THOMAS G. PICKERING Dr Thomas George Pickering, physician, clinical scientist, professor and mentor, editor, husband, father, and grandfather, died on May 14, 2009, at the age of 69 from complications of brain cancer, an illness that he had fought with dignity and courage for more than a year (Figure 1). Tom was educated at Bryanston School in Blandford, England, where he won state and entrance scholarships. He went on to study medicine at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, where he graduated in 1966, being awarded the first Broderip Scholarship. His early postgraduate years were spent at Middlesex Hospital and the Radcliffe Infirmary. He sat for the membership of the Royal College of Physicians of London in 1968 (becoming a fellow in 1980) and went on to earn a PhD degree at Oxford University in 1970. In 1972, he went to New York to take up appointments as Associate Physician at the Rockefeller University Hospital and Assistant Professor at Cornell University, and he spent 2 years as Assistant Professor at the Rockefeller University working with Neal Miller on biofeedback mechanisms. He was appointed Assistant Physician to the New York Hospital in 1974. He later returned to the Radcliffe Infirmary to work with Peter Sleight on research into baroreceptor function, the autonomic nervous system, and the emerging class of cardiovascular medications, known as the adrenoreceptor blockers. He was attracted back to New York City by the possibility of being able to work as both a practicing physician and a clinical investigator and he spent more than 20 years in a productive career in behavioral cardiovascular medicine, clinical hypertension, and blood pressure (BP) measurement research at Cornell University Medical College. In 2000, he became Director of Behavioural Cardiovascular Health and the Hypertension Program at the Cardiovascular Institute of Mount Sinai Medical Center and in 2003 he moved to Columbia University Medical College as Professor of Medicine and Director of the Behavioural Cardiovascular Health and Hypertension Program. So much for Dr Pickering, the scientist, what about Tom the man we came to love and admire? Tom was the quintessential Englishman, mannerly, gentle, and gentlemanly (the two must not be confused) whose enquiring mind was tinged with that spirit of philosophy whereby he knew nothing was new under the sun, but that what was fundamental to science was the expression of fact and the style of that expression. He was aware that each small brick added to the edifice of knowledge would enhance our understanding of hypertension and ultimately benefit those we graduated to serve as doctors—our patients. My first contact with the Pickering family was with Tom's father, Sir George Pickering, when we were seated together on a bus taking us from the airport to a hotel in Valetta in 1975. I recall a man of small stature in an incredibly grubby raincoat who talked animatedly to me about the new drugs for the treatment of hypertension. However, my abiding memory is of his kindness to me the following morning when I was the first speaker in a session chaired by him in what was probably my first address to an international audience (Figure 2). As I prepared to begin my presentation there was the unmistakable sound of slides cascading from a carousel to the floor, whereupon Sir George looking encouragingly at me said ''And now we will see how the young doctor from Dublin can convince us without slides!'' Fortunately, during my sleepless night of rehearsing my lecture I had written prompt cards for each slide a precaution acknowledged by Sir George as ''being a lesson to us all not to rely on slides.'' Tom's mother, Lady Carola, was a regular attendee at the British Hypertension Memorial Lectures named after her late husband. The most memorable of these was the ninth Sir George Pickering Lecture delivered in Dublin by Tom in September 1991 on ''Ambulatory Monitoring and the Definition of Hypertension.'' At dinner at the Royal College of Surgeons she remarked to me: ''Eoin, I am so pleased; I never thought Tom had it in him.'' How little mothAddress for correspondence: Eoin O'Brien, DSc, MD, FRCP, Department of Molecular Pharmacology, The Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


This article documents the stochastic properties of bivariate returns to international stock market indices. In particular, the article searches for the best fit among a class of higher-order VARMA(u,v)-EGARCH(p,q) models with normal errors and a constant conditional correlation using MSCI domestic and world-ex-domestic index pairs for the Emu, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Although a first-order VAR or VMA specification is sufficient to accommodate the conditional means, second-order EGARCH terms are necessary in two of the four bivariate series.


In this study, Ti-15Zr substrates were anodized using an electrochemical process in order to obtain a nanotubular surface. Three different electrochemical voltages (20 V, 30 V and 40 V) were chosen to investigate their effect on the behavior of MG63 cells. The nanotubular Ti-Zr substrates were then characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The behavior of MG63 cell on the anodized and non-anodized samples was investigated using MTT assay, fluorescence microscopy, and FESEM. The results show that by increasing the anodization voltage (20V to 40V), the diameter of nanotubes is increased from 20 ± 5 nm (20 V) to 100 nm (40 V). Furthermore, the effect of variation in potential on the behavior of cells demonstrates that the anodized samples can provide desirable surface for cellular adhesion; moreover, it was found that the smaller nanotubes can provide better focal contact for the cells to adhere and proliferate. This study demonstrates that the anodization of commercially available Ti-Zr dental implants can be a promising solution to enhance the MG63 cell adhesion and thus improve its osteogeneses behavior.


In a remarkable proportion of adult AML patients (40–50%), no clonal abnormalities are found on standard cytogenetic analysis. In this group of patients, several gene mutations have been described, allowing to discriminate subgroups with distinct clinical outcome. Among these molecular signatures, FLT3, a receptor tyrosine kinase with important roles in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell survival and proliferation, has been demonstrated to be mutated in about 1/3 of AML cases, identifying a subgroup of patients characterized by disappointing overall cure rates. Therefore, roughly 60% of patients with normal karyotype are not classifiable by this specific mutation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate, in this group of patients with no specific molecular signature the prognostic role of MRD as determined by multiparametric flow-cytometry (MPFC). We analyzed a group of 127 AML cases entered into the EORTC/GIMEMA protocols AML10/AML12 (age 61 yrs). By applying the maximally selected log-rank statistics, the threshold discriminating MRD negative from positive cases was set at 3.5 x10 −4 residual leukemic cells, a level that selected, at the post-consolidation time-point, two groups of patients with distinct prognosis. Seventy-two out of 127 (56%) had a normal karyotype. Among these 72, 53 were studied for FLT3 mutational status; in 13 (25%) a mutated variant of FLT3 was detected. Among the remaining 40 patients with normal karyotype and unmutated FLT3, 39 were evaluable for the MRD status at the post-consolidation time-point: 9 patients were MRD − and 30 MRD + . These two subsets showed a distinct outcome in terms of 5-years RFS (83 vs. 23%, p=0.031). Interestingly, the FLT3 − MRD + patients shared with those FLT3 positive a similar poor prognosis (Figure 1). In recent reports, the evaluation of outcome depending on FLT3 status has been integrated with the analysis of the mutated status of other genes: FLT3-mutated cases associated frequently with Nucleophosmin (NPM1) exon-12 gene mutations but rarely with other mutations. The favorable impact of NPM1 mutations on OS and EFS clearly emerged in the group of normal-karyotype AML without FLT3 mutations. In a subset of 44 patients of our series either the mutations were investigated; this combined analysis identified 8 out of 44 (18%) patients FLT3 unmutated/NPM1 mutated with a better outcome (5-years OS 50% and RFS 50%, respectively) as compared to FLT3 unmutated/NPM1 unmutated and FLT3 mutated patients, which was however poorer than that of FLT3 unmutated/MRD − cases (Figure 1). In conclusion, MRD determination at the post-consolidation phase may help at improving the prognostic assessment of AML patients lacking specific chromosomal and/or molecular lesions, allowing risk-adapted post remissional therapies to be designed with more accurate modalities.


The purpose of the study waste investigate attitude about self-weight reduction and dietary intakes by body mass index (BMI) of university students. The subjects were Korean university students (male : 1,024, female : 1,575) who were participating in a nutritional education class via the internet. This survey was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included items about demographic characteristics, nutrient intakes, health-related life dietary behaviors, body images and diet experiences. As for prevalence of obesity, 3.2% of male subjects were underweight, 64.2% were normal weight, 20.8%were overweight, and 11.8% were obese. In female subjects, 25.8% were underweight, 67.1% were normal weight, 5.3% were overweight, and 1.7% were obese. Distribution of obesity by BMI was significantly different between male and female subjects. There was a significant difference in perceptions of body weight between male and female subjects. The female subjects were more likely to perceive themselves as overweight. As for weight reduction, the higher BMI was, the more weight reduction was tried in both male and female subjects. As for average daily intakes for energy and 11 nutrients, most nutrient intakes were not significantly different by distribution of BMI. However, obese subgroup showed the lowest nutrient intakes compared to other subgroups. As BMI increased, mean adequacy ratio (MAR) significantly decreased. Therefore, nutritional education via the internet is necessary for university students to establish physically and mentally optimal health condition through nutritional intervention. (7 Community Nutrition 5(3) 141-150, 2003)


Abstract In this paper, we introduce a new concept of a pseudorandom phase ensemble to simulate a quantum ensemble. A pseudorandom sequence is inseparability and integral that are demonstrated only for a whole sequence, not for a single phase unit, which is similar to that of quantum ensembles and a quantum particle. Using the ensemble concept, we demonstrate non-locality properties for classical fields similar to quantum entanglement.


Large-scale superconductor applications, like fusion magnets, require high-current capacity conductors to limit system inductance and peak operating voltage. Several cabling methods using high temperature superconductor (HTS) tapes are presently under development so that the unique high-field, high-current-density, high operating temperature characteristics of 2nd generation REBCO coated conductors can be utilized in next generation fusion devices. Large-scale magnets are generally epoxy impregnated to support and distribute electromagnetic stresses through the magnet volume. However, the present generation of REBCO coated conductors are prone to delamination when tensile stresses are applied to the broad surface of REBCO tapes; this can occur during epoxy cure, cooldown, or magnet energization. We present the development of an insulation system which effectively insulates HTS cabled conductors at high withstand voltage while simultaneously preventing the intrusion of the epoxy impregnant into the cable, eliminating degradation due to conductor delamination. We also describe a small-scale coil test program to demonstrate the cable insulation scheme and present preliminary test results.


Background As a unique sulfated polysaccharide, fucoidan is the major component of cell wall in brown seaweeds. Its biochemical properties are determined by the positions and quantity of sulfate groups. The sulfation process is catalyzed by sulfotransferases (STs), which transfer the sulfuryl groups to carbohydrate backbones and are crucial for fucoidan biosynthesis. Nevertheless, the structures and functions of STs in brown seaweeds are not completely understood.Results There are a total of 27 ST genes identified from our genome and transcriptome analysis of Saccharina japonica and they were located in the 12 scaffolds and seven contigs. The S. japonica ST genes have many introns and alternative splicing sites, and four tandem duplicated gene clusters were identified among this genes family. Generally, the ST genes could be classified into five groups (Group I~V) based on phylogenetic analysis, and the ST proteins, which were encoded by genes within the same group, contained similar conserved motifs. In group I sequences, we found two highly conserved regions (region I: TxPKSGTxW; region IV: RKGxxGDWKxxFT), and Lys 81 and Arg 287 are critical for catalysis and substrate binding. Members of the S. japonica ST gene family show various expression patterns in different tissues and developmental stages. Transcripttional profiles indicate that more than half of ST genes transcriptional levels in kelp basal blades are higher than in distal blades, and decrease with the kelp development stages, while only ST 5 , 9 , 12 , 18 and 25 are increased. The co-down-regulated pathways are related to oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolic pathways, while the up-regulated pathways are involved with ribosome, nitrogen and sulfur metabolism.Conclusion Various characteristics of the STs allow the feasibilities of S. japonica to adapt to the costal environments, meet the needs of S. japonica growth and support their giant blades. This also reflects the complexity of fucoidan biosynthesis in different marine environments, tissues, and developmental stages.


Methods of transformation rely upon conditioning cells to take up DNA, and growing them under selective conditions to establish and maintain the plasmid or integration. Different methods may be used, including electroporation, treatment with lithium cations, or protoplast treatment which removes the cell wall. Protoplasts prepared as for transformation can also be induced to fuse with each other and undergo karyogamy, which provides a means of mating sterile strains.


STUDY DESIGN
An intervention study by the medical advisers of a social security sickness fund on a mandatorily insured patient population after open discectomy for herniated lumbar intervertebral disc. The medical advisers were randomized into two groups: a control group (n = 30) and an intervention group (n = 30).

OBJECTIVES
To compare a rehabilitation-oriented approach in insurance medicine focused primarily on early mobilization and early resumption of professional activities with the usual claim-based practice.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
This study included 710 patients, with a mean age of 39.2 years, who underwent surgery for herniated lumbar disc.

METHODS
Medical advisers in the rehabilitation-oriented group examined the patients monthly, starting at 6 weeks after the surgical intervention. They used a newly developed protocol to motivate the patients and treating physicians toward social and professional reintegration.

RESULTS
At 52 weeks, 10.1% of the patients guided by medical advisers from the rehabilitation-oriented group had not resumed work in contrast to 18.1% of the patients in the control group. It was statistically proven that this effect also holds during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS
A rehabilitation-oriented approach by the medical advisers of social security can increase the probability of a return to work for patients after lumbar disc herniation surgery.


We have studied the detailed electron distributions measured in a westward travelling surge. The particle data, obtained by a sounding rocket, have been related to the auroral structures as recorded by a low light level TV. The event took place close to magnetic midnight on January 27, 1979. Two different types of particle spectra were detected. The first type consisted of two populations; a low energy population of secondary electrons with j ~ E−2 and a plasma sheet population. The second type of spectra contained a Maxwellian population with a characteristic energy of a few hundred eV in addition to the previous two populations. The few hundred eV Maxwellian and the plasma sheet population had been accelerated in a potential drop parallel to the magnetic field lines. The auroral luminosity depends on the integrated energy flux. In regions with medium or low luminosity the spectra could be of either type, while the brightest auroral structures were connected to spectra of the second type, that is accelerated spectra with a low temperature population. It is suggested that the parallel potential drops are created on field lines magnetically connected to regions in the distant magnetosphere where the few hundred eV population is present.


PURPOSE
To investigate predictors of recurrent exudation in choroidal neovascularization (CNV) of age-related macular degeneration on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) images during an anti-vascular endothelium growth factor therapy-free period.

METHODS
Optical coherence tomography angiography images of 41 eyes of 41 patients with more than a 3-year history of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration at the study baseline were evaluated retrospectively. The patients thereafter had a treatment-free period exceeding 6 months under an as-needed regimen and could be followed for an additional 6 months.

RESULTS
The square root of the CNV area in 19 eyes with recurrence during the second 6-month period enlarged significantly (P = 0.036) from 2.31 ± 0.81 (mean ± SD) to 2.86 ± 0.87 mm during the treatment-free period but not in the 22 eyes without a recurrence. The percentages of branching with tiny vessels (42%) and peripheral arcades at the CNV termini (42%) were significantly (P < 0.001, respectively) higher in the recurrence group compared with the group in which the CNV was no longer active (14% and 5%, respectively).

CONCLUSION
Choroidal neovascularization enlargement and features may guide treatment timing in eyes with exudative-free periods.


The objective of the research was to produce, isolate and characterise lipase from Aspergillus niger , and therefore inducted it by using palm oil. The lipase enzyme was produced through a batch fermentation process in a 1.4 liters-fermentor. Fermentation was carried out at room temperature, initial pH of 7, the stirring speed of 250 rpm, aeration rate of 1 vvm, and inducer concentration of 3%-m/v palm oil/ml. Enzymes was characterised at several temperature and pH variations. The lipase showed the optimum performance at pH of 7 and temperature of 30 °C with the activity of 1.5 U / ml. Isolation of lipase yielded a 4-times-increase in its activity by using 90% ammonium sulfate.


A defining feature of planning is that it is informed by sound evidence. An ever more diverse range of decision support tools is available to help achieve this, a trend that is set to accelerate along with the rise of Big Data and Smart Cities. At the same time, planning is frequently requested to improve the urban and environmental outcomes it helps deliver. This research draws upon intellectual resources from Science and Technology Studies, and empirical data from actors across the science–policy–practice interface, to analyse critically issues connected to the design, application and wider effects of calculative practices within planning. It finds that these practices selectively open up or foreclose discourses and play important political roles relating to ordering complexity and mitigating professional risk. They are also revealed as underpinning a stability and certainty within decision making that not only maintains the power of established calculative agencies but also serves to replicate an ideology of urban form that is in tension with more normative calls for change. More broadly, the findings help unsettle the planner and planning policy as the key agent able to change planning outcomes, which is instead revealed as more contingent on the political, institutional and professional culture, and the ways human and non-human objects align and combine to create internal stability when there are external calls for change.


The properties of the megakaryocyte and the platelet may be briefly summarized as follows: a polyploid cell secretes, by an apocrine type mechanism, an anucleate element, endowed with strong autolytic and endocytic properties, and capable of performing contractile work. The latter element, specialized in this way, is prepared to play a major role in hemostatic reactions.

The relationships between the five properties considered for these elements are still largely unknown. A certain degree of polyploidy may conceivably be necessary for the megakaryocyte to secrete platelets, but the importance of polyploidy in its cytoplasmic maturation has recently been questioned.6 The influence of the absence of a nucleus on platelet metabolism, as well as on the endocytic properties of cells, is still a matter of controversy.97,98 Finally, there remains to be established the possible role of contraction in the release of platelet material,84 and molecular material degraded by lysosome action.


Heavy metal solubility in soils has been reported to be altered by an addition of lime and/or organic materials. This research was intended to evaluate the effects of some lime or organic materials on the extractability of heavy metals in an andic soil (Andepts), which is well-known to have an extremely high adsorption capacity with respect to organic compounds and phosphates. Soil sample, collected from South Lampung, Indonesia, lime materials comprising CaCO3, Ca(OH)2, and CaMg(CO3)2, and composts of plant leaves ("alang-alang", corn, cassava, and soybean) were used. The soil sample (air-dry, 2-mm sieved) was treated independently with lime (at a level to increase its pH about 2 units) or with organic composts (at 10 Mg ha-1). The mixture was spiked with a standard solution containing 10 mg kg-1 Cu, Cd, Mn, and Zn and incubated for 8 weeks at the soils field moisture capacity. The heavy metals were extracted with DTPA and measured with flame AAS. The results showed that the extractable heavy metals in limed soils (except Cd) were in general greater than those in unlimed soils, probably due to increased soluble organic materials which might have complexed with heavy metals with the increase in soil pH. The organic compost generally did not affect the extractability of heavy metals except Mn that increased with compost addition in samples not spiked with heavy metals, particularly in samples treated with soybean compost. The insignificance difference in the extractability of heavy metals between the spiked and unspiked soil samples suggested that the Andepts was a good adsorber for heavy metals, except Cd. The majority of Cd added was recovered both in lime- and in compost-treated soils. Based on the percent recovery values, the preference of the soil towards the heavy metals followed the sequence of Mn > Zn > Cu > Cd.


In recent years, China's industrial economy has grown rapidly and steadily. Concurrently, carbon emissions have gradually increased, among which agricultural production is an important source of greenhouse gas emissions. It is necessary to reduce agricultural carbon emissions by improving their efficiency to achieve the global goal of peak carbon dioxide emissions in 2030. From a dynamic and static point of view, this study puts agricultural carbon emissions into the evaluation index system of agricultural carbon emission efficiency and analyzes the agricultural carbon emission efficiency and its influencing factors in Hubei Province. First, the unexpected output Slacks-based measure (SBM) model in data envelopment analysis was used to evaluate the agricultural carbon emission efficiency of Hubei Province in 2018 and compared it with other provinces horizontally. Second, the Malmquist–Luenberger index was used to analyze the comprehensive efficiency of agricultural carbon emissions in Hubei Province from 2004 to 2018. The role of technological progress and technical efficiency change in the development of low-carbon agriculture in Hubei Province was analyzed. The results showed that agricultural production efficiency in Hubei Province improved from 2004 to 2018, and the overall level was slightly higher than the average level in China. However, agriculture has not eliminated the extensive development modes of high input, low efficiency, high emission, and high pollution. The efficiency of technological progress in agricultural resource utilization in Hubei Province was close to the optimal level. The improvement space was small. Hence, the low efficiency of agricultural technology is a key factor restricting the improvement of agricultural production efficiency. The results provide a reference for low-carbon agricultural policy formulation and expand the policy choice path. This has practical significance.


Searching for a pattern in an Arabic text raises various problems due to the association of vocalization characters with alphabetical letters of Arabic words. This feature causes a problem for existing searching algorithms. They either fail to find all partial matches of a pattern or they may suffer from performance degradation when they are simply modified to ignore these vocalization characters. This paper presents a new coding schema for Arabic vocalization characters that will facilitate and improve the performance of searching for vocalized and unvocalized patterns in any Arabic text (vocalized or unvocalized). This schema is based on repositioning the vocalization characters at the end of each word. We present in this paper the coding and decoding algorithms needed to support our new coding schema. In addition, we explain the modifications to the Boyer-Moore algorithm that take advantage of our improved coding schema together with the complexity analysis.


The text points out the postmodern features in Joaquin Fernandez Santaella's (1955- ) novel Vino torcido (2009). This novel shows didactic values preventing alcoholism but it is also a literary work which follows the current novel narrative techniques. The framed or embedded narration, the intertextualiy, the mixture of popular and scholar culture, the loss of temporal dimensions and the world of dreams make his work an example of a novel rooted in postmodern tradition. In order to show these influences, two steps have been followed. On the one hand his novel is compared to Paul Auster's work. On the other hand the text shows critics' studies on postmodern novel that have proved this connection pointing out postmodern features, which also appear in Vino Torcido. The narrator's personal view on local people produces a novel which depicts characters that show the crisis of the subject in the 21st century with their fears and lack of self –determination in an Andalusian context.


Purpose Substantial literature has documented the influence of classroom environment on academic enjoyment. However, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. Based on the control-value theory and the individual-context interaction model, a moderated mediation model was constructed in this study to further examine whether academic self-concept mediated the relation between classroom environment and enjoyment in mathematics and whether this mediating effect was moderated by academic achievement. Methods We recruited 750 Chinese middle school students and they completed the classroom environment, academic self-concept, and academic enjoyment questionnaires. Results After controlling for gender and grade, the results of structural equation modeling showed that academic self-concept partially mediated the association between classroom environment and enjoyment in mathematics. The mediating path from classroom environment to academic self-concept was moderated by academic achievement. Classroom environment positively predicted academic self-concept for the higher achieving students. However, the effect of classroom environment on academic self-concept was not significant for the lower achieving students. Conclusion These findings highlight that classroom environment has a more salient impact on academic self-concept and enjoyment for higher achieving students than for lower achieving students. The study results provide guidelines for educators regarding effective interventions for fostering positive academic emotions.


This article draws on a research study of submitted PhDs and interviews with a small group of artists. Research processes adopted by this diverse group manifest an exacting scrutiny of what it means to undertake research, that is, how research process can conceive of a subject of inquiry and adequately approach that subject. We find a high level of questioning about the legitimacy of research methodological assumptions about how and in what ways research methods become valid. For instance, is research that pursues and reinforces a proposed subject more useful to a depth of practice than one that resists any resolved confirmation of its subject because that subject is porous to its prevailing conditions both internal and external? We propose that such accountability, in relation to more conventional approaches to research, is entirely relevant to the development of vital research cultures in Fine Art.


Ongoing climate change is increasing rainfall variability in many parts of the world; in particular, the heaviest rainfall events are becoming heavier. In terrestrial ecosystems, nitrogen deposition is increasing as a result of emissions from fossil fuel burning and volatilization of nitrogen-based fertilizers. These changes in the timing and rate of resource inputs can impact plant communities by altering competitive dynamics, succession, and community composition. In many systems, these are occurring alongside successional dynamics, making it difficult to tease apart mechanisms. Here, we resampled a nitrogen by rainfall variability manipulation experiment in a restored tallgrass prairie to examine the relative role of background community dynamics and treatment effects on plant diversity. During the treatment period, nitrogen addition and increased rainfall variability reduced diversity. Here, four and five years after the treatments were halted, we found similarly low levels of diversity across all treatments—an effect driven by dominance of a tall, fast-growing, clonal forb, Solidago canadensis. The convergence of plots toward a low diversity state suggests that all experimental communities were gradually becoming dominated by S. canadensis, including in the absence of rainfall or nitrogen treatments. In contrast to short-term findings from the same experiment, we conclude that our treatments accelerated succession toward a tall, clonal forb-dominated community along an existing sere, but did not fundamentally alter longer-term community composition—a result that was only apparent several years after the conclusion of the experiment. These findings reinforce the need to interpret the results from short-term experimental manipulations within the context of long-term successional change.


After their election as President and Vice-President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto asked to be excused from continuous presence during their trials at the icc. This request raised difficult questions for the Court's Judges. First, can the accused be excused or is continuous presence a procedural requirement? Secondly, can an excusal be granted because the accused has to fulfil demanding functions as (Deputy-) Head of State or would this be a prohibited distinction on the basis of official capacity? Thirdly, under what circumstances would it be reasonable to excuse the accused? Do the daily tasks of a (Vice-) President justify an excusal? This article examines and criticizes how the Judges of the Trial Chamber(s) and subsequently of the Appeals Chamber have answered these questions. It concludes that the two Kenyan leaders have obtained extraordinary exceptions that cannot be reconciled with the relevant provisions of the Rome Statute.


Several occurrences of human-to-human transmission of Andes virus, an etiological agent of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, are documented. Syrian hamsters consistently model human hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, yet neither transmission nor shedding has been investigated. We demonstrate horizontal virus transmission and show that Andes virus is shed efficiently from both inoculated and contact-infected hamsters.


Abstract. Passive millimeter wave imaging is useful for security applications since it can detect objects concealed under clothing. However, because of the diffraction limit and low signal level, the automatic image analysis is very challenging. The multi-level segmentation of passive millimeter wave images is discussed as a way to detect concealed objects under clothing. Our passive millimeter wave imaging system is equipped with a Cassegrain dish antenna and a receiver channel operating around 3 mm wavelength. The expectation-maximization algorithm is adopted to cluster pixels on the basis of a Gaussian mixture model. The multi-level segmentation is investigated with more than two clusters to recognize the hidden object in different parts. The performance is evaluated by the average probability error. Experiments confirm that the presented method is able to detect the wood grip of a hand ax as well as the metal part concealed under clothing.


Abstract In the dry galvanizing process, pipes are subjected to chemical treatment and then dried in a continuous drying furnace which is followed by the galvanizing kettle. However, drying furnaces used in a dry galvanizing process, lead to some problems. The impossibility of achieving a uniform temperature distribution along the pipe in conventional drying furnaces and the negative impacts thereof on the product quality make it inevitable to seek new approaches towards pipe drying. In this study, instead of in a drying furnace, the fluxed pipes were dried at the line by means of induction heating. By using an induction heating system, the pipes were heated up much more uniformly than by the conventional drying method. It is observed that the temperature change along the pipe surface varied by ±5 °C while it was 15–20 °C in the conventional system. In addition, the problem of black spots, seen very frequently at galvanizing plants, was eliminated completely.


Pedestrian analysis plays a vital role in intelligent video surveillance and is a key component for security-centric computer vision systems. Despite that the convolutional neural networks are remarkable in learning discriminative features from images, the learning of comprehensive features of pedestrians for fine-grained tasks remains an open problem. In this study, we propose a new attentionbased deep neural network, named as HydraPlus-Net (HPnet), that multi-directionally feeds the multi-level attention maps to different feature layers. The attentive deep features learned from the proposed HP-net bring unique advantages: (1) the model is capable of capturing multiple attentions from low-level to semantic-level, and (2) it explores the multi-scale selectiveness of attentive features to enrich the final feature representations for a pedestrian image. We demonstrate the effectiveness and generality of the proposed HP-net for pedestrian analysis on two tasks, i.e. pedestrian attribute recognition and person reidentification. Intensive experimental results have been provided to prove that the HP-net outperforms the state-of-theart methods on various datasets.


This article offers an extended definition of prosody by examining the role of prosody in the production and comprehension of L2 spoken language from mainly a cognitive, interactionalist perspective. It reviews theoretical and empirical L1 and L2 research that have examined and explored the relationships between prosodic forms and their functions at the pragmatic and discourse levels. Finally, the importance and the various dimensions of these relationships in the context of L2 assessment are presented and the implications for L2 testing employing new technologies and automated scoring systems are discussed.


Large facial variations are the main challenge in face recognition. To this end, previous variation-specific methods make full use of task-related prior to design special network losses, which are typically not general among different tasks and scenarios. In contrast, the existing generic methods focus on improving the feature discriminability to minimize the intra-class distance while maximizing the interclass distance, which perform well on easy samples but fail on hard samples. To improve the performance on those hard samples for general tasks, we propose a novel Distribution Distillation Loss to narrow the performance gap between easy and hard samples, which is a simple, effective and generic for various types of facial variations. Specifically, we first adopt state-of-the-art classifiers such as ArcFace to construct two similarity distributions: teacher distribution from easy samples and student distribution from hard samples. Then, we propose a novel distribution-driven loss to constrain the student distribution to approximate the teacher distribution, which thus leads to smaller overlap between the positive and negative pairs in the student distribution. We have conducted extensive experiments on both generic large-scale face benchmarks and benchmarks with diverse variations on race, resolution and pose. The quantitative results demonstrate the superiority of our method over strong baselines, e.g., Arcface and Cosface.


The literature suggests that legislative politics among European Union Member States is characterised by economic exchanges, and constrained by the social norms of a European community of legislators. Both views draw a clear line between the legislative process and the conflicts over sovereignty that have left their mark on treaty making and European public opinion since the 1990s. This article suggests revisiting this view, based on an analysis of why Member States have opted out of legislation from the 1970s to today. It argues that differentiation, while once a response to capacity problems of relatively poor countries, has recently become driven by sovereignty concerns of the Union's wealthy and nationally oriented Members that oppose the EU's intrusion into core state powers. The article presents evidence for the impact on legislative outcomes of factors so far thought not to matter. The results indicate greater European-level legislative responsiveness towards national sovereignty demands than previously recognised. They underline that the nature of European politics has been changing with the EU's push into core state powers.


the Bracero Program. This is a surprising omission, considering that Gonzalez has written on the subject since the first edition of Chicano Education and that it is even mentioned in the preface. The final chapter, on the development of segregated Mexican schools in southern California and the legal challenge to those schools in the historic desegregation case of Mendez v. Westminster (1946), could also have profited from more attention to the Bracero Program and its larger impact on the desegregation of Chicano students. However, these limitations pale in comparison to the great contributions produced by the author. The second edition of Chicano Education is a welcome addition to the growing but still understudied field of the history of Mexican and Mexican American education. Gonzalez largely succeeds in creating an educational history of the Chicano community that breaks away from traditional regional studies of the American Southwest and is based on sociological theory. Ultimately, Chicano Education in the Era of Segregation should be required reading not only in Latina-Latino studies, but also for anyone interested in the seminal role of public schooling in creating and reproducing historic racial or class boundaries in the United States.


The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of auditor behaviour the year (t - 1) on earnings management the year t measured by discretionary accruals in the emerging Tunisian market. As proxies for auditor behaviour, we use the type of audit firm (Big/No-Big) and the type of audit opinion (unqualified, qualified, adverse or disclaimed). Using the Kothari et al. (2005) model to calculate discretionary accruals for 53 no-financial firms during the period 2002-2007, we found that a positive but no significant relationship between the qualified audit opinions and discretionary accruals, and a negative and significant relationship between the auditors Big Four and discretionary accruals. Overall, we found no evidence to support inferences in previous research that the firms receiving modified audit opinions are more likely to have manipulated reported earnings. On the other hand, the Big Four auditors show a significantly lower level of discretionary accruals and a greater propensity to issue modified audit reports.


Background : Radiotherapy (RT) forms a vital component of treatment for breast cancer, contributing to the increasing number of survivors worldwide. It is known from historical cohorts that breast RT increased the risk of developing heart disease 10 years or more following treatment. It is less certain whether the lower cardiac radiation doses received during modern RT still increase cardiac risk. Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (CMR) imaging has the potential to provide early surrogate markers of radiation-induced heart disease that may help predict which women will be at increased risk in the future. Methods : This is a prospective longitudinal imaging study to evaluate CMR findings in a cohort of women receiving adjuvant RT for early breast cancer at the Oxford Cancer Centre. The patients undergo CMR imaging (with gadolinium enhancement and adenosine stress), Doppler echocardiography, blood testing (including BNP and troponin), ECG and clinical examination prior to RT, within 72 hours of completing RT, and at 3 months, 6 months and 5 years following RT. The results of these investigations will be related to cardiac radiation exposure estimated using 3D-dosimetric data obtained by analysis of CT-based RT planning. Recruitment and Provisional Results : As of May 2011, 30 women have been recruited. The women had a mean age of 57.1 years (range = 42.0 to 63.9). All women had left-sided cancer and none received adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy. The mean whole heart dose was 1.47 Gray (range = 0.65 to 4.20), the mean left ventricle dose was 2.03 (range = 0.88 to 6.99) and the mean left coronary artery dose was 7.55 Gray (range = 1.50 to 24.59). Preliminary analysis of the first 10 participants showed that all had a normal left ventricular ejection fraction at baseline (mean 76%, range 60–82%) and immediately following RT (mean reduction 3%, p=0.18). None had myocardial oedema as detected by T2-STIR imaging or fibrosis and scarring as demonstrated by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). Conclusion and Future Plans : Preliminary results suggest that the relatively low heart doses received by the women undergoing modern CT-planned left breast RT at the Oxford Cancer Centre do not result in any cardiovascular abnormality detectable by CMR imaging. Further and updated results will be available for the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Recruitment will continue until at least 20 women have completed baseline scans and follow-up scans up to 6 months. At this stage a full analysis will be performed including a wider range of CMR endpoints including: - Overall LV systolic function (EF and volumes) - Regional wall motion analysis - T2-weighted imaging (oedema) - T1 and T2 mapping (quantitative T1 and T2 relaxation times) - Tagged myocardial strain analysis - Stress perfusion defects (endothelial/microcapillary damage) - Late gadolinium (LGE) imaging (fibrosis/scarring) Depending on the results of this analysis, recruitment may be expanded to include women with either lower cardiac risk (e.g. with right-sided breast cancer) or higher cardiac risk (e.g. receiving anthracycline chemotherapy). Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-13-06.


A study of Z boson pair production in e + e − annihilation using the OPAL detector at LEP is reported. The ZZ production cross-section is measured, limits on anomalous ZZ γ and ZZZ couplings are derived, and constraints on models of low scale quantum gravity in extra spatial dimensions are set.


Abstract:This essay attends to features of the paratexts (covers, title pages, dedications, chapter headings) and the bibliographic texts (paper, typefaces, print layout) of Ernest Hemingway's 1924 in our time. Drawing on the work of Gerard Genette, Jerome McGann, George Bornstein, and Pierre Bourdieu, I argue that these features sometimes produce "hermeneutic effects," reinforcing or otherwise contributing to the development of theme in Hemingway's prose vignettes, and that they sometimes produce "positional effects," providing information about the kind of book Hemingway produces, the kind of readership it seeks, the kind of distinction it offers its readers.


Abstract One of the most important parts of construction work is the verification of the geometry of the parts of structures and buildings constructed. Today this procedure is often semi- or fully automated. The paper introduces an approach for the automated verification of parts of buildings, by comparing the design of a building (as-planned model), derived from a Building Information Model (BIM) in an Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) exchange format to a terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) point cloud (as-built model). The approach proposed has three main steps. The process begins with the acquisition of information from the as-planned model in the IFC exchange format; the second step is the automated (wall) plane segmentation from the point cloud. In the last step, the two models mentioned are compared to determine the deviations from the design, and the as-built wall flatness quantification is also executed. The potential of the proposed algorithm is shown in a case-study.


A paper by Zhang , using a feedforward artificial neural network (ANN) for water quality retrievals from combined Thematic Mapper data and synthetic aperture radar data in the Gulf of Finland, has been published in this journal. This correspondence attempts to discuss and comment on the paper by Zhang The amount of data used in the paper by Zhang is not enough to determine the number of fitting parameters in the networks. Therefore, the models are not mathematically sound or justified. The conclusion is that ANN modeling should be used with care and enough data


The influence of thickness errors and boundary imperfections on the performance of a multilayer x-ray mirror is discussed and it is shown that both can be obtained separately from a measured reflectivity curve at a short x-ray wavelength. Multilayers have greatly reduced scattering compared to single films, and for this reason rough boundaries and gradual transition layers between the film materials give practically identical performance. A simple Debye-Waller factor is not sufficient to describe the performance of a multilayer with many layers at short wavelengths.


The employment of infinite array element's active admittance properties in order to calculate the parameters of a finite array was proposed in a paper by Roscoe [1]. The authors of this communication employ that approach and the data obtained by modeling the behavior of an infinite planar array of rectangular apertures in order to draw conclusions regarding the operation of the elements of a finite array with the same geometry. The behavior of the individual elements in relation with their positions within the finite array is investigated.


Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is especially severe in aged populations1. Resolution of the COVID-19 pandemic has been advanced by the recent development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, but vaccine efficacy is partly compromised by the recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with enhanced transmissibility2. The emergence of these variants emphasizes the need for further development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies, especially in aged populations. Here, we describe the isolation of a new set of highly virulent mouse-adapted viruses and use them to test a novel therapeutic drug useful in infections of aged animals. Initially, we show that many of the mutations observed in SARS-CoV-2 during mouse adaptation (at positions 417, 484, 501 of the spike protein) also arise in humans in variants of concern (VOC)2. Their appearance during mouse adaptation indicates that immune pressure is not required for their selection. Similar to the human infection, aged mice infected with mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 develop more severe disease than young mice. In murine SARS, in which severity is also age-dependent, we showed that elevated levels of an eicosanoid, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) and of a phospholipase, PLA2G2D, contributed to poor outcomes in aged mice3,4. Using our virulent mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2, we show that infection of middle-aged mice lacking expression of DP1, a PGD2 receptor, or PLA2G2D are protected from severe disease. Further, treatment with a DP1 antagonist, asapiprant, protected aged mice from a lethal infection. DP1 antagonism is one of the first interventions in SARS-CoV-2-infected animals that specifically protects aged animals, and demonstrates that the PLA2G2D-PGD2/DP1 pathway is a useful target for therapeutic interventions. (Words: 254)


A series of conjugated polymers comprising polythiophene, polyselenophene, and polytellurophene with branched 3,7-dimethyloctyl side chains, well-matched molecular weight, dispersity, and regioregularity is synthesized. The ionization potential is found to vary from 5.14 to 5.32 eV, with polytellurophene having the lowest potential. Field-effect transistors based on these materials exhibit distinct hole transport mobility that varies by nearly three orders of magnitude, with polytellurophene having the highest mobility (2.5 × 10-2 cm² V-1 s-1 ). The large difference in mobility demonstrates the significant impact of heteroatom substitution. Although the series of polymers are very similar in structure, their solid-state properties are different. While the thin film microstructure of polythiophene and polyselenophene is identical, polytellurophene reveals globular features in the film topography. Polytellurophenes also appear to be the least crystalline, even though their charge transport properties are superior to other samples. The torsional barrier and degree of planarity between repeat units increase as one moves down group-16 elements. These studies show how a single atom in a polymer chain can have a substantial influence on the bulk properties of a material, and that heavy group-16 atoms have a positive influence on charge transport properties when all other variables are kept unchanged.


The biosynthetic origins of the isoprene units of 4-nerolidylcatechol (1), the major constituent of Potomorphe umbellata, have been studied through feeding experiments with [14C]- and [13C]-glucose, and with precursors of the mevalonic acid and triose/pyruvate pathways, namely, [2-14C]-mevalonolactone and [U-14C]-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, respectively. The pattern of incorporation of label from [1-13C]-glucose into 1 was determined by quantitative 13C NMR spectroscopy. The labelling pattern revealed that the additive was specifically incorporated, and that the isoprene units of the sesquiterpenoid moiety of 4-nerolidylcatechol were derived from both the mevalonic acid and the triose/pyruvate pathways. The results indicate that both plastidic and cytoplasmic pathways are able to provide isopentenyl diphosphate units for the biosynthesis of 1.


Poets trooped off on an unmapped path, noisy for quite a time over their audacity. The jocund shouts of the coterie echoed in the wilderness, gradually growing indistinct. For it turned out that they did not discover a new highway for the pageantry of the century tofollow. And the priestess they bore off with them has stolen back, forlorn and much bedraggled by the thickets. She, who was so proudly at the forefront, creeps into the ruck, hardly recognised in the press, a hapless struggler in the rabble of camp‐followers.


Endoscopic manometry of the sphincter of Oddi is a new and invasive test which is currently being evaluated in patients with biliary‐type pain, particularly after cholecystectomy, and idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis. Technical aspects of the test appear to have been clarified, but data are incomplete on the potential effect on manometric records of variables such as patient anxiety, prolonged endoscopy and the injection of radiological contrast material prior to the procedure. Despite these considerations, abnormal manometric records are frequent in patients with post‐cholecystectomy pain and idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis, and minor abnormalities have been associated with choledocholithiasis. The term structural stenosis is currently being applied to those in whom the sphincter basal pressure is high while biliary dyskinesia describes a variety of manometric changes including rapid phasic contractions, an excess of waves oriented in a retrograde direction and an abnormal response to the intravenous infusion of cholecystokinin octapeptide. Reasons for the motility disorders remain unclear but may include histopathological changes in sphincter tissue, enteric nerve dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, hormonal/metabolic changes and psychiatric disorders. Heterogeneity within the patient population needs to be carefully addressed in any prospective study of potential benefit from drugs or other procedures such as endoscopic sphincterotomy and operative sphincteroplasty.


INTRODUCTION: Although our understanding of human anatomy has grown rapidly,
the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) remains one of the least understood
joints in the body. Problems of the DRUJ have been called by Palmer as
the "Low back pain of the wrist". The disorder of this joint may be
due to trauma or arthritis. Injury to this joint may result in pure
ligamentous disruption, fractures or both. Darrach's description in 1912 of a chronic DRUJ dislocation and
its treatment with an ulna head resection is one of the earliest reports
about the DRUJ. Over the last 15 years, there has been a tremendous
surge in research involving the anatomy, function and treatment of DRUJ
pathology. Chronic instability of the distal radio ulnar joint is a relatively
common clinical problem. Yet its pathogenesis is complex and often
poorly understood. Ligament disruption of this joint result in acute
instability which if left untreated leads to chronic instability. Many
reconstructive and salvage procedures have been described in an attempt
to restore stability.
AIM OF THE STUDY: To analyze the clinical and functional results of Ligamentous
reconstruction in cases of post traumatic chronic instability of distal radio
ulna joint.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In our Hand surgery unit, we selected 21 cases of chronic instability
of distal radio ulnar joint for this prospective study. Among 21 patients 14
were males and 7 were females. The age group varied from a minimum of
21 years to a maximum of 45 years. The mean age group being 31.3
years.
The duration of the study was from August 2003 to February 2006.
The mean follow up was 11.5 months. Dominant hand (Right side) was
involved in 6 patients and in 15 patients the non-dominant (left side) was
involved. Among 21patients, 10 patients had dorsal instability alone,
whereas 11 patients had both dorsal and volar instability.
All patients gave history of injury. Nine patients had initial
treatment by plaster immobilization for 10 days to 2 weeks. Two patients
had associated Colle's fracture treated by 'K' wire fixation elsewhere.
Rest of cases was treated as just sprains elsewhere.
RESULTS: BUNNELL – BOYES PROCEDURE -
There was no intraoperative complication. Post operatively, one
patient developed transient parasthesia and altered sensation in the
distribution of the dorsal cutaneous branch of the ulnar nerve, but this
resolved spontaneously a month after surgery. This was probably caused
by retraction of the nerve during surgery.
ADAM'S PROCEDURE -
There was no intra operative complication. Post operatively, one
patient had prolonged stiffness following postoperative immobilization
for 12 weeks, having failed to return for removal of the cast at 6 weeks.
He was lost to follow up after 13 weeks.
Out of 10 patients, 4 patients had excellent wrist scores and 4
patients had good wrist score. All these patients had good stability, pain
free good range of pronation and supination movement.
In the two cases of old colle's fracture the patients had pain during
extreme range of pronation and supination movements and recurrence of
instability of DRUJ during follow up (fair grade). Possible causes of
failure in these two patients are insufficient tensioning of the graft and
rupture or loosening of the graft during initial mobilization. These patients
were not willing for any further surgical procedures.
CONCLUSION: The goals of chronic instability of DRUJ management are to restore
stability and pain free rotation. Ligamentous reconstruction achieves these
goals. The Bunnell Boyes procedure is ideal for dorsal instability. The
Adam's procedure gives better results for dorsal and volar instability.


The traditional classical fullerene is only composed of pentagons and hexagons, with many different topologies, of which only a few structures conform to the isolated pentagon rule (IPR), which means all five-membered rings are separated by hexagons, whereas isomers that violate the rule are called non-IPR isomers. In contrast, the non-classical fullerene consists of other kinds of polygons such as squares and heptagons in addition to pentagons and hexagons. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra and X-ray emission spectra (XES), as well as the ground-state electronic/geometrical structures of the important non-IPR isomers C3v-#1205C58 and C2-#1078C58, and the remarkable non-classical isomer Cs-C58(NC) with its two fluorides Cs-C58(NC)F18(A) and Cs-C58(NC)F18(B), have been computed at the density functional theory (DFT) level. Significant differences in the electronic structures and simulated X-ray spectra have been observed after fluorination. Meanwhile, strong isomer dependence has been shown in these spectra, which means the "fingerprint" in the X-ray spectra can effectively identify the above-mentioned fullerene isomers. As a consequence, the work can provide useful information especially isomer identification for experimental and theoretical research in fullerene science.


We outline the design and construction of novel robotic arms using machine perception, convolutional neural networks, and symbolic AI for logical control and affordance indexing. We describe our robotic arms built with a humanlike mechanical configuration and aesthetic, with 28 degrees of freedom, touch sensors, and series elastic actuators. The arms were modelled in Roodle and Gazebo with URDF models, as well as Unity, and implement motion control solutions for solving live games of Baccarat (the casino card game), rock paper scissors, handshaking, and drawing. This includes live interactions with people, incorporating both social control of the hands and facial gestures, and physical inverse kinematics (IK) for grasping and manipulation tasks. The resulting framework is an integral part of the Sophia 2020 alpha platform, which is being used with ongoing research in the authors work with team AHAM, an ANA Avatar Xprize effort towards human-AI hybrid telepresence. These results are available to test on the broadly released Hanson Robotics Sophia 2020 robot platform, for users to try and extend.


Among the most promising approaches of long‐term atmospheric CO2 sequestration is terrestrial biogeochemical carbon sequestration. One of the most promising terrestrial biogeochemical carbon sequestration mechanisms is the occlusion of carbon within phytoliths, the silicified features that deposit within plant tissues. Using phytolith content‐biogenic silica content transfer function obtained from our investigation, in combination with published silica content and above‐ground net primary productivity (ANPP) data of China's grasslands, we estimated the production of phytoliths and phytolith‐occluded carbon (PhytOC) in grasslands. The results show that the average above‐ground phytolith production rates of China's grasslands (10.9 106 t yr−1 or 1.45% of world grasslands) are much lower than those of other grasslands (e.g. North American nonwoody grasslands) mainly because of much lower ANPP. Assuming a median content of PhytOC of 1.5%, the average above‐ground PhytOC production rates of China's grasslands and world grasslands are estimated to be 0.6 106 t CO2 yr−1 and 41.4 106 t CO2 yr−1, respectively. The management of grasslands to maximize ANPP has the potential to result in considerable quantities of phytoliths and securely bio‐sequestered carbon.


The United States entrance into World War II in 1941 has been credited with beginning a large movement of women into the workforce and the commencement of governmental support for women working in nontraditional occupations. However, the beginning of the support for women in the workforce can be traced back to the 1920 federal mandate to create the Women's Bureau within the United States Department of Labor. The United States Department of Labor Women's Bureau is the only federal agency mandated to represent the needs of wage-earning women in the public policy process. The workingwomen tradition has continued into modern day and the number of workingwomen continues to increase steadily, however, the number of women entering nontraditional occupations has declined to 4.9 percent from 7.1 percent in 1983. There has been an effort to increase the number of women in nontraditional occupations in order to increase high skill/high wage employment to provide women with the opportunity for selfsufficiency. Women predominately are employed as clerical workers, childcare providers, sales clerks, and in other low skill/low wage employment, which does not lead to self-sufficiency. Workingwomen largely remain in nonprofessional occupations (73%), where NTO gains have been minimal. This study provided the preliminary exploratory of the literature to establish best practice guidelines to encourage women to enter non-traditional occupations (NTO). The major factor identified from literature is career self-efficacy. Career self-efficacy can be increased through: performance accomplishments, vicarious learning, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal. The results of this study reveal that women have perceived challenges to nontraditional occupations, which are rather easily overcome but have been a hindrance to their pursuing nontraditional employment. Challenges include sex-role socialization, discrimination and harassment, transportation and childcare issues, the nontraditional workplace may be hazardous which requires special equipment or gear, extreme weather conditions, and the potential job related injuries. This study has indicated and established a positive correlation for the use of best practice guidelines in career counseling and development in regard to career decision-making. Career development and career counseling for NTO's requires a set of guidelines. The guidelines for NTO's should include best practice within the industry or field. Best practice guidelines ensure a common, consistent approach to successfully achieve the highest and best possible outcome. Formal training and education for NTO's have a prescribed set of best practice guidelines. The best practices guidelines for career counseling and career development programs for women


Objective:Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) contain clinical narrative text that is of great potential value to medical researchers. However, this information is mixed with Protected Health Information (PHI) that presents risks to patient and clinician confidentiality. This paper presents an end-to-end de-identification framework to automatically remove PHI from hospital discharge summaries. Materials and Methods:Our corpus included 600 hospital discharge summaries which were extracted from the EMRs of two principal referral hospitals in Sydney, Australia. Our end-to-end de-identification framework consists of three components: 1) Annotation: labelling of PHI in the 600 hospital discharge summaries using five pre-defined categories: person, address, date of birth, individual identification number, phone/fax number; 2) Modelling: training and evaluating ensembles of named entity recognition (NER) models through the use of three natural language processing (NLP) toolkits (Stanza, FLAIR and spaCy) and both balanced and imbalanced datasets; and 3) De-identification: removing PHI from the hospital discharge summaries. Results:The final model in our framework was an ensemble which combined six single models using both balanced and imbalanced datasets for training majority voting. It achieved 0.9866 precision, 0.9862 recall and 0.9864 F1 scores. The majority of false positives and false negatives were related to the person category. Discussion:Our study showed that the ensemble of different models which were trained using three different NLP toolkits upon balanced and imbalanced datasets can achieve good results even with a relatively small corpus. Conclusion:Our end-to-end framework provides a robust solution to de-identifying clinical narrative corpuses safely. It can be easily applied to any kind of clinical narrative documents.


This study aims to analyze the factors that influence corporate governance disclosure in annual reports. The factors tested in this study are the independence of audit committees, firm size, profitability, leverage, and industry classification. Colleting data is using purposive sampling method to the companies listed in the LQ-45 Indonesian Stock Exchange during 2010-2011. A total of 78 companies in used as sample in this research. There are 93 items to detect broad disclosure of corporate governance disclosure. This research uses multiple regression were used to examine the factors that influence corporate governance disclosure. The results of this research showed that the independent variables that significantly affect the disclosure of corporate governance is the independence of the audit committee and industry classifications. However, firm size, profitability, leverage and showed no significant effect on corporate governance disclosure.


The sales effect of product reviews has been a contentious issue with competing perspectives about when product reviews serve as a benefit, a burden, or a trifle. Unlike previous research that separately investigates the impact of each eWOM system, our study empirically examines the interaction effects of dual eWOM systems, i.e., product reviews and seller reputation. Drawing on reference point theory, we find that seller reputation systems play a reference-point role and determine the efficacy of product reviews. Specifically, negative reviews cause a significant loss in sales for high-reputation sellers but are less detrimental for low-reputation sellers. In contrast, positive reviews can boost sales for low-reputation sellers but are less helpful for high-reputation sellers. These results highlight that seller reputation is a double-edged sword. While a high seller reputation can reduce seller uncertainty and attract more consumers, it may also raise consumers' expectations and lead to potential negative expectancy violations. Moreover, we explore what strategies may help mitigate the potentially detrimental effect of reference points for high-reputation sellers. Through the lens of restructuring reference points, the reputation reference effect can be adjusted in a more dynamic reputation system (e.g., a reputation badge). Compared to sellers that have never lost their top-rated badge, sellers that have lost their top-rated badge may face an attenuated detrimental impact on sales from the negative expectancy violation due to negative reviews and enjoy a positive impact from positive reviews. We discuss the implications of our findings for both theory and practice.


It is clear that globalisation is something more than a purely economic phenomenon manifesting itself on a global scale. Among the visible manifestations of globalisation are the greater international movement of goods and services, financial capital, information and people. In addition, there are technological developments, more international cultural exchanges, facilitated by the freer trade of more differentiated products as well as by tourism and immigration, changes in the political landscape and ecological consequences. To be in a position to evaluate the consequences of globalisation in a rational and scientific manner, objective indicators are needed. In this paper, we have updated and improved upon the Maastricht Globalisation Index. This index measures the economic, social-cultural, technological, ecological and political dimensions of globalisation and allows comparison of the degree and change in globalisation for a large number of countries.


There is limited research that investigates the relationship between M&A success and market valuation periods. Furthermore existing research deals primarily with the U.S. market. This paper explores whether acquisitions in Europe occurring during high market valuation periods are fundamentally different than those occurring during low market valuation periods. We find that acquisitions during high valuation periods yield significantly higher announcement returns that those that occurred during the low valuation periods. Furthermore, the high valuation firms yielded significantly higher long term returns than the low valuation firms. However, the combined sample of firms and the high, low and neutral portfolios all had significantly negative long term returns. We attribute the negative long term returns to the dynamics of the European market and the cross-border nature of a large portion of the acquisitions in our sample (Less)


In a recent article, William Simkulet has argued against the anti-abortion view by invoking the fact that many human fetuses die from spontaneous abortion. He argues that this fact poses a dilemma for proponents of the anti-abortion view: either they must abandon their anti-abortion view or they must engage in preventing spontaneous abortion significantly more than at present—either to the extent that they try to prevent induced abortion or at least significantly more than they do today. In this reply, I acknowledge that, if the latter would follow, the anti-abortionist view would imply implausibly strong obligations. My aim with this reply is to demonstrate that anti-abortionists can hold on to their view without having implausibly strong obligations to prevent spontaneous abortion. My conclusion is that Simkulet clearly overstates his position by not sufficiently considering the differences between the act of killing versus death by natural causes and between positive and negative rights.


The out-of-town retail establishments are part of the dramatic structural changes in the retailing of food and groceries. There are however strong indications suggesting these establishments result in negative externalities concerning areas such as pollution and urban environment. The purpose of this study is to describe and, from an economic perspective, analyse the Swedish political regulations and planning policies concerning the out-of-town supermarkets. The analysis establishes that the current regulations regarding out-of-town retailing do not, due to the occurrence of market failures, produce an optimal situation. It might therefore be necessary to change the planning policies in a more restrictive direction. Unfortunately, information regarding consumer preferences, necessary for an effective institutional regulation, are not available. Further research is thus needed to obtain this information.


This study covers an area of great importance in the research of breast cancer, related to the study of the effects of both estrogens (E2) and anti-estrogens (Tamoxifen) on chromosomes and of modulation of gene expression. Considering that breast cancer is a very heterogeneous disease and that patients respond differently to treatment, the identification of chromosomal abnormalities as well as genes responsive to 17β-estradiol (E2) and Tamoxifen (TAM) could provide the necessary framework to understand the complex effects of this hormone in target cells and could explain, at least in part, the development of cellular resistance to TAM treatment and the subsequent best therapeutic option. In this order of ideas, we determined the effects of E2 and TAM on the chromosomes and on the modulation of gene expression in four breast cancer cell lines, which represent three of the five subtypes of breast cancer known at present.

The results are presented in six chapters - each one has a group of the results achieved around the cytogenetic characteristics and gene expression profiles of four cell lines and the effects of E2 and TAM incubation on those. The first chapter describes the main features of breast cancer, furthering the use and effects of E2 and TAM treatment.


The breakdown voltage in nitrogen and air was studied at temperatures between 1400 and 4500K at a pressure of a few atmospheres in a shock tube. The measurements were carried out in the physically clean situation behind the reflected shock wave. Below a certain temperature the character of breakdown is dielectric; above this limit the character changes into a thermal one (ohmic heating). The transition occurs in nitrogen at about 2500K and in air at 3100K. The influence of gas relaxation on breakdown was also considered.


We report the third case of a renal cell carcinoma bearing a fusion of the vinculin (VCL) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) genes. Like the 2 other reported cases, this neoplasm occurred in a young patient (6 y old) with sickle-cell trait and demonstrated distinctive morphologic features including medullary epicenter, discohesive polygonal or spindle-shaped cells with prominent cytoplasmic vacuoles, and prominent lymphocytic infiltrate. The neoplastic cells demonstrated focal membranous labeling for ALK protein by immunohistochemistry, ALK gene rearrangement by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and a specific VCL-ALK gene fusion by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. VCL-ALK renal cell carcinoma may represent the eighth sickle-cell nephropathy.


The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation ("PBGC") is the federal agency charged with administering the insurance program for U.S. private-sector, defined-benefit pension plans protected under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"). In the event of a termination of such a pension plan, the PBGC, which takes control of the plan's assets and is responsible to make payments to pensioners subject to a statutory cap, is empowered by statute to bring a claim against the sponsor of the terminated plan for any shortfall in plan assets, known as unfunded benefit liabilities. In 1975, the PBGC adopted a regulation pursuant to which it calculates this amount, prescribing assumptions as to mortality and retirement, as well as the discount rate to be applied to discount future payments to present value (the "Valuation Regulation").
The PBGC derives the low discount rates used in its Valuation Regulation from a survey of the prices offered by insurance companies for annuity contracts. The problem, however, is that the PBGC neither buys annuities to meet its pension obligations nor does it have an investment profile or capital position similar to an insurance company. Instead, the PBGC has long employed a sophisticated and diversified investment strategy yielding average annual returns of around 8 percent — far in excess of the annuity-based discount rate found in the regulation. The result is that the PBGC, which generally asserts its claim for unfunded benefit liabilities in bankruptcy proceedings, has been permitted to assert claims that significantly overstate the amount needed for the PBGC to meet the future pension obligations at issue, much to the detriment of all other similarly situated creditors, none of whom are permitted the unilateral right to dictate their own discount rate divorced from market realities.
This Article presents an argument that the Valuation Regulation's use of annuity pricing is arbitrary and capricious because it systematically overvalues the PBGC's claims by applying an unreasonably low discount rate to future pension payments. In addition to violating fundamental principles of bankruptcy law and policy — including the principle that similarly situated creditors be treated equally — the PBGC's use of annuity pricing to calculate its discount rate is directly at odds with the PBGC's own rationale for the Valuation Regulation put forward in the Federal Register during the notice-and-comment rulemaking process. As stated by the PBGC as early as 1975 and as recently as 1993, the rationale for the Valuation Regulation is that the amount of the PBGC's claim should be based on the PBGC's own costs in providing the pension benefits. This traditional definition of a damages claim makes sense, as the only purpose of the PBGC's right to collect a unfunded benefit liabilities claim is to allow it to pay out future pension benefits. The annuity-based interest factors currently used in the Valuation Regulation, however, significantly overstate the cost to the PBGC of providing these pension benefits, thus resulting in an artificially low discount rate, which in turn results in an artificially high bankruptcy claim.


Oxidative stress by free radicals is a major cause of neuronal cell death. Excitotoxicity in hypoxia/ischemia causes an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), resulting in dysfunction of the mitochondria and cell death. Pinelliae Rhizoma (PR) is a traditional medicine for incipient stroke. We investigated the effects of PR Water-Extract on the modulation of ROS and MMP in a hypoxic model using cultured rat cortical cells. PR Water-Extract was added to the culture medium at various concentrations (0.255, 5.0 ) on day in vitro 12(DIV12), given a hypoxic shock (2% /5% , , 3 hr), and cell viability was assessed on DIV15 by Lactate Dehydrogenase Assay (LDH assays). PR Water-Extract showed a statistically significant effect on neuroprotection (1015% increase in viability; p in normoxia and hypoxia. Measurement of ROS production by stainings showed that PR Water-Extract efficiently reduced the number and intensity of ROS-producing neurons, especially at 1 hr post shock and DIV15. When MMP was measured by JC-1 stainings, PR Water-Extract efficiently maintained high-energy charged mitochondria. These results indicate that PR Water-Extract protects neurons in hypoxia by preventing ROS production and preserving the cellular energy level.


Objective: In root canal treatments, chlorhexidine (CHX) is widely used for irrigation and is effective in killing Enterococcus faecalis. CHX is a syntheticchemical and is toxic to host cells; therefore, natural or herbal irrigation solutions, which are safer but still effective, are necessary. The aim of thisstudy is to analyze the effect of xanthorrhizol (XNT) derived from Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. on E. faecalis clinical isolate biofilm formation (0.5%,0.75%, 1%, 1.25%, and 1.5%).Methods: The MTT assay and total plate count were performed for assessing the effectiveness of herbal ingredients, while CHX (2%) was used as apositive control. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests for analyzing differences between groups.Results: Xanthorrhizol concentrations of 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.25%, and 1.5% reduced the amount of bacteria that grew as biofilms in vitro. We foundthat the ability of xanthorrhizol 1% to inhibit E. faecalis biofilm formation was not significantly different compared with that of CHX 2% (p>0.05).Conclusion: Xanthorrhizol 1% can inhibit biofilm formation by E. faecalis. Further studies are required to confirm this preliminary result.


Recent empirical studies using large-scale data sets have validated the Granovetter hypothesis on the structure of the society in that there are strongly wired communities connected by weak ties. However, as interaction between individuals takes place in diverse contexts, these communities turn out to be overlapping. This implies that the society has a multilayered structure, where the layers represent the different contexts. To model this structure we begin with a single-layer weighted social network (WSN) model showing the Granovetterian structure. We find that when merging such WSN models, a sufficient amount of interlayer correlation is needed to maintain the relationship between topology and link weights, while these correlations destroy the enhancement in the community overlap due to multiple layers. To resolve this, we devise a geographic multilayer WSN model, where the indirect interlayer correlations due to the geographic constraints of individuals enhance the overlaps between the communities and, at the same time, the Granovetterian structure is preserved.


BACKGROUND
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) have been suggested to have protective effects against cardiovascular disease, cancer, immune-modulated diseases, and aging. We examined serum concentrations of DHEA, DHEA-S, and pregnenolone sulfate (PREG-S) in patients with thyroid dysfunction.

METHODS
Steroids extracted with methanol from serum sample were separated into an unconjugated fraction (DHEA) and a monosulfate fraction (DHEA-S and PREG-S), using a solid-phase extraction and an ion-exchange column. After separation of unconjugated steroids by HPLC, the DHEA concentration was measured by enzyme immunoassay. The monosulfate fraction was treated with arylsulfatase, and the freed steroids were separated by HPLC. The DHEA and PREG fractions were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the concentrations were converted into those of DHEA-S and PREG-S.

RESULTS
Serum concentrations of DHEA, DHEA-S, and PREG-S were all significantly lower in patients with hypothyroidism (n = 24) than in age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 43). By contrast, in patients with hyperthyroidism (n = 22), serum DHEA-S and PREG-S concentrations were significantly higher, but the serum DHEA concentration was within the reference interval. Serum concentrations of these three steroids correlated with serum concentrations of thyroid hormones in these patients. Serum albumin and sex hormone-binding globulin concentrations were not related to these changes in the concentration of steroids.

CONCLUSIONS
Serum concentrations of DHEA, DHEA-S, and PREG-S were decreased in hypothyroidism, whereas serum DHEA-S and PREG-S concentrations were increased but DHEA was normal in hyperthyroidism. Thyroid hormone may stimulate the synthesis of these steroids, and DHEA sulfotransferase might be increased in hyperthyroidism.


The correct development of a diploid sporophyte body and a haploid gametophyte relies on a strict coordination between cell divisions in space and time. During plant reproduction, these divisions have to be temporally and spatially coordinated with cell differentiation processes, to ensure a successful fertilization. Armadillo BTB Arabidopsis protein 1 (ABAP1) is a plant exclusive protein that has been previously reported to control proliferative cell divisions during leaf growth in Arabidopsis. Here, we show that ABAP1 binds to different transcription factors that regulate male and female gametophyte differentiation, repressing their target genes expression. During male gametogenesis, the ABAP1-TCP16 complex represses CDT1b transcription, and consequently regulates microspore first asymmetric mitosis. In the female gametogenesis, the ABAP1-ADAP complex represses EDA24-like transcription, regulating polar nuclei fusion to form the central cell. Therefore, besides its function during vegetative development, this work shows that ABAP1 is also involved in differentiation processes during plant reproduction, by having a dual role in regulating both the first asymmetric cell division of male gametophyte and the cell differentiation (or cell fusion) of female gametophyte.


To the Editor: On behalf of the author group, we would hereby like to bring forward the following comments. In our recent study (5), we presented data of systemic insulin and amino acid (AA) concentrations, muscle protein synthesis (MPS), and selected signaling molecules known to influence the MPS response after a single bout of heavy resistance exercise followed by an intake of whey protein isolate, calcium caseinate [both adjusted to 0.30 g/kg lean body mass (LBM), 17.5 g], or a noncaloric control drink. We appreciate Dr. Phillips' interest in the study and the applied stable isotope-based methods. We acknowledge the different molecular structure of micellar casein compared with caseinate as described by Dr. Phillips. However, we disagree with his interpretation that there are no differences in the AA concentration response to intake of whey and calcium caseinate (5) (see Fig. 4 in our paper). Especially in the total sum of essential AAs (see Fig. 4E) and total AAs (see Fig. 4F), time-dependent differences are evident. Actually, we believe that our AA concentrations following oral intake of 17.5 g of calcium caseinate better agree with previous data following intake of micellar casein (albeit a larger total amount, 43 g) (1) (see Fig. 2 and Table 2), 18.2 g of fluid nonfat milk protein made from skim milk powder [i.e., 3.6 g whey (20%) and 14.6 g micellar casein (80%)] (8) (see Fig. 2), 20 g of unspecified casein (7) (see Fig. 3), and 23.3 g of total milk proteins and 23.2 g of micellar casein (3) (see Fig. 3) than with the AA concentrations following intake of 21.9 g of micellar casein observed in the study by Tang et al. (6). Following the intake of the specific casein types, all studies (1, 3, 5–8) show elevations in AA concentrations and insulin (except the study by Tang et al.) during the postintervention periods with durations ranging from 3 to 8 h. Regarding the insulin peak concentrations following the intake of whey, micellar casein, and calcium caseinate, we reported a peak after 30 min with a clear difference between whey and calcium caseinate (5), Boirie et al. (1) report a significantly increased value after 40 min with no differences between whey and native micellar casein; and Tipton et al. (7) report a peak value after 30 min (whey) and 45 min (casein) with difference between whey and casein. In contrast, Tang et al. (6) observed no increase in insulin at 60 min after intake of micellar casein, which, however, does not rule out the possibility that an insulin response may have occurred within the first 60 min. From our point of view, the difference in digestion and absorption properties as interpreted by the AA and insulin responses between micellar casein and calcium caseinate might be of minor importance. However, we acknowledge that this has not been proved in a direct comparison. To our best conviction, the calcium caseinate digestion and absorption properties lie somewhere between those of whey and micellar casein but, in our view, close to micellar casein. Future work should address specific comparisons of milk in its natural form, micellar casein, and caseinate. On the basis of the present observations, we believe that it is justified with a comparison to milk in its native micellar form as part of our perspectives in our DISCUSSION and CONCLUSION. To support this perspective, MPS have been observed to be greater after milk ingestion compared with soy in relation to resistance exercise despite a higher total aminoacidemia following the isonitrogenous, isoenergetic, and macronutrient-matched soy intake (8). With regard to the concern relating to the figure and table labeling, it is stated in our METHODS section that the type of casein used in the present study is calcium caseinate; furthermore, as pointed out in the letter from Dr. Phillips, the issue is already dealt with in the DISCUSSION. However, we do understand the arguments put forward, and for the sake of clarity we will be aware of Dr. Phillips' advice regarding this semantic issue in future works. Regarding the protein dose, we would suggest a dose of high-quality protein of no more than 20 g, which recapitulates the conditions in our present study (0.30 g/kg LBM, 17.5 g) (5); 20 g of whole egg protein, and 10 g of essential AA (corresponding to 20 g high-quality protein) induce a maximal MPS as demonstrated in dose-response studies previously performed (2, 4). Thus, 40 g of protein, as put forward by Dr. Phillips, certainly seems to be too high. Theoretically, the dose-response relationship with MPS could be different following exercise and intake of milk, micellar casein, or caseinate. As a final comment, Dr. Phillips points to the importance of including rest measurements. This point is well taken as a general critique of this type of study. However, in the project under dicussion, the focus was clearly on potential differences between whey and calcium caseinate. Therefore, we wanted a relatively long postintervention time period, which unfortunately could not be combined with rest measurements using proper stable isotope techniques without a markedly longer experiment (i.e., at least 2–3 h longer). In our view, such long experiments potentially cause trouble with respect to subjects being fasted (except for the study intervention supplement). In fact, we believe this issue to be a general problem working with stable isotope-based methodology, which requires quite extensive protocols with regard to time and invasiveness. For example, in the study by Wilkinson et al. (8), no rest fractional synthesis rate measurements are presented, and in the study by Tang et al. (6), no baseline measurements are presented (i.e., without protein). However, we appreciate the studies and find the information important for development of nutritional advice, ideas, and methods. Finally, we once again thank Dr. Phillips for drawing attention to questions and drawbacks in the study of protein Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: S. Reitelseder, Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen, Bispebjerg Hospital, Bispebjerg Bakke 23, bldg. 8, 1st floor, DK-2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark (e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com). Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 300: E611–E612, 2011; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00675.2010. Letter to the Editor


Optical pumping of the laser-induced plasma of metals at a low-pressure atmosphere requires high power optical sources in the blue and ultra-violet region of spectrum. To achieve the highest optical pumping at the laser beam position on the target surface, a special optical configuration and discharge circuit are designed and applied to trigger two and four, 20 mm arc length, xenon flash lamps in series. Moreover, the behavior of discharge circuit and its capability to excite the flash lamps at a low pressure of air and neon atmosphere (0.1100 mbar) is investigated. The experimental findings show that the pulse-width of the discharge current for 0.5 J total charging energy is less than 3.5 microseconds. In addition, the jitter among the peaks of discharge current and the laser pulse is less than 1 microseconds that is more than the adequate to pump effectively plasma at the proper time.


A direct differential scanning infrared spectrophotometric method is described for the determination of crystalline silica in respirable-size atmospheric dust samples from a wide range of industrial environments. The test atmosphere is drawn through a cyclone elutriator, fitted with a membrane filter, at 1.9 l min–1 for, typically, 1–4 h. The filter, without further preparation, is scanned from 1500 to 400 cm–1 and the atmospheric concentration of crystalline silica determined from the intensity of the quartz (799, 780 and 695 cm–1), together with, when present, cristobalite (796 and 621 cm–1) absorption bands. Generation of standard crystalline silica atmospheres using a portable dust chamber is described. The effect of particle size variation on the absorbance intensity, together with sample re-radiation and mineral interference effects, are examined.


Background: Leprosy presents commonly with mononeuritis multiplex, affecting mainly the exteroceptive sensations. Neuropathy with a significant afferent large fiber element is considered to be an uncommon manifestation of leprous neuropathy. Aims: To evaluate the clinical and neurophysiologic aspects of a sub set of patients with leprous neuropathy having clinical proprioceptive loss. Settings and Design: Prospective study of patients with a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy secondary to leprosy having proprioceptive loss. Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients seen during a 2 year period (2004 and 2005) diagnosed to have leprous neuropathy with proprioceptive abnormalities on clinical examination were included. The diagnosis of leprosy was achieved by positive skin biopsy, split skin smears or nerve biopsy. Their clinical and electrophysiological characteristics were studied. Statistical methods: The results were analyzed using various tests of significance, including Pearson Chi-Square test. Values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. Results and Conclusions: We observed predominance (78.95%) of multibacillary forms of leprosy. Symmetrical neuropathies outnumbered mononeuritis multiplex (12:7). The pan sensory neuropathy had a mean duration of 24.32 months, but sometimes appeared early in the course of the disease. Areflexia and electrophysiological evidence of proximal affection was common, reflecting proximal spread of neuropathic process. Such patients have higher incidence of developing deformities and ulcerations and they represent a vulnerable sub set of patients with leprosy.


Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Cancer cells are remarkably adaptive to treatments. 5-Fluorouracil, 5-FU, is a pyrimidine analogue, that is widely used for treatment of solid tumors1. It interferes with nucleoside metabolism and is incorporated into RNA and DNA, leading to cell death1. Its use, however, has been associated with increased cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) levels in breast, ovarian, esophageal, and colon cancers2 that could lead to the emergence of a more aggressive phenotype3. Here we have determined the effect of 5-FU in the expression of oncogenic molecules that are involved in phospholipid metabolism (choline kinase (Chk) and phospholipase D1 (PLD1)), inflammation (cyclooxygenase (COX)-2), and hypoxia response (hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α) in order to facilitate a rational therapeutic design. Two triple negative breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and SUM-149, were investigated. Cells were treated with 5-FU at various concentrations (1-25 μg/mL) and protein levels were examined at 24 and 48 hrs post treatment. Both HIF-1α and PLD1 levels decreased in a dose dependent manner following 5-FU treatment. In contrast, COX-2 level increased in response to 5-FU treatment together with an increase in Chk. Increased expressions of HIF-1α, PLD1, COX-2, and Chk have been associated with increased invasion and metastasis3-6. Our data suggest that in addition to its ability to interfere with DNA/RNA synthesis, 5-FU inhibits HIF-1α and PLD1 but increases the expression of two enzymes associated with invasive metastatic cancers. Importantly, while the mechanism by which 5-FU elevates COX-2 and Chk levels in these cancer cells remains to be investigated, these results provide a molecular basis for the combinational treatment of 5-FU with COX-2 and/or Chk inhibitors in cancer therapy.

References

(1) Arias J. Molecules, 2008.

(2) Mercer S.J., et al. Anticancer Drugs, 2005.

(3) Stasinopoulos I, et al. Neoplasia, 2008.

(4) Pai J.K., et al. Anticancer Drug Des, 1994.

(5) Shah T., et al. NMR Biomed, 2010.

(6) Lu X and Kang Y. Clin Cancer Res, 2010

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2654. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2654


Objective. The goal of this study was to examine the monthly incidence rates of abusive encounters for family physicians in Canada. Methods. A 7-page cross-sectional survey. Results. Of the entire study sample (N = 720), 29% of the physicians reported having experienced an abusive event in the last month by a patient or patient family member. Abusive incidents were classified as minor, major, or severe. Of the physician participants who reported having been abused, all reported having experienced a minor event, 26% a major, and 8% a severe event. Of the physicians who experienced an abusive event, 55% were not aware of any policies to protect them, 76% did not seek help, and 64% did not report the abusive event. Conclusion. Family physicians are subjected to significant amounts of abuse in their day-to-day practices. Few physicians are aware of workplace policies that could protect them, and fewer report abusive encounters. Physicians would benefit from increased awareness of institutional policies that can protect them against abusive patients and their families and from the development of a national policy.