Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum has occasionally been used as an additive to cement. Consequently, appropriate facilities are required to ensure the environmentally safe processing of FGD gypsum and the resulting cement material properties. Such facilities are yet to be developed because the amount of FGD gypsum used is still small when compared with the vast amounts of FGD gypsum generated. In this study, we analyze the effect of FGD gypsum addition on the physical properties, stabilization, and radon count of steam-cured mortar and compare its performance with air-cured mortar. Our results show that the steam-cured pozzolanic hydration products of ettringite and C-S-H promote the densification of the mortar structure, thereby resulting in nanopore size reduction and increased strength of FGD gypsum mortar subsequent to the steam-cured hydration process. Further, our environmental test results indicate that steam-cured pozzolanic materials composed of FGD gypsum are environmentally safer than air-cured cementitious materials.


In recent years the number of applications using NMR spectroscopy of hyperpolarised noble gases has expanded rapidly. The signal enhancement hyperpolarisation provides has led to its implementation in studies as diverse as materials science and biological imaging. 129Xe in particular, with its easily deformed electron cloud, is proving to be a uniquely sensitive probe for nanoporous structures. At present hyperpolarises gas production is limited to optical pumping (SEOP). In this study we investigate another approach, the brute force technique. At very low temperatures and high magnetic fields the Boltzmann distribution of spins for magnetic nuclei is heavily biased in a single direction. At temperatures below 10 mK and in magnetic fields of 15 T, 129Xe polarisations exceeding 40% are attainable. The utilisation of the brute force technique is hindered by the extraordinarily long relaxation time need for this polarisation to occur.
In this study, we give details of our investigations of two relaxation catalysts, oxygen and helium-3. It is shown that paramagnetic molecular oxygen causes rapid relaxation of solid xenon at temperatures as low as 500 mK. We report on the enhanced relaxation, by liquid 3He of xenon films adsorbed on to silica gel and exfoliated graphite substrates. The investigation of this mechanism is extended to other magnetic nuclei and improved rates of relaxation are observed in 13C and 1 H. Details are also given, of how this mechanism of relaxation can be halted by the addition of superfluid 4He.
Unique observations in the 129Xe NMR spectra are reported, providing a unique opportunity to study the coupling between individual layers of 129Xe atoms. Finally, a novel mechanism of cooling, by the filtering of energetic atoms through a porous ceramic membrane, is investigated.


Background: At the time of diagnosis, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is typically already advanced and incurable. Current research has concentrated on finding tumor markers for early detection while the cancer is still localized and amenable to therapy, however, these markers remain elusive. The studies described focus on developing exonic circular RNAs (circRNA) as a novel set of diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers for PDAC. CircRNAs found in mammalian cells, are backsplice variants of transcripts that are derived from approximately 15% of actively transcribed genes. The prevalence, stability and cell-specific expression patterns of circRNAs suggest that they could be exploited as an indirect or surrogate readout of transcriptional activity in normal and diseased states. Both coding and non-coding RNAs are encapsulated within cytoplasmic endosomes, which are subsequently released as extracellular or circulating microvesicles called exosomes. Exosomes have become a promising research focus as a source for biomarkers. Objective: We are interested in elucidating whether aberrantly expressed genes in PDAC produce different types of circRNAs that become enriched in tumor-secreted exosomes. Hypothesis: Exosomal circRNA (exo-circRNA) expression patterns are potentially specific to different stages/types of PDAC and therefore can be used in disease sub-typing and prognosis. Methods: Exosomes were isolated from a normal pancreatic exocrine cell line (htert-HPNE) as well as three PDAC cell lines ranging from well to poorly differentiated, including PANC-1, BxPC3and MIAPaCa-2. The size and relative abundance of exosomes was quantified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The expression of common exosomal markers (CD63, CD9, CD81, and HSP70) and the PDAC exosomal marker glypican-1 (GPC-1) was evaluated by flow cytometry. RNA was purified from exosomes (exo-RNA) and the rRNA depleted samples were subject to circular RNA isolation. Exo-circRNA was used to construct RNA-Seq libraries. Sequencing of the generated libraries was performed on the Illumina Nextseq platform using 2x100 reads V1 chemistry at a targeted depth of 25 million paired end reads per library. The four read libraries were mapped to the human reference genome GRCh38.p3 using BWA-MEM, and analyzed using two bioinformatics platforms, "CIRI" and "find_circ". Comparison of membership and expression levels was made between a normal cell line and well-, moderately- and poorly differentiated, PDAC cell lines. Results: Exosome size ranged from 20nm to 80nm. These structures demonstrated some diversity in size and marker expression when comparing cell lines. The smallest structures were observed from BxPC3 cell. Here, we show for the first time the presence of circRNAs in exosomes collected from PDAC cell lines. RNA-seq analyses revealed a number of interesting circRNA species that show cell line specificity. Preliminary examination of PANC-1 RNA-seq libraries from the ENCODE database identified over 800 circRNA isoforms from total cellular transcriptome. The number of circRNA isoforms for PANC-1 cells decreased when using an enriched exo-circRNA library for alignment to approximately 19 putative circRNA markers. Furthermore, circRNA isoforms for each of the cell lines examined were distinct. Interestingly, no circRNAs of genes known to be overexpressed in PDAC (such as K-RAS) were found in the fraction of exo-cricRNA for any of the cell lines tested. Impact: The studies described demonstrate that specific circRNAs can be readily extracted from the exosomes of conditioned media. We hope that this novel tool can be further developed to help to diagnose pancreatic carcinoma when it is amenable to surgical resection and/or chemotherapy, thereby reducing the mortality associated with this disease. Citation Format: Jessica Kalra, Keith Laderoute, Daniel Renouf, David Shaeffer, Marcel Bally. Developing circRNA signatures as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Noncoding RNAs and Cancer: Mechanisms to Medicines ; 2015 Dec 4-7; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(6 Suppl):Abstract nr B36.


Abstract Carbon-14 has been identified as one of the more significant radionuclides in solid radioactive wastes in a repository, due to the potential radiological impact arising if 14C were to be released and enter the biosphere. However, the assessment of radiation doses is complicated by the major role of carbon in biological processes, and this has tended to lead to the adoption of a cautious assessment approach. An international comparison of five models used to predict uptake of 14C to agricultural crops has been undertaken, within the BIOPROTA framework. Processes investigated include conversion of 14C-labelled CH4 into CO2 in soils, carbon accumulation in and release from soil carbon pools, gaseous emanation to, and dispersion from, the plant canopy atmosphere and, incorporation into plants by photosynthesis. For a unit rate of entry of 14C to soil, modelled activity concentrations in cereal crops differ by three to five orders of magnitude. This reflects, in part, differing assumptions for mixing and dispersion of air above the soil surface and within the crop canopy layer. For a unit activity concentration of 14C in air, the modelled uptake to cereal crops converges significantly. Following an assumed irrigation of crops with groundwater containing unit activity of 14C, the predicted uptake to crops varied by two to four orders of magnitude, again largely dominated by assumptions regarding the canopy atmosphere. In all cases, there is some convergence in model predictions as field size increases. A continuing programme of field research is being undertaken in parallel with the assessment work.


The affiliations of three authors should be corrected as follow:Jae Man Son
                Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Korea
              Myonggeun Yoon
                Department of Bio-Convergence Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
              Sung Yong Park
                Division of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore 169610, Singapore


In Nigeria, as noted in the "National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development", sexually transmitted infections (STIs) had constituted a silent epidemic or the major health problem for the country. Consequently, from a total of 783 randomly selected youth ages 10-24 years in Edo Central Nigeria, this study examined youth contract of some STIs. Data tended to reveal first, that the males were slightly in excess of the females among the respondents. Secondly, that the bulk of the respondents was "never married" (84.6%). Thirdly, that majority of youth (76.7%) in Edo Central, Nigeria was engaged in educational activities, that is, as students. Finally, the prevalence of Gonorrhea, herpes simplex, Chlamydia, trachomatis, genital warts, syphilis, staph aureus and HIV/AIDS at 6.5, 0.4, 0.8, 2.6, 1.9, 1.0 and 1.3 percent among youth was found. It was, therefore, asserted in this study that STIs can cause infertility, serious illness, disability and death if left untreated. Hence, it is advised that youths should abstain from pre-marital sexual intercourse and consult a physician if they have STIs, among others. Key Words: Youth, Contract, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), Pre-marital Sexual Intercourse, STIs Prevalence and Edo Central.


Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) represent a pioneering technology to realize smart electromagnetic environments by reshaping the wireless channel. Jointly designing the transceiver and RIS relies on the channel state information (CSI), whose feedback has not been investigated in multi-RIS-assisted frequency division duplexing systems. In this study, the limited feedback of the RIS-assisted wireless channel is examined by capitalizing on the ability of the RIS in channel customization. By configuring the phase shifters of the surfaces using statistical CSI, we customize a sparse channel in rich-scattering environments, which significantly reduces the feedback overhead in designing the transceiver and RISs. Since the channel is customized in terms of singular value decomposition (SVD) with full-rank, the optimal SVD transceiver can be approached without a matrix decomposition and feeding back the complete channel parameters. The theoretical spectral efficiency (SE) loss of the proposed transceiver and RIS design is derived by considering the limited CSI quantization. To minimize the SE loss, a bit partitioning algorithm that splits the limited number of bits to quantize the CSI is developed. Extensive numerical results show that the channel customization-based transceiver with reduced CSI can achieve satisfactory performance compared with the optimal transceiver with full CSI. Given the limited number of feedback bits, the bit partitioning algorithm can minimize the SE loss by adaptively allocating bits to quantize the channel parameters.


ABSTRACT Background: The COVID-19 epidemic has impacted medical education for medical students worldwide. As medical students are already vulnerable to poor psychological well-being, the mental health of medical students may be significantly affected by the changes caused by COVID-19. Objective: In this article, we discuss the curriculum and mental health ramifications of the COVID-19 epidemic on the international medical school population Methods: In this review, we analyzed 13 studies evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on medical school curriculum, medical student mental health, and subsequent medical student coping strategies. Results: Early in the COVID-19 outbreak, the Association of American Medical Colleges recommended to pause all student clinical rotations, while in-person curriculum moved to virtual modalities. Students expressed concern over their abilities to explore specialties of interest and their confidence in becoming a competent doctor. Medical students also reported higher levels of anxiety, stress, and exhaustion, with female students reporting this more than male students. Students have been coping with these challenges in quarantine through engaging in physical activity, spending time outdoors, and video chats. Conclusion: Medical education institutions must address the effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of their students in order to mitigate related consequences.


We combined electrophysiological and freeze-fracture methods to estimate the unitary turnover rate of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter GAT1. Human GAT1 was expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and individual cells were used to measure and correlate the macroscopic rate of GABA transport and the total number of transporters in the plasma membrane. The two-electrode voltage-clamp method was used to measure the transporter-mediated macroscopic current evoked by GABA (I(NaCl)(GABA)), macroscopic charge movements (Q (NaCl)) evoked by voltage pulses and whole-cell capacitance. The same cells were then examined by freeze-fracture and electron microscopy in order to estimate the total number of GAT1 copies in the plasma membrane. GAT1 expression in the plasma membrane led to the appearance of a distinct population of 9-nm freeze-fracture particles which represented GAT1 dimers. There was a direct correlation between Q (NaCl) and the total number of transporters in the plasma membrane. This relationship yielded an apparent valence of 8 +/- 1 elementary charges per GAT1 particle. Assuming that the monomer is the functional unit, we obtained 4 +/- 1 elementary charges per GAT1 monomer. This information and the relationship between I(NaCl)(GABA) and Q (NaCl) were used to estimate a GAT1 unitary turnover rate of 15 +/- 2 s(-1) (21 degrees C, -50 mV). The temperature and voltage dependence of GAT1 were used to estimate the physiological turnover rate to be 79-93 s(-1) (37 degrees C, -50 to -90 mV).


Information about ploidy is important in both commercial and conservation aquaculture and fish research. Unfortunately, methods for its determination, such as karyology, determination of the amount of DNA in a cell using microdensitometry or flow cytometry and/or measuring erythrocytes in a blood smear can be stressful or even destructive. Some of these methods are also limited by the relatively large minimum size of the individual being measured. The aim of this study was to test a new low-stress method of determining ploidy by measuring the size of erythrocytes in the capillaries of a fish, including small individuals. First, we examined diploid and triploid loach (Cobitis sp.) and gibel carp, Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782), using flow cytometry and blood smears, with these results being used as a control. Subsequently, we measured the size of erythrocytes in the caudal fin capillaries of anesthetized fishes of known ploidy under a light microscope. For both the loaches and gibel carp, direct observation of the mean erythrocyte size in epithelial fin capillaries provided a consistent and reliable determination of ploidy when compared with the controls based on flow cytometry and blood smears. This new method allows for rapid determination of ploidy in living small fish, where collection of tissue using other methods may cause excessive stress or damage. The method outlined here simply requires the measurement of erythrocytes directly in the bloodstream of a live fish, thereby making it possible to determine ploidy without the need for blood sampling. The method described is sufficiently efficient, less demanding on equipment than many other procedures, can be used by relatively inexperienced personnel and has benefits as regards animal welfare, which is especially important for fish production facilities or when dealing with rare or endangered species.


The invention discloses a self-insulation system for a semi-outer-wrapped sandwiched cast-in-situ double-row combination building type wall. The self-insulation system for the semi-outer-wrapped sandwiched cast-in-situ double-row combination building type wall is characterized by comprising a first composite insulation building block self-insulation wall 1, a second composite insulation building block self-insulation wall 2, a skew brick self-insulation wall and beam insulation body, a door-window surrounding insulation wall and a lintel upper-end and wall top-end cast-in-situ self-insulation wall, wherein all the components are organically combined together to form a complete wall self-insulation system. The wall self-insulation system has the outstanding advantages of good energy-saving effect, convenience in construction, fire resistance, crack resistance, water resistance, leakage resistance and the like, the fatal defects that most of current insulation walls are poor in fire resistance, low in durability, poor in rainwater leakage resistance and likely to crack are overcome, and the technical system has great economic and social benefits in popularization and application.


Proportions of different phases (phase fraction) in the microstructures determine the quality of dual phase (DP) steel. So, calculation of phase fraction in the microstructures of steel samples is important for quality assurance. Manual calculation of phase fraction involves Le Pera
 etching of steel which is time consuming and dependent on operator efficiency. Calculation of phase fraction from Le Pera
 etched samples requires cumbersome manual observations. Nital
 etching is a faster alternative to Le Pera
 etching. However, due to lack of visually discriminative information, different phases cannot be identified manually from nital
 images. We propose a novel method for automatic calculation of phase fractions in steel microstructures from nital
 images using machine learning techniques. We show that regional contour patterns and local entropy (which cannot be evaluated manually) of regions of nital
 images are related to the formation process of the phases. We design a method that automatically evaluates regional contour patterns and local entropy from nital
 images of DP steel. Subsequently, we construct a random forest classifier that uses regional contour patterns and local entropy as features for classification of different phases. Our method is ~150 times faster than manual classification. Experiments show close to 90% accuracy in classification.


Abstract Background In 2014, the AAP updated guidelines for administration of palivizumab in children at high risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease. The updated guidelines defined high risk patient populations and recommended that eligible inpatients not receive monthly palivizumab prophylaxis but may receive a dose 24–72 hours prior to discharge. In a freestanding children's hospital, the ASP developed a protocol that ensured compliance with the adoption of these guidelines through prospective audit of all palivizumab orders prior to medication dispensing. Review of 2 seasons of palivizumab inpatient protocol dosing was compared with historical baseline drug utilization. Methods All palivizumab orders required an indication that was reviewed by a pharmacist who confirmed the patient's medical condition(s) and eligibility prior to medication dispensing. The pharmacist verbally reconciled any discrepancies with the ordering provider and if patient did not meet AAP guideline criteria, two members of the ASP reviewed the order and patient's medical record to determine inpatient eligibility for palivizumab administration. Two RSV seasons of palivizumab inpatient dosing were compared with the baseline year prior to protocol adoption to analyze impact of the protocol on direct costs of palivizumab to the organization. Results Two hundred and seventy-seven inpatient doses of palivizumab were reviewed from November 1, 2014 to April 30, 2017. After implementation of the palivizumab protocol, the number of doses administered decreased each RSV season (see Figure 1). This resulted in a decrease in drug expenditures in each of the post implementation seasons (see Figure 2). The ASP reviewed orders for 10 patients during the 2015–2016 season and 16 patients during the 2016–2017 season for unapproved indications. Hospital-acquired RSV infections remained stable after protocol implementation and isolation recommendations were unchanged. Conclusion In a freestanding children's hospital, an ASP driven protocol reduced palivizumab administration to inpatients in keeping with AAP guidelines while reducing direct pharmacy costs and without an increase in hospital-acquired RSV infections during the evaluation period. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


The diagnosis of intestinal amebiasis is easily established based on colonoscopy, i.e. there is a specific characteristic of ulcer/lesion "discrete flask-shape ulcer" with normal mucosa among the ulcers. However, most patients with amebic colitis have non-specific clinical manifestations and their colonoscopy findings are hardly distinguished from inflammatory bowel disease. In the present case, the patient had a chief complaint of chronic bleeding diarrhea and abdominal pain. The fecal analysis found trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica. Serology test (sero-amebic) revealed negative result. The colonoscopy examination reveals hyperemic mucosa, edema, and multiple ulcers with various sizes covered with fragile and easily bleed debris, from the rectum to ascending colon, rigid colon, narrowing lumen and tumor/mass appearance on ascending colon. The differential diagnosis was severe amebic colitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Based on the colonoscopy biopsy, we found an active chronic colitis along with dysplasia. The patient received management and treatment of severe amebic colitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Keywords: amebic colitis, bleeding diarrhea, fecal analysis, colonoscopy, biopsy, inflammatory bowel disease


The hypothesis that diabetes mellitus is a syndrome has been confirmed by recent physiopathological studies. In idiopathic diabetes differences in the genetic status and in the alternations of the beta cells allow to identify two completely different diseases: type 1 (or juvenile) diabetes and type II (or adult) diabetes. On the basis of the differences in the physiopathology of the different types of diabetes, the usefulness of vitamin supplementation for prophylaxis and therapy is discussed. The nutritional intake of thiamine is, for instance, recommended for patients suffering from the type II disease. Riboflavin deficiency has recently been observed in rat experimental diabetes as well as in human type II diabetes; the vitamin deficiency seems to be relevant in connection with functional alterations of pancreatic beta-cells. Other water-soluble vitamins are known to be involved in the pathogenesis and evolution of diabetes mellitus. Among the fat-soluble vitamins, retinol ought to be mentioned because of its importance in the mechanism of synthesis of pre-collagen and in view of the alterations in collagen and glycoprotein synthesis which accompany diabetes. Moreover, a diminished secretion of insulin has been described together with vitamins deficiences. The critical analysis of these data enables the diabetologist to define a reliable program for the prophylaxis and treatment of different kinds of diabetes.


The legal system of Malaysia was modeled after the English legal system which practices parliamentary democracy and is ruled by a Constitutional Monarchy, with His Majesty the Yang di-PertuanAgong (the King) presiding ceremonially as the Head of the country. Although the Malaysian legal system is predominantly based on English common law, there are also other secondary legal systems concurrently affecting certain sections of the law, such as Islamic law and customary law. Though Islam has a most exalted position as the religion of the Federation, the sharia is not the basic law of the land. This conception paper believes Article 3(1) on Islam as the religion of the Federation is qualified by Article 3(4), which clearly states that "nothing in this article derogates from any other provision of the Constitution". This means that Article 3(1) does not override any other provision of the Constitution. This article view that a united and functional Malaysia can only exist when legal issues are determined in accordance with principle, in well-reasoned judgments by the courts, with a willingness to grapple with difficult issues without glossing over or avoidance or oversimplification or a giving way to sentiment. Keywords: Malaysian Legal system, Malaysian Constitutions, Islam, Sharia Law


We evaluate the relation between some symptoms of deterioration and the activity of enzymes entailed with both the browning and the antioxiding system in fruits of yellow pitaya (Acanthocereus pitajaya), harvested in its physiological maturity and stored for 15 days at 24°C and 85% of relative humidity. In the whole fruits, the respiratory intensity and the external colors were evaluated; further, the activity of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and polyphenoloxidase (PPO) was studied in the peel of the fruit. The fruit exhibited a climacteric behavior six days after the date of the harvest. The browning of the peel had a direct relation with the activity of POD and PPO. The maximum observed activity of CAT in the climacterium, responds to the proper balance with the high production of H2O2 expected at that moment.


This article is a review of the book by V. Tanzi Pravitelstvo i rynki: menjajushchajasja rol gosudarstva [Government versus Markets: The Changing Economic Role of the State] (Moscow: Gaidar Institute Press, 2018. 584 p.). This is a book by a leading international expert on tax policy and its impact on the economic development, a former Head of the Office of Budget Affairs of the International Monetary Fund. Tanzi considers the economic role of the state in the 20-21 centuries in the historical and geographical context, and notes what the state should do or try to do in the economic sphere including in the near future. The review emphasizes that the book can be considered a kind of a guide on the analytical division of the market and the state, and also on the development of a strategy for overcoming budget crises of our time.


The purpose of the present study is to evaluate contributions of sustainable start-up ecosystems to the development and dynamics of start-up companies. To illustrate how the sustainability of start-up ecosystems affects the development trends of start-up companies the case of Lithuania is analysed. Lithuania is chosen because of its experience of dynamically transforming its start-up ecosystem; the case is useful for both further scientific analysis of start-up ecosystems and application of the Lithuanian experience to other countries. Cooperation and networking among companies have been important research topics for many decades. In the second half of the 20th century the network expansion evolved due to the development of social, economic, political and technological systems (Iansiti and Levien, 2004); however, companies faced new challenges in adapting to the rapidly changing environment, creating synergies from cooperation in ecosystems and sustainably strengthening their competitive advantage. In the early 1990s the term 'business ecosystem' was introduced into popular management parlance by James F. Moore (1993). Moore suggested an ecological approach to management, where modern business is viewed not only as a member of a single industry, but rather a part of a business ecosystem that crosses a variety of industries. The present research is centred on effects of this business ecosystem on the dynamics of start-ups. Given the multifactor and trans-disciplinary nature of start-up ecosystems, the triangulation method of combining the scientific literature overview, semi-structured qualitative interviews and quantitative survey method is chosen: the quantitative survey was designed to reveal the general profile of a start-up company and its' approach towards start-up ecosystems, while qualitative semi-structured expert interviews were conducted to acknowledge why and how start-up ecosystem influences the development of companies. The research question is how sustainability of start-up ecosystems affects the development patterns of start-up companies. This should help other countries such as Georgia, Moldova, Bulgaria or Romania to avoid of possible mistakes in enhancing their own start-up ecosystems.


In January 1989, a much-rumored work by Dmitri Shostakovich titled Anti-Formalist Rayok received its public premiere. Rayok is a single-act satirical opera/cantata for bass soloist and mixed chorus. Each character represents a prominent Soviet political figure: Joseph Stalin, Andrei Zhdanov, and Dmitri Shepilov. The text of the libretto is either taken directly from actual speeches given by these political figures or follows their idiosyncratic style of public speaking. Rayok often falls victim to criticism for its lack of musical depth, a point of view that could easily lead one to see it as one of Shostakovich's lesser works. The purpose of this document is to examine the political environment of the Soviet Union in the early twentieth century in order to provide context for Shostakovich's Anti-Formalist Rayok and to show how Shostakovich uses satire in this piece. This dissertation document looks at the broader concepts of Formalism and Socialist Realism, traces how Socialist Realism became the established Soviet cultural aesthetic, and examines specific historical events in the 1940s and 1950s that relate to Rayok. Musical examples are taken from the section of the piece centering around D.T. Troikin. These examples demonstrate how Shostakovich uses Socialist Realist cliches in order to satirize the overly bureaucratized state of Soviet musical aesthetics. This leads to the conclusion that Shostakovich created a paradoxical work of art only posing as kitsch, and that he was not only satirizing the political figures presented in disguise but also the entire Soviet Socialist Realist aesthetic.


In developing countries like Thailand, an Environmental Assessment (EA) is conducted only for projects prescribed by environmental legislation. Numerous projects, especially those that are smalland medium-scale in size and scope, are implemented in areas by a local authority without any type of EA. Based on a comparative analysis of the environmental status of large-, mediumand small-scale road development projects implemented by a local authority in Thailand, this paper attempts to justify the enforcement of EAs for mediumand small-scale projects. The justification is mainly based on the perceptions of people affected by these projects. Environmental impact scores, computed on the basis of people's perceptions, reveal that, irrespective of the size of a project, the impacts caused by different sized projects are perceived as similar. Since every development project is implemented for the purpose of human development, this paper proposes to integrate environmental screening and initial EAs into the existing development control measures enforced by urban planning regulations and laws.


Background Utilizing the permeability enhancement and irreversible biomolecule denaturation caused by hyperthermia, photothermal-chemo synergistic therapy has shown great potential in clinical cancer treatment. Purpose The objective of this study was to provide a novel controlled drug release method to improve the efficiency of photothermal-chemo synergistic therapy. Patients and methods HCT116 tumor-bearing mice were selected as modal for the study of cancer theranostics efficiency. The T2 to T1 magnetic resonance imaging contrast switch was studied in vivo. Analyses of the tumor growth of mice were carried out to evaluate the tumor therapy efficiency. Results We developed novel artificially controlled degradable Co3O4 nanoparticles and explored their potential in drug delivery/release. In the presence of ascorbic acid (AA), the designed nanomaterials can be degraded via a redox process and hence release the loaded drugs. Importantly, the AA, in the lack of l-gulonolactone oxidase, cannot be synthesized in the body of typical mammal including human, which suggested that the degradation process can be controlled artificially. Moreover, the obtained nanoparticles have outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency and their degradation can also result in an magnetic resonance imaging contrast enhancement switch from T2 to T1, which benefits the cancer theranostics. Conclusion Our results illustrated that the artificially controlled degradable nanoparticles can serve as an alternative candidate for controllable drug release as well as a platform for highly efficient photothermal-chemo synergistic cancer theranostics.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of pentoxifylline on one-lung ventilation injury in rabbits.

METHODS
Twenty rabbit models of one-lung ventilation by intrabronchial intubation after tracheotomy were randomly allocated in control group (with one-lung ventilation) and experiment group (with one-lung ventilation and intravenous pentoxifylline administration). One-lung ventilation was maintained for 3 h in both groups using the volume-control mode (tidal volume of 8 ml/kg at the frequency of 30 per min). Arterial blood samples were taken after anesthesia and at 3 h of one-lung ventilation for arterial blood gas analysis to obtain the oxygenation index. At the end of the experiment, the pulmonary wet/dry ratio (W/D), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), NO, malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) contents in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured and the histological appearance of the lung tissue was observed.

RESULTS
The oxygenation index was significantly higher (P<0.05), W/D ratio lower (P<0.05), and contents of TNF-alpha, NO and MAD in the BALF lower in the experimental group than in the control group (P<0.05). The activity of SOD increased significantly in the experimental group as compared with the control group (P<0.01), and the rabbits in the experimental group showed milder pathological changes.

CONCLUSION
Intravenous pentoxifylline may improve pulmonary ventilation function and alleviate pulmonary injury, thus offering protection against pulmonary injury after one-lung ventilation.


Purpose The aim of this study was to compare the location and the shape of the mandibular lingula in skeletal class I and III patients using panoramic radiography and cone-beam computed tomography. Materials and Methods The sample group included 190 skeletal class I patients and 157 class III patients. The location of the lingula in relation to the deepest point of the coronoid notch was classified into 3 types using panoramic radiographs. The shapes of the lingulae were classified into nodular, triangular, truncated, or assimilated types using cone-beam computed tomographic images. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test. Results The tips of the lingulae were at the same level as the coronoid notch in 75.3% of skeletal class I patients and above the coronoid notch in 66.6% of class III patients. The positions of the lingulae in relation to the deepest point of the coronoid notch showed statistically significant differences between class I and class III patients. The most common shape was nodular, and the least common was the assimilated shape. Although this trend was not statistically significant, the triangular shape was more frequently observed in class III patients than in class I patients. Conclusion The locations and the shapes of the mandibular lingulae were variable. Most of the lingulae were at the same level as the coronoid notch in skeletal class I patients and above the coronoid notch in skeletal class III patients. The nodular and assimilated-shaped lingulae were the most and the least prevalent, respectively.


This article presents a review and an analysis of the 607 patients admitted to the Paediatric Department in Gentofte University Hospital, Copenhagen, on account of all kinds of poisoning during the period of five years from 1980 to 1985. We observed that the number of inpatients on account of poisoning constituted 4.5% of the total number of inpatients. The female to male ratio was registered as 0.84. No significant differences in admission of patients in each of the five years were found. 97.5% of the children were hospitalized only for two days or even less. Of the total number of patients, 75% were observed in the age groups up to four years and 53% in the interval between one and three years. Concerning the type of poisoning agents: we found that 29% were poisoned with solid substances, 24% with chemical-technical agents, 23% with botanical agents, 22% with various kinds of medicine and finally 2% with gaseous agents. A possible coherence between the different categories of poisoning agents and the age intervals was reviewed. 31% of the admitted children developed symptoms, of which the most frequently observed were gastrointestinal, cerebral and respiratory. The poison categories with the highest frequency of complications were the chemical-technical agents and those determined by ingestion of medicine.


Anti-terminator proteins control gene expression by recognizing control signals on cognate mRNAs and preventing transcriptional termination. HutP ofBacillus subtilisregulates thehutoperon by an anti-termination mechanism. Recently, crystal structures of HutP [apo-form of HutP, HutP-HBN (histidine analog), HutP-L-histidine-Mg2+, and HutP-L-histidine-Mg2+-RNA] have been reported. These structures and functional studies on HutP showed how the protein undergoes conformational changes in response to two key components : L-histidine and Mg2+ions, before binding to the cognate terminator RNA.


A new bone graft substitute made by conversion of the calcium carbonate exoskeleton of reef-building sea coral into hydroxyapatite has recently become clinically available. The normal radiographic appearance of two forms of this material is described. In the immediate postoperative period, the exoskeletal architecture of these implants is readily appreciated. With graft incorporation over the ensuing months, their intrinsic structure is gradually lost in association with poor marginal definition. Evolving radiographic findings reflect the biocompatible nature of these implants, which provides the potential for ingrowth of native bone with preservation of the coralline scaffold, resulting in enhanced biomechanical properties.


Tasmanian wet eucalypt forests are internationally important for wood and paper production, carbon storage and biodiversity conservation. These forests contain tall eucalypts over dense understories of rainforest and wet sclerophyll species. This research was motivated by a need for tools to replace costly aerial photo interpretation (PI-type) mapping for describing forest species composition and stand structure. Overall, I aimed to develop approaches for assessing and mapping tree species distribution and forest structure of wet eucalypt forest in a 5 km by 5 km area of the Warra Supersite, Tasmania, using multi-source remote sensing data.
My first study used an airborne LiDAR-derived canopy height model (CHM) and hyperspectral imagery to classify up to five dominant tree species of the forest. I used random forest classifiers on objects generated using data segmentation under a range of scenarios. Fused CHM and Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) datasets yielded the highest segmentation accuracy (88.71%). The fusion of hyperspectral imagery, CHM and vegetation indices produced the best classifiers (overall accuracy (OA) of 66.7%) followed by the fused dataset of MNF and CHM (OA = 66.0%). Hyperspectral imagery alone provided the lowest classification accuracy (OA = 59.0%). Accuracy for the dominant canopy species (Eucalyptus obliqua) was 90.86% for four vegetation classes and 86.11% for five classes. Classification accuracies for the important understory species, Dicksonia antarctica, were also high under the best models (~84%). Accuracies for other species were low. Thus, fused hyperspectral and LiDAR data were robust and capable of spatially discriminating several important forest species.
My second study utilised LiDAR-derived topographic attributes and mapped geological strata to develop a model for predicting three understory layers of the forest (≥2 to ≤10 m, >10 to ≤30 m and >30 to ≤50 m as proxies for the lower, middle and upper layers, respectively) using five different spatial resolutions using random forest regression. Overall, the 30 m resolution provided the best model for predicting understory layers compared to 1 m, 5 m, 10 m and 20 m resolutions. The predictive power for the upper layer was greatest (R\(^2\) = 0.82), followed by the lower layer and the middle layer. Geology had the highest variable importance score for 5 m, 10 m, 20 m and 30 m resolutions, whereas terrain position index had the highest variable importance score for 1 m resolution. This research demonstrated that LiDAR-derived topographic attributes and geology data could be used to predict the understory vegetation structure.
My third study developed robust and cost-effective approaches for predicting the densities of vertical structural layers of the forest based on multispectral satellite data and simulated operational LiDAR datasets. I assessed the robustness of forest structure models based on thirteen schemes of derivatives (vegetation indices, texture features, and topographic attributes) from three different data sources (Airborne LiDAR downscaled to operational density, WorldView-3 and Landsat-8 (OLI)) at spatial resolutions (1.60 m, 7.5 m and 30 m). Models for the upper and middle layers were better than those for the lower layer. The 30 m Landsat-8 data provided the best results for all three-pixel sizes (R2 values ranged 0.15 to 0.65). Fused data from Landsat-8 and the simulated low-density LiDAR showed modest accuracy for predicting the density of three vertical layers and could be adopted by forest managers and planners. The WorldView-3 data of 1.6 m pixel size did not produce useful models.
In conclusion, the fusion of remote sensing datasets may help assess and map woody plant species composition and structure of wet eucalypt forests with opportunities to replace the traditional, subjective and time-consuming mapping technique of aerial photo interpretation. My results highlight the potential of freely available Landsat-8 (OLI) and operational LiDAR data, and random forest machine learning techniques for predicting and mapping forest species and vertical structural layers of wet eucalypt forests. This thesis addressed data complexities, including multidimensionality and nonlinearity in multi-source data, and provided a robust approach for the assessment of wet eucalypt forest composition and structure.


Assessing marketing performance is an increasingly important task for managers and various stakeholders in the competitive business environment. The performance measures in marketing arguably have following functions from management control perspective: (1) As tool for measuring performance of marketing management function; (2) Marketing performance measures as the objectives of the business; (3)Mechanism for motivation and control and (4) Tool for making marketing strategy decision and implementation. This paper reviews the research in the area of marketing performance measurement and the trends thereof in marketing performance measurement practices. Further it describes various measures of marketing performance, namely customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, brand equity, return on investment (ROI) on marketing and its limitation in fulfilling its function in the prevalent business circumstances. Some cases in Indian context are decorated along with the result of a survey on business performance measurement practices of 38 top-notch companies of India. This paper written from management control perspective concludes by discussing the current challenges and perspectives for marketing performance measurement.


Video frame interpolation aims at synthesizing new video frames in-between existing frames to generate higher frame rate video. Current methods usually use two adjacent frames to generate intermediate frames, but sometimes fail to handle challenges like large motion, occlusion, and motion blur. This paper proposes a multi-frame pyramid refinement network to effectively use spatio-temporal information contained in multiple frames (more than two). There are three technical contributions in the proposed network. First, a special coarse-to-fine framework is proposed to refine optical flows in-between multiple frames with residual flows at each pyramid level. Therefore, large motion and occlusion can be effectively estimated. Second, a 3D U-net feature extractor is used to excavate spatio-temporal context and restore texture, which tend to disappear at course pyramid levels. Third, a multi-step perceptual loss is adopted to preserve more details in intermediate frame. It is worth mentioning that our approach can be easily extended to multi-frame interpolation. Our network is trained end-to-end using more than 80K collected frame groups (25 frames per group). Experimental results on several independent datasets show that our approach can effectively handle challenging cases, and perform consistently better than other state-of-the-art methods.


There is growing evidence that normal or only mildly increased amounts of iron in the liver can be damaging, particularly when they are combined with other hepatotoxic factors such as alcohol, porphyrogenic drugs, or chronic viral hepatitis. Iron enhances the pathogenicity of microorganisms, adversely affects the function of macrophages and lymphocytes, and enhances fibrogenic pathways, all of which may increase hepatic injury due to iron itself or to iron and other factors. Iron may also be a co-carcinogen or promoter of hepatocellular carcinoma, even in patients without HC or cirrhosis. Based on this and other evidence, we hope that the era of indiscriminate iron supplementation will come to an end. Bloodletting, a therapy much in vogue 2 centuries ago, is deservedly enjoying a renaissance, based on our current understanding of the toxic effects of iron and the benefits of its depletion.


Growth with sustainability has nowadays become an important thrust area of world economy. The present paper has tried to examine the pollution-income relationship to verify the phenomenon of EKC hypothesis in the case of India for the period of 1978-2014. The application of Johansen cointegration method reveals that there is long run cointegration relationship between the two in the case of India. The study also validates the EKC hypothesis thus giving signal that India should pursue the strategy of "grow now and clean later", a policy usually adopted by most of the rich countries of the world.


This study reanalyzes the data from a recent experimental report from the University of Utah investigating the effect on driving performance of auditory-vocal secondary tasks (such as cell phone and passenger conversations, speech-to-text, and a complex artificial cognitive task). The current objective is to estimate the relative risk of crashes associated with such auditory-vocal tasks. Contrary to the Utah study's assumption of an increase in crash risk from the attentional effects of cognitive load, a deeper analysis of the Utah data shows that driver self-regulation provides an effective countermeasure that offsets possible increases in crash risk. For example, drivers self-regulated their following distances to compensate for the slight increases in brake response time while performing auditory-vocal tasks. This new finding is supported by naturalistic driving data showing that cell phone conversation does not increase crash risk above that of normal baseline driving. The Utah data are next compared to those from a larger study that included visual-manual as well as auditory-vocal tasks. The Utah auditory-vocal tasks had negligible effects on response time compared to visual-manual tasks with socially acceptable crash risk, such as manual radio tuning. In conclusion, auditory-vocal tasks such as those in the Utah study are not expected to increase crash risk or impair real-world operation of an automobile, compared to normal baseline driving without performing such tasks. Language: en


We studied the effect of acupuncture in 49 patients with angina pectoris with focus on its relationship to psycho-social factors and changes in skin temperature, pain thresholds, and pain tolerance thresholds. No significant influence from patient expectation, social stress (strain) or profiles of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was found (all p > 0.1). Acupuncture slightly increased exercise tolerance (median 7%), the difference in Systolic Blood Pressure-Heart Rate Product between rest and maximal exercise (delta PRP) (median 3%), and the time to onset of pain (median 10%); decreased nitroglycerin consumption (median 58%) and anginal attack rate (median 38%). Improvement in exercise tolerance was significantly correlated to an improvement in delta PRP (correlation coefficient = 0.7; p < 0.0001) but not to time of myocardial ischemia (correlation coefficient = 0.1; p = 0.1). Compared with 28 patients with a less pronounced anti-anginal effect, the 21 patients with a pronounced effect had a significant increase in local skin temperature, but had no significant change in distant skin temperature and pain thresholds. It is concluded that acupuncture, due to hemodynamic alterations, might have a specific effect on angina pectoris in addition to drug treatments.


The subcellular distribution of G protein subunits in the neutrophil was examined. Cells were nitrogen cavitated and subcellular organelles fractionated on discontinuous sucrose gradients. The presence of GTP-binding regulatory protein (G protein) alpha and beta/gamma subunits in each organelle was determined using three methods of analysis: specific binding of guanine nucleotide, ADP ribosylation by pertussis toxin, and immunoblot analysis with subunitspecific G protein antibodies. Both plasma membrane and cytosolic G protein components were detected. In contrast, neither the specific nor the azurophilic granules contained detectable G protein. Based on the ability of exogenous G protein beta/gamma subunits to increase the ADP ribosylation of the cytosolic form of G protein and upon the hydrodynamic behavior of the cytosolic protein, it is likely that this represents an uncomplexed G protein alpha subunit. Proteolytic mapping with Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease suggests the soluble alpha subunit is from G,, the major pertussis toxin substrate of human neutrophils. Using quantitative analysis, the levels of the 40-kD G protein alpha subunit and of the 35/36-kD beta subunit in the neutrophil membrane were determined. T r~E GTP-binding regulatory proteins (G proteins) j consist of a family of highly homologous proteins which serve to couple various membrane-bound hormone, neurotransmitter, and chemotactic factor receptors to their cellular effector systems. At least five such proteins have been purified and characterized, including the following: Gs and G~, the stimulatory and inhibitory regulators of adenylate cyclase (5, 38); transducin, which couples rhodopsin to the cGMP phosphodiesterase in rod outer segments (18); Go, a G protein abundant in brain whose function is as yet unclear but which has been demonstrated to interact with muscarinic cholinergic receptors (9, 37); and G,, a G protein found in neutrophils which may couple chemotactic factor receptors to a phospholipase C (12, 29). In addition, several other potential G proteins have been described (7, 16, 41). The G proteins are structurally similar, being heterotrimers consisting of distinct alpha and very similar, if not identical, beta/gamma subunits. The alpha subunits in each G protein contain the sites for binding guanine nucleotides and fluoride (5, 26), as well as sites for ADP ribosylation by various bacterial toxins (4, 27). Alpha subunits of at least two G proteins (G~ and Go) have been shown to behave as soluble proteins in vitro, maintaining behavior as monomeric species in the absence of detergents (36). The beta/gamma subunits form a relatively hydrophobic complex which may I. Abbreviations used in this paper: DIFP, diisopropylfluorophosphate; G proteins, GTP-binding regulatory proteins; GTPTS, guanosine 5'-gamma (3-0-thio) triphosphate. be involved in coupling the alpha subunits to membrane receptors (9) and, potentially, the membrane itself. The ability of beta/gamma to promote the association of the alpha subunit with artificial phospholipid vesicles has been demonstrated (36). While the G proteins largely appear to exist as membrane proteins, requiring detergents to extract them from membranes, there are indications that exceptions to this generalization exist. In particular, transducin has been shown to behave as a peripherally bound membrane protein at physiologic ionic strength (19). The transducin alpha subunit can be released from the membrane and become soluble by treatment with light (i.e., the receptor "agonist") and GTP. Under conditions of low ionic strength, both light and GTP are individually effective in releasing the holoprotein complex from the membrane. The regulation of a soluble cGMP phosphodiesterase by transducin may require formation of the soluble, activated species of Tn-alpha (39). Several other reports suggest the possibility that other G proteins may be able to exist in a soluble form, including Gs (21, 32) and some of the pertussis toxin substrates (12, 23). In this report, we analyze in detail the subcellular distribution of G protein subunits in the human neutrophil. A cytoplasmic pertussis toxin substrate is described and characterized. Proteolytic mapping identifies the cytosolic protein as identical to the 40-kD alpha subunit of G, that exists in neutrophil membrane and clearly distinct from the 41-kD alpha subunit of G~. The cytoplasmic form of G. appears to represent the alpha subunit of the protein uncomplexed from the beta/gamma subunit. Quantitative estimates of the levels © The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525/88/06/1927/10 $2.00 The Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 106, June 1988 1927-1936 1927 on N ovem er 6, 2017 jcb.rress.org D ow nladed fom


We demonstrate both experimentally and theoretically controlled acceleration of one- and two-dimensional Airy beams in optically induced refractive-index potentials. Enhancement as well as reduction of beam acceleration are realized by changing the index gradient, while the beam shape is maintained during propagation through the linear optical potential. Our results of active acceleration manipulation in graded media are pertinent to Airy-type beam propagation in various environments.


Thirty infants who had siblings with major allergy were prospectively followed up to 12 months. Among 15 infants, in whom egg and milk were eliminated by the mother during third trimester and 12 months after birth, three infants developed food allergy. But, among 15 infants without any elimination either by the mother or the infant, 7 infants developed food allergy though this was not statistically significant. Among ten cases with food allergy, eight developed the symptoms during first six months. There were no correlations between allergic symptoms and Total IgE. Also, specific IgG4 did not show significant correlation with specific IgE and allergic symptoms except in several cases. Even though there was no significant decrease of food allergy by elimination of egg and milk during third trimester and 12 months after birth, elimination of egg and milk during that period give some benefit to the infant with strongly positive family history of major allergy under the close observation for growth and development of the infant.


This study aims to find out how the application of the role playing method in developing cognitive skills of children aged 5-6 years. The problem in this study is the low cognitive development of children aged 5-6 years and the hope that the role playing method still uses limited media in RA Az-Zahra Natar, South Lampung. The method used in this research is a descriptive qualitative method that describes how the role playing method is used at RA Az-Zahra Natar, South Lampung. Data collection techniques used were observation, interviews and documentation. Analysis of the data used is the analysis of miles and huberman model data, namely data reduction, data collection and conclusion drawing. Based on data collection and analysis conducted there are several findings of research results about playing a role in developing cognitive children aged 5-6 years. The results of this research are the application of the steps used in role playing, i.eWarming up (warming up), participants (choosing players), setting the stage, observers (preparing observers), holding (ensuring roles), discussion and evaluation, reusing (playing back roles), second discussion and evaluation, various conclusions and experiences


In light of the stagnating World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, this article argues that WTO should not only focus on the development of new rules or the resolution of disputes, but should also develop 'soft law' on the basis of informal mechanisms as the successful experiences of the International Competition Network or the International Monetary Fund demonstrate. In this respect, WTO should extend and refine the role of its Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) in order to be able to address essential issues of contemporary economic concerns and, hence, remain at the centre of global governance. This article explains how the TPRM role should be refined and revised with a view to cover key areas of international trade governance, such as harmonization and coordination of preferential trade agreements as well as convergence of measures dealing with greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental policies which are two key issues questioning the WTO's supremacy in the international trade order. The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved., Oxford University Press.


Understanding the activity of the mammalian brain requires an integrative knowledge of circuits at distinct scales, ranging from ion channel time constants to synaptic connection probabilities. To understand how multiple parameters contribute synergistically to circuit behavior as a whole, neuronal computational models are regularly employed. However, traditional models containing anatomically and biophysically realistic neurons are computationally expensive when scaled to model local circuits. To overcome this limitation, we trained several artificial neural net (ANN) architectures to model the activity of realistic, multicompartmental neurons. We identified a single ANN that accurately predicted both subthreshold and action potential firing, and correctly generalized its responses to previously unobserved synaptic input. When scaled, processing times were orders of magnitude faster compared with traditional approaches, allowing for rapid parameter-space mapping in a circuit model of Rett syndrome. Thus, our ANN approach allows for rapid, detailed network experiments using inexpensive, readily available computational resources.


Saikosaponin (SS) b2 was found to inhibit the proliferation of B16 melanoma cells. To explore this mechanism, we employed flow cytometry to determine the distribution of DNA content. The cell cycle of B16 melanoma cells was accumulated in the G1 phase followed by induction of apoptosis. This suggests that SSb2-induced proliferation inhibition is caused by G1 phase accumulation and that apoptosis induction is G1-phase-accumulation dependent. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, did not interfere with the proliferation and did not induce apoptosis of B16 melanoma cells by itself. However, PMA significantly abolished these effects of SSb2 in including proliferation inhibition and apoptosis induction. Down-regulation of the PKC activity may be involved in the effect of SSb2.


During routine cadaveric dissection of the thorax and upper limb in a clinical gross anatomy course, we identified an unusual, supernumerary muscle in the right torso of a 91 year-old, Caucasian male. This consisted of a substantial muscle bundle continuous with the antero-inferior border of the latissimus dorsi, bearing a lengthy, strap-like tendon that passed superomedially, deep to the pectoralis minor, to insert broadly on the neck of the clavicle and first costal cartilage. It was innervated by branches of the thoracodorsal nerve. Although this muscle bore some partial resemblance to reported anterior supracostal muscle variants on the anterior thoracic skeleton, which are typically innervated by intercostal nerves, it showed a unique pattern of origin, insertions, and innervation. Furthermore, there was no resemblance to previously describe axillary arch muscles and other rare variations of latissimus dorsi muscle slips and insertions. We therefore name this unusual variant a "latissimo-cleidocostal muscle". Future observation and study of this muscle variant should further test whether it is truly distinct from currently recognized supracostal or other latissimus dorsi variants.


This study was conducted to determine whether students classified as learning disabled (LD) who were permitted to substitute courses for the college foreign language (FL) requirement at one university would display significant cognitive and academic achievement differences when grouped by level of discrepancy between IQ and achievement, by discrepancy between achievement according to different measures, and by level of performance on phonological-orthographic processing measures, on the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT), and in FL courses. Results showed that there were no differences among students with different levels of discrepancy (i.e., < 1.0 SD, 1.0-1.49 SD, and > 1.50 SD) on MLAT and American College Testing (ACT) scores, graduating grade point average (GPA) or college FL GPA. Results also showed that among students who scored below versus at or above the 25th percentile on phonological-orthographic processing measures, there were no differences on measures of IQ, ACT, MLAT, and GPA, as well as most measures of academic achievement. Implications for the use of the LD label to grant FL course substitutions or waivers, use of the MLAT in the diagnostic and course substitution/waiver process, and the validity and reliability of traditional criteria for the classification as LD are discussed.


Abstract An increasing number of scholarly voices challenge the balance between incentives and deadweight losses created by intellectual property rights. In their book Against Intellectual Monopoly (2008), Boldrin and Levine) move beyond pragmatic calls to fine-tune the scope of intellectual property rights to question the very premises of the quid pro quo underlying the intellectual property rights system. In this brief essay, we contemplate the effects of removing traditional copyright protection. We draw upon the available literature in economic theory and copyright scholarship to examine the likely incentive effects of copyright abolition on authors, while considering the available non-legal forms of remuneration for authors. Furthermore, we contemplate a version of copyright protection grounded and limited to a mandatory right of attribution.


South Korea has experienced a dramatic economic change since the Korean War. Its economic structure has developed from one with a primary industry-centric in the 1950s to a manufacturing or service-centric structure. The economic development has been accompanied by a steady growth of population specifically in urban areas. In addition, economic development also has triggered changes in its population distribution and, ultimately, its urban system. The purpose of this paper is to investigate changes in the urban system in South Korea using two approaches, which are primacy indices and spatial interaction indices. While the primacy indices focus on the population sizes of cities, an investigation with spatial interaction allows an examination of linkages among cities. The results show that the Korean urban system had a primacy structure in which Seoul dominates until the 1990s, after which this primacy structure of the city weakened. The spatial interaction patterns show that many cities have developed in large metropolitan areas and are highly interconnected with each other. But this new development has dominantly occurred still in the Seoul metropolitan area. These results present that urban developments have been highly concentrated in peripheral areas of Seoul that are still in the Seoul metropolitan area, with the dominance of the metropolitan area getting stronger over time.


Malaria in pregnancy is exquisitely aggressive, causing a range of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes prominently linked to Plasmodium-infected erythrocyte cytoadherence to fetal trophoblast. To elucidate the physiopathology of infected erythrocytes (IE) sequestration in the placenta we devised an experimental system for intravital placental examination of P. berghei-infected mice. BALB/c females were mated to C57Bl/6 CFP+ male mice and infected with GFP+ P. berghei IE, and at gestational day 18, placentas were exposed for time-lapse imaging acquisition under two-photon microscopy. Real-time images and quantitative measurements revealed that trophoblast conformational changes transiently restrain blood flow in the mouse placental labyrinth. The complex dynamics of placental microcirculation promotes IE accumulation in maternal blood spaces with low blood flow and allows the establishment of stable IE-trophoblast contacts. Further, we show that the fate of sequestered IE includes engulfment by both macrophagic and trophoblastic fetal-derived cells. These findings reinforce the current paradigm that IE interact with the trophoblast and provide definitive evidence on two novel pathogenesis mechanisms: (1) trophoblast layer controls placental microcirculation promoting IE sequestration; and (2) fetal-derived placental cells engulf sequestered IE.


Introduction. Innovative development is based on innovations aimed at improving the efficiency of activities of enterprises. The level of management of innovative development of electric power enterprises directly depends on the technological level of the industry and enterprises. It is necessary to take into account the depth of innovation processes at the enterprise, because not all innovations lead to increased productivity, but only those that are focused on new technologies and are accompanied by real achievements. That is why the importance of organizational and managerial aspects which are called to provide effective complex realization of innovative activity of the enterprises at introduction of innovations grows in the modern conditions of electric power development.Methods. In the course of the research general and special methods are used, in particular: the analytical method is used in the review of literature sources; the classification method made it possible to differentiate the main components of the model of management of innovative development of energy market enterprises; mathematical modelling using a set-theoretic approach – to build a dynamic interval model for energy market enterprises, and the method of description – to give them a detailed description; the monographic method is used in the study of literature sources on the management of innovative development of enterprises; the system and analytical method is applied at processing of the received information.Results. Approaches to the system of innovative management as a separate management mechanism, a subsystem of the innovation system, as well as an element of the overall management system of the company are considered. It is substantiated that one of the tools of the innovative management system are managerial mathematical dynamic models that scientifically substantiate management decisions and allow to predict the impact of the system of factors of innovative development on the financial condition of the enterprise. Mathematical models of the dynamics of the indicator of the financial condition of energy companies in the Western region of Ukraine have been developed.Discussion. Options for organizing the innovative management system as a separate management mechanism of the enterprise have been also developed.


With the rapid growth of online social network sites (SNS), it has become imperative for platform owners and online marketers to investigate what drives content production on these platforms. However, previous research has found it difficult to statistically model these factors from observational data due to the inability to explicitly specify and discern the effects of network formation from network influence. In this paper, we adopt and enhance an actor-oriented continuous-time model to jointly estimate the co-evolution of the users' social network structure and their content production behavior using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)-based simulation approach. Specifically, we offer a method to analyze non-stationary and continuous behavior with network effects, similar to what is observed in social media ecosystems. Leveraging a unique dataset contributed by Facebook, we apply our model to data on university students across six months and uncover novel insights: 1) users tend to connect with others that have similar posting behavior, 2) however, after doing so, users tend to diverge in posting behavior, and 3) friend selections are sensitive to the strength of the posting behavior. Our method provides researchers and practitioners a statistically rigorous approach to analyze network effects in observational data. By suitably applying this method, researchers can generate insights and recommendations for SNS platforms to sustain an active and viable online community.


A comprehensive understanding of the spatial distribution and dynamic changes of soil properties are the basis for sustainable land management. Topography and land use types are key factors affecting soil property variability. This study analyzed the effects of land use types and landscape locations on soil properties, based on data from 111 points of surface soil (0–20 cm) in the Zhujiagou catchment on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China. Soil properties include clay, silt, bulk density (BD), soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). Land use types include slope farmland (SFL), terrace farmland (TFL), check-dam farmland (CDL), woodland (WL), shrub land (SL) and grassland (GL). Landscape locations include crest (CT), upper slope (US), middle slope (MS), lower slope (LS) and flat valley (FV). Topographical attributes were divided into primary and secondary (or compound) attributes. Correlation analyses were carried out between soil properties and terrain attribute, and multiple-linear regression models were established to estimate soil properties using land use types and topographic attributes as independents. Results indicated that significant differences in soil properties existed between six land use types, except for bulk density. Higher values of clay, silt, SOM and TN occurred in soils from check-dam farmland, but lower values in soils from shrub land. Significant differences among landscape positions were observed for clay, BD, SOM and TN. Clay, SOM and TN contents on flat valley (FV) positions were higher than those of other positions. Different correlations were found between soil properties and terrain attributes. The regression models explained 13% to 63% of the variability of the measured soil properties, and the model for Clay had the highest R2 value, followed by TN, silt, BD, SOM and TP. Validation results of the regression models showed that the model was precise for soil bulk density, but the variation was large and a high smoothing effect existed for predicted values of other soil properties. For TP, the predicted result was poor. Further observations suggested that land use was the dominant factor affecting soil chemical properties. But for soil physical properties, especially for BD, topography was the dominant factor.


We analyze the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) of the received signal yielded by a soft input/soft output (SISO) front-end decoder, in intensity modulation direct detection (IM/DD) optical channels operating in the presence of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise. We focus on long haul or metro links spanning several hundred kilometers of single mode fibers with optical amplifiers. Unlike in AWGN channels where the LLR is a scaled version of the received sample, our study shows that in IM/DD optical channels with dominant ASE noise the LLR is approximately proportional to the square root of the received signal. Moreover, although Gaussian modeling of the received samples in optical channels has been shown to be inaccurate (e.g., (G. Bosco, et al., 2003), (Y. Cai, et al., 2003)), in this work we show that the LLR yielded by a SISO front-end decoder can be accurately modeled as a Gaussian random variable. Building on this result, we develop an adaptive decoding scheme for block turbo codes (BTC) in IM/DD optical channels. The predictions of our analysis are verified by computer simulations of the bit error rate (BER) for several BTC. Our results also show that the new scheme performs better than previous proposals in transmissions over optical fiber channels


Inductive learning methods allow the system designer to infer a model of the relevant phenomena of an unknown process by extracting information from experimental data. A wide range of inductive learning methods is nowadays available, potentially ensuring different levels of accuracy on different problem domains. In this critical review of theoretic results gained in the last decade, we address the problem of designing an inductive classification system with optimal accuracy when domain knowledge is limited and the number of available experiments is-possibly-small. By analyzing the formal properties of consistent learning methods and of accuracy estimators, we wish to convey to the reader the message that the common practice of aggressively pursuing error minimization with different training algorithms and classification families is unjustified


A rigorous and robust algorithm is presented for solving the electromagnetic scattering problems in the planar multilayered anisotropic and composite media. The Lippman-Schwinger integral formulation is exploited and integrated with the wave iterative technique in the derivation of the spectral-domain state equation. The presented algorithm relies on the accurate expressions of the dyadic Green's function and the introduction of polarization tensor. The Padua-Dominguez interpolation-integration technique is used for improving the computational efficiency. Then, the MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) method is utilized for dealing with the inverse imaging problem for the planar multilayered composite structure. The validity of the presented algorithm and the effectiveness of the inverse imaging are verified through numerical examples.


OBJECTIVE: To report two cases of papillary cystadenoma of the epididymis. METHODS: Clinical and pathological study of 2 male patients 48 and 26-year-old respectively, presenting with a solid, painful mass in the head of the epididymis. The nodules were removed. RESULTS: Pathological analysis showed two papillary cystadenomas of the epididymis. CONCLUSIONS: Papillary cystadenoma of the epididymis is an epithelial tumor of unclear origin. It is associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease and infertility. They are uncommon and benign.


The purpose of the study was to investigate the use of the equivalent square formula for determining the surface dose from a rectangular photon beam. A 6 MV therapeutic photon beam delivered from a Varian Clinac 23EX medical linear accelerator was modeled using the EGS4nrc Monte Carlo simulation package. It was then used to calculate the dose in the build‐up region from both square and rectangular fields. The field patterns were defined by various settings of the X‐ and Y‐collimator jaw ranging from 5 to 20 cm. Dose measurements were performed using a thermoluminescence dosimeter and a Markus parallel‐plate ionization chamber on the four square fields (5 × 5, 10 × 10, 15 × 15, and 20×20 cm2). The surface dose was acquired by extrapolating the build‐up doses to the surface. An equivalent square for a rectangular field was determined using the area‐to‐perimeter formula, and the surface dose of the equivalent square was estimated using the square‐field data. The surface dose of square field increased linearly from approximately 10% to 28% as the side of the square field increased from 5 to 20 cm. The influence of collimator exchange on the surface dose was found to be not significant. The difference in the percentage surface dose of the rectangular field compared to that of the relevant equivalent square was insignificant and can be clinically neglected. The use of the area‐to‐perimeter formula for an equivalent square field can provide a clinically acceptable surface dose estimation for a rectangular field from a 6 MV therapy photon beam. PACS number: 87.55.ne


We tested the hypothesis that mutations in NR5A1 and PIN1 cause disorders in gonadotropin-gonadal system development and function, throught direct DNA sequencing of the coding sequence and splice-sites of NR5A1 and PIN1 in 50 subjects with sporadic idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. These patients were recruited from the Pediatrics section of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, in Wuhan, China. None of the affected subjects had clinical signs of adrenal insufficiency. The NR5A1 and PIN1 mutations were found in 7 of the 50 cases. These 7 individuals presented severely low serum concentrations of testosterone or of estradiol and gonadotropin. Adrenal insufficiency was not diagnosed in any of these patients. Consequently, NR5A1 and PIN1 mutations should be considered in idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism patients with normal karyotypes and without adrenal insufficiency.


Background/aims The authors estimated the association between corneal biomechanical properties and axial length in myopic children and verified the relationship between axial length and intraocular pressure (IOP). Methods This cross-sectional study included 126 eyes of 63 children, aged 12.02±3.19 years. Corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), central corneal thickness (CCT) and IOP were recorded with the Reichert Ocular Response Analyzer. Axial length (AL) and anterior chamber depth (ACD) were measured by the IOLMaster, whereas corneal curvature was measured by an autorefractor. Results In multivariable mixed model analysis, CH correlated significantly with AL (p<0.0001), ACD (p=0.044) and CCT (p<0.0001), but not with curvature; CRF correlated significantly with AL (p=0.004) and CCT (p<0.0001) but not ACD or curvature. The difference in CH between the two eyes of each patient correlated significantly with the difference in the AL between the two eyes (p=0.002). IOP did not correlate with age, gender or AL. Conclusion Lower CH and CRF were associated with longer AL but not corneal curvature. The association between lower CH and deeper ACD demonstrated the importance of CH as a determinant of ocular biometry in both the anterior and posterior segments. Differences in corneal biomechanical properties may indicate more generalised structural differences between eyes.


Software in technical domains contains extensive and complex computations in a highly-optimized and unstructured way. Such software systems developed and maintained over years are prone to become legacy code based on old technology and without accurate documentation. We have conducted several industrial projects to reengineer and re-document legacy systems in electrical engineering and steel making domains by means of self-provided techniques and tools. Based on this experience, we derived requirements for a toolkit to analyze legacy code in technical domains and developed a corresponding toolkit including feature location and static analysis on a multi-language level. We have applied our approach and toolkit for software systems implemented in the C++, Fortran, and PL/SQL programming languages and illustrate main benefits of our approach from these experiences.


BACKGROUND: Targeted therapy of HER2 amplified breast cancers with Trastuzumab has resulted in a survival benefit for patients with this disease. However, de novo and acquired resistance to Trastuzumab is commonly encountered. Many laboratory models of Trastuzumab resistant cancer have been developed and suggest that hyperactivation of the HER3-PI3K-AKT pathway downstream of HER2 may enable resistance. It has also been suggested that changes to HER2 itself, such as through loss of HER2 amplification or induction of p95-HER2 expression, may mediate resistance. A comprehensive in vivo assessment of multiple mechanisms of resistance has yet to be reported. Moreover, it is not known if these lesions are always present in pretreatment tumor samples or can be acquired over time. The aim of this study was to identify which mechanisms of resistance are present in human tumor samples after progression of disease on a Trastuzumab containing regimen. METHODS : Patients with HER2 amplified breast cancer with progression of disease by RECIST criteria on a Trastuzumab containing regimen were enrolled on an IRB approved protocol to obtain biopsies of progressive tumors. One tumor biopsy was flash frozen for nucleic acid studies and one biopsy preserved in formalin. For the pre-Trastuzumab comparison, archival formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) blocks were obtained. Manual microdissection was performed on the frozen blocks to isolate tumor-containing sections for DNA isolation. PIK3CA hotspot mutations were identified using the Sequenom MassARRAY system. Following antibody optimization, IHC staining for HER3, PTEN and P-AKT (S473) was performed on freshly cut sections. Stained sections were scored by two, independent reviewing pathologists. HER3, PTEN and P-AKT expression were scored relative to staining in adjacent normal ductal epithelium. Staining and scoring for ER, PR, and HER2 was performed in CLIA-certified clinical laboratory. RESULTS : 19 patients have been enrolled and completed biopsy on protocol. Changes in HER2 overexpression status from the pretreatment biopsy to the post-progression biopsy were noted in 2/15 evaluated samples, with the remaining cases demonstrating stability. PTEN expression was diminished or absent in four cases. Activating mutations in hotspot regions of PIK3CA were identified in 3/10 cases. Enhanced expression of the HER3 receptor was identified in 4/11 cases with 2 of the cases showing an increase in expression compared to the pretreatment sample. CONCLUSIONS : HER2 overexpression status infrequently changed from the pre-Trastuzumab to post-Trastuzumab biopsy. Abnormalities in HER3, PI3K, and PTEN were not coexistent (e.g. PTEN loss and PI3K mutation were not seen in the same samples) in most cases. In some instances, the pretreatment tumor sample did not demonstrate lesions that were found on the post-progression sample, suggesting the possibility that molecular lesions may arise in response to therapy. Finally, in most cases, an abnormality in HER3, PI3K, or PTEN was identified implying a critical role for this pathway in mediating resistance to Trastuzumab. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 709.


(33/1,025). These differences could be ascribed to the prison's being situated in a natural setting, with the flock grazing for 1 month in the meadows nearby. C. burnetii is an infrequent cause of community-acquired pneumonia in our region. These data suggest that the infected sheep were the source of this large outbreak. None of the patients had any contact with animals, except for the Veterinarian Service personnel, which suggests airborne transmission of infected dust particles from contaminated soil, favored by the dry weather recorded in that period. To our knowledge, this is the second outbreak of Q fever reported in northern Italy (5). Since 1999, neither the Department of Prevention nor the Veterinary Service had received any reports of Q fever in Como. In Italy, the total number of cases of rickettsial diseases, which includes Q fever, reported to the Ministry of Health was 769 in 2002 and 739 in 2001, with 5 and 13 cases, respectively, from Lombardia, which includes Como. This Q fever epidemic in Como is thus an exceptional event in our area. The collaboration between epidemiologists and veterinarians of the Department of Prevention and staff from Saint Anna Hospital allowed us to share epidemiologic and medical information, which proved useful in diagnosing the outbreak and treating patients. Our experience emphasizes the necessity of a greater awareness of this occupational zoonosis in areas with a high rate of urbanization.


Purpose

Enhancing sustainability of the supply process of construction materials is challenging and requires accounting for a variety of environmental and social impacts on top of the traditional, mostly economic, impacts associated with a particular decision involved in the management of the supply chain. The economic, environmental, and social impacts associated with various components of a typical supply chain are highly sensitive to project and market specific conditions. The purpose of this paper is to provide decision makers with a methodology to account for the systematic trade-offs between economic, environmental, and social impacts of supply decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes a novel framework for sustainability assessment of construction material supply chain decisions by taking advantage of the information made available by customized building information models (BIM) and a number of different databases required for assessment of life cycle impacts.

Findings

The framework addresses the hierarchy of decisions in the material supply process, which consists of four levels including material type, source of supply, supply chain structure, and mode of transport. The application is illustrated using a case study.

Practical implications

The proposed framework provides users with a decision-making method to select the most sustainable material alternative available for a building component and, thus, may be of great value to different parties involved in design and construction of a building. The multi-dimensional approach in selection process based on various economic, environmental, and social indicators as well as the life cycle perspective implemented through the proposed methodology advocates the life cycle thinking and the triple bottom line approach in sustainability. The familiarity of the new generation of engineers, architects, and contractors with this approach and its applications is essential to achieve sustainability in construction.

Originality/value

A decision-making model for supply of materials is proposed by integrating the BIM-enabled life cycle assessment into supply chain and project constraints management. The integration is achieved through addition of a series of attributes to typical BIM. The framework is supplemented by a multi-attribute decision-making module based on the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution to account for the trade-offs between different economic and environmental impacts associated with the supply decisions.


A marked increase in sporadic cases of enteritis due to enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serogroup O157 occurred in Osaka City, Japan, during 1996. To elucidate why the number of cases had increased, the isolates were classified using phage typing, random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Fifty-seven percent of the isolates (105/184) belonged to the same phage type (PT-32) and gave the same PFGE pattern; the clone had been isolated during a 3-week period, with a peak on July 15. It was concluded that the majority of the cases identified in July 1996 formed an outbreak, although epidemiological links to a possible common source were not established. The possibility that this outbreak was part of a huge regional outbreak including children at primary schools in Sakai City was discussed.


The evolution of research on tennis equipment has recently introduced some parameters for the evaluation of the racket's efficiency. Among them, the most used in current practice is the coefficient of restitution of the racket (COR), that is simply defined as "the ratio of the rebound speed to the incident speed of the ball for orthogonal impact". Remarkable differences between values of COR reported in the tennis literature are mainly due to the various test conditions adopted. In order to compare different results, some important test parameters must be imposed for a better COR definition. Our recent laboratory tests show that the COR of the same racket is mainly affected by: - kind and conditions of balls kind and tension of strings impact velocity. Moreover, they show that the largest portion of energy is lost because of ball's deformation. Figure 1 shows the coefficient of restitution of a ball, at different impact velocities and on a rigid wall. Furthermore, in a tennis shot, ball deformation for a given velocity is affected by the other test parameters listed above. The augments of string's tension, for instance, increases the ball deformation and consequently decreases COR. This highlights that the traditional coefficient of restitution is not a direct measure of the racket frame efficiency, but it involves the behaviour of ball, strings, frame and grip restraint together. Therefore, in order to be compared by means of COR, rackets must be tested with the same kind of balls and the same kind of strings at equivalent string tension (i.e. tension that gives the same stiffness to the string plane). We suggest to test the racket at four different ball velocities in order to analyse different play conditions; thus we propose a new COR which should contain four values. Moreover, the knowledge of the influence of balls and strings allows to evaluate the portion of COR that is related only to the racket's frame characteristics.


Thirty eight microsatellite markers developed from a Random Hybridising Microsatellite (RAMs) enrichment protocol created from the DNA of the river catfish, ikan baung, Mystus nemurus were screened to cross amplify ikan kelah, Tor tambroides . Only five primers which amplified bands at the expected allele size regions were used for characterizing this species. The observed heterozygosity values were higher than the expected heterozygosity values for the bands amplified by primer pairs MnSC4-3B, MnLR2-1-52A and MnRmC3-1 across the three populations but the bands amplified by primer pairs MnSC4-1A and MnLR2-1-17B showed lower observed heterozygosity values than the expected heterozygosity values. The mean FIS value across the three populations was negative, indicating no deficit in heterozygosity. The mean value of FST was low indicating no gene was fixed within populations relative to the total population. The high value of Nm suggested high gene flow among the three populations. Both the (x2) chi-square and the (G2) likelihood ratio tests showed significant differences (P<0.05), indicating deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in most loci except for one locus (MnSC4-1A) in the Negeri Sembilan population and two loci (MnLR2-1-52A and MnSC4-1A) in the Kelantan population. The genetic distance values generated ranged from 0.1053 to 0.1960. The UPGMA dendrograms constructed from the genetic distances based on the microsatellite markers showed that the Negeri Sembilan and Kelantan populations shared a similar cluster while the Pahang population was on its own.


One-step direct immobilization of peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) probes onto gold surfaces through Au–S chemistry is critical in terms of generating self-assembled monolayers with high hybridization efficiency. We found that this problem is more severe if the immobilization is performed by contact microspotting to generate PNA arrays. Therefore, here we propose a novel microspotting-based immobilization method to generate PNA arrays with high hybridization efficiency on bare gold surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi) chips. The essence of the approach is to spot thiol labelled PNA strands prehybridized with a short complementary DNA strand instead of conventionally used single stranded PNA (ssPNA) probes. After immobilization the complementary DNA strands could be easily removed to activate the surface confined PNA probes. The incubation time and the type of spotting needle also have a marked influence on the hybridization efficiency of the PNA layers. However, we show that if all other conditions remain the same, PNA layers from prehybridized PNA probes exhibit superior hybridization efficiency than those from ssPNA probes.


The general design theory of coherent parallel counters is described and illustrated by the design of a 5421 BCD counter. The method shows how the counter can be steered to operate bidirectionally. Details of design data for a number of differently coded bidirectional decade counters are also given. The circuits described use JK flip flops and have been fabricated using silicon integrated circuits in order to prove the theory. (In this paper, as in current usage, flip flops are bistable elements.)


[Objective]To understand the epidemic situation of endemic fluorosis in Heze city of Shandong province,provide the basis for control and prevention. [Methods]According to the requirement of the National technical scheme for endemic disease control,the Caoxian county,Mudan district,Shanxian county,Juye county and Yuncheng county in Heze city were selected as the monitoring spots.The villages of mild,medium and severe endemic area were collected from each monitoring spot as the key spots,and a total of 15 villages were sampled.The investigation included water fluoride content,the prevalence of dental fluorosis in children,the prevalence of clinical skeletal fluorosis in adults and urine fluoride content in population. [Results]Among 69 water samples collected from 15 villages of 5 county(district),water fluoride content of 56 samples exceeded the national standard(1.0 mg/L),and the over standard rate was 81.16%.In over standard samples,there were 26 of water fluoride content2.0 mg/L and 3 of 4.0 mg/L,and the maximum value of the water fluoride was 7.76mg/L.728 people were tested for the urine fluoride content,and the geometric mean of children(435 cases) and adults(293 cases) was 2.73 mg/L and 2.92mg/L respectively.679 children aged 8-12 years old received dental fluorosis examination.The detection rate of dental fluorosis was 50.81%(345/679),the rate of default type was 4.57%(31/679),and dental fluorosis index was 1.16.7 956 adults were examined for clinical symptoms and signs of endemic fluorosis,the detection rate of clinical skeletal fluorosis was 7.69%(612/7 956),and there were 175 medium and severe cases. [Conclusion]The over standard rates of water fluoride content is serious in Heze city,especially in villages without water improvement(including water improvement projects are abandoned).The urine fluoride content maintains at a high level,the prevalence of dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis are high,and there still exist the harm of high level of fluorine.Therefore,it is necessary to strengthen the effective and scientific measures of water improvement to reduce fluoride projects,so as to control the endemic fluorosis.


Very little research, if any at all, has been conducted on the ancestral language retention of Italian-Canadians during World War Two. The aim of this research study was to compile a body of literature that would begin to support the notion that World War Two Italophobic policies inflicted by the Canadian government on the Italian-Canadian community could have negatively affected the intergenerational transmission of the Italian language in Canada, 1935-1947. In order to introduce the topic, a 'boxed-in' literature review was conducted by compiling research on Italian-Canadians during the war that spanned many topics. By grouping the material into specific themes, a structure for Italian lingusitic suicide began to emerge. Two sections on theoretical perspectives and oral histories precede an analysis of three interviews conducted in the Greater Toronto area that serve to bring reality and correlational evidence to the literature review.


A radioreceptor assay of TSH using Triton-solubilized human thyroid receptors was applied to the detection of TSH-binding inhibitor immunoglobulins (TBII). In 26 untreated patients with Graves' disease, 20 (76.9%) were found positive in this assay, while 18 (69.2%) cases were found positive by the conventional assay using human thyroid particulate receptors. In 25 patients with goitrous Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 2 (8.0%) were found positive by the assay using soluble receptor, while 3 (12.0%) were found positive by the conventional one. A significant correlation was found between TBII activities in the patients with untreated Graves' disease detected by these two assay systems (r=0.69; n=26; p less than 0.001). These data support the concept that TBII are antibodies against the TSH receptor or its closely related structures.