We have introduced a new class of dc-powered Single Flux Quantum (SFQ) logic that uses dynamic (self-resetting) internal states to achieve completely clock-free gate operation and provide high immunity to input data skew. We call it DSFQ (dynamic SFQ) logic. We have successfully designed and tested a 2-input DSFQ and gate and showed its ability to hold dynamically its internal states for over 25 ps while operating at 10 GHz clock frequency. We also demonstrated picosecond-scale dynamics of DSFQ circuit with an on-chip Josephson sampler, with only low-speed interfaces required.


The Double Chooz experiment has observed 8,249 candidate electron antineutrino events in 227.93 live days with 33.71 GW-ton-years (reactor power x detector mass x livetime) exposure using a 10.3 cubic meter fiducial volume detector located at 1050 m from the reactor cores of the Chooz nuclear power plant in France. The expectation in case of theta13 = 0 is 8,937 events. The deficit is interpreted as evidence of electron antineutrino disappearance. From a rate plus spectral shape analysis we find sin^2 2{\theta}13 = 0.109 \pm 0.030(stat) \pm 0.025(syst). The data exclude the no-oscillation hypothesis at 99.9% CL (3.1{\sigma}).


For rotating machines having rotor–stator structures with non-linear stiffness characteristics or finite clearances between rotor and stator parts, there can be a multiplicity of possible vibration behaviours for any given operating speed. When the dynamic characteristics of the machine structure possess rotational symmetry, possible vibration modes arising due to unbalance can be calculated exactly from the frequency response of the structure. This study extends current theory by considering systems for which rotor–stator contact interaction may occur in multiple transverse planes. Damping and friction effects arising from contact mechanics are also accounted for. The model equations can be used to compute a complete set of vibration solutions involving circular whirl and thereby establish parametric regions where a low amplitude whirl can transgress to a high amplitude one with rotor–stator contact in one or more planes. Experimentally identified whirl modes for a flexible rotor system interacting with two clearance bearings show a good correlation with the theoretical predictions and thus indicate the suitability of the approach as a tool for prediction and design. The results are pertinent to the design of magnetic bearing and auxiliary bearing systems but are also relevant to a wide range of machines where rotor vibration may exceed clearance limits or boundaries of linearity.


An ampouled preparation of human atrial natriuretic factor, ANF-(99-126), was evaluated by 23 laboratories in 10 countries for its suitability to serve as the international standard for ANF. The preparation was calibrated by radfoimmunoassay, radioreceptor binding assay, and bioassay and was shown to have satisfactory stability and biological activity. Estimates of the ANF content of a set of specimens of plasma in terms of the standard showed agreement in ranking order when the ANF was extracted prior to assay. However, estimates of the ANF content of the plasmas in terms of either the international standard or the various local standards varied widely among laboratories. On the basis of the results reported here, with the agreement of the participants in the study and with the authorization of the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization of the World Health Organization, the preparation coded 85/669 was established in 1987 as the international standard for ANF, with a denned potency of 2.5 international units per ampoule. (Hypertension 12: 629-634, 1988)


In search of sustainable business models, product innovation must fulfil a double objective: the new product must have a higher (market) value, and at the same time a lower eco-burden. To achieve this objective, it is an imperative that the value, the total costs of ownership, and the eco-burden of a product are analysed at the beginning of the design process (idea generation and concept development). The design approach that supports such a design objective, is called Eco-efficient Value Creation (EVC). This approach is characterised by a two-dimensional representation: the eco-burden at the y-axis and the costs or the value at the x-axis. The value is either the Willingness to Pay or the market price. The eco-burden is expressed in eco-costs, a monetised single indicator in LCA (Life Cycle Assessment): an app for IOS and Android, and excel look-up tables at the internet, enable quick assessment of eco-costs. A practical example is given: the design of a new concept of domestic street lighting system for the city of Rotterdam. This new concept results in a considerable reduction of carbon footprint and eco-costs, and shows the benefits for the municipality and for the residents, resulting in a viable business case.


Rapidly emerging technologies, such as AI and robotics, present a serious challenge to traditional models of government regulation. These technologies are advancing so quickly that in many sectors, traditional regulation cannot keep up, given the cumbersome procedural and bureaucratic procedures and safeguards that modern legislative and rulemaking processes require. Consequently, regulatory systems will predictively fail to put in place appropriately tailored regulatory measures by the time new applications of fast-moving technologies begin to affect society. Perhaps even worse, if a regulatory system does somehow manage to rush into place new regulations for an emerging technology, they will likely be obsolete by the time the ink dries on the enactment. Given this socalled "pacing problem," traditional regulatory approaches will either produce no regulation or bad regulation [1].


Tunnel engineering is one of the typical megaprojects given its long construction period, high construction costs and potential risks. Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are widely used in tunnel engineering to improve work efficiency and safety. During the tunneling process, large amount of monitoring data has been recorded by TBMs to ensure construction safety. Analysis of the massive real-time monitoring data still lacks sufficiently effective methods and needs to be done manually in many cases, which brings potential dangers to construction safety. This paper proposes a hybrid data mining (DM) approach to process the real-time monitoring data from TBM automatically. Three different DM techniques are combined to improve mining process and support safety management process. In order to provide people with the experience required for on-site abnormal judgement, association rule algorithm is carried out to extract relationships among TBM parameters. To supplement the formation information required for construction decision-making process, a decision tree model is developed to classify formation data. Finally, the rate of penetration (ROP) is evaluated by neural network models to find abnormal data and give early warning. The proposed method was applied to a tunnel project in China and the application results verified that the method provided an accurate and efficient way to analyze real-time TBM monitoring data for safety management during TBM construction.


Sex assessment is an important step of the forensic process. Dental remains are often the only remains left to examine due to their resistance to decay and external factors. Contemporary forensic odontology literature describes multiple methods for sex assessment from mandibular parameters, all of which require manual measurements and expert training. This study aims to explore the applicability of deep learning and image analysis methods to automate this task, thus allowing for easier reproducibility of assessments, reduction of the time experts lose on repetitive tasks, and potentially better performance. We have evaluated state-of-the-art deep learning models and components on the largest dataset of individual adult tooth x-ray images, consisting of 76293 samples. This study also explores the usage of decayed or structurally altered teeth, with which contemporary methods struggle. Two types of models are constructed, a family of models specialized for specific tooth types, and a general model that can assess the sex from any tooth type. We examine the performance of those models per tooth type and age group, as well as the impact of decayed and structurally altered teeth. The specialized models achieve an overall accuracy of 72.40%, and the general model reaches an overall accuracy of 72.68%.


This study explored teachers' knowledge and integration of competency-based practices in schools. One hundred and fifty in-service secondary school teachers were sampled across three African countries using a survey research design. A combination of both closed and open-ended questions was used to elicit responses from respondents via an online system. Responses from the open-ended questions were analysed using thematic analysis, and data received from the structured questions were analysed using percentage distribution. The theoretical lens through which this study was viewed was the Human capital theory and social constructivism theory. Findings revealed that teachers across the three countries have a positive perception of the usage of competency-based approaches but lack professional training and support, which in turn affects the quality of their teaching and assessment practices in classrooms. The implications and recommendations from this study offer teachers as well as education stakeholders in Africa valuable consideration to move beyond the traditional level of assessment and integrate good proxies of academic skills that support learners' acquisition of 21stcentury skills such as problem-solving, creativity and critical thinking in assessing learners' competencies.


This article attempts to explore the controversy surrounding eigendom land (land owned under colonial state management rights) in Surabaya and its relations with the enforcement of the Basic Principles of Agrarian Law (BAL), in an effort to realize the ideals of the Republic of Indonesia—justice and prosperity for all people. The enactment of the BAL, which independently regulated land tenure and ownership, was a milestone in the autonomy of postcolonial Indonesia. One of the effects of the law was agrarian reform, which led to most eigendom land becoming tanah negara, or state-controlled land. This eigendom land has been used for public housing, though some consider such usage to deviate from the BAL. In recent years, the issue has led to conflict between settlers of eigendom land and the municipal government of Surabaya. This article concludes that the existence of eigendom land in the postcolonial era is a reality and its impact can be seen in the form of residents being driven to oppose the government. If the law were consistent with the BAL, there would be no land with eigendom status in Indonesia. The best hope for achieving justice and welfare for the people of Indonesia, in accordance with the goals of agrarian reform, is to convert the status of all eigendom land to the types of land rights determined by BAL.


Protein phosphorylation is a crucial post-translational modification for the regulation of many different biological functions. Selective enrichment of phosphopeptides from the complex biological samples is an essential step for the mass spectrometry analysis of protein phosphorylation. In this study, an arsenate functionalized monolithic column was first prepared by a single-step copolymerization of p-methacryloylaminophenylarsonic acid and ethylene dimethacrylate. Then the metal ions Zr4+ were attached onto the prepared monolithic column via metal-chelate complex formation by Zr4+ and arsenate groups. The obtained monolithic column was employed as a new sorbent for the phosphopeptide enrichment via immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Phosphopeptides analysis was realized by polymer monolith microextraction using this monolithic column coupled to both matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. The proposed method exhibited a high selectivity for phosphopeptide enrichment in complex matrices, and was applied to the analysis of phosphopeptides in human serum and tryptic digests of rat brain proteins. Four phosphopeptides could be selectively captured from human serum and 2608 endogenous phosphopeptides were identified from the tryptic digests of rat brain proteins, indicating a satisfactory performance of this method for the enrichment of phosphopeptides from complex biological samples. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The attitude of Balkan Christians to Ottoman rule has been subject to various, often contradictory, assessments. In this essay I examine one aspect of this subject, namely, the Christian attitude toward the sheriat court as a judicial institution, as reflected in kadi sicils from Sofia and other Balkan cities and in documents issued by Orthodox Christian ecclesiastical authorities from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Examination of these sources reveals that Christians frequently chose the sheriat judge over that of the church courts. In most cases this behaviour can be explained by the desire of the Christian litigants to seek out the court that would provide the most favourable solution to the dispute. The participation of Christians in sheriat court proceedings strengthens the impression that they did not avoid the sheriat court in practice, despite the hostility manifested by Christian religious authorities toward such behaviour. Indeed, the sources point to relatively smooth relations between the two communities in the Ottoman Balkan provinces in the period immediately preceding the national awakening of Balkan peoples.


We propose a new family of job scheduling policies for parallel computer systems that can be optimized to adapt to changes in the workload. Simulation optimization is used to reveal important properties of optimal job scheduling policies. For this optimization a new approach is suggested that combines two stochastic optimization methods: the nested partitions method and ordinal optimization.


Magnetic fields have been detected on stars across the H-R diagram and substellar objects either directly by their effect on the formation of spectral lines, or through the activity phenomena they power which can be observed across a large part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Stars show a very wide variety of magnetic properties in terms of strength, geometry or variability. Cool stars generate their magnetic fields by dynamo effect, and their properties appear to correlate – to some extent – with stellar parameters such as mass, rotation, and age. With the improvements of instrumentation and data analysis techniques, magnetic fields can now be detected and studied down to the domain of very-low-mass stars and brown dwarfs, triggering new theoretical works aimed, in particular, at modelling dynamo action in these objects. After a brief discussion on the importance of magnetic field in stellar physics, the basics of dynamo theory and magnetic field measurements are presented. The main results stemming from observational and theoretical studies of magnetism are then detailed in two parts: the fully-convective transition, and the very-low mass stars and brown dwarfs domain.


A survey of the dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) of Gran Paradiso National Park was done in 1996-97. The insects were collected directly in the dung of wild and reared mammals or by automated pitfall traps. Altogether 28 sites were sampled, at altitudes ranging from 700 to 2800 m. Thirty species of Scarabaeoidea were collected, of which 27 inside the borders of the protected area and another 3 just outside of them, at low altitude sites. The dung beetle community was dominated by Aphodiidae (20 species), while Scarabaeidae and Geotrupidae were represented by 6 and 4 species respectively. Among the species found, we remark the presence of Aphodius pyrenaeus, a high altitude species typical of Alpine marmot's burrows, and of Geotrupes mutator, whose distribution and population have strongly decreased in Europe.


This paper aims to demonstrate how Heidegger, the German philosopher, understands that we are being taken care of in the sense that we already are "beings-in-the world" by to-beahead-of-oneself-already-in-[the world] as being-with [beings encountered in the world] (Sichvorweg-schon-sein-in-[der Welt] als Sein-bei [innerweltlich begegnendem Seiendem]). After that, the article examines the notion of ethics by the Japanese philosopher Nishitani based on the relationship of trust established between human beings to provide Heidegger's ontological definition of care with factual bases. Finally, the article investigates how Winnicott, the British psychoanalyst, establishes a kind of connection between Heidegger's notion of care and Nishitani's notion of ethics, showing how ethics of care can be established from the initial mother-child relationship.


Background: Individuals with an inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA) mutation have an elevated risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, and this BRCA defect is also present in a subset of sporadic tumors. Tumors do not have homologous recombination repair (HRR) to repair double-stranded breaks (DSBs), but they still can use other DNA repair pathways to survive. Therefore, we hypothesized that crosstalk between DNA repair pathways complements HRR in BRCA-deficient cells, leading to tumor survival. Treatment with either a poly(ADP)ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor (PARPi) or a platinum drug induced BRCA-deficient cell lethality by different mechanisms. In addition, combining both drugs has been reported to be synergistic in BRCA mouse models. However, the mechanism of this synergism and whether this synergism occurs in human cells are still unclear. Moreover, not all the patients respond to a PARPi chemotherapy alone. Hence, our objectives were: 1) to study the mechanism by which a PARPi combined with a platinum drug is synthetic lethal in human BRCA1 or BRCA-deficient cells; 2) to assess PARP activity as a biomarker for chemosensitivity. Methods: We compared the cytotoxic effect of ABT-888 (a PARPi) with cisplatin or carboplatin (platinum drugs) alone versus combinations by examining Brca-proficient and -deficient mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell survival using clonogenic assays. The effect of ABT-888 and carboplatin combination treatment on human cell growth was tested in HCC1937 (a triple negative BRCA1-deficient breast cancer line) and EUFA423F (a BRCA2-deficient Fanconi anemia cell line), along with their BRCA complemented lines. Synergism, antagonistic or additive drug interactions were assessed. Drug(s)-induced DSBs, HRR and apoptosis were examined and endogenous PARP activity was determined. Results: Each monotherapy killed or inhibited more Brca/BRCA-deficient cells than the corresponding Brca/BRCA-proficient cells. In Brca-deficient cells, the ABT-888 and carboplatin combination was more synergistic than ABT-888 and cisplatin. All paired BRCA-deficient or complemented cells had the same level of DNA damage following treatment with ABT-888 and/or Carboplatin. BRCA-deficient cells lack HRR, while BRCA-proficient cells use HRR. Failure to repair DSBs in BRCA-deficient cells triggered apoptosis, which was synergistic in the BRCA1-deficient cells. Moreover, higher endogenous PARP activity in Brca/BRCA-deficient cells than their respective Brca/BRCA proficient cells correlated with increased chemosensitivity. Conclusion: Our data suggest that combining ABT-888 and carboplatin will likely be more successful than monotherapy in treating most BRCA-associated cancers. In addition, high endogenous PARP activity could be used as a marker to identify PARPi susceptible tumors. Lack of HRR combined with a strong dependence on PARP activity for repair of platinum lesions led to synthetic lethality in BRCA-deficient cells. A randomized phase II trial has recently been initiated to test this drug combination in patients with BRCA-associated breast cancer and we are currently investigating γH2AX as a pharmacodynamic marker in hair follicles. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A102.


Amide synthesis is one of the most important transformations in organic chemistry due to the broad application in pharmaceutical drugs and organic materials. In this report, we describe a mild protocol for amide formation using the readily available nitroarenes as nitrogen sources and an inexpensive iron complex as a catalyst. Because of the use of the pH-neutral conditions and the avoidance of the strong oxidant or reductant, a wide range of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes as well as nitroarenes with various functional groups could be tolerated well. A plausible mechanism is proposed based on the detailed studies, in which iron catalyst initiates the radical process and the solvent plays a key role as O-atom acceptor.


Objective This study compared clinical outcomes and complications in patients with humeral shaft fractures treated using two methods of fixation by means of plating. Background Plate osteosynthesis has been the treatment of choice for humeral shaft fractures when operative treatment is required. However, plate osteosynthesis of comminuted humeral fractures is a challenging operation, which requires surgical experience and meticulous attention to soft tissue. Minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) is an emerging procedure for the treatment of humeral shaft fractures. It preserves soft tissue and the periosteal circulation, which promotes fracture healing. Patients and methods Thirty patients were analyzed and divided into two groups. Group 1 (n = 15) patients were treated with MIPO and group 2 (n = 15) with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). The major characteristics of the two groups in terms of age, sex, mode of injury, fracture location, and associated injuries were similar. Results Primary union was achieved in all patients in the MIPO group and in 14 of 15 in the ORIF group. The mean time to union was similar in the two groups. The mean operation time in the MIPO group (80 min) was shorter than that in the ORIF group (125 min) (P < 0.0001). Bone grafting was performed in one patient in the ORIF group, but in no patients in the MIPO group. There was one case of deep infection in the ORIF group. There was one case of postoperative radial nerve palsy in the MIPO group and two cases in the ORIF group. Functional outcome was satisfactory in both groups. Conclusion The MIPO technique achieves comparable results with the ORIF method in simple and complex fractures of humeral shafts. Although MIPO potentially has a radiation hazard, it reduces perioperative complications with shortened operation time and minimal soft tissue dissection.


The production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) by Mycobacterium leprae-stimulated phagocyte cells, isolated from lepromatous leprosy patients (LL) and normal individuals, was evaluated, using the highly TNF-sensitive mouse fibrosarcoma cell line WEHI164cl13. Mononuclear cells, isolated from all individuals studied, showed a low level of spontaneous TNF production, except for patients undergoing erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), in which we found significantly higher levels of TNF. Addition of M. leprae to the phagocyte cell culture enhanced TNF production in all groups studied, except in the group with untreated leprosy patients. Strongest M. leprae-induced TNF release was found in mononuclear cell cultures derived from ENL patients. Patients in the postreactional state showed significantly higher TNF levels than healthy controls. These findings support the idea that TNF plays a key role in the complex symptomatology of ENL.


Abstract. Ischnoceran lice in genus Penenirmus are parasites of birds in orders Piciformes and Passeriformes. No comprehensive revision of this genus has been published, but a few host‐based revisions have been done. Here we present a phylogenetic analysis of Penenirmus based on nuclear (elongation factor‐1 alpha) and mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I) gene sequences. Sequences from portions of both these genes provide a well resolved tree that is relatively stable across methods of analysis and to bootstrap resampling. Some aspects of the Penenirmus phylogeny reflect the phylogeny of their avian hosts. We identified monophyly of a group of Penenirmus species occurring on Passeriformes as well as monophyly of a group containing species sometimes placed in a genus Picophilopterus. Species of Penenirmus occurring on Old World barbets fall in several positions at the base of the tree, suggesting that other lineages of Penenirmus may be derived from those occurring on Old World barbets.


In location-based services (LBSs), the service is provided based on the users' locations through location determination and mobility realization. Several location prediction models have been proposed to enhance and increase the relevance of the information retrieved by users of mobile information systems, but none of them studied the relationship between accuracy rate of prediction and the performance of the model in terms of consuming resources and constraints of mobile devices. Most of the current location prediction research is focused on generalized location models, where the geographic extent is divided into regular-shape cells. These models are not suitable for certain LBSs where the objectives are to compute and present on-road services. One such technique is the Prediction Location Model (PLM), which deals with inner cell structure. The PLM technique suffers from memory usage and poor accuracy. The main goal of this paper is to propose a new path prediction technique for Location-Based Services. The new approach is competitive and more efficient compared to PLM regarding measurements such as accuracy rate of location prediction and memory usage.


The characterization of exoplanets and their birth protoplanetary disks has enormously advanced in the last decade. Benefitting from that, our global understanding of the planet formation processes has been substantially improved. In this review, we first summarize the cutting-edge states of the exoplanet and disk observations. We further present a comprehensive panoptic view of modern core accretion planet formation scenarios, including dust growth and radial drift, planetesimal formation by the streaming instability, core growth by planetesimal accretion and pebble accretion. We discuss the key concepts and physical processes in each growth stage and elaborate on the connections between theoretical studies and observational revelations. Finally, we point out the critical questions and future directions of planet formation studies.


Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia is an extreme form of tetralogy characterized by absence of flow from the right ventricle to the pulmonary arteries. Pulmonary blood flow is derived from a variety of sources, including native pulmonary artery branches and aorto-pulmonary collaterals with significant variability from patient to patient. Management must therefore be individualized to each patient's anatomy and physiology. Cardiac catheterization plays a crucial diagnostic and therapeutic role in this group of patients. This article is a concise review of the spectrum of anatomic variability seen in this lesion with an emphasis on diagnostic and therapeutic catheterization . It also highlights our staged surgical approach to this lesion and provides data on long-term outcome after complete intracardiac repair.


A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was adopted for detecting transcripts specific for retTPC/PTC, an activated form of the ret proto-oncogene reported to be found specifically in human papillary thyroid carcinomas. By this sensitive method retTPC/PTC transcript could be detected in about 500 fg of total RNA of TPC-1, a retTPC/PTC transcript-positive cell line. In Japanese patients, one of 11 papillary thyroid carcinomas, four of 19 follicular adenomas and one of two adenomatous goiters were positive for the transcript, indicating that the involvement of retTPC/PTC is not specific to papillary thyroid carcinomas. In several independent RT-PCR experiments using different portions of the same positive carcinoma tissue, retTPC/PTC transcript was always detected. On the other hand, the transcript was not always positive in different RNA samples from benign cases, suggesting that positive carcinomas are probably composed of clonal cell populations all expressing retTPC/PTC, whereas adenomas and adenomatous goiter comprise heterogeneous populations: both positive and negative for retTPC/PTC transcript. Activation of the ret proto-oncogene might therefore be involved in malignant conversion to thyroid carcinomas.


Evaluating the significance of a paper is pivotal yet challenging for the scientific community. While the citation count is the most commonly used proxy for this purpose, they are widely criticized for failing to accurately reflect a paper's true impact. In this work, we propose a causal inference method, TextMatch, which adapts the traditional matching framework to high-dimensional text embeddings. Specifically, we encode each paper using the text embeddings by large language models (LLMs), extract similar samples by cosine similarity, and synthesize a counterfactual sample by the weighted average of similar papers according to their similarity values. We apply the resulting metric, called CausalCite, as a causal formulation of paper citations. We show its effectiveness on various criteria, such as high correlation with paper impact as reported by scientific experts on a previous dataset of 1K papers, (test-of-time) awards for past papers, and its stability across various sub-fields of AI. We also provide a set of findings that can serve as suggested ways for future researchers to use our metric for a better understanding of a paper's quality. Our code and data are at https://github.com/causalNLP/causal-cite.


Objective. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCCa) has increased from 4% to 10% over 4 decades, stimulating interest in developing novel agents that slow sun-damaged skin progression. This is the first study evaluating the naturally occurring bioactive food compound curcumin on skin cancer xenografts. Low bioavailability of curcumin has slowed its transition to clinical trials. It is hypothesized that curcumin has growth-inhibitory effects through the MTOR pathway and chemopreventive potential in skin SCCa where local application could bypass bioavailability problems. Study Design. A randomized experimental animal and laboratory study. Setting. Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana. Subjects and Methods. SCID mice were pretreated with 0, 5, or 15 mg of curcumin (n = 8 per group), 3 days prior to injecting 106 SRB12-p9 skin SCCa cells in each flank, and were gavaged daily thereafter. Tumor volumes were measured and tumors were harvested on day 24 when mice were sacrificed. Immunohistochemical analysis of pS6 expression (n = 3 per group) and tumor volumes in the 3 groups were compared using 1-way analysis of variance and pairwise comparisons were determined with the Tukey t test if overall comparisons were significant. Results. Tumor volume increased 2.3 times faster in control mice compared with the group receiving 15 mg of curcumin (P = .0003). A significant difference in average tumor volumes was seen (P = .0012), especially with treatment of 15 mg of curcumin compared with control P = .0003). Curcumin inhibited S6 phosphorylation (P = .0027), suggesting inhibition of the MTOR pathway. Conclusion. Curcumin appears to inhibit skin SCCa growth and blocks tumor progression by inhibiting pS6 even when gavage is used to deliver curcumin, indicating even more significant effects in future experiments with local application.


Organocatalyzed reactions involving activation strategies of ketones and aldehydes are important processes in organic chemistry. These activation strategies serve as a versatile platform for the construction of several domino reactions. This thesis describes the development of six new asymmetric or-ganocatalyzed domino reactions for the enantioselective formation of carbo-cycles or heterocycles. The domino reactions are based on two major activation pathways the domino "iminium-enamine" and the domino "enamine-iminium". Making use of the domino "iminium-enamine" reaction, 2H-1-benzopyrans, 2H-1-benzothiopyrans and 1,2-dihydroquinolines and cyclopropanes can be obtained in high yields and excellent ee´s. Via the amine-catalyzed domino "enamine-iminium" reaction the synthesis of aza-Diels-Alder and Diels-Alder products can be achieved with high ee´s and yields. Moreover, a mechanistic model is proposed for each reaction that enables the stereochemical outcome of the reaction to be predicted.


Access to quality education and lifelong learning (Goal 4) is crucial to reach the ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Education is an important enabler for many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ranging from no poverty and gender equality to decent work, climate action and peace, among others. This short policy brief sheds light on the relationship between structural 4 vulnerabilities faced by countries (particularly SIDS) and their ability to achieve SDG 4 (Quality Education). It builds on the pilot Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the UN Resident Coordinators in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and the SDG Index and dashboards published each year by the SDSN since 2016. Overall, a higher degree of structural vulnerability (e.g. in the case of SIDS, being small, remote, and as islands, being particularly exposed to natural hazards) tends to be associated with poorer performance on education at the country level. Highly vulnerable countries such as SIDS also tend to have lower capacity to invest in education due to fiscal constraints and other reasons. A high degree of structural vulnerability measured by the pilot MVI is found to be associated with high levels of population displacements, food insecurity, and brain drain, which negatively impact the capacity of countries to achieve SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work). Digital infrastructure and technologies could, in principle, help strengthen education systems and resilience in SIDS, yet the paper underlines how vulnerable countries tend to face persisting challenges in implementing the digital transformation with consequent negative impacts on educational attainments and quality. The scope of this policy brief is to provide evidence on the existence of a significant relationship (statistical association) between structural vulnerability and education outcomes, in particular in SIDS. It does not aim to study causality between structural vulnerability and education outcomes, but it provides a strong basis for further research to investigate this causal link.


The eco-environment pressure changes of urban green space system in Jiaozuo city, Henan province, China, during the years of 2000 and 2007, are analyzed. Taking the statistical data of economy, society, and population as environment pressure factors, by using landscape ecology theory combing with SPOT image and geographical information system (GIS), the response of urban green space system to the environment pressure is discussed. The result shows that the total green space area and the coverage rate increased largely from years of 2000 to 2007, while the eco-environment pressure on urban green space system also increased year after year. The ecological environment pressure index increased from 0.470 in year of 2000 to 0.603 in 2007,as the result of the degradation of the whole green space pattern. The index of landscape diversity decreased from 1.77 to 1.37, evenness index decreased from 0.88 to 0.52, green corridor density and dimension index decreased from 0.64 and 1.32 to 0.43 and 1.18, while predominance index and fragmentation index were increased from 0.45 and 0.033 to 0.67 and 0.074. The whole green space system of Jiaozuo is in an unstable, unreasonable and unhealthy condition under the environment pressure.


Games have been believed to be good media in assisting teaching for years. Games are believed can promote learning become more interesting. Many studies have been conducted on utilizing games in learning. Some have proved that games can catch students' attention better than traditional media such as textbook. In this study, games were used in teaching students about spelling. Since spelling is the basic form of language, there are still contradicts in how to teach it better. The researchers believed that games can assist in enacting more interactive spelling course well. Thus, this research employed some spelling games to be used in teaching third grade students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Elementary school, Bungcala, Aceh Besar. The researchers wanted to know the students' responses after teaching by using spelling games. Thus at the end of teaching and learning process after four meetings by applying games in teaching spelling, the researcher distributed questioners to students asking their opinion about spelling games in learning spelling. The students' responses showed that they love to study spelling through games, games make them interested in studying spelling. Games let them work more in groups.


Multidrug-resistant microorganisms have become a significant public health threat, and traditional antibiotics are becoming ineffective. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising alternative that utilizes photosensitizers and light to produce Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that can kill microorganisms. Zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) is a promising photosensitizer due to its strong affinity for encapsulation in nanoemulsions and its antimicrobial properties. In this study, nanoemulsion was prepared using Miglyol 812N, a surfactant, and distilled water to dissolve hydrophobic drugs such as ZnPc. The nanoemulsion was characterized by its particle size, polydispersity index, Transmission Electron Microscope and Zeta potential, and the results showed that it was an efficient nanocarrier system that facilitated the solubilization of hydrophobic drugs in water. The use of ZnPc encapsulated in the nanoemulsion produced through the spontaneous emulsification method resulted in a significant reduction in cell survival percentages of gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli by 85% and 75%, respectively. This may be attributed to the more complex cell membrane structure of E. coli compared to S. aureus. This demonstrates the potential of nanoemulsion-based PDT as an effective alternative to traditional antibiotics for treating multidrug-resistant microorganisms.


There is concern for golden eagles (Aquilla chrysaetos) in the West as a result of contradictory population trend estimates and a likely increase in threats including but not limited to expanded wind energy development.  Estimating survival of golden eagles and identifying causes of mortality can be used to assess the viability of nesting golden eagle populations and to direct mitigation efforts if necessary.  To date, little information exists on golden eagle survival in western North America.  In addition, identified causes of golden eagle mortality are often associated with an opportunity to find dead birds, creating a potential bias that may be minimized with the use of satellite telemetry.  We outfitted 17 adult and 13 nestling golden eagles with satellite transmitters during the 2011-2014 nesting seasons near Livingston, Montana to estimate survival and determine causes of mortality.  We used multi-state models to estimate survival over discrete-time periods for both adults and nestlings.  Preliminary results showed our survival estimates were consistent with similar long-lived, slow reproducing raptors.  Golden eagle mortalities in our study were a result of poisoning, intraspecific interaction and poaching.  Our survival estimates are consistent with the stable density of breeding golden eagles in our study area and the primary causes of mortality differed from repository-based studies.


The efficacy of pheromone mating disruption was investigated in a 7 × 6 × 3 m corn storage room harboring a high population density of Indian meal moth, Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) and Angoumois grain moth, Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier). Pheromones were released from a controlled release dispenser, the metered semiochemical timed release system (MSTRS™) at emission rates of ∼ 0.6 μg min−1 (Z9,E12:14:Ac for Indian meal moth) and ∼ 0.2 μg min−1 (Z7,E11‐16:Ac for Angouimois grain moth). Mating disruption efficacy was evaluated using three parameters: male capture in pheromone traps, visual examination of mating behavior, and the incidence and frequency of mating as measured by spermatophores. In three trials, comparisons were made between data collected before pheromone treatment and during treatment. Disruption of pheromone source location by males averaged 70% and 40% for P. interpunctella and S. cerealella, respectively, in the three trials. In addition, reduced levels of copulation by both species were recorded during pheromone treatment. More importantly, significant reductions were recorded in the incidence and frequency of mating by females of both species collected during the treatment period. While ∼ 85% of P. interpunctella females collected before pheromone treatment in three trials had mated at least once, only 50% of the females collected during treatment had mated. The mean number of matings, as measured by spermatophores, ranged between 0.8–1.1 and 0.5–0.7 before and during pheromone treatment, respectively. Similarly, a ∼ 20–30% reduction in the proportion of mated S. cerealella females was recorded during pheromone treatment. In the three trials, mean number of spermatophores per S. cerealella female averaged 1.0 and 0.7 during the pretreatment and treatment periods, respectively. Additional tests conducted in small boxes also recorded significant mating disruption of both species.


Genomic evaluations in cattle are commonly based on effects of autosomal SNPs, the X chromosome (BTAX) being generally excluded because of its hemizygous state in males. We estimate here the effects of imputed sequence variants of BTAX in six dairy breeds and for 11 complex traits related to milk production, milk composition, mastitis resistance, fertility and stature. We detected QTL in almost all breeds and for almost all traits. They were distributed throughout BTAX and explained between 0.1 and 5.2% of the total phenotypic variance of the trait. In each of these QTL, we identified genes ( GPC3 , SEPTIN6 , ZC3H12B , COL4A6 , IDS , S LC16A2 , MIR363 , HS6T2 , MAMLD1 , COL4A6 , DGKK , DDX3X , GPC3 , ERCC6L , FRMPD4 , ENOX2 , KLHL13 , HMGB3 , and CDKL5 ) for which the functional link with the studied traits remains to be established. We therefore show here the importance of BTAX in the genetic determinism of complex traits in dairy cattle.


In this paper we define and deal with the quadrapell numbers, D(n), in terms of a linear recurrence relation of order 4, and define the quadrapell polynomials in x. Further we give the generating function, a Binet-like formula and formulae for sums of these numbers.


Changes in economic activity on a global scale affect organizations due to modifications on their decision criteria, but also for the permanent character of the change. This situation implies an increase of the competition and also the appearance of new markets and opportunities. On the other hand the innovation not only offers major possibilities to guarantee the organization's survival but also it allows to increase their competitive capacity; even turning into a generating element of the change and vice versa. But it will be the organization that inserts appropriately the above mentioned innovation, or that uses it better, the one that will be more competitive. The management of the organizational change, in this sense, turns into an influential factor in the creation of future and in the promotion of the available possibilities. This paper analyzes organizational management more adapted to the innovative processes of the Canary companies, as well as the underlying differences in the types of compared enterprises.


For a wireless network with n nodes distributed in an area A, and with n source-destination pairs communicating with each other at some common rate, the hierarchical cooperation scheme proposed in (Ozgur, Leveque, and Tse, 2007) is analyzed and optimized by choosing the number of hierarchical stages and the corresponding cluster sizes that maximize the total throughput. It turns out that increasing the number of stages does not necessarily improve the throughput, and the closed-form solutions for the optimization problem can be explicitly obtained. Based on the expression of the maximum achievable throughput, it is found that the hierarchical scheme achieves a scaling with the exponent depending on n . In addition, to apply the hierarchical cooperation scheme to random networks, a clustering algorithm is developed, which divides the whole network into quadrilateral clusters, each with exactly the number of nodes required.


Exposure to short-term cold stress influences disease resistance by mechanisms that remain poorly characterized. The molecular basis of cold-activated immunity was therefore investigated in Arabidopsis thaliana inoculated with the bacterial pathogen Pst DC3000, using a transcriptomic analysis. Exposure to cold stress for 10 hr was sufficient to activate immunity, as well as H2 O2 accumulation and callose deposition. Transcriptome changes induced by the 10-hr cold treatment were similar to those caused by pathogen infection, including increased expression of the salicylic acid (SA) pathway marker genes, PR2 and PR5, and genes playing positive roles in defence against (hemi)-biotrophs. In contrast, transcripts encoding jasmonic acid (JA) pathway markers such as PR4 and MYC2 and transcripts with positive roles in defence against necrotrophs were less abundant following the 10-hr cold treatment. Cold-activated immunity was dependent on SA, being partially dependent on NPR1 and ICS1/SID2. In addition, transcripts encoding SA biosynthesis enzymes such as ICS2, PAL1, PAL2, and PAL4 (but not ICS1/SID2) and MES9 were more abundant, whereas GH3.5/WES1 and SOT12 transcripts that encode components involved in SA modification were less abundant following cold stress treatment. These findings show that cold stress cross-activates innate immune responses via a SA-dependent pathway.


This continuing educational article introduces the radiochemistry of PET tracers that exhibit a covalently bound radiolabel with the nuclides 11C, 13N, and 18F. The overall process of PET tracer production is explained, starting from the production of the radionuclide in a cyclotron; followed by the automatization process of the radiosynthesis, including the necessary steps for the respective synthesis; and finalized with the requirements for quality control.


This paper begins by pointing out the previously unobserved fact that the accentuation of the Greek New Testament text of the Complutensian Polyglot (1514) follows a monotonic system almost exactly the same as that now in use in Modern Greek. Next is considered the information on the matter in the preface to the volume. The Greek text of the preface is presented with English translation and notes. A number of misconceptions are dealt with. The question of the identity of the inventor of the accentuation is then explored in full. The evidence in favour of Dimitrios Doukas as editor of the text and author of the preface is summarised and augmented. The paper then argues that it was he who conceived and applied the system of accentuation. Possible other sources of the idea are considered and eliminated. Finally the question of who might have been behind the initial intention to print an unaccented text is discussed.


The authors suggest a protocol elaborated to standardize the evaluation of high brain functions that should become an element for localization of cortical pathology.


| The objective of this study was to describe the aspects of success and failure of the use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital. This is a prospective observational study that included 75 patients, with 58.3±18.8 years as the mean age. Of these, 12 required the use of NIV more than once, for 92 uses in total. Among these, the success rate was 60.9% (56). The failure group had more males (p=0.006) and a higher number of patients diagnosed with extrapulmonary infection (p=0.012). No differences were found between success and failure groups for the variables mode, model, mask, total length of stay and reasons for NIV installation. In the failure group, inspiratory positive airways pressure (Ipap) and flow volume (FV) were higher (p=0.029 and p=0.011, respectively). Peripheral oxygen saturation (p=0.047), pH (p=0.004), base excess (p=0.006) and bicarbonate (p=0.013) presented lower values. This study concluded that male individuals diagnosed with extrapulmonary infection and whose picture evolved with metabolic acidosis evolved with more failure in NIV use. These patients required higher Ipap and FV parameters.


C4 grassland ecosystems expanded across North America between ca. 8 and 3 Ma. Studies of ungulate enamel and environmental indicators from the middle Miocene Barstow Formation of southern California (USA) have demonstrated the presence of C4 vegetation prior to the late Miocene expansion of C4 grasslands. Fire promotes the growth of modern C4 grasslands and may have contributed to the Miocene expansion of C4 vegetation. We analyzed the concentration and accumulation rate (CHAR) of microscopic charred particles from sediment samples spanning the Barstow Formation in order to investigate the relationship between fire activity, canopy cover, and the presence of C4 vegetation. Concentration and CHAR were low throughout the formation then increased dramatically at 13.5 Ma. Enriched values of δ13C from soil organic matter and phytolith counts indicate the presence of C4 grasses and seasonally dry, open-canopy habitats at this time. The spike in concentration coincides with climatic cooling and drying in southern California after the Miocene Climatic Optimum. Increased fire activity may have contributed to habitat opening from forest to woodland and promoted the spread of C4 plants. This is the first charcoal record of fire activity from the middle Miocene of southwestern North America.


Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly today. One of the earliest reported signs of Alzheimer's disease is olfactory dysfunction, which may manifest in a variety of ways. The present study sought to address this issue by investigating odor coding in the anterior piriform cortex, the primary cortical region involved in higher order olfactory function, and how it relates to performance on olfactory behavioral tasks. An olfactory habituation task was performed on cohorts of transgenic and age-matched wild-type mice at 3, 6 and 12 months of age. These animals were then anesthetized and acute, single-unit electrophysiology was performed in the anterior piriform cortex. In addition, in a separate group of animals, a longitudinal odor discrimination task was conducted from 3–12 months of age. Results showed that while odor habituation was impaired at all ages, Tg2576 performed comparably to age-matched wild-type mice on the olfactory discrimination task. The behavioral data mirrored intact anterior piriform cortex single-unit odor responses and receptive fields in Tg2576, which were comparable to wild-type at all age groups. The present results suggest that odor processing in the olfactory cortex and basic odor discrimination is especially robust in the face of amyloid β precursor protein (AβPP) over-expression and advancing amyloid β (Aβ) pathology. Odor identification deficits known to emerge early in Alzheimer's disease progression, therefore, may reflect impairments in linking the odor percept to associated labels in cortical regions upstream of the primary olfactory pathway, rather than in the basic odor processing itself.


CM101, an antiangiogenic polysaccharide derived from group B streptococcus, was administered by i.v. injection 1 hr post-spinal-cord crush injury in an effort to prevent inflammatory angiogenesis and gliosis (scarring) in a mouse model. We postulated that gliosis would sterically prevent the reestablishment of neuronal connectivity; thus, treatment with CM101 was repeated every other day for five more infusions for the purpose of facilitating regeneration of neuronal function. Twenty-five of 26 mice treated with CM101 survived 28 days after surgery, and 24 of 26 recovered walking ability within 2-12 days. Only 6 of 14 mice in the control groups survived 24 hr after spinal cord injury, and none recovered function in paralyzed limbs. MRI analysis of injured untreated and treated animals showed that CM101 reduced the area of damage at the site of spinal cord compression, which was corroborated by histological analysis of spinal cord sections from treated and control animals. Electrophysiologic measurements on isolated central nervous system and neurons in culture showed that CM101 protected axons from Wallerian degeneration; reversed gamma-aminobutyrate-mediated depolarization occurring in traumatized neurons; and improved recovery of neuronal conductivity of isolated central nervous system in culture.


The Arnold‐Chiuri malformation (ACM) is a rare congenital condition in which there is a downward displacement of the cerebellum through the foramen magnum. Patients with this condition frequently develop symptoms of ataxia, imbalance, or vertigo. As a result the patient is often referred to an otolaryngologist. Such a case is reported. A patient presented with imbalance, had downbeating nystagmus on down gaze, and had other eye movement abnormalities recorded on electronystagmography (ENG) which were strongly suggestive of central pathology. Although her computerized tomography (CT) scan was normal, the eye findings and neurological evaluation were strongly suggestive of an ACM. A repeat CT scan with intrathecal metrizamide was abnormal. A definite diagnosis of ACM was confirmed using the new investigative technique of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).


Purpose: The internet has concise the world bringing global community to very close. It helps to communicate information in a cheaper, quicker, and simpler form. At present era, the internet enables fashion businesses to reach out to each and every corner of the world without making significant investments. Fashion companies might have their own website to promote and sell their products or they can also exhibit their products on e-commerce and social networking platforms, drawing a larger number of buyers. Fashion houses can use online media to sell their items all over the world at a low cost. The main purpose of this study is to see the development of fashion products through online retailing. The author mainly considered Amazon and Flipkart for the study.
Methodology: This qualitative research is based on secondary data. Secondary data is gathered from the research papers published in reputable journals, newspapers, articles. Financial information was collected from the annual reports of Amazon and Flipkart and also census reports.
Findings: The major findings of the study are: Male customer expressed a greater desire to purchase fashionable products, there is a healthy competition between both Amazon and Flipkart, Celebrities are being used by Amazon and Flipkart to promote their fashionable products, Flipkart's Recommendation module and Amazon's Stylist assist users to discover more and more fashion and other products similar to the ones they've looked at. It has one of the greatest conversions and contributes significantly to the company's revenue and units.
Practical Implication: This study will be helpful to know the different fashionable products offering by the Amazon and Flipkart companies and marketing channels using by these two companies to market their fashion products.
Paper Type: Company Case Study


The alkaline dissolution behavior of sea-island type ultrafine nylon fiber were dependent on the concentration of NaOH and treatment time, and the most appropriate condition for alkaline dissolution was to treat with 20g/l NaOH for 30 min at 80℃. The dyeing properties of sea-island type ultrafine nylon fiber and regular nylon fiber were examined with 3 different types of acid dyes in this study. The dye uptakes of ultrafine nylon fiber were higher than regular nylon fiber because of large surface area per unit mass, which increased as the dye bath pH decreased. The dyeing rates on ultrafine nylon fiber were faster and dye exhaustions were higher than regular nylon fiber, however color strength and rating of wash fastness were lower. It was also found that levelling type acid dye showed fast dyeing rate on both nylon fibers than metal-complex and milling type acid dyes.


Storage loss is one of many types of sedimentation problems that can affect reservoirs. As reservoirs age and sediment continue to accumulate, sediment-related problems will increase in severity. At any dam or reservoir where sustainable long-term use is to be achieved, it will be necessary to manage sediments as well as water such as erosion control and management strategies. However, such strategies are hampered by lack of understanding of the linkages between sources erosion and downstream deposited sediment. Therefore, an integrated assessment is important for targeting the available resources. In this study, the proposed integrated methods to asses the reservoir sediment was done. First, the quantitative quantity analysis will give sediment yield and estimate the susceptible area to erosion. Then, it followed by the qualitative analysis of xray powder diffraction on sediment samples in order to get mineral compositions. Using the hierarchical cluster analysis, the binary matrix of mineral composition was analyzed to get sediment fingerprinting. Results of Upper Brantas basin show good relationship with field observation data and remote sensing data


Gliadin, a protein present in wheat, rye and barley is not fully degraded by humans, leading to allergies, gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.(1,2,3).It has been hypothesized that increased intestinal permeability is an early event in celiac disease pathogenesis (4) but it is completely unknown what endows gliadin the unusual proteolytic resistance. From the physicochemical point of view, this protein is known to be soluble in alcohol solutions in a low percentage and it could be isolated from flour by dilute acetic acid extraction. By this procedure is have been demonstrated the formation of fibrils depending on ionic strength (5). Under different aqueous solutions conditions much less is known. Herein, it is present the evaluation of gliadin protein under different pHs and ionic strength in water. We obtained the solubility of a mix of commercial gliadin proteins under basic and acid conditions varying the temperature. It has been observed the importance of the pH and the temperature in order to form different self-assembly structures. At physiological pH spherical particules of 1-2μm of diameter were detected by electron microscopy. We hypothesize that the observed self-assembly process and the formation of supramolecular structures depending on pH could a be a special feature in order to understand the unusual proteolytic resistances. Taking into account that gastrointestinal environment is highly dynamic(6) in health and disease , recent insights on the potential of intestinal bacteria to influence human health, our results may help to understand Gliadin intolerance. A supramolecular evaluation by different Spectroscopies (UV-Vis and Fluorescence) and Electron Microscopy (SEM, TEM) is presented. References: 1).Hadjivassiliou, M., Williamson, C. A., Woodroofe, N. ,Trends Immunol.,25, 578-582 (2004). 2).Rubio-Tapia, A. , Murray, J. A. ,Curr. Opin. Gastroenterol., 26, 116-122 (2010). 3).Shan, L. et. al. ,Science, 297, 2275-2279 (2002). 4).Fassano, A. , Shea-Donohue, T., Nat. Clin. Pract. Gastroenterol. & Hepatol., 2, 416-422 (2005) 5).Kasarda, D., Bernardin, J.E., Thomas, R., Nature, 203-205 (1967). 6).Possemiers, S., Grootaert, C., Curr Pharm Des.,15(18):2051-65 (2009).


OBJECTIVE
An under-recognized cause of chest pain, the coronary slow-flow (CSF) phenomenon is characterized by delayed coronary opacification during diagnostic angiography in the absence of epicardial coronary artery disease (CAD). Given its angiographic resemblance to no-reflow during percutaneous coronary intervention, a condition associated with microvascular spasm responsive to calcium-channel blockers, we hypothesized that spontaneous CSF may similarly be reversed by intracoronary (IC) nicardipine.

METHODS
The effect of IC nicardipine was evaluated in 30 patients. CSF was defined as spontaneously delayed flow (<TIMI 3) during diagnostic coronary angiography in the absence of obstructive epicardial CAD or other conditions associated with impaired flow. Nicardipine was administered as a 200 μg IC bolus, after which repeat angiography was performed. Coronary flow before and after nicardipine was evaluated by TIMI flow grade and corrected TIMI frame count (TFC) assessments.

RESULTS
The study population consisted of 22 men and 8 women (mean age, 54 ± 11 years). Clinical presentation was rest angina in 21 patients (70%). At baseline, CSF with <TIMI 3 flow was observed in 49 vessels. TFC was prolonged (>27) in 68/90 vessels (76%). IC nicardipine produced markedly accelerated coronary filling, which was corroborated by TFC analysis. TFC was 47 ± 17 before vs 15 ± 5 after nicardipine (P<.001). All vessels demonstrated TIMI 3 flow and TFC <28 after nicardipine treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
IC nicardipine appears highly effective in reversing spontaneous CSF. These findings implicate microvascular spasm in the pathogenesis of CSF. Future studies of oral calcium-channel blockers in the long-term management of CSF are needed.


Hospital Information System (HIS) is flourishing vigorously in China, but the hospital information isolated islands, steered by software producers and operated independently in each hospital, have seriously restricted wide popularization and profound reformation of HIS. Nowadays, the integration and interconnection of HISs has become a critical problem we have to face in the digital hospital construction. Based on the software architecture theories and practices, this paper proposes a regional HIS interconnection runtime architecture which is based on Electronic Medical Record (EMR), discusses a EMR conceptual architecture to guide EMR system research and development, and presents a technical architecture to implement open HIS interconnection in a region. The three architectures together provide a comprehensive technology-enriched reference architecture for the new generation of HIS research and development which is loosely coupled, patient-centered and region-oriented.


Nowadays, agile manufacturing has aroused great attention all over the world. With the competition of the markets getting much more severe, it is becoming imperative to construct a highly efficient agile manufacturing system conforming to customer requirement in products' R&D, manufacture, sales and service. Besides manufacturing management, data deeply utilization, e-commerce and production optimization is also necessary for manufacturing enterprise. This paper analyzes the main feature of customer-driven manufacturing system and points out that there are four crucial subsystems, namely integrated manufacturing subsystem, data warehouse subsystem, quick responding subsystem and e-sales subsystem, catering to the requirements of various customers in time. The production of iron & steel enterprises is a long-term manufacture mode mixed with chemical process and physical process. The processing mode of iron and steel manufacturing has its own unique style. This also paper provides the realization case of customer-driven agile manufacturing system in Baosteel.


Autoradiography of [3H] quinuclidinyl benzilate was used to demonstrate the distribution of muscarinic acetylcholine binding in the spinal cord of sheep. Binding was confined to the grey matter of the cord, and was most densely distributed in the substantia gelatinosa region of the dorsal horn, the lamina X region around the central canal, the intermediolateral columns and in various regions of the ventral horn. The use of specific M1 and M2 receptor subtype ligands, pirenzipine and 4-DAMP indicated that both receptor subtypes were present in most regions of dense binding.


Ca2+ channels have been suggested to play major roles in the initiation of a large number of signal transduction processes in higher plant cells, including bud formation, polar growth, gas exchange regulation, secretion, movements, and light-regulated and hormone-regulated growth and development (Hepler and Wayne, 1985; Leonard and Hepler, 1990). Activation of Ca2+ channels allows transmembrane fluxes of Ca2+. These Ca2+ fluxes result in elevation of the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration from resting levels of approximately 150 nM to "excitatory" levels greater than 300 nM to 400 nM. This rise in cytosolic Ca2+ triggers numerous cell biological processes by modulation of protein kinases, ion channels, and other cellular control proteins (Leonard and Hepler, 1990). Early indications of Ca2+ channel action during signal transduction in plants were obtained in studies of cytokinin-induced budding in funaria, using Ca2+ ionophores and pharmacological blockers of voltage-dependent mammalian Ca2+ channels (Saunders and Hepler, 1982, 1983). Until recently, however, direct evidence for plant Ca'+ channels was lacking, with the exception of data indicating voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activation in algae (Williamson and Ashley, 1982; Tazawa et al., 1987). Recent advances have demonstrated that severa1 types of Ca2+ channels exist in higher plant cells, which are regulated by membrane-associated and intracellular control mechanisms (Alexandre et al., 1990; Schroeder and Hagiwara, 1990). Figure 1 shows that these Ca2+ channels belong to two general classes of ion channels: plasma membrane Ca2+ channels, which allow Ca2+ influx from the cell wall space into the cytosol, and Ca2+ release channels located in the membrane of intracellular organelles, which allow release of stored Ca2+. In addition, new results suggest that both Ca2+ influx and Ca'+ release occur within the same cell type.


We examine the role of global and domestic shocks in driving macroeconomic fluctuations for Ghana. We are able to study the impact of exogenous shocks including productivity, credit supply, and commodity price shocks. We identify the shocks with a combination of sign and recursive restrictions within Bayesian VAR models. As a benchmark we provide results for South Africa to document the difference between two economies with similar structures but different levels of development. We find that global shocks play a more dominant role in South Africa than in Ghana. These shocks operate through three channels: trade, credit and commodity prices.


Having received the "Decade Award" for the most cited AMR article from the past decade, we reflect on how our framework of organizational learning (OL) has been used in subsequent research and whether a theory of OL has emerged. Our citation review revealed that although some of the subsequent research has added to the original work, the challenge to develop an accepted theory remains unrealized. We offer promising directions for developing a theory of OL.


The growth of injection moulding  as a manufacturing process has led to the development of more products resulting in an increase in the focus on product quality, as manufacturers try to lower production costs, reduce product weight and eliminate defects. Of particular concern is the flow  behavior of molten resin in the mould cavities during the production process. Inconsistencies in the flow of the melt tend to result in uneven or incomplete filling of the mould, resulting in production of defects (short shots). In the paper the Taguchi method is used to determine the optimum values of the injection moulding process parameters for High Density Polyethylene (HDPE.) plastic parts. A moulding processing window in which the process will achieve maximum quality, with major focus being on mould filling is developed.


The Hubble parameter is a measure of the size-scale and age of the universe, and its value has been a topic of intense debate. In his Perspective, van den Bergh reviews recent results obtained from observations of galaxy clusters and comments on the sources of the differing values.


In this article the authors1 approach material and symbolic violence through transdisciplinary readings of theoretical debates, fiction and empirical narratives. They make use of the concept of turning points which disrupt dichotomous and static categorizations of victim and survivor, and their association with passivity and agency respectively. In situations of violence, turning points represent temporality instead of timelessness, dialogism instead of monologism, multilayering rather than any fixed identity. The authors draw on the theorists Bakhtin and Certeau, whose work highlights the significance of meaning-making between self and other. They analyse empirical and fictional narratives to understand the creation of dialogic spaces, a space that both subordinates and subverts. Pointing to the procedural nature of turning points within the everyday, the authors argue that women, despite the pain and trauma, are neither just a victim nor just a survivor in a violent relationship.


Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the primary cause of skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), is the most common form of skin cancer and accounts for 2-3 million worldwide cases of cancer each year. The transcription factor Smad4 is a central mediator in the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), activin, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathways. Smad4 loss occurs frequently in human skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), but it is unknown if this event is causal to ultraviolet-induced (UV) carcinogenesis, a major etiological factor in human skin cancer. In the present study, we exposed mice with keratinocyte-specific Smad4 deletion (K14.Smad4 −/ − ) and wildtype (WT) mice to chronic UV irradiation. Compared to WT littermates, K14.Smad4 −/ − mice exhibited increased susceptibility to UV-induced skin cancer. Histological examination revealed that UV-induced Smad4 −/ − tumors were all SCCs. Moreover K14.Smad4 −/ − skin shows increased DNA damage due to reduced expression of DNA repair genes compared to WT skin. We have identified a novel mechanism by which Smad4 suppresses skin cancer by promoting repair of UV-induced DNA lesions. Citation Format: Doyel Mitra, Pamela Fernandez, Bian Li, Ningjing Song, Gangwen Han, Xiao-Jing Wang. Smad4 loss leads to reduced DNA repair and skin cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1285. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1285


We have measured the passive modal absorption, modal gain, and spontaneous emission spectra of a quantum-dot system where the inhomogeneous broadening is sufficiently small so that the ground- and excited-state transitions can be spectrally resolved. Absorption by ground- and excited-state transitions is in the ratio 1:1.88 which is close to the ratio of 2 expected for dots with similar dimensions in two directions. The absorption cross section per dot is measured to be 1.1 /spl times/ 10/sup -14/ cm/sup 2/. Optical gain from the ground-state saturates with current at a maximum value of one third of that predicted from the measured absorption if the system is fully inverted. The measured population inversion factor spectrum shows that the carrier distributions cannot be described only by a single global Fermi distribution and that the system is not in overall equilibrium. However, using parameters obtained by fitting the absorption spectrum, we find that for these particular samples the inversion factor spectrum can be described by a possible model where the ground- and excited-state occupancies are each described by a Fermi distribution but with different quasi-Fermi energy separations. We speculate that photon mediation within the homogeneous linewidth could be one possible process which establishes quasi-equilibrium within each of the ground- and excited-state inhomogeneous distributions.


Latin American literature is a broad and heterogeneous category composed of voices from many countries spanning two continents. In the United States, more attention has been given to Cuban, Chicano/a, and Central American literatures than to writers from other South American countries. This article tries to remedy this disparity by focusing on the presence and influence of literature from South American countries, among them Colombia, Peru, and Argentina.
 The Latin American Boom was one of the most important literary movements that introduced Latin American literature into the United States and the broader international scene. After the revolution of 1959, Cuba began to offer opportunities for writers and artists from all over Latin America who wanted to pursue their intellectual or artistic interests. One of the reasons the United States government established the Alliance for Progress was to counter Cuba's influence on Latin American intellectuals. The insidious program Alliance for Progress had a darker side that supported repressive military regimes across Latin America that were responsible for the death, torture and disappearance of thousands of South American citizens. At the same time, it did facilitate the translation and publication of Latin American novels; making them available to the American public. As a result, the works of Colombian, Peruvian, Argentine and Chilean writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Julio Cortazar, Jose Donoso, Manuel Puig, and Mario Vargas Llosa were published and widely read in the United States.
 South American literatures have developed a strong presence in the United States such as Andean literature and literature of exile. Since the 1980s, indigenous populations of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador have migrated legally or extra-legally to the United States, whether in search of better opportunities or to escape the violence of their home countries. These vibrant Andean populations have contributed to expanding the Andean Archipelago of literature. Similarly, high numbers of Argentines went into exile during the military dictatorship of 1976 to escape government violence and repression. Scholars such as Yossi Shain affirm that exiles expand the borders of the country by creating a diaspora that continues to interact with their compatriots in their home country and with those spread throughout the world. One example is Luisa Valenzuela, an Argentine writer, who continued to be committed to resisting the dictatorship while in exile. Her work is engaged with the process of writing, and how the exile experience influenced her work and her identity.


THE PATIENTS with advanced cancers of the head and neck remain a difficult palliative problem for the oncologist. Their systemic metastases develop relatively late in spite of the locally extensive disease and often the adjacent tissues will tolerate no additional radiation therapy; and the tumor distribution is such that neurosurgical procedures have little or nothing to offer for pain relief. This study evaluates the role of intraarterial infusion chemotherapy in such advanced head and neck cancer patients in terms of pain relief, tumor regression, and operability after infusion therapy. Materials and Methods Eleven patients with advanced head and neck tumors were given 15 courses of intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy. Their ages ranged from 18 to 81 years, their mean age being 49 years. Nine of the patients were male, two were female. Nine patients had squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region, one patient had a malignant melanoma of


The paper tries to resolve the problems faced by companies listed on the Ghana Stock Exchangeby analysing their dividend payment and evaluate its effect on the share price of these companies. Management is usually caught up in dilemma on whether to pay large or small percentage of their earnings as dividends or to retain them for future investments. This has come out as a result of the need for management to satisfy the various needs of shareholders. The paper seeks to find out the impact of dividend payment and its relationship on the share price of some listed companies on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and how it helps shareholders to make an informed decision on whether to maintain or withdraw their investment and reinvest in other companies. For the purpose of the study, Eco bank, Cal Bank and AngloGold Ashanti were randomly selected out of the 36 companies listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. About sixty (60) respondents (shareholders) were randomly selected out of the total number of shareholders of the companies mentioned above. The primary source of data was questionnaire whilst the secondary data consisted of information on dividend policy from the internet, journals such as the journal of risk finance, national tax journal, journal of finance and corporate finance. It was found out that as the dividend of companies increase, the share price also rises due to the pressure on the share. This suggest firms with higher dividend payment have their share price going up as well as a result of higher demand of shares and firms with lower dividend have their share price going down all else being equal.


The bone histology in patients with chronic renal failure and aluminum-related bone disease does not always show the excess accumulation of unmineralized osteoid (matrix) characteristic of osteomalacia. Frequently, bone aluminum accumulation is associated with normal or reduced amounts of unmineralized osteoid and low bone formation and is referred to as aplastic bone disease. In this study, we compared static and dynamic bone histomorphometric parameters and plasma PTH and aluminum levels in 12 patients with osteomalacia and 18 patients with aplastic bone disease who had been receiving dialysis for the same duration to determine if the difference in osteoid accumulation in these 2 lesions might be explained by differences in aluminum accumulation or PTH levels. The stainable bone surface aluminum level was significantly higher in the patients with osteomalacia compared to that in the group with aplastic bone [61 +/- 5% (+/- SEM) vs. 43 +/- 4%; P less than 0.02]. The rates of bone apposition and bone formation were lower in the group with osteomalacia (P less than 0.01). Plasma amino-terminal PTH was not significantly different in the 2 groups. The increment in plasma aluminum levels after a single infusion of deferoxamine was higher in the osteomalacic group than in the aplastic group, suggesting that the patients with osteomalacia accumulated more total body chelatable aluminum than did those with aplastic bone disease during a comparable length of time on dialysis. We conclude that the excess unmineralized osteoid in aluminum-related osteomalacia results from the high rate of total body aluminum accumulation, which directly causes uncoupling of matrix mineralization and matrix production, independent of PTH levels. Patients with aplastic bone disease who have accumulated lesser amounts of total body aluminum fail to develop excess unmineralized osteoid because production and mineralization of matrix are more closely coupled than in the osteomalacic lesion, despite a decline in osteoblast numbers.


The transport of free ions through highly under-expanded jet flows of neutral gases and in the presence of applied electric fields is investigated by continuum-based numerical simulations. In particular, numerical results are described that are relevant to ion flows occurring in the interface region of mass spectrometer systems. A five-moment mathematical model and parallel multi-block numerical solution procedure are developed for predicting the ion transport. The model incorporates the effects of ion–neutral collision processes and is used in conjunction with a Navier–Stokes model and flow solver for the neutral gas to examine the key features of the ion motion. The influences of the neutral gas flow, electric field, and flow field geometry on ion mobility are all carefully assessed. Several ions of varying mass and charge are considered, and the relative importance of competing effects (i.e. electric field and ion–neutral collision effects) is discussed. The capability of controlling the charged particle motions through a combination of directed neutral flow and applied electric field is demonstrated for high-speed, hypersonic jet flows.


"Katarni Rice" is the most prevalent, ceremonial and finest quality scented rice of Bihar. It is famous for its aromatic flavour, palatability and chura (beaten rice) making qualitiesofGeographical area of production of
 Katarni Rice includes districts of Munger, Banka and South Bhagalpur of Zone IIIA of Bihar. The unique features of Katarnirice is developed only when it is grown in its territory areas. It has an immense scope of trading in local as well as export
 market. But, the available Katarni rice is poor yielder (25-30 t/ha) and farmers are tending towards the cultivation of non-aromatic high yielding rice varieties. Hence, in order to save this landrace from extinction and promote and protect the
 interest of Katarni growers, attempts were made to get its geographical indication (GI). With objective of providing exclusive right to the farmers for growing this premium quality rice and getting remunerative price through its marketing, an
 application for getting the tag of geographical indication was submitted by a Katarnigrowers' association. Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour as a technical facilitator for this application, served to characterize and document this rice landrace
 on the basis of morphological, biochemical and genetical traits. The present study deals with purification, documentation and characterization of Katarni rice which helped in getting the GI tag in 2018 from the office of Intellectual Properties
 Rights, New Delhi, India.


Microwave frequency multiplication based on external modulation using two cascaded Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZMs) has been considered an effective solution for high-frequency and frequency-tunable microwave signal generation. Different techniques have been demonstrated recently, but no generalized approach has been developed. In this paper, a generalized approach to achieving microwave frequency multiplication using two cascaded MZMs is presented. A theoretical analysis leading to the operating conditions to achieve frequency quadrupling, sextupling, or octupling is developed. The system performance in terms of phase noise, tunability, and stability is also investigated.


The controlled and pseudo-living ring-opening polymerization of a large ring size lactone, ω-6-hexadecenlactone (6HDL), was achieved for the first time by a dimethyl(salicylaldiminato) aluminum initiator. The obtained poly(ω-6-hexadecenlactone) was functionalized by thiol–ene coupling reaction. By epoxidation of the double bond a poly(6,7-epoxy-ω-hexadecalactone) was formed. The subsequent opening of the epoxide by NaCNBH3 produced a poly(6,7-epoxy-ω-hexadecalactone) with occasional inter and intra ether-type crosslinks. Modifications occurred without any change in the degree of polymerization. The obtained polymeric samples were characterized by NMR, GPC and DSC and X-ray diffraction analysis. The "polyethylene-like" orthorhombic crystal lattice of poly(ω-6-hexadecenlactone) is deformed in the poly(6,7-epoxy-ω-hexadecalactone) and is replaced by a hexagonal packing when the poly(ester) chains are hydroxylated. Furthermore, copolymerization of 6HDL with smaller e-caprolactone produced random copolymers, with average sequence block lengths of 2, while the sequential addition of 6HDL and e-caprolactone or rac-lactide allowed the preparation of block-copolymers. The block and random copolymers were also semicrystalline.


CONTENTS Introduction § 1. Semigroups of weighted translation operators § 2. Algebras of weighted translation operators § 3. Weighted translation operators and the spectral theory of linear extensions § 4. Weighted translation operators and the multiplicative ergodic theorem References


Abstract Commission 10 aims at the study of various forms of solar activity, including networks, plages, pores, spots, fibrils, surges, jets, filaments/prominences, coronal loops, flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), solar cycle, microflares, nanoflares, coronal heating etc., which are all manifestation of the interplay of magnetic fields and solar plasma. Increasingly important is the study of solar activities as sources of various disturbances in the interplanetary space and near-Earth "space weather". Over the past three years a major component of research on the active Sun has involved data from the RHESSI spacecraft. This review starts with an update on current and planned solar observations from spacecraft. The discussion of solar flares gives emphasis to new results from RHESSI, along with updates on other aspects of flares. Recent progress on two theoretical concepts, magnetic reconnection and magnetic helicity is then summarized, followed by discussions of coronal loops and heating, the magnetic carpet and filaments. The final topic discussed is coronal mass ejections and space weather. The discussions on each topic is relatively brief, and intended as an outline to put the extensive list of references in context. The review was prepared jointly by the members of the Organizing Committee, and the names of the primary contributors to the various sections are indicated in parentheses.


An ideal profile of essential AA (EAA) can improve the efficiency of metabolizable protein (or PDIE, the equivalent in the INRA feeding system) utilization in dairy cows. Compared with other EAA, existing recommendations for the requirements of Arg, Ile, and Val are few and inconsistent. Four multiparous Holstein dairy cows at 22±6 wk of lactation received 4 treatments (duodenal infusions of 445±22.4 g/d of an EAA mixture complementing a low-protein diet in a 4×4 Latin square design with a period length of 1 wk). The control treatment provided a balanced supply (in % of PDIE) of 5.1% Arg, 5.2% Ile, and 5.9% Val, whereas in the 3 subsequent treatments of -Arg, -Ile, and -Val, the concentrations of these 3 EAA were reduced to 3.5, 4.1, and 4.5%, respectively. All treatments were made isonitrogenous and were balanced to provide 7 other EAA (Lys, Met, His, Leu, Phe, Thr, and Trp), according to the recommendations described in the literature. Combined, the diet and the infusions provided 14.3±0.1% crude protein on a dry matter basis, and 66.0±1.2 g of PDIE/Mcal of net energy for lactation. Neither dry matter intake (19.2 kg/d) nor milk yield (30.4±0.4 kg/d) was affected by treatments. The -Arg and -Ile treatments did not modify milk protein synthesis or the efficiency of N utilization. However, the -Val treatment decreased milk protein content by 4.9% and milk crude protein content by 4.3%, and tended to decrease the efficiency of N use for milk protein yield by 3.7% (compared with the control). These effects of Val were related to a decrease in the plasma concentration of Val as well as a trend toward decreasing plasma concentrations of Met, His, and the sum of all EAA and nonessential AA in the -Val treatment, which indicates a different utilization of all AA in response to the Val deficit. The deletion of Ile, compared with the deletion of Val, tended to decrease the milk protein-to-fat ratio by 3.8%. In conclusion, the supply of Arg at 3.5% of PDIE was not limiting for milk protein synthesis. The slight effect on the milk protein-to-fat ratio caused by decreasing the supply of Ile suggests a need to reevaluate the Ile requirement more precisely. A low Val supply could be limiting for milk protein synthesis, provided that the requirements of Lys, Met, and His are met.


Autosomal dominant facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD1A) is associated with contractions of the polymorphic D4Z4 repeat array on chromosome 4qter. The disease has a high frequency of new mutations of mitotic origin. Pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis–based studies show that mitotic mutations leading to somatic mosaicism occur equally frequently in patients and parents. Nevertheless, somatic mosaicism in FSHD is mainly reported in asymptomatic parents by applying standard Southern analysis after linear gel electrophoresis. Explaining this apparent discrepancy, we here demonstrate that somatic mosaicism in FSHD patients goes largely undetected using the standard diagnostic technique, indicating that linear electrophoresis is unsuitable to identify mosaic patients. As a consequence, the phenotype of mosaic patient's offspring will be underestimated, whereas the recurrence risk in the symptomatic mosaic individuals will be overestimated. Moreover, somatic mosaicism may partly explain the observation of anticipation in de novo kindreds. Therefore, clinicians should always consider pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis analysis in de novo FSHD families, in particular when the patient's phenotype is much milder than expected based on D4Z4 length proper.


Many approaches exist for alphanumeric data acquisition from images, however very few make mention of engraved text and none to the knowledge of the author make mention of cemetery headstones. The ability to extract the textual information found on headstones is of great importance due to the valuable historical information that is, in most cases, authoritative and unique to that stone. Multiple groups continue to put forth great effort to index such data through a manual transcription process. Although the engraved characters are often of a common font (allowing for accurate recognition in an OCR engine), cemetery headstones present unique challenges to recognition that typical scene text images (street signs, billboards, etc.) do not encounter such as engraved or embossed characters (causing inner-character shadows), low contrast with the background, and significant noise due to weathering. We therefore propose a system in which the noisy background is removed through use of gradient orientation histograms, an ensemble of neural networks, and an automated implementation of graph cut, resulting in a clean image of the headstone's textual information.


Systemic mastocytosis may be accompanied by a second haematological malignancy, usually of myeloid origin. However, a number of case reports describe systemic mastocytosis coexisting with a second haematological malignancy of lymphoid origin. Here, we report a case of a 74-year-old man with systemic mastocytosis who developed a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. A short overview of the literature concerning mastocytosis accompanied by a second haematological malignancy is presented.


Cardiac complications and heart failure are the leading cause of death in type 2 diabetic patients. Mitochondrial dysfunction is central in the pathogenesis of the type 2 diabetic heart. However, it is unclear whether this dysfunction is specific for a particular subcellular region. The purpose of this study was to determine whether mitochondrial dysfunction in the type 2 diabetic heart is specific to a spatially distinct subset of mitochondria. We investigated mitochondrial morphology, function, and proteomic composition of subsarcolemmal mitochondria (SSM) and interfibrillar mitochondria (IFM) in 18-wk-old db/db mice. Oxidative damage was assessed in subpopulations through the measurement of lipid peroxidation byproducts and nitrotyrosine residues. Proteomic profiles and posttranslational modifications were assessed in mitochondrial subpopulations using iTRAQ and multi-dimensional protein identification technologies, respectively. SSM from db/db hearts had altered morphology, including a decrease in size and internal complexity, whereas db/db IFM were increased in internal complexity. Db/db SSM displayed decreased state 3 respiration rates, electron transport chain activities, ATP synthase activities, and mitochondrial membrane potential and increased oxidative damage, with no change in IFM. Proteomic assessment revealed a greater impact on db/db SSM compared with db/db IFM. Inner mitochondrial membrane proteins, including electron transport chain, ATP synthesis, and mitochondrial protein import machinery, were predominantly decreased. We provide evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction in the type 2 diabetic heart is associated with a specific subcellular locale. Furthermore, mitochondrial morphological and functional indexes are impacted differently during type 2 diabetic insult and may result from the modulation of spatially distinct mitochondrial proteomes.


ABSTRACT This paper explores the potential contribution of niche products to the development of sustainable tourism in small peripheral places. The exploration is conducted on the case study of Belmonte, a small peripheral Portuguese town, employing a strategy of niche tourism in the framework of "museum park" development. This park is comprised of different sorts of local heritage, including the town's unique Jewish history. Empirical research was conducted using an inductive methodology based on several primary and secondary sources of data. Results indicate that Jewish heritage tourism is an important and growing segment of tourism, though it does not constitute, as of yet, the sole engine of local development. Jewish heritage tourism faces the challenge of developing supportive services to sustain the growing demand and allow retaining more value in the region. It is concluded that in remote peripheral areas: (a) Niche tourism should be developed as a cluster of products; (b) Jewish heritage appears as a viable niche product within the framework of the museum parks cluster; (c) The involvement of local government is crucial for the success of tourism development; and (d) Sustainability of niche tourism products depend on joining local and global distributional networks.


Gout is the articular manifestation of a systemic metabolic disorder – hyperuricemia. The causes of hyperuricemia and its epidemiology have been intensely investigated these last 10 years, and there is an increasing awareness that apart from gout, hyperuricemia is associated with cardiovascular disease and the metabolic syndrome. Recent research has tried to untangle these links and to determine their etiological relationship in man, based on cohort studies and GWAS approaches. A number of novel genes/molecules have been identified and their contribution to the development of gout is being investigated. Persistent hyperuricemia is a major risk factor for the development of gout, an acute inflammatory reaction to MSU crystals deposited in and around the joint. Recent advances in articular imaging by ultrasound and dual energy CT have shown that deposits of MSU are found in the absence of overt inflammation, and suggest that there is a pre-clinical phase of gout. Finally, the therapy of hyperuricemia and of gouty inflammation has seen major drug developments in the last five years. These new drugs should provide the clinician with a larger range of options in the management of gout and hyperuricemia. Disclosure of Interest A. So Consultant for: Novartis, Ardea Biosciences, Menarini, Speakers Bureau: Menarini


The traditional method of sneak circuits analysis is based on the premise that component performance degradation is not considered, so that the results of analysis is idealized. This paper presents a method of sneak circuits analysis considering component performance degradation under the digital twin model. Firstly, a five-dimensional digital twin model of circuit is established, and the effect of component performance degradation on digital twin model of circuit is analyzed. According to the component performance degradation process obeys the Wiener process, the component performance degradation model is established and the probability density function and probability distribution of component life are derived. On this basis, the probability of sneak circuits caused by component performance degradation is obtained. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by analyzing the sneak circuits caused by component performance degradation in the ignition shutdown circuit of the Red stone rocket. Keywords—sneak circuit analysis, digital twin model, component performance degradation, Wiener process


Institutions of higher education have a responsibility to prioritize the needs of society and local communities. One essential need prevalent in all communities is to address the rise of obesity and health risks due to lack of participation in physical activity. In the United States, children spend a small percentage of time engaged in physical activity, and engagement decreases further in adolescence and adulthood. Collaborative partnerships between kinesiology faculty at universities and community organizations are one avenue for engaging children in physical activity. Partnerships must be multilevel and community wide to evoke change and have long-term impact and sustainability. Within the context of community-based research, we propose a three-step framework for establishing collaborative partnerships: (1) determining the needs of partners; (2) discussing expertise, services, and philosophy; and (3) providing a quality product. In addition, we outline and illustrate our experiences when collaborating ...