half of the investigated period. Moreover, governments placed more importance on economic stabilization in 2009 due to the global financial crisis.


Ketorolac has become an important component of analgesic regimens for children as well as adults because of its lack of adverse effects on respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurologic function. Although initially used parenterally in hospitalized patients, the development of an oral ketorolac dose form extended its use to the outpatient setting, where its potency has been considered an advantage over traditional therapies.1-3
 Several cases of hyperkalemia and oliguric acute renal failure associated with ketorolac use have been reported in the medical literature.4-12 Elderly hospitalized patients receiving large doses of ketorolac intramuscularly (IM) after major surgery seem to be at greatest risk.


Previous studies demonstrated the feasibility of using 100-microns inner diameter planar spiral inductors (microcoils) as detectors in 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) microspectroscopy. However, high-resolution NMR applications were not possible due to poor spectral resolution and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). These limitations in performance have now been largely overcome by using a nonconductive liquid fluorocarbon (FC-43) to minimize the effects of susceptibility mismatch between materials, and by carefully optimizing the microcoil geometry for maximum SNR. In this study, liquid samples were loaded into a fused silica capillary (75-microns inner diameter, 147-microns outer diameter). The capillary was positioned 50 microns above a 3.5-turn microcoil so that approximately 1 nL of the sample was present in the sensitive region of the microcoil. The microcoil was fabricated on a gallium arsenide substrate with an inner diameter of 60 microns, an outer diameter of 200 microns, trace width of 10 microns, trace spacing of 10 microns, and trace height of 3 microns. At 5.9 T (250 MHz) in 1H-NMR microspectroscopy experiments using a spectral width of 1 kHz, 4096 sampled data points, and a recovery delay of 1 s, a SNR of 25 (per acquisition) and a spectral linewidth of less than 2 Hz were obtained from a sample of water. These results demonstrate that planar microcoils can be used for high-resolution NMR microspectroscopy. Such coils may also be suitable for localized NMR studies at the cellular level and as detectors in capillary electrophoresis or microbore liquid chromatography.


The development of L2 learners' pragmatic competence plays a key role in the achievement of communicative competence. Thus, we have designed an activity for students of English that aims to explain the generation of humour through language applying Grice's model of conversational implicatures to four stretches of discourse from Friends. The analysis of the sample suggests that (1) the Gricean model is still a powerful tool to explain the generation of humorous situations by means of language, and (2) it is a useful device for second language learners to infer the correct meaning of language in real life situations.


Amylase, cellulase, invertase, dehydrogenase, and urease activities in soil were determined every other month for a year in two old-field successional stages and a climax stand in each of three vegetation types; tall grass prairie, post oak-blackjack oak forest and oak-pine forest. The activities of amylase, cellulase, and invertase were highest generally in the first successional stage, intermediate in the second stage, and lowest in the climax stand. On the other hand, dehydrogenase and urease activities were generally lowest in the first successional stage, intermediate in the second stage, and highest in the climax. These trends were observed in all three vegetation types throughout the year. No correlation was found between soil enzymatic activity and amount of organic matter or soil pH. The type of vegetation and thus the type of organic matter added to the soil during succession seem to be the chief determiners of the activity gradients of the enzymes under study. Additional Index Words: carbohydrases, hydrolases, plant succession. View complete article To view this complete article, insert Disc 3 then click button8


This study was conducted to review the safety and appropriateness of PSV (Pressure Safety Valve) installation in the supply tank, which is a pressure vessel included in supply systems dedicated to supplying the acid/alkaline substances used in the Korean semiconductor manufacturing process. Three aspects of design, risk assessment, and regulations were reviewed to determine if there is a source of pressure higher than the maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) of the supply tank that could cause fires, explosions, and overpressure. In the case of the design review, all 17 overpressure scenarios described in API Standard 521, i.e., pressure-relieving and depressuring systems, were reviewed, and there was no overpressure scenario above the maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP). Then, the risk assessment, i.e., the Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP) technique, was used, and as a result of reviewing all possible risk situations, we can state that there were no overpressure scenarios that can exceed the design pressure of the supply tank; thus, we decided that the installation of a PSV on top of the supply tank is unnecessary. Finally, accident prevention measures against overpressure, such as the KS B 6750-3 system design and the Korean Industrial Standard, were reviewed from a legal point of view. It was confirmed that the hazardous chemical supply system for the semiconductor industry designed in this study has several protective functions to prevent fires, explosions, and overpressure. As a result of reviewing the above three aspects, it can be said that there is no need to install a pressure safety valve in a pressure vessel storing hazardous chemicals.


Despite recent technological advancements in wind farms, simple protection schemes are still being applied to wind farms which are non-optimal and unsatisfactory resulting in maloperation of relays. Consequently, the maloperation causes different levels of damage to power components in the plant during fault. Furthermore, due to the intermittent nature of wind farms, the generated current feeding the grid during extreme high and low wind speeds, creates a significant difference in magnituds of the generated current. Thus, existence of only one group of settings for the overcurrent relays (OCRs) would cause drastic miscoordination and false tripping during fault. In order to solve these issues, this paper proposes an effecient adaptive overcurrent protection and coordination for large-scale wind farms using rule-based fuzzy logic controller (FLC) scheme. In order to test the performance of the proposed FLC scheme several OCRs based on standard Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories industrial protection relay (SEL-751) are developed in Matlab/ Simulink. A large-scale wind farm model is also developed to perform fault analysis, relay setting and coordination calculation. FLC is developed to provide adaptive feature for the relays so that the OCR group settings for each relay are intelligently updated according to the variation of wind speed. The performance of the proposed FLC protection scheme is found robust, reliable, efficient and satisfactory.


Summary: This study was done to determine if impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy was associated with increased maternal and neonatal morbidity and if so, whether the increased morbidity was due to the confounding factors of increased maternal age and maternal obesity. It was a retrospective analysis to compare 944 women with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in pregnancy with 10,065 women without abnormal glucose tolerance. The incidence of impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy was 8.6% in this study. Even when maternal age and obesity were excluded, the IGT group had significantly higher risks of labour induction (relative risk, RR, 1.15); Caesarean section (RR: overall 1.43, elective 1.72, emergency 1.31); Caesarean section for dystocia/no progress (RR 1.60); macrosomia (RR 1.69,1.76,1.61 for birth‐weight =97th, 95th, 90th percentiles respectively) and shoulder dystocia (RR 2.84) when compared to the nondiabetics (NDM). The risks of hypertensive disease (RR 1.22) and Caesarean section for fetal distress/thick meconium‐stained liquor (RR 1.53) were also higher in the IGT group but these increases were not statistically significant when maternal age and obesity were excluded. There was no significant difference in the rates of low Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes between the 2 groups.


"Labor Migration in the Global Era" comes just two years after the publication of a similar volume. Both collections contain the work of contributors who bring multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary analyses to bear on the problems engendered by labor migration. However, in at least two respects, "Labor Migration in the Global Era" demonstrates an evolution in thinking about labor migration since the earlier volume. First, there is greater attention paid to the regulation of labor migration more broadly; several of the chapters in the Howe and Owens volume take up the governance of temporary labor migration programs themselves (see chapters 5, 6, 14, 15, and 17). The new volume is also concerned with the broader regulatory environment; for example, the enforcement of the rights of temporary migrants by regulators is given some consideration (see chapter 18). In addition, there is an attempt to look beyond state actors to consider the contribution of non-state parties, such as collectives of workers (see chapters 15 and 16). Framing the issue as regulatory in nature, rather than predominantly legal, allows for a richer discussion that draws attention to related policy domains, the entire institutional context, and the diversity of state and non-state actors involved. "Second, Labor Migration in the Global Era" takes more seriously the international and transnational dimensions of the issue. One of the chapters explores the issue of recruitment abuses suffered by workers before they have even departed their home countries (chapter 15), and another considers the problem of migration fees incurred by workers at various phases of the labor migration process (chapter 17). The importance of thinking about labor migration as having a transnational regulatory architecture is readily apparent.


The analysis is focused on the pragmatics of V. Lenin's articles 'Party Organization and Party Literature' ['Partiynaya organizatsia i partiynaya literatura'] (1905) and 'How to Ensure Success of the Constituent Assembly (on freedom of the press)' ['Kak obespechit uspekh Uchreditelnogo sobraniya (o svobode pechati)'] (1917). Foreign and Russian scholars alike considered the two works as components of the concept of Socialist state literature and journalism, conceived before the Soviet era. Based on examination of the political context, this work proves that Lenin was driven to write the articles by his fight for leadership in RSDRP. In 1905, Lenin obtained control over Novaya Zhizn, the newspaper under M. Gorky's editorship, and insisted that opponents had to follow his censorship guidelines: the press had to become a propaganda tool rather than a source of income. Twelve years on, Lenin's principles still reigned.


This study is to determine if triplex DNA-binding proteins in human cells play an important role in processes that lead to cancer such as genetic instability or growth deregulation. Cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts from 60 colorectal cancer patients' tumor (T) and normal (N) tissues were isolated and examined by gel shifts (EMSA) for triplex DNA-binding proteins. Total tumor extracts showed significantly higher triplex DNA-binding activities of the major H3 complex than normal tissue extracts (Wilcoxon test). Neither T-staging nor M-staging at diagnosis was associated with any of the factors, but N-Stage was significantly associated with the ratio of tumor/normal (T/N) for the total of cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts. This means all patients without lymph node affectation had decreased binding ratios (T/N) in both cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis using a cut-off of 1.5 (rounded-up median) for the nuclear binding activity ratio (T/N) showed significantly poorer survival for those patients whose nuclear binding was greater than 1.5. This suggests that although the major triplex DNA-binding protein is present in normal tissue extracts, it is more abundant in tumor extracts, and that a specific abundance of the major triplex-binding protein (H3) in the tumor nucleus is associated with poorer patient survival. Biotinylated triplex DNA-protein complexes were isolated from the RKO colorectal cancer cell line with streptavidin-agarose and analyzed by nano-HPLC ESI-MS-MS. We identified 100 and 60 kDa proteins from nuclear extracts as PSF (polypyrimidine tract binding-associated splicing factor) and p54nrb (NonO), known to function as RNA polymerase II-associated splicing factors, bind as heterodimers, and implicated in the regulation of expression of the myc family of oncoproteins and COX2. We also identified a 75 kDa protein from cytoplasmic extracts as U2AF65 (U2 small nuclear RNA auxiliary factor 2 isoform b), also a splicing factor that can directly interact with p54 nrb and shuttle continuously between the nucleus and cytoplasm. To examine differences between tumor and normal tissues in multiple signaling proteins and proteins known to be relevant in colorectal cancer, reverse phase protein array (RPPA), Pearson correlation and cluster analysis of tumor nuclear lysates ranked from lowest to highest H3 EMSA values shows a highly significant correlation between decreased β-catenin expression in tissues that have the lowest H3 EMSA values and increased β-catenin expression in tissues that have the highest H3 EMSA values. We found this pattern in all tissue lysate types: normal-cytoplasm, normal-nucleus, tumor-cytoplasm, and tumor-nucleus. We believe these splicing factors are overexpressed in tumor tissues and could cause deregulated growth of cells by influencing other proteins associated with tumorigenesis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4566.


Technological advances in next-generation sequencing have uncovered a wide spectrum of aberrations in cancer genomes. The extreme diversity in cancer mutations necessitates computational approaches to differentiate between the 'drivers' with vital function in cancer progression and those nonfunctional 'passengers'. Although individual driver mutations are routinely identified, mutational profiles of different tumors are highly heterogeneous. There is growing consensus that pathways rather than single genes are the primary target of mutations. Here we review extant bioinformatics approaches to identifying oncogenic drivers at different mutational levels, highlighting the strategies for discovering driver pathways and networks from cancer mutation data. These approaches will help reduce the mutation complexity, thus providing a simplified picture of cancer.


Introduction Colon cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer world wide, with an incidence of almost 1 million cases anually. Surgery is a prerequisite for cure and the majority of patients are potentially curable at diagnosis. For a surgical resection to be curative the surgeon needs to remove the tumour together with all affected regional lymph nodes. How extensive the mesenteric resection has to be to ensure optimal survival and oncological results is under debate. International standardization of colon cancer surgery is warranted. The two contenders as future "gold standard" for colon cancer surgery are CME with CVL and Japanese D3 resection. Aim The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the impact of mesenteric resection and lymph node evaluation on survival in colon cancer. The aim of Paper I to IV was to: • Examine the impact of the introduction of a standardised pathological and anatomical (PAD) protocol on the quality of pathology and lymph node count. • Investigate if extended mesenteric resection in right-sided colon cancer improve long term survival and oncological results in a retrospective study. • Assess the impact of the extent of the mesenteric resection in right-sided colon cancer on long term survival, perioperative mortality and oncological outcome • Assess oncological outcome, survival and perioperative morbidity and mortality in sigmoid cancer depending on the height of the vessel ligation. Conclusions The quality of the PAD-report was improved by introduction of a standardised PAD protocol. Specimen dissection by a BMA increased the number of examined lymph nodes, improving the quality of pathology and possibly outcome. Extended mesenteric resection, in elective right hemicolectomy, did not improve survival or oncological outcome for cancer in the caecum or ascending colon. Instead extended mesenteric resection may increase 30 day postoperative mortality. For cancer in the sigmoid colon no survival benefit or decreased recurrence rate was found by more central ligation (HT) compared with ligation of the superior rectal (SRL) or sigmoid vessels (SR), in elective surgery. Our results question the routine use of extensive mesenteric resection in surgery of the right- and sigmoid colon and instead advocate a flexible surgical response guided by a deeper understanding of the tumor biology behind colon cancer. (Less)


Direct electrochemical synthesis of ammonia was performed using proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of electrode potential on the reaction kinetics of ammonia formation with Feand Ru-based catalysts in detail. The cell configuration was Pt|BaCe0.9Y0.1O3 (BCY)|K-modified Fe or Ru-BCY. The ammonia formation rate of K-Ru was higher than that of K-Fe at the rest potential. However, the ammonia formation rate significantly increased by cathodic polarization for the Fe catalyst, and it showed a linear increase for the Ru catalyst, i.e., the ammonia formation rate for K-Fe significantly increased from the rest potential by several hundred times to -1.2V at 700C, but K-Ru showed only five times increase. The results suggest that the addition of K into Fe-BCY and cathodic polarization can improve the ammonia formation rate because of the promotion of bond dissociation of the N molecule on the Fe catalyst. The present work provides a hint for efficient ammonia formation and contribute to further development of ammonia electrochemical synthesis with proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells. Copyright © VBRI Press.


Chinese archaeologists digging in central China in 1977 unexpectedly uncovered two of the earliest and most extensive groups of musical instruments in the entire ancient world, dating from nearly 2500 years ago. since these percussion, string, and wind instruments were in near-pristine condition - some still playable, others inscribed with musicological information - they provided hitherto unimagined possibilities for th study of music and the history of musical instruments in ancient China. Presented here are the insights of six specialists who describe these instruments' sophisticated tuning systems, techniques of manufacture and inscriptions revealing their musical and non-musical significance in ancient Chinese society. It has become apparent that different types of music existed in Bronze Age China (2000-500 BC) for state rituals as well as for private entertainment. The authors place this evidence in the context of recent archaeological discoveries and reassess it in light of classical history and the literature on Chinese music. The three main families of instruments are also examined in detail in individual chapters. Lovers of art and music, as well as enthusiast of archaeology, musicology, and cultural history, should find this a compelling and readable presentation of the latest research and ideas on one of the world's oldest and most profound artistic expressions.


A comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is a systematic, multidisciplinary evaluation of older adult patients with the goal of identifying and managing geriatric conditions and syndromes. It focuses on various medical, social, and environmental issues. A CGA ideally is performed as an in-person outpatient visit, either in a clinical setting or the home of the patient. The physician, family members and/or caregivers, and a social worker are key contributors. Involvement of family members or caregivers particularly is important if cognitive issues or mood disorders are of concern. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, speech-language pathologists, dietitians, audiologists, and pharmacists also can provide additional expertise. Many questionnaires and assessment tools are available to simplify data gathering, including assessments of functional status, frailty, mobility, fall risk, nutritional status, polypharmacy, and cognition. These assessments can be completed by patients, family members, or caregivers with assistance from members of the medical team. CGAs should be guided by the Geriatric 5M's framework: mind, mobility, medications, multicomplexity, and matters most. A systematic review of these elements can help identify areas of need and requirements for support for older adult patients.


Steam heating systems become obsolete because of water hammering, noise, high heat loss, installation cost, and poor control. The replacement of metal piping by a coaxial two tube thermoplastic conduit resolves all issues of current steam heating systems along with improvements in heating comfort level, energy efficiency, and maintenance and equipment durability. Polysulfone materials are proposed for the plastic conduit and fluoropolymers for the end connections to the radiators.


The pleuropneumonia-like organisms (PPLO) are recognized as a group of rather fastidious microorganisms. Various peptones, infusions, and serum supplements have been examined by many investigators relating to the development of a medium satisfactory for the in vitro cultivation of these organisms (Morton et al., 1951; Edward, 1947; and others). However, few reports of examinations of the agar incorporated into the medium are available. While we were encountering difficulties with agar, Liebermeister (1954) encountered somewhat similar experiences in Germany. The present investigation was prompted by the sudden occurrence of severe retardation of growth of some strains of PPLO during routine cultivation of stock strains on culture medium previously found satisfactory. In reviewing the ingredients incorporated into the medium in question, it was found that agar from a different manufacturer had been used. These observations are presented to call attention to the unsuitability of some lots of agar as an ingredient in culture media to be used for the cultivation of PPLO.


Although average incomes in China have risen dramatically since the 1980s, concerns are increasing that the rural elderly have not benefited from growth to the same extent as younger people and the urban elderly. Concerns about welfare of the rural elderly combine spatial and demographic issues. Large gaps exist between conditions in coastal and interior regions and between conditions in urban and rural areas of the country. In addition to differences in income by geography, considerable differences exist across demographic groups in the level of coverage by safety nets, in the benefits received through the social welfare system, and in the risks of falling into poverty. This book aims to do two things: first, it provides detailed empirical analysis of the welfare and living conditions of the rural elderly since the early 1990s in the context of large-scale rural-to-urban migration, and second, it explores the evolution of the rural pension system in China over the past two decades and raises a number of issues on its current implementation and future directions. Although the two sections of the book are distinct in analytical terms, they are closely linked in policy terms: the first section demonstrates in several ways a rationale for greater public intervention in the welfare of the rural elderly, and the second documents the response of policy to date and options to consider for deepening the coverage and effects of the rural pension system over the longer term.


Aimed at the problems of unsatisfactory feature extraction and low diagnostic accuracy in the identification process during train bogie traction seat operation status , an optimized method of the neural network model of back propagation based on OvO multi-feature fusion is proposed. Firstly, a simulated experimental platform is built to collect vibration signals, and the collected original vibration data are analyzed in time domain, frequency domain and time-frequency. Secondly, the principal component analysis is carried out on the proposed high-dimensional feature sets. Finally, the reduced dimensional features are fused into the optimal feature set based on OvO algorithm. The back propagation neural network model is constructed, and the time domain, frequency domain, time-frequency and optimal feature sets are taken as inputs respectively, and the results of output recognition are compared. The experimental results show that the recognition accuracy of back propagation neural network model based on OvO multi-feature fusion is higher, and the running state of bogie traction seat can be recognized accurately.


THIS ARTICLE ANALYZES THE PARTICULAR MODES OF GOVERNANCE OF ADOLESCENT sexuality that emerge from the educational activities carried out by sexual and reproductive health programs for young Colombians. It also analyzes its effects on the production of adolescent subjectivities. In addition, it examines the perceptions of those who carry out the pedagogic activities related to sexuality with adolescents and the way these perceptions are marked by gender and ethnic/racial differences, as well as their influence on their professional performance. Field data are based on observation of two pilot programs on sexual and reproductive health among adolescent high school students in Bogota, and on interviews with workshop coordinators and male and female counselors.


Pastoralism or stock farming is a livelihood difficult to explore in terms of its past practices and situations since ruins and relics seldom remain due to the rare use of tools and facilities. Therefore, pastoralism in the past has been investigated especially by geographers and anthropologists based on present techniques. They have tended to use a small number of case studies of pastoralism as representative characteristics of an entire area and to discuss the distribution and spread of pastoralism.This study aims to pose questions regarding the conventional methods of investigating the past situation based on present pastoralism techniques, and of establishing, a priori, the cultural geographic spheres based on only a small number of case studies-that is, whether current pastoralism techniques are static and remain unchanged, and whether the conventional categorization of cultural geographic spheres of pastoralism is relevant.A field survey was conducted in the southeastern part of Tibet, Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, for 15 months, from 2000 to 2002, to examine the distribution and transformation of the dairy processing technique, a crucial technique of pastoralism, since it is believed to make this livelihood long-standing and stable.Regarding the dairy processing technique, Tibet is categorized into the Indo-and West Asia cultural geographic sphere, where the churning process is practiced after lactic acid fermentation. On the contrary, in Shanggelila county, where the field survey was intensively conducted, the distinctive feature of milk processing is that the churning process is carried out without lactic acid fermentation. The omission of the fermentation process is found to be practiced all over Tibet. This fact suggests that the milk processing technique that originated in South or West Asia, has been gradually transformed into a process adapted to the cool and arid environment of Tibet. Three milk processing techniques employed in Tibet, which had not been cited in previous works, could be identified.Thus, it is necessary to consider the transformation of techniques while investigating the distribution and spread of pastoralism. Accumulating case studies is also required for a thorough examination. The regional differences among pastoralism techniques need to be closely examined before arriving at an agreement on the a priori categorization of geographic spheres.


A technique for the fabrication of planar silicon nanowires (SiNWs) on SIMOX-SOI (Separation by Implanted Oxygen-Silicon on Insulator) wafers using sidewall transfer lithography is presented, which can be used as field effect devices for biomolecular detections. Different from the existing synthesis process, this method is based on standard "top-down" semiconductor process. Aluminum sidewall is applied in this work on account of its high etching selectivity over both silicon and oxide, so as to preserve the thin oxide layer of SIMOX-SOI for reliable electrical isolation which is considered crucial to the weak signal detection. Silicon nanowires with the dimensions of 50 nm × 90 nm × 5 µm have been successfully demonstrated by this CMOS compatible fabrication process.


"Bulgarian-Canadian artist Biliana Velkova's solo exhibition Splendid includes a series of three large-format photographs that reflect how culture and commerce shape our perception of nature, referring specifically to Banff as a symbol of the Canadian landscape. More generally, Velkova's work explores how perceptions of "Canadianness" are constructed. The photographs, lush and gorgeous, depict Velkova as a symbol of Disneyfied Canadiana. Dressed in elaborate gowns with long flowing capes and trains that float on the breeze, she is a snow princess who rides a horse-drawn carriage through the picturesque mountain town, who stands overlooking a dramatic Rocky Mountain vista, and who is pulled by dogsled across a frozen lake. The other main component of this exhibition is a line-drawn prairie landscape, rendered in 27 feet of white neon. The piece makes further comment on the slick commercialization of the Canadian wilderness, and how these notions both drive a tourist market and also contribute to a sense of national identity – a fraught concept in a colonialized and multicultural nation." -- Publisher's website.


GJB2 and GJB6 are adjacent genes encoding connexin 26 (Cx26) and connexin 30 (Cx30), respectively, with overlapping expressions in the inner ear. Both genes are associated with the commonest monogenic hearing disorder, recessive isolated deafness DFNB1. Cx26 plays an important role in auditory development, while the role of Cx30 in hearing remains controversial. Previous studies found that Cx30 knockout mice had severe hearing loss along with a 90% reduction in Cx26, while another Cx30 knockout mouse model showed normal hearing with nearly half of Cx26 preserved. In this study, we used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to establish a new Cx30 knockout mouse model (Cx30−/−), which preserves approximately 70% of Cx26. We found that the 1, 3, and 6-month-old Cx30−/− mice showed mild hearing loss at full frequency. Immunofluorescence and HE staining suggested no significant differences in microstructure of the cochlea between Cx30−/− mice and wild-type mice. However, transmission electron microscopy showed slight cavity-like damage in the stria vascularis of Cx30−/− mice. And Cx30 deficiency reduced the production of endocochlear potential (EP) and the release of ATP, which may have induced hearing loss. Taken together, this study showed that lack of Cx30 can lead to hearing loss with an approximately 30% reduction of Cx26 in the present Cx30 knockout model. Hence, Cx30 may play an important rather than redundant role in hearing development.


Test Case Prioritization (TCP) techniques aim at proposing new test case execution orders to favor the achievement of certain testing goal, such as fault detection. Current TCP research focus mainly on code-based regression testing; however in the Model-Based Testing (MBT) context, we still need more investigation. General TCP techniques do not use historical information, since this information is often unavailable. Therefore, techniques use different sources of information to guide prioritization. We propose a novel technique that guides its operation using provided hints, the Hint-Based Adaptive Random Prioritization - HARP. Hints are indications or suggestions provided by developers about error-prone functionalities. As hints may be hard to collect automatically, we also propose an approach of collecting them. To validate our findings, we performed an experiment measuring the effect of introducing hints to HARP. It shows that hints can improve HARP's performance comparing to its baseline. Then, we investigated the ability of developers/managers to provide good hints and used them in a case study. This analysis showed that developers and managers are able to provide useful hints, which improves HARP's fault detection comparing to its baseline. Nonetheless, the provided hints should be consensual among the development team members.


This article makes the case for a contemporary philosophy of Islam to help Muslims surmount the challenges of postmodernity and to transcend the hiatuses and obstacles that Muslims face in their interaction and relationships with nonMuslims. It argues that the philosophy of critical realism so fittingly underlabours for the contemporary interpretation, clarification and conceptual deepening of Islamic doctrine and practice as to suggest and necessitate the development of a distinctive Islamic critical realist philosophy, social and educational theory and world-view, specifically suited for this purpose. This approach is called Islamic critical realism.


RNA viruses have developed specialized mechanisms to subvert host RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) favoring their own gene expression. The Leader (L) protein of foot‐and‐mouth disease virus, a member of the Picornaviridae family, is a papain‐like cysteine protease that self‐cleaves from the polyprotein. Early in infection, the L protease cleaves the translation initiation factors eIF4GI and eIF4GII, inducing the shutdown of cap‐dependent translation. However, the cleavage sites on the viral polyprotein, eIF4GI, and eIF4GII differ in sequence, challenging the definition of a consensus site for L targets. Identification of Gemin5 and Daxx proteolytic products in infected cells unveiled a motif centered on the RKAR sequence. The RBP Gemin5 is a member of the survival of motor neurons complex, a ribosome interacting protein, and a translation downregulator. Likewise, the Fas‐ligand Daxx is a multifunctional adaptor that plays key roles in transcription control, apoptosis, and innate immune antiviral response. Remarkably, the cleavage site on the RNA helicases MDA5 and LGP2, two relevant immune sensors of the retinoic acid‐inducible gene‐I (RIG‐I)‐like receptors family, resembles the L target site of Gemin5 and Daxx, and similar cleavage sites have been reported in ISG15 and TBK1, two proteins involved in type I interferon response and signaling pathway, respectively. In this review we dissect the features of the L cleavage sites in essential RBPs, eventually helping in the discovery of novel L targets.


Social media have become an established feature of the dynamic information space that emerges during crisis events. Both emergency responders and the public use these platforms to search for, disseminate, challenge, and make sense of information during crises. In these situations rumors also proliferate, but just how fast such information can spread is an open question. We address this gap, modeling the speed of information transmission to compare retransmission times across content and context features. We specifically contrast rumor-affirming messages with rumor-correcting messages on Twitter during a notable hostage crisis to reveal differences in transmission speed. Our work has important implications for the growing field of crisis informatics.


A disposable, self-contained, light weight integral device for detecting, by means of activating an indicator, the presence of a predetermined substance in a sample fluid which is introduced into a test chamber. The device has a deformable housing which forms a test chamber for interacting the indicator material with the sample fluid, wherein a rupturable vessel of reagent is contained adjacent the test chamber, which vessel can be ruptured by application of a predetermined pressure through the walls of the deformable housing. Upon rupturing the vessel, the contents thereof are exposed to the sample fluid introduced into the chamber. In the presence of the predetermined substance in the sample fluid, the indicator undergoes the indicated change. The device can contain more than one vessel and a receptacle. One or more of the vessels can contain more than one indicator substance.


Abstract Based on examination of molecular data and pelage patterns, it has recently been suggested that the island populations of the clouded leopard, traditionally considered a subspecies, may, in fact constitute a separate species. In this paper, I demonstrate that the island populations deviate strongly from the mainland populations in a large number of cranial, mandibular, and dental characters. The differences far exceed those that have been documented for subspecies within other pantherine felids, and are congruent with a separate species, to which the name Sundaland clouded leopard, Neofelis diardi, has been given, although the name Diard's cat has priority based on historical precedence. I suggest that the vernacular name Diard's clouded leopard be adopted for Neofelis diardi. In contrast, mainland populations diverge less from each other, and are congruent with 1 species (Neofelis nebulosa) and 2 subspecies, the western (N. n. macrosceloides) and eastern (N. n. nebulosa) clouded leopard. Neofelis deviates from other large felids in many aspects of craniodental morphology, and most likely also in several behavioral aspects. Diard's clouded leopard appears more derived with respects to saber-toothed craniodental features than the clouded leopard, indicating that the former may have gone farther than the latter in convergently evolving craniomandibular features traditionally considered characteristic of primitive saber-toothed felids.


Abstract Large numbers of STD casts taken during five cruises to the same location in the central North Pacific permitted the separation of the temperature profile into mean T¯ (z) and fluctuating T′(z) components. Spectra of the T′ (z) records were ensemble-averaged by cruise and compared with similar spectra from one cruise to the South Pacific and with those from the MODE site. Two wavenumber ranges with power law behavior were found: for 0.002 cpm <k<(0.06−0.1) cpm the spectra fall with slopes slightly less than k−2, for 0.1 cpm<k<2 cpm the spectra fall as k−3. Spectra in the low k range were consistent with formation of T′(z) by internal waves. The break in slope at 0.1 cpm suggests that either the internal wave dynamics change at that scale or the smaller fluctuations are true finestructure. The spectral levels remained the same at the North Pacific location suggesting that the internal wave energy levels are stationary in time at that location. However, there was a factor of 10 variation of the lev...


ABSTRACT Fish wheat bran meal (FWBM) was prepared from ground Indian oil sardines (Sardinella longiceps) using hydrochloric acid and was sun-dried on wheat bran (75:25 w:w). Forty Omani sheep were divided into five groups of eight sheep each and fed with one of five diets for 18 weeks. The diets were formulated from FWBM, soybean meal (SBM), barley, wheat bran, ground date palm leaves, limestone, vitamin and mineral mix, salt and vegetable oil. The objective was to gradually replace soybean with FWBM. The proportions of FWBM in the diet were 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g/kg, whereas the parallel SBM ranged from 170 to 0 g/kg. Animals were housed in individual pens and daily feed intake and weekly body weights were recorded. Animals were fed with 500 g/d of the concentrates and allowed ad libitum access to hay, water and trace elements. FWBM diets were well consumed by sheep with no negative effects on feed intake, body weight growth or feed conversion. There were also no negative effects on meat quality parameters. The study indicated that FWBM can be used as an excellent protein and energy source for feeding Omani sheep without compromising performance or meat quality.


We introduce a hybrid iterative scheme for finding a common element of the set of common fixed points for a family of infinitely nonexpansive mappings, the set of solutions of the varitional inequality problem and the equilibrium problem in Hilbert space. Under suitable conditions, some strong convergence theorems are obtained. Our results improve and extend the corresponding results in (Chang et al. (2009), Min and Chang (2012), Plubtieng and Punpaeng (2007), S. Takahashi andW. Takahashi (2007), Tada and Takahashi (2007), Gang and Changsong (2009), Ying (2013), Y. Yao and J. C. Yao (2007), and Yong-Cho and Kang (2012)).


Introduction: In India, there is a critical shortage of frontline health staff while requirements for new programs are increasing. Role of by male-multipurpose health workers (MPHWs) is less specified.
Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional mixed methods study was conducted in South-India to examine the time utilization and various factors affecting it. We directly observed six male-MPHWs for six continuous days using time and motion approach followed by interviews of participants and officials. We analysed quantitative data for time spent per male-MPHW and qualitative data by thematic content analysis and computed Smith's score.
Results: Male-MPHWs spent median 7.5 hours in a day, which includes three hours on total travel on any day. They spent median 5.4 hours on job and, excluding within field travel they spent median 4.2 hours on actual work per day. They spent median 16.6 hours per week on programmatic activities, 5.0 hours on programme support and 6.1 hours in other activities. Male-MPHWs were mostly involved in programs on communicable diseases, seasonal diseases, non-communicable diseases. Male-MPHWs helped female-MPHWs in outreach activities and special health camps. Support from coworkers and supervisors was mentioned as facilitating factors. The adhoc and non-standardised nature of their work and, absence of recognition and incentives were impeding factors.
Conclusion: Male-MPHW provided services for only limited components of health programs and they stay largely underutilized. Amidst critical shortage of community health workers (CHWs), especially male-MPHWs, it is required to devise optimal interventions with proactive policy to define specific roles and better utilize them in health service delivery.

Keywords: Male frontline health workers, Health manpower, Multi-purpose health worker, MPHW, Time and motion study, India.


A novel potentiometric cholesterol biosensor has been fabricated through the immobilization of the stabilized polymeric lipid membrane onto graphene electrode. The stabilized polymeric lipid membrane is composed of cholesterol oxidase enzyme and polymerization mixture; which holds paramount influence on the properties of the cholesterol biosensor. The presented biosensor reveals an appreciable reproducibility, good selectivity and high sensing capability with a linear slope curve of ∼64 mV per decade. The strong biocompatibility among stabilized polymeric lipid membranes and human biofluids provides the possibility to use for real blood samples and other biological applications.Graphical abstract


of "democratic peace" theorems. The book, actually a set of essays, brings illumination to subjects as varied as torture, assassination, drones, secrecy, and the dilemmas posed by revolutionary transitions to democracy. The greatest strength of On War and Democracy is surely that it speaks to our troubled times. It is a philosophical abreaction against the fact that the American democratic empire—like its two predecessors, classical Athens and revolutionary France—is today permanently at war. We live in an age of "belligerent democracy," says Kutz. He well understands that the ethic of democracy is victimized by imperial interventions in the name of democracy. Against talk of realism, humanitarian intervention, and the responsibility to protect, his fundamental point is that the ethic of democratic politics is irenic. It is a precautionary principle that speaks against the beasts of war, their propensity to violate "the voice and integrity of others" and to destroy their "standing as equals in a shared dialogue about common causes and meanings" (p. ).


Twenty one batches of whole cell inactivated cholera vaccine manufactured at Central Research Institute, Kasauli were evaluated for potency by mouse protection assay (MPA) and antibody induction method. In the antibody induction method the sera of immunized mice were screened for the presence of antibodies against Vibrio cholerae by microagglutination (MA) test and IgG ELISA. The number of organisms estimated by MPA were correlated with agglutinating and neutralizing antibodies against individual serotypes by MA and ELISA respectively. Correlation coefficient(r) of 0.692 and 0.815 were observed for the titres evaluated by MA and ELISA when compared with standard MPA method for the serotype Ogawa. Similarly r values of 0.925 and 0.849 were observed for titres evaluated by MA and ELISA when compared with standard MPA method for the serotype Inaba. Antibody induction method can be as an alternative method for determining the potency of inactivated cholera vaccine.


We present an improved analysis of the final data set from the QUaD experiment. Using an improved technique to remove ground contamination, we double the effective sky area and hence increase the precision of our cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum measurements by ∼30% versus that previously reported. In addition, we have improved our modeling of the instrument beams and have reduced our absolute calibration uncertainty from 5% to 3.5% in temperature. The robustness of our results is confirmed through extensive jackknife tests, and by way of the agreement that we find between our two fully independent analysis pipelines. For the standard six-parameter ΛCDM model, the addition of QUaD data marginally improves the constraints on a number of cosmological parameters over those obtained from the WMAP experiment alone. The impact of QUaD data is significantly greater for a model extended to include either a running in the scalar spectral index, or a possible tensor component, or both. Adding both the QUaD data and the results from the Arcminute Cosmology Bolometer Array Receiver experiment, the uncertainty in the spectral index running is reduced by ∼25% compared to WMAP alone, while the upper limit on the tensor-to-scalar ratio is reduced from r < 0.48 to r < 0.33 (95% c.l.). This is the strongest limit on tensors to date from the CMB alone. We also use our polarization measurements to place constraints on parity-violating interactions to the surface of last scattering, constraining the energy scale of Lorentz violating interactions to < 1.5×10−43 GeV (68% c.l.). Finally, we place a robust upper limit on the strength of the lensing B-mode signal. Assuming a single flat band power between = 200 and = 2000, we constrain the amplitude of B-modes to be < 0.57 μK2 (95% c.l.).


This book presents selected tutorial lectures given at the summer school on Multi-Agent Systems and Their Applications held in Prague, Czech Republic, in July 2001 under the sponsorship of ECCAI and Agent Link. The 20 lectures by leading researchers in the field presented in the book give a competent state-of-the-art account of research and development in the field of multi-agent systems and advanced applications. The book offers parts on foundations of MAS; social behaviour, meta-reasoning, and learning; and applications.


Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC

Introduction: A major problem inherent in prostate cancer (PCa) management is the lack of specificity of the PSA test. Other tests - DRE, PCA-3 plus and standard 12 core ultrasound guided biopsies (TRUS) - also do not always accurately predict a definitive diagnosis. More sensitive and specific tests are needed. Glucose-regulated protein GRP78, an apoptosis marker, is reported to be related to several human cancers. In this study, we evaluated GRP78 as a PCa biomarker using EDGE*TEST™ (E*T), a subcellular fractionation/statistical analysis technology, to determine if it can detect and differentiate PCa from BPH, and if it can predict PCa activity throughout the prostate rather than through individual targeted biopsies.

Methods: Twenty four patients with elevated PSA, abnormal DRE and/or elevated PCA-3 plus genetic test had 12 core TRUS biopsies performed by a single urologist. At time of biopsy, additional random two core prostate biopsies (one per lobe) were collected for E*T. The two cores were combined, homogenized and nuclei removed. Post-nuclear supernatants were fractionated, using Edge 200 Separation System, into 4 subcellular fractions, the fractions subjected to western blot analysis using GRP78, and GRP78 distribution ratios analyzed against the number of positive PCa biopsy cores and cores negative for cancer. E*T analyses of patients' relative distribution profiles were blinded against all clinical and pathology data. Negative Pca biopsy patients were followed up 18 months to compare E*T to traditional screening and biopsy.

Preliminary Results: Results of TRUS biopsies showed 8/24 patients had PCa as diagnosed on initial biopsy. Cores per patient ranged from 2-12/12 regions positive for PCa. E*T, with 2 random cores, correlated with 7/8 (87.5%) diagnosed cancers. Of 16 patients initially tested with 0/12 core biopsies positive for PCa, 15/16 (93.8%) were correctly correlated by E*T with non-cancerous disease.

Of the initial 15 patients correctly diagnosed by E*T with benign disease and not cancer, only one patient developed cancer on subsequent biopsy. After 18 months follow-up, 7/9 (88.9%) of PCa was detected by E*T based upon initial biopsy.

Based on initial biopsy, E*T had a false positive of 1/16 (6.25%) with PCa not detected yet on follow up. E*T had a false negative of 1/16 (6.25%) initially for cancer. Of 16 patients having 0/12 core biopsies PCa positive, 15/16 (93.8%) remained without cancer after 18 months follow-up. E*T was consistent with 14/16 (87.5%) patients, based on initial biopsy, showing high predictive data of benign disease and not cancer.

PSA, DRE and PCA-3 were all inconsistent individual or combined indicators.

EDGETEST of two random biopsies correlated strongly with PCa activity by evaluating apoptosis and was consistent over 18 month follow up. EDGETEST may be a complementary predictor of PCa over benign disease.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4631.


We analyse the dynamics of networks in which a central pattern generator (CPG) transmits signals along one or more feedforward chains in a synchronous or phase-synchronous manner. Such propagating signals are common in biology, especially in locomotion and peristalsis, and are of interest for continuum robots. We construct such networks as feedforward lifts of the CPG. If the CPG dynamics is periodic, so is the lifted dynamics. Synchrony with the CPG manifests as a standing wave, and a regular phase pattern creates a travelling wave. We discuss Liapunov, asymptotic, and Floquet stability of the lifted periodic orbit and introduce transverse versions of these conditions that imply stability for signals propagating along arbitrarily long chains. We compare these notions to a simpler condition, transverse stability of the synchrony subspace, which is equivalent to Floquet stability when nodes are 1-dimensional.


Scope: Virgin olive oil is an essential component of the Mediterranean diet. Its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties are mainly linked to phenolic contents. This study aims to evaluate the beneficial effects of a polyphenol‐rich virgin olive oil (HPCOO) or olive oil without polyphenols (WPOO) in rats fed high‐fat diet (HFD). Methods and results: Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were divided into four groups based on the different types of diet: (I) standard diet (STD); (II) HFD; (III) HFD containing WPOO, and (IV) HFD containing HPCOO. HPCOO and WPOO induced a significant improvement of HFD‐induced impaired glucose homeostasis (by hyperglycemia, altered oral glucose tolerance, and HOMA‐IR) and inflammatory status modulating pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α, IL‐1, and IL‐10) and adipokines. Moreover, HPCOO and less extensively WPOO, limited HFD‐induced liver oxidative and nitrosative stress and increased hepatic fatty acid oxidation. To study mitochondrial performance, oxidative capacity and energy efficiency were also evaluated in isolated liver mitochondria. HPCOO, but not WPOO, reduced H2O2 release and aconitase activity by decreasing degree of coupling, which plays a major role in the control of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species emission. Conclusion: HPCOO limits HFD‐induced insulin resistance, inflammation, and hepatic oxidative stress, preventing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease progression.


Application of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) to freshly isolated rat nodose ganglion neurons produced a fast inward current when measured using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. This current was blocked by the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist MDL72222. The selective 5-HT3 receptor agonist 2-methyl-5-HT induced a similar current. Cocaine (0.1-300 microM) applied simultaneously with 5-HT (0.25-50 microM) inhibited the 5-HT-induced current. The inhibition did not appear to be voltage dependent. If cocaine was preapplied for about 30 sec, the effect of cocaine on 5-HT current was increased. Both the peak and the steady-state 5-HT current was depressed by cocaine. However, the peak current was more sensitive to cocaine than the steady-state current. The concentration-response curves of cocaine in different agonist concentrations revealed that cocaine competitively inhibited the 5-HT3 receptor-mediated current with a pA2 value of 5.8 and an apparent KD of 1.6 microM. These results suggest that in addition to the other well known mechanisms, the 5-HT3 receptor-ion channel complex is another site for cocaine action.


In the epithelium lining the nasopalatine duct of the infant mouse, a transitional zone between the stratified squamous epithelium and the ciliated columnar one can be observed. The epithelium lining the transitional zone shows gradations ranging from the stratified squamous through the stratified cuboidal to the ciliated stratified low-columnar type, and gradually transforms into the stratified squamous epithelium with advancing ages. In the adult mouse, the nasopalatine duct is lined with the stratified squamous epithelium throughout up to the vicinity of the nasal cavity, and changes abruptly into the ciliated columnar epithelium lining the nasal cavity. It is suggested that the epithelium lining the transitional zone is identical with the 'intermediate epithelium' in the mouse nasopharynx and epiglottis.


Current-voltage characteristics and spatially resolved atomic emission data are used to describe the basic operation of a magnetron glow discharge plasma device. The low-pressure glow discharge lamp uses a center-post cathode and a concentric ring-shaped anode. A coaxial magnetic field of a few hundred Gauss is used to achieve magnetron operation where plasma electrons are trapped in closed paths which are concentric with the electrode structure. This results in dramatic changes in the radiative and electrical properties of the device. With constant current, lamp operating voltage may be reduced by more than a factor of two when the magnetic field is present. The effects of filler gas pressure and magnetic field strength on the current-voltage characteristics are presented. The presence of the magnetic field results in a radial contraction of the plasma. This contraction increases with increasing field strength and with decreasing pressure. Ion lines from the Ar filler gas are more affected by the field than are neutral-atom lines from the cathode material.


This paper presents a new adaptive procedure for the linear and nonlinear separation of signals with nonuniform, symmetrical probability distributions, based on both simulated annealing and competitive learning methods by means of a neural network, considering the properties of the vectorial spaces of sources and mixtures, and using a multiple linearization in the mixture space. Moreover, the paper proposes the fusion of two important paradigms-genetic algorithms and the blind separation of sources in nonlinear mixtures. In nonlinear mixtures, optimization of the system parameters and, especially, the search for invertible functions is very difficult due to the existence of many local minima. The main characteristics of the methods are their simplicity and the rapid convergence experimentally validated by the separation of many kinds of signals, such as speech or biomedical data.