Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) undergo phenotypic transformation in response to environmental cues. In response to injury, VSMC switch from a "contractile" to "synthetic" phenotype, which is implicated in restenosis and arteriosclerosis. Thus, accelerating VSMC redifferentiation may be one way to limit lesion development. TGF β induces differentiation in VSMC; however, the mechanism is incompletely understood. Previous work has implicated Nox4 in differentiation. In this study, we hypothesized that TGF β induces differentiation via Nox4 and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38) pathways. In VSMCs, treatment with TGF β (2 ng/mL) for 24 hours increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (146±15% vs control) and Nox4 protein expression (150±12% vs control), both of which are reduced by transfection with small interfering RNA against Nox4 (siNox4). At 48 hours, TGF β maximally induces the expression of the differentiation markers smooth muscle alpha actin (SMA) and calponin (CNN) and increased incorporation of SMA into stress fibers. This induction is blunted by preincubation with the flavin oxidase inhibitor diphenylene iodonium (DPI) (90±8% inhibition) or by siNox4 (100% inhibition). To investigate the role of p38, we first demonstrate p38 is activated by TGF β at 60 minutes (370±70%) and it is not ROS dependent, because it is not blocked by preincubation with DPI. However, p38 remains activated for up to 24 hours, as measured by continued phosphorylation of its substrates, heat shock protein 27 (650±48%) and the obligatory differentiation transcription factor serum response factor (280±50%). This late activity of p38 is prevented by DPI (68±10% and 57±5% inhibition of HSP27 and SRF). Moreover, the inhibition of p38MAPK partially reverses the upregulation of SMA (60±20% inhibition) and CNN (67%±23 inhibition) by TGF β , and acts in cooperation with Rho kinase (87±10% and 97±1% inhibition of SMA and CNN). Thus, we conclude that Nox4 and p38 are critical regulators of TGFâ-induced differentiation in VSMC, and that Nox4 maintains the activity of p38. These data raise the possibility that Nox4 and p38 are potential targets in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in which VSMC dedifferentiation plays a pivotal role.


The modification of the col shape and position by the restorative alveolar interface technique (RAI) was studied in the interproximal areas between the mandibular first molars and fourth premolars of 10 dogs. Full thickness flaps were raised to expose the interproximal root surface and alveolar bone crest. The RAI procedure was performed only on the experimental sides and the control areas were the opposite side of the same animal. The animals were sacrificed at zero hour, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days for histological analyses. Approximately 6.0-micron-thick sections were made in buccolingual and mesiodistal directions and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Mallory for light microscopy analysis. A satisfactory healing process was observed up to the 14th and 21st days which showed a modified col shape. At this time, an inflammatory reaction developed affecting the evolution of the healing. The surgery had probably created conditions for the installation of an inflammatory process resulting from the modified anatomy of the interdental area.


Matrix structures are common in highly technical organizations. The matrix structure is most defined by this characteristic: that most people in the enterprise have two bosses. One resides in the programmatic organizations that make direct contact with the enterprise's customers, and organize and manage work to meet customer expectations. The other boss lives in the line organizations, functional and service organizations that provide the enterprise with capability to accomplish the work. The JPL enterprise is organized as a matrix because that structure can optimize retention and development of knowledge, as well as flexibility in applying that knowledge to the programs and projects JPL conducts. A matrix is usually considered most effective for accomplishing current project and technology development work while maintaining and developing institutional capability for the future. Can programmatic and line organizations really work interdependently, to accomplish their work as a community? Does the matrix produce a culture in which individuals take personal responsibility for both immediate mission success and long-term growth? What is the secret to making a matrix enterprise actually work? This paper considers those questions, and propose that developing an effective project-line partnership demands primary attention to personal interactions among people. Many potential problems can be addressed by careful definition of roles, responsibilities, and work processes for both parts of the matrix and by deliberate and clear communication between project and line organizations and individuals


A new milli-scale piggyback actuator for magnetic disk drives with a high track density was developed. The movable part of this actuator is comprised of a head suspension assembly supported by a 'flexural' cross-shaped spring, driven in the rotary direction by electromagnetic force. The advantages are that the actuator moves over a long distance with small power and can be easily manufactured. Our dual-stage actuator system using the flexural milli-actuator can realize 25 kTPI.


Introduction Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease affecting around 0.6% to 3% of the whole population with detrimental physical and societal impacts. Previously, we established a psoriasis-like skin inflammation model in mice using topical application of imiquimod (IMQ). This model successfully re-captures all critical features of clinical psoriasis such as keratinocyte hyperproliferation, munro's microabscesses, and shares a similar infiltration profile of various immune cells. Previous data suggest up-regulation of IL-10, but its role in this psoriasiform model is not clear. Objectives To investigate the role of IL-10 in the IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation. Methods Psoriasis-like skin inflammation was induced by topical application of imiquimod (Aldara) for 5 or 10 days. Mice were injected intraperitoneally with anti-IL-10 or an isotype control antibody or subcutaneously with dexamethasone. Back skin of mice was scored for up to 10 days using a modified Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score system adapted from clinical PASI score. Inflammation and skin thickness were scored histologically. Gene expression and immune cells in the skin were analysed using RT-PCR and flow cytometry, respectively. Results At day 10, both skin thickness and scaling score were significantly higher after neutralising IL-10 compared to isotype control, or either group compared to dexamethasone-treated animals. At days 5 and 10, H and E staining confirmed that epidermal thickness was more prominent in anti-IL-10 treated mice compared to isotype control or dexamethasone-treated mice, with more profound differences at day 10. Ki-67 staining for proliferating keratinocytes showed more proliferation at the epidermal basal layer after neutralising IL-10. In addition, significant more infiltration of neutrophils was found in skin at day 10. At day 5, IL-23/IL-17 pathway cytokines were more significantly upregulated in anti-IL-10 group than the isotype control group, while at day 10, a significant upregulation of IL-19, IL-24 expression were found in anti-IL-10 group compared to isotype control. Conclusions IL-10 regulates skin thickness and scaling during psoriasis-like skin inflammation. Furthermore, our data suggested that IL-10 might influence psoriatic symptoms through dampening of IL-23/IL-17 axis in early phase (day 5) and reducing IL-19 and IL-24 expression at late stage (day 10). The negative feedback signal of IL-10 partially explains the observed decrease of inflammation in imiquimod-induced skin inflammation after day 5. Disclosure of interest X. Xu: None declared, E. Prens: None declared, E. Florencia: None declared, L. Boon: None declared, P. Asmawidjaja: None declared, A.-M. Otten-Mus: None declared, E. Lubberts Grant/research support from: Novartis


The structures and relative stabilities of a series of disulfide (XSSX) and thiosulfoxide (X2SS) isomers have been studied for X = F, Cl, CH3, and H, using various levels of conventional ab initio and density functional theory (DFT). The XSSX isomers are more stable than the X2SS isomers for all substituents. The energy gap ΔE(X) between the two isomers increases (i.e., XSSX becomes more stable with respect to X2SS), and the SS bond contracts in the series for X = F, Cl, CH3, H. The results are interpreted by means of natural population analysis (NPA) (e.g., the interaction between the disulfide moiety S  2· and the two substituents X·). The bonding in the hypervalent X2SS species is similar to the bonding in the nonhypervalent XSSX and does not involve a special role for sulfur‐3d orbitals. These orbitals acquire only minimal populations and are not to be conceived as valence orbitals. The DFT and conventional ab initio results, Xα/DZP and MP2/6‐31G** optimized structures and isomerization energies (at the highest levels of both methods), agree well. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


The pupae of Culicoides exspectator Clastrier, C. kobae Cornet & Chateau. C. micheli Cornet & Chateau, C. olyslageri Kremer & Nevill. C. ravus De Meillon and C. (Synhelea) tropicalis Kieffer are described and illustrated for the first time, and the pupa of C. similis Carter, Ingram & Macfie is redescribed. All seven species belong to the Similis supergroup; the immature stages of six are found in ground waters while those of C. olyslageri occur in tree holes. A concise key is presented for differentiating the seven species. Short notes on their larval habitats are given. Reference is made to C. accraensis Carter, Ingram & Macfie, also found in tree holes. Available data suggest that pupal morphology can be used to differentiate closely related species; group characters also exist for those species within the Similis supergroup which can be used to separate ground-water species from those utilizing tree holes. Indications are that the pupae are of limited help in resolving the systematic subdivision of the Similis supergroup.


In this paper, a method for the automatic detection of dairy cow lying behaviour in free-stall barns is proposed. A computer visionbased system (CVBS) composed of a video-recording system and a cow lying behaviour detector based on the Viola Jones algorithm was developed. The CVBS performance was tested in a head-to-head free stall barn. Two classifiers were implemented in the software component of the CVBS to obtain the cow lying behaviour detector. The CVBS was validated by comparing its detection results with those generated from visual recognition. This comparison allowed the following accuracy indices to be calculated: the branching factor (BF), the miss factor (MF), the sensitivity, and the quality percentage (QP). The MF value of approximately 0.09 showed that the CVBS missed one cow every 11 well detected cows. Conversely, the BF value of approximately 0.08 indicated that one false positive was detected every 13 well detected cows. The high value of approximately 0.92 obtained for the sensitivity index and that obtained for QP of about 0.85 revealed the ability of the proposed system to detect cows lying in the stalls.


Sucrose, a glucose–fructose disaccharide, is the main sugar transported in the phloem of most plants and is the origin of most of the organic matter. Upon arrival in sink tissues, the sucrose must be cleaved by invertase or sucrose synthase. Both sucrose-cleaving enzymes yield free fructose, which must be phosphorylated by either fructokinase (FRK) or hexokinase (HXK). The affinity of FRK to fructose is much higher than that of HXK, making FRKs central for fructose metabolism. An FRK gene family seems to exist in most, if not all plants and usually consists of several cytosolic FRKs and a single plastidic FRK. These genes are expressed mainly in sink tissues such as roots, stems, flowers, fruits, and seeds, with lower levels of expression often seen in leaves. Plant FRK enzymes vary in their biochemical properties such as affinity for fructose, inhibition by their substrate (i.e., fructose), and expression level in different tissues. This review describes recently revealed roles of plant FRKs in plant development, including the combined roles of the plastidic and cytosolic FRKs in vascular tissues and seed development.


This paper examines the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for health related issues. It outlines contemporary evidence of inequalities in pandemics through information collected through a survey taken up during last fortnight of May 2020 from 2088 households at Kolkata and its neighbouring districts of West Bengal, India. It then examines whether there exists any inequality resulted by the lock-down to prevent COVID-19 pandemic among these households which are of different socio-economic strata. It then explores the potential consequences if any, of the lockdown measures implemented abruptly in India as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The essay concludes by mentioning the marginal analysis with different R0.


ABSTRACT The morphological diversity of pollen brings important information on the taxonomy of plants present in past and current ecosystems. Regarding the rich biodiversity and the large number of endemic plant species on the island of Madagascar, pollen reference collections are still scarce for this part of the world. The main objective of this study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of pollen morphology of flowering plants visited by honeybees in a tropical rainforest of the south-east part of Madagascar during 2014 to 2015 (Ranomafana National Park – Fianarantsoa). Samples of 135 species belonging to 105 genera and 52 families were processed, employing the standard acetolysis method. Pollen reference slides of these melliferous plants were mounted. These pollen grains were then photographed and measured using light microscopy. The 135 collected species include 54 trees, 47 shrubs, 21 herbs, 12 lianas and one epiphyte, among which 85 taxa are endemic, 46 indigenous and four exotic. Pollen morphological characteristics of 106 species (85% endemic) are described here for the first time. Since these endemic plant taxa have co-evolved with the endemic honeybee of Madagascar, Apis mellifera unicolor, the implications of the pollen grain morphology for plant–pollinator co-evolution are discussed.


Manganese content in blood sera of healthy subjects fluctuates within the interval of 0.008 mkg/ml to 0.032 mkg/ml--hence the requirement of especially sensitive methods for manganese determination. Atom-absorption methods are very suitable in this case because a minimal preparation of the sample is required. The authors intended the elaboration of a direct atom-absorption method, tracing manganese content in blood and urine. Manganese content in blood serum is rather close to the detectable minimum for manganese in its determination with the applied two-beam atom-absorption spectro-photometer. In the present work, the results from the prophylactic examinations of workers are presented, being in occupational contact with manganese (occupational-pathological screening) as well as from a control group of practically healthy volunteers--blood donors. Values in the interval 0.1017--0.032 mkg/ml with a standard deviation of 0.003 mkg/ml were obtained for the control group. The group of the workers examined, being in contact with manganese aerosols has an average value of 0.034 mkg/ml. Eighty eight per cent of all examined are in the interval from 0.01--0.05 mkg/ml. The rest 12 per cent work in shops where manganese elimination is higher. The method proposed is productive (up to 100 manganese determinations in diluted 1:1 serum per hour).


Interference-proof measures of digital time relay are discussed in this paper by analyzing maloperation causes of digital time relay under the conditions of interference by EM. The purpose is to give a reference to improve interference proof performance and reliability of digital time relay.


The paper describes the role of rural tourism for the sustainable development of rural areas and stresses out the importance of strategic approach in the planning of their development. The author identifies core problems, which elimi - nate their use and disable individual strategies set by some entrepreneurs in rural tourism. Concretely it is the absence of developing projects and focus on the development of individual villages. Then it is the lack of will to cooperate, local resou - rces are not effectively used and the local community is not adequately involved.


Copper metal matrix composites are seeing tremendous growth due to their properties, which are suitable for a wide range of applications. The potential for combining reinforcements uniformly in the matrix via powder metallurgy is stimulating new research. In the present study, copper powder is used as the matrix and SiC and graphite are used as reinforcements for the fabrication of a hybrid metal matrix composite using the powder metallurgy route. Silicon Carbide (SiC) and graphite are used as reinforcements in copper Metal Matrix Composite (MMC). SiC is a ceramic material that increases the hardness of the composite by adding it as reinforcement, and graphite is a material that helps increase corrosion resistance when used as reinforcement. In each sample, SiC and graphite mixture reinforcement is in equal proportion, varying this composition from 0 to 10% of the weight percentage. These samples are investigated for Vickers hardness, densities, and electrochemical corrosion properties after being prepared by powder metallurgy with dimensions of 16 mm x 16 mm x 25 mm. The sample with 8% reinforcement showed good corrosion resistance and poor corrosion resistance for the 4% reinforcement sample. These composition samples were subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) characterizations, which showed good correlation for the hardness and corrosion test values.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of age on the line bisection test. One hundred and eight normal dextrals of various ages performed a line bisection task with each hand. They were divided into three different age groups of 36 individuals. The old age group bisected lines significantly further to the right than did the middle and young age groups. Results on the line bisection test of the middle and the young age group were not different. Our results are discussed with reference to the theory of asymmetrical decline or maturing of the hemispheric functions over age.


Through its colonial, class-and caste-based history, English in India has come to be seen as a powerful resource that opens doors for those who 'have' it and holds back those who do not. For women, English ostensibly offers various promises in addition to employment: progressiveness and 'empowerment'; and the potential for upward mobility through marriage. Yet, the conversion of English capital for English-speaking Indian women proves to be intensely complex in practice, as many find themselves forced to navigate between shifting moral regimes attached to 'tradition' and 'modernity'. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in an NGO in Delhi that offers free English training to 'disad-vantaged youth', this paper explores how English capital is managed by young women striving to attain middle class-ness through English, and how their class, caste and gender positionings are negotiated across particular time-space configurations as they seek to become English speakers.


In the present investigation, we introduce and study interesting properties of a new unified class of pre-starlike functions with negative coefficients in the open unit disk ∆: These properties include growth and distortion, radii of convexity, radii of starlikeness and radii of close to convexity.


This paper highlights some communicative and institutional challenges to using ensemble prediction systems (EPS) in operational flood forecasting, warning, and civil protection. Focusing in particular on the Swedish experience, as part of the PREVIEW FP6 project, applying EPS to operational flood forecasting, the paper draws on a wider set of site visits, interviews, and participant observation with flood forecasting centres and CPAs in Sweden and 15 other European states to reflect on the comparative success of Sweden in enabling CPAs to make operational use of EPS for flood risk management. From that experience, the paper identifies four broader lessons for other countries interested in developing the operational capacity to make, communicate, and use EPS for flood forecasting and civil protection. We conclude that effective training and clear communication of EPS, while clearly necessary, are by no means sufficient to ensure effective use of EPS. Attention must also be given to overcoming the institutional obstacles to their use and to identifying operational choices for which EPS is seen to add value rather than uncertainty to operational decision-making by CPAs.


In Reply. —A driver with normal vision can be used fairly to judge the bioptic telescopic spectacle (BTS) because both the small magnified area and the area blinded to traffic while changing fixation to read the road sign are the same as seen through the telescope, whether the vision is 20/20 or 20/200. The hazardous blind area in the field is not related to the central vision. There is no evidence that the BTS is a safe device for operating a motor vehicle. The evidence is that the BTS is more of a hazard than an aid. Approach magnification has the obvious advantage of always being available. Furthermore, it can be varied, it does not impair the peripheral vision, and it is safer. The states have an obligation to the visually handicapped to grant a waiver for impaired vision, otherwise the states are endorsing the exploitation of the handicapped by


Background: Youth baseball is extremely popular in the United States, but it has been associated with shoulder pain and injury. The incidence of shoulder abnormalities in this athletic population has yet to be defined. Purpose: To examine abnormalities noted on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the shoulders of asymptomatic Little League baseball players and to correlate these findings with the players' throwing history and physical examinations. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 23 Little League baseball players aged 10 to 12 years were recruited. All players underwent a comprehensive physical examination and responded to a questionnaire addressing their playing history and any arm or shoulder pain. Bilateral shoulder MRIs were performed and read in a blinded manner by 2 radiologists. Responses on the questionnaire and physical examination findings were compared between participants with and without positive MRI findings through use of chi-square test and analysis of variance. Results: The dominant arm was 8.5 times more likely to have an abnormality on MRI compared with the nondominant arm. In all, 12 players (52%) had 17 positive MRI findings in their throwing shoulder that were not present in their nondominant shoulder. These findings included edema or widening of the proximal humeral physis (n = 5), labral tear (n = 4), partial rotator thickness tear (n = 4), acromioclavicular joint abnormality (n = 2), subacromial bursitis (n = 1), and cystic change of the greater tuberosity (n = 1). Two primary risk factors were associated with an abnormal MRI: year-round play and single-sport athletes focusing solely on baseball (P < .05). Players with no risk factors, 1 risk factor, and both risk factors had a 25%, 71%, and 100% chance, respectively, of having an abnormal MRI. A majority of players (61%) had previously experienced shoulder pain, especially pitchers throwing curveballs and sliders (P < .05), but this was not associated with an abnormal MRI. Conclusion: Abnormalities seen on MRI involving the shoulder are common in Little League baseball players, especially those who are single-sport athletes playing year-round.


In rats injected with kainic acid into the dorsal part of the caudate nucleus, the chronic treatment (for 20 days) with haloperidol (1 mg/kg) did not induce hypersensitivity of dopamine receptors. However, kainic acid produced no effect on hypersensitivity of the receptors after long-term administration of apomorphine (1 mg/kg). It is suggested that in the CNS there exist at least two types of dopamine receptors one of which is involved in the hypersensitivity mechanism after long-term administration of neuroleptics (post-synaptic receptors), while another one in the hypersensitivity to the effects of long-term administration of dopaminomimetics (presynaptic receptors).


ABSTRACT Aim: Neutropenic fever is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients receiving cancer treatment. An ANC of at least 1500/ mm3 is usually required for chemotherapy administration, and dose reductions and delays caused by a low neutrophil counts may potentially impact on outcomes. Surprisingly, there is no clear evidence of what ANC cut-off value should actually be used in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes in patients receiving chemotherapy with ANC less than 1500/ mm3 compared to those with normal ANC. Methods: In this bi-institutional retrospective study, we evaluated 157 consecutive patients with solid tumors and compared clinical outcomes (neutopenic fever, delay or dose reduction of chemotherapy, antibiotic use and hospitalization) between two groups according to their ANC: either under, but at least 1000/mm3, or above 1500/mm3 before the beginning of each cycle. Results: A total of 155 patients were analyzed. Among patients who had their treatment delayed in the second cycle, 4 (44,4%) had less than 1500/mm3 and 5 (55.6%) had more than 1500/mm3 on the beginning of each cycle (HR for treatment delay: 0.88; p = 0.84). The respective values for the third cycle were 5 (55.6%) and 4 (44.4%), (HR= 0.51; p = 0.29). The hazard ratios for fever, need of antibiotic and hospitalization were 1.93 (p = 0.22), 1.97 (p = 0.15) and 1.27 (p = 0.65) in the 2nd cycle and 1.76 (p = 0.3), 2.4 (p = 0.08) and 2.35 (p = 0,15) in the 3rd one. Conclusions: Patients with solid tumors who received chemotherapy with ANC less than 1500/mm3 did not seem to have a worse clinical outcomes compared to patients with higher counts. Regarding the rates of fever, need of antibiotic, hospitalization and treatment delayed, there was not a statistically significant difference between the two groups. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


This paper reports the implementation of an intelligent motion for autonomous mobile manipulator. We determined our research task as"Autonomous Navigation including Door Open Motion", in indoor environment. This task is one of basic skills for mobile manipulator, however the cooperation of several theories and techniques is necessary for this research task. To realize the task, we developed both hardware and software of one robot system, executed in real environment, and feedbacked the experimental results to both hardware design and motion algorithm.In this paper, we describe a detail design of the mobile robot motion (which is divided into several stages), hardware and software to realize the research task. Also, we report experimental results, and discuss about knowledge and problems for controlling autonomous mobile manipulator.


A prospective audit of one hundred and forty-seven (147) Acute Pain Service (APS) patients, who received postoperative patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) using pethidine 4 mg/ml or ropivacaine 0.2% with fentanyl 2 μg/ml in general surgical or orthopaedic wards over a twelve-month period, is presented. Data were collected from APS observation charts over a 48-hour period postoperatively. We found no significant difference in postoperative analgesia or side-effects between pethidine and ropivacaine with fentanyl in orthopaedic or general surgical patients.


Low density parity check (LDPC) codes have received significant attention due to their superior error correction performance, and have been considered by emerging communication standards such as 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GBASE-T), digital video broadcasting (DVBS2), WiMAX (802.16e), Wi-Fi (802.11n) and WPANs (802.15.3c). Due to the codes' inherently irregular and global communication patterns, high-speed systems that require many processing nodes typically suffer from large wire dominated circuits with low clock rates. The recently introduced Split-Row Threshold decoding algorithms and architectures increase parallelism, significantly reduce wire interconnect complexity, and have a small increase in bit error rate compared to the standard MinSum decoding algorithm. Several Multi-Split-Row Threshold decoders have been implemented in 65 nm CMOS for a (2048,1723) LDPC code compliant with the 10GBASE-T Ethernet standard. The impact of different levels of partitioning on error performance, wire interconnect complexity, decoder area, power dissipation and speed are investigated. A 16-way Split-Row Threshold decoder occupies 3.8 mm2, runs at 101 MHz, delivers a throughput of 13.8 Gbps at 15 iterations, and dissipates 318 mW at 1.3 V. Compared to a standard MinSum decoder implemented in the same technology and physical design flow, the presented chip is 3.9 times smaller, has a clock rate and throughput 6 times higher, is 4.4 times more energy efficient, and has an error performance degradation of only 0.22 dB.


Background: COPD is an important non communicable disease with rising mortality and morbidity. Tobacco smoking is the biggest risk factor for COPD in developed countries. In a developing country like India, where the prevalence of smoking is low in women (3.6% in women and 26.25% in men), the prevalence of COPD is equal in both sexes (2-22% in men and 1.2-19% in women). Biomass smoke exposure is the biggest risk factor for COPD in women,however the awareness of COPD in non smoking women is low. Aim: To evaluate the differences in risk factors,respiratory symptoms, lung function,BMI and exercise capacity in men and women with COPD. Methods: We included males and females≥40 years of age and excluded patients with COPD exacerbation within 4 weeks of enrollment and other lung diseases. BOLD questionnaire captured symptoms,COPD defined by GOLD guideline 2009 and 6MWD performed per ATS guidelines. Results: Conclusions: Biomass smoke exposure is the biggest risk factor for COPD in women and women have similar clinical presentation of COPD as men.


AI large language models have (co-)produced amazing written works from newspaper articles to novels and poetry. These works meet the standards of the standard definition of creativity: being original and useful, and sometimes even the additional element of surprise. But can a large language model designed to predict the next text fragment provide creative, out-of-the-box, responses that still solve the problem at hand? We put Open AI's generative natural language model, GPT-3, to the test. Can it provide creative solutions to one of the most commonly used tests in creativity research? We assessed GPT-3's creativity on Guilford's Alternative Uses Test and compared its performance to previously collected human responses on expert ratings of originality, usefulness and surprise of responses, flexibility of each set of ideas as well as an automated method to measure creativity based on the semantic distance between a response and the AUT object in question. Our results show that -- on the whole -- humans currently outperform GPT-3 when it comes to creative output. But, we believe it is only a matter of time before GPT-3 catches up on this particular task. We discuss what this work reveals about human and AI creativity, creativity testing and our definition of creativity.


Articulatory Synthesis consists in reproducing speech based on models of the vocal tract and of articulatory processes. Recent advances in MRI allowed for important improvements with respect to the speech comprehension. However, one of the main challenges is the high-quality acquisition of images. Since adopting more powerful acquisition devices might be financially inviable, a more feasible solution is to perform the resolution enhancement using only image processing techniques. In a previous work, we proposed a Wiener based super resolution technique for the spatial resolution enhancement. A separable Markovian model was used in the characterization of the spatial correlation structures. In this paper we report on a study that compares this model with an isotropic model. According to the conducted experiments, the isotropic model outperformed the separable Markovian model in all cases. Moreover, the adopted super resolution method out-performed the two available approaches used in this context.


Physical mechanisms of electron emission from fibre optic nanotips, namely, tunnelling, multi-photon, and thermionic emission, either prevent fast switching or require intense laser fields. Time-resolved electron emission from nano-sized sources finds applications ranging from material characterisation to fundamental studies of quantum coherence. We present a nano-sized electron source capable of fast-switching (⩽1 ns) that can be driven with low-power femtosecond lasers. The physical mechanism that can explain emission at low laser power is surface plasmon enhanced above-threshold photoemission. An electron emission peak is observed and provides support for resonant plasmonic excitation. The electron source is a metal-coated optical fibre tapered into a nano-sized tip. The fibre is flexible and back illuminated facilitating ease of positioning. The source operates with a few nJ per laser pulse, making this a versatile emitter that enables nanometrology, multisource electron-lithography and scanning probe microscopy.


Empirical research on simultaneous interpreting is hampered by the problem of collecting sufficient material (recordings of source speeches and interpreted target speeches) for the testing of hypotheses and validation of existing theories. In other words, corpora have long been awaited in the field of Interpreting Studies. In January 2004 a research group on corpus-based interpreting studies was set up in the Department of Interdiscip linary Studies in Translation, Languages and Cultures (SITLeC) of the University of Bologna at F orli, in order to create an electronic parallel corpus with source and target speeches in Italian, English and Spanish. The main research interest of the group is the study of interpreters' strategi es across different language directions (directionality) and language-pair related difficul ties. In this paper, the authors illustrate the various stages of development of the EPIC corpus, h ighlighting both research and pedagogical applications of this "multidimensional" tool compri sing video, audio and written materials, which can be retrieved, selected and analyzed by using co rpus linguistics techniques. 2


In this thesis we experimentally study charge transport through nano-devices made of graphene and topological insulators. In both these materials the low energy electronic states can be described by the Dirac equation. From systematic transport investigations of graphene devices on top of different substrates we found that both the charge mobility and the amount of charge density fluctuations in high-quality graphene devices are limited by the same microscopic mechanism. The experiments suggest that this mechanism originates from the presence of random strain fluctuations in graphene. In topological insulator nano-devices, our experiments show that charge transport can be modulated from electron to holes through the application of a gate voltage. Once in the presence of a magnetic field we also observe the occurrence of quantum oscillations for both charge polarities. Our experimental investigations on topological insulators conclusively show that transport at the surface of these materials is mediated by Dirac fermions.


Optimal balance is a non-asymptotic numerical method to compute a point on the slow manifold for certain two-scale dynamical systems. It works by solving a modified version of the system as a boundary value problem in time, where the nonlinear terms are adiabatically ramped up from zero to the fully nonlinear dynamics. A dedicated boundary value solver, however, is often not directly available. The most natural alternative is a nudging solver, where the problem is repeatedly solved forward and backward in time and the respective boundary conditions are restored whenever one of the temporal end points is visited. In this paper, we show quasi-convergence of this scheme in the sense that the termination residual of the nudging iteration is as small as the asymptotic error of the method itself, i.e., under appropriate assumptions exponentially small. This confirms that optimal balance in its nudging formulation is an effective algorithm. Further, it shows that the boundary value problem formulation of optimal balance is well posed up at most a residual error as small as the asymptotic error of the method itself. The key step in our proof is a careful two-component Gronwall inequality.


Without measures of the lethality of terrorist networks, it is very difficult to assess if capturing or killing a terrorist is effective. We present the predictive lethality analysis of terrorist organization (PLATO) algorithm, which merges machine learning with techniques from graph theory and social network analysis to predict the number of attacks that a terrorist network will carry out based on a network structure alone. We show that PLATO is highly accurate on two novel datasets, which cover Al Qaeda (AQ) and the Islamic State (ISIS). Using both machine learning and statistical methods, we show that the most significant macrofeatures for predicting AQ's lethality are related to their public communications (PCs) and logistical subnetworks, while the leadership and operational subnetworks are most impactful for predicting ISISs lethality. Across both groups, the average degree and the diameters of the strongly connected components (SCCs) within these networks are strongly linked with lethality.


OBJECTIVE
Anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase antibody-positive polymyositis/dermatomyositis-associ ated interstitial lung disease (ARS-ILD) has a good prognosis, with few cases progressing to respiratory failure. This study aimed to determine factors predictive of lung function changes in patients with ARS-ILD.

METHODS
We retrospectively studied 49 patients with ARS-ILD treated at Kurume University Hospital Hospital between 2000 and 2018. We followed 30 patients for more than 2 years after prednisolone (PSL) therapy, with or without calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), evaluating clinical, physiological, computed tomography, pulmonary func tion, and serological data.

RESULTS
After treatment for 24 months, no significant differences were noted between clinical parameters and improvement in forced vital capacity (FVC), %FVC, % carbon monoxide diffusing capacity/alveolar volume (%DLCO), and %DLCO/alveolar volume. Conversely, the annual change of %FVC significantly correlated with the Medical Research Council dyspnea scale grade and %FVC at the first visit and treatment. Furthermore, the annual change of %DLCO/VA significantly correlated with the duration from the first visit to treatment initiation.

CONCLUSION
Compared with PSL monotherapy, combining PSL and CNI showed greater mitigation of %FVC decline. The time from onset of ARS-ILD to the first visit is critical for preventing a decline in lung function, and as such, patients should be monitored carefully.


Prolactin receptor (PRLR) is a single transmembrane protein belonging to the  cytokine receptor super family through which prolactin plays a wide variety of  physiological roles such as mammary gland development, milk production,  reproduction and immune function in vertebrates. Many non synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) at the PRLR locus in  vertebrates are suspected to impact protein function. This study, therefore, aimed at predicting the likelihood of non synonymous (amino acid change) coding SNPs to cause functional impact on protein at the PRLR locus of cattle and chicken using the MEGA MD bioinformatics tool. In cattle, sixteen out of the first twenty non synonymous amino substitutions obtained: V5A, T9V, T12I, N18S, T19V, C20S, L26S, E32K, F34V, R49E, T52A, S61T, R66K, M72I, I79K and H87Y were beneficial, one was likely neutral, two were deleterious while one was likely deleterious. However, in chicken, L131V, E132N, A134T, V135L, I157A and T161S mutations were found harmless, three were likely neutral, eight were deleterious while three were likely deleterious. This was  substantiated by the Evod (–10.70 65.32 versus 0.00-80.03), PolyPhen 2 (0.000- 0.859 versus 0.000-0.990) and SIFT  (0.16-1.00 versus 0.00-1.00) values in cattle and chicken, respectively. Theoretically, the harmful amino acid substitutions  would result in altered spatial structure and functions of the PRLR molecules. Further studies, however, are required to determine whether the beneficial amino acid substitutions obtained will affect the milk yield, reproductive and immune  functions of Nigerian livestock species. Keywords : prolactin receptor; non-synonymous substitutions; bioinformatics tool; protein function; livestock.


Solar power plants established are mainly built on uncultivated lands. However, the increase in land values due to the increasing population of the countries, the lack of necessary areas for these power plants in countries with small areas and the increasing need for energy have led to different pursuits. Installing photovoltaic systems on water resources appears as a good alternative solution in this regard. In this study, by using photovoltaic panels with an output power of 260 Wp and having a polycrystalline cell structure, a floating solar power plant with an output power of 120 kWp was installed on Buyukcekmece Lake, and the effect of the region's microclimate data on electricity generation was investigated. While the most important factor that positively affects power generation is radiation, it has been observed that the important environmental factors that affect negatively are specific humidity, wave strength and module temperature.


The possibility of different deformations for the protons and neutrons in 154Sm, suggested by analyses of (p,p') data, is examined by means of Skyrme-HF calculations in the Sm and Er isotopes. Two different versions of the Skyrme force give essentially identical results, in spite of markedly different surface asymmetry and nuclear compressibility characteristics. Constrained calculations, with either a single constraint on the matter density (quadrupole moment) or separate constraints on the protons and neutrons, illustrate a very strong coupling between proton and neutron deformations. Indeed, proton and neutron deformations are found to follow each other very closely even when the relative strengths of the proton and neutron spin-orbit potentials are altered in opposite senses, or when the proton and neutron pairing interaction strengths are varied separately. Generally the protons have larger quadrupole moments per particle, while for the hexadecapole mode the neutron deformation per particle is greater-contrary to the conclusions drawn from analysis of (p,p') data.


Harmonic broadcasting was introduced by Juhn and Tseng as a way to reduce the bandwidth requirements required for video-on-demand broadcasting. In this paper, we note that harmonic broadcasting is actually a special case of the priority encoded transmission scheme introduced by Albanese et al. and prove---using an information theoretic argument---that it is impossible to achieve the design goals of harmonic broadcasting using a shorter encoding.


Introduction: Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) is a by-product of high-temperature fossil fuel combustion. There is a strong correlation between elevated NO 2 concentration and increased mortality and morbidity. Air-Q 2.2.3 model developed by WHO was used for the first time in the present study to evaluate the human communities' health risk as a result of NO 2 exposure in Mashhad, in 2012. Materials and methods: Air-Q 2.2.3 developed by WHO was used for the first time in this study to calculate the risk on human communities as a result of NO 2 exposure in Mashhad during 2012. Results: The concentration-response coefficient was 1.14% (95% CI 0.62– 1.67%) per 10 μg/m 3 increase in NO 2 concentration. The study also showed that nearly 3.2% of total cardiovascular deaths, heart attacks, and hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary were related to NO 2 exposure to concentrations beyond 30 µg/m 3 . Conclusions: The results showed that there is significant correlation between human mortality and air. This assessment estimates the public-health impacts of current patterns of air pollution. Although individual health risks of air pollution are relatively small the public-health consequences are considerable.. Our results, which have also been used for economic valuation, should guide decisions on the assessment of environmental health-policy options.


This study aims to assess the effect of high temperature on the bond strength of Concrete Filled Steel Tubular (CFST) sections incorporating crumb rubber particles as partial replacement of fine aggregates in concrete core. High daily temperatures; as in hot countries; was considered as well. Push out tests were conducted on 72 CFST specimens with five different concrete mixes. Prior to these tests, 210 concrete specimens were tested to obtain the mechanical properties of rubberized concrete under high temperature gradients. Some of the tests; on CFST sections or concrete specimens; were tested at the desired high temperature, and some others were tested after cooling down. The main variables considered were the crumb rubber replacement ratio, type of CFST section (circular or square) and temperature gradient. The test results indicated that high temperature reduces the bond strength between steel tube and rubberized concrete core with small percentage of rubber replacement. Recovery in bond strength was observed when the specimens were cooled down. Circular sections showed higher bond strength and ductility on its square counterpart.


Excited states in the 150, 151, 152 Tb isotopes have been investigated using the 130Te(27 Al, xn) reaction and the EUROGAM array. The theoretical interpretation of the level schemes has been performed in the framework of the deformed independent particle model. The feeding patterns of the normal-deformed states by the superdeformed bands in 150, 151 Tb istopes have also been established. The results indicate that the decay-out mechanism of the bands is not of purely statistical nature, but depends on the configurations of both normal- and superdeformed states.


The last thirty years have witnessed a general liberalization process of merchandize trade flows. Indeed, tariffs have sharply decreased thanks to the multilateral, regional and/or bilateral trade integration agreements. However, concerns have been raised about the use of Non-Tariffs Measures (NTMs) as trade restriction policies. This paper aims to investigate the impact of NTMs on Tunisian and Egyptian imports. In addition to the distinction between different categories of NTMs (Sanitary and Phytosanitary, Technical Barriers to Trade, Export Related measures…), we study the impact of NTMs on the extensive and intensive margins to trade. The extensive margin has two dimensions: the number of varieties imported from each supplier and the number of supplying countries for each product. Using a traditional gravity model of international trade, we show that NTMs have been used more in Egypt than in Tunisia as a trade restriction measure. Moreover, they act on the intensive rather than the extensive margin.


We present a proof of the discrete maximum principle (DMP) for the 1D Poisson equation iu 00 = f equipped with mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions. The problem is discretized using finite elements of arbitrary lengths and polynomial degrees (hp-FEM). We show that the DMP holds on all meshes with no limitations to the sizes and polynomial degrees of the elements. AMS subject classifications: 65N30


The new malformation syndrome was first described approximately 50 years ago in three unrelated patients in Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, (Smith, Lemli, Opitz 1964). This syndrome was called RSH syndrome after the first 3 patients studied. First Slovak patient with phenotypic features of this new syndrome was described by professor Sršeň in 1972. In 1994 Tint from VA Medical Center, E. Orange, New Jersey analyzed plasma sterols of patient with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome and found out that in addition to low plasma cholesterol level, the patient had 1000-fold increase of the plasma level of 7-dehydrocholesterol, the immediate precursor of cholesterol biosynthesis. After this biochemical discovery Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome became the metabolic-malformation syndrome with an exactly defined impairment of cholesterol metabolism. The first patient with biochemically proved Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome in Slovakia was described by Behulova et al. (1997) in cooperation with Department of Biochemistry and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University in Naples, Italy. The three years later a screening method UV spectrometry of serum lipids for detection of 7-dehydrocholesterol was established in Department of Biochemistry, University Children´s Hospital in cooperation with the Institute of preventive and clinical medicine in Bratislava (Skodova et al.,2000). First results of molecular analysis of the 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase gene in 10 unrelated Czech and Slovak patients with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome were reported by Kozak et al. (2000). The same year the first prenatal diagnosis of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome by mutation analysis was achieved (Bzduch et al., 2000). Our research activities on this topic drew good response from abroad.


A deep learning (DL) model learns a function relating a set of input variables with a set of target variables. While the representation of this function in form of the DL model often lacks interpretability, several interpretation methods exist that provide descriptions of the function (e.g., measures of feature importance). On the one hand, these descriptions may build trust in the model or reveal its limitations. On the other hand, they may lead to new scientific understanding. In any case, a description is only useful if one is able to identify if parts of it reflect spurious instead of causal relations (e.g., random associations in the training data instead of associations due to a physical process). However, this can be challenging even for experts because, in scientific tasks, causal relations between input and target variables are often unknown or extremely complex. Commonly, this challenge is addressed by training separate instances of the considered model on random samples of the training set and identifying differences between the obtained descriptions. Here, we demonstrate that this may not be sufficient and propose to additionally consider more general modifications of the prediction task. We refer to the proposed approach as variant approach and demonstrate its usefulness and its superiority over pure sampling approaches with two illustrative prediction tasks from hydrometeorology. While being conceptually simple, to our knowledge the approach has not been formalized and systematically evaluated before.


A well-corrected telescope with a large spherical primary mirror can be realized by using three or four small, widely spaced, corrector lenses. An interesting solution uses the lenses in a relay configuration which results in an erect image, accessible real exit pupil, and an internal field stop. Lateral color is corrected by adding a field lens at an intermediate focus. Polychromatic axial correction is excellent despite use of only one type of glass. The useful field of view is typically limited to 1 deg. Examples are presented.


The paper presents a low power and low chip area decimation filter for a 15-bits Σ-Δ analog-to-digital converter (ADC) designed for a flywheel MEMS gyroscope. In contrary to typical solutions, in which decimation is performed after each filtering stage, in the proposed approach all filter sections operate at the sampling frequency of the modulator. The low power dissipation is in this case achieved by substantially simpler structure of particular stages. By selecting the oversampling ratio (OSR) of the modulator sufficiently large, e.g. 200, the decimation filter composed of Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters with equal coefficients does not distort the passband signal. The low chip area results from eliminating a complex selective filter usually placed at the end of the filtering chain in the decimation filter.


Wilson's disease in childhood could present with features ranging from asymptomatic liver disease to acute liver failure and cirrhosis. Neurological manifestations and psychiatric illness occur more commonly in adults and older children. Skin manifestation with Wilson's disease is not frequently reported in literature but could be an early diagnostic clincher. We present a child with hepatic Wilson's disease and skin hyperpigmentation. We aim to highlight the possible importance of skin lesions as an early marker of Wilson's disease.


This paper presents an LED BLU driving circuit with a local-dimming structure. The efficiency of the proposed LED driver has been improved by parallel driving 8 serial-connected LED arrays. It employed the soft-switching boost converter topology to reduce the switching power loss of the hard switching boost converter. Soft- and hard-switching converters have the same structure except that the free-wheeling diode in the hard-switching converter is replaced with the n-channel MOSFET in the soft-switching one. The proposed boost converter was compared with the hard switching converter. The soft-switching converter reveals superior ripple and efficiency. A smaller inductance can be used for the soft-switching converter contrasting to the hard-switching one. We also studied on an over-voltage protection circuit of the output of the driver at the no load condition. The protection circuit was applied to the proposed driver, and its operation was confirmed by experiment. Using a local-dimming technique, power consumption of LCD BLUs can be reduced as low as possible according to the brightness of its image.


Opportunistic routing has recently been proposed for ad hoc networks. Several works showed that opportunistic routing improves network performance. None of these works, however, studied the integration of opportunistic routing into multi-rate ad hoc networks. In this paper, we study this integration. Specifically, we consider the problem of determining the required number of retransmissions in opportunistic routing and the transmission rate in each retransmission such that the required (re)transmission time for a sent packet is minimized while at the same time a target end-to-end PER is satisfied. We show that this problem is NP-hard. Accordingly, we propose an approximate solution called Opportunistic routing Over Multi-rate Multi-hop ad hoc networks (OOMM). Extensive simulations over a multi-rate OFDM-based UWB network show that OOMM achieves high performance relative to different routing techniques (21%-48% throughput improvement).


Primer informe para el proyecto SW0801. Fase 2: Medium & long term strategies to manage flooding events in urban and peri-urban areas


Two cycles of the combination of carboplatin (C), given every 4 weeks with weekly doses of cisplatin (P), were administered on an outpatient basis to 28 previously untreated patients. One cycle consisted of one dose of C and 4 doses of P. The toxicity of 250 mg/m2 of C, combined with escalating doses of P (20, 30, 35, 40 mg/m2) was evaluated first. Thrombocytopenia was dose-limiting and cumulative. At the dose level of 40 mg/m2 of P, the median Pt nadirs during the first and second cycles were 190 (range: 44 to 232) x 10(3)/microL and 90 (range: 15 to 165) x 10(3)/microL, respectively. The median delivered dose intensity (DI) of P was 40 mg/m2/wk in the first cycle and 40 mg/m2/wk in the second cycle. In the second part of the study, 40 mg/m2 of P were combined with a C dose adapted to individual renal function according to the formula dose (mg) = AUC x (GFR + 25) where AUC = 4.5 mg/mL/min. The administration of doses of C ranging from 219 to 493 mg/m2 was associated with a more severe and more variable thrombocytopenia, more frequent P delays and decrease of the median delivered DI of P (first cycle: 33 mg/m2/wk; second cycle: 32 mg/m2/wk). At all dose levels, leukopenia was mild to moderate, and neurotoxicity and severe GI toxicity were absent. No significant reductions of the creatinine clearance values were observed. All patients treated at 40 mg/m2 of P suffered from cumulative subjective toxicity during the second month of therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


To the Editor.I read with interest the case reports of Sees et al.' They reported two patients who developed empyema after lung resections via muscle-sparing thoracotomies (MSTs). They attributed this complication to premature removal of the subcutaneous drains with potential bacterial inoculation of the pleural space that may have originated in the subcutaneous space. I have been using MST almost exclusively for all thoracic procedures since-19892 with modifications to the technique described by Bethencourt and Holmes.' Originally I used to develop 'Small subcutaneous flaps in order to facilitate exposure.' Over a 4-year period I had two patients who developed seromas despite drainage of the subcutaneous space with closed suction systems. Empyemas did not occur but reoperation was needed to remove both seromas. Since then I no longer create subcutaneous flaps. I limit the incision to its anterolateral portion for a distance of approximately 10 em, I retract the latissimus dorsi muscle posteriorly with only one centimeter elevation of its free border. The serratus anterior is split in the direction of its fibers. Adequate exposure is facilitated by transecting the intercostal muscles for a distance much longer than the initial skin incision. Because subcutaneous flaps are not developed subcutaneous drains are not necessary and retrograde bacterial contamination is avoided. Since then in several hundred cases we have not seen seroma formation or associated infections. We have also performed extensive chest wall resections and reconstructions through this approach" with similar results. I agree with Sees and coworkers that if subcutaneous flaps are developed prolonged drainage may be necessary. I am pleased that MST is being adopted by more surgeons as their incision of choice and I congratulate the authors for their efforts.


The current foreclosure crisis has led to large-scale displacement of former homeowners and their families. From 2005-2010, this crisis has produced a wave of displacement, which still shows little sign of slowing, and is predicted to continue until 2012. Research shows that those who have been the most heavily impacted by foreclosure are people of color, homeowners with low educational attainment, the elderly, and women homeowners. This paper engages the foreclosure and displacement literatures and discusses five pilot interviews to examine the ways in which households have been impacted, at the level of the individual and the household. While the popular press and academic literature have focused on the impacts of foreclosures on the financial and mortgage industries, the impacts of foreclosure and displacement on families and neighborhoods continue to be profound and are silently undermining stability and producing deep social uncertainty. The literature on displacement due to natural disaster, urban renewal, and gentrification foregrounds the ways the current foreclosure crisis may operate differently from past large-scale displacements, and provides insight into the social and equity implications of the foreclosure crisis. Interviews with individuals who have been foreclosed upon, and church pastors from communities with high rates of foreclosure, show how displacement contributes to uncertainty and hardship for many families. This paper examines the variety of realms affected by foreclosure, from the social to the spatial, and analyzes the ways in which the foreclosure crisis is becoming a displacement crisis that may be reproducing social inequalities.


OBJECTIVE
To explore whether there is mutagenicity of humic acid samples collected from arsenosis affected areas in China.

METHODS
Ames' test was used for natural humic acid samples extracted from the coal containing high arsenic in Guizhou Province, and the well water in the areas with blackfoot disease in Taiwan and with arsenosis in Inner Mongolia of China.

RESULTS
Coefficients of revertant mutation were 1.02-0.82 net revertant per microgram (rev/microgram) of humic acid extracted from the coal containing high arsenic in Guizhou without rat liver homogenate (-S9), and 1.53-1.12 rev/microgram of that with rat liver homogenate (+S9), with an obvious dose-response relationship.

CONCLUSION
Humic acid extracted from the coal containing high arsenic produced in Guizhou could cause stronger direct mutation in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 (frameshift mutation) and that extracted from the well water in the areas with blackfoot disease in Taiwan could cause weaker direct mutation in Salmonella typhimurium (-S9), but that extracted from the well water with arsenosis in Inner Mongolia could not cause mutation. Mutagenicity of commercial humic acid, purchased from Aldrich Co. in the United States, arsenic and iron was also studied, and no mutagenicity was found for them independently, but arsenic combined with humic acid, at certain concentrations, could cause weak mutation in TA98 (-S9), with or without iron. No mutagenicity in TA100 (+/- S9, base pair substitution mutation) was found in all the samples mentioned above.


This study used longitudinal survey and social network data covering sixth through ninth grades to test whether internalizing symptoms make early adolescents more prone to (1) exposure to and (2) influence by substance-using peers. Random effects regressions revealed that increases in symptoms were significantly associated with increases in the proportion of friends who used cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana; some associations weakened across grades. Event history models revealed that the effect of friends' smoking on smoking initiation decreased as internalizing symptoms increased; symptoms did not moderate the effects of friends' alcohol and marijuana use on alcohol and marijuana use initiation. These findings counter the influence hypothesis of the co-occurrence of internalizing symptoms with substance use and partly support the exposure hypothesis.


In 2011, massive student demonstrations disturbed the proper functioning of universities, with students making free higher education one of their key demands. In 2013, Michele Bachelet, a socialist, was elected president - free higher education being one of her most important electoral promises. This article summarizes the "Short Tuition Free Act" of December 2015 in Chile which is supposed to be the first step toward a free tuition higher education for all. It analyses the current conditions under which students can have access to subsidized tuition and the pitfalls of the current law. It also provides critics of the current approach and questions the possibility of implementing a free for all policy.


ABSTRACT The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic brings both challenges and opportunities to crisis communication education. This article reports on student perceptions of an upper-level undergraduate course on risk and crisis communication that was taught in the fall 2020 semester. The course syllabus was redesigned to assist students in better understanding pandemic-related communication challenges. For this purpose, I adopted explanatory journalistic texts published by The Conversation Canada as supplementary readings for weekly in-class discussions. I subsequently conducted a survey near the semester end to explore how the course attendees perceived the revised syllabus. According to the survey results, the course attendees overwhelmingly welcomed a crisis communication syllabus built around an ongoing crisis. They also expressed a strong preference for the adoption of explanatory journalistic texts as supplementary readings. Overall, this classroom assessment demonstrates the advantages of teaching crisis communication theories and principles through the combination of explanatory journalistic texts and real-world cases, which other communication courses may adopt in the future.


Experiments on single electron tunneling effects induced by the Coulomb blockade in small capacitance tunnel junctions are described. The tunnel junctions are of the point contact type, produced by means of scanning tunneling microscope techniques. Both single junctions and double junctions have been studied. The observed behaviour is compared with calculations based on Monte Carlo simulations.


Nowadays there are various ways to invest money. The capital market becomes a tantalizing choice for potential investors. The profit from this investment is obtained from the difference between the selling and buying price of the shares. Created program is expected to provide an overview comparison of prediction accuracy from different hidden layer cells amount. Using historical data from yahoo finance to get stock prices in last 12 months. The data is processed using backpropagation algorithm and the process is done by the number of different hidden layer. Eventually the program will give the stock price predictions from four different number of hidden layer. Of all the proceeds will be matched to determine which one has the most precise accuracy.


The characteristics of high-Tc step-edge or bicrystal junctions and SQUIDs are examined. The IcRn product of junctions was found to be proportional to (jc) with p » 0:5 over several orders of magnitude in jc and at various temperatures. The V ¡ © and noise characteristics of SQUID were compared with the numerical expression of Enpuku et al. We demonstrate that 1=f noise can be induced with an applied external magnetic field. The microwave radiation reduces the modulation depth, Vpp, distorts the V ¡ © curve, and decreases the field sensitivity of SQUID magnetometers.


Undoped p-CdTe bulk crystals were grown by the vertical Bridgman method from a slightly Cd-rich melt. The crystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction and topography, capacitance-voltage and low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The compensation conditions of NA-ND approximately=3*1015 cm-3 were obtained for the as-grown crystals. The as-grown p-CdTe monocrystalline wafers were short-time annealed in liquid Ga to create a donor-doped layer. To distinguish the role of Ga, the same annealing was done in Cd vapour and in a vacuum. The PL spectra at 4.2 K over all the volume of the annealed wafers have been studied. The changes of PL lines were connected with the interaction between Ga dopant and the native structural defects and residual impurities.


The purpose of the study was to determine whether monoscopic photography could serve as an accurate tool when used to screen for clinically significant macular edema. In a masked randomized fashion, two readers evaluated monoscopic and stereoscopic retinal photographs of 100 eyes. The photographs were evaluated first individually for probable clinically significant macular edema based on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study criteria and then as stereoscopic pairs. Graders were evaluated for sensitivity and specificity individually and in combination. Individually, reader one had a sensitivity of 0.93 and a specificity of 0.77, and reader two had a sensitivity of 0.88 and a specificity of 0.94. In combination, the readers had a sensitivity of 0.91 and a specificity of 0.86. They correlated on 0.76 of the stereoscopic readings and 0.92 of the monoscopic readings. These results indicate that the use of monoscopic retinal photography may be an accurate screening tool for clinically significant macular edema.


Soil salinization is the major land degradation problem and has seriously influenced the sustainablal agricultural development. Regionalization of salt affected land is the precondition for effective amelioration. The present saline land situation is obtained by remote sensing image processing. The cause that leads to land salinization is analysized. Especially, the two key factors, ground water depth and mineralization degree that control land salinization, are analysized by using long term observation data. Previously, regionalization of saline soil was done descriptively and artificially. Based on the present saline land situation, ground water depth and ground water mineralization degree, the regionalization of saline land for amelioration in the Yellow River Delta is done quantitatively. Four different saline land amelioration regions are delineated, namely, easy amelioration region, relatively difficult amelioration region, difficult amelioration region and unfavorable amelioration region. Countermeasures for ameliorating saline soils are put forward according to ecological conditions of different saline land regions. This not only greatly improves regionalization speed but also accuracy.


We consider reinforcement learning in input-driven environments, where an exogenous, stochastic input process affects the dynamics of the system. Input processes arise in many applications, including queuing systems, robotics control with disturbances, and object tracking. Since the state dynamics and rewards depend on the input process, the state alone provides limited information for the expected future returns. Therefore, policy gradient methods with standard state-dependent baselines suffer high variance during training. We derive a bias-free, input-dependent baseline to reduce this variance, and analytically show its benefits over state-dependent baselines. We then propose a meta-learning approach to overcome the complexity of learning a baseline that depends on a long sequence of inputs. Our experimental results show that across environments from queuing systems, computer networks, and MuJoCo robotic locomotion, input-dependent baselines consistently improve training stability and result in better eventual policies.


Earth reinforcement by using geogrids as reinforcing materials are widely applied to several earth structures. The bearing capacity of geogrid reinforced foundation soils is usually examined on based on the rigid plasticity theory or Limit Equilibrium Method. Method of analysis such Limit Equilibrium Method provide no detail information about failure behaviour or strain which develop in the reinforcement or foundation. In this paper the analysis of failure behaviour of strip footing on geogrid-reinforced sand over a soft caly was investigated by using a numerical method. A series of finite element analyses were performed on a geogrid-reinforced strip footing over a soft clay including number of geogrid layers, length, depth. We effectively investigated the failure behaviour and improvement of bearing capacity on the reinforced foundation soil by using FEM program.


Mean teacher based methods are increasingly achieving stateof-the-art performance for large-scale weakly labeled and unlabeled sound event detection (SED) tasks in recent DCASE challenges. By penalizing inconsistent predictions under different perturbations, mean teacher methods can exploit largescale unlabeled data in a self-ensembling manner. In this paper, an effective perturbation based semi-supervised learning (SSL) method is proposed based on the mean teacher method. Specifically, a new independent component (IC) module is proposed to introduce perturbations for different convolutional layers, designed as a combination of batch normalization and dropblock operations. The proposed IC module can reduce correlation between neurons to improve performance. A global statistics pooling based attention module is further proposed to explicitly model inter-dependencies between the time-frequency domain and channels, using statistics information (e.g. mean, standard deviation, max) along different dimensions. This can provide an effective attention mechanism to adaptively re-calibrate the output feature map. Experimental results on Task 4 of the DCASE2018 challenge demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method, achieving about 39.8% F1-score, outperforming the previous winning system's 32.4% by a significant margin.


Left bundle branch block increases the risk of death in patients with chronic heart failure. We herein report four clinical cases of patients with chronic heart failure caused by nonischemic cardiomyopathy with left bundle branch block that occurred when adding ivabradine to optimal medical therapy, resulting in reverse electrical and mechanical remodeling. This phenomenon might be explained by the effect of ivabradine on reverse remodeling of the left ventricle with improvement of intraventricular conduction.


Infrared (IR) microscopes measure spectral information that quantifies molecular content to assign the identity of biomedical cells but lack the spatial quality of optical microscopy to appreciate morphologic features. Here, we propose a method to utilize the semantic information of cellular identity from IR imaging with the morphologic detail of pathology images in a deep learning-based approach to image super-resolution. Using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), we enhance the spatial detail in IR imaging beyond the diffraction limit while retaining their spectral contrast. This technique can be rapidly integrated with modern IR microscopes to provide a framework useful for routine pathology.


Intraarticular injections into small and medium-size osteoarthritic joints may play an important role in the therapeutic plan. However, they are merely indicated if synovitis (with or without effusion) is present. Apart from irritating factors such as detritus or proteases, calcium pyrophosphate and hydroxyapatite are important pathogenetic factors in arthritis, i.e. activated osteoarthritis (2). The extent of the resulting pain and functional impairment in the mostly elderly patients often demands a rapid and efficient therapeutic action. An adequate indication provided, intraarticular administration of injectable corticosteroid preparations can afford quick relief. Although the progression of osteoarthritis will hardly be stopped, a persisting relief of pain can be achieved (13). Each intraarticular injection has to be considered a minor operation, so all its risks and possible complications have to be taken into account.


Cyanamide (H2CN2) application was effective in inducing bud sprouting of vegetative Kyoho grapevine single bud cuttings. During November, 1983, bud burst was found to start 10 days after cyanamide (1%) application. The percentages of buds that broke in two independent experiments with cuttings of different ages were 58% and 27%, respectively, whereas in the control cuttings, the percentages of bud opening were 3.3% and 0%, respectively.


Many mammalian predators rely on scents to locate prey and weather conditions that affect an odor plume (i.e., scents suspended in air) or depositional odor (i.e., scents laid on the ground) should affect predator foraging behavior. We predicted that wind speed, wind direction, and humidity would influence the foraging behavior of olfactory mesopredators. We tested these predictions by conducting spotlight surveys for foraging Red Foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ), Striped Skunks ( Mephitis mephitis ), and Raccoons ( Procyon lotor ) along the dike surrounding Willard Bay Reservoir in Willard, Utah, from August 2008 to August 2009. We recorded predator species, locations, numbers, and weather conditions at the time each predator was observed. While humidity had no effect on foraging, wind speed and direction were significant predictors of a predator's nightly foraging activity, with most predators observed when wind speeds were 2 to 4 m/s and winds were blowing perpendicularly over the dike the dike rather than parallel to the dike. Wind speed and direction also influenced where predators foraged on the dike, with predators being more likely to forage on the windward side of the dike when wind speeds were high enough to cause turbulence. We detected differences among predator species in their response to wind speed: Raccoons were more active than Striped Skunks and Red Foxes when the wind was calm and blowing parallel to the dike. Overall, our results indicate that these predator species alter their foraging behavior based on wind speed and wind direction. By foraging when winds were light and blowing perpendicularly over the dike, predators could likely enhance their ability to locate food using olfaction.


Sharing intentions is crucial for efficient cooperation in communication-enabled multi-agent reinforcement learning. Recent work applies static or undirected graphs to determine the order of interaction. However, the static graph is not general for complex cooperative tasks, and the parallel message-passing update in the undirected graph with cycles cannot guarantee convergence. To solve this problem, we propose Deep Hierarchical Communication Graph (DHCG) to learn the dependency relationships between agents based on their messages. The relationships are formulated as directed acyclic graphs (DAGs), where the selection of the proper topology is viewed as an action and trained in an end-to-end fashion. To eliminate the cycles in the graph, we apply an acyclicity constraint as intrinsic rewards and then project the graph in the admissible solution set of DAGs. As a result, DHCG removes redundant communication edges for cost improvement and guarantees convergence. To show the effectiveness of the learned graphs, we propose policy-based and value-based DHCG. Policy-based DHCG factorizes the joint policy in an auto-regressive manner, and value-based DHCG factorizes the joint value function to individual value functions and pairwise payoff functions. Empirical results show that our method improves performance across various cooperative multi-agent tasks, including Predator-Prey, Multi-Agent Coordination Challenge, and StarCraft Multi-Agent Challenge.


A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with an ordered mesoporous carbon/Ag nanoparticle nanocomposite, namely an OMC/Ag-NP-modified GCE, was prepared by casting an OMC/Ag NP nanocomposite on a GCE. The morphological properties of the OMC/Ag NP nanocomposite was characterized by applying various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the electrochemical properties of the modified electrode were investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The electrocatalytic reduction of iodate on the modified electrode was also studied using cyclic voltammetry as well as by using amperometric methods. The prepared modified electrode showed good electrocatalytic properties, fast response time, good stability and reproducibility. The performance of the sensor exhibited a linear range from 15.0 × 10−6 to 4.43 × 10−3 M with a limit of detection of 3.01 × 10−6 M (S/N = 3), and the sensitivity of the sensor was found to be 1.92 μA μM−1 cm−2. The modified electrode was applied successfully to the determination of iodate concentration in salt samples using the amperometric method, which demonstrated the applicability of the modified electrode.


Viscosities were obtained on oil solutions of two ethylene–propylene–diene terpolymers (EPDMs) and their blends. For the amorphous terpolymer with 59 mol% ethylene, intrinsic viscosities were constant between–10 and 40°C. The viscosities decreased rapidly at low temperature for blends of this material with as little as 20 wt % of a slightly crystalline EPDM with 79 mol% ethylene. Dynamic viscosity measurements on 1.0% solutions of blends likewise gave considerably smaller values at low temperature than measurements on an amorphous EPDM of similar molecular weight. The data are in agreement with the view that longer ethylene sequences that crystallize in the bulk polymer can organize in oil into ordered domains that interfere less with flow than the disordered amorphous polymer regions. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


This paper describes developments in the technology of converters primarily intended for server-type distributed power system (DPS) applications. The paper first addresses the single-phase two-stage DPS, discussing the available options for simple power factor correction and high-performance DC-DC converters. Next, the concept is extended to three-phase high-power front-end converters, which also use a two-stage approach. Finally the paper presents the developments in load converters, with emphasis on low-, medium-, and high-voltage regulator modules used to supply high-performance microprocessors. The discussion throughout the paper is supported by an extensive list of references and experimental results.


We have created new applications of experimental instrumentation for diagnostics of hot plasma and studies of interaction of multicharged ion beams with matter (atoms, ions, molecules, microstructures, surfaces, solids) based on both glass capillary devices and multilayer mirrors or crystals, where glass capillary devices provide guiding, focusing and polarization analysis of short wavelength radiation with a large bandwidth, and multilayer mirrors or crystals optical elements are used for dispersing, focusing and polarization sensitive studies of radiation within a narrow bandwidth. In particular we report here about the development and test of such optical diagnostic devices for the spectral range 0.1 nm < λ < 100 nm. This type of micro-instrumentation is very suitable also for 2D, 3D and multiparameter applications.


We use three-dimensional Voronoi analysis and results from a direct numerical simulation to study the preferential concentration of inertial particles in a vertical channel flow at Reynolds number 395. By comparing results in upward and downward flows with results from a channel flow without gravity, we are able to determine how gravity affects the particle clustering. Gravity increases the drift of particles towards the walls in an upward flow, while in the downward flow more particles are transported to the centre of the channel. For particles with Stokes number 100, the mean wall-normal particle velocity is positive in the entire core region. A significant increase in variance of the Voronoi probability distribution in the core region is observed in downward flow for Stokes numbers 30 and 100, indicating stronger particle clustering than in upward flow or flow without gravity. The increased clustering in the downward flow is believed to be partly caused by the reversed wall-normal drift assisting in br...


The prevalence of obesity and obesity-related disorders such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and metabolic syndrome has increased significantly in the past decades, reaching epidemic levels and therefore becoming a major health issue worldwide. Chronic overeating of highly palatable foods is one of the main responsible aspects behind overweight. Food choice is driven by food preference, which is influenced by environmental and internal factors, from availability to rewarding properties of food. Consequently, the acquisition of a dietary habit that may lead to metabolic alterations is the result of a learning process in which many variables take place. From genetics to socioeconomic status, the response to food and how this food affects energy metabolism is heavily influenced, even before birth. In this work, we review how food preference is acquired and established, particularly as regards sweet taste; towards which flavors and tastes we are positively predisposed by our genetic background, our early experience, further lifestyle, and our surroundings; and, especially, the role that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays in all of this. Ultimately, we try to summarize why this system is relevant for health purposes and how this is linked to important aspects of eating behavior, as its function as a modulator of energy homeostasis affects, and is affected by, physiological responses directly associated with obesity.


An analytical method to synthesize shaped-beam patterns with planar arrays, based on the handling of spherical waves, is proposed. Translational Addition Theorems will be used here for two different purposes: (1) relating the spherical modes produced by each element in the array to calculate the mutual coupling effects, and (2) expressing the field radiated by each element in terms of spherical modes corresponding to the whole array, to carry out a spherical-wave synthesis procedure based on the orthogonal properties of spherical modes. This field synthesis method is based on the fact that any antenna radiated field can be expressed as a discrete series of weighted spherical vector wave functions and it only requires the a priori knowledge of the Generalized Scattering Matrix of each array element considered as isolated from the rest of the array elements.


A 54-year-old man presented with a 12-week history of right lower extremity radicular pain with symptoms and signs of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). He reported a recent medical history of transient ischemic attack followed by cerebrovascular accident for which he underwent carotid endarterectomy. Following carotid endarterectomy, the patient was left with minimal residual speech and memory deficits, but concomitant presentation of right lower extremity radicular pain in the postoperative period was the reason for seeking pain relief. Right lumbar radiculopathy was suspected at the time of presentation to the pain clinic, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral moderate to severe lumbar foraminal stenosis, worse on the right side. Parasagittal lumbar epidural steroid injection, and aggressive multimodal pain management strategy was started resulting in significant improvement in pain scores, functionality and stress levels, albeit for a short period. Patient continued to obtain incomplete resolution of symptoms with conventional treatment. He underwent spinal cord stimulation at an early stage but only derived moderate benefit. The presented case is unusual because of overlapping etiologies that influenced our treatment plans. In this article, we will discuss the evidence for each of the questions raised by practitioners while treating aforementioned patient with CRPS. J Med Cases. 2016;7(1):33-42 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2378w


Strong evidence exists of a downward secular trend in the age at menarche; which appears to be associated with improved health and nutritional circumstances over the past two centuries. The aim of this study was to determine the mean age at menarche of Irish girls in 2006, as this has not been verified since 1986. A nationally representative sample of Irish girls (n = 4720, age 10-18 years) was obtained from the 2006 Irish Health Behaviour in School Aged Children survey and mean menarcheal age was calculated using the recall method. Mean age at menarche decreased from 13.52 years in 1986 to 12.53 years in 2006 and was lowest in cities and among manual groups. No significant differences were found between Irish-born and immigrant girls. Ongoing observation of this biological milestone is warranted to identify whether this secular trend will stabilise in Ireland and at what age. Consequences of earlier biological maturation on adolescent health behaviours and outcomes should also be monitored.


The public library is a democratic institution that belongs to all people in society. Among other things, this means that public libraries should not show any political bias and refrain from taking a standpoint in relation to any ideological group. This study investigates the problematic scenario that public librarians have encountered as a result of The Sweden Democrats' (SD) 2010 entrance into parliament. SD is a radi- cal right party that is focused on decreasing immigration and reducing multicultural- ism. In this study I investigate how public librarians in southern Sweden perceive SD's recent electoral gains (5.7 % in 2010 to 12.9 % in 2014) and what identifiable changes have occurred at their libraries. This paper's findings derive from a qualita- tive study where I use the method of semi-structured interviews and the theoretical framework of new institutionalism. The results show that librarians' experiences of SD's impact on their workplace differ significantly. While some of the interviewed librarians did not identify any relevant changes, others expressed a variety of new circumstances including an increase in the number of utterances made by visitors that reflect an anti-immigration policy; more discussions among staff members regarding the potential risks of presenting right wing extremist literature including the history of SD; and more discussions concerning the ordering of books that are critical of immi- gration. In their profession, none of the librarians take explicit standpoints against SD, however most of the librarians use indirect methods to criticize the party. As a result of SD's increased popularity it has become more problematic for staff at the public libraries to remain politically unbiased and they often have to make choices about what information it is ethically ok to present.


In this paper we show that the time-dependent properties of polyamides may be significantly modified by altering the "initial kinetics" of the material through the modification of the molecular mass distribution. In our investigations we have used polyamide 6 (PA6) as a testing material. We have shown that the molecular weight distribution determines the time scale of material structure formation and, hence, its time-dependent properties. The melting temperature of the bimodal molecular mass distribution of polyamide 6 material is shifted for about 30°C towards higher temperatures in comparison to the conventional monomodal molecular mass distribution of PA6. Modification of the molecular mass distribution also improves the time and temperature dependence of the mechanical properties of PA6. It seems that understanding the effect of the molecular weight distribution on the process of material structure formation may well become a new approach in development of new generation polymeric materials.


Hexacene, an acene with six benzene rings, is notable for its exceptionally small triplet energy, around one third of the singlet energy. Herein, singlet fission, i.e., conversion of a singlet exciton into two triplets, is demonstrated in a thin film of hexacene derivative, employing both transient absorption spectroscopy and magnetic field effects on photocurrent.


DNA methylation plays an important role in normal organismal development and in cellular differentiation in higher organisms. Changes in DNA methylation have been shown to correlate with disease risk, response to therapy and survival in a wide range of clinical conditions such as cancer and autoinflammatory diseases. Recent advances in next-generation sequencing and microarray technology have made it possible to map DNA methylation genome-wide, at a high resolution. However, these genomic assays tend to be costly, labor-intensive and impractical in the clinic. Thus, DNA methylation assays that measure a small number of genomic regions in large cohorts are needed for validating biomarker candidates discovered from genomic studies. For this reason, we have developed a targeted bisulfite sequencing platform for simultaneously measuring DNA methylation in multiple loci with multiple samples by combining microfluidics-based technology with next generation sequencing. First, post-bisulfite PCR primers for each target region were designed using our proprietary program Bisulfite Primer Seeker, and then experimentally validated using a standard genomic control. Primers which pass the validation were used for the subsequent target amplification. Target amplification were performed using Fluidigm Access Array 48.48 which allows parallel PCR reactions for 48 samples by 48 single-plex assays. An attractive aspect of this platform is that relatively small quantities of template are required (∼50 ng/sample). Assays can also be multiplexed to improve throughput. Furthermore, as with many targeted approaches, index or barcoding tags can be incorporated into the universal adapter regions of the PCR product enabling the pooling of samples before direct sequencing. Using this platform we have evaluated 9 genomic loci with 9 artificial mixed samples containing different methylation levels. Results showed the target bisulfite sequencing platform to be robust and reproducible. The methylation value between the technical replicates were highly correlated. Each of the amplicons was covered by a thousand or more reads, making the detection sensitivity reach down to the low methylation levels. Compared with other target bisulfite sequencing methods, our assay has several advantages. First, it uses relatively small amounts of gDNA as input, making it practical for most clinical samples. Secondly the workflow is simple, straightforward and can be automated. Finally, it avoids the complexity and difficulties of multiplex PCR by utilizing microfluidics-based single-plex PCR. All these features make it an ideal platform for DNA methylation biomarker validation. Citation Format: Emily Putnam, Lam Nguyen, Hunter Chung, Peisheng Shi, Xueguang Sun, Marc E. Van Eden, Xi-Yu Jia. A targeted bisulfite sequencing method combining microfluidics-based PCR with Next-Gen sequencing. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2956. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2956


This study was conducted to determine the contamination of E. coli and Salmonella for different types of foods in Chittagong city area. In case of laboratory examination, almost half (49.58%) of the samples were contaminated where 28.75% positive for E. coli . and 20.83% for Salmonella. The positive cases for type A sample was 20 out of 96 constituting 20.83% whereas the positive cases for type B sample was 49 out of 144 constituting 34.03% for E. coli . The positive cases of type A sample was 15 out of 96 making up 15.63% and for type B sample was 35 out of 144 making up 24.31% for Salmonella. A chi-square (? 2 ) test was used to examine the equality of observed proportions for E. coli and Salmonella of each item of both types of food where significant difference among the observed proportion for E. coli (p-value<0.01) and Salmonella (p-value=0.032) for different items of A type and for E. coli (p-value<0.01) for different items of B type were observed and an odds ratio (OR) was measured for association between exposure and outcome where the probability of contaminated by E. coli of type B food is higher than contaminated of type A food (OR= 1.96 and CI:1.07-3.58). The probability of contaminated by Salmonella of type B food was higher than type A food (OR= 1.73 and CI: 0.89-3.39).The comparatively high bacteria in type B samples indicated contamination from water, practice of inadequate hygienic measures, mishandling, improper storage, inadequate cooking and above all unhygienic condition of the retail shops. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jesnr.v6i1.22033 J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 6(1): 11-14 2013


Clinton Arnold has revisited the difficult problem of "identifying the nature of the teaching and practices of the opponents reflected in Colossians." He draws on the wealth of research of competent New Testament scholars of previous generations, adding to it the evidence of recent archaeological, inscriptional, and literary discoveries. The result is a refreshing work replete with new or expanded insights on the Colossian "philosophy." The reader becomes the beneficiary of Arnold's extensive research, most of which has been conducted during or since his study leave at Tubingen in 1991. In the first part of the book, Arnold focuses on the concept of the worship of angels found in Colossians 2:18. In the next section he turns his attention to an effort to reconstruct the Colossian "philosophy," where he explores the significance of several key words and phrases used in connection with the philosophy. Among these are the term embaieuo and its meaning, the stoicheia, wisdom, tradition, and ascetic behavior. In each of the first two sections, he seeks to discover the connection, if any, of these key terms or concepts to pagan religions, magical rites and Jewish worship current in Asia Minor during the first century. His approach is to present extensive evidence concerning the usage of the terms or concepts in various religious or magic inscriptions and texts followed by a section where he states his conclusions based on the evidence presented. In the final part of the book, Arnold seeks to demonstrate how Pauline theology "was adapted and developed with specific application to the setting at Colossae." TheColossian Syncretism is a wellresearched, well-written work that deserves the attention of anyone seriously seeking to deal with the question of the nature of the Colossian opposition. The book is primarily written for the scholar or pastor. It will be of greatest use to those who have a formal theological education, including a grasp of Greek. Donald Williford Abilene, Texas


We will show the utility of the classical Jacobi Thetanullwerte for the description of certain period lattices of elliptic curves, providing equations with good arithmetical properties. These equations will be the starting point for the construction of families of elliptic curves with everywhere good reduction.