Background The preoperative stay (PS) in patients with hip fracture has been classically associated with the resultant morbimortality of the process. As a consequence, current clinical guidelines recommend that surgery be performed within 24 or 48 hours of the fracture event. Latest communications question these assumptions. Objectives To analyze the factors present at the time of admission of patients with hip fracture that determine the length of the PS. Analyze the relationship of the length of the PS with the resultant morbimortality. Methods From March 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011, all patients admitted with fragility hip fracture in a university hospital, were visited in a prospectively and formalized way. We collected socio-demographic, clinical and analytical data concerning the patient's status before the fracture, complications arising during admission and follow-up at 3 months and a year. For this study, we analyzed the relationship between the length of the PS, the variables present at admission [age, sex, body mass index (BMI), type of fracture, serum haemoglobin, creatinine, and calcidiol, weekday of admission, Charlson comorbidity index (CI), Pfeiffer test (PT), Barthel index (BI)], the type of surgery and outcome variables [total stay and postoperative stay, one year mortality and worsening of the parameters of functional and cognitive status]. The variables were entered in a database and analyzed with SPSS Windows version 15.0. Results We included 631 patients (70% women) with a mean age of 83 ± 8 years. On admission, the mean BMI was 25.6 ± 4.5 kg/m2. The mean IC was 1.8 ± 2.0 and IB, 75 ± 29 points. The PT was normal in 54% of patients and showed mild, moderate or severe impairment in 17%, 15% and 14%, respectively. The most prevalent types of fractures were the subcapital (48%) and the pertrochanteric (39%). Regarding laboratory parameters, mean serum haemoglobin was 11.6 ± 1.9 g/dL, creatinine, 100.9 ± 77.4 mmol/L and calcidiol, 31.6 ± 22.8 nM/L. Osteosynthesis was the most commonly used surgical procedure (60%), prosthetic replacement was performed in 38% of the patients. The mean PS was 4.25 days, postoperative stay 13.4 days and total stay 17.4 days. One hundred and sixty-five patients (26%) died during the year after the fracture. None of the variables present at the time of admission or the type of surgery were related to the length of the PS. A longer PS was correlated with significant higher postoperative and total stays. The length of PS was not associated with an increase in the mortality rate or with an impairment of the parameters of functional and cognitive status. Conclusions In this prospective series of patients with fragility hip fracture, the length of the preoperative stay is not related to the resultant morbimortality. We could not identify any factor that determines preoperative stay length. A longer preoperative stay is associated with higher postoperative and total hospital stays. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Necrotizing soft tissue infections are uncommon, rapidly progressive and life threatening characterized by subcutaneous tissue and fascial necrosis. Despite advances in modern medical therapy, the morbidity and mortality of retroperitoneal necrotizing soft tissue infections are still very high. Treatment principles include early diagnosis, repeated extensive debridement, broad spectrum antibiotics and supportive treatment. In this case report we discuss a necrotizing soft tissue infection involving retroperitoneal space after a shoulder trauma. Key words: Retroperitoneal space, Infection, Surgery


The crystal structure of anthrone at 20 and - 90 °C has been refined and is found to possess long-range disorder, with a statistical distribution of anthrone molecules among two centrosymmetrically-related orientations. The anisotropic thermal-vibration parameters have been analysed. There is a large independent out-of-plane vibration of the oxygen atom, with which is associated considerable anisotropy of the thermal-expansion coefficients. These are also affected by molecular reorientation with change of temperature and by the short-range order to be discussed in parts II and III.


The aim of this paper is to present some graph-based algorithms for Finite State Process (FSP). Communicating Sequential Process generated by Finite Transition System is called FSP. If P and Q are FSP, the parallel process P/spl par/Q also is FSP. We will present an algorithm to construct parallel process of finite set of FSP and an algorithm to construct finite complete prefix.


Abstract We examine, for the first time, the effects of corruption on income using household survey data from a developing country. Estimating the effects of corruption on income is challenging because of the simultaneous relationship between the two variables. We use a two-step instrumental variable approach to identify the effects of corruption on income. We find that after adjusting for simultaneity bias the act of bribery reduces income and that higher bribes have a negative effect on income. Taken together, our results provide a possible explanation why a vicious cycle between corruption and income inequality does not exist in the land sector in Bangladesh.


This article aims to present, analyze, and relate the models that guided the basic education literature classes which a literature and language undergraduate experienced as student; and the models that he adopts to teach literature in his professional practices as language teacher on basic education. For that purpose, it was conducted an interview, in which the participant could describe the literature classes, both that he attended as student and teach as a teacher and analyze them from the perspective of what was called class model definers and demonstrators: class dynamics, content, didactic material and evaluation. Based on his answers, it was concluded that the literature classes which he attended as basic education student was guided by the historiographic model. It was also concluded that, although the participant had expressed dissatisfaction about that model, as a teacher, he tends to reproduce practices that characterize it.


This paper reports the results of a study in which age (grade level), racial/ethnic, and gender differences in beliefs and perceived norms about drinking were examined in a multi-ethnic urban sample of 4th through 7th grade children. Results showed that older children held beliefs and perceived norms that were more favorable toward drinking than younger children. The major difference between older and younger children lay in their differential estimates of the likelihood of certain consequences occurring and not in their evaluation of these consequences of drinking. Further, older children not only displayed less motivation to comply with their parents and greater motivation to comply with their peers, but they also perceived their parents, as well as their peers, as less disapproving of drinking than did younger children. There were few gender or race/ethnicity differences at these ages in children's beliefs and perceived norms about drinking.


Da'wah is the term used to refer to the process of spreading information about
Islam by a da'I (a Muslim communicator). Indonesia, as the country with the biggest
Muslim population in the world has produced a large number of da'I who gain
popularity in either, local, national, or international scale. Ustadz Abdul Somad is one
among the most popular da'I from Indonesia who in the last few years has attracted
audience across various social economic, educational, and political backgrounds.
Driven by the popularity gained by Abdul Somad which outruns most other da'I in
Indonesia, this study aims to investigate the factors influencing the success of his
da'wah communication. This study applied a descriptive qualitative approach using
documentation and interview as the instruments of data collection. The findings show
that there are two main factors behind the success of his da'wah communication, First,
the verbal factors which include comprehensive reference and the language choice.
Second, the nonverbal one, which in this case is the use of various platforms for
da'wah dissemination.


This paper describes the prototype of a power quality analyzer designed for real-time detection and classification of disturbances that occur in a single-phase power system. The standalone DSP-based analyzer implements previously developed algorithms for detection and classification of power quality disturbances such as transients, waveform distortions, sags, swells and interruptions. Its performance was verified during long term monitoring of the power system.


Library is a centralized point of social and professional front of education system. Librarian is a person who connects users to the library and provides all information related to all fields. It is most important to explore good relationship between librarian and users. It is not an easy job to deal with different types of personality and satisfy all the users. This is a very challenging task in librarian's professional life. In this paper we will discuss and explore how to maintain this relationship between librarian and users of library for long term. When I was doing research on this topic I felt that librarian is a person who does a great job and gives valuable time to users. This is very amazing thought and job to provide education related material to users to fulfill their dreams. Keywords: Relationship, librarian, education, explore Cite this Article Shaweta Sharma. Exploring Good Relationship between Librarian and Library Users by New Trends. Journal of Production Research & Management. 2015; 5(1): 14–17p.


The objects with which the hand interacts with may significantly change the dynamics of the arm. How does the brain adapt control of arm movements to this new dynamics? We show that adaptation is via composition of a model of the task''s dynamics. By exploring generalization capabilities of this adaptation we infer some of the properties of the computational elements with which the brain formed this model: the elements have broad receptive fields and encode the learned dynamics as a map structured in an intrinsic coordinate system closely related to the geometry of the skeletomusculature. The low--level nature of these elements suggests that they may represent a set of primitives with which a movement is represented in the CNS.


The antitumor effect of the human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) vaccine has been well documented; however, its anti‑angiogenic effects on human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) have yet to be studied. In the present study, a 'humanized' mouse model was established by transplanting NOD/SCID mice with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). After 4 weeks, the level of cluster of differentiation (CD)‑45+ human T‑lymphocytes in mouse peripheral blood was >0.1%, which indicated that mouse reconstruction and the human immune system transformation had been successful. The humanized mice were used to evaluate the anti‑angiogenic effect of the HUVEC vaccine on human ESCC. After immunization with the HUVEC vaccine for 5 consecutive weeks, the humanized mice were subcutaneously transplanted with EC9706 cells. The results indicated that the HUVEC vaccine reduced the size of human esophageal carcinoma xenografts by suppressing angiogenesis. In addition, the HUVEC‑immunized mice exhibited reduced expression of angiogenesis‑associated antigens (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 and VE‑Cadherin) in the tumor specimens, and increased levels of angiogenesis‑associated antibodies in the serum. Notably, the HUVEC vaccine also increased the infiltration of human T‑lymphocytes into the spleen of humanized mice. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated the anti‑angiogenic effect of the HUVEC vaccine on ESCC in a humanized mouse model, and set an experimental foundation for the application of the HUVEC vaccine in ESCC patients.


The ultimate luminosity performance of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) depends on the field quality in the large aperture (130 mm) superconducting quadrupoles in the interaction regions. In this paper we discuss the design features that are incorporated to obtain a good field quality. Coil midplane gap and pole shims may be adjusted to remove certain field harmonics due to systematic errors in construction. Iron tuning shims will be inserted at eight strategic locations in the assembled magnets to correct the measured values of harmonics in each magnet. The performance of two prototype magnets and upgrades under consideration will be discussed.<<ETX>>


Low serum concentrations of first-line tuberculosis (TB) drugs have been widely reported. However, the impact of low serum concentrations on treatment outcome is less well studied. A systematic search of MEDLINE/Pubmed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to 31 March 2018 was conducted for articles describing drug concentrations of first-line TB drugs and treatment outcome in adult patients with drug-susceptible TB. The search identified 3073 unique publication abstracts, which were reviewed for suitability: 21 articles were acceptable for inclusion in the qualitative analysis comprising 13 prospective observational cohorts, 4 retrospective observational cohorts, 1 case-control study and 3 randomised controlled trials. Data for meta-analysis were available for 15 studies, 13 studies of rifampicin (RMP), 10 of isoniazid (INH), 8 of pyrazinamide (PZA) and 4 of ethambutol (EMB). This meta-analysis revealed that low PZA concentration appears to increase the risk of poor outcomes (8 studies, n = 2727; RR 1.73, 95%CI 1.10-2.72), low RMP concentrations may slightly increase the risk of poor outcomes (13 studies, n = 2753; RR 1.40, 95%CI 0.91-2.16), whereas low concentrations of INH (10 studies, n = 2640; RR 1.32, 95%CI 0.66-2.63) and EMB (4 studies, n = 551; RR 1.12, 95%CI 0.41-3.05) appear to make no difference to treatment outcome. There was no significant publication bias or between-study heterogeneity in any of the analyses. The potential clinical impact of low concentrations of PZA and RMP warrants further evaluation. Also, comprehensive assessments of the complex pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships in the treatment of TB are urgently needed.


Abstract Context In order to design undergraduate medical education responsive to the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation that physicians learn about special education law and practices, it is important to understand medical students' baseline knowledge about children with disabilities, special education law, available services, and the sources of this information. Objectives To develop an instrument to measure what second-year medical students know about children with disabilities, special education law, and available services; to determine the most common sources of this information; and to establish a baseline on which to design curricula that address this topic. Methods This study adopted a survey design. The survey took place in 1 school of osteopathic medicine in a Northeastern state of the United States. One hundred fifty medical students in their second year of full-time enrollment were invited to complete the survey. The instrument designed by the authors consisted of 30 items organized into a demographics section and 3 domains: (1) perceived level of knowledge about children with disabilities, (2) sources of information about children with disabilities, and (3) actual knowledge about children with disabilities and special education. Results Ninety-eight students (65%) participated. Although students were accurate in self-assessment, their source of knowledge was limited. Medical students who identified personal experiences (t=1.64) and coursework as their source of knowledge had more correct responses (t=2.62). Conclusion This preliminary study demonstrated a lack of knowledge among second-year medical students with regard to children with disabilities, special education laws, and social services. Curricula emphasizing disabilities and special education along with longitudinal experiential training may be effective methods to deliver these topics.


The community has become more and more focused on preserving the natural landscape. That is an essential part of the quality of human life. Every member of society wants to enjoy a high-quality landscape. That is evidenced by the documents adopted in recent years, which set out how to evaluate the interaction between structures and landscape. The European Landscape Convention covers all areas with both natural and human-changed landscape. These paper analyses methods and criteria for the assessment of bridges as a component of the landscape, focusing on the possibilities and experiences of applying multi-criteria methods. Particular attention dedicated to the interaction between the bridge and the environment, the criteria and methods for its assessment, which is one of the stages of the visual (technical and visual) and aesthetic (separate elements and overall design) of the bridges, which includes both landscape and bridge impact assessment. Paper analysis the possible application of criteria and methods for evaluation of existing and new bridges as a part of the landscape.


Although fire has been used for several thousand years to maintain Miscanthus sinensis grasslands in Japan, there is little information about the nutrient dynamics in these ecosystems immediately after burning. We investigated the loss of aboveground biomass; carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics; surface soil C change before and after burning; and carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes 2 h after burning in a M. sinensis grassland in Kumamoto, Japan. We calculated average C and N accumulation rates within the soil profile over the past 7300 years, which were 58.0 kg C ha−1 yr−1 and 2.60 kg N ha−1 yr−1, respectively. After burning, 98% of aboveground biomass and litter were consumed. Carbon remaining on the field, however, was 102 kg C ha−1. We found at least 43% of C was possibly lost due to decomposition. However, remaining C, which contained ash and charcoal, appeared to contribute to C accumulation in soil. There was no difference in the amount of 0–5 cm surface soil C before and after burning. The amount of remaining litter on the soil surface indicated burning appeared not to have caused a reduction in soil C nor did it negatively impact the sub‐surface vegetative crown of M. sinensis. Also, nearly 50 kg N ha−1 of total aboveground biomass and litter N was lost due to burning. Compared with before the burning event, postburning CO2 and CH4 fluxes from soil appeared not to be directly affected by burning. However, it appears the short time span of measurements of N2O flux after burning sufficiently characterized the pattern of increasing N2O fluxes immediately after burning. These findings indicate burning did not cause significant reductions in soil C nor did it result in elevated CO2 and CH4 emissions from the soil relative to before the burning event.


The release of inhibitory transmitters from CNS neurons can be modulated by ionotropic glutamate receptors that are present in the presynaptic terminals. In the cerebellum, glutamate released from climbing fibers (but not from parallel fibers) activates presynaptic AMPA receptors and suppresses the release of the inhibitory transmitter GABA from basket cells onto postsynaptic Purkinje cells. This input-specific modulation has been attributed to the close proximity of the climbing fibers to the axons of the basket cells. Our recent work indicates that glutamate released from parallel fibers can "spill over" and reach the axons of stellate cells. Here I test the possibility that this spillover glutamate can activate presynaptic AMPA receptors in stellate cells and in this way modulate their release of GABA. I find that stimulation of parallel fibers activates AMPA receptors and transiently suppresses autoreceptor and autaptic GABAergic currents in stellate cells. Activation of AMPA receptors reduces the release of GABA and the suppression occurs more frequently in immature cells that have a high release probability. By contrast the release of GABA from mature stellate cells that have a low release probability is potentiated by the activation of NMDA-type glutamate receptors on presynaptic terminals. Thus during development, the glutamatergic modulation of GABA release switches from an AMPA-receptor-mediated transient suppression to a NMDA-receptor-induced lasting potentiation.


Since the discovery of leptin in 1994, a considerable amount of research has focused on leptin as a central regulator of body weight. In the animal model, research has demonstrated leptin action through hypothalamic centres altering both satiety and energy expenditure. In contrast to animal studies, it is unlikely that leptin functioning in the human system exerts such a profound role in body weight regulation. Human studies suggest that leptin levels are strongly correlated with both percentage fat mass and body mass index, in accordance with the proposed 'lipostatic theory'. Current research suggests the existence of a unique inter-relationship between dietary fat, leptin expression and leptin action within the peripheral system. More specifically, it has been demonstrated that polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake influences adipose tissue expression of leptin, and of several lipogenic enzymes and transcription factors. In addition, leptin stimulates triglyceride depletion in white adipose tissue without increasing free fatty acid release, thus favouring fatty acids versus glucose as a fuel source. Recent studies suggest that the reduction in adipose hypertrophy observed with n-3 PUFA-containing fish oil feeding might involve a leptin-specific process. A large amount of evidence supports direct functioning of leptin in peripheral lipid metabolism in vivo and in vitro. It is possible that PUFAs will maintain an efficient level of circulating leptin, thus preventing leptin insensitivity and weight gain. There has been much recent progress in clinical leptin research, from energy expenditure to leptin analogue efficacy; the purpose of the present review is to summarize our current understanding of leptin functioning.


Since the implementation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the United States in 1996, the number of persons diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the number of deaths among persons with AIDS have declined substantially; as a result, the number of persons living with AIDS has increased. This report describes changes in AIDS incidence, prevalence, and deaths among persons with AIDS during January 1996-December 2000. Surveillance data indicate a slowing of declines in new AIDS diagnoses, continued declines in deaths among persons with AIDS, and increases in the number of persons living with AIDS. These findings indicate that AIDS continues to place a burden on the health-care system in the United States and that access to medical and preventive services must be improved to reduce the public health impact of AIDS.


With the penetration of wind energy is becoming higher and higher in power systems, itpsilas necessary to investigate the impact of wind generations on small signal stability. This paper discusses small signal stability of large scale variable speed wind turbines with doubly fed induction generator integration, as they has the ability to vary their operating speed in order to gain optimum power extraction from the wind. Two types of small disturbances include line trip and load variations are used to analyze the impact. The small signal stability boundaries for power system with high penetration of wind farm are computed in this paper through bifurcation analysis. Hopf. bifurcations and minimum distances to small-signal stability boundaries in the control parameters space are determined. Modal analysis and time domain simulation are carried to analyze the small disturbance dynamic behavior. Finally, the IEEE 14 bus benchmark system is used to demonstrate the small signal stability analysis.


In this article the authors give a brief assessment of more than 20-year oil and gas subsoil use (since 1993) in the country, set out the negative aspects of subsoil licensing in relation to exploration activities, creation of new reserves and involvement of hydrocarbon reserves in the development; some of the problems are associated with the existing interaction of state authorities and organizations – subsoil users with different forms of ownership. The authors suggest basic ways to improve legislative and regulatory laws, arrangement of subsoil licensing and its monitoring, methodology to manage works on oil and gas subsoil use from the government's side. The above measures, which can be entered at the same time with the Order of V.V. Putin (until 01.01.2017) on the updating of already issued 3290 licenses, will eliminate the concept of 'loss of government benefits' associated with failure to reach efficiency of annual investments in the oil and gas industry for exploration and development of fields.


Digital whole-slide images of pathological tissue samples have recently become feasible for use within routine diagnostic practice. These gigapixel sized images enable pathologists to perform reviews using computer workstations instead of microscopes. Existing workstations visualize scanned images by providing a zoomable image space that reproduces the capabilities of the microscope. This paper presents a novel visualization approach that enables filtering of the scale-space according to color preference. The visualization method reveals diagnostically important patterns that are otherwise not visible. The paper demonstrates how this
approach has been implemented into a fully functional prototype that lets the user navigate the visualization parameter space in real time. The prototype was evaluated for two common clinical tasks with eight pathologists in a within-subjects study. The data reveal that
task efficiency increased by 15% using the prototype, with maintained accuracy. By analyzing behavioral strategies, it was possible to conclude that efficiency gain was caused by a reduction of the panning needed to perform systematic search of the images. The prototype system was well received by the pathologists who did not detect any risks that would hinder use in clinical routine.


The unbridled proliferation of Pentecostal churches in the world and particularly in Africa has steered up concerns among adherents of religious faiths, onlookers and academics alike. One area that has not been critically evaluated is the role of intra-church conflicts in Pentecostal church proliferation. Conflict is endemic in religious institutions and the Pentecostal churches; a component is not left out. Most of these conflicts are linked to religious freedom, poor governance and intra-church altercations. Conflict is a situation of disagreements, arguments, clash of interests, loyalties and emotions. It is evident where there are opposing ideas, opinions, feelings, wishes, and beliefs. It is a situation of incompatible goals. Interaction is the bane of conflict. Pentecostal churches involve social human beings and as such not free from conflict. This is an ethnographic study which employed qualitative approach of data collection such as key informant interviews and participant observation complimented with secondary data, anchored on Victor Turner's theory of social drama. The study combines emic (insider's) and etic (outsider's) perspectives in data collection and method of analysis is purely descriptive. Some anthropological extrapolations were made thereby unraveling causes, reasons for church proliferation, incidences of conflicts and the techniques of conflict resolution employed by selected Pentecostal churches studied. The study accepts religious freedom but argues that unregulated religious freedom fosters/breeds excesses from religious institutions.


4 new configuration to realize the most general n‐th order voltage transfer function is proposed. It employs only one operational transresistance amplifier (OTRA) as the active element. In the synthesis of the transfer function, the RC:–RC decomposition technique is used. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first topology to be used in the realization of an n‐th order transfer function employing a single OTRA.


Lobomycosis-like disease (LLD) is a chronic granulomatous skin disorder that affects Delphinidae worldwide. LLD has been observed in common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador, since 1990. Although exogenous factors such as salinity and pollution may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease in estuarine and coastal dolphin communities, we hypothesized that demography and social behaviour may also influence its epidemiology. To address this issue, the role of social behaviour in the distribution and prevalence of LLD was assessed through hierarchical cluster analysis and spatial distribution analysis in 7 dolphin communities inhabiting the inner estuary. Individuals with LLD lesions were observed in 5 of the 7 dolphin communities, with 13 of the 163 (8%) animals being positive, all adults. Among 8 dolphins of known sex, LLD affected mostly males (86%), who usually were found in pairs. Prevalence was low to moderate (5.1-13%) in dolphin communities where low-rank males had LLD. Conversely, it was high (44.4%, n = 9) in a small community where a high-rank male was infected. LLD affected both dolphins in 2 of the 4 male pairs for which large time series data were available, suggesting horizontal transmission due to contact. Thus, association with LLD-positive males seems to be an important risk factor for infections. Additionally, low-rank males had larger home ranges than high-rank males, indicating that low-status LLD-affected dolphins are likely responsible for the geographic dissemination of the disease in this population.


A patient-staff survey, focusing on the efficacy of treatment and aftercare, showed inconsistencies in the way staff perceived treatment given patients at a large municipal acute care hospital. Primary therapists, psychiatrists, and psychologists saw treatment in a routine, standardized fashion, whereas nurses, social workers, activity therapists, and others viewed treatment in more elaborate, individualized terms. The survey also showed disparities between what staff intended to do and what patients perceived was happening to them. Implications of these findings and recommendations for coordinating staff efforts and clarifying patient understanding of treatment are presented.


The amino acid sequences of two subtilisin inhibitors (CLSI-II and -III) from Canavalia lineata seeds were determined by manual Edman degradation using the DABITC/PITC double coupling method after enzymatic digestions and CNBr degradation. CLSI-II and -III consist of 190 and 183 amino acids, respectively, and have identical amino acid sequences except for in the C-terminal regions: an elongated sequence, Gly-Thr-Ile-Arg- Ser-Asp-Gly, was found at the C-terminus of CLSI-II. A short-chain analog protein without an N-terminal Asn residue was also detected in each inhibitor preparation. The inhibitors showed significant homology to Kunitz type inhibitors, but differed from them with respect to the half-cystine content. Among five half-cystine residues present in CLSI-III, two disulfide bonds link Cys44 to Cys88 and Cys142 to Cys149, Cys106 being present as a free cysteine residue. Phenylglyoxal treatment abolished the inhibitory activity of CLSI-III, indicating the participation of an Arg residue in the interaction with the enzyme. The reactive-site peptide bond was deduced to be Arg68-Gly69.


This study was conducted to detect the presence of porcine DNA in meat products in the market using different mitochondrial (mt) DNA on conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Porcine DNA detection in meat products was tested due to some issues associated with the adulteration of food products in Malaysia. This is an important issue especially for Halal authentication which is required for some religious practices such as in Islam and Hinduism. Many techniques have been developed for determining the Halal status of food products. In this paper, Polymerase Chain Reaction method was used to detect the presence of porcine DNA in meat products. Positive and negative controls were always present for each batch of extraction. DNA of raw pork meat was used as a positive control while nucleus free water is used as negative control. DNA of meat products was amplified by using species-specific primer namely mtATP6 with band size of 83-bp and Pork1 and Pork2 with band size of 531-base pair (bp) mitochondrial (mt) DNA D-loop primer to detect pork species. The present study demonstrated that none of the samples were contaminated with porcine residuals but selected samples with pork meat were positive. The species-specific PCR amplification yielded excellent results for identification of pork derivatives in food products and it is a potentially reliable and suitable technique in routine food analysis for Halal certification


Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of COPD on early post operative results. Patients and methods: Between January 1994 and December 2015, 2416 adult's patients who underwent CPB are analyzed retrospectively. Among them 145 (6%) had a history of COPD. The relevant pre, intra and postoperative data were compared between COPD patients on non-COPD patients. Results: Patients with COPD are older than those without COPD (p<0.001). Coronary artery disease is more prevalent in COPD group. Patients with COPD were more symptomatic. Also, preoperative comorbidities such as peripheral arterial disease, renal dysfunction and left ventricular dysfunction were more prevalent in COPD group. No significant difference was noted between the two groups with regard to in-hospital mortality (p=0.17). But COPD correlated with many negative outcomes such as: prolonged mechanical ventilation, prolonged intensive care unit stay, excessive bleeding, pneumonia, low out post syndrome, postoperative renal failure and acute myocardial infarction. Conclusion: COPD did not increase in-hospital mortality after CPB, but it correlated with increased many postoperative complications.


Although many business schools have started to offer business analytics programs and courses for their MBA students, they lack understanding about how these efforts translate into job market gains for their graduates and whether all business schools have a level playing field. To bridge this gap, we use signaling theory to investigate the impacts that the business analytics breadth (BAB) level and university ranking of MBA programs have on graduates' future employment success in terms of salary and job placement. We collected and analyzed data on business analytics-relevant courses that the top 89 business schools in the United States according to Bloomberg (bloomberg.com) offered. Our findings show the vital role of university ranking in determining the efficacy of BAB to produce job market gains for students: university ranking moderated the effect of business analytics offerings on postgraduation salary and job placement. These findings provide interesting insights for researchers and business schools interested in understanding the return on investment in business analytics programs.


Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a nuclear receptor that plays a critical role in regulating the metabolism of xenobiotics. Here we report a new role for PXR as a negative regulator of the inflammatory pathway. Quiescent Pxr-/- BMDMs exhibited a pro-inflammatory state as transcripts of inflammatory genes were significantly elevated. Upon stimulation with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), Pxr-/- BMDMs produced significantly higher protein levels of inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, enhanced inflammation was also observed in Pxr-/- mice challenged with Lm. Furthermore, disruption of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene reversed the pro-inflammatory state in Pxr-/- BMDMs suggesting that PXR negatively regulated inflammation through the TLR4 pathway. In fact, both Pxr-/-Tlr4-/- BMDMs and mice exhibited normal inflammation in response to Lm infection. Transfection of HEK-Blue™-mTLR4 cells with DNA vector expressing PXR inhibited the response to LPS in a dose-dependent manner, which suggested that PXR can directly modulate the TLR4 pathway. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that PXR negatively regulates the inflammatory pathway and the regulation is through directly modulating the TLR4 pathway. Thus, our results suggest that PXR can be targeted as a therapeutic strategy to treat inflammatory diseases.


Understanding the response of terrestrial ecosystems to climatic warming is a challenge because of the complex interactions of climate, disturbance, and recruitment across the landscape. We use a spatially explicit model (ALFRESCO) to simulate the transient response of subarctic vegetation to climatic warming on the Seward Peninsula (80 000 km2) in north‐west Alaska. Model calibration efforts showed that fire ignition was less sensitive than fire spread to regional climate (temperature and precipitation). In the model simulations a warming climate led to slightly more fires and much larger fires and expansion of forest into previously treeless tundra. Vegetation and fire regime continued to change for centuries after cessation of the simulated climate warming. Flammability increased rapidly in direct response to climate warming and more gradually in response to climate‐induced vegetation change. In the simulations warming caused as much as a 228% increase in the total area burned per decade, leading to an increasingly early successional and more homogenous deciduous forest‐dominated landscape. A single transient 40‐y drought led to the development of a novel grassland–steppe ecosystem that persisted indefinitely and caused permanent increases in fires in both the grassland and adjacent vegetation. These simulated changes in vegetation and disturbance dynamics under a warming climate have important implications for regional carbon budgets and biotic feedbacks to regional climate.


Quality criteria for interaction between a pantograph and overhead contact wire is a most important requirement to assess of the performance for the current collection system. Interaction performance between pantograph and catenary system is subject to approval by the infrastructure manager when a new design and contraction of overhead contact line and pantograph are installed. Among the various performance, percentage of arcing at maximum line speed is a simple test method compared with contact force of pantograph due to direct sensing of pantagraph, calibrations, installations of train, and etc. On the other hand, percentage of arcing is need to reliable arcing detector and general requirements with accordance with EN 50317. In this paper, percentage of arcing are investigated on the function of duration of arc and proposed which is satiable of percentage of arcing. As a results, we proposed which duration of arcs are unsuitable from infrastructures point of view as performance testing for quality of current collection.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of using Compound Danshen Injection (CDI) and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) on early severe preeclampsia women.

METHODS
Retrospective analysis was carried out in 95 patients with early severe preeclampsia from October 2008 to January 2011. They were assigned to 3 groups based on anticoagulant drugs. The routine therapy of magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) was given to the MgSO4 group (40 cases); the MgSO4 + CDI was given to those in the CDI group (23 cases), the MgSO4 + LMWH group was given to those in the LMWH group (32 cases). The general data of all patients were collected to analyze their effects on labor, postpartum hemorrhage, reasons for terminating the pregnancy, and maternal complications.

RESULTS
(1) The average gestational week (weeks) of terminating the pregnancy was 31.7 +/- 1.9 in the MgSO4 group, 33.0 +/- 1.8 in the CDI group, and 32.8 +/- 1.7 in the LMWH group. The average weight of newborn babies (g) was 1 450.5 +/- 402.3 in the MgSO4 group, 1 582.2 +/- 332.5 in the CDI group, and 1 590.0 +/- 340.1 in the LMWH group. There was no obviously difference in the average gestational weeks or the average weight of newborn babies among the three groups. (2) The way of terminating the pregnancy was uterine-incision delivery. The main reasons for operation were sequenced as maternal complications, unsatisfied control of the blood pressure, and fetal distress. (3) The maternal complications in the three groups were sequenced as renal failure (12 cases), placental abruption (9 cases), hemolysis, increased liver enzymes and low platelet (HELLP) syndrome (8 cases). Sixteen (40.0%) had complications in the MgSO4 group, 12 (52.2%) in the CDI group, and 15 (46.9%) in the LMWH group. No statistic difference existed among the 3 groups.

CONCLUSIONS
LMWH and CDI were helpful to improving the therapeutic effects of severe preeclampsia patients. They did not increase adverse drug reactions. They seemingly had effects on prolonging the gestational week.


Shocking! Particle accelerators in space The acceleration of charged particles to high energies has been a major mystery, with a number of competing theories based on plasma physics. Many include the concept of turbulence, but with different roles. For example, shock-based theories emphasize the importance of turbulence developed from an unstable shock layer, whereas turbulent reconnection theories emphasize interactions of multiple reconnection sites. Matsumoto et al. present results of a large particle-in-cell simulation and examine how electrons are accelerated in the transition layer of a fast nonrelativistic shock (see the Perspective by Ji and Zweibel). Surprisingly, they find that when the shock is strong enough, charged particles (electrons in this case) are efficiently accelerated by turbulent reconnection within a turbulent shock layer containing multiscale structures. Science, this issue p. 974; see also p. 944 Sufficiently powerful astrophysical shocks can yield relativistic particles via magnetic reconnection. [Also see Perspective by Ji and Zweibel] Explosive phenomena such as supernova remnant shocks and solar flares have demonstrated evidence for the production of relativistic particles. Interest has therefore been renewed in collisionless shock waves and magnetic reconnection as a means to achieve such energies. Although ions can be energized during such phenomena, the relativistic energy of the electrons remains a puzzle for theory. We present supercomputer simulations showing that efficient electron energization can occur during turbulent magnetic reconnection arising from a strong collisionless shock. Upstream electrons undergo first-order Fermi acceleration by colliding with reconnection jets and magnetic islands, giving rise to a nonthermal relativistic population downstream. These results shed new light on magnetic reconnection as an agent of energy dissipation and particle acceleration in strong shock waves.


We combined a simple plasma convection model with an ionospheric-atmospheric composition model in order to study the high-latitude winter F region at solar minimum for low magnetic activity. Our numerical study produced time dependent, three-dimensional ion density distributions for the ions NO+, O2+, N2+, O+, N+, and He+. We covered the high-latitude ionosphere above 54°N magnetic latitude and at altitudes between 160 and 800 km for a time period of one complete day. The main result we obtained was that high-latitude ionospheric features, such as the 'main trough,' the 'ionization hole,' the 'tongue of ionization,' the 'aurorally produced ionization peaks,' and the 'universal time effects,' are a natural consequence of the competition between the various chemical and transport processes known to be operating in the high-latitude ionosphere. In addition, we found that (1) the F region peak electron density at a given location and local time can vary by more than an order of magnitude, owing to the UT effect that results from the displacement between the geomagnetic and geographic poles; (2) a wide range of ion compositions can occur in the polar F region at different locations and times; (3) the minimum value for the electron density in the main trough is sensitive to nocturnal maintenance processes; (4) the depth and longitudinal extent of the main trough exhibit a significant UT dependence; (5) the way the auroral oval is positioned relative to the plasma convection pattern has an appreciable effect on the magnetic local time extent of the main trough; (6) the spatial extent, depth, and location of the polar ionization hole are UT dependent; (7) the level of ion production in the morning sector of the auroral oval has an appreciable effect on the location and spatial extent of the polar ionization hole; and (8) in the polar hole the F region peak electron density is below 300 km, and at 300 km, diffusion is a very important process for both O+ and NO+. Contrary to the suggestion based on an analysis of AE-C satellite data obtained in the polar hole that the concentration of NO+ ions is chemically controlled, we find diffusion to be the dominant process at 300 km.


We introduce the interleaved timing recovery (ITR) technique, with the objective of compensating sampling time errors in interleaved arrays of analog to digital converters (ADC) in high-speed communications receivers. When combined with interleaved automatic gain control (IAGC) and offset compensation (IOC), also discussed, this technique effectively compensates the most important components of fixed pattern noise, an impairment of interleaved ADCs that limits their performance and applicability. This technique exploits functions that are already present in the receiver. By modifying these functions, they can be used to compensate the impairments. This technique compares favorably in terms of performance and hardware complexity with previously known analog and digital calibration techniques. Performance is demonstrated by computer simulation of a 12-bit, 8-way interleaved ADC array whose effective resolution is limited to 6 bits before compensation.


The current work is enlightened about a cost effective bioprocess using one factor at a time approach for the production of bio-surfactant through solid state fermentation. A fungal strain Penicillium chrysogenum SNP5 isolated from grease contaminated soil was reconnoitered for the production of bio-surfactant. Various physiochemical parameters i.e., substrate composition, nitrogen supplements, extraction media and pH were optimized in order to optimized the production in terms of emulsification index and oil displacement assay. Maximum oil displacement area produced using grease waste and wheat bran (1:1 w/w), waste cooking oil and wheat bran (1:1 v/w) as a substrate were 3.5 cm and 5 cm, respectively. Whereas, considered values for emulsification activity with oil and diesel were 43% and 22% during optimization of substrate composition. Variable ratios of grease waste and wheat bran were capable to enhance the emulsification activity with oil and diesel up to 45% and 24% in presence of grease and wheat bran (1.5:1). The strain also showed enhancement of emulsification activity 45% and 23% with oil and diesel respectively to utilized yeast extract as a nitrogen source and the highest emulsification activity 38% in diesel, 47% in oil and oil displacement 5.5 cm was found at pH 8 with grease and wheat bran as a substrate. Preliminary characterizations by thin layer chromatography showed that the bio-surfactant was lipopeptide in nature and was also confirmed through FTIR analysis. Metabolization of industrial grease waste through solid state fermentation has never been reported before for the production of biosurfactants therefore would be applicable in petroleum and biodiesel industry. The partially purified biosurfactants was further investigated for antimicrobial activity and enhanced oil recovery. It displayed effective zones of inhibition against both gram +ve (1.67 cm) and gram –ve (1.93 cm) as well as 16.5% enhanced recovery of oil. Both results also give a positive support to its role in pharmaceuticals as well as in petroleum and oil industry. A Cost Effective Strategy for Production of Bio-surfactant from Locally Isolated Penicillium chrysogenum SNP5 and Its Applications


Kidney segmentation is often necessary for analyzing renal MRI data. Deep learning approach shows much promise, but typically requires large numbers of images for model training. In this study, we explored the feasibility of segmenting MRI images using ResUNet pre-trained with CT images and fine-tuning with transfer learning. The fine-tuning step used 60 MRI images (from 5 subjects) only. The trained model performed excellently in segmenting an independent set of MRI images, with DICE similarity of 0.94 and volume error of 13%±9%. This study demonstrates the power of transfer learning in utilizing images of a different modality in kidney segmentation.


The harvesting system of green sugarcane, characterized by mechanized harvesting and no crop burning, affects soil quality by increasing the remaining straw left on the soil surface after harvesting, thus, contributing to the improvement of physical, chemical, and microbiological soil attributes, influencing CO2 fluxes. This study aimed to evaluate CO2 fluxes and their relation to soil properties in sugarcane crops under different harvesting managements: burned (B), Green harvesting for 5 years (G-5) and Green harvesting for ten years (G-10). For this, a 1 ha sampling grid with 30 points was installed in each area, all located in the Northeast of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. In each point, CO2 fluxes were measured and the soil was sampled to analyze the microbial biomass, physical (soil moisture and temperature, mean weight diameter, bulk density, clay, macroporosity and microporosity) and chemical characterization (pH, organic C, base saturation and P). The CO2 fluxes were divided into four quantitative criteria: high, moderate, low and very low from the Statistical Division (mean, first quartile, median and third quartile) and the other data were classified according this criterion. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify the main soil attributes that influence CO2 fluxes. The results showed that G-10 CO2 fluxes were 28 and 41 % higher than those in the G-5 and B treatments, respectively. The PCA analysis showed that macroporosity was the main soil attribute that influenced the high CO2 fluxes.


Since the Jackson system of esophagoscopy has been in almost universal use because of the simplicity of its design and the standardization of sizes as well as the integration of accessory instruments, this system was studied with a view to adding certain features which would facilitate esophagoscopy. It was also planned to incorporate into one instrument the advantages found in other instruments and to add some of my own so that the esophagoscope would truly be a universal instrument, without the necessity of stocking the needed sizes of the various models or modifications thereof. As can be seen from a study of the instrument to be described, almost none of the concepts incorporated into it are original save the shape of the tip and some of the minor refinements. The basic pattern is that of the Jackson ballooning esophagogastroscope. No attempt was made to flare the distal portion of the


One of the key requirements for reliable operation of a water supply system is a thorough analysis and proper selection of the control valves and pumps. For valves, selection criteria includes capacity, pressure loss, controllability, torque, cavitation and transients. Pump selection requires matching the pump performance to varying system demands. Examples are given for single pump operation and use of pumps in series and parallel. When future demands exceed the original design conditions, or if significant changes are required in the operation of the system, each important control device should be analyzed to see if it can operate safely at the new conditions or determine if modifications or replacement is required.


One of the major differences that set apart vertebrates from non-vertebrates is the presence of a complex immune system. Over the past 400-500 million years, many novel immune genes and gene families have emerged and their products form sophisticated pathways providing protection against most pathogens. The Human Genome Project has laid the foundation to study these genes and pathways in unprecedented detail. Members of the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily alone were found to make up over 2% of human genes possibly constituting the largest gene family in the human genome. A subgroup of these human immune genes, those (among others) involved in antigen processing and presentation, are encoded in a single region, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on the short arm of chromosome 6. My laboratory has a long-standing interest in understanding the molecular organization and evolution of the MHC. To this end, we have been generating a range of MHC genomic resources that we make available in the form of maps and databases. Much of the complex data of the immune system can be reduced to binary (on/off) information that can easily be made available and analysed by bioinformatics approaches, thus contributing to better understand immune function via a 'digital immune system'.


In this study, it was given general information about Qatar then focuses on the political situation of Qatar in the Ottoman period and also have been emphasized about the tribe that ruled Qatar during the Ottoman era. The aim of this study is to give information about the importance of al-Sani family in the past and present and also about the Ottoman-British struggle in Qatar and the withdrawal of the Ottomans from Qatar. The process after Qatar's independence, as well as the discoveries made by the Qatar state in the field of economy and trade, as well as the discovery of oil, are mentioned. Sheikh Hamad al-Sani, who is currently the Emir of Qatar, deals with the commercial activities of his country in order to ensure the economic development of his country. However, the activities of the British in Qatar to put an end to Ottoman domination were mentioned. Also it was given information about the progress that made Qatar in the field of economics and international business achievements after obtaining Qatar's independence from Britain. In this regard, it has been informed about the discomfort experienced in the countries of the region after the forefront of the international platform, and about the sanction imposed on Qatar because of Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi expansionism and the Gulf states as the sole judge. Furthermore, it have been emphasized the Turkey's help during sanction on Qatar and the Turkey's military base in Qatar.


Chromium contamination in the area of the Radomka river basin in Poland has lead to significant environmental problems. Therefore, chromium redox transformations were investigated in the aquatic environment under conditions as close to natural as possible at intermediate pH and in the presence of original bottom sediment and dissolved oxygen. Reduction of Cr(VI) in the Radomka river water occurs at a low rate (t1/2 = 19 h). The rate of Cr(VI) reduction increased in the river water spiked by HA (t1/2 = 0.5 h), and Fe(II) (t1/2 = 2 min). The kinetics of Cr(VI) reduction by Fe(II) was dependent on the evolution of the forms of Cr(VI) and the competing Fe(II) oxidation reaction by dissolved oxygen. The reduction of Cr(VI) by humic acids appeared to be a significantly slower process than Fe(II) oxidation by O2. Chromium(III) present in the tanning liquor used and the aged solution of chromium sulphate was less prone to oxidation by MnO2 than Cr(III) introduced with chromium nitrate and sulphate solutions (7% and 10% conversion over 1 h in comparison with 55% and 32%, respectively). Chromium deposits in bottom sediment turned out to be resistant to oxidation by MnO2.


Macroautophagy (autophagy) is a conserved cellular pathway that regulates the degradation of long-lived proteins, protein aggregates, and cellular organelles. Autophagy is essential for maintaining neuronal homeostasis; however, neuronal autophagic efficiency decreases with age. Therefore, aging is one of the greatest risk factors for development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), a slowly progressing form of neurodegeneration that develops over the course of 10-20 years prior to the onset of overt clinical symptoms. AD is defined neuropathologically by the presence of extracellular aggregates of the amyloidogenic protein amyloid-β (Aβ) and intracellular accumulation of the microtubule-associated protein tau. At end-stage Alzheimer's disease, abnormal autophagic pathology has been reported in human brain and in multiple mouse models of AD, suggesting that an intimate association may exist between neuronal autophagy stasis and Alzheimer's-related pathology. Here, we highlight recent evidence that the autophagic pathway plays a role in both the generation and clearance of the pathogenic Aβ protein and its precursors. The primary focus of this review is to examine the compelling research that highlights the autophagic pathway as a therapeutic target for AD and to discuss the therapeutic space around autophagy-regulating programs for AD. Finally, we propose that programs targeting autophagy regulation for AD ought to consider prophylactic or early stage intervention trials based on evidence against druggability of this pathway in late-stage disease.


In the present study, the perifusions of whole pituitary glands of spermiating male common carp were performed in the presence of several GABAergic drugs. Muscimol (agonist of GABA(A) receptors) and bicuculline (the antagonist of the same type of GABA receptors) did not modify basal LH release. LH basal secretion was not modified when pituitaries were perifused with baclofen--an agonist of GABAB receptors. On the other hand, baclofen at doses of 10(-8) and 10(-4) M significantly decreased GnRH-A-induced LH release to about 86% and 88% of LH levels in control group, respectively. In our previous study we have shown that GABA decreased basal and GnRH-A-stimulated in vivo and in vitro LH release. In conclusion, it can be suggested that in the mature male carp GABA exerts an inhibitory influence on GnRH-stimulated LH release, probably through the inhibition of the GnRH action on gonadotropes. This inhibition seems to be mediated by the B type of GABA receptors.


Distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is a low-value co-product from dry grind ethanol production. Due to its high fiber content, DDGS is used primarily as a feed for ruminant animals. Conversion of the carbohydrate components in DDGS to biofuel would improve the overall economics of dry grind ethanol production. The effect of solids loading on pretreatment of DDGS and on subsequent acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation was examined. DDGS samples were subjected to six pretreatments, involving acidic and alkaline electrolyzed water, at three solids loadings (20%, 30%, and 40% w/w). After a 72 h hydrolysis, the highest glucose yield was obtained from the sulfuric acid pretreated samples. In fermentation tests using Clostridium acetobutylicum P260 for ABE production, the highest ABE concentration was ~17 g L-1, which was achieved from alkaline electrolyzed water pretreated samples at 30% (w/w) solids loading. The solids loading in a pretreatment significantly affected both the sugar yield from enzymatic hydrolysis and the ABE yield from fermentation of DDGS hydrolysates. The hydrolysate from alkaline electrolyzed water pretreatment at 30% (w/w) solids was found to be most favorable to ABE production, while that from sulfuric acid pretreatment was the least fermentable, although it produced the highest sugar yield.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of niacin (B3) on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), alone and as adjunct therapy, with chromium picolinate (CrPlt) and sitagliptin. In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of niacin and chromium picolinate supplementation with sitagliptin in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 600 patients suffering from T2DM from four different hospitals in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan; patients were divided into three groups (n=200 per group). Group A was given sitagliptin (100 mg), Group B received niacin (14 mg/d) along with sitagliptin, and Group C received chromium picolinate (200 mcg/d) and niacin (14 mg/d) along with sitagliptin, for a duration of 6 months. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the efficacy of all treatment groups, and statistical significance was set at p≤0.05.
Results: The data indicated that all defined therapies have a significant influence with respect to fasting blood sugar (FBS) (p<0.0001), random blood sugar (RBS) (p<0.0001) and glycosylated hemoglobin (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that low doses of niacin and chromium picolinate supplementation with sitagliptin helps in maintaining glycemic control in patients with T2DM, and provides the best treatment option among those considered.


Crystals of U(VI) (UO22+) complexes with N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-dicarboxamide (TMBiPDA) and N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxamide (TMPhenDA) were isolated from different solutions under variable reaction conditions, and the structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All are dimeric complexes bridged by ligand atomic O and molecular O2, denoted as U–O–U′ and U–O2–U′ tectons, respectively. The U–O–U′ dimer is composed of two pentagonal bipyramids of the UO22+ moiety sharing a bridging O-apex, while the U–O2–U′ tecton is composed of two hexagonal bipyramids sharing a peroxo-edge. The two uranyl groups in both U–O–U′ and U–O2–U′ tectons supported by TMBiPDA share one equatorial plane. However, bent U–O2–U′ tectons supported by TMPhenDA have been observed in crystals isolated from different solvents. Dimeric complexes pack into crystal materials by abundant C–H⋯O interactions, between the C–H donors from amide methyls and aromatic rings of ligands and the O-acceptors from the perchlorates, uranyl groups, and peroxide bridge. Another non covalent interaction driving the supramolecular assembly is the π–π interactions between the parallel aromatic rings. Multiple techniques, including absorption spectrophotometry, Raman spectroscopy, and electro-spray ionization – mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), were utilized to understand the pathway to the formation of the uranyl dimers in solutions. Results indicate that the U–O–U′ or U–O2–U′ tectons are yielded, through sequential redox reactions of the uranyl group, from the same precursor [UO2L]2+ and the peroxide ligand O22− that formed in situ. The nature of ligands as well as the reaction conditions, such as temperature, solvent, pH, and light, etc., plays significant roles in the selection of the bridging ligands (O2− or O22−) in crystal materials.


This study aims to determine the level of feasibility and student response to interactive multimedia learning based on problem based learning (PBL) using the articulate storyline application on the chemical bonding material developed. This research is a research and development conducted in March-August 2021. The development model used is the Four-D (4-D) development model which is limited to the define stage, design stage and develop stage. This research was conducted at Bengkulu University and at SMA Negeri 3 Bengkulu City. The study was only conducted on a small scale (limited) trial with a research sample of 32 students taken from class X MIPA 3. The data in the study were obtained from interviews, student needs questionnaires, validation sheets and student response questionnaires. The results of the validation test obtained an average of media validation and material validation of 86% and 89% which were in the range of 81%-100% with very valid criteria. While the student response test obtained a score of 80% which was in the range of 61% -80% with a good category. Based on the results of the validation and the results of the student responses, it can be concluded that interactive multimedia learning based on problem based learning (PBL) using the articulate storyline application on chemical bonding material is declared feasible and can be used as a medium and learning resource for students.


This article describes various aspects of risks and complications, commonly encountered in orthodontic treatment and also describes ways to minimize such risks and complications in the course of orthodontic treatment.


Abstract—In this study, the performance analyses of the twenty five Coal-Fired Power Plants (CFPPs) used for electricity generation are carried out through various Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models. Three efficiency indices are defined and pursued. During the calculation of the operational performance, energy and non-energy variables are used as input, and net electricity produced is used as desired output (Model-1). CO2 emitted to the environment is used as the undesired output (Model-2) in the computation of the pure environmental performance while in Model-3 CO2 emissions is considered as detrimental input in the calculation of operational and environmental performance. Empirical results show that most of the plants are operating in increasing returns to scale region and Mettur plant is efficient one with regards to energy use and environment. The result also indicates that the undesirable output effect is insignificant in the research sample. The present study will provide clues to plant operators towards raising the operational and environmental performance of CFPPs.


Recovering badly damaged face images is a useful yet challenging task, especially in extreme cases where the masked or damaged region is very large. One of the major challenges is the ability of the system to generalize on faces outside the training dataset. We propose to tackle
 this extreme inpainting task with a conditional Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) that utilizes structural information, such as edges, as a prior condition. Edge information can be obtained from the partially masked image and a structurally similar image or a hand drawing. In our proposed
 conditional GAN, we pass the conditional input in every layer of the encoder while maintaining consistency in the distributions between the learned weights and the incoming conditional input. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method with badly damaged face examples.


Cross-border insolvency protocols are a practical phenomenon developed at the international level in the last 30 years. These protocols are agreements entered by the insolvency practitioners to facilitate cooperation and communication between insolvency practitioners and courts involved in cross-border insolvency proceedings. Protocols have been mentioned but not regulated by the European Insolvency Regulation Recast.
This contribution seeks to analyse the aims, principles, and standard features of the protocols emerging in practice. Second, it aims to evaluate how this phenomenon fits with the duties of cooperation, coordination, and communication within the European Insolvency Regulation Recast to define the scope and role of protocols within the EU member states.
Cross-border insolvency, protocols, transnational, cooperation, coordination, communication, European Insolvency Regulation


Antimicrobial resistance has become a serious global health problem, not only because resistant bacteria cause millions of deaths worldwide, but also because fewer antibiotics are approved to treat these infections. Currently, there is a great need to find new antimicrobial agents effective against multi-drug resistant strains. In this project, we have characterized the antimicrobial activity of a library containing 47 chemical compounds with related structural features never tested before in biological processes. To this aim, a screening strategy was followed to select those compounds showing in vitro activity and without cytotoxicity. First, a single concentration assay (single shot) was performed against 17 bacterial strains, including Gram-positives, Gram-negatives, and mycobacteria. Thirteen compounds were selected with activity at 50 μM against at least one of the strains. Second, dose-response and time-kill kinetics assays were also performed, selecting 5 compounds with bactericidal activity against Gram-positive bacteria at concentrations ranging from 0.78 to 50 μM. Third, cytotoxicity assays in human hepatic cells were performed to determine selectivity indexes (S.I); these ranged from 3.4 to 70.5. Fourth, concentrations of 5 µM were found not mutagenic by the Ames' Test. Finally, structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies defined chemical structural features determining the compounds' antimicrobial activity. In summary, we have identified active compounds against Gram-positive bacteria with good S.I., which opens a new research line with the potential to develop new antimicrobial agents. Future assays may include more detailed studies of in vitro and in vivo activity, toxicity, determination of the molecular mechanism of action and medicinal chemistry efforts in order to optimize these series of compounds.


ABSTRACT We have used phage-displayed peptide libraries to identify novel ligands to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein gp120. Screening of libraries of random 12-mers, 7-mers, and cyclic 9-mers produced two families of gp120 binding peptides. Members of a family with the prototype sequence RINNIPWSEAMM (peptide 12p1) inhibit the interaction between gp120 and both four-domain soluble CD4 (4dCD4) and monoclonal antibody (MAb) 17b, a neutralizing antibody that covers the chemokine receptor binding surface on gp120. Peptide 12p1 inhibits the interaction of 4dCD4 with gp120 from three different HIV strains, implying that it binds to a conserved site on gp120. Members of a second family of peptides, with the prototype sequence TSPYEDWQTYLM (peptide 12p2), bind more weakly to gp120. They do not detectably affect its interaction with 4dCD4, but they enhance its binding to MAb 17b. A common sequence motif in the two peptide families and cross-competition for gp120 binding suggest that they have overlapping contacts. Their divergent effects on the affinity of gp120 for MAb 17b may indicate that their binding stabilizes distinct conformational states of gp120. The functional properties of 12p1 suggest that it might be a useful lead for the development of inhibitors of HIV entry.


The observability relation O(x,z) or the Boolean relation provides a description of all the flexibility one has in implementing a Boolean network N. The authors represent and use this flexibility in a logic synthesis system by adding a single output node to the Boolean network N. The node function for the new node is O(x,z). The newly constructed network N' (called the observability network) has only one output and computes 1 for every input x. It is shown that the observability don't cares (ODCs) for a node y/sub i/ in N' provide the maximum flexibility for implementing y/sub i/ and subsume the flexibility obtained for y/sub i/ in N even with don't cares provided at each output. This gives rise to new methods for computing complete ODCs for N' and hence for N.<<ETX>>


Introduction The Orchard Display Nursery was planted on November 16, 2004 in cooperation with the Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project. The nursery includes 82 accessions of 27 native and introduced grass, forb and shrub species. Each accession was planted in 7 X 60 foot plots. See Tilley et al (2005) for descriptions of the species and accessions planted. The remaining area was planted to a cover crop mix of 50% Anatone bluebunch wheatgrass, 20% Bannock thickspike wheatgrass, 20% Magnar basin wildrye and 10% Snake River Plains fourwing saltbush. The test site is located on a loamy 10-12 inch precipitation ecological site that historically supported a Wyoming big sagebrush bluebunch wheatgrass – Thurber's needlegrass plant community. Total precipitation at the Orchard Test Site for water year 2005 was 9.6 inches, 2006 was 14.4 inches and total accumulated precipitation for 2007 was (USDA 2007). Orchard test site on May 16, 2007.


Pfizer's Xeljanz (tofacitinib citrate) was the first Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor to reach the market for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) following its U.S. approval in November 2012, and it has since gained approval in more than 45 countries as a second-line therapy for RA after failure of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). This emerging category has heralded an attractive new class of oral treatment options in RA, with a notable opportunity in patients who stop responding to DMARDs, but they are facing a challenging market. Despite RA affecting approximately 23.7 million people worldwide, Xeljanz faces a market dominated by the anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) biologicals, which have robust long-term safety and efficacy. The availability of biosimilars of these market leaders is also intensifying competition, and a high price and uncertainty over long-term safety is currently tempering the market for the JAK inhibitors.


Methamphetamine (METH) abuse produces serious neurotoxicity to the central nervous system along with long-term cognitive dysfunction. Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol, has broad application prospects in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate whether resveratrol might alleviate METH-induced memory deficits in vivo. We found that multiple exposures to METH significantly impaired cognitive functions and caused long-lasting memory deficits (p < .05). Pretreatment of resveratrol (10 or 100 mg/kg) remarkably attenuated METH-induced memory impairment in mice (p < .05). Bioinformatics analysis results showed that resveratrol might alleviate memory deficits by inhibiting METH-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis. Molecular docking showed that resveratrol had hydrogen bonding interactions with Kelch-like ECH associated protein 1 (Keap1), a repressor protein of the classic antioxidant Keap1-Nrf2 pathway. Further results validated oxidative stress parameters, apoptosis, and expression of Keap1 were significantly increased, while the translocation and activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) into the nucleus and expression of its downstream proteins were greatly decreased in the hippocampus after METH exposure (p < .05). These changes caused by METH could be prevented by resveratrol (p < .05). Therefore, these findings suggested that the prevention of resveratrol on memory dysfunction induced by METH was possibly related to the activation of the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway and reduction of apoptosis. Supplementation of resveratrol could be a potential treatment for preventing the neurotoxicity of METH in the future. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: As one of the worst commonly abused psychostimulants, methamphetamine (METH) addiction produces serious complications including cognitive impairment and memory deficits. Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol that has important nutritional supplements and protective effects in the treatment of many neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, the results of bioinformatics prediction and experimental validation showed that resveratrol might effectively prevent memory impairment via the interaction with Keap1, activation of the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway, and inhibition of DNA damage and apoptotic responses post METH exposure. Therefore, these findings provide new ideas and insights into the application of resveratrol in the treatment of nervous system damage caused by METH.


The extent to which the Gypsy population of Slovakia has experienced demographic transition is explored. Data from three communal registers are used to reconstruct their family history from the late nineteenth century to the present. Particular demographic characteristics of the Gypsy population are also discussed. (SUMMARY IN ENG AND RUS)


Clinical rounds are being introduced in the Dudley Group of Hospitals to improve patient care, involve patients and improve communication. There are four types of rounds, Matrons rounds, Nurse Management Rounds, Patient Comfort rounds and Teaching rounds. This article describes Teaching rounds and is the final article in the series of four. Nurses and midwives learn in a variety of ways: through courses and accredited programmes, seminars, conferences, self-directed study and so on. One of the most effective ways, however, is to participate in special clinical teaching rounds. These are aimed at all learners, whether pre-registration students or qualified staff. Their aim is to learn from direct patient contact with facilitation from an experienced nurse teacher. In this article an account is given of how a Professor of Nursing linked to a hospital Trust uses this approach to teach and evaluate nursing care and is the last in the series of four on clinical nursing rounds. It is felt the rounds are particularly useful in developing clinical practice, evidence-based care, understanding patients and the conditions they experience, while linking theory and practice.


Background Murine ankylosing enthesopathy (ANKENT), an experimental model for human ankylosing spondylitis, is strongly dependent on the contact of ANKENT-prone mice (B10 or B10. BR genetic background) with microbes as no disease is observed under germfree (GF) conditions while about 20% of conventional (CV) males are afflicted. The disease is almost exclusively restricted to male mice, It affects only ankle and tarsal joints. Next risk factor for ANKENT is haplotype. Objectives To confirm a hypothesis that ANKENT-triggering agents are intestinal bacteria to identify the ANKENT-triggering strains by technique of controlled association of GF mice. Methods B10. BR males from a previously established GF colony were oligoassociated with a cocktail of anaerobic bacteria isolated from a diseased CV male. The mice were checked for ANKENT once a week. Lymphocyte phenotype in afflicted as well as healthy males was determined. Results Oligoassociation with the selected cocktail of bacteria resulted in ANKENT in > 20% of ex-GF males, which corresponds to the situation seen under CV conditions and exceeds the ANKENT incidence in specific-pathogen-free mice. Conclusion ANKENT-triggering agents are bacteria. The importance of viruses, protozoa and helmints in ANKENT onset can be excluded. Our findings strongly suggest that, similar to other spondylarthropathies, intestinal microflora has a inductive role in ANKENT pathogenesis. Supported by grant GACR 310/00/1371. Reference Rehakova, et al. Hum Immunol. 2000;61:555


Melanocytes in human skin are intricately regulated by keratinocytes and the surrounding stroma. The development of melanoma is thought to arise from disrupted melanocyte homeostasis. It is now known that microenvironment plays a major role in maintenance of cellular homeostasis and can contribute to tumor initiation and tumor progression. Historically, melanocyte studies have been performed in two-dimensional culture systems, and often with melanocytes cultured in the absence of keratinocytes. Here we present the biological basis for the use of organotypic, three-dimensional model systems in the study of melanoma, and highlight the features of the most utilized organotypic model sytems.


This volume contains the proceedings of a workshop on Solar Modelling held at the Institute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington, Seattle during the spring of 1994. This workshop was part of a programme which concentrated on the nculear, particle and astrophysics of the solar neutrino problem, with particular emphasis on the experimental goals and opportunities. The workshop covered the physics of the standard and alternative solar models, the present status of the solar neutrino problem, the existing uncertainties in the nuclear and atomic physics (opacity) of the standard solar model, and constraints from helioseismology. Among the topics discussed were: the evolution of the rotating sun; solar model independent neutrino observables; the role of convective overshoot and diffusion; and turbulence in the solar interior and the role of g-modes. It was unique in bringing together nuclear, particle, atomic physicists and astrophysicists working on this problem.


Six IOGHz MOS VCOs were designed and fabricated in the IBM 6RF 0.25um CMOS process. Their oscillation frequency, output amplitude and phase noise performance are measured and compared, and the results confirm that replacing shielded-ground inductors with high-resistvity substrate inductors improves phase noise performance. Capacitive source degeneration has also been identified as a performance limiting mechanism in MOS based VCOs rather than performance enhancing as in BJT based VCOs.


This study sought to establish the factors influencing the performance o f community based organizations in Yatta district, Machakos County, Kenya: A case o f Makutano Community Development Association. Given the enormous scale of development aid to Africa and the existence of so many development models and approaches, a critical examination o f these models is imperative. In Kenya, where foreign aid is the norm and results very mixed, a study on factors that have influenced the performance of locally developed approaches and models could provide food for thought in community based organizations (CBO) practice. An extensive review of the literature indicated a knowledge gap as no academic research has been conducted to establish the critical factors that have influenced the performance of CBOs in Yatta District, Machakos County in Kenya. The specific objectives of this study were to establish the influence of mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding on the performance of Makutano Community Development Association (MCDA). What influence is played in each case by such factors as mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding? This question lied at the heart of this study. In this study true CBO performance was viewed as inextricably tied to the enhancement o f the well-being of neighbourhood residents. The study employed a descriptive study design in the form of a census survey incorporating all the 85 CBOs affiliated to MCDA in Machakos County. The data collection instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire served by the researcher on respondents through drop and pick method. Questionnaire reliability was estimated by calculating Cronbach's alpha. Reliability for the overall instrument was estimated at 0.96, which is above 0.70. O f the 85 questionnaires distributed to CBO officials, 66 useable forms were returned producing a valid response rate o f 77%. Data was analyzed in SPSS (statistical package for social sciences). Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to analyze data. Pearson's coefficient of correlation was calculated to analyze the strength of the relationships between variables. Multiple regression analysis was used because it provides estimates of net effects and explanatory power. Results showed that a positive significant correlation at 0.01 level was found between each one of the organizational variables and the level of performance in community based organizations. The result implies that the mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding do influence the performance of CBOs and account for 63.2% of the variation in CBO's Performance. The results further indicate that the perceptions of CBO officials o f the organizational factors such as mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding were better; the level o f CBO performance was higher. Therefore, the researcher recommends that the factors at the organizational level that could be structured to form internal ecosystem to spur performance include mission, organizational competency, political capital and funding. Notably, the multiple regressions indicated that among different organizational factors, mission and organizational competency had more effect on improving CBO performance. This finding has some implications on organizations and lays emphasis on the role of the CBO mission and organizational competency in providing suitable environment for improving performance. This study contributes to the science and body of knowledge and present evidence to inform and solicit discussions on performance o f CBOs and provides suggestions for further research.


Hepatoprotective activity of ethanol extract of Hal dinia cordifolia against paracetamol induced hepati c damage in albino rats was observed. In the present study the effect of ethanol extract of Haldinia cordifolia on serum markers such as SGPT, SGOT, ALP and Serum total bilirubin, anti oxidant studies such as SOD, CAT and LPO and Histopathological studies have been studied to find out the possible mechanism of hepatoprotection. It was observed that extracts of Haldinia cordifolia has reversal e ffects on the levels of above mentioned parameters in paracetamol hepatotoxicity. The extract of Haldinia cordifolia functions as a hepatoprotective agent and this hepa toprotective activity of Haldinia cordifolia may be due normaliz tion of impaired membrane function activity.


Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the US and other Western countries and has a dismal prognosis due to its fatal nature and lack of effective screening measures. Therefore, primary prevention is particularly important for this disease. However, the etiology of pancreatic cancer remains virtually enigmatic. Some epidemiologic studies have shown that dietary intake of antioxidants is inversely associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer, which are consistent with the constitutive expression of COX enzymes in normal tissue. This finding suggests that genetic variability in antioxidant defense and repair of oxidative DNA damage may modulate pancreatic cancer risk. We sought to investigate this hypothesis using data collected from a case-control study conducted during 1994-1998 in Minnesota. Cases (n=189), aged 20 years or older, were ascertained from all hospitals in the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities and the Mayo Clinic; from the latter, only cases residing in the Upper Midwest of the US were recruited. Controls (n=486) were randomly selected from the general population and frequency matched to cases by age (within 5 years) and sex. We genotyped polymorphisms in two antioxidant genes: catalase (CAT, −262C>T, rs1001179) and superoxide dismutase-2 (SOD2, Ala 16 Val, rs4880), and two DNA repair genes: human oxoguanine glycosylase 1 (hOGG1, Ser 326 Cys, rs1052133) and X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1, Arg 399 Gln, rs25487). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression. After adjustment for age, sex, race, education, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use, a protective effect [OR (95%CI): 0.66 (0.43-0.99)] was observed for the variant allele (Ala 16 Val) of SOD2, whereas a promoting effect [OR (95%CI): 1.51 (1.02-2.24)] was found for the variant allele (Ser 326 Cys) of hOGG1. It appeared that there were interactions between the above two polymorphisms and dietary intake of antioxidants (including supplements). The inverse relation with SOD2 (Ala 16 Val) was stronger for subjects with high intake of vitamin C (≥210 mg) [OR (95%CI): 0.51 (0.28-0.94)] or vitamin E (≥15 α- tocopherol equivalents) [OR (95%CI): 0.53 (0.29-0.96)]. Similarly, the positive relation with hOGG1 (Ser 326 Cys) was more pronounced among individuals with high intake of vitamin E (≥15 α- tocopherol equivalents) [OR (95%CI): 1.74 (0.99-3.05)]. Our study suggests that individual variations in capacities of antioxidant defense and repair of oxidative DNA damage influence pancreatic cancer risk; and these genetic effects are modified by dietary intake of antioxidants. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1861.


Ring-opening polymerization of cyclic silanes is described as a new synthetic route to well defined high molecular weight polysilylenes. Strained cyclotetrasilanes with phenyl and methyl substituents at each Si atom in the four-membered ring are prepared by partial dephenylation of octaphenylcyclotetrasilane with triflic acid and subsequent treatment with methylmagnesium bromide. Chemoselectivity, regioselectivity and stereoselectivity of monomer synthesis is discussed in detail. In addition to classic anionic initiators for the ring-opening process, new catalysts and initiators based on transition metals (Cu, Pd, Pt) are described. They provide much better control of the microstructure than systems with Li+ counterion.


Phosphodiesterase of cyclic nucleotides from membranes of rat brain synaptosomes hydrolyzes cAMP and cGMP; the maximal rate of cAMP hydrolysis is 2.5 times higher than the values of the analogous index for GMP. The enzyme is found to be activated by calmodulin. A different direction of changes in the rate of cAMP and cGMP hydrolysis is observed 1 h after total X-ray irradiation. The process of cAMP hydrolysis by phosphodiesterase is characterized by positive cooperativity which is also shown after irradiation and for the process of cGMP hydrolysis. It is established that enzyme inhibition by the reaction product takes place both in control and after irradiation.


Withaningsih S, Parikesit, Alham RF. 2020. Diversity of bird species in the coffee agroforestry landscape: Case study in the Pangalengan Sub-district, Bandung District, West Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 2467-2480. Traditionally, shade-grown coffee agroforestry is home to diverse taxa, including insects and mammals. However, research has shown that shade-grown coffee agroforestry is also an important habitat for various types of birds. A study on the diversity of bird species was performed in the coffee agroforestry landscape area of Perum Perhutani, Pangalengan Sub-district, Bandung District, West Java. Bird diversity data was collected using the point count method, and landscape structure analysis was performed, to quantify the characteristics of the landscape. The results were analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis to determine the relationships between landscape structures and bird species diversity. The results of the study recorded 60 species of birds, from 29 families, among 1,581 individuals. The most dominant bird species were Pycnonotus aurigaster, Orthotomus sutorius, Orthotomus ruficeps, Streptopelia chinensis, and Brachypteryx leucophrys. The highest species abundance value at the research site was recorded for Pycnonotus aurigaster, with a relative abundance value of 22.02%. The diversity of bird species found at the study location was classified as high (H ' = 3.10). Thus, coffee agroforestry landscapes are associated with bird diversity, and diversity appears to increase when the total area (TA) increases; however the patch edge length (TE), number of spots (NP), the complexity of patch forms (MSI, MPFD) and landscape heterogeneity (SHDI) decrease. The coffee agroforestry landscape may represent an important habitat for many bird species.


In this article, Ramy Youssef compares historically varying structures and semantics of world political status competition. Early modern and modern rankings that represent the world political status of royal titles, or modern states, respectively, serve as empirical material. It is shown that status competition in the early modern period can neither semantically nor structurally be distinguished from conflicts, whereas in modern world politics competition is framed as a distinct social relationship and as an alternative to conflicts. Methodological and epistemological conclusions are drawn from the findings, suggesting that more caution should be taken when applying modern terms to historical contexts.


Author(s): Snyder, Kristen M.; Cooper, Karen | Abstract: While the "scientific" debate about school dropouts has ensued, some have taken matters into their own hands, creating successful non-school based programs on the arts for at-risk youth based. Their efforts demonstrate powerful results for learning and human development. We suggest that it is time to incorporate this knowledge base, and as well, explore its potential for an integrated model of learning that considers the creative needs of all individuals. During the fall of 2011, we introduced a pilot project to work with storytelling and painting with a group of youth in a full pull-out program. In this article, we share stories from our experience and offer insights about the complex road ahead to inject creativity into mainstream schools. The importance here is to insure that all students will be better equipped for a future that engages the whole mind and being.


Full-duplex device-to-device (D2D) communications over cellular networks is a promising solution for maximizing wireless spectral efficiency. However, in practice, due to the unpredictable arrival of D2D users, the base station (BS) must smartly allocate suitable channels to arriving D2D pairs. In this paper, the problem of dynamic channel allocation is studied for full-duplex D2D networks. In particular, the goal of the proposed approach is to maximize the system sum-rate under complete uncertainty on the arrival process of D2D users. To solve this problem, a novel approach based on an online weighted bipartite matching is proposed. To find the desired solution of the channel allocation problem, a greedy online algorithm is developed to enable the BS to decide on the channel assignment for each D2D pair, without knowing any prior information on future D2D arrivals. For an illustrative case study, upper and lower bounds on the competitive ratio that compares the performance of the proposed online algorithm to that of an offline algorithm are derived. Simulation results show that the proposed online algorithm can achieve a near- optimal sum-rate with an optimality gap that is no higher than 8.3% compared to the offline, optimal solution that has complete knowledge of the system.


Background: The formation of polymeric biofilms represents an important defense mechanism evolved by planktonic bacteria. Bacteria living in biofilms may resist killing by standard antiinfective agents despite nominal in vitro sensitivity owing in part to reduced drug penetration. Elemental iron is an essential nutrient for most infectious organisms. Agents that sequester iron have been tested experimentally with initially favorable results in serious infections, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Kaneko et al (J Clin Invest 117;877, 2007) proposed the use of ionic gallium as a potential antiinfective that interferes with iron metabolism and showed that gallium solutions (0.5-10 μM; 1 μg/ml=14.5 μM) disrupted biofilms produced by P. aeruginosa and resulted in collapse of resistant bacterial colonies. They speculated that an aerosolized gallium solution might be useful for P. aeruginosa pulmonary infections. Due to variability of drug dispersion within diseased pulmonary tissue, we speculated that systemic therapy with a gallium-containing solution could achieve potentially therapeutic levels in sputum of infected patients. Methods: A 31-year old man with end-stage cystic fibrosis lung disease (FEV1 20%) and highly resistant P. aeruginosa was treated on an investigational basis with several cycles of gallium nitrate (Ganite ® ), an agent for the treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy. The drug was given by continuous IV infusion for 5 days at doses ranging from approximately 100 to 250 mg/m 2 /d. In 2 cycles, serial samples of expectorated sputum and whole blood or plasma were obtained and assayed for gallium concentration by ICP/MS. Informed consent and ethical approval were obtained. Results: After the first drug infusion (150 mg/m 2 /d for 5 days), sputum gallium concentration from a single sample was unexpectedly high (2.2 μg/ml) relative to previously reported blood concentrations. Approximately 1 month later, a sputum concentration was still measurable (0.32 μg/ml), and the patient was retreated at a dose of 200 mg/m 2 /d for 5 days. Paired sputum samples on day 5 showed gallium levels of 2.13 and 2.65 μg/ml, respectively, whereas simultaneous measurements of gallium in plasma and whole blood were 1.35 and 1.64 μg/ml, respectively. Despite a previously reported plasma T 1/2 ∼ 12 h, serial measurements after the drug infusion showed a progressive increase in sputum gallium concentration on days 6, 7, 9, and 11 (1.83, 2.04, 4.35, and 4.78 μg/ml, respectively). Conclusions: Gallium appears to be preferentially concentrated in infected sputum. This effect increases and remains sustained post therapy, suggesting that transport across a gradient can be maintained for a prolonged period. Systemic gallium therapy achieves sputum drug levels that may be therapeutic for highly resistant bacteria associated with biofilm formation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1678.