Are contemporary models of health-care eroding the importance of children in Western cultures? Are we losing a sense of the ethical significance of childhood? And by extension, has a sense of personhood already been discarded when it comes to the granting of faculties for giving consent to medical treatments in cases of under-age and adolescent patients?

This project makes a study of the ethical significance of childhood in the context of differing perspectives on what precisely is a person and what constitutes childhood, with a focus on adolescence. The fundamental choices made regarding children from the point of conception onwards have taken new directions amid a variance of ethical systems, including the practice of sex-selective abortions, transhumanist tendencies in the construction of what is perceived to be "human", the treatment of disabled neonates, new arguments for infanticide, and complex new arrangements for parenting roles and legal recognition of non-traditional parental relationships and family structures.

Questions such as, 'what is a child?' and 'what respect', if any, 'is owed to a human embryo' open to a plurality of contradictory answers; there are no straightforward answers to any questions, and perhaps this is a reality always present but accentuated in the current climate of healthcare delivery. The nature of childhood as a means of conveying a distinctive ethical character and responsibility for a particular stage (or stages) of human development becomes a problematic area for contemporary bioethics to consider, and the complex developmental stages of adolescence is of peculiar interest; as such, this thesis devotes attention to the change that took place with 'Gillick competence'.

A positive assessment is made of approaching the child as person, utilising philosophers on personhood including Robert Spaemann and Alasdair MacIntyre. The vulnerability of the person, especially in the transition to adulthood, becomes a call to recognise the gift-nature of the child, and the call to solidarity with and alongside them.


Innovation is the major driver of economic growth and development. To analyze innovation processes the restriction of a framework suited to the analysis of innovation towards the industrial sphere of an economy is not sufficient because of the important co-evolutionary dimensions of innovation. Instead, a comprehensive economic theoretical approach is needed which encompasses all spheres of economic life. This paper is filling this gap by introducing Comprehensive Neo-Schumpeterian Economics and the Neo-Schumpeterian approach towards public sector economics.


Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PJP) is one of the major infections in patients with impaired immunity. The entity is common in HIV-seropositive individuals but quite very rare in HIV-seronegative individuals especially children. We report here a case of 16-week-old HIV-seronegative infant with chief complaint of chronic cough of one month of evolution. Sweat chloride test for diagnosis of cystic fibrosis was positive. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid was collected and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated on culture. Empirical antibiotic regimen comprising ceftriaxone and azithromycin was initiated that was switched to meropenem as per antimicrobial susceptibility report, but the patient did not improve. Subsequently, an immunofluorescence staining of BAL fluid was performed and P. jiroveci cysts were detected. Following a laboratory confirmation of Pneumocystis pneumonia, cotrimoxazole was added and the clinical condition of the patient significantly improved. This is an unusual case wherein unsuspected PJP occurred and since signs and symptoms of the patient persisted even after the initiation of antimicrobial therapy for Pseudomonas infection and resolved only after treatment for PJP was started, it suggests a causative role of P. jiroveci rather than colonization/contamination.


Abstract : Late each weekday afternoon, the Pentagon issues a list of all the contracts it has awarded that day. One Thursday (18 October 2007), at the bottom of that list were four contracts to four different companies for more than $1 billion to buy mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles for Marines in Iraq. On this Thursday, the Marine Corps bought 2,153 MRAPs for delivery by April 2008. While this MRAP purchase may be currently seen in a positive political light, the intended and unintended consequences to the military, specifically the Marine Corps, may be long lasting. The Marine Corps should discontinue the procurement of the MRAP because it is unsuitable for counterinsurgency operations, inconsistent with the Corps' expeditionary mindset, and too expensive. How does the MRAP affect the image of U.S. forces and their ability to conduct COIN operations? First, consider the size of the vehicle. The MRAP is massive when compared with the HMMWV. The MRAP is over 10-feet tall, up to 24-feet long, and can be up to 9-feet wide. A typical up-armored HMMWV is approximately only 6-feet tall. When it comes to moving through an urban area, the impact that this drastic difference in size has on the local population must not be underestimated. The MRAP portrays a menacing, aggressive posture that can potentially undermine efforts to establish relationships with the local populace. The MRAP has the potential not only to have a negative effect on the local population, but also on the U.S. forces employing the vehicle, by placing force protection ahead of mission accomplishment. In addition, MRAP's size and weight have an adverse effect on its deployability. Based on the MRAP's current characteristics, it can not be lifted by any Marine Corps organic asset. Because of its high costs, the MRAP has already pulled money away from other large DoD acquisitions, most noteworthy, the JLTV program, which has currently been delayed by at least 2 years.


According to Kuhn a new scientific discipline comes into existence when a group of scientists adopt a common paradigm within which to conduct research. The adoption of this paradigm serves to focus the attention of the group's members on a common explanatory task-at-hand and leads them to adopt similar methods and aims, thus making possible the standard puzzle solving activities that allow normal science to advance rapidly. However, Kuhn argues, in pre-paradigm periods and during revolutionary phases, scientists do not engage in such single-minded, puzzle-solving behgavior, as the paradigm itself is put into question. Instead, during these periods, they become at least partially self-reflective in that they become interested in understanding the nature of their discipline and its relationships to other disciplines. In this paper, I argu that philosophical counseling is in a pre-paradigm period and is in need of a paradigm centered definition if it is to develop an identity and advance rapidly. In an aristotelian mood, I seek this definition though an examination of the related fiends of psychoterapy and pastoral counseling


Data mining is an automated process of discovering knowledge from databases. There are various kinds of data mining methods aiming to search for different kinds of knowledge. Data mining systems induce knowledge from data sets, which are huge, noisy (incorrect), incomplete, inconsistent, imprecise (fuzzy), and uncertain. The problem is that existing systems use a limiting attribute value language for representing the training examples and induced knowledge. Furthermore, some important patterns are ignored because they are statistically insignificant. Independent component analysis (ICA) can be used as tool in extraction of features in large data sets. Optimization of the objective functions like — mutual information, joint entropy, negentropy, kurtosis etc., lead to the iterative algorithms for ICA. In this paper a new approach is taken for identification of data attributes and socio economic characterization of data on the basis of ICA and cluster analysis. The approach is based entirely on measured entropies of the system and minimization of mutual information. The technique has been applied to efficiently extract the independent components or data attributes from a large data set. The sample data set is obtained from scanned OMR application forms of candidates applying for various courses in an Indian University, which provides educational services to various sections of society. By using cluster analysis technique useful results have been found which can be used for the socio economic characterization of candidates applying for engineering courses in the University. Simulations with such data have been presented to show the effect.


Professor Thomas Lehner is one of the most distinguished oral and dental researchers to have come out of the UK. Over the past 40 years, he has made an astonishing number of discoveries which have had an impact on our understanding of the pathogenesis of a variety of mucosal diseases. He has consistently practiced both basic and clinical research and built an integrated group of clinical and non-clinical researchers, which allowed him easy transition from the laboratory to the clinic. Tom Lehner was among the early scientists studying mucosal immunology, initially exploring oral diseases, with special emphasis on the immunobiology of Streptococcus mutans, leading to active and passive vaccination against dental caries. He was the first to demonstrate cellular immunity as the immunopathological basis of periodontal diseases, recurrent aphthous stomatitis, and candidiasis. Over the past 20 years, his expertise in mucosal immunobiology has been applied to the immunology of HIV/SIV infections. His seminal contributions include regional innate mucosal immunity, prevention of SIV infection in macaques by secretory IgA antibodies, up-regulation of CC chemokines, and the first demonstration of protective CCR5 antibodies. Arguably, his leadership, his students, and the establishment of immunology applied to oral mucosal diseases will be his greatest legacy. His contributions continue unabated.


Anemia in myelodysplasia (MDS) is partially ascribed to enhanced programmed cell death (PCD) of committed erythroid cells in the bone marrow compartment. Especially, enhanced apoptosis has been described. However, nonapoptotic forms of PCD have been demonstrated in MDS megakaryocytes characterized by the absence of chromatin condensation and caspase-3 and -8 activation (Houwerzijl EJ et al. Blood 2005;105:3472–3479). Recent studies have indicated that besides apoptosis, necrosis and autophagic cell death can be recognized as PCD, whereby cells are capable to switch between the different types of PCD dependent on their cellular context. To define in more detail the underlying cell death pathways in MDS erythroblasts, immunohistochemical staining and ultrastructural and immunolabeling analysis were performed on bone marrow samples of low-risk MDS patients and normal controls (n=4). Immunohistochemistry of MDS bone marrow biopsies (n=23) demonstrated no positive staining of the erythroblasts for active caspase -3 and -8. To confirm these results ultrastructural analysis and immunoelectron microscopy was performed on mononuclear cells (MNC) and hematons of a subgroup of these patients (n=9). Hematons are compact hematopoietic complexes in which hematopoietic cells, including erythroblasts, are embedded in their own microenvironment. The ultrastructural analysis revealed that only a small fraction of erythroid cells of the MNC and hematon fraction of both MDS patients and healthy controls demonstrated features of apoptosis (2 ± 2% vs 0%). However, 52 ± 16% of immature and mature MDS erythroblasts contained cytoplasmic vacuoles in contrast to normal erythroblasts, in which vacuoles were only shown in the matured stage (12 ± 3%). These vacuoles were partly double-membraned and stained positive for the lysosomal marker LAMP (lysosome associated membrane protein)-2, catalase and the mitochondrial inner membrane protein (immunogold staining) underscoring the presence of autophagy of mitochondria and other cytoplasmic components. Morphometric analysis confirmed that the vacuolar surface in the cytoplasm of MDS erythroblasts was increased compared to controls ( P <0.0001). When bone marrow MNC were cultured in vitro for 24 hours, 27 ± 7% of MDS erythroblasts were apoptotic versus 8% of those from controls which was confirmed with an anti-caspase-3 staining. However, when erythroblasts were cultured in the context of their own microenvironment, i.e. from the hematon fraction, only 6 ± 4% of MDS erythroblasts were apoptotic ( P =0.007). In summary, these data indicate that MDS erythroblasts show features of enhanced autophagy at an earlier stage of the erythroid differentiation program than normal controls and that the autophagic process may switch to apoptosis when the appropriate microenvironment is lacking. The enhanced autophagy might be considered as a cell protective mechanism to remove defectively formed and iron-laden mitochondria, but can also have consequences for the erythroid differentiation program due to the premature autophagic degradation of proteins relevant for the maturation process.


A simple and highly sensitive electrochemical assay for ligation-free and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-free microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling is described in this work. The electrode used in the assay was made of a monolayer of stem-looped capture probes (CPs) comprising of a miRNA complementing region at one end and detection probes (DPs) receiving region at the other. It engaged an electrocatalytic reaction between electrochemically activated glucose oxidase (GOx) and glucose to enhance its sensitivity. Briefly, upon hybridizing to its target miRNA, the stem loop is unlocked exposing the DP receiving region. A subsequent hybridization with the DPs brought them together with an amplifier, the activated GOx, onto the electrode. The activated GOx exhibited excellent catalytic activity towards electrooxidation of glucose. MicroRNA detection could therefore be conducted in 60 mM glucose in phosphate-buffered saline. A detection limit of 4.0 fM and a linear calibration curve up to 10 pM were obtained under optimal conditions. The assay was applied to profile human let-7 miRNA expressions in cultured cancer cells.


The generalized concept of cutting stock problem was proposed, and the meaning of the cutting stock problem oriented to manufacturability was discussed. For one-dimensional cutting stock problem, the influencing factors and the processing methods of the manufacturability of cutting plan was researched. The function and structure of the manufacturability oriented one-dimensional optimal cutting stock system based on multithread technology was put forward. Then, processing ways for one-dimensional cutting stock problem oriented to manufacturability was studied and a two-stage optimization method combined forward and reverse optimization was given. Finally, a software system for the cutting stock problem studied above was developed and an example was given to verify the practicality and efficiency of the system.


We establish a formal correspondence between resource calculi an appropriate linear multicategories. We consider the cases of (symmetric) representable, symmetric closed and autonomous multicategories. For all these structures, we prove that morphisms of the corresponding free constructions can be presented by means of typed resource terms, up to a reduction relation and a structural equivalence. Thanks to the linearity of the calculi, we can prove strong normalization of the reduction by combinatorial methods, defining appropriate decreasing measures. From this, we achieve a general coherence result: morphisms that live in the free multicategorical structures are the same whenever the normal forms of the associated terms are equal. As further application, we obtain syntactic proofs of Mac Lane's coherence theorems for (symmetric) monoidal categories.


An experimental study was conducted for three different fuels(, and ) to investigate the combustion characteristics and the local reaction intensity with combustor pressure(-30kpa~30kpa). Regardless of fuel composition, EINOx decreased with reducing pressure decreased. Structure and combustion characteristics were also largely affected by the combustor pressure. In addition, reaction intensity in terms of the changing combustor pressure and equivalence ratio was investigated. Combustion reaction in higher than atmospheric pressure was very active than the lower combustor pressure. When the combustor pressure is lower than the atmospheric pressure, the overall reactivity is noticeably enhanced due to the elevated diffusion process of unburned mixture. It was found that the combustion characteristics of the methane and propane flames are considerably influenced by the pressure while those of ethylene flame are less sensitive to the combustor pressure.


(In his article in KITTEL, W. GRUNDMANN virtually ignored the Apocalypse). The time may not be wasted if we review John's use of this adjective. We may find, among other things, that profound meanings often lurk behind the simplest words. In the case of adjectives which are easiest to translate it may be most difficult to convey the full range of original connotations. The problem of translation appears to be easy, indeed, in the twenty cases where this adjective megas describes voices or sounds (phonai). For seventeen of these RSV reads loud (i o1 , 2,2, vi IO, vii 2, IO, viii1I3, x 3, xi1I2, I5, xii IO, xiv 7, 9, I5, I8, xvi I, xix I7). In two cases the translators preferred great (xvi 17, xxi 3) and in one mighty xix I). It is difficult to know the reasons for this preference. In contrast to loud, do great and mighty intimate the presence of dignity and even a trace of pomposity in the voice ? Or is this usage merely an archaism? Or is the mightiness of a sound less measurable in decibels than its loudness? When one


This study aims to investigate the differences of politeness strategy used by Munanese in their social interaction. The source of the data was verbal utterances of Munanese dialect Gu . This study used pragmatic study especially theory of politeness by Brown and Levinson, and supported by other theory particularly Yassi's theory. It also used descriptive qualitative method that is observation by recording and note taking. The result of the study showed the pattern politeness strategies used in Munanese Dialect Gu are; Hormat Non Kerabat; mixed, Hormat berkerabat; mixed and positive politeness (KP), Akrab Non Kerabat; mixed, Akrab Berkerabat; positive politeness (KP), Hierarki Non Kerabat; mixed (hierarchy), and (6) Hierarki Kerabat; mixed. The differences of the strategies maybe caused by several possible reasons including cultural differences, different age and social status when the people interact each other.


This letter presents a fully integrated 2.4/5.2-GHz dual-band low-noise amplifier (LNA) for WLAN applications. By switching the input transconductance and the output capacitance, the narrow-band gain and impedance matching are achieved at the 2.4-GHz and the 5.2-GHz frequency bands. Using a standard 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS process, a compact dual-band LNA with a chip size comparable to a single-band one is realized in the proposed topology for a minimum hardware cost. The fabricated circuit exhibits gains of 10.1dB and 10.9dB, and noise figures of 2.9dB and 3.7dB at the two frequency bands, respectively.


Decay of magnetization was measured in YBa2Cu3O7-δ single crystals under the conditions of field sweep. In varying the sweep rate over eight orders of magnitude, the system could be carried from flux creep to flux flow regime. A broad crossover is observed in agreement with a distribution in pinning potentials. This novel technique enabled the first experimental determination of the relaxation time in the flux creep regime (τ ~ 10-3 s).


In the future commercial and military communication systems, anti-jamming remains a critical issue. Existing homogeneous or heterogeneous arrays with a limited degrees of freedom (DoF) and high consumption are unable to meet the requirements of communication in rapidly changing and intense jamming environments. To address these challenges, we propose a reconfigurable heterogeneous array (RHA) architecture based on dynamic metasurface antenna (DMA), which will increase the DoF and further improve anti-jamming capabilities. We propose a two-step anti-jamming scheme based on RHA, where the multipaths are estimated by an atomic norm minimization (ANM) based scheme, and then the received signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is maximized by jointly designing the phase shift of each DMA element and the weights of the array elements. To solve the challenging non-convex discrete fractional problem along with the estimation error in the direction of arrival (DoA) and channel state information (CSI), we propose a robust alternative algorithm based on the S-procedure to solve the lower-bound SINR maximization problem. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed RHA architecture and corresponding schemes have superior performance in terms of jamming immunity and robustness.


I describe the development of a three dimensional numerical model of a cable system with an interacting sliding mass. The cable is modelled using a lumped parameter approximation, where the cable is discretised into a collection of viscoelastic point mass elements articulated by frictionless hinges. The sliding mass is modelled as a point mass which is free to move in all three dimensions. The dynamics of the sliding mass are formulated to take into account the constraint provided by the cable, and incorporates a variety of active forces including friction and air drag.


As runoff flows over the land or impervious surfaces (paved streets, parking lots, and building roofs), it accumulates debris, chemicals, sediment, and other contaminants that can adversely affect water quality if the runoff discharge remains untreated. Pathogens, commonly measured using fecal indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli, enterococci, or fecal coliform, are the most-frequent cause of water-quality impairment in rivers and streams in the United States. Rapid Creek originates in the western Black Hills area and flows east through Rapid City, South Dakota, to its mouth at the Cheyenne River. The water quality of Rapid Creek is important because the reach that flows through Rapid City is a valuable spawning area for a self-sustaining trout fishery, is actively used for recreation, and is a seasonal municipal water supply for the City of Rapid City. These uses (fishery, recreation, and water supply) are considered beneficial uses by the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Numerical criteria have been established for total suspended solids and Escherichia coli concentrations, among other water-quality constituents, for these beneficial uses. The objectives of this study were to improve the method by which fecal indicator bacteria and total suspended solids are quantified in the urban drainages within Rapid City and to provide information that helps identify origins of fecal indicator bacteria and total suspended solids. This information can be used in hydrologic models to estimate fecal indicator bacteria and total suspended solid loading from certain infrastructure elements in urban environments. Stormwater samples analyzed for Escherichia coli, total suspended solids, specific conductance, and pH were collected in three drainage basin flowpaths within Rapid City: Jackson, Wildwood, and the Eco Prayer Park. Data-collection activities for this study focused on upgradient urban flowpath elements during rainfall events. This approach builds upon previous stormwater assessments that characterized the water quality in urban basin outlets near the downstream end of the stormwater flowpaths. Within each flowpath group, 4–6 sites were selected to represent the various infrastructure elements of the runoff process. These elements included roof downspouts, parking lots, street curbs and gutters, open channels, underground storm sewers, and stormwater ponds or best-management practice facilities. In general, the concentrations of Escherichia coli and total suspended solids increased in the downstream direction for all flowpath sites. The wash-off process after the first flush is evident for total suspended solids and specific conductance; however, Escherichia coli concentrations did not necessarily follow the same pattern. Escherichia coli concentrations in the latter part of the runoff period were similar to or greater than the initial concentrations of the first set of samples. Stormwater-quality data were summarized by infrastructure type (roof downspout, parking lot, street curb, and channel/ storm sewer) to provide information about approximate waterquality concentrations originating at the upper end of urban flowpaths. Escherichia coli and total suspended solid concentrations were lowest in samples collected from locations most isolated from human influence (roof downspouts); the median concentrations at these sites were 4 most probable number per 100 milliliters and 15 milligrams per liter, respectively. The delivery potential of fecal indicator bacteria and sediment from parking lots and street curbs was similar; median concentrations of Escherichia coli and total suspended solids were around 150–220 most probable number per 100 milliliters and 56–86 milligrams per liter, respectively. The downstream receiving channels and storm sewers where stormwater was aggregated typically contained the highest Escherichia coli concentrations (median was 1,800 most probable number per 100 milliliters), but the total suspended solid concentrations were similar to upstream elements in the flowpath (median was 69 milligrams per liter). The data collected from this study demonstrate that stormwater is contaminated with fecal indicator bacteria upon initial contact with impervious surfaces and highlight the importance of controlling the volume of stormwater discharges into receiving waterbodies via storage structures and pervious elements. Diluting stormwater with high concentrations of Escherichia coli with the receiving water's (Rapid Creek) lower concentration of Escherichia coli is likely the primary mechanism for meeting the beneficial-use criterion threshold of 235 most probable number per 100 milliliters. Although total suspended solid concentrations in the upper parts of the basin (parking lots and street curbs) also begin at concentrations (56 to 86 milligrams per liter) above the beneficial-use criterion for Rapid Creek (53 milligrams per liter), current stormwater-control practices (storage ponds, swales, and wetlands) may be able to reduce suspendedsediment concentrations to meet this threshold. 2 Stormwater Quality of Infrastructure Elements in Rapid City, South Dakota, 2016–18


This paper examines the effects of the Big Five personality traits on concern for information privacy (CFIP) and the effects of the formulated concern for information privacy towards perceived risk, which in turn determine location-based services (LBS) usage intention. Data for this research was collected from 291 users and non-users of LBS. Result from Pearson correlation analysis indicated significant relationships exist between: (1) extraversion, and openness with collection; (2) extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness with improper access; (3) extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness with errors; (4) agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness with secondary use. All four dimensions of CFIP are found to have a significant direct relationship with perceived risk of using LBS. Implications for research and practice for location-based service providers are discussed.


A light source with cluster ions as radiative particles is considered. Its hot region is supported by injection of ionized vapor from a plasma generator of low power. Ions are formed in a cold region and are directed to the hot one under the influence of an external electric field. The kinetics of the cluster growth in the cold region and their evaporation in the hot one are analyzed. Radiative parameters of cluster ions in hot gases are considered, and the output parameters of the light source are estimated.


In the present, watermark plays an important part in all copyrighted content whether it is physical or digital. The importance of watermark in digital data increases as the usage of internet in transferring data increases day by day as the technologies improves. The main objective of using digital watermark is to apply the highest security as possible to the digital image and in the same time to reduce as most disturbance as possible that can be visible to the human eye. This research proposed a hybrid mapping pattern which is Hilbert-Peano Curve to try to achieve the highest security as possible from alteration. This proposed digital watermark uses the Least Significant Bit (LSB) to store the watermark data, which consist of parity bits as the authentication data and recovery data. This is to reduce the disturbance to the original image as much as possible as it might alter the colour of the original image. The results are compared with the existing watermark, Hilbert-LSB to analyse which pattern is suitable to be implemented with the watermarking scheme. The results of this research shows Hilbert-Peano pattern can contribute better performance in terms of watermark data security, time taken to embed watermark data, and the imperceptibility level if compared to the original Hilbert mapping pattern.


Today organizations recruit & retain MultiGenerational Workforce (Age Diversified Workforce) which consists of employees from five different generations having diversified competency. It is always a great challenge for organizations to retain & motivate a Multi-Generational Workforce to achieve their goals & objectives in a competitive era. The growth and development of an age diversified organization depends upon the performance (PFM) level of personnel working in the organization and their PFM level depends upon both ability & adaptability. As banking sector is automated & every activity is done with the help of computers (IT) it is very tough for banks to deal with multi-generational workforce effectively. The banking sector consists of multigenerational workforce who are different in thought, ideology, attitude & perception & they adapt technology differently. Traditionalist, the silent generation is completely resist to accept technology whereas Baby boomers are little bit sound in technology. Similarly Gen-X is technology friendly & uses technology to make work life balance whereas Gen-Y, the tech savvy generation is completely attached with technology & finally Gen-Z the 5G who is more advanced in technology & cannot walk a single step without the help of IT. In India with the introduction of New Economic Policy (NEP), there was enormous change in banking sector. There was enough scope for private sector banks (LPG, policy) which came to be known as "Tech savvy Banks of New Generation". The introduction of IT paved new wave of automation in banking sector which enhanced performance & at the same time faced challenges regarding adaptability. It is an attempt to study the importance of IT in banking sector & the challenges faced by banks regarding the adaptability of IT as banks lead a multi-generational workforce. The remedial measures are suggested to bring the compatibility of workforce with IT & strategies with the help of which the workforce will attain its goals & objectives & gain competitive advantage. To test hypotheses "Independent t test" have been conducted


This paper presents a practical thermal loading guide for distribution transformers feeding residential customers. Extensive load research data were used to estimate the thermal response of a "standard IEC distribution transformer." A strong relationship between the parameters of a load modeled by load current as a function of time and the hotspot temperature was found. Using this type of load model, a method was developed for estimating the hotspot temperature of a transformer for customers from different load classes. A method was derived to translate the thermal response of a standard IEC distribution transformer to any practical transformer.


Production Performance and Nutrient Digestibility of Peranakan Ongole Cows Given Feed Rice Straw Based Diet with Supplementation and Complete Feed D. Sunaryo, Suryahadi, Anita S. Tjakradidjaja Good quality forage in Rembang regency is difficult to obtain because climate is the limiting factor. Rice straw is then used as an alternative feed for Peranakan Ongole (PO) cows. However, rice straw is a low-quality feed indicated by the low palatability and low protein content. Good quality supplements should be given to complete the nutrient content of rice straw-based diet. Rich nutrient supplement (SKN) and complete feed can be formulated to meet the needs of PO cows, and these are the efforts to improve production performance of PO cows. The purpose of this experiment was to study the response of PO cows to the improvement of rice strawbased feed with supplementation and complete feed. The study was carried out using 16 PO cows that were randomly allocated in 4 groups as replications. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and differences among tratments were tested by contrast orthogonal test. The treatments given were R1 (rice straw), R2 (R1 + rice bran 2 kg/day), R3 (R2 + SKN 0,4 kg/day), and R4 (complete feed). SKN was the supplement consisted of energi, protein, and mineral supplements. This SKN was also used and combined with rice straw to form complete feed. Variables observed were feed and nutrient consumptions, digestibility of nutrient, body weight gain (BWG), feed efficiency ratio (EPR), and income over feed cost (IOFC). The results showed that the use of rice bran, SKN and complete feed can improve the nutrient quality of rice straw-based feed and can improve nutrient consumtions. The results of this experiment were significant on dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) digestibilities (P<0.05), but did not significantly affect organic matter (OM) and energi digestibility. The pattern of DM and OM digestibility values tended to decrease from R1, R2, R3 to R4, but the pattern of CP and energi digestibility tended to increase. However, there was an increase of digested nutrients along with increased consumption. The treatment did not significantly affect BWG and EPR although the values had increase, and R2 produced the highest IOFC compared with R1, R3, and R4. The conclusion is, complete feed showed the best effect on PO cows performance, on the other hand, SKN did not showed good effect due to limitations in the amount that was given. Nevertheless SKN and rice bran supplementation can also improve the performance of PO cows.


Power grids must be more and more capable of adapting to a range of sometimes rapidly fluctuating conditions, originating by both fast variations of absorbed and generated power, especially from renewable sources. The implementation of substation automation is rapidly increasing, fostered by the "digitalization" of the substations themselves. In this context, where voltage and current Instrument Transformers (ITs) have digital output or their output is digitized by the Stand Alone Merging Units (SAMUs), the natural evolution of a Phasor Measurement Unit is to become all-digital, that is not to have analog input but to process directly the Sampled Values (SVs) to extract the desired quantities. However, since these instruments can be used to implement critical tasks for the power system (stability control, remote diagnostics and so on) it is very important to assure the accuracy of the measurements. Therefore, this paper presents the results of a preliminary study where the performance of a PMU implemented using the SVs from a commercial SAMU are experimentally tested in various test conditions suggested or inspired by the international standards.


Authentication is the first step in information security. It requires the user to memorize their password and remember at login time. textual passwords are the most traditional schemes that are used for providing security, but textual passwords are vulnerable to dictionary attacks, shoulder surfing, and spyware. Graphical password schemes overcome the shortcomings of textual passwords, but they were vulnerable to shoulder surfing attacks. Since conventional password schemes are vulnerable to shoulder surfing, many shoulder surfing resistant graphical password schemes have been proposed. However, as most users are more familiar with textual passwords than pure graphical passwords, text- based graphical password schemes have been proposed. Unfortunately, none of existing text-based shoulder surfing resistant graphical password schemes is both secure and efficient enough. to overcome this problem text and color are combined to generate passwords for providing higher security. a new technique called extended text and color based session password security against shoulder surfing and spyware. Session password can be used every time the password is created for authentication. In the proposed system, the user can easily and efficiently login system. Proposed scheme is resistant to shoulder surfing and accidental login and spyware.


Big data is one of the most important developments in business this decade. In response, there are growing calls for auditors to themselves adopt big data techniques. In this paper, we argue that if auditors are to be successful in incorporating big data into their practices and take advantage of the undoubted potential of big data for more accurate analysis of the burgeoning data available about their clients, then they need to see big data as a means towards an end and not as an end in itself. Thick data is a new ethnographic approach that uncovers the meaning behind big data visualisation and analysis. When applied to auditing, thick data is about adding context to the enhanced quantitative analysis that big data promises. By using the medium of the analysis of the tone at the top, the thick data approach can be incorporated into auditing practice in a way that is consistent with established audit practice.


Today, social networks are increasingly used by individuals and communities. Social network analysis is the study of relationships between humans using graph theory. A social network consists of a group of individuals or organizations that are nodes and relationships between nodes can be friends, relatives, business etc. The relationship between two nodes shown with an edge in social network graph. This research is used of centrality metrics to determine user's positions. centrality is show Role of the individual in a social network. Four metrics used are betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, eigenvector centrality and PageRank. The social network actor's position has predicted using Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network. The results showed that the predicted values are significantly closer to the actual values.


Previous dilepton measurements in heavy-ion collisions have mainly focused on invariant mass spectra to clarify in-medium changes of vector meson properties. However, a dimuon is characterized by two quantities - invariant mass M and transverse momentum p{sub T}. Like transverse momentum spectra of hadrons, p{sub T} spectra of dileptons arise from an interplay between emission temperature and collective transverse flow, whereas the invariant mass is insensitive to flow. Having two control parameters of which only one is sensitive to flow allows one at a given M to characterize the emission region in terms of average temperature and flow. Thus, one can study what phases of the fireball evolution radiate into a given mass window. We demonstrate this technique using the dimuon transverse momentum spectra measured by the NA60 Collaboration and present strong arguments that a thermalized evolution phase with T>170MeV leaves an imprint in the spectra.


Class III alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH3), also termed formaldehyde dehydrogenase or S-nitrosoglutathione reductase, plays a critical role in the enzymatic oxidation of formaldehyde and reduction of nitrosothiols that regulate bronchial tone. Considering reported associations between formaldehyde vapor exposure and childhood asthma risk, and thus potential involvement of ADH3, we reviewed the ontogeny, distribution, and regulation of mammalian ADH3. Recent studies indicate that multiple biological and chemical stimuli influence expression and activity of ADH3, including the feedback regulation of nitrosothiol metabolism. The levels of ADH3 correlate with, and potentially influence, bronchial tone; however, data gaps remain with respect to the expression of ADH3 during postnatal and early childhood development. Consideration of ADH3 function relative to the respiratory effects of formaldehyde, as well as to other chemical and biological exposures that might act in an additive or synergistic manner with formaldehyde, might be critical to gain better insight into the association between formaldehyde exposure and childhood asthma.


In this study, we investigated how deaf children express their anger towards peers and with what intentions. Eleven-year-old deaf children (n=21) and a hearing control group (n=36) were offered four vignettes describing anger-evoking conflict situations with peers. Children were asked how they would respond, how the responsible peer would react, and what would happen to their relationship. Deaf children employed the communicative function of anger expression differently from hearing children. Whereas hearing children used anger expression to reflect on the anguish that another child caused them, deaf children used it rather bluntly and explained less. Moreover, deaf children expected less empathic responses from the peer causing them harm. Both groups did, however, expect equally often that the relationship with the peer would stay intact. These findings are discussed in the light of deaf children's impaired emotion socialization secondary to their limited communication skills.


NK cells provide the first line of defense against tumor and viruses, without the requirement for prolonged pre-activation. However, anti-tumor function of NK cells is progressively dampened in the terminal stages of cancer patients, largely associated with the tumor-induced immune evasion mechanism. Hypoxic tumor environment provides once such mechanism providing NK cell tolerance, and become a potential therapeutic problem to overcome in the patients of solid cancer for NK immunotherapy. To better understand the effect of hypoxia on NK cells, we assessed the anti-tumor function of NK cells in response to decreasing concentration of O2 concentration. As expected, NK cells cultured in severe hypoxia, 0.5% O2, demonstrated diminished cytotoxicity and IFNg against A375 melanoma targets and failed to expand to a larger number ex vivo. However, to our surprise, NK cells cultured in mild hypoxia, 1.5% O2, were expanded to a much higher level and mounted increased anti-tumor effector function, both in normoxic and hypoxic conditions. NK cells grown in mild hypoxia demonstrate upregulation of major activating NK cell receptors, NCRs, while inhibiting apoptosis during ex-vivo expansion. Thus, NK cells respond differentially to O2 concentration, and mild hypoxic conditions can indeed facilitate the expansion and function of NK cells that can overcome NK cell intolerance in the patients undergoing NK cell immunotherapy.


The microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi is an obligate intracellular parasite that develops asynchronously inside parasitophorous vacuoles. Spore differentiation involves the construction of a cell wall commonly divided into an outer layer (exospore) and a thicker, chitin-rich inner layer (endospore). The developmental patterns of protein deposition and mRNA expression for 2 different spore wall proteins were studied using immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization procedures with ultrathin frozen sections. The onset of deposition of an exospore-destined protein (SWP1) correlated with the formation of lamellar protuberances during meront-to-sporont conversion. No evidence for a release of SWP1 towards the parasitophorous vacuole lumen was obtained. An endospore-destined protein (EnP1) was detected early on the plasma membrane of meronts prior to extensive accumulation within the chitin-rich layer of sporoblasts. swp1 mRNA was preferentially synthesized in early sporogony while enp1 mRNA was transcribed during merogony and a large part of sporogony. The level of both mRNAs was reduced in mature spores. Considering the availability of the E. cuniculi genome sequence, the application of nucleic and/or protein probes to cryosections should facilitate the screening of various genes for stage-specific expression during microsporidian development.


Abstract There is accumulating evidence in the literature that different short-period climate regimes (subclimates) may have characterized the Northern Hemisphere during the past 40 years. We, therefore, investigate the 40-yr record of 50 kPa height (1946–85) and analyze the time series of zonal anomalies stratified by season. We find that there appears to be two contiguous regimes-with a rather abrupt transition during the early 1960s—which had significantly different means, trends and degrees of variability. The results are compared with those from recent investigations of Northern Hemisphere surface and/or tropospheric temperature variation. The possibility of a "climatic jump" during the early 1960s is discussed. Our results raise the question of an appropriate period to use for determining "normals," whether for standard level surfaces or, more generally, for calculating the statistics of the general circulation, both in the horizontal and vertical.


The objective of this study was to test the effects of drain valves sizes on the flow rate of the Hydraulic ram pump using for agriculture. This study was conducted using a pipe of 2 m height and size 50 mm diameter of the inlet pipe connected into the Hydraulic ram pump with 12 m of inlet hose and 19 mm of outlet hose. Three sizes of drain valves of 25, 38 and 50 mm connected into the air chamber with 102 mm diameter, and 450 mm height. The results showed that 38 mm of diameter of the drain valve and mass pressure on the valve of 900 g showed the highest flow rate of 25 liters per hour.


In 1990, a 2-ha plantation of Eucalyptus nitens (Deane and Maiden) Maiden was established in southeastern Tasmania and subjected to different irrigation regimes. Point dendrometers were installed in March 1995 to monitor radial stem movement every 15 min over several growing seasons. In this study, data from two growing seasons (1996-1998) were considered. From these measurements, daily increments of stem radius were determined. At the end of the second growing season, we extracted 12-mm cores and measured microfibril angles (MFA) of the wood at high resolution. Microfibril angles were rescaled on a time axis and mapped to daily and distance-based elements. Among treatments, irrigated trees in particular formed higher MFA early in the growing season (September-November) and lower MFA later in the growing season. Trees subjected to cyclic droughts showed clear relationships between MFA and soil water deficits, with MFA increasing in response to water stress release. Increases in MFA were preceded by accelerations in daily increment of stem radius. Among treatments, trees subjected to severe drought had the smallest MFA and generally low fluctuations in MFA. Irrigated trees were susceptible to changes in climate, whereas growth of the trees in the other treatments was limited by water availability. Use of path-analysis showed that temperature had an effect on stem radius increment but not on MFA; wind speed was the only factor that influenced MFA directly. Microfibril angle was correlated with stem shrinking and expansion phases; growth period length and growth rates were positively related to MFA.


This case report describes a technique used to treat smooth surface white spot lesions microinvasively. It is based on the infiltration of an initial enamel caries lesion with low-viscosity light-curing resins called infiltrants. The surface layer is eroded and desiccated, followed by resin infiltrant application. The resin penetrates into the lesion microporosities driven by capillary force and is hardened by light curing. Infiltrated lesions lose their whitish appearance and look similar to sound enamel. Additionally, the treatment prevents lesion progression. This technique might be an alternative to microabrasion and restorative treatment in treating of white spot lesions of esthetically relevant teeth.


The flow leaking through the gap between rotor blade tips and casing surface in a turbine stage is an important source of energy loss. The current study uses a new concept named as Tip Leakage Interrupters (TLI) to mitigate some of the adverse effects of the tip leakage flows and improve the efficiency of an axial turbine stage. The TLIs are a system of vortex generators attached onto the suction side of the turbine blade tip. The TLI design was developed in a proof of concept effort and they operate by inducing controlled vortical structures originating from strategically shaped/oriented multiple and sub-miniature vortex generators. These induced vortical structures, when properly interact with the tip leakage vortex reduce the damaging aerodynamic effects of the leakage flow. The TLIs in this investigation were mounted near the suction side corner of turbine blade tips rotating in a single-stage cold-flow turbine facility. In this investigation, three different parameters such as the mounting location of TLI on the airfoil tip region, the number of TLIs mounted and the specific orientation of TLI were varied. The TLI mounted near the minimum pressure point on the suction side of the blade generated the largest vortical structure that is counter rotating to the leakage vortex system and hence had the greatest effect in reducing the strength of the leakage vortex. Adding more TLIs on the blade suction surface was found to improve the tip leakage mitigation effort. The study showed that changing the specific orientation of the TLI with respect to the incoming flow drastically changes the rotational direction of the vortex it generates and its nature of interaction with the leakage vortex.


Dermatoglyphic has found application in establishing ethnic differences (Harlich et al., 2002). The plantar Arch pattern dermatoglyhics of the Hausa ethnic group of Nigeria has not been established, and a lot of work had been done in southern Nigeria. This work attempts to look into the plantar arch patterns of the Hausas in Northern Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey of 357 subjects was collected from persons who were truly of the Hausa tribe in Nigeria. 222 of the subjects were males while 135 were females. There was a significant difference in the plantar arch pattern on both sexes as confirmed by the chi-square test. There were differences on both feet. The percentage frequency of the arch pattern on the toes was greatest on the females and on the right toe (63%). The frequency was least on females (9.9%). The frequencies were greatest on the right toes of both sexes.


In this article the process of building three-dimensional airport model in Geographic Information System with the use of different GNSS techniques and classical geodetic measurements carried out at the Olsztyn-Dajtki airport was described. The main goal of this study was primarily to open new possibilities in the management of the airport with use of GIS, improving the safety of takeoffs and landings of the aircrafts and providing information for planning and possible expansion of the airport. Apart from the procedures for data acquisition in the direct field measurements, model construction process also covered the procedures associated with the system planning, procedures of secondary data collection (digitalisation), the processing of these data, characteristics of their sources and methods of presentation. A way to perform spatial data analysis was also presented, and the activities related to the preparation of the mapping were described.


We describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of Popcorn, a media delivery system that hides clients' consumption (even from the content distributor). Popcorn relies on a powerful cryptographic primitive: private information retrieval (PIR). With novel refinements that leverage the properties of PIR protocols and media streaming, Popcorn scales to the size of Netflix's library (8000 movies) and respects current controls on media dissemination. The dollar cost to serve a media object in Popcorn is 3.87× that of a non-private system.


A growing number of IEEE 802.11 -based wireless LANs have been set up in many public places in the recent years. These wireless LANs provide convenient network connectivity to users. Although mobile nodes allowed roaming across wireless LANs, handoff latency becomes an obstacle when mobile nodes migrate between different IP networks. Advanced, the link-layer handoff process disrupts the association when a mobile node moves from one access point to another. Without discussing the latency of Mobility Protocols, this link-layer handoff latency already made many real time applications can not meet their requirements. Several actual network experiments are made to proof this point. In this paper, it is proposed that a link-layer optimization scheme is designed to reduce the latency of link-layer handoff procedure. No violation to the existing specifications in the IEEE 802.11 standard and compatible with existing devices. Since the proposed optimization scheme is worked in the base of whole handoff procedure, whatever which Mobility Protocol is used in the upper-layer, it can take the benefit from the proposed scheme. Even real time applications can work under an acceptable situation.


I construct a model of a growing economy with pollution. The analysis of the model shows that the interactions between capital accumulation, endogenous longevity and environmental quality determine both the long-run growth rate of the economy and the pattern of convergence (i.e., monotonic or cyclical) towards the balanced growth path. I argue that such interactions can provide a possible explanatory factor behind the, empirically observed, negative correlation of longrun growth with its short-term cycles. Furthermore, the model may capture the observed pattern whereby economic growth and mortality rates appear to be negatively related in the long-run, but positively related in the short-run.


The objective of this study was to evaluate different nozzles and spray rates on drop deposition in corn (Zea mays), Euphorbia heterophylla and Brachiaria plantaginea, both weeds located at and between crop rows. The experimental design established was complete random blocks with treatments arranged at 2 x 2 factorial scheme (2 nozzles types: DG11002VS flat flan and medium droplets, TXVK08 cone and very fine droplets; and 2 rates: 100 and 200 L ha) with four replications. The spray applications occurred at 13 days after corn germination (3-5 expanded leaves), when E. heterophylla and B. plantaginea plants had 2-4 and 2-3 leaves, respectively. Solution of Brilliant Blue (FD&C-1) dye at 3,000 ppm was used as spray tracer. It was concluded that the greatest average deposits in corn plants was provided by TXVK08, independently of the spray rates used. The most uniform deposits occurred when the spray rates of 200 L ha was used. Spray deposits were most uniform in B. plantaginea compared to E. heterophylla when both weds were located at crop row, independently of nozzle or spray rates. However, the DG 11002VS spray nozzle provided the most uniform drop deposition on B. plantaginea located between the rows, while the most efficient deposition over E. heterophylla located between rows was TXVK08.


Ice multiplication by fragmentation during collision–freezing of supercooled rain or drizzle is investigated. A zero–dimensional dynamical system describes the time evolution of number densities of supercooled drops and ice crystals in a mixed–phase cloud. The characteristic time–scale for this collision–freezing ice fragmentation is controlled by the collision efficiency, the number of ice fragments per freezing event, and the available number concentration of supercooled drops. The rate of the process is proportional to the number of supercooled drops available. Thus, ice may multiply extensively, even when the fragmentation number per freezing event is relatively small. The ratio of total numbers of ice particles to those from the first ice, namely the 'ice–enhancement factor', is controlled both by the number of fragments per freezing event and the available number concentration of supercooled drops in a similar manner. Especially, when ice fragmentation by freezing of supercooled drops is considered in isolation, the number of originally–existing supercooled drops multiplied by the fragmentation number per freezing event yields the eventual number of ice crystals. When supercooled drops are continuously generated by coalescence, ice crystals from freezing fragmentation also continuously increase asymptotically at a rate equal to the generation rate of supercooled drops multiplied by the fragmentation number per freezing event. All these results are expressed by simple analytical forms, thanks to the simplicity of the theoretical model. These parameters can practically be used as a means for characterizing observed mixed–phase clouds.


OBJECTIVE
To study the different immunoregulatory effects of Youguiyin, Sijunzitang, Taohong Siwutang to patients with deficiency of Kidney, Spleen and blood stasis Syndrome respectively.

METHODS
The treated group, 40 patients in each with deficiency of Kidney, Spleen and blood stasis were treated with Youguiyin, Sijunzitang and Taohong Siwutang respectively. Three control groups (20 patients each) were established respectively. Peripheral venous level of complement C3, circulating immunocomplex (CIC), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), lymphocyte transformation rate (LTR), the activity of natural killer (NK) cell, and the phagocytic function of neutrophil were measured before and after treatment.

RESULTS
Sijunzitang could reduce the level of CIC (P < 0.01), raise the activity of NK cell and LRT (P < 0.01) of the patients with deficiency of Spleen syndrome; the same did the Youguiyin to that of patients with deficiency of Kidney syndrome. Also, Sijunzitang could increase the level of IL-2 in blood and the phagocytic function of neutrophil (P < 0.05); the Taohong Siwutang could lower the level of CIC to patients with blood stasis syndrome (P < 0.01), increase the activity of NK cells (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION
Youguiyin, Sijunzitang could enhance the immunoregulatory function of the patients with deficiency of Spleen and Kidney, particularly the cellular immune functions, in which the Sijunzitang effect is more complete and significant, while Taohong Siwutang eliminated the effect of CIC in blood better.


Recent advances in targeted anticancer drug discovery and development has brought about many new promising IND entities to the frontline of preclinical and clinical research. One of the major challenges is to identify and select appropriate patient population for further validation of the new drug efficacy in preclinical and clinical settings. Thus, patient stratification is a critical step in developing personalized cancer therapeutic drugs. This requires comprehensive understanding of genetic background and biomarker profiles of the patients. To meet this highly desired need, we have built up a robust preclinical oncology pharmacology platform, establishoing over 250 human primary tumor xenograft models (HuPrimeTM), including more than 20 common cancer types. All HuPrimeTM models are annotated with clinical information, diagnosis pathology, genome-wide transcription profiling, genome-wide SNP-copy number variation (CNV), hot-spot mutations of key oncogenes, key biomarker IHC information, and responses to standard-of-care (SOC) agent treatment. All the HuPrimeTM model information, along with cancer cell line genomic information, were collected into a proprietary interactive database, HuBaseTM, which offers intuitive navigation control and searchable function, enabling cancer researchers to analyze hundreds of cancer cell lines and HuPrimeTM tumor models for their need of drug development programs. With easily accessible genomic information, HuPrimeTM models or cell lines which express specific target genes of interest can be identified by transcription profiling and gene copy number variation (CNV) status. Biomarkers that are potentially predictive to drug response can then be validated in HuPrimeTM tumor models based on genomic annotation prior to pharmacological studies. Models with appropriate genomic signatures and biomarker information can be selected for more efficient drug efficacy tests with higher success rate. Using the genomic-biomarker guided approaches, we have validated standard-of-care drug responses in HuPrimeTM tumor models that showed significantly elevated expression of molecules involved in drug target related signaling pathways, conducted PD biomarker identification and discovery studies, including biomarkers in various cellular response upon drug treatment.In this presentation, examples of HuPrimeTM tumor models, application of HuBase® data and predictive biomarker IHC analysis in model selection for several targeted therapy agents, including Trastuzumab (Herceptin), Sorafenib, Cetuximab, and Tarceva, will be discussed. We believed that this genomics-biomarker guided approach can greatly improve the effectiveness of preclinical evaluation of targeted drug development. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2667. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2667


A physical equivalent circuit model for the planar GaAs Schottky varactor diode is presented. The model takes into account the distributed resistance and capacitance of the active layer, the sidewall capacitance, and the parasitic resistances and accurately accounts for the high series resistance observed near the pinch-off voltage. The dependence of the maximum series resistance on varactor size, frequency, and doping profile has been theoretically investigated, and the results agree well with experimental data. The proposed model can be easily used for optimization of planar Schottky varactor diodes with regard to broadband monolithic VCO constraints. >


Abstract Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a rare complication of transfusion, for which the true incidence remains obscure, since there are a number of factors that may lead to misdiagnosis. Despite this, it continues to be the leading cause of transfusion-associated mortality. Here we present a historical case of TRALI in an elderly female who received group AB plasma and discuss how current mitigation strategies would likely have prevented its occurrence. It is important to remember that both immune and non-immune factors play a role in TRALI pathogenesis, and although current preventative strategies may decrease TRALI's incidence, they likely will not eliminate it. Immunohematology2015;31:155–158.


A sample of 65210 K → ππeν (K e4) decay candidates with 1% background contamination has been collected in 2003–2004 by the NA48/2 collaboration at the CERN SPS. A study of the differential rate provides the first measurement of the hadronic form factor variation in the plane (M ππ,M 2 eν) and brings evidence for a cusp-like structure in the distribution of the squared π π invariant mass around 4m2π+ . Exploiting a model independent description of this form factor, the branching ratio, inclusive of radiative decays, is obtained using the K → πππ decay mode as normalization. It is measured to be BR(K e4) = (2.552±0.010stat±0.010syst±0.032ext)×10, which improves the current world average precision by an order of magnitude while the 1.4% relative precision is dominated by the external uncertainty from the normalization mode. A comparison with the properties of the corresponding mode involving a ππ pair (K e4 ) is also presented.


Now a days high percentage of motive of research is to use Waste generated in nature by human being is to be utilized and solve the problem of nature contamination due that waste generated. In this process our research concentrated on waste generated in thermal power plants i.e., output fly ash. This fly ash disposal is happening in current scenario is to dump in to sea or river near by that thermal power station. So that there will be contamination of natural resource water. To make this fly ash ecofriendly by utilizing it for the replacement of cement in concrete preparation. So that the amount of cement which is going to be manufactured will be reduced so that the amount of Carbon di oxide emissions will be reduced so as to avoid Global Warming. This fly ash is having physical and chemical properties which are pro to replace cement by little percentage in preparation of concrete. This research work carried to find out at what part of fly ash can be substituted for cement in concrete so that the different strengths of concrete like compressive strength, flexural and tensile strengths can have improved values rather than that of structural elements prepared by conventional concrete. And the research done in laboratory by preparing structural elements with different proportions of parts of fly ash in substituting of cement in concrete and tested. These test results were analysed and found the apt percentage of where the different strengths were found to be more when compared with that of the conventional or fundamental concrete structural elements.


Quantum chaos in a kicked harmonic oscillator is analysed. Under the condition of strong chaos of the classical limit, the time of classical description of quantum averages is shown to be of the order of nh(cross) approximately ln(1/h(cross)). In the case of weak classical chaos this time considerably increases: nl approximately l/h(cross)>>nh(cross). The properties of symmetry for quasi-energy functions are discussed for different parameters of the system. The results of numerical analysis for the dependence of oscillator energy on time are given. The possibility of delocalization of quasi-energy eigenfunctions is discussed.


Abstract The current work expands on a three-dimensional, non-linear, stochastic finite-element model previously developed by the author. The model predicts a materially non-linear stress-strain curve for tension, compression and bending scenarios. It is based on the non-linear constitutive properties of the individual strands, which are characterized within the framework of orthotropic elasto-plasticity. The constitutive model employs the Tsai-Wu yield criterion and an associated flow rule. Failure is marked by an upper bound surface whereupon either perfect plasticity or an abrupt loss of strength and stiffness ensues. The finite element code has also extended the capacity to perform Monte Carlo simulations. The model was further developed to predict the mechanical behavior of parallel-strand lumber (PSL) made from Douglas fir. The physical features of PSL were measured and incorporated into the finite element model and the mechanical behavior of PSL was simulated. Statistical distributions for macroporosity and grain angle variation in PSL were created and included in the model as individual random variables in a stochastic and probabilistic manner. Constitutive curves for PSL were numerically generated under tensile, compressive and three-point bending conditions. Comparison of the computed and experimental data sets demonstrates the validity of the proposed modeling technique.


In this article I submit that the pandemic politics of the COVID-19 crisis have unmasked the inadequacies of existing representative democracies. Mixing the experiences and responses of various democracies and thinkers to this crisis, particularly from India and South Africa, I argue that a minimally functioning democracy must do two things at least: ensure the health and well-being of citizens and the equal means competitively to select prudent, empathetic and courageous leaders. For this, I suggest, we need a politics that allows us to express and assess our needs, and determine who is best placed to represent us in responding to these needs, all in non-dominating conditions. To this end, the article also proposes and defends four institutional reforms that would enable a dynamic, anti-oligarchic form of democracy to consistently empower the least powerful and keep elites properly in check.


Two new adamantyl-peptides, D-(2-adamantyl)-glycyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine hydro-chloride (Isomer-1) and L-(2-adamantyl)-glycyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine hydrochloride (Isomer-2), were tested in the model of the MCa mammary carcinoma of the CBA mouse. These compounds, and particularly Isomer-2 showed to be more effective in reducing lung metastases than primary tumor growth and to be active in conditions in which a low number of metastases are formed, a condition that is seen when the tumor is implanted s.c. or when its growth is slowed down by a lower inoculum size. The apparent lack of any correlation between the effect of Isomer-2 on tumor growth and metastasis formation and that on the response to ConA of in vitro IL-2 selected spleen lymphocytes seems to suggest that the dose and treatment schedule chosen might not be the most appropriate. In fact, the immunopotentiation observed a 2nd drug injection is virtually lost at the end of treatment and this fact might explain the limited effect on tumor growth, and could probably account for the lack of macroscopical effects on lung metastases and on survival time.


We report experiments on the equipartition of kinetic energy in a mixture of pairs of different types of grains vibrated in two dimensions. In general, the two types of grains do not attain the same granular temperature, T(g) = 1/2m. However, the temperature ratio is constant in the bulk of the system and independent of the vibration velocity. The ratio depends strongly on the ratio of mass densities of the grains, but not on their inelasticity. Also, the temperature ratio is insensitive to compositional variables such as the number fraction of each component and the total number density. We conclude that a single granular temperature, as traditionally defined, does not characterize a multicomponent mixture.


We have crystallized a variety of RNA oligonucleotides in a form suitable for X-ray diffraction studies using polyethylene glycol with a low-molecular-weight distribution (PEG 400) as the precipitant. Crystallization experiments on a set of 26 RNA oligomers ranging from eight to 12 nucleotides in length resulted in eight diffraction-quality crystals. Of these eight RNA crystals, six utilized PEG 400 as the precipitating agent. We have also been able to obtain large single crystals of a DNA-RNA hybrid, transfer RNA (two different conditions) and a catalytic RNA from PEG 400 solutions. These results suggest that PEG 400 may be a generally useful alternative to 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (MPD) which has, thus far, been the most successful precipitant for DNA oligomers.


Several methods of river water quality assessment techniques have been introduced. Among the most commonly used are the water quality index system and classification scheme. These two systems are designed to simplify the huge amount of water quality data down to its simplest form, while retaining the essential meaning of the information. They offer the means for measuring the effectiveness of pollution abatement strategies by comparing the status of water quality both temporally and spatially. In this way, it is useful for management purposes, especially in determining priorities for resource allocation and planning of new development areas.

The water quality index system and the classification schemes currently available, however have some limitations in their structural design. They often exhibit inherent loss of information, are complex and may involve subjective judgement in their interpretation. However, because of the critical issues on water pollution and the scarcity of water resources, these systems are being applied despite of these limitations. The current situation is that, different countries are applying different models of water quality assessment system. Based on the limitations of the existing assessment systems, it is appropriate to explore other approaches that can be more flexible, robust to noisy data, and adaptable to new form of environmental data, in order to provide direct and prompt results for classifying of river water quality. One avenue for research is that based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN).

Artificial Neural Network comprises of several techniques. One of this technique that is widely being used is the Back-Error Propagation (BEP). BEP of ANN was used in this research in conjunction with the Interim National Water Quality Standard (INWQS) data for Malaysia. The findings of the study shows that the classification results based on the evaluation of the water quality variables were good when compared with the results obtained from other water quality classification models, which include: the Department of Environment Water Quality Index (DOE-WQI), the Harkins'-WQI, Mahalanobis Distance Classifier, Maximum Likelihood Distance Classifier and the Decision Tree Classifier. The accuracy for BEP of ANN was found to be 86.9% and correlated well with all of these five models. The highest correlation was, with the Mahalanobis Distance Classifier and the DOE-WQI. The analysis on sensitivity shows that the BEP of ANN was sensitive to Dissolved Oxygen, a condition similar to the DOE-WQI model.

Comparisons were made with two types of BEP of ANN architecture, a simple network with less number of hidden nodes and a relatively complex network with more hidden nodes. It can be concluded from the analysis that a small and simple network performed well with large samples and with test data that are widely distributed than the complex network with more hidden nodes.

Using the same model, different approaches were used in evaluating the classification of water quality were applied, such as the used of the land use variables and hydrological features (LUVHF) to replace the water quality data. Using these variables, the performance of the BEP of ANN in classification of water quality was low (24% and 31%). However, its performance can be improved, if more samples with wider range of LUVHF were used.

Throughout this study, the BEP of ANN model has shown some remarkable achievements. In view of these, several knowledge contributions have been made. The first contribution is the flexibility of the system approach and operationally simple to perform. Secondly, it provides a practical approach in classification of river water quality, such that through a single network computation of a sample, the results are presented promptly as the probability value and the class grade value. The third contribution is that the water quality can also be classified based on the land use variables and hydrological features, without dependence on water quality data. This approach is suitable for remote areas, where accessibility is relatively difficult.


OBJECTIVE
Circular ribonucleic acids (circRNAs) are considered as the key regulatory factors for human malignancies in recent years, and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a common malignancy worldwide, but the molecular mechanism of circRNAs in LUAD has not been completely investigated. Therefore, the mechanism by which circRNA protein kinase C iota (circPRKCI) regulates LUAD cell migration proliferation, and cycle was preliminarily explored in this research, so as to provide new ideas for the treatment of LUAD.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
First of all, the circPRKCI expression level in LUAD tissues was tested via quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay, and the relationship between circPRKCI and the patients' prognosis was analyzed. Then, circPRKCI expression was inhibited by small interfering RNA (siRNA), and the influence of circPRKCI on t LUAD cells' ability to proliferate was verified via 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays. Moreover, the influence of circPRKCI on LUAD cells' ability to migrate was testified by transwell assay, and the regulation of LUAD cell cycle by circPRKCI was confirmed by flow cytometry. The micro RNAs (miRNAs) with binding sites to the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of circPRKCI and the genes binding to miRNAs were discovered using bioinformatics websites, and their associative relation was further explored through Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay, qRT-PCR assay, Pearson correlation analysis and reverse experiment.

RESULTS
It was verified via qRT-PCR assay that circPRKCI was expressed at a remarkably higher level in LUAD tissues relative to that in paracancerous normal tissues. The highly expressed circPRKCI led to poor prognosis of patients. Besides, qRT-PCR assessment results indicated that circPRKCI expression level rose notably in LUAD cell lines, while it was lowered markedly in LUAD cells transfected with si-circPRKCI. According to CCK-8 and EdU assay results, the proliferative ability of LUAD cells was weakened clearly after knocking down circPRKCI. It was manifested in the results of transwell assay that the knockdown of circPRKCI significantly repressed the capacity of LUAD cells to migrate. Furthermore, the results of cell cycle test displayed that inhibiting circPRKCI could induce the arrest of LUAD cell cycle in the G1 phase. It was discovered through bioinformatics websites that miR-219a-5p had binding sites to circPRKCI 3'UTR, and the results of Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that circPRKCI was able to bind to miR-219a-5p. It was uncovered by the qRT-PCR assay results that miR-219a-5p was lowly expressed in LUAD tissues, and its relative expression had an inverse relation with that of circPRKCI according to the Pearson correlation analysis. In addition, it was shown in the results of reverse experiment that miR-219a-5p could regulate the influence of circPRKCI on the malignant phenotype of LUAD. It was found by means of bioinformatics websites that calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase ID (CAMK1D) was a downstream target gene of miR-219a-5p and could the two conjugated with each other based on the results of Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay. Moreover, qRT-PCR assay findings illustrated that CAMK1D was evidently highly expressed in LUAD tissues, and the results of Pearson correlation analysis revealed that CAMK1D expression exhibited a negative association with that of miR-219a-5p and a positive correlation with that of circPRKCI.

CONCLUSIONS
CircPRKCI is significantly highly expressed in LUAD, and the highly expressed circPRKCI is capable of facilitating LUAD cell migration, proliferation and cycle. CircPRKCI may regulate the malignant phenotype of LUAD via the miR-219a-5p/CAMK1D axis.


Parenting is a demanding task under the most ideal circumstances. The basic goals of parenting are: to promote the physical survival and health of the children, to foster the skills and abilities necessary to be self sustaining adults, to foster behavioural capabilities for maximising cultural values and beliefs. While plenty of advice is available to the parents for child rearing too often this advice is confusing and conflicting. The objectives of the study were to develop an awareness programme on "Prevention of Child Abuse", to assess and evaluate the knowledge and attitude of the parents before and after administration of awareness programme on child abuse. The research approach adopted was evaluative pre experimental and research design selected was pre experimental one group pre test post test design. The variables under study were independent variable i.e. awareness programme on prevention of child abuse and dependent variable i.e. knowledge and attitude scores of the parents regarding child abuse. A Sample of 60 parents were selected by convenient sampling technique.The tools developed were structured interview schedule and attitude rating scale. The awareness program was developed which included a planned teaching programme and an information booklet on "Prevention of Child Abuse" for the parents. Data collection was done within the period from 15 Dec 2013 to 8 Jan 2014 at Village Ningana, District Rohtak of Haryana. The data obtained was tabulated and analyzed in terms of descriptive and inferential statistics. The major findings of the study revealed that the awareness programme was effective in enhancing the knowledge and changing attitude of parents regarding child abuse as evident from significant "t" value calculated from pre test and post test scores.Nurses can play an active role in prevention of child abuse by imparting knowledge and sensitizing parents about child abuse.


The emergence of Web services has changed the Internet a lot, and greatly facilitated the development of service based software systems. How to select appropriate services and compose them according to given context to satisfy a user's requirement is a big challenge. This paper proposes a novel Genetic Algorithm (GA) method to synthesis web services in a context-aware environment. We first present a context space model to illustrate both contexts and services in a formal way, we utilize GA to compose context-aware services according to users' preference. We transform the problem of service composition to a multi-objective optimization problem. To resolve the conflict and dependencies among services in GA process, we propose a service similarity tree (SST) model to measure the similarity between services. Finally, we design a simulation experiment to evaluate our method. The experiment result shows that our method is a promising one to solve service composition problem in a context-aware environment.


— The main aim of the present research was to encapsulate mefenamic acid in niosomes andincorporate the prepared niosomes in the carbopol gel base for sustained therapeutic action. Mefenamic acid loaded niosomes were prepared by thin film hydration technique and evaluated for entrapment efficiency, vesicular size and zeta potential. The entrapment efficiency of the prepared niosomes was found to increase with decreasing the HLB values of surfactants and vesicle size was found to increase with increasing the cholesterol concentration. Niosomal vesicles with good entrapment efficiencies were incorporated in carbopol gel base to form the niosomal gel. The prepared niosomal gel was evaluated for pH, viscosity, spreadability, extrudability and skin permeation study across the rat skin. The results of permeation study revealed that the gel formulated with span 60 niosomes sustained the drug release for 12h. Further the in vivo study showed the good inhibition of inflammation by the gel prepared with span 60 niosomes.


The end of the twentieth century was marked by the extensive and explosive development of two directions in the economy and culture of society — globalization and postmodernism. The postmodern is an aggressive and protest reaction to a modernist style. Modernists believed up to nowadays that reason, science, progress, self-sacrifice, respect are eternal values. However, the creation of a global consumer society, informatization, the development of new technologies, the Internet spread, mobile communications, social networks contributed to the emergence of new relations associated with the rejection of traditional values. The economy is being actively taken root into the culture of consumption in the service industry. Fashion, style, behavior standards, brands have become a commodity. Postmodern crosses culture to commerce, with consumption, liberates and releases instincts. At the same time, the newly-minted cultural mutants are characterized by imaginary identity, indifference and disunity. After the end of the Cold War, postmodernism ideas had been moved ahead over the different countries and continents successfully, until they had stumbled over China. The managerial problem of the human relations and impossibility of their measurement is shown in modern conditions as well as at the time of Platon, Aristotle, Lao-tszy, Confucius, Suntszy, etc. This phenomenon is considered by us by the example of sports development and mass culture in China. In a situation with the penetration of postmodernism into Chinese society, Chinese communist leaders are forced to address the practical wisdom of their ancestors to counter the destruction of national consciousness and the preservation of national identity. Sports has become one of the most accessible, important and capital-intensive mechanisms for the implementation of global projects. Commercialization and capitalization of major sporting mega events has become a part of political activity, national prestige in the international arena for many political systems and independent states. Several case studies illustrate how as well as how Chinese leaders try to preserve national identity and the balance of relations in society in the postmodern era using the example of the development of China's sports reform.


This study aimed to examine whether it is advantageous in robotic-assisted TKA (RA-TKA) compared with conventional TKA throughout a 14 postoperative days (PODs). A total of 113 knees (100 patients) were reviewed and divided into the control group (55 knees) and the RA-TKA group (58 knees). We assessed postoperative pain intensity using a visual analogue scale at rest (rVAS) and during movement (mVAS), evaluated lower extremity functional recovery through quadriceps muscle strength and knee range of motion (ROM), preoperatively and on PODs 3, 7, 10, and 14. We also assessed the rescue analgesia intake and postoperative implant coronal alignment. The mean rVAS and mVAS scores did not differ significantly between the two groups. Muscle strength recovery was significantly faster in the RA-TKA group than in the control group on every PODs. ROM recovery was better in the RA-TKA group than in the control group on POD 10. The amount of postoperative analgesia was significantly lower in the RA-TKA group than in the control group. Attainment of a β angle <2° significantly better in RA-TKA. This study demonstrated better functional recovery in RA-TKA, particularly for muscle strength and ROM. RA-TKA reduced rescue drug intake and provided better implant positioning.


Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in and are maintained by special microenvironments, termed niches. It is assumed that the HSC niche space remains occupied by endogenous cells and that myelosuppressive conditioning is required to achieve high levels of HSC engraftment. We herein demonstrate that upon the transplantation of very large numbers of purified HSCs into normal mice not exposed to myeloablation, donor HSCs engrafted in niches distant from filled HSC niches without replacing host HSCs and subsequently proliferated and generated hematopoietic progenitors, leading to marked increases in the overall HSC numbers in bone marrow. Additionally, stem cell factor that is produced by CXC chemokine ligand 12-abundant reticular cells is involved in HSC engraftment. In contrast, host granulocyte/macrophage progenitors (GMPs) were replaced by the progeny of transplanted donor HSCs, and overall GMP numbers remained unchanged. Thus, inconsistent with the classical concept, numerous empty HSC niches are available for engraftment and proliferation in bone marrow.


This paper presents an I/sub DDQ/ test generation system for scan-based circuits, called CURRENT. A library-based fault modeling strategy is used to specify a realistic target fault set, which encompasses intra-gate shorts (for example stuck-on faults, gate-drain shorts) as well as inter-gate shorts (bridging faults). CURRENT consists of a fault simulator and a deterministic test generator. The fault simulator can be used to determine the fault coverage of a given test set or to generate test patterns for easy-to-detect leakage faults. The deterministic test generator is able to generate tests for hard-to-detect leakage faults and to identify redundant leakage faults. Furthermore, CURRENT is able to generate small test sets through the use of a new test set compaction technique, thus reducing the total test application time for I/sub DDQ/ testing. Experimental results show that CURRENT is able to generate small test sets with a test efficiency of 100% for each of the benchmark circuits with up to 2,400,000 considered leakage faults.


Among many other potential applications, intermittent solid slug feeders can be used to effectively inject biomass materials into fluidized bed reactors for pyrolysis. In particular, these feeders can be used to convey biomass materials that are highly cohesive to prevent plugging or undesirable reaction in the feeding tube. Although feeders of this design have been shown to work very effectively, they have not been studied in detail or optimized for the pyrolysis process. In addition, the operating conditions required to obtain predictable and consistent mass flow rates and slugs of desirable characteristics need to be established.The purpose of this work was to design, build and demonstrate the operation of a horizontal intermittent solid slug feeder and to test it with sawdust as the feed material. Sawdust is an extremely cohesive and difficult biomass to inject, but one that holds great potential as an important renewable feedstock for pyrolysis.The intermittent feeder designed for this work consisted of a pressurized vertical solids storage silo leading to a pneumatic pinch valve. The pinch valve, controlled by solenoid valves connected to a relay timer, released the feed into a horizontal feeding tube at a ninety degree angle. Within the silo, a rotating mixer prevented the bridging of solids. Intermittent pulses of gas from a control volume were fed into the horizontal feeding tube, as well as, in some cases, a continuous gas flow. The timing of the pulses was controlled by solenoid valves with a relay timer. While the pinch valve is opened, solids fall into the horizontal feeding tube forming a plug, which is then propelled by the pulsating gas into the reactor. The solid mass flow rate was experimentally measured by collecting the solids and continuously measuring the mass using a digital balance.Several variables were tested in order to optimize the performance of the feeder and the consistency of the feeding rate. They included the silo pressure, mixing rate, gas pulse pressure and volume, continuous gas mass flow rate, and the open pinch-valve time interval. The goals of this optimization were (a) to maximize the solid-to-gas ratio of mass flow rates, since the gas mass flux must be minimized to avoid wasting energy, and (b) to define operating conditions required to inject consistent biomass mass flow rates suitable for a laboratory scale pyrolysis reactor, and (c) to propose initial design criteria and a calibration procedure for intermittent solid slug feeders.The results demonstrated that the intermittent solid slug feeder system successfully achieved the desired objectives and showed how to efficiently select its optimum operating conditions.


The Human Cancer Genome Project generated about 1 million expressed sequence tags by the ORESTES method, principally with the aim of obtaining data from cancer. Of this total, 341,680 showed no similarity with sequences in the public transcript databases, referred to as "no-match". Some of them represent low abundance or difficult to detect human transcripts, but part of these sequences represent genomic contamination or immature mRNA. We performed a bioinformatics pipeline to determine the novelty of ORESTES "no-match" datasets from prostate or breast tissues. We started with 14,908 clusters mapped on the human genome. A total of 2226 clusters originating from more than two libraries or singletons with gaps upon genome alignment were selected. Ninety-four clusters with canonical splice sites representing the most stringent criteria to be considered a gene were subjected to manual inspection regarding genomic hits. Of the manually inspected clusters, 49.6% contained new sequences where 42.2% were probable low-expression alternative forms of the characterized genes and 7.4% unpredicted genes. RT-PCR followed by sequencing was performed to validate the largest spliced sequence from 8 clusters, resulting in the confirmation of five sequences as true human transcript fragments. Some of them were differentially expressed between tumor and normal tissue by an in silico analysis. We can conclude that after clean up of the no-match dataset, we still have about 939 new exons and 165 unpredicted genes that could complete the prostate or breast transcriptome.


BACKGROUND
Airway remodeling may play an important role in asthma pathophysiology. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) has a critical role in the remodeling process. Although cellular sources for TGF-beta have been previously investigated in asthma airways, the expression, release, or both of TGF-beta from asthmatic airways and blood neutrophils has not been reported.

OBJECTIVE
The current study evaluated the TGF-beta protein and messenger (m)RNA expression by airway and peripheral blood neutrophils in asthmatic and normal subjects.

METHODS
TGF-beta protein expression by airway and peripheral blood neutrophils was detected by using immunocytochemistry. TGF-beta protein levels in blood neutrophil supernatant were measured by using an enzyme immunoassay. TGF-beta mRNA expression was evaluated by using reverse transcription-PCR.

RESULTS
Higher numbers of TGF-beta(+) cells and neutrophils were found in airway tissue of asthmatic (n = 15) compared with normal subjects (n = 10). Although neutrophils in both asthmatic and normal airway tissue expressed TGF-beta protein and the percentage of neutrophils expressing TGF-beta was similar between the two groups, the total number of TGF-beta(+) neutrophils was higher in the asthmatic subjects (P =.01). Peripheral blood neutrophils from asthmatic (n = 5) and normal subjects (n = 7) also expressed TGF-beta protein and mRNA. Blood neutrophils from asthmatic subjects spontaneously released significantly higher levels of TGF-beta than those from normal subjects (P =.007).

CONCLUSION
These data suggest that airway and blood neutrophils from both asthmatic and normal subjects can express and release TGF-beta. Higher levels of TGF-beta expression-release from asthmatic neutrophils indicate that neutrophils may be involved in the airway remodeling process of asthmatic subjects.


The effect of feeding probiotic (Bio-Top; Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis), acidifier (Sal-Stop), antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) or probiotic plus acidifier was investigated in commercial broiler. A total of four hundred Cobb 500 day-old straight run chicks were randomly distributed to 5 different dietary groups having 4 replications each. The number of birds in each replication was 20. The five dietary groups were as control (basal diet; BD), BD containing AGP at a level of 20g/100kg, BD containing probiotic at a level of 200g/100kg, BD containing acidifier at a level of 200g/100kg; and BD containing an equal amount of probiotic plus acidifier (200g/100kg). Broilers that received either probiotic, acidifier or a mixture of probiotic and acidifier (1:1) exhibited higher body weight gain, lower feed conversion ratio (FCR) and higher costeffectiveness compared with the broilers fed on control diet (P<0.05). However, feeding of diet containing both probiotic and acidifier resulted in the highest growth rate and net profit in all dietary regimens. Broilers fed on probiotic and acidifier in a mixture had FCR similar to other treatment groups. This study indicated that the diet containing probiotic-acidifier mixture seems to be more cost-effective in promoting growth performance of broilers, as an alternative to the AGP, as compared to the use of probiotic or acidifier alone in the diet Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.3(1): 127-137, April 2016


The brain organizes experiences into memories that can be used to guide future behavior. Hippocampal CA1 population activity may reflect the retrieval of predictive models that contain information about future events, but little is known about how these kinds of memories develop with experience. We trained mice on a series of tone discrimination problems with or without a common statistical structure to observe how memories are formed and updated during learning. Mice that learned structured problems integrated their experiences into a predictive model that contained the solutions to upcoming novel problems. Retrieving the model during learning improved discrimination accuracy and facilitated learning by decreasing the amount of new information that needed to be acquired. Using calcium imaging to track the activity of thousands of CA1 neurons during learning on this task, we observed the emergence of a persistent hippocampal ensemble at the same time that mice formed a predictive model of their environment. This ensemble was reactivated during training and incorporated new neuronal activity patterns from each training problem. Interestingly, the degree to which mice reactivated the ensemble was related to how well their model predicted the content of the current problem, ensuring that the model was only updated with congruent information. In contrast, mice trained on unstructured problems did not form a predictive model or engage a persistent ensemble. These results show how hippocampal activity supports building predictive models by organizing newly learned information according to its congruence with existing memories.


This literature review focuses on the use of the College Systems Model will dealing with the complex issue of high-risk underage drinking. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), "The consequences of underage drinking can affect everyone regardless of age or drinking status." Colleges and universities are experiencing the effects of underage drinking in grave numbers. This article also reviews the specifically theoretical etiology of highrisk underage alcohol consumption as it relates to drinking motives and mental health.