A non-equilibrium molecular dynamics code has been developed and evaluated to provide fundamental understandings of nano-fluidics at molecular level. Molecular dynamics results were verified by simulating both homogeneous and heterogeneous flows in a nano-tube and then compared with the classical Navier-Stokes solution with non-slip wall boundary conditions. Liquid argon fluids within platinum walls were simulated for a homogeneous system. Also positively charged particles are mixed with water-like solvent particles to investigate the non-Newtonian behavior of the heterogeneous fluid. Nano-jetting mechanism was identified by simulating droplet ejection, breakup, wetting, and drying process in a consequent manner. For an electrowetting phenomenon, a positive charged droplet moving on the negative charged ultra thin film was successfully simulated and compared with a macroscopic experiment. Molecular dynamics simulations for conceptual nano/micropumps based on electrowetting phenomenon are also performed.


Background

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is one of the most aggressive malignancies. Late diagnosis may be responsible for the high mortality. MicroRNA-106b (MiR-106b) is accepted as an important regulator in various human malignancies. The current study was aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of miR-106b in CCA.
Methods

Serum levels of miR-106b in CCA patients and healthy control were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Chi-square test was used to analyze the association of miR-106b with the clinicopathological features. To evaluate the diagnostic value of miR-106b in CCA, the ROC curve was constructed.
Results

The expression of miR-106b was significantly increased in CCA samples compared with the healthy controls (P < 0.001). The overexpression of miR-106b was remarkable correlated with the lymphatic node metastasis (P = 0.038), clinical stage (P = 0.017) and differentiation (P = 0.009). ROC curve suggested that miR-106b was an effective diagnostic biomarker in CCA with the AUC of 0.913. The optimal cutoff value was 2.525, with the sensitivity of 89.7% and the specificity of 79.3%.
Conclusions

 MiR-106b functions as an oncogene in CCA, which may be an potential diagnostic biomarker for CCA.


We describe the age structures of two neighbouring terrestrial salamander populations. The skeletochronological method was also used on larvae in utero and on new-born individuals. The age of adults was 8‐24 years in population A, while males reached maturity at 3‐5 years old and the youngest females were 6 years old in population B. Males and females from population B were also larger than those in population A. For the first time, lines of arrested growth (LAGs) were also found in the humerus of intra-uterine larvae and new-born individuals, indicating that young can spend up to 3 years in utero (population B) and up to 4 years (population A) before hatching. Growth of adults (fitted by the Bertalanffy model) also exhibited differences in growth coefficient ( k ) and mean asymptotic length (SVLmax) between sexes and populations. Local climatic conditions differed between the two areas of these populations and we hypothesize that the number of rainy days directly influences foraging during the short period of activity (< 3 months), leading to a delay in age at maturity, smaller length and growth rate, and increased gestation duration in the drier environment. The discussion is focused on proximate environmental influences on the variation of length and associated life-history traits in ectotherms, especially in terrestrial salamanders.


Recent progress unveiling the cellular and molecular basis of the immune response allows nowadays the design of novel therapies for tumor immunotherapy. These recent approaches translate into response rates that often surpass what can be obtained by conventional chemotherapies or targeted therapies. Here we present the main current developments with an accent on the Lausanne experience in the treatment of melanoma. First, the new developments of peptide-based vaccination are presented. Second, approaches related to adoptive transfer are illustrated with a particular attention for the patient conditioning using lymphodepletion. Finally, the Lausanne project of rational lymphocyte TCR optimization is described.


Type II restriction-modification (R-M) systems comprise a restriction endonuclease (REase) and a protective methyltransferase (MTase). After R-M genes enter a new cell, MTase must appear before REase or the chromosome will be cleaved. PvuII and some other R-M systems achieve this delay by cotranscribing the REase gene with the gene for an autogenous transcription activator (the controlling or 'C' protein C.PvuII). This study reveals, through in vivo titration, that C.PvuII is not only an activator but also a repressor for its own gene. In other systems, this type of circuit can result in oscillatory behavior. Despite the use of identical, symmetrical C protein-binding sequences (C-boxes) in the left and right operators, C.PvuII showed higher in vitro affinity for OL than for OR, implicating the spacer sequences in this difference. Mutational analysis associated the repression with OR, which overlaps the promoter −35 hexamer but is otherwise dispensable for activation. A nonrepressing mutant exhibited poor establishment in new cells. Comparing promoter-operator regions from PvuII and 29 R-M systems controlled by C proteins revealed that the most-highly conserved sequence is the tetranucleotide spacer separating OL from OR. Any changes in that spacer reduced the stability of C.PvuII-operator complexes and abolished activation.


Prolonged cold ischemia time and the generation of free oxygen radicals during reperfusion are risk factors for allograft arteriosclerosis. Growth factors are the main pro-proliferative mediators of smooth muscle cells in classical and in allograft arteriosclerosis. Superoxide dismutase is an enzyme that catalyzes the dismutation of superoxide anions into hydrogen peroxide. This study was designed to investigate which smooth muscle cell growth factor contribute to the formation of arteriosclerosis in syngenic vascular grafts with prolonged ischemia time, and whether perioperative intravenous administration of recombinant human superoxide dismutase (rh-SOD) prevents arteriosclerosis in these grafts. DA aortas were transplanted into DA recipients. One group of transplants was made with a short ex vivo ischemia time (15 min), while the other group transplant grafts was stored for 24 hr in cold saline. In addition to morphometric quantitation of the histological alterations, RNA isolated from grafts with short cold ischemia time in a semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction specific for various known smooth muscle cell growth factors. Syngeneic grafts with prolonged cold ischemia time showed severe intimal thickening and prominent medical necrosis, which were not seen in control groups. Approximately 3-fold levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 were found in ischemic syngeneic grafts compared with non-ischemic syngenic grafts, whereas epidermal growth factor levels were slightly lower. No changes in other growth factor mRNAs were found. Perioperative treatment with rh-SOD did not have significant effect on the extent of intimal thickening nor on the intensity of medial necrosis in grafts with prolonged ischemia time, and administration of rh-SOD did not change the expression level of insulin-like growth factor-1 in the grafts, either.


Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening is a common routine procedure carried out on preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Mydriatic eye drops containing phenylephrine hydrochloride 2.5% (a sympathomimetic agent) and tropicamide 0.5% (a cycloplegic medication) are readily absorbed from the conjunctiva and produce systemic responses in various organs. To our knowledge, no studies have investigated the direct effects of these medications on cerebral blood flow velocities (CBFVs) in preterm infants. To evaluate the systemic effects of locally instilled mydriatic eye drops (phenylephrine hydrochloride 2.5% and tropicamide 0.5%) used for ROP screening, on cerebral blood flow velocity in preterm infants, a prospective observational study was conducted among preterm infants with gestational age (GA) < 31 weeks admitted to the NICU at Dubai Hospital between February 20, 2017 and June 20, 2017. The infants (at a post-menstrual age of 31-34 weeks) underwent duplex ultrasound evaluation of CBFV before and after mydriatic eye drops administration.Pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasound studies were performed 1 h before and 1 h after eye mydriasis. We measured peak systolic velocity (PSV) and end diastolic velocity (EDV) for both the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) and calculated the resistive index (RI), defined as PSV – EDV/PSV. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate, oxygen saturation and pain score were assessed before and 1 h after ROP examination.A paired t-test and McNemar's test were used to assess the statistical significance of the difference between pairs of means and the qualitative variables measured twice for the same study group.Among the 42 eligible preterm infants, the mean (SD) GA was 27 (2.68) weeks (range, 24-31 weeks). The mean (SD) RI of ACA before and 1 h after eye drops administration was 0.84 (0.06) and 0.83 (0.07) respectively (p = 0.453). The mean (SD) RIs of MCA before and then 1 h after mydriasis were 0.83 (0.05) and 0.83 (0.09), respectively (p = 0.559).Phenylephrine hydrochloride 2.5% and tropicamide 0.5% eye drops for neonatal ROP screening were not associated with significant changes in CBFVs. There was no effect on pain score or hemodynamic stability in the preterm infants.


Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a powerful technology to uncover cellular heterogeneity in tumor ecosystems. Due to differences in underlying gene load, direct comparison between patient samples is challenging, and this is further complicated by the sparsity of data matrices in scRNA-seq. Here, we present a factorization method called KINOMO (Kernel dIfferentiability correlation-based NOn-negative Matrix factorization algorithm using Kullback-Leibler divergence loss Optimization). This tool uses quadratic approximation approach for error correction and an iterative multiplicative approach, which improves the quality assessment of NMF-identified factorization, while mitigating biases introduced by inter-patient genomic variability. We benchmarked this new approach against nine different methods across 15 scRNA-seq experiments and find that KINOMO outperforms prior methods when evaluated with an adjusted Rand index (ARI), ranging 0.82-0.91 compared to 0.68-0.77. Thus, KINOMO provides an improved approach for determining coherent transcriptional programs (and meta-programs) from scRNA-seq data of cancer tissues, enabling comparison of patients with variable genomic backgrounds. Classification Physical Sciences (Applied Mathematics; Biophysics and Computational Biology), Biological Sciences (Applied Biological Sciences; Biophysics and Computational Biology; Medical Sciences; Systems Biology.). Significance Statement Identification of shared or distinct cell programs in single-cell RNA-seq data of patient cancer cells is challenging due to underlying variability of gene load which determines transcriptional output. We developed an analytical approach to define transcriptional variability more accurately across patients and therefore enable comparison of program expression despite inherent genetic heterogeneity. Thus, this method overcomes challenges not adequately addressed by other methods broadly used for the analysis of single-cell genomics data.


ABSTRACT Indian coals are usually blended or beneficiated prior to being fed to utility boilers. These coals often satisfy the heat-value requirement of the boilers but may not be ideal from an ash-composition perspective. The ash compositions of beneficiated coals can significantly differ from that of the original coals thereby affecting the fusion characteristics. To have a better understanding of the variation of ash compositions due to coal cleaning, the present investigation focused on the study of ash composition in different size and density fractions of a high-ash non-coking coal. A run-of-mine coal (58.5% ash) was crushed to -75 mm and screened into six size fractions. The individual size fractions and the composite coal -75 +0.5 mm were subjected to density separation. The ash composition and ash fusion characteristics of size and density fractions were determined. The basic components of ash enriched in the lower density fractions while acidic oxides concentrated in the higher density fractions. Ash-fusion temperature and gross calorific value showed linearity with density. No such variations were observed for the size fractions. The results also indicated that cleans (20% ash) and middlings (42% ash) may be efficiently utilized for direct reduction of iron and pulverized coal power generation, respectively.


This study explored the buffering effect of family resilience between family stress and adjustment of single parent family based on family resilience approach. Results of the study were as followed: First, single parents who had a lower level of family stress and a higher lever of family resilience reported a higher level of family adjustment. Second, family stress especially economic stress and relational stress influenced negatively on adjustment of single parent family. Family belief system, organizational pattern and communication processes of the three sub-factors of family resilience influenced positively on family adjustment. However the sub-factors of family resilience had more powerful effects than family stress. Third, family belief system, organizational pattern and communication processes of the three sub-factors of family resilience had a moderating effect between family adjustment and psychological stress and between family adjustment and relational stress. Especially the three sub-factors of family resilience had a buffering effect between family adjustment and relational stress. The results of this study had important implication for theory, research, and practice. The study showed that adjustment of single parent family could be significantly explained by family resilience rather than family stress. Accordingly strength perspective-based intervention focused on family resilience would be more effective than deficit perspective-based intervention based on family stress.


Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis are a global public health problem, especially among schoolchildren. The purpose of this study was to determine the overall and specific prevalences of intestinal helminth infection and to assess the clinical efficacy, tolerance, and safety of praziquantel and albendazole for treating it. A descriptive cross-sectional study based on random sampling with one degree of freedom was conducted from November 2006 to March 2007 in the primary schools of Biankouma, Côte d'Ivoire. Stool samples were collected from 386 children aged from 4 to 15 years and analyzed by direct examination, with both the simplified Ritchie and Kato techniques. Children infected by schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis eggs were treated with praziquantel (40 mg/kg in a single dose), albendazole (400 mg/kg in a single dose) or both, as deemed necessary. The prevalence rate of intestinal parasite infection was 55.2%, including overall 15.4% with more than one parasite: two in 14.2% and three in 1.2%. Infection was correlated with male gender and older age. The most frequent helminths were Schistosoma mansoni (35.5%) and Necator americanus (25.9%). The efficacy rate for praziquantel, defined as parasite-free stools, was 57.7% on day 14 and 80.9% on day 90. The efficacy rate for albendazole on day 7 was 96.1% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 93% for Necator americanus and 81.3% for Trichuris trichiura. Adverse effects were common (40.8%) but minor (abdominal pain, headache, and itching) within 2 to 4 hours after intake of praziquantel.


The articular cartilage is the structure that directly cooperates tribologically in biobearing. It belongs to the connective tissues and in the joints it assumes two basic forms: hyaline cartilage that builds joint surfaces and fibrocartilage which may create joint surfaces. From this fibrocartilage are built semilunar cartilage and joint disc are built as well. The research of articular cartilage have been done in macro, micro and nano scale. In all these measurement areas characteristic features occur which can identify biobearing tribology. The aim of the research was the identification of surface layer of articular cartilage by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atom force microscopy (AFM) and the analysis of topography of these layers. The material used in the research of surface layer was the animal articular cartilage: hyaline cartilage and fibrocartilage.


The goal of the article is to present a multidimensional visualization methodology and its applications to visual and automatic knowledge discovery. Visualization provides insight through images and can be considered as a collection of application specific mappings: ProblemDomain/spl rarr/VisuaLRange. For the visualization of multivariate problems, a multidimensional system of parallel coordinates (/spl par/-coords) is constructed which induces a one-to-one mapping between subsets of N-space and subsets of 2-space. The result is a rigorous methodology for doing and seeing N-dimensional geometry. We start with an overview of the mathematical foundations where it is seen that from the display of high-dimensional datasets, the search for multivariate relations among the variables is transformed into a 2D pattern recognition problem. This is the basis for the application to visual knowledge discovery which is illustrated in the second part with a real dataset of VLSI production. Then a recent geometric classifier is presented and applied to 3 real datasets. The results compared to those of 23 other classifiers have the least error. The algorithm has quadratic computational complexity in the size and number of parameters, provides comprehensible and explicit rules, does dimensionality selection, and orders these variables so as to optimize the clarity of separation between the designated set and its complement. Finally a simple visual economic model of a real country is constructed and analyzed in order to illustrate the special strength of /spl par/-coords in modeling multivariate relations by means of hypersurfaces.


The metacercariae of the Clonorchis sinensis liver fluke excyst in the duodenum of mammalian hosts, and the newly excysted juveniles (CsNEJs) migrate along the bile duct via bile chemotaxis. Cholic acid is a major component of bile that induces this migration. We investigated the neuronal control of chemotactic behavior of CsNEJs toward cholic acid. The migration of CsNEJs was strongly inhibited at sub-micromolar concentration by dopamine D1 (LE-300 and SKF-83566), D2 (spiramide, nemonapride, and sulpiride), and D3 (GR-103691 and NGB-2904) receptor antagonists, as well as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor (BTCP). Neuropeptides, FMRFamide, peptide YY, and neuropeptide Y were also potent inhibitors of chemotaxis. Meanwhile, serotonergic, glutamatergic, and cholinergic inhibitors did not affect chemotaxis, with the exception of fluoxetine and CNQX. Confocal immunofluorescence analysis indicated that dopaminergic and cholinergic neurons were colocalized in the somatic muscle tissues of adult C. sinensis. Our findings suggest that dopaminergic neurons and neuropeptides play a major role in the chemotactic migration of CsNEJs to bile, and their inhibitors or modulators could be utilized to prevent their migration from the bile duct.


GnRH neurons integrate internal and external cues to control sexual maturation and fertility. 54 Homeostasis of energy balance and food intake correlates strongly with the status of reproduction. 55 Neuropeptides secreted by the hypothalamus involved in modulating energy balance and feeding may 56 play additional roles in the regulation of reproduction. Hypocretin (also known as orexin) is one such 57 peptide, primarily controlling sleep/wakefulness, food intake, and reward processing. There is a growing 58 body of evidence indicating that hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) modulates reproduction through interacting 59 with the hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis in mammals. To explore potential morphological and 60 functional interactions between the GnRH and Hcrt neuronal systems we employed a variety of 61 experimental approaches including confocal imaging, immunohistochemistry, and electrophysiology in 62 transgenic zebrafish in which fluorescent proteins are genetically expressed in GnRH3 and Hcrt neurons. 63 Our imaging data revealed close apposition and direct connection between GnRH3 and Hcrt neuronal 64 systems in the hypothalamus during larval development through adulthood. Furthermore, the Hcrt 65 receptor (HcrtR) is expressed in GnRH3 neurons. Electrophysiological data revealed a reversible 66 inhibitory effect of Hcrt on GnRH3 neuron electrical activity, which was blocked by the HcrtR antagonist 67 almorexant. In addition, Hcrt had no effect on the electrical activity of GnRH3 neurons in the HcrtR null 68 mutant zebrafish (HcrtR -/- ). Our findings demonstrate a close anatomical and functional relationship 69 between Hcrt and GnRH neuronal systems in zebrafish. It is the first demonstration of a link between 70 neuronal circuits controlling sleeping/arousal/feeding and reproduction in zebrafish – an important animal 71 model for investigating the molecular genetics of development. positively identify GnRH neurons in live brain. To further study the requirement of functional HcrtR in mediating the effect of Hcrt on GnRH3 neuron electrical activity, experiments were performed using heterozygous control ( Tg(gnrh3:EMD);hcrtr +/- ) and homozygous mutant ( Tg(gnrh3:EMD);hcrtr -/- ) zebrafish. The last minute of recordings for each treatment period was analyzed for frequency of action potential firing (both whole cell and loose patch recordings) and membrane potential (whole cell recordings only). potential action potential firing frequency) from experiments involving more than two treatment periods, statistical significance between treatments was determined by one-way ANOVA followed by the Tukey's multiple- comparison test. For analysis of electrophysiology data using the HcrtR mutant, paired t-test was used. species. Earlier work showed that overexpression of Hcrt caused an insomnia-like phenotype in zebrafish (42) and Hcrt treatment stimulated feeding behavior in zebrafish (65). These effects of Hcrt on sleep and feeding are very similar to what has been reported in mammals. In goldfish, Hcrt treatment was shown to decrease expression of gnrh2 (66). That the work in goldfish and the present study in zebrafish show a 360 suppressive effect of Hcrt on GnRH neuronal biology is also to


To investigate the mechanical characterization of glass fiber epoxy composite laminates and glass reinforced with natural fiber. To achieve this laminate plate will prepared and then make specimen as per the ASTM standards. This specimen will undergo for testing with data acquisition system. The idea behind the comparison between the GFRP and GFRP reinforced with natural fiber is to evaluate the material property and to find the when & where is used. Mechanical Tests like Tensile, Compression and Impact tests were carried out based on ASTM standard were then conducted to study the effects of interfacial adhesive bonding on impact behavior of these laminates.


Providing a needed historical perspective on current debates about industrial and agricultural policy, Kenneth Finegold and Theda Skocpol compare the origins, implementation, and consequences of two similar programs from Franklin Roosevelt s New Deal, each of which committed the federal government to extensive intervention in sectors of the U.S. economy. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) and its industrial counterpart, the National Recovery Administration (NRA), had very different fates. The politically and economically successful AAA set trends in American farm policy that continue to the present. The NRA was rejected as an abysmal failure. Why such drastically different outcomes? A historical and institutional approach, Finegold and Skocpol contend, can explain the similarities and differences of the NRA and AAA better than competing approaches of pluralism, elite theory, Marxism, or rational choice. They show that the AAA aided large commercial farmers and increased their power over tenants, sharecroppers, and farm workers. The NRA, however, worked against the interests of its original business supporters and encouraged union organization among their workers. Finegold and Skocpol explain the contrasts in these programs by showing differences in the organization of governmental intervention in agriculture and in industry before the New Deal, and by tracking the differing ways capitalists, farmers, and workers participated in the New Deal political coalition. Both Finegold and Skocpol have been prominent in bringing renewed attention to national political institutions. Their crisp analysis of state and party dynamics contributes to theories of politics in advanced industrial societies and will appeal to political scientists, policy makers, sociologists, historians, and economists in short, all those who must understand how past programs influence present U.S. policies."


Financial Reforms and Rural Development N A Mujumdar THE country is passing through an unprecedented economic crisis and since mid-1991 a series of measures, including the devaluation of the rupee in July 1991, were taken to face the crisis. Sweeping reforms like trade liberalisation, industrial decontrol and measures to attract foreign investment have been introduced. These are indeed far-reaching structural reforms which mark a complete departure from the basic approach to, and philosophy of, planning for development which we had adopted since 1951. These are not ad hoc measures but form part of the structural adjustment programme which is embodied in the Memorandum on Economic Policies submitted to the IMF in August


Microbial kinetics have been employed to study the mechanism of antibacterial activity of chloroquine on S. aureus. Cultures treated with the drug in growth medium showed biphasic steady-state generation curves, the apparent rate constant for the phase I was smaller than for phase II. The bacteriostatic activity of the drug was associated with the first phase of drug-bacteria reaction, which was also affected by changes in pH of the growth medium.


ABSTRACT Revision of the Aloe divaricata Berger group; correction of a synonymy, new combinations and description of a new hybrid. A revision of the Aloe divaricata Berger group which currently contains three species (with A.deinacantha T.A.McCoy, Rakouth & Lavranos and A. tulearensis T.A.McCoy & Lavranos) is achieved here. The synonymy between A. deinacantha and A. divaricata is shown up, we propose the new combination A. divaricata subsp. tulearensis comb, nov., stat. nov. and rehabilitate the species A. vaotsohy Decorse & Poisson as a subspecies of A. divaricata. At last, the hybrid A. divaricata subsp. vaotsohy x A. helenae Danguy is described here under the name x A. anosyana J.-P. Castillon, hybr. nov.


Oral infections up-regulate a number of systemic inflammatory reactions that, in turn, play a role in the development of systemic diseases. We investigated the association between oral health and autoimmune diseases in a cohort of Swedish adults. Hypothesis was that poor oral health associates with incidence of autoimmune diseases. Overall 1676 subjects aged 30–40 years old from Stockholm County (Sweden) participated in this study in 1985. Subjects were randomly selected from the registry file of Stockholm region and were followed-up for 30 years. Their hospital and open health care admissions (World Health Organization ICD 9 and 10 codes) were recorded from the Swedish national health registers. The association between the diagnosed autoimmune disease and the oral health variables were statistically analyzed. In all, 50 patients with autoimmune diagnoses were detected from the data. Plaque index was significantly higher in the autoimmune disease group (≥median 35 (70%) vs. ˂median 872 (54%), p = 0.030). No statistical difference was found in gingival index, calculus index, missing teeth, periodontal pockets, smoking or snuff use between patients with and without autoimmune disease. Our study hypothesis was partly confirmed. The result showed that subjects with a higher plaque index, marker of poor oral hygiene, were more likely to develop autoimmune diseases in 30 years.


X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) in female mammals is a dramatic example of epigenetic gene regulation, which entails the silencing of an entire chromosome through a wide range of mechanisms involving noncoding RNAs, chromatin-modifications, and DNA-methylation. While XCI is associated with the differentiated cell state, it is reversed by X-chromosome reactivation (XCR) ex vivo in pluripotent stem cells and in vivo in the early mouse embryo and the germline. Critical in the regulation of XCI vs. XCR is the X-inactivation center, a multigene locus on the X-chromosome harboring several long noncoding RNA genes including, most prominently, Xist and Tsix. These genes, which sit at the top of the XCI hierarchy, are by themselves controlled by pluripotency factors, coupling XCR with the naïve pluripotent stem cell state. In this point-of-view article we review the latest findings regarding this intricate relationship between cell differentiation state and epigenetic control of the X-chromosome. In particular, we discuss the emerging picture of complex multifactorial regulatory mechanisms, ensuring both a fine-tuned and robust X-reactivation process.


ABSTRACT We deal with the relation between the Mittag–Leffler functions and the sum of the hypervolume of generalized n-balls. We derive from this result some simple properties of the Mittag–Leffler functions. We also define some new Abelian groups from the sum and the multiplication as well as the Pontryagin transform associated to them. We relate this approach to the calculus on measure chains.


A practical method is derived for determining the unit hydrograph and S-curve from complex storm events by using a smoothed unit kernel approach. The using a unit kernel yields more convenient way of constructing a unit hydrograph and its S-curve than a conventional method. However, with use of real data, the unit kernel oscillates and is unstable so that a unit hydrograph and S-curve cannot easily obtained. The use of non-parametric ridge regression with a Laplacian matrix is suggested for deriving an event averaged unit kernel which reduces the computational efforts when dealing with the Nash instantaneous unit hydrograph as a basis of the kernel. A method changing the unit hydrograph duration is also presented. The procedure shown in this work will play an efficient role when any unit hydrograph works is involved.


A Ku band frequency synthesizer is designed and implemented in 0.13 μm SiGe technology as a part of an E-band superhetrodyne transceiver chipset. It provides for RF channels of 71-76 GHz in 62.5 MHz steps, and features a phase rotating pulse injection division region switching sub-integer frequency divider. Output frequency ranges from 15.4 to 16.7 GHz. The measured differential output power is about -6 dBm measured phase noise at 100-kHz 1-MHz and 10 MHz is -84, -111 and -131 dBc/Hz, respectively. Reference spurs are at -44 dBc and sub-integer spurs are at -45 dBc, with power consumption of 166 mW.


ABSTRACT A live oral recombinant Salmonella vaccine strain expressing pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) was developed. The strain was attenuated with Δcya Δcrp mutations. Stable expression of PspA was achieved by the use of the balanced-lethal vector-host system, which employs an asd deletion in the host chromosome to impose an obligate requirement for diaminopimelic acid. The chromosomal Δasd mutation was complemented by a plasmid vector possessing the asd+ gene. A portion of the pspA gene from Streptococcus pneumoniae Rx1 was cloned onto a multicopy Asd+vector. After oral immunization, the recombinantSalmonella-PspA vaccine strain colonized the Peyer's patches, spleens, and livers of BALB/cByJ and CBA/N mice and stimulated humoral and mucosal antibody responses. Oral immunization of outbred New Zealand White rabbits with the recombinant Salmonellastrain induced significant anti-PspA immunoglobulin G titers in serum and vaginal secretions. Polyclonal sera from orally immunized mice detected PspA on the S. pneumoniae cell surface as revealed by immunofluorescence. Oral immunization of BALB/cJ mice with the PspA-producing Salmonella strain elicited antibody to PspA and resistance to challenge by the mouse-virulent human clinical isolate S. pneumoniae WU2. Immune sera from orally immunized mice conferred passive protection against otherwise lethal intraperitoneal or intravascular challenge with strain WU2.


The growing penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) is inevitable to reach net zero emissions. In this regard, optimal planning and operation of power systems are becoming more critical due to the need for modeling the short-term variability of RES output power and load demand. Considering hourly time steps of one or more years to model the operational details in a long-term expansion planning scheme can lead to a practically unsolvable model. Therefore, a clustering-based hybrid time series aggregation algorithm is proposed in this paper to capture both extreme values and temporal dynamics of input data by some extracted representatives. The proposed method is examined in a complex co-planning model for transmission lines, wind power plants (WPPs), short-term battery and long-term pumped hydroelectric energy storage systems. The effectiveness of proposed mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is evaluated using a modified 6-bus Garver test system. The simulation results confirm the proposed model efficacy, especially in modeling long-term energy storage systems.


The article contains a complete description of the preimaginal stages of Lipara lucens Meigen, 1830, illustrated with 38 drawings. Previously published data on larval morphology are verified, and missing data are added. In descriptions of larvae, particular attention is paid to the facial mask, cephaloskeleton, anterior and posterior spiracles as well as locomotory structures. The morphological descriptions of the egg and pupa are supplemented with formerly unknown details. The article forms a basis for a complete description of the life history of this fly.


The primary aim of the research was to create a clear and well structured format for the strategic plan to make it more useable and to provide a more effective implementation of the required business direction. An additional benefit of a clear unambiguous strategic plan is that the information system developers will have more definitive information to better align their systems with the business direction and to assist strategy implementation by incorporating business performance monitoring into the system design.The research took a dual approach; using the normative research methodology to provide the overarching research framework to probe the problem area, combined with the extraction of fundamental architectural principles from IT architecture to provide a structure for the solution development.Normative research methodology has a certain similarity of approach to systems analysis and design but with a greater research orientation. In brief it encompasses the need to examine a problem area for weaknesses and investigates the possibilities for improvement. The process involves the examination of the current situation for any problems and what has been done to resolve them and then to design a solution. The final step is to evaluate that solution against the problem area for its effectiveness in resolving the difficulties.The first phase of the research included a review of the literature to establish the current situation which was supported by a broad based survey of Australian organisations and their approach to strategic planning with a detailed usability survey of a well publicized strategic plan for one organisation. There are in-depth interviews with the senior management team of one UK organisation, and there was also a need to evaluate a formal strategic plan of an organisation, to see if the problems that had been identified were resolved or apparent in the plan.Information technology architecture was reviewed and basic principles identified to provide a structure for solution development. An information architecture reference model was developed and then compared with the analysed strategic plan to see if any obvious errors and omissions would have been detected and finally an example was created to show the possibilities for improvement.The conclusion of the research points to the possibility of using the combination of normative research methodology and the principles of architecture as techniques in a broader problem solving / solution development domain for many large scale complex problem areas.


Application of 0.75 Ibs per acre ethephon to bell peppers (variety Keystone Resistant Giant) when 10% of the fruit were red or in the breaker stage resulted in highly significant increases in yield of red fruit at harvest 22 days after treatment. Ethephon treated plants produced almost twice as much red fruit as the untreated check. In a subsequent experiment, ethephon treatment at 40% field maturity resulted in no significant change from the untreated check. Results indicate fields should be treated early to obtain maximum ripening response. A concentrated fruit set with a majority of mature green fruit should give the best response. No detrimental effects on foliage or fruit quality were observed.


The bistable output of a 792 nm laser-diode end pumped continuous wave Tm, Ho: YLF laser is reported for the first time. When the temperature of the Tm, Ho: YLF crystal is 283 K, the width of bistable section is 100 mW, and the jump power at the turning point is 15 mW. The influence of crystal temperature on the bistable performance of 2 μm laser is studied in the experiment. The width of bistable section was reduced from 100 mW to 60 mW and the jump power at the turning point reduced from 15mW to 6 mW respectively, when the temperature of laser crystal is increased from 283 K to 298 K. The bistable output in the continuous wave Tm, Ho: YLF laser comes from the co-effect of the energy transfer upconversion, excited state absoption and lower level reabsorption of 2 μm laser light.


The recently proposed Neural Local Lossless Compression (NeLLoC) [27], which is based on a local autoregressive model, has achieved state-of-the-art (SOTA) out-of-distribution (OOD) generalization performance in the image compression task. In addition to the encouragement of OOD generalization, the local model also allows parallel inference in the decoding stage. In this paper, we propose two parallelization schemes for local autoregressive models. We discuss the practicali-ties of implementing the schemes and provide experimental evidence of significant gains in compression runtime compared to the previous, non-parallel implementation. The implementations of the proposed parallelized compression methods are available at https://github.com/zmtomorrow/ParallelNeLLoC . ,


A superstitious reading of theworld based on religionmay be harmless at a private level. Yet, employed as a political tool, it can have more sinister implications. As this fascinating book by Ali Rahnema, a distinguished Iranian intellectual, relates, superstition and mystical beliefs have endured and influenced ideology and political strategy in Iran from the founding of the Safavi (Safavid) dynasty in the sixteenth century to the present day. The endurance of these beliefs has its roots in a particular brand of popular Shiqism, which was compiled and systematized by the eminent cleric Mohammad Baqer Majlesi in the seventeenth century. Majlesi, who is considered by some to be the father of Iranian Shiqism, encouraged believers to accept fantastical notions as part of their faith and to venerate their leaders as superhuman. As Rahnema demonstrates through a close reading of the Persian sources and with examples from contemporary Iranian politics, it is this supposed connectedness to the hidden world that has allowed leaders such as Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and Mahmud Ahmadinejad to present themselves and their entourage as representatives of the Divine, and their rivals as the embodiment of evil.


The Stockholm congestion charging system went live Jan 3rd 2006, being the third The system consists of a cordon around the city center, with a time-varying charge being levied for each crossing in any direction. The system and its general effects on traffic etc. are described in another presentation. This presentation instead focuses on a description of the most methodologically interesting part of the evaluation: the cost-benefit analysis. What makes this interesting from a methodological point of view is that the calculation of the value of social costs and benefits (in terms of decreased travel times, incerased travel costs, changing travel patterns etc.) is based on observed, real-world data (rather than model-forecasted data). The most important data sources are: a very large, two-wave panel travel survey (around 2*40 000 complete surveys); traffic flow measurements on around 200 links (around 50 of those are continuous measurements, going on 24h/day for several months); travel times measurements (24h/day for more than a year) on around 60 links (in two directions); a small fleet pf private cars equipped with GPS logging travel times and travel behaviour and floating car data on a number of major roads. All these data sources are supplemented with existing forecasting tools to calculate the social value of changes in travel times, travel costs etc. One of the many methodological difficulties is the need to account for different values of time to explain why some car drivers go through the charged area and some don't. The presentation focuses on the methodology to calculate social cost-benefit analysis on such a large project using observed data rather than model-based data as far as possible. Results are also presented in some detail. These include e.g. values of travel time savings, changes in accidents, air quality, travel costs etc. Benefits and costs are also presented for different socioeconomic groups using sample enumeration techniques. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135582.


Insights into oncogenesis derived from cancer susceptibility loci could facilitate better cancer management and treatment through precision oncology. However, therapeutic applications have thus far been limited by our current lack of understanding regarding both their interactions with somatic cancer driver mutations and their influence on tumorigenesis. Here, by integrating germline datasets relating to cancer susceptibility with tumour data capturing somatically-acquired genetic variation, we provide evidence that single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) and somatic mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor pathway can interact to influence cancer development, progression and treatment response. We go on to provide human genetic evidence of a tumor-promoting role for the pro-survival activities of p53, which supports the development of more effective therapy combinations through their inhibition in cancers retaining wild-type p53. Significance We describe significant interactions between heritable and somatic genetic variants in the p53 pathway that affect cancer susceptibility, progression and treatment response. Our results offer evidence of how cancer susceptibility SNPs can interact with cancer driver genes to affect cancer progression and identify novel therapeutic targets.


Subjects residing in the warm, dry climate of Tucson, Arizona showed the same relationship of productive cough to smoking as noted elsewhere, but they less regularly reported seasonal or diurnal exacerbations of their symptoms and they less regularly reported phlegm production along with chronic cough. In this locale, even nonchronic dry cough was associated with an increased frequency of other respiratory symptoms and of ventilatory impairment. In comparing characteristics of subjects with a clinical diagnosis of chronic bronchitis with characteristics of subjects who had only questionnaire-detected chronic productive cough, it was found that smoking habits were more closely related to the presence of chronic cough than to the clinical diagnosis. The clinical diagnosis was associated with other features, such as wheezing, at least as often as with productive cough. This was especially true in children, in whom a suprisingly high prevalence of both chronic cough and clinically confirmed chronic bronchitis was noted. These observations led to questions concerning the appropriateness of using a common clinical term such as chronic bronchitis to describe subjects whose only known abnormality is an affirmative answer to a direct question concerning phlegm production.


The paper pertains to the comprehensive amendment to the Polish Code of Civil Procedure of 4 July 2019, which covered, among others, the regulations concerning evidence in civil proceedings. The amendment influenced all the aspects of evidence procedure: means of evidence, taking of evidence, as well as its assessment. The author attempted to analyse the amended provisions through the essence of the influence that the evidence procedure has on the entire court examination proceedings, and in particular whether the amendment introduced any provisions improving the dynamics of civil procedure.


The aim of the study was to examine the use of modern technology for teaching by business educators in COVID-19 Era in public universities in Edo State. The population of the study was one hundred and eighty nine (189) business educators in universities in Edo and Delta States as at January, 2021. The entire population was used for the study; therefore there was no sampling. Three research questions gave credence to the study and one hypothesis was formulated. A descriptive survey was adopted for the study, and a 32-item structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Four experts validated the instrument. The reliability was tested using Cronbach alpha which yielded 0.82 was obtained as reliability co-efficient value. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions. The formulated null hypothesis was tested at 0.05 alpha level with a t-test inferential statistics. The findings revealed that business educators make use of moodle/sloodle; online collaboration; and crowdsourcing to a very low extent in teaching during this COVID-19 era. The finding further revealed that male lecturers do not differ significantly from female lecturers in the use of modern technology in teaching. Against this back drop it was recommended that management of various institutions should embark on training of its staff for the use of modern technology to teach during the COVID-19 era.


This paper analyses the extent to which the Italian welfare system provides a monetary compensation for those who lost their earnings due to the lockdown imposed by the government in order to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. In order to assess the potential impact of the first-order effects of the businesses temporarily shut down and the policy measures introduced by the government on household income, counterfactual scenarios are simulated by using EUROMOD, the EU-wide microsimulation model, integrated with information on the workers more likely to be affected by the lockdown. This paper provides timely evidence on the differing degrees of relative and absolute resilience of the household incomes of the individuals affected by the lockdown. These arise from the variations in the protection offered by the tax-benefit system and from the personal and household circumstances of those most recently at risk of earning losses.


This book contains specific recommendations by world renowned experts for boosting productivity through quality and employee management techniques. It provides new understanding, backed by the experiences of close to two dozen major firms, of the day-to-day policies and practices that contribute to business success. The contributors, representing a broad cross-section of American and Japanese business and industry, provide guidelines for developing and implementing successful productivity improvement programs including creating awareness, measuring inputs and outputs, and follow-up. They show how companies have applied quality and productivity concepts to make profits and morale soar and how the successful implementation of quality circles improves quality and productivity, customer satisfaction, and employee morale. Introductory, integrative, and concluding chapters by coeditors Shetty and Buehler provide perspective and additional suggestions for combining theory and practice to create effective programs.


The circadian clock employs a transcriptional/translational negative feedback loop (TTFL) to anticipate environmental changes due to the Earth's diurnal cycle, with regulation of organismal physiology believed to stem from temporal transcriptional activation by the positive arm. However, up to 80% of oscillating proteins do not have rhythmic mRNA, establishing circadian post-transcriptional regulation through unknown mechanisms. Given the pervasive conservation of the intrinsically disordered nature of negative-arm clock proteins, we hypothesized that post-transcriptional regulation may stem from conformational shifts in negative-arm proteins that time vacillations in the constituents of negative-arm macromolecular complexes to time cellular physiology. Our investigation of the negative arm clock protein in Neurospora crassa, FREQUENCY (FRQ), demonstrated temporal conformational fluidity correlated with daily changes in physiologically diverse macromolecular complex components. A parallel investigation of the macromolecular complexes centered around Drosophila melanogaster PERIOD (dPER) and human PERIOD (hPER2) found a similar number and physiological diversity of interacting partners in higher eukaryotes. Short linear motifs (SLiMs) associated with the interactors localized to disordered and phosphorylated regions on the PERs and FRQ, with disordered interactors oscillating in the macromolecular complexes over circadian time. This oscillation correlated with oscillations in post-transcriptionally regulated proteins, suggesting the negative arm may tune cellular physiology and proteostasis post-transcriptionally via vacillations in the circadian negative-arm macromolecular protein complexes.


Introduction: Recording every procedure could diminish the postoperative complication rates in bariatric surgery. The aim of our study was to evaluate the correlation between recording every bariatric surgery and their postoperative analysis in relation to the early or late postoperative complications. Methods: Seven hundred fifteen patients who underwent a bariatric procedure between January 2018 and December 2019 were included in a retrospective analysis. There were: 589 laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomies (LSGs); 110 Roux-en-Y bypasses (RYGBs) and 16 gastric bands (LAGBs). The video recording was systematically used, and all patients were enrolled in the IFSO registry. Results: There were 15 patients (2.1%) with surgical postoperative complications: 5 leaks, 8 hemorrhages and 2 stenosis. Most complications were consequent to LSG, except for two, which occurred after RYGB. In four cases a site of active bleeding was identified. After reviewing the video, in three cases the site was correlated with an event which occurred during the initial procedure. Three out of five cases of leak following sleeve were treated purely endoscopically, and no potential correlated mechanism was identified. Two other possible benefits were observed: a better evaluation of the gastric pouch for the treatment of the ulcer post bypass and the review of one per operative incident. Two negative diagnostic laparoscopies were performed. The benefit of the systematic video recording was singled out in eight cases. All the other cases were completed by laparoscopy with no conversion. Conclusion: To record every bariatric procedure could help in understanding the mechanism of certain complications, especially when the analysis is performed within the team. Still, recording the procedure did not prevent the negative diagnostic laparoscopy, but it could play a significant role for the medico-legal aspect in the future.


The interacting effects of ascorbic acid and metal ions on carotene oxidation were studied in an aqueous carotene-linoleate solution at pH 7. Ascorbic acid at concentrations up to 10—3 M was a prooxidant. Fe3+ and, to a lesser extent Co2+, acted synergistically with ascorbic acid, the prooxidant effect increasing with metal concentration. Cu2+ formed a prooxidant system with ascorbic acid only at low metal concentration, but as the copper concentration was raised, inversion of activity occurred and the copper-ascorbic acid system exerted a stabilizing action on carotene. Prooxidant effects were enhanced and antioxidant effects weakened in the presence of added lmoleate hydroperoxides. The latter were unstable in the presence of ascorbic acid and especially ascorbic acid + Cu2+. Ascorbic acid itself became unstable in the presence of Cu2+. Oxygen depletion, brought about by the rapid oxidation of ascorbic acid, may be partly responsible for the carotene-stabilizing effect of the Cu*+-ascorbic acid couple. It is postulated that additional stabilization results from the radical-scavenging properties of copper or of a copper chelate formed by ascorbic and/or dehydro-ascorbic acid.


To evaluate and correlate the two-body wear of human enamel and nano-filled composite resin teeth with the loading forces used in a dual-axis chewing simulator. Three groups of human enamel and three of nano-filled composite resin teeth were tested in a chewing simulator. Zirconia ceramic balls were used as antagonists. The teeth were tested with three different loading forces (20, 49 and 78 N). Wear was analysed by measuring the volume and vertical substance loss using a laser scanner after 300000 chewing cycles. Data were statistically analysed using two-way anova followed by the Scheffé test (P < or = 0.05). Spearman correlation test was used to determine whether there was a relationship between the loading force and the degree to which the human enamel and composite resin had worn. An increase in the loading force significantly increased the wear of composite resin and of human enamel. The effect of the loading force on the wear was statistically significant at the 0.001 level. Human enamel showed a lower volume and vertical substance loss than composite resin under loading forces of 20 and 49 N and lower vertical loss under loading force of 78 N. The correlation between the volume loss and loading force was statistically significant (r = 0.616, P < 0.001). Nano-filled composite resin and human enamel exhibited different amount of wear under different loading forces. In general, human enamel showed less vertical substance loss than nano-filled composite resin.


Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Asgardarchaeota are starting to be recovered from a variety of habitats, broadening their environmental distribution and providing access to the genetic makeup of this archaeal lineage. Despite their singular phylogenetic position at the base of the eukaryotic tree of life, the morphology of these bewildering organisms remains a mystery. In order to visualize this elusive group, we applied a combination of CARD-FISH and epifluorescence microscopy on coastal hypersaline sediment samples, using specifically designed CARD-FISH probes for Heimdallarchaeia and Lokiarchaeia lineages and provide the first visual evidence for both these groups. Here, we show that while Heimdallarchaeia are characterized by a uniform cellular morphology typified by central DNA localization, Lokiarchaeia display a plethora of shapes and sizes that likely reflect their broad phylogenetic diversity and ecological distribution.


The purpose of this research is to analyze Korean and Japanese junior high school and high schools students to inquire into the attitudes these students have towards credit, the importance of credit related education, and the necessity of education on online credit. This will provide an insight into the problems associated with teenage credit related consumer education, and allow a solution to be brought up. The results of the research and the proposal are as follows. First, younger Korean teenagers are more passive in consumption than the same age group in Japan. Second, for Korean teenagers, the amount of allowance and savings were an important factor in the attitude towards credit. In Japan there was a discrepancy between gender groups in the attitude towards credit. Third, personal education sessions for teenagers and follow up is necessary. Fourth, since the current teenage population have been familiar with the internet all their lives, credit education should utilize this medium as a tool. Fifth, when looking into the requests Korean and Japanese young teenagers made on credit web sites, the contents and quality of information is more important than the outlook of the site itself. Sixth, there is a need to provide teenagers, who are accustomed to visual data, information, an experience opportunity, and access to related web sites.


Degradation kinetics of dichloromethane in water were investigated in a rectangular quartz cell under combination of UV irradiation and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) addition. The presence of H2O2 not only enhanced the degradation rate of dichloromethane but prevented the formation of other chlorinated organic compounds as transient intermediates to mineralization. Since H2O2 was consumed by UV at a much higher rate than dichloromethane, it was found that the consecutive addition of H2O2 was highly effective to maintain high-rate degradation of dichloromethane. When 2,000 mg·l-1 of H2O2 was added every 5 min, the decomposition rate of 1,500 mg·l-1 dichloromethane exhibited 9.3 times higher than that of one-time addition of H2O2. Moreover, we successfully demonstrated that the degradation rate of dichloromethane was almost proportional to the square of incident light intensity.


The events linked to the subprime crisis undoubtedly damaged the reputation of credit rating agencies (CRAs), at least in the short and medium-term. In this paper, we intend to gauge the extent of that reputational damage by examining the reaction of the market to rating actions. Using a standard event study methodology, we measure the abnormal return of stock prices in the three-day window centred on the announcement day during the period November 2003 – November 2013. Our theory is that the market reaction to downgrades, upgrades and credit watches is lower – after the crisis – than it used to be due to a lack of trust in the neutrality and reliability of the rating agencies. We expect the phenomenon to be more pronounced for the three major CRAs – Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch – who had more direct involvement in the scandal. For the minor players, the impact of the crisis is potentially twofold. On one side, they may have suffered from a general mistrust of the rating industry. On the other side, they may have benefited from a higher level of attention from investors in search for a cross-check of opinions.The evidence strongly supports the theory of a lower market reaction to rating announcements, especially for the three major agencies. The abnormal returns of equity prices in an event window of a rating action are significantly lower after the crisis than they were before, after considering various explicative factors relating to the features of the announcement and the market conditions in terms of volatility. In line with previous literature on the topic, we find that, due to the "certification" role that many regulations grant to rating agencies, the abnormal return is stronger when the valuation is near to the border between investment and speculative grade. As a consequence, where the certification role is prevalent, there is no difference in the market reaction to announcements before and after the crisis. Conversely, the cumulative abnormal return is significantly lower after the crisis when there is no "regulation-induced" trading and the market investors' behaviour is predominantly guided by the faith put in the informative content of the rating.


The usefulness of the thin film thickness determination method based on the principle of white light interference could be limited not only by parameters characterizing the optical system itself (optical constants of the measured and reference systems, the measured thickness of the thin film of interest) but also by other additional effects such as inhomogeneity of optical constants of the measured film, roughness of the boundaries and the existence of surface or interface layers. These effects are discussed.


A study was made of the amplitude modulation of light based on the use of the Freedericksz transition in combination with dichroic absorption in cells containing a liquid crystal and a dichroic dye. At low frequencies, the depth of modulation of quasimonochromatic light was about 0.8 within the limits of the width of the absorption spectrum of the dye, but fell to 0.1 at the edges of the spectrum and also when the frequency of switching of the electric field was increased above 1 kHz. The dichroic dye used belongs to the class of ketocyanines which hold promise for the modulation of light by the investigation method.


BACKGROUND
Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an established therapeutic option for patients with heart failure (HF) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35 % who meet specific criteria according to current guidelines. However, up to 40 % of patients have no response to CRT. Our study aimed to investigate the association between different hematological and biochemical indices and response to CRT.

METHODS
Patients with HF due to ischemic or dilated cardiomyopathy referred to our hospital for CRT implantation from January 2013 to November 2017 were included in the study. Response to CRT was defined as an increase in LVEF ≥10 % or a decrease in left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) ≥15 % at six months of follow-up.

RESULTS
A total of 48 patients (mean age: 66.2 ± 9.5 years, 81.3 % males) were included in the study. Of these HF patients, 29 (60.4 %) had ischemic cardiomyopathy, and 19 (39.6 %) had dilated cardiomyopathy. At six months of follow-up, 37 patients (77.1 %) had responded to CRT. Ten patients (20.8 %) had ventricular tachycardia (VT), 24 (50 %) patients were hospitalized, and two patients (4.2 %) died during the follow-up period. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that age (p =0.03) and creatinine levels (p =0.02) were independent predictors of the response to CRT. No significant associations between hematological markers (white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, red blood cells distribution width) and CRT response were observed.

CONCLUSIONS
A smaller increase in LVEF and a smaller decrease in LVESV were predictive for VT occurrence and hospitalizations in patients receiving CRT. No significant association between hematological markers and response to CRT was found. HIPPOKRATIA 2019, 23(3): 118-125.


The anodic oxidation of titanium, in the majority of electrolytes (sulphuric, phosphoric, boric acid, etc.) results in the formation of a thin homogeneous dielectric oxide film of titanium dioxide (amorphous or crystalline) . At constant current the potential increases with increasing film thickness. If the potential is then maintained constant the ionic current decreases rapidly and the current becomes almost entirely electronic. In these circumstances, providing film breakdown does not occur, film growth practically ceases and oxygen evolution becomes the predominant electrode process. In chloride electrolytes, however, film growth proceeds up to a potential of 12-14V. If the potential is increased above this value film breakdown occurs and titanium ions pass into the electrolyte and precipitate as titanium dioxide. Corrosion of the titanium is confined to a relatively few, widely dispersed, small areas of the metal surface with the consequent formation of gross pits while the rest of the surface, which is coated with the initially formed anodic oxide, remains passive. During a study of the anodic oxidation of titanium in various electrolytes it has been found that formic acid (and formates) give rise to a phenomenon which does not appear to have been reported previously. Within a certain range of temperature and concentration of formic acid, film formation (at constant current) proceeds up to a voltage of 60 V, but as the potential increases above this value very fine pits are formed uniformly over the metal surface (micropitting) and simultaneously titanium oxide is precipitated from the electrolyte. The potential slowly increases to 120 V, indicating film growth, and then remains practically constant and if anodizing is continued the pits are propagated into the metal to a considerable depth. A microscopical examination of the metal surface during the initial stages of micropitting has revealed that different areas on the metal surface have different interference colours showing that the thickness of the surface oxide is not uniform. If, however, the temperature of the electrolyte is greater than 50 C or if the concentration is in the range of 70-96 per cent by vol formic acid, micropitting does not occur and a homogeneous dielectric oxide film is formed. It should be observed that at 25 C, at a concentration of 96 per cent formic acid, film formation can proceed to 400 V without film breakdown, whereas in boric acid the maximum formation voltage is only 250 V. At very high concentrations of formic acid (96.5 per cent to concentrated), a thick dark-yellow non-adherent oxide forms on the metal surface. The phenomenon of micropitting appears to be confined to the titanium-formic acid system as similar results could not be achieved with niobium or zirconium. The mechanism of the phenomenon described is discussed and some tentative theories have been proposed to explain the behaviour of titanium during anodic polarisation in formic acid at various concentrations and temperatures.


In 1989 the Supreme Court decided DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services, holding that a child under supervision of a state's child protection system, yet still in the immediate care of an abusive father, stated no constitutional cause of action for the state's failure to protect him from abuse. This was so because the government had not assumed "custody" of the child. In a previous article published in this journal, the author argued that the Court's bright-line custody test represents an abstraction that improperly ignores the context of child abuse—the history of domestic violence in the United States as well as present methods of dealing with both victims and perpetrators of this problem. This article addresses a question that the DeShaney Court intentionally left unanswered: Does the government have an affirmative constitutional duty to protect those children whom it has taken into custody and placed in foster care? This question provoked different answers from courts of appeals, sometimes turning on the issue of whether the child was involuntarily taken from parents to be placed in foster care versus whether the parents had voluntarily surrendered the child to the system. The voluntariness distinction, however, is artificial, and should not form the basis upon which a child's constitutional right to safety is determined. Even under DeShaney's crabbed construction of constitutional duty, foster care constitutes the kind of "custody" that creates an affirmative responsibility in the state for the safety of the children in the system. The state's failure to provide that protection is an abuse of government power, for which section 1983 provides a remedy.


Allergic asthma is characterized by airway inflammation, remodelling and hyperreactivity (AHR) and it has been hypothesized that disruption of the epithelial barrier plays a key role in its pathogenesis. Since it is known that Pim1 kinase is important for eosinophil survival and we previously observed a decrease in epithelial barrier function of airway epithelial cells upon inhibition of Pim1 kinase activity, we aimed to further explore the role of Pim1 kinase in the development of allergic asthma.

Pim1 -deficient and wild-type control mice were intranasally sensitized with house dust mite (HDM) or PBS for 5 weeks, where after the AHR upon metacholine challenge was measured with flexivent. BAL fluid and blood was collected and cellular composition in the BAL fluid was determined. Furthermore, the levels of IL-5, IL-10, KC and IgE were measured by ELISA.

Both groups of mice sensitized with HDM developed significant AHR compared to PBS-treated mice, which was independent of genotype. Analysis of the inflammatory cells in BAL fluid showed an increase in inflammatory mononuclear cells and eosinophils in the HDM sensitized mice, though the number of eosinophils showed a trend towards decreased numbers in the Pim1 -deficient mice. Interestingly, a significant increase in IL-5, IL-10, KC and IgE was observed in the HDM sensitized Pim1 -deficient mice compared to their wild-type counterparts.

In conclusion, although we could not determine differences in AHR in the absence of Pim1 kinase activity, the observed increase in the cytokine levels indicates a divergent role for Pim1 kinase in regulating the inflammatory cytokine response versus eosinophilic inflammation in allergic asthma that should be further investigated.


Transmembrane Channel-like (TMC) genes are critical in the carcinogenesis, proliferation, and cell cycle of human cancers. However, the multi-omics features of TMCs and their role in the prognosis and immunotherapeutic response of human cancer have not been explored. We discovered that TMCs 4-8 were commonly deregulated and correlated with patient survival in a variety of cancers. For example, TMC5 and TMC8 were correlated with the relapse and overall survival rates of breast cancer and skin melanoma, respectively. These results were validated by multiple independent cohorts. TMCs were regulated by DNA methylation and somatic alterations, such as TMC5 amplification in breast cancer (523/1062, 49.2%). Six algorithms concordantly uncovered the critical role of TMCs in the tumor microenvironment, potentially regulating immune cell toxicity and lymphocytes infiltration. Moreover, TMCs 4-8 were correlated with tumor mutation burden and expression of PD-1/PD-L1/CTLA4 in 33 cancers. Thus, we established an immunotherapy response prediction (IRP) score based on the signature of TMCs 4-8. Patients with higher IRP scores showed higher immunotherapeutic responses in five cohorts of skin melanoma (area under curve [AUC] = 0.90 in the training cohort, AUCs range from 0.70 to 0.83 in the validation cohorts). Together, our study highlights the great potential of TMCs as biomarkers for prognosis and immunotherapeutic response, which can pave the way for further investigation of the tumor-infiltrating mechanisms and therapeutic potentials of TMCs in cancer.


Recent data suggest that metformin can influence male reproductive health, directly or indirectly. Lastly, an epidemiologic cohort study demonstrated an association between preconceptional use of metformin in men and genital birthdefects in their offsprings. Given the need to test these associations in the absence of complex genetic and environmental factors in humans, we assessed the impact of metformin on both male reproductive health and health of offspring in C57/BL6J mice. Male mice age 8 weeks were treated with low fat (10% fat) or high fat (60% fat) diet to induce obesity; after two weeks, mice were randomized to continued dietary treatment, with or without metformin 350 mg/kg/day (n=8/group). After 12 weeks of treatment, metabolic status was assessed by glucose and insulin tolerance tests; as expected, metformin improved insulin sensitivity (21% improvement vs. HFD, p=0.008) despite no significant difference in body weight or glucose tolerance. To determine effect of male metformin treatment on reproductive success, HFD and HFD-MET males were bred with 6-8 week old females. Breeding was successful for 87.5% of HFD males, as compared with 37.5% for HFD-MET males (P=0.038). In both groups, insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was strongly correlated with body weight (HFD: r=0.86, P=0.006; HFD-MET: r=0.92, P=0.001). However insulin resistance was inversely correlated with successful pregnancy rates only in HFD-MET mice (HFD: r=-0.3, P=0.21; HFD-MET: r=-0.68, P=0.04), suggesting that insulin sensitivity is a stronger and more significant determinant of fertility in metformin treated mice. Thus, we hypothesize that metformin may have dual impact on male reproductive health, with both beneficial increases in insulin sensitivity and potential adverse impact to reduce fertility. Additional studies are in progress to determine impact of male metformin treatment on hormonal and germ cell aspects of male reproductive health and offspring developmental phenotypes.

 B.Ozturk: None. R.Ferraz-bannitz: None. V.Efthymiou: None. L.Poulos: None. V.Navarrete: None. M.Patti: Consultant; MBX Biosciences, AstraZeneca, Hanmi Pharm. Co., Ltd., Other Relationship; Fractyl Health, Inc.

 National Institutes of Health (R01DK106193)


Integrated crop-livestock systems have been purported to have significant agronomic and environmental benefits compared to specialized, single-enterprise production systems. However, concerns exist regarding the effect of livestock in integrated systems to cause soil compaction, thereby decreasing infiltration of water into soil. Such concerns are compounded by projections of more frequent high-intensity rainfall events from anticipated climate change, which would act to increase surface runoff and soil erosion. A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of residue management, frequency of hoof traffic, season, and production system (e.g., integrated annual cropping versus perennial grass) on infiltration rates from 2001 through 2008 in central North Dakota, USA. Imposed treatments had no effect on infiltration rate at three, six, and nine years after study establishment, implying that agricultural producers should not be concerned with inhibited infiltration in integrated annual cropping systems, where winter grazing is used. The use of no-till management, coupled with annual freeze/thaw and wet/dry cycles, likely conferred an inherent resistance to change in near-surface soil properties affecting soil hydrological attributes. Accordingly, caution should be exercised in applying these results to other regions or management systems.


In this Letter, we derive analytically the complex optical spectrum of a pulsed laser source obtained when a frequency comb generated by phase modulation is input into a synchronized intensity modulator. We then show how this derivation of the spectrum may help to achieve unprecedented, to the best of our knowledge, accuracy during the experimental spectrum correction step usually carried out with an optical spectrum processor. In numerical examples, for a given average power, we present up to a 75% increase in peak power and an enhancement of the extinction ratio by at least 3 orders of magnitude. This method also enables large-factor rate-multiplications of these versatile coherent sources using the Talbot effect with negligible signal degradation.


The availability of timely, comprehensive and good quality data specifically relevant to remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander notions of health and wellbeing has been a significant obstacle to understanding and addressing related disadvantage in a meaningful way. This literature review for the CRC-REP Interplay Between Health, Wellbeing, Education and Employment project explored existing wellbeing frameworks at global and local levels that are relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote Australia. Current government frameworks that collect data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people often produce a narrative that describes deficit, disadvantage and dysfunction. The frameworks include the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework, the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Framework, the Australia Bureau of Statistics Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Framework and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey. These frameworks gather statistical information for the purposes of policy analysis and program development and therefore use indicators that are important to policy. Increasingly, government frameworks are including holistic measures of health such as cultural health, governance and the impacts of colonisation. This literature review has identified the need to develop a wellbeing framework that not only accurately represents education, employment, health and wellbeing and the interplay between these and other factors, but that also recognises the strengths and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people as well as reflecting their worldviews, perspectives and values. For example, a definition of 'wellbeing' that highlights the importance of physical, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual influences at the level of the individual and the community has been endorsed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups and governments alike and sustained for over 20 years. Accordingly, this literature review has been organised along these topics. In addition, the literature suggests that optimal wellbeing occurs when there is strong cultural identity in combination with control, achievement and inclusion at a wider societal level, such as through successful engagement in education and employment. Listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to learn of their conceptual thinking, knowledge and understanding, and responding to their priorities and ideas are crucial parts of the policy equation to improve outcomes across education, employment, health and wellbeing. The challenges in developing an appropriate wellbeing framework, then, are ensuring the active involvement and participation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. One example of how this has worked is provided by the Community Indicators Victoria Project, which used local-level data to address issues that the local community identified as important. A focus on strengths is also important, and is exemplified in the Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Council and National Mental Health Working Group. Various existing programs – such as 'Caring for Country' – can be adapted to capture data about connection to country, for example, and how that impacts on physical and mental health. Critically, the core domains of education, employment and health need to be extended to include activities and concepts that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people consider important to these areas. Recommendations for the development of a wellbeing framework are proposed here, derived from information available in the literature. Rather than being definitive, these recommendations provide a starting point for consultation and adaption towards establishing a wellbeing framework and operational system for collecting and analysing long-term health and wellbeing data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote Australia as part of the research conducted by CRC-REP.


Lately, we have seen several overt attempts from politicians and corporate interests to steer research in the directions they prefer. However, such attempts are always met with outrage and resistance, and they lead to extensive public debate. We contend that more subtle and hidden control over research is exercised on a day-today basis, yet it is rarely discussed. Research programs and new research centers are often designed based on premises that are no less political than clumsy attempts at controlling scientists. Programs are designed to stimulate economic growth, energy production, commodification, job creation, a more effective government, etc. These premises are rarely articulated and almost never discussed. Many Norwegian and EU research programs will automatically exclude research that questions them. This means that only research that is "useful" for particular interests is funded. The claim that this form of "usefulness" is universally good is in fact strongly political. This hidden political control impairs our possibilities to conduct research to facilitate alternative societal development trajectories and serve civic society. It should be discussed much more openly and critically than is the case today.


The accepted paradigm considers the adult mammalian heart as a postmitotic organ, which possesses a relatively constant number of myocytes from shortly after birth to adulthood and senescence. This notion is questioned by the demonstration that although most adult myocytes are terminally differentiated, there is a small and continuously renewed subpopulation of cycling myocytes produced by the differentiation of cardiac stem-like cells. Myocyte death and myocyte regeneration are introduced as major determinants of cardiac homeostasis and alterations of ventricular anatomy and function in physiological and pathological states. The possibility of reconstituting dead myocardium by stem-like cells is advanced and proposed as a major area of future research.


Complexity is the single major diculty in the successful development of large-scale software systems. Following Brooks we distinguish accidental from essential diculty, but disagree with his premise that most complexity remaining in contemporary systems is essential. We identify common causes of complexity and discuss general approaches which can be taken to eliminate them where they are accidental in nature. To make things more concrete we then give an outline for a potential complexity-minimizing approach based on functional programming and Codd's relational model of data.


Summary The Cwm Clwyd Tuff of Ordovician age comprises a sequence (0 to 180 metres thick) of ash-shower tuffs rich in pumice and reworked tuffs, with a single unit which is possibly an ash flow deposit. Grain size and thickness variations indicate a volcanic source to the east of the present outcrop. Compositional and grain size changes within graded beds suggest sub-aerial ash-shower deposition of these beds, while the abundance of accretionary lapilli, the poor sorting, absence of rounding, and lack of epiclastic material suggest that much of the ash sedimentation in the eastern part of the area was sub-aerial and probably occurred low on the flanks of a volcanic cone; contemporaneous, sharply incised channels support this conclusion. In the south and west of the area, the ash appears to have been deposited under marine conditions.


A case of left caudate infarct with its associated neurobehavioral changes is reported with review of literature. The patient showed apathy, decreased problem solving ability, impaired memory and abstract thinking, especially the verbal memory. Such behavioral and cognitive changes correspond to disturbances of specific prefrontal-caudate circuits, either dorsolateral prefrontal or lateral orbitofrontal circuits. From review of literature, it is known that patients with dorsolateral caudate involvement may show apathy, reduced spontaneity and initiative; Patients with ventromedial caudate involvement will exhibit disinhibition, disorganization and impulsiveness, and patients with larger caudate lesion may show affective symptoms with psychotic features.


This present essay is about a quantitative research whose subject is the featuring of the research groups in Brazil, in relation to the connection between woman health and breastfeeding. The purpose was to identify the existing research groups that had breastfeeding as focus of interest, acting on woman health area. From November 2004 to July 2005, a survey based on the census of the National Scientific and Technologic Council from Brazilian Directory, was made by research groups. Using the descriptors woman health and breastfeeding, 12 groups were identified. The survey showed that the distribution of the groups for period was the following: 25% in the 80's, 50% in the 90's and 25 % in 2000. In relation to the institutional instance, 58% corresponded to federal institutions, 25% to the state and 17% to the private ones. Among the federative units, 345 of the groups are in São Paulo, 26% in Rio de Janeiro and 8% distributed among Pernambuco, Alagoas, Bahia, Rio Grande do Sul and Sergipe. In relation to the quantitative of researchers, 42% of the groups had 1 to 5, 425 6 to 10, 8% 11 to 20, and 8% more than 20. In relation to the quantitative of students, 25% of the groups had 0 to 5, 50% 6 to 10, 8,3% 11 to 20 and 18,7 more than 20. In relation to the top number of techniques, 84% had 0 to5, 8% 11 to 20 and 8% more than 20. About the number of research lines, 67% has 1 to 5, 25% 6 to 10, 8% 11 to 20. About the linking of the groups to the instruction units or department, it's shown the following distribution: 25% not specified, 16,9% to social medicine and 8,3% distributed among the departments of Toco-gynecology, Nursery, Maternal-Childish and Psychiatric, Education, Pediatrics, Technologic Institute and research, Milk Bank and sector of Pharmacology and Conduct / Behavior. Analyzing the focus, 37% emphasized Collective Health , 27% Children Health, 8% Biology, 8% Woman Health, 7% Adult Health, 5% Mental Health, 3% Dental Health, and 2% Education. The conclusion is: there is scarcity of Research Groups about breastfeeding; after all, the woman health hasn't had exclusive attention, with the predominance of the children health. KEY WORDS: Breastfeeding, Woman Health.


This study investigated the influence of longitudinal and environmental gradients on fish biodiversity in a central African context. The Nyagui River was used as a study site. Fish and microhabitat data were collected at fourteen stations in three periods of different flow. A total of twenty-four species were collected including Mesobola brevianalis that was not previously documented in the lower Zambezi system. A number of species that were expected to occur at low altitude were not collected during this sampling period. Species richness, diversity, and relative abundance increased from upstream to downstream in all sampling months and this was related to increasing catchment area. The number of species and their relative abundance was also correlated to habitat diversity that was calculated using the Shannon Diversity index and this relationship was explained by a power curve and was significant in October and November. Altitudinal difference in species composition was also exhibited. The most abundant species, accounting for >50% of the total catch, at altitude >1 400m were Barbus paludinosus, Micropterus salmoides and Clarias gariepinus while at lower altitude (<1 400m) Chiloglanis neumanni, Labeobarbus marequensis, Labeo cylindricus and Barbus trimaculatus were more abundant reflecting a response of fish to the physical constraints imposed by stream size and gradient. Based on Canonical Correspondence Analysis, the species at the upstream stations were associated with slow and shallow habitats with abundant aquatic vegetation that probably provided cover from predators. Species at the downstream stations were on the other hand associated with fast flowing riffles on coarse substrates, shallow pools and deep pools with rocks. The construction of Kunzvi Dam is likely to lead to the decline in species that are associated with flowing water both in the dam and downstream and an increase in the lacustrine adapted cichlids. It was concluded from this study that catchment area is a good predictor of species richness and their abundance and the number of species and their abundance is correlated to habitat heterogeneity at each station and this relationship is weak during the time of flooding. Species were also associated with specific habitats and any alteration in flow is likely to lead to change in species composition and abundance


Over the last decade, worst-case optimal join (WCOJ) algorithms have emerged as a new paradigm for one of the most fundamental challenges in query processing: computing joins efficiently. Such an algorithm can be asymptotically faster than traditional binary joins, all the while remaining simple to understand and implement. However, they have been found to be less efficient than the old paradigm, traditional binary join plans, on the typical acyclic queries found in practice. Some database systems that support WCOJ use a hybrid approach: use WCOJ to process the cyclic subparts of the query (if any), and rely on traditional binary joins otherwise. In this paper we propose a new framework, called Free Join, that unifies the two paradigms. We describe a new type of plan, a new data structure (which unifies the hash tables and tries used by the two paradigms), and a suite of optimization techniques. Our system, implemented in Rust, matches or outperforms both traditional binary joins and WCOJ on standard query benchmarks.


An Olympian who sacrificed a medal to save a competitor, a professional soccer player who was bribed out of retirement with pizza, a runaway pig who disrupted the start of a baseball game - truth is surely stranger than fiction, especial in sports! In this sequel to And Nobody Got Hurt, Today show regular, Len Berman shares more unbelievable stories, including favourite moments from his popular 'spanning the world' segments on NBC TV.


Now that final rules are emerging related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, it's more important than ever to make sure your facility's data security standards measure up. The best advice? 'Forget HIPAA for the moment and look at what you have in place,' says William Spooner, senior vice president and chief information officer for Sharp Healthcare in San Diego.


ABSTRACT The GP64 and F proteins were previously identified as the sole functional envelope fusion proteins in Baculoviridae. F-like proteins, present only in group I nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs), are remnant, nonfunctional F proteins. In this report, we describe the effect of the presence or absence of the F-like protein Ac23 in a gp64-null Autographa californica multinucleocapsid NPV pseudotyped with the F protein from Spodoptera exigua multicapsid NPV (SeF). We found that the presence of Ac23 elevates the infectivity of the pseudotyped virus. This is in contrast to the results of Lung et al. (J. Virol. 76:5729-5736, 2002), who found no such effect. The possible reasons for the differing results are discussed.


The management of open chest with the vacuum assisted closure (VAC) system was evaluated in terms of impact on cardiac hemodynamics, respiratory parameters, complications, incidence of wound infection, overall handling and outcome in 22 patients during 2005 and 2008 after cardiac surgery. The decision to leave the sternum open was made electively in all patients at the time of primary operation or reexploration. In four patients the VAC was implanted during the primary operation. In the remainder the VAC was implanted after a mean of five days after the primary operation. The overall mortality rate was 45% (10/22). None of the patients developed a sternal wound infection, nor were there any VAC related complications. Management of open chest with the VAC system can be considered as an alternative to sterile draping. The VAC has no negative impact on cardiac hemodynamics as well as respiratory mechanics. The feared complication of right ventricular rupture and massive bleeding can be effectively prevented. Through the stabilizing of the thoracic cage, the patient can be easily moved and mobilized for nursing reasons and pneumonia prevention. Furthermore, the VAC effectively prevents the contamination of the wound and the mediastinum with potential subsequent infection.


This paper presents an analysis of the performance of the Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MB-OFDM) system for Ultra Wideband (UWB) communication in the presence of interference from IEEE 802.16 WiMAX systems operating in the 3.5 GHz band. We present an exact analysis of the uncoded bit error rate (BER) of the MB-OFDM system, based on Laplace transform techniques. We also present a simple Gaussian approximation for the WiMAX interference, and establish its relative accuracy and usefulness by means of comparison with the exact analysis and simulations. Such a Gaussian approximation is especially useful for simplified performance analysis, as well as for the design of interference mitigation techniques. Motivated by the Gaussian approxima- tion, we propose a simple two-stage interference mitigation technique for coded MB-OFDM transmissions, consisting of interference spectrum estimation during silent periods followed by appropriate bit metric weighting during Viterbi decoding. We compare parametric and non-parametric spectrum estimation techniques for various scenarios of interest. In the presence of WiMAX interference, the two-stage interference mitigation provides substantial gains in performance in return for modest increases in complexity and without requiring any modifications to the MB-OFDM transmitter or signal structure. Index Terms—Multiband orthogonal frequency division multi- plexing (OFDM), ultra wideband (UWB), WiMAX, narrowband interference, interference suppression, spectral estimation, inter- ference mitigation.


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

Introduction: Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that obese women have a 2-3.5-fold increased risk for endometrial cancer. In an animal model of obesity and insulin resistance, we previously showed that estrogen enhances obese rat endometrial cell proliferation through induction of pro-proliferative gene expression and suppression of anti-proliferative genes. The purpose of the current study is to find new markers that are associated with the pronounced estrogen effect in obese, insulin resistant rat endometrium.

Methods: Using ovariectomized Zucker Fa/Fa obese rats and lean control, we compared estrogen induced signaling with cDNA micro-array analysis between obese and lean rat endometrium. RT-qPCR analysis was used to validate micro-array data. For one novel gene, cgrrf1, expression was examined in normal human endometrium and hyperplasia tissue.

Results: Micro-array analysis demonstrated that 3040 gene responded to estrogen treatment in lean rat endometrium, while 3291 gene showed response in obese rats. Among them 1927 gene expression were changed in both lean and obese rat. 470 genes expression had pronounced alteration in obese rats than the lean one. These genes included a wide variety of signal pathway like metabolism signaling, acute response signaling, cell cycle, G1/S check point regulation signaling, PI3K/AKT signaling, G-protein coupled receptor signaling and Wnt β-catenin signaling. RT-qPCR analysis of gene c-fos and EIG121 expression validated micro-array data, and expression of c-Myc and cyclin A from our previous study also confirmed the micro-array data. Tumor suppressor gene cgrrf1 is one of the genes demonstrating pronounced estrogen effect in obese, insulin resistant rat endometrium: micro-array data showed estrogen treatment significantly decreased cgrrf1 expression in obese rats endometrium (p<0.001), while in lean rats no change was noticed; qPCR data also showed that estrogen had a differential effect on cgrrf1 expression. The inhibiting effect was stronger in obese rats compared with lean rats (decreased 83.3% in obese vs. 68% in lean rats, p<0.05). cgrrf1 expression was significantly lower in hyperplasia compared to normal human endometrium (p<0.001). Insulin sensitizer metformin treatment significantly increased cgrrf1 expression in obese rats (p<0.05), while in lean rats no metformin effect was observed.

Conclusion: Micro-array data identified differential gene expression between lean and obese, insulin resistant endometrium. cgrrf1 is a new marker whose expression was down regulated by estrogen treatment in obese, insulin resistant rat endometrium. In human hyperplasia tissue, cgrrf1 expression is significantly down regulated.

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 947.