Background: The percentage of the aged among all patients with bronchial asthma is increasing. Objective: To investigate the risk factors for the development of steroid-dependent asthma in the elderly. Methods: A multiple logistic regression analysis involving various clinical factors between steroid-dependent and -independent asthma was carried out for 59 asthmatics aged over 60 years, including 16 patients with steroid-dependent asthma. The calculated risk for each factor was compared with that obtained from 122 younger asthmatics aged 20–59 years. Results: Among the factors examined (sex, age, period from onset of asthma, type of asthma and family history of asthma, plus history of smoking, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis and nasal polyps), the significant risk factors for the development of steroid dependency in the elderly asthmatics were only family history of bronchial asthma (relative risk 3.6) and smoking history (relative risk 6.9). Conclusions: Some risk factors for steroid-dependent asthma in younger individuals were not significant in the elderly. Since the smoking history was most closely associated with the development of steroid dependency in the elderly, even though most of them had quit smoking, it is important for patients with asthma to avoid smoking.


Background
Current methods of cognitive interventions for older adults are increasingly employing modern technologies. However, research into possible applications of virtual reality (VR) in such interventions has begun only recently. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of VR-based cognitive training for older adults and to compare this efficacy in older adults without cognitive impairment and with mild dementia.
Methods
The complete data were obtained from 99 individuals aged 60-89, qualified according to Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores into the group of non-demented older adults (n=72, mean age 68, MMSE: 28-30) or older adults with mild dementia (n=27, mean age 72, MMSE: 19-23).

An one group pretest-posttest design was applied. Cognitive training with the use of GRADYS software – a computer game with elements of VR was introduced in all participants. The game included four modules corresponding to: attention, memory, visual processing and language. The intervention lasted 4 weeks and consisted of eight sessions, two per week. The intervention program was preceded and followed by a cognitive assessment of processes corresponding to the modules of the game.
The following statistical tests were used: the repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance supplemented with one-way tests, the Hotelling T2 test, the Student's t test, the Friedman test, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test.
Results
Both research groups demonstrated progress in the training, which was greater in non-demented older adults for the majority of cognitive modules except for the attention module. There were also significant differences in general cognitive functioning before and after the training. However, positive changes in cognitive performance in particular tests were revealed almost exclusively in the group of older adults without cognitive impairment. There was no relationship between the level achieved in particular training modules and the improvement in corresponding cognitive tasks.
Conclusions
Currently, we can recommend the GRADS game for use only in non-demented older adults. The hypothesis of the presumable usefulness of the game in individuals with MCI needs to be tested. In turn, the application of the GRADYS game to people with dementia would require modification of the hardware and software.


Author(s): Donald, William Alexander | Advisor(s): Williams, Evan R | Abstract: This dissertation reports on the development of a new gas-phase ion nanocalorimetry technique, in which electrochemistry is performed using large "aqueous" nanodrops in vacuo to obtain absolute half-cell potentials in bulk solution. Absolute recombination energies (REs) of nanometer-sized water droplets containing a divalent or trivalent metal ion are obtained from the number of water molecules lost upon electron capture (EC). REs are obtained from the experimentally measured average number of water molecules lost from the cluster, and from both the sum of the threshold water molecule binding energies and the sum of energy that is partitioned into the translational, rotational and vibrational modes of the products for each water molecule lost. The energy removed by the lost water molecules is obtained from established theoretical models. The width of the product ion distribution in these experiments is predominantly attributable to the distribution of energy that partitions into the translational and rotational modes of the water molecules that are lost. These results are consistent with a singular value for the recombination energy. Ion nanocalorimetry has been used to obtain a value for the absolute standard hydrogen electrode potential from three different nanocalorimetry based methods that all agree within 5% of each other (+4.05, +4.11, and +4.21 V). Our extrapolation method, in which REs of size-selected and thermalized Eu3+(H2O)n, n = 55 to 140, are extrapolated to infinite size to obtain the absolute reduction potential of Eu3+(aq) and a value for the absolute SHE potential (+4.11 V), should be the most accurate because a solvation model is not used and therefore, errors associated with solvation models are eliminated. Water clusters containing ions for which one-electron reduction potentials in aqueous solution are not readily measurable, such as alkaline earth divalent metal ions and most of the trivalent lanthanide ions, form solvent separated metal ion and electron ion pairs upon EC, as long as there are a sufficient number of water molecules to stabilize the ion pair. The dependence of the RE values for Ca(H2O))n2+ on cluster size suggest that the electron is delocalized on the surface of the cluster for n = 32-47, but a transition to a more highly solvated electron is indicated for n = 47-62 by the constant RE values for these ions. For La3+(H2O)n (n = 42 to 160), the trend in recombination energies as a function of hydration extent is consistent with a structural transition from a surface-located excess electron at smaller sizes (n ≤ ~56) to a more fully solvated electron at larger sizes (n ≥ ~60). The recombination enthalpies for n g 60 are extrapolated as a function of the geometrical dependence on cluster size to infinite size to obtain the bulk hydration enthalpy of the electron (-1.3 eV), which is within the wide range of values obtained from previous methods (-1.0 to -1.8 eV). The ion nanocalorimetry method has the advantage that it does not require estimates for the absolute solvation energy of the proton or the H atom. Whereas EC by hydrated metal ions resulted in only the full internal conversion of the RE into the reduced precursor, some ions can fluoresce upon electronic excitation. We report a new highly sensitive method for detecting the fluorescence of isolated, partially hydrated ions for the first time. Fluorescence is indirectly detected based on the distribution of water molecules lost upon absorption of a UV photon. Photodissociation of hydrated protonated proflavine (n = 13-50) undergoes three photophysical processes upon absorption of a 248 nm photon and excitation to a high energy singlet excited state: full internal conversion and fluorescence to the ground electronic singlet state, and formation of a long-lived triplet state, which slowly undergoes non-radiative intersystem crossing to the ground singlet state. The high sensitivity of this method should make it possible to perform Forster resonance energy transfer experiments with gas-phase biomolecules in a microsolvated environment to investigate how a controlled number of water molecules effects biomolecular structure and dynamics. Although the precision in the nanocalorimetry method is excellent, the absolute uncertainty obtained is more difficult to assess because the energy removed by the lost water molecules has not been experimentally measured for large hydrated metal ions. Laser induced photodissociation experiments, in which M2+(H2O)n are dissociated by absorption of UV laser light at 193 (6.4 eV) and 248 nm (5.0 eV), are used to directly relate the average number of water molecules lost to the energy that is deposited into the cluster, which can be used to directly convert the average water molecules lost in EC experiments to experimentally measured RE values. These results demonstrate that absolute solution phase reduction potentials can be obtained entirely from experimental data, with no modeling, and should provide the most direct route to establishing an absolute electrochemical scale with high accuracy.


ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to compare the effect of 6 weeks of resistance training to volitional failure at low (30% 1 repetition maximum (RM)) or high (80%1RM) loads on gains in muscle size and strength in young women. Thirteen women (age: 29.7 ± 4.7years; height 166.7 ± 6.4cm; weight 64.2 ± 12.2kg) completed 2 training sessions per week for 6 weeks and muscle strength (1RM), muscle thickness (ultrasound) were measured before and after training. Training comprised 1 set to volitional failure of unilateral leg extensions and bicep curls with each limb randomly assigned to train at either 80% 1RM or 30% 1RM. Increases in muscle thickness [arms: 6.81 ± 3.15% (30% 1RM), 5.90 ± 3.13% (80% 1RM) and legs: 9.37 ± 5.61% (30% 1RM), 9.13 ± 7.9% (80% 1RM)] and strength [arms: 15.4 ± 12.2% (30% 1RM), 18.26 ± 12.2% (80% 1RM) and legs: 25.30 ± 18.4 (30% 1RM), 27.20 ± 14.5 (80% 1RM)] were not different between loads. When resistance exercise is performed to volitional failure gains in muscle size and strength are independent of load in young women.


The study investigated the ethnocentric tendencies, and its influence on buyer preferences among Nigerian consumers using the Consumer Ethnocentric Tendencies Scale (CETSCALE). The reliability of CETSCALE in the context of Nigeria was also determined. 600 samples were used out of which 546 valid responses were obtained for the descriptive quantitative analysed. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire with closed questions. The major findings showed that CETSCALE is a reliable instrument for measuring consumer ethnocentric tendencies in Nigeria. More so, Nigerian consumers exhibit a high level ethnocentrism for domestic products.


PurposeThe research introduces means for improving premanufacturing processes (design, procurement and bidding) by leveraging digitalisation in offsite construction. Specifically, this paper proposes a framework that provides measures for the planning and implementation of digitalisation in offsite construction by positioning building information modelling (BIM) as the key technology and lean principles to add value and reduce waste.Design/methodology/approachThe paper follows the design science research approach to develop the proposed framework and attain the aforementioned objective. The developed framework includes data collection, value-stream mapping and simulation to assess current processes, develop and propose improvements. An empirical implementation is employed to demonstrate the applicability of both the framework and the measures used to evaluate the outcomes.FindingsThe application of the proposed three-stage framework resulted in 9.45%–23.33%-time reduction per year for the various improvement categories in premanufacturing phases. Employing simulation and applying the developed measures provide incentive for upper management to adopt the suggested improvements. Additionally, while the empirical implementation was tested on a modular construction company, the methods used indicate that the framework, with its generic guidelines, could be applied and customized to any offsite company.Originality/valueWhile several studies propose that BIM-Lean integration offers an advantage in the context of production systems, this paper focuses on the initial design and planning phases, which are mostly overlooked in the literature. Moreover, the present study provides quantitative evidence of the benefits of data integration through BIM technology.


Pig oocytes at metaphase II were activated by penetration of spermatozoa in cycloheximide-free and cycloheximide-containing fertilisation media. The precise nuclear stage, and the kinetics of degradation of cyclin B1 and dephosphorylation of MAP kinase were assessed after insemination. After maturation culture, 96% of oocytes reached metaphase II. At 6 h after insemination in cycloheximide-free medium, 68% of the oocytes were activated and had progressed to anaphase II or beyond. After 8 h, 89% of the oocytes were activated: a female pronucleus had formed and the heads of penetrating spermatozoa had enlarged and changed to male pronuclei. In the cycloheximide-containing medium, activation of oocytes started earlier than in cycloheximide-free medium. After 4 h, 43% of the oocytes were activated, and the percentage increased to 97% after 6 h. Pig cyclin B1 disappeared in the oocytes at 6 h after insemination in both cycloheximide-containing and cycloheximide-free media. Pig oocytes at metaphase II contained two types of MAP kinase – ERK 1 and ERK 2 – in their active phosphorylated forms. At 8 h after insemination ERK 2 changed to the fast-migrating inactive form in the oocytes cultured in both cycloheximide-containing and cycloheximide-free media, although the shift-down was not complete. The change was delayed by 2 h after the degradation of cyclin B1 molecules. These results demonstrate that degradation of pig cyclin B1 molecules corresponds to the transition of the oocytes from metaphase II arrest to anaphase II/telophase II and was followed by MAP kinase dephosphorylation.


A total of 98 colposcopically directed biopsies were obtained from the vagina, cervix, and cervicovaginal ridge (hood) of 80 young women believed to have had intrauterine exposure to stilbestrol (DES). Specific investigation of the patients' medical records corroborated the history of maternal stilbestrol administration in 36 patients (45%), while in the remainder the drug history was regarded as presumptive since medical records were unavailable for review. The findings did not differ significantly in those biopsies taken from patients with confirmed or presumptive drug histories. Histologic evidence of vagnial adenosis was detected in vaginal biopsies from 43 patients. In 30 cases (70%) benign Müllerian‐type glandular epithelium was in the superficial vaginal wall, residing on the mucosal surface and/or in the lamina propria. The glandular epithelium predominantly was of endocervical type, but in six instances it resembled endometrial or fallopian tubal epithelium. The glands were accompanied by varying degrees of squamous metaplasia in 22 cases. When extensive the metaplasia produced transformation zones similar to those seen in the normal cervix. Vaginal biopsies of adenosis from the other 13 patients (30%) revealed squamous metaplasia without demonstrable glands due to complete transformation of all antecedent glandular epithelium by squamous metaplasia. Our studies indicate that squamous metaplasia is a component of major importance in the natural history of adenosis and that the concept of adenosis should be broadened to include those examples comprised exclusively of metaplastic epithelium. In such examples metaplasia is identified by the immaturity and poor glycogenation of the squamous cells and their accompanying squamous pegs which often contain residual gland openings or squamous "eddies." Similar findings were present in biopsies of seven cervicovaginal ridges and in cervical biopsies from 37 patients, except for the absence of endometrial or tubal type glands in the latter site. Although no adenocarcinomas were detected, six patients had squamous dysplasia of the vagina and/or cervix. In no case were premalignant or dysplastic changes of glandular cells found. Our findings support the thesis that stilbestrol‐associated adenosis represents anomalous embryologic localization of the original squamocolumnar junction in the vagina rather than in the cervix. It is closely related to so‐called cervical "erosions". The development of squamous metaplasia accounts for modifications in the clinical and histologic appearances by producing transformation zones which then may be subject to the same oncogenic stimuli for squamous neoplasia as are their counterparts in the cervix.


Background : Osteoporosis is conventionally treated with synthetic estrogens. However, the serious side effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) hampers the clinical use of estrogens. Hence, alternatives for estrogens are being explored, one of which is the isoflavone, genistein. Many studies show that genistein may exert positive effects on bone. However, there are also studies which report no overall association between genistein intake and bone marrow density (BMD) and fracture rates. The effect of genistein on bone loss is still controversial. Aims : In this study, we evaluated both in vivo and in vitro pharmacological effects of genistein in osteoporosis. Materials and Methods : MTT and ALP activity assays were performed to evaluate genistein's in vitro activity on MC3T3-E1 cells. The OVX rat model was used to test genistein's in vivo effects by determination of BMD and bone calcium and phosphorus content after treatment for 12 weeks. Results and Conclusions : The data showed that 10 -6 M genistein both increased the number of MC3T3-E1 cells and elevated ALP activity significantly. In vivo, 9 or 18 mg/kg doses of genistein were found to prevent osteoporosis after 12 weeks treatment. Thus, our results indicated that genistein may be an alternative for HRT in prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.


Rpp21, a protein subunit of human nuclear ribonuclease P (RNase P) was cloned by virtue of its homology with Rpr2p, an essential subunit of Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear RNase P. Rpp21 is encoded by a gene that resides in the class I gene cluster of the major histocompatibility complex, is associated with highly purified RNase P, and binds precursor tRNA. Rpp21 is predominantly localized in the nucleoplasm but is also observed in nucleoli and Cajal bodies when expressed at high levels. Intron retention and splice-site selection in Rpp21 precursor mRNA regulate the intranuclear distribution of the protein products and their association with the RNase P holoenzyme. Our study reveals that dynamic nuclear structures that include nucleoli, the perinucleolar compartment and Cajal bodies are all involved in the production and assembly of human RNase P.


There has been considerable recent interest in the design of diluted magnetic semiconductors, with a particular focus on the exploration of different semiconductor hosts. Among these, the oxide-based diluted magnetic semiconductors are attracting increasing attention, following reports of room temperature ferromagnetism in anatase TiO2 and wurtzite ZnO doped with a range of transition metal ions. In this review we summarize the current status of oxide-based diluted magnetic semiconductors, and discuss the influence of growth method, substrate choice, and temperature on the microstructure and subsequent magnetic properties of thin films. We outline the experimental conditions that promote large magnetization and high ferromagnetic Curie temperature. Finally, we review the proposed mechanisms for the experimentally observed ferromagnetism and compare the predictions to the range of available data.


ABSTRACT Lyme borreliosis is the most common zoonotic disease transmitted by ticks in Europe and North America. Despite having multiple tick vectors, the causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato, is vectored mainly by Ixodes ricinus in Europe. In the present study, we aimed to review and summarize the existing data published from 2010 to 2016 concerning the prevalence of B. burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes in questing I. ricinus ticks. The primary focus was to evaluate the infection rate of these bacteria in ticks, accounting for tick stage, adult tick gender, region, and detection method, as well as to investigate any changes in prevalence over time. The data obtained were compared to the findings of a previous metastudy. The literature search identified data from 23 countries, with 115,028 ticks, in total, inspected for infection with B. burgdorferi sensu lato. We showed that the infection rate was significantly higher in adults than in nymphs and in females than in males. We found significant differences between European regions, with the highest infection rates in Central Europe. The most common genospecies were B. afzelii and B. garinii, despite a negative correlation of their prevalence rates. No statistically significant differences were found among the prevalence rates determined by conventional PCR, nested PCR, and real-time PCR. IMPORTANCE Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is a pathogenic bacterium whose clinical manifestations are associated with Lyme borreliosis. This vector-borne disease is a major public health concern in Europe and North America and may lead to severe arthritic, cardiovascular, and neurological complications if left untreated. Although pathogen prevalence is considered an important predictor of infection risk, solitary isolated data have only limited value. Here we provide summarized information about the prevalence of B. burgdorferi sensu lato spirochetes among host-seeking Ixodes ricinus ticks, the principal tick vector of borreliae in Europe. We compare the new results with previously published data in order to evaluate any changing trends in tick infection.


Objective: to study the clinical neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological features of children suffering from systemic somatovegetative disorders.Materials and methods: the study involved children from 5 to 12 years old with an established diagnosis of bronchial asthma — 108 children; atopic dermatitis — 105 children; gastroesophageal reflux disease — 112 children; the control group consisted of 60 same age healthy children. All children underwent clinical-anamnestic, neurological, psychopathological and neuropsychological research.Results: the children with systemic somatovegetative disorders have a significantly high incidence of pathogenic factors of central nervous system damage in early stages of ontogenesis (pathology of pregnancy and childbirth). Early sensory and motor deprivation due to somatic suffering aggravates neuropsychiatric deficiency. Neuropsychological disorders were predominantly represented by a violation of the perception of their body, lack of kinesthetic and motor functions, spatial and quasi-spatial representations.Conclusion: the clinical dynamics of neuropsychiatric disorders in children with systemic somatovegetative disorders corresponds to the dynamics of residual cerebral organic impairment with a stage-age changes of syndromes. The revealed neuropsychological disorders correspond to preferential damage to the first (energy) functional block of the brain.


Relapsing polychondritis is a rare autoimmune disease causing inflammation in cartilaginous structures and other tissues throughout the body. Negative-pressure pulmonary edema (NPPE) due to laryngeal swelling from relapsing polychondritis is rare and has not been reported. Here, we report a case of relapsing polychondritis in an 18-y-old female who presented with recurrent NPPE and acute respiratory failure, which was diagnosed initially as ARDS during the influenza season. She underwent an emergent tracheotomy to relieve the upper airway obstruction resulting from severe laryngeal edema. A chest radiograph showed diffuse infiltrations, pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum. The pulmonary infiltrations resolved rapidly in 2 d, and NPPE was diagnosed. Left ear swelling with erythematous change and saddle nose developed during the course of hospitalization, and an ear biopsy demonstrated severe cartilage necrosis. Relapsing polychondritis was diagnosed based on clinical images and pathological findings.


A genome-wide association study investigating diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in type 2 diabetes has turned up only a modest set of potential leads that might explain progression of the disease. Despite using a sample size of just over 40,000 patients with diabetes, van Zuydam et al. (p. 1414) found only one novel locus that is potentially linked to microalbuminuria in European subjects. The study reportedly combined genome-wide data from numerous European and Asian study cohorts and involved the defi nition of eight phenotypes covering DKD overall as well as specifi c aspects of the disease. They also investigated possible links between various risk factors, genetics, and DKD and whether previously identifi ed genetic associations with DKD held up in the expanded sample size they used. While there were no specifi c associations with the broad DKD phenotype, the authors did identify one novel locus called GABRR1 associated with microalbuminuria in European subjects with type 2 diabetes. However, they could not replicate the association in European patients with type 1 diabetes or Asian subjects with type 2 diabetes. In terms of risk factors, they found some genetic support for obesity and insulin sensitivity as causal factors for DKD in type 2 diabetes but urge caution because of the potential of collider bias. For previously identifi ed genetic associations, they report replicating very few, with many of them only nominally signifi cant and, in some cases, directionally inconsistent. Author Natalie R. van Zuydam told Diabetes: "Diabetic kidney disease is a serious complication of diabetes. It has a considerable effect on patients' quality of life. Better understanding of the disease mechanisms is key to developing new therapies and identifying patients at high risk of disease development. This study highlights the complexity of genetic studies of diabetic kidney disease and provides a basis for follow-up studies, in even larger sample sizes, that are essential to the understanding of the genetic basis of diabetic kidney disease and its underlying mechanisms." Manhattan plot of P values from the meta-analysis of allelic effects on early DKD in subjects with type 2 diabetes of European descent. The red line represents genome-wide signifi cance (P < 5 × 10−8) and the blue line suggestive signifi cance (P < 1 × 10−6). The peak represented by rs9942471 (P = 4.5 × 10−8) near GABRR1 is highlighted in orange.


Background: In Sub-Saharan Africa, there is widespread use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and Indoor residual spraying (IRS) to help control the density of malaria vectors and decrease the incidence of malaria in communities. An understanding of the interactions between increased insecticide use and resting behaviour patterns of malaria mosquitoes is important for an effective vector control programme. This study was carried out to investigate the resting behavior, host preference and infection with Plasmodium falciparum of malaria vectors in Ghana in the context of increasing insecticide resistance in malaria vectors in sub-saharan Africa.Methods: Indoor and outdoor resting Anopheline mosquitoes were sampled during the dry and rainy seasons in five sites that were in 3 ecological landscapes [Sahel savannah (Kpalsogou, Pagaza, Libga), Coastal savannah (Anyakpor) and Forest (Konongo) zones] using pyrethrum spray catches (PSC), mechanical aspiration (Prokopack) for indoor collections, pit shelter and Prokopack for outdoor collections. PCR based molecular diagnostics were used to determine mosquito speciation, genotype for knockdown resistance mutations (L1014S and L1014F), G119S Ace-1 mutation, specific host blood meal origins and sporozoite infection in field collected mosquitoes.Results: Anopheles gambiae s. l. was the predominant species (89.95%, n = 1,718), followed by An. rufipes (8.48%, n=162), and An. funestus s. l. (1.57%, n = 30). Sibling species of the Anopheles gambiae revealed An. coluzzii accounted for 63% (95% CI: 57.10 – 68.91), followed by An. gambiae s. s [27% (95% CI: 21.66 – 32.55)], and An. arabiensis [9% (95% CI: 6.22 – 13.57)]. The mean resting density of An. gambiae s. l. was higher outdoors (79.63%; 1,368/1,718) than indoors (20.37%; 350/1,718) (z = -4.815, p< 0.0001). The kdr west L1014F and the Ace-1 mutations were highest in indoor resting An. coluzzii and An. gambiae in the sahel-savannah sites compared to the forest and coastal savannah sites. Overall, the blood meal analyses revealed a large proportion of the malaria vectors preferred feeding on humans (70.2 %) than animals (29.8%) in all sites. The sporozoite rates was only detected in indoor resting An. coluzzii from the sahel savannah (5.0%) and forest (2.5%) zones.Conclusion: The study reports high outdoor resting densities of An. gambiae and An. coluzzii with high kdr west mutation frequencies, and persistence of malaria transmission indoors despite the use of LLINs and IRS. Continuous monitoring of changes in resting behavior of mosquitoes and implementation of complementary malaria control interventions are needed to target outdoor resting Anopheles mosquitoes in Ghana.


Nearly 2500 years ago, Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War, a book that provided emperors and military leaders with methods to achieve success on the battlefield. Those same strategies and tactics will also work on the battlefield of the healthcare war that is going to take place in the very near future. Perhaps we can go back in time and learn the valuable lessons that were used so successfully and apply them to modern healthcare to help us through the quagmire of the healthcare crisis. This article was inspired by the book Sun Tzu and the Art of Business, by Mark McNeilly (Oxford University Press, 2011).


The enzymatic complexes of the mitochondrial respiratory chain have been extensively investigated in their structural and functional properties. A clear distinction is possible today between three complexes in which the difference in redox potential allows proton translocation (complexes I, III, and IV) and those having the mere function to convey electrons to the respiratory chain. We also have a clearer understanding of the structure and function of most respiratory complexes, of their biogenesis and regulation, and of their capacity to generate reactive oxygen species. Past investigations led to the conclusion that the complexes are randomly dispersed and functionally connected by diffusion of smaller redox components, coenzyme Q and cytochrome c. More-recent investigations by native gel electrophoresis and single-particle image processing showed the existence of supramolecular associations. Flux-control analysis demonstrated that complexes I and III in mammals and I, III, and IV in plants kinetically behave as single units, suggesting the existence of substrate channeling. This review discusses conditions affecting the formation of supercomplexes that, besides kinetic advantage, have a role in the stability and assembly of the individual complexes and in preventing excess oxygen radical formation. Disruption of supercomplex organization may lead to functional derangements responsible for pathologic changes.


E-hailing, which is also known as ride-hailing or ride-sourcing, has been on the rise across the globe. However, it is known as a disruptive innovation as unregulated services have triggered major disruptions and led to certain setbacks in the transportation industry. It has been blamed for the rise in privacy and safety issues, unfair business competition, and a decline in demand in the traditional taxi industry. In response to these issues, certain countries have started to regulate the e-hailing industry. The objective of this study is to identify, analyze, and contrast on the form and enforcement of Malaysian-Indonesian's e-hailing regulation framework by using qualitative-comparative research. In this study, literature has been gathered from credible online sources. Based on the results of the study, there are commonalities and differences between the Malaysian and Indonesian's e-hailing regulation framework. Furthermore, the implications of the study have been discussed. For instance, the current state of the e-hailing industry is underregulated rather than unregulated. Policy makers should seek to improve existing regulation framework rather than starting new regulations from ground up to minimize the risk of overregulation that might eventually diminish the industry.


The present study investigated the characteristics of the new ELT program in Iran from the perspective of its most direct implementers both qualitatively and quantitatively. To this end, 19 teachers implementing the new program were interviewed to describe the newly introduced change through their perception of its attributes such as its complexity, explicitness and practicality. After conducting content analysis on the transcribed interviews, the emerged themes were used to survey 255 lower and higher secondary teachers by means of a 5-point Likert-type questionnaire across the nation. The results show that, although the program implementers felt more satisfied with the new program due to the perceived advantages of the change over the previous one , the lack of crucial factors such as giving due attention to the oral skills, adjustability of the change to the needs of a wide range of users, training teachers to improve their skills in making use of methods and techniques compatible with the reality of local language classrooms replete with logistical shortcomings, permeation of change to different layers of the educational system and mobilizing all influential subsystems for putting the change into practice has handicapped effective fulfilment of the program's objectives from teachers' eyes.


Abstract The utilization of remote sensing in agriculture has great potential to change the methods of field scouting for weeds. Previous remote sensing research has been focused on the ability to detect and differentiate between species. However, these studies have not addressed weed density variability throughout a field. Furthermore, the impact of changing phenology of crops and weeds within and between growing seasons has not been investigated. To address these research gaps, field studies were conducted in 2016 and 2017 at the Horticultural Crops Research Station near Clinton, NC. Two problematic weed species, Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson) and large crabgrass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.], were planted at four densities in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Additionally, these weed densities were grown in the presence and absence of the crop to determine the influence of crop presence on the detection and discrimination of weed species and density. Hyperspectral data were collected over various phenological time points in each year. Differentiation between plant species and weed density was not consistent across cropping systems, phenology, or season. Weed species were distinguishable across more spectra when no soybean was present. In 2016, weed species were not distinguishable, while in 2017, differentiation occurred at 4 wk after planting (WAP) and 15 WAP when weeds were present with soybean. When soybean was not present, differentiation occurred only at 5 WAP in 2016 and at 3 WAP through 15 WAP in 2017. Differentiation between weed densities did occur in both years with and without soybean present, but weed density could be differentiated across more spectra when soybean was not present. This study demonstrates that weed and crop reflectance is dynamic throughout the season and that spectral reflectance can be affected by weed species and density.


Neonatal intensive care units (NICU), currently considered as technological driven environment, there is great advances and progress regarding respiratory support equipment as well as growing interest in training personnel regarding safe strategies and modalities involving use of mechanical ventilation. Still other care modalities do not have the same vigilance as feeding process and procedures that subsequently may be associated with medical errors and incidents.
 Harmful incidents as adverse events cause morbidity often with devastating results, while non harmful incidents as near misses may serve as free lessons to the health care workers. Medical error ensues owing to active failure and or latent failure. Active failure contains incidents related to persons as doctors and nurses, whereas latent failure involves errors associated to the system. Imperfect data management, demanding environment, insufficient training of staffs and unproductive communication systems are several models of latent failures.
The impact of medical errors may be ameliorated once thorough investigation and causal factors as well as consequences are tackled and preclusion measures are implemented. NICU"s medical and nursing staff should be familiar with patient safety language, implement best practices, and support safety culture, maximizing efforts for reducing errors. Furthermore, top management commitment and support in developing patient safety culture is essential in order to assure the achievement of the desirable organizational safety outcomes.


This paper discusses the traditional approach to field testing a series compensated line protection system. The problem domain is analyzed to establish the various test cases required to prove the local/remote protection system and the difficulty in using traditional testing methods in creating effective tests, whether local only or End-to-End tests. Techniques are identified to break down the testing so conventional test approaches can be used, but these often require compromising the integrity of the IED settings and missing the overall scheme operation. These technical challenges are examined to identify what tools are needed to resolve them. The paper then explores using a network simulation tool to directly create the proper system conditions that the series compensation protection system requires to verify correct operations for all power system faults without compromising the IED setup. It discusses the payback levels of investing in proper preparation and training required for using a network simulation tool. It presents a real case study of field testing a series comp scheme and the potential time savings of the test method employed.


In peer-to-peer (P2P) overlay networks, a group of multiple peers have to cooperate with each other. P2P systems are in nature scalable distributed systems, where there is no centralized coordinator. It is difficult for each peer to communicate with every other peer. An acquaintance peer of a peer is another peer with which the peer can directly communicate. Each peer has to obtain access and location information on resources through communicating with acquaintances. It is critical to discuss how each peer can trust an acquaintance since acquaintances may have obsolete information. There are subjective (direct) and objective (indirect) types of trustworthiness of a peer on an acquaintance. A peer obtains the subjective trustworthiness on an acquaintance through directly communicating with the acquaintance. Here, the more number of satisfiable replies a source peer receives from a acquaintance, the larger subjective trustworthiness on the acquaintance the source peer has. On the other hand, a peer obtains the objective trustworthiness on a target acquaintance through collecting subjective trustworthiness on the target acquaintance from other peers. Here, the subjective and objective types of trustworthiness on an acquaintance might be different. That is, other peers have different trustworthiness opinions on the target acquaintance. A peer decides on which type of trustworthiness to be taken based on the confidence. The confidence of a peer shows how much the peer is confident of its own trustworthiness opinion, i.e. subjective trustworthiness on the acquaintance. If a peer is confident of the trustworthiness opinion, i.e. the confidence is larger, the peer takes the subjective trustworthiness on the target acquaintance. Otherwise, the peer takes the objective trustworthiness.


Study of the two new nitrification inhibitors HMDI and TMDI showed a low toxicity. The lower toxicity with single intragastric administration was 485 mg/kg for HMDI, and 460 mg/kg for TMDI.


This paper presents a novel, fully integrated transmitter for 3–5 GHz pulsed UWB. The BPSK modulation transmitter has been implemented in SMIC CMOS 0.13 μm technology with a 1.2-V supply voltage and a die size of 0.8 × 0.95 mm2. This transmitter is based on the impulse response filter method, which uses a tunable R paralleled with a LC frequency selection network to realize continuously adjustable pulse parameters, including bandwidth, width and amplitude. Due to the extremely low duty of the pulsed UWB, a proposed output buffer is employed to save power consumption significantly. Finally, measurement results show that the transmitter consumes only 16.3 pJ/pulse to achieve a pulse repetition rate of 100 Mb/s. Generated pulses strictly comply with the FCC spectral mask. The continuously variable pulse width is from 900 to 1.5 ns and the amplitude with the minimum 178 mVpp and the maximum 432 mVpp can be achieved.


Objective:To compare the surgical outcomes of total arch replacement with the outcomes of ascending aorta replacement in patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection. Methods:From April 2002 to May 2014, 90 patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection underwent emergency surgical treatment at our institution. Among them, 16 underwent total arch replacement and 74 underwent ascending aorta replacement. The decision to perform total arch versus ascending aorta replacement was dependent on an intimal tearing site. Results:There were no statistically significant differences in characteristics between the groups with regard to the 2 surgical procedures. Twenty early deaths were reported, but there was no statistically significant difference in mortality rate between the groups. The aortic operation had to be redone in 12 patients. The reoperations were not associated with an increased risk of death or neurological complications. Overall 5-year survival rates were 68% in the ascending aorta replacement group and 59% in the total arch replacement group. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups. Conclusions:The surgical outcome and prognosis of ascending aorta replacement is satisfactory among patients undergoing treatment of acute type A aortic dissection.


Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is a popular topic modeling technique for exploring document collections. Because of the increasing prevalence of large datasets, there is a need to improve the scalability of inference of LDA. In this paper, we propose a technique called MapReduce LDA (Mr. LDA) to accommodate very large corpus collections in the MapReduce framework. In contrast to other techniques to scale inference for LDA, which use Gibbs sampling, we use variational inference. Our solution efficiently distributes computation and is relatively simple to implement. More importantly, this variational implementation, unlike highly tuned and specialized implementations, is easily extensible. We demonstrate two extensions of the model possible with this scalable framework: informed priors to guide topic discovery and modeling topics from a multilingual corpus.


This paper presents the comparative design procedures for steel frame elements using three different International design codes, viz. the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the European Code (EC3) and the Russian Design Code (SP). It focuses on the resistance capacity of steel members subjected to different loads, such as tension, compression and flexure. It compares the formulation of all codes that identify their similarities and differences. The comparative study is performed for a compact rolled I sections with different slenderness and lateral bracing lengths. The results are presented graphically in different ways such as strength curves, Moment capacity versus lateral bracing length and normalized graphs. The comparative study shows that the resistance capacity specified by all specifications can be different for some considered cases. For compression member, SP specifications have higher capacity and economical approach. For flexural member, AISC gives higher capacity for inelastic region and EC3 gives higher capacities for elastic region but SP approach is lower for flexural capacity.


Super-massive black hole binaries are expected to produce a gravitational wave (GW) signal in the nano-Hertz frequency band which may be detected by pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) in the coming years. The signal is composed of both stochastic and individually resolvable components. Here we develop a generic Bayesian method for the analysis of resolvable sources based on the construction of 'null-streams' which cancel the part of the signal held in common for each pulsar (the Earth-term). For an array of N pulsars there are N − 2 independent null-streams that cancel the GW signal from a particular sky location. This method is applied to the localisation of quasi-circular binaries undergoing adiabatic inspiral. We carry out a systematic investigation of the scaling of the localisation accuracy with signal strength and number of pulsars in the PTA. Additionally, we find that source sky localisation with the International PTA data release one is vastly superior than what is achieved by its constituent regional PTAs.


This research was designed to test the effectiveness of a school network for childhood obesity prevention (SNOCOP) in primary schools; a program that aimed to improve student behavior in terms of knowledge, attitude, intention towards obesity prevention, and their food consumption behavior. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest time series study was conducted. By 2-stage stratified sampling selection 180 students from 6 schools were assigned to the intervention group and 195 students from 6 schools to the control group at Saraburi Province, Thailand in 2006- 2007. In addition, thirty-one participants being school administrators, teachers, parents, and community members from six schools formed the social network initiating the intervention. The schoolchildren in the intervention group improved their eating behavior, knowledge, attitude, intention towards obesity preventive behavior. The six schools of the intervention group changed school policies and school activities aiming to reduce the proportion of obesity among their student. No such activities could be observed in the control group. These findings suggest that the School-Social Network of Childhood Obesity Prevention program is an effective means to prevent childhood obesity.


Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a member of a protein family in which 38 cysteine residues are conserved. Although a wide variety of important biological functions have been ascribed to these proteins in recent years, the regulation of their gene expression for most members is virtually unknown. We studied the effects of protein kinase C (PKC) and tyrosine kinase on the expression of CTGF and observed that at the mRNA level CTGF expression is inhibited by the activation of PKC, but stimulated by the inhibition of PKC and tyrosine kinase. We further determined that the novel and the classical PKC isoforms are needed for the inhibition, but the atypical isoforms are not involved. Our data suggest that phosphorylation on serine/threonine and tyrosine by PKC and by tyrosine kinase are all inhibitory to the expression of CTGF.


The synthesis of four new 1,3,5-triaryl-1,3,5-triazinane-2,4,6-trithione derivatives (thioisocyanurates) and two new partially thionated analogues from the corresponding 1,3,5-triaryl-1,3,5-triazinane-2,4,6-triones (isocyanurates) is reported, together with their spectroscopic properties. DFT calculations and comparison with the corresponding isocyanurates evidence the impact of the oxygen-for-sulfur replacement on the electronic structure and linear optical properties of these heterocycles. A bathochromic shift of the absorption bands and more efficient quenching of the fluorescence was observed.


We conducted retrieval experiments using a collection of 170MB Chinese text from TREC-5. The supplied queries (topics)are both English and Chinese, the latter to a large extent may be considered as very good translation of the former. Another set of Chinese queries were created by translating the English via a simple dictionary look-up procedure. Retrieval effectiveness for both types of queries were evaluated, essentially giving upper and lower bounds of how machine translation may contribute to this cross-lingual retrieval experiment. Results show that naive translation returns effectiveness about 30% to 50% worse than good translation.


PURPOSE
The aim of this study was to assess the orthodontic treatment complexity and need in Nigerian adolescents as well as to ascertain the relationship between these professionally assessed facets of orthodontic provision and the oral health-related quality of life in the adolescents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The orthodontic treatment complexity and need in 274 adolescents who were drawn from four secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria aged 12 to 17 years (142 (51.8%) females and 132 (48.2%) males) were examined using the index of complexity, outcome and need. The oral health-related impacts of the same subjects were assessed using the shortened version of the oral health impacts profile. In addition to the descriptive statistics, the Pearson chi-square test was used in the analysis of data.

RESULTS
Cases that were considered to belong to the easy complexity grade accounted for 20.1% while difficult/very difficult complexity grades accounted for 9.8%. Boys had significantly fewer complexity grades that were in the easy grade (P < 0.05). Of the subjects, 42% would need orthodontic treatment and 62.4% had some oral health-related impacts, with boys suffering significantly more impacts than girls. The relationship between oral health-related impacts and treatment need was significant (P < 0.05) unlike with complexity (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The orthodontic treatment complexity and need in these Nigerian adolescents was comparable to Caucasians including the association with oral health-related impacts on daily activities.


With the advent of Industry 4.0 technologies in the last decade, airports have undergone digitalisation to capitalise on the purported benefits of these technologies such as improved operational efficiency and passenger experience. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with emergence of its variants (e.g. Delta, Omicron) has exacerbated the need for airports to adopt new technologies such as contactless and robotic technologies to facilitate travel during this pandemic. However, there is limited knowledge of recent challenges and success factors for adoption of digital technologies in airports. Therefore, through an industry survey of airport operators and managers around the world (n=102, 0.754<Composite Reliability<0.892; conducted during COVID-19), this study identifies the challenges faced in adopting Industry 4.0 technologies (n=20) as well as enhances understanding of best practices or success factors that supported technology adoption in airports. The widely used technology, organisation, environment (TOE) framework is used as a theoretically basis for the quantitative part of the questionnaire. A complementary qualitative part is used to underpin and extend the findings. The industry survey is the first-of-its-kind that was conducted to understand the implementation challenges that airport operators face in adopting Industry 4.0 technologies in the airport. The survey results have shown that that the Industry 4.0 technologies were not implemented to a similar extent in airports despite the generic challenges that were faced in adopting the various Industry 4.0 technologies in the airport. One Sentence Summary: An industry survey on the challenges and success factors to develop airports of the future with Industry 4.0 technologies


This study evaluates the relationship between community perception of government's effectiveness and trust in government at the local level. Using the Festival of Arts and Culture hosted in Limbe, Cameroon, the study evaluates how citizens' experiences of a service delivery influence their trust in the government, and the mediating effect of economic, social, and political factors. Trust is evaluated using three measures: competency, integrity, and responsibility. A framework that distinguishes between broad and narrow measures of economic effectiveness is proposed and tested using an ordered logit model. Findings from data generated from 324 event attendees indicate that citizens' perceptions of broad measures of economic effectiveness is influenced by the social and political environment, which in turn influences their trust in the local government. They are, however, able to separate the socio-political context from the economic when asked about narrow measures of economic effectiveness. These findings are relevant for political planners, analysts, and policymakers seeking to foster political trust and support.


We present in this paper a new approach for constructing implicit social networks from electronic sources, like emails, SMS and phone calls. The main novelty is the use of Social Interaction Analysis to assist end-users in their communication needs. We discuss how a social proximity can be calculated between two persons in a social network and show how a weighted, directed network is constructed based on interactions between people. After a description of the architecture of the framework, we show how a contextual, weighted social network can help in automatically finding the contact with highest probability to know the whereabouts of a person who is currently not reachable. The implemented social helper application uses a specific contextual view of the social network, exploiting only interactions that occurred in the last 48 hours.


The disparate treatment of white, middle-class women and poor women of color in the criminal justice system and contemporary popular discourse has been well documented. However, less attention has been given to how this harsher treatment of poor women of color manifests itself in the media coverage of cases of infanticide. This paper aims to begin to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the roles of race and culture, class, marital status, and biology in the media's treatment of two infanticidal women, Khoua Her and Andrea Yates. On September 3, 1998, in St. Paul, Minnesota, Khoua Her, a Hmong immigrant who had been living in the United States for several years, strangled her six children and attempted suicide before calling 911 to report the incident. At the time of the strangling, Her was a twenty-four-year-old working mother estranged from her husband. She was ultimately sentenced to fifty years imprisonment under the terms of a plea bargain that required her to plead guilty to six counts of intentional second-degree murder for the killing of her children. On June 20, 2001, in Clear Lake, Texas, Yates, a thirty-six-year-old white, middleclass, fundamentalist Christian homemaker in a traditional marriage, drowned her five children in the bath tub before calling 911 and her husband to report her actions. On August 8, 2001, Yates pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to two


Abstract Results of statistical analyses for HIPLEX-1, a randomized cloud seeding experiment, are presented. The analyses are based principally on multi-response permutation procedures (MRPP) as specified before the HIPLEX-1 experiment was initiated. Even though the sample sizes are very small, due in part to the premature termination of this experiment, the three primary response variables measured in the first five minutes following treatment indicate pronounced differences in the development of ice crystals between nonseeded and seeded events. However, the response variables measured more than five minutes after treatment generally do not indicate obvious differences in the subsequent development of precipitation between nonseeded and seeded events. This lack of difference is a possible consequence of 1) lack of a seeding effect, 2) inadequacies in the physical hypothesis, or 3) the small sample sizes. Consequently, only the initial steps in the HIPLEX-1 physical hypothesis could be confirmed in this e...


What is that fascinates us so much with Casanova? Neither handsome, nor noble, nor rich, Casanova was born in Venice in 1725, into an acting family. After the early failure of his ecclesiastical career, he became a thief and a con man. He soon became renowned for his spectacular escape from the 'unescapable' Piombi prison in Venice. His interest in science and the esoteric meant that he could sell his skills to whomever was ready to put him up. Many times changing appearance and using aliases, he travelled across Europe, accumulating female conquests and sexually transmitted diseases, and engaging in scams and duels. A scholar (he translated Homer's Iliad and Voltaire's L'Écossaise), a dazzling storyteller, and also a lucid political thinker of his time, he dismantles the machinery of Enlightenment and pre-Revolutionary society. In 1789, at the age of sixtyfour, Casanova — at this point librarian for the Count Waldstein — decides to write his memoirs as he confesses 'ne pouvoir plus jouir que par réminiscence' (p. 12). He devotes the last nine years of his life to this gargantuan task, working at a rate of thirteen hours a day. The 3700 pages of his manuscript tell the Histoire de [sa] vie in ten books, 'écrit en français, et non pas en italien parce que la langue française est plus répandue que la [s]ienne' (p. 13). Gérard Lahouati and Marie-Françoise Luna, the Pléiade editors, have applied Casanova's logic in their own approach ('j'ai défendu à mon éditeur d'adopter des corrections que quelque puriste constipé s'aviserait d'introduire dans mon manuscrit' (p. 1120)): they retain the Italianisms in the text as well as Casanovian idiosyncrasies, for example, 'paq-bot' for 'packet-boat', 'ma' for 'mais'. They indicate any deleted passages and add language notes. But above all they focus on a new aspect of the character, virtually unknown until now: the writer Casanova. The editors argue that Casanova's rejection of decorum, his questioning of literary codes, his mixing of tones all have the effect of producing a distinctive writing style characterized by 'une association inédite entre l'allégresse de la phrase, la recherche de l'intensité du plaisir, la volonté d'individualiser chaque personnage et le goût, parfois, du pathétique' (Lahouati, p. xviii). This piquant literary style absorbs many influences: Horace and Ariosto; French libertine novels; Voltaire (whom Casanova jealously worshipped); Rousseau; and the commedia dell'arte, from which he derives his taste for improvisation. The success of Casanova both as a writer and as a brand comes from '[c]e sens de la fête, associé à une conscience ironique de la supercherie' (p. xxvii). Lahouati adds, '[l]'apologie de la jeunesse, le paroxysme des sensations, [. . .] la conviction que la liberté se ressent dans la jouissance, dans la conscience de la multiplicité des choix possibles et dans les contournements de l'autorité' (p. xxvii) resonate strongly with the modern reader. We are grateful to the editors to have rehabilitated Casanova the writer, and brought to light the authentic story of his life.


Patient education is one of the most important factors for the provision of patients and their families' rights at health centers. Some of the benefits of patient education include: Increasing the level of health literacy, developing self-care skills in chronic diseases, increasing knowledge about conditions, improving the quality of care and helping the patient to achieve more self-sufficiency and reducing health care costs. Medical Librarians can help health professionals and nurses to promote community health by identifying useful information as well as writing them in plain language. This paper reports an experience about creating a nongovernmental center for the provision and dissemination of easy-to-read materials. It is hoped that launching and supporting such centers, in addition to promoting community health, will guarantee the patients' rights to access high quality and authentic health educational resources. This can also provide a field for the participation of various health groups and the activities of graduates of the above fields.


The human gene for the 5-HT1E serotonin receptor was recently cloned, but no chromosomal assignment has yet been given to this gene (locus HTR1E). In this work, we demonstrate by two independent polymerase chain reactions on a panel of human-hamster somatic cell hybrid genomic DNA that the 5-HT1E serotonin receptor gene is localized on human chromosome 6. Furthermore, by means of in situ hybridization to human metaphase chromosomes, using the cloned 5-HT1E receptor gene (phage clone lambda-S31; Levy et al., FEBS Lett. 296:201-206,1992) as was a probe, we demonstrate that this gene is localized to the q14-q15 region on chromosome 6. Screening of genomic DNA from 15 unrelated Caucasian individuals, using as a probe the open reading frame of the cloned 5-HT1E receptor gene, did not reveal any restriction fragment length polymorphisms with the enzymes BamHI, BanII, BglII, EcoRI, HincII, HindIII, HinfI, MspI, PstI, and PvuII. Since the 5-HT1E receptor is found mainly in the cerebral cortex and abnormal function of the serotonergic system has been implicated in a variety of neurologic and psychiatric diseases, the precise chromosomal assignment of the 5-HT1E receptor gene is the crucial first step toward the evaluation of this locus as a candidate for mutations in such syndromes.


Context and Aim: The shortage of healthcare professionals in rural areas contributes toward discriminatory healthcare delivery. The present study was planned with similar intent and aimed to evaluate the perception of dental students regarding their future in rural areas. Materials and Methods: The present study was designed as a cross-sectional study comprising a 30-item questionnaire survey instrument distributed among a total of 550 dental students, while the results obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 12.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Independent Student's t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used for comparison among the variables, while Chi-square test was used to determine the association between the variables. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: No significant difference was observed in the attitudes based on gender (P = 0.43), though a statistically significant difference was observed in the attitude of students based on the year of their education with a positive attitude toward rural dental practice generally noted in the 1st-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery students, which significantly declined with the increasing level of education (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Dental students are more influenced by the negative aspects of rural dental practice though they have, in their mind, a positive approach to the same at the beginning of their education, this significantly declined with the increasing level of their education.


In order to study the genetic characteristic of the carbon metabolism related enzymes activity in maize,the genetic analysis of the PEPC and SPS activity in ear leaf at filling stage in maize were conducted by mixed major gene plus polygene genetic models and the joint segregation analysis method of four generations( P1,P2,F1,F2∶ 3) derived from Shen3336 × Shen3265. The results showed that at filling stage the genetic models of PEPC and SPS activity in ear leaf were B- 1( two major genes with additive-dominance-epistasis effects) and E- 1( two major genes with additivedominance-epistasis effects and polygenes with additive-dominance effects),respectively. The major genes heritability of PEPC activity was 36. 5%. The major genes heritability of SPS activity was 17. 7% and polygenes heritability was35. 9%. The results explained the genetic regularity of the carbon metabolism related enzymes activity in maize,and helped for carrying out next research of QTL mapping of these enzymes activity.


This four part series, "The Physician/Hospital Joint Venture: Developing a Win/Win Strategy," will examine the philosophical basis of marketing to physicians, the options for the organization in formulating a strategy for joint venture development, structuring and negotiating the deal, and finally how to build the physician loyalty and commitment essential for the joint venture's continued success. In this first article, the author emphasizes the organization's need to develop a strategic plan that includes a program for attracting physicians. It also points out the need for sensitivity to physicians' concerns and provides examples of successes and failures.


This article aims to analyse cybercrime in society as a model of crime that develops as the advancement of Internet technology. Cybercrime becomes a practice that will create community behaviour that is vulnerable to conflicts and legal issues. The approach used in this writing is literature research, with a data analysis technique in the form of content analysis with the aim of obtaining valid inference and can be re-examined based on its context. Individual actions within a community group are actions prescribed by norms, values, and social structures. The reality in this cybercrime as a simulation, i.e. the creation of unproposed real models or hyper-reality reality. Through the simulation model, humans are framed in one space, which is identified as real, even if it is a pseudo or mere imaginary that the emergence of cybercrime as human practice in public sphere is characterized as space without control, but on the other hand because without such control, so cybercrime becomes an anarchist space without rules and norms.


Introduction: Metastasis is the most common cause of death from cancer and occurs when malignant cells discard epithelial restraints and acquire invasive abilities, facilitating their dissemination to permissive micro-environments. This process is enhanced by tumor cell activation of Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), a (normally embryonic) developmental program in which epithelial cells assume a mesenchymal phenotype during gastrulation and organogenesis, allowing single cell invasive movement away from the ectodermal layer. Recent evidence strongly implicates EMT induction in malignant progression and treatment resistance. For example, EMT regulatory transcription factors are required for breast cancer metastasis. Several oncogenic pathways (growth factors, Src family, MAPK, AKT) induce EMT. Lyn tyrosine kinase, a member of Src family tyrosine kinase is up-regulated in advanced prostate cancer and has been reported to correlate with aggressive breast cancer. Our objective is to determine the role of Lyn tyrosine kinase in EMT. Methods: LNCaP, BT-549, UC-13 cells were transfected with Lyn siRNA; EMT markers were monitored by western blot and qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence, migration by scratch assay, invasion by Boyden chamber and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity by Zymography. Lyn specific Kinase inhibitor Bafetinib will also be used along with over-expression experiments with Lyn Kinase Dead and Constitutively active mutants. Results: Here we report that Lyn expression is low in epithelial cells and is up-regulated in mesenchymal cells. Targeting Lyn using siRNA decreases EMT markers (Fibronectin, Vimentin) at both mRNA and protein levels while increasing the epithelial marker (E-cadherin). Moreover, we found that targeting Lyn by siRNA/shRNA and small molecule inhibitor Bafetinib decreases cell migration, invasion and the activity of MMPs. This decrease in mesenchymal phenotype can be attributed to the decrease in the amount of Slug and Snail, transcriptional repressors of E-Cadherin and activators of Vimentin. Consequently, we also found that over-expressing Lyn in both as WT or constitutively active (CA) mutant rescues expression of Slug and Snail, inducing EMT, increased cell migration and invasion while Kinase Dead (KD) mutant has no effect. Conclusion: Expression of Lyn kinase can be correlated to low prognosis and aggressive/metastatic phenotype. We show that targeting Lyn activity initiates a switch to a more epithelial phenotype reducing cell migration and invasion. Impact: The data suggests that Lyn tyrosine kinase plays a role in Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition and could be considered as a target for metastatic disease; especially in the more aggressive forms of cancer like Triple Negative Breast Cancer or Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer. This could be a realistic therapeutic option, as the Lyn small molecule inhibitor Bafetinib, is currently in clinical trials for treatment of several cancers. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Daksh Thaper, Sepideh Vahid, Ka Mun Nip, Kirsi Ketola, Jennifer Bishop, Amina Zoubeidi. Lyn kinase promotes metastasis through EMT in cancers. [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 4106. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4106


PURPOSE
Repopulation of surviving tumor cells between courses of chemotherapy might lead to effective drug resistance. Here we study inhibition of repopulation of hormone-responsive human breast cancer cell lines by selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulators (SERMs) during courses of chemotherapy.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Hormone responsive breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and T47D, and the ER- cell line MDA-231, were treated with either 4-hydroxy tamoxifen (4OHT) or arzoxifene during weekly courses of treatment with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or methotrexate (MTX). Clonogenic assays were performed to determine the overall survival of tumor cells after treatment with the SERMs alone, after one to three doses of 5-FU or MTX alone, and after 5-FU or MTX followed by each of the SERMs.

RESULTS
Both SERMs inhibited the growth of ER+ cells MCF-7 and T47D but had no effect on the ER-cell line MDA-231. Arzoxifene was more effective than 4OHT. Between courses of treatment with either 5-FU or MTX, repopulation of ER+ cells was specifically inhibited by the SERMs, whereas repopulation of ER- MDA-231 was not affected.

CONCLUSIONS
Arzoxifene and 4OHT can inhibit specifically the repopulation of ER+ breast cancer cells between courses of chemotherapy. Scheduling of short-acting SERMs between courses of chemotherapy has the potential to improve therapeutic index.


This research was conducted to determine the effect of rice husk and activated carbon in decreasing Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) by absorption method. The procedure is carried out through several stages, namely the manufacture of adsorbents by purification of rice husk silica ash, manufacture of activated carbon. The analysis was carried out by calculating the levels of BOD and COD before treatment. Thus, the following results were obtained before the COD treatment was applied to both samples of 4045 mg/L and decreased successively in both the first and second tests, namely 717 mg/L and 689 mg/L (rice husk) and 827 mg/L. and 795 mg/L (activated carbon). In BOD, before treatment in both samples, BOD levels were 1598 mg/L and decreased for the first and second tests, namely 212 mg/L and 193 mg/L (rice husk) and 485 mg/L and 411 mg/L (activated carbon). The effectiveness of rice husk and activated carbon significantly decreases COD and BOD levels in laundry wastewater with a probability value of less than 0.05.


This paper presents new data series designed to yield a more complete picture of the growth in average skill levels embedded in the EU workforce, comparing with competitor countries such as the US and China. Harmonised data from EU surveys are employed to extend coverage in existing databases to more countries, to cover the period of the financial crisis, and to skills acquired through informal workforce training. The results indicate growth in labour quality in the EU15 marginally below the US, convergence of the group of new member states to the EU15 but no sign of convergence of China to more developed regions. There is evidence of a pronounced rise in labour quality in most countries after 2007, consistent with theories of labour hoarding, but with some notable exceptions. Expanding the conventional measures of labour quality to include informal training leads to small but significant increases in the growth of human capital in some EU15 member states.


: Gambling advertising's use of celebrities, humor, and representations of happy people who Win Big, in narratives told in brashly colored, high-pitched ads, are argued to increase the risk for gambling problems, or worse, addiction. Online casino ads have been subject to particular legislative attention partly for these reasons, as well as for being increasingly targeted to women who, by some, are judged to be especially vulnerable to such marketing. This paper presents a context-attentive, multimodal discourse analysis of a Swedish online casino brand's advertising videos from 2014-2022. The study illustrates how general statements regarding risk in relation to (online casino) gambling ads' content overshadow their potential cultural meanings to audiences, for instance, when it comes to issues relating to national identity. It is argued that one should, to a greater extent, treat these adverts as complex and socio-culturally rooted texts whose content may not so easily be written off as simply "risky," to women or otherwise.


The Shahdag National Park was founded on the 8th December 2006 on the basis of Ismailli and Pirgulu reserves. It is the largest park in the republic, with a total area 130.508,1 hectares and is located in the north of the country, on the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus mountain chain, on the border with Georgia and Russia. The highest mountain of Azerbaijan Bazarduzu and southernmost pointof Russia are situated in the Shahdagh national park –the height is 4466 metres above the sea level.It has been established for the first time that the territory of the park is inhabited by 17 species of bats, which ecology has not been explored by anybody, of which 6 species are included in Red Data Book (2013) of the repunlic as a rare and vanishing species.


Teaching students computer technologies sometimes requires untraditional teaching methods in schools, as it is not uncommon that students possess more advanced computer skills than teachers in today's classrooms. In this paper, we present our study of a course website design project in a public high school to investigate new teaching strategies in technology education. We observed how students and teachers shifted roles during the project, i.e., students became technology consultants and trainers while teachers, although still acting as facilitators of the process, also became learners. This role-shifting resulted in augmented learning outcomes for the student. For the teacher, the challenge of adopting the unconventional role of teacher-as-student required a new teaching paradigm, bringing to light the inherent tensions brought about by such role changes and skill differentials. Lessons we learned from this study are discussed as well as suggestions for teachers and schools that are interested in adopting this approach.


The incidence rate of tuberculosis has been increasing in recent 5 years in Tochigi Prefecture. The author intends to clarify the factors effecting the changes of tuberculosis incidence during the period from 1962 to 1987 by analyzing the annual statistics of tuberculosis registry and implementation of tuberculosis control programme. The results thus obtained are as follows: 1. The incidence rate of tuberculosis in Tochigi Prefecture has increased in the past 5 years especially in the younger age group of 0-19 and older age group of 50 and over. The increase can be explained by the recurrence of the disease occurred when they were young, most likely due to incomplete treatment, and secondary infection to young family contacts. 2. The positive rate of tubercle bacilli was higher in Tochigi Prefecture than the rate in whole Japan during the period from 1979 to 1983, which was resulted from the delay in detection. 3. Frequency of visits to patients by public health nurses, numbers of X-ray and bacteriological examinations had decreased during the same period when the incidence rate of tuberculosis increased. 4. Continuous efforts to reinforce the tuberculosis control programme, especially X-ray and bacteriological examination for high risk population, such as family contacts, cleaners and barbers is essential in Tochigi Prefecture.


Biological timers synchronize patterning processes during embryonic development. In the Drosophila embryo, neural progenitors (neuroblasts; NBs) produce a sequence of unique neurons whose identities depend on the sequential expression of temporal transcription factors (TTFs). The stereotypy and precision of the NB lineages indicate reproducible temporal progression of the TTF timer. To examine the basis of this robustness, we combine theory and experiments. The TTF timer is commonly described as a relay of activators, but its regulatory circuit is also consistent with a repressor-decay timer, in which expression of each TTF begins once its repressor is sufficiently reduced. We find that repressor-decay timers are more robust to parameter variations compared to activator-relay timers. This suggests that the in-vivo TTF sequence progresses primarily by repressor-decay, a prediction that we support experimentally. Our results emphasize the role of robustness in the evolutionary design of patterning circuits.


According to real-life crash data, one of the most harmful events among all side impacts is when the driver-head hits the far-side door when the car is hit from the far side. There is currently no established test method to simulate a crash where such an event is at risk of occurring. In order to assess real life injuries and develop countermeasures for far side crashes, standardized cost-effective test methods are needed. This paper presents a bending bar sled-test set-up simulating a full-scale 9 o'clock far side crash. In the full scale crash-test a deformable barrier with a speed of 65 km/h struck the passenger side of a passenger car with a BioSID in the driver seat. The intrusion of the vehicle was over when the dummy hit the far side door and therefore there was no requirement to simulate intrusion rate and extent in the sled test. The remaining part of the deformed vehicle was chopped in front of the instrument panel and behind the front seats and was then fastened transversely onto a sled. The intruded passenger side was fixed and reinforced. The mid-console, the passenger door-trim and the belt system were replaced. A BioSID was placed in the driver seat according to the full scale crash and the sled impacted the chosen set of iron bars with a resulting Δ v of 24 km/h. As a result, the kinematics, accelerations and loading of the dummy were essentially the same as in the corresponding full scale crash. In conclusion, a sled test set-up can be used to assess real life injuries and in the development of dummies and countermeasures for far side crashes of similar types as considered in the paper.


This article is concerned with the structure of repressive governance, and how it has evolved historically. It examines this theme through an exploration of the manner which repressive laws and institutions evolved in Britain over the course of the late eighteenth century. In particular, it reviews the various measures that British authorities utilized and relied upon in order to confront a growing wave of calls for social and political reforms. These included a policy of aggressive prosecutions of dissidents; the creation of new institutions such as the Home * Assistant Professor of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Thanks to the editors of the Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review for their insightful comments and diligent support. FINAL_FOR_JCI 11/3/20 7:19 PM 126 Loy. L.A. Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. [Vol. 43:2 Office designed to enhance the powers of the central authorities; extralegal measures such as the creation of loyalist associations, which attempted to intimidate and attack revolutionaries; and the passage of a series of new laws aimed at closing off the space for freedom of association, assembly and expression. There was much opposition to the implementation of these measures; among other things, the period was marked by the evolution of a powerful tradition of defense lawyering, thanks to the efforts of the gifted Thomas Erskine in particular. Ultimately, however, when these four different sets of repressive measures were woven together, they proved too much for progressives to handle, choking off and driving the reform movement underground for a period of time. Along the way, the government implemented a legal and institutional template for repression, the effects of which continue to be felt to the present day.


Over the web, with more prominent adaptability in a financially savvy way the cloud computing uncovers an exceptional potential to give on-request administrations to purchasers. While moving towards the idea of on interest benefit, moving everything on the distributive condition, asset pooling, security is the significant deterrent for this new imagined vision of registering capacity. Here present a far reaching review of the security issues for various elements influencing distributed computing. Moreover, there is point by point discourse on a few key themes with respect to installed framework, application, stockpiling framework, grouping related issues and some more. This paper likewise examines some open cloud and private cloud just as related security concerns.


This study addresses the need for sound assessments to measure adolescent coping in therapeutic recreation, wilderness and adventure therapy settings. Although consideration was given to developing a new measure, a well-developed general coping measure exists, and the authors indicated a need to adapt it to specific settings. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to adapt the Response to Stress Questionnaire (RSQ) for use in adventure-based therapeutic settings. Appropriate content was identified and items were adapted to create RSQ Outdoor Adventure Version (RSQ-OAV). These items were then evaluated for representativeness and relevance to provide content validity. An expert panel conducted a blind review by mapping the items based on content areas. The instrument was then administered to subjects to gather evidence supporting the reliability and validity of inferences. The RSQ-OAV provides a foundation for future research and understanding related to outdoor adventure coping skills in therapeutic recreation settings.


Erlian fault basin, a major oil prospecting and producing area in North China, comprises about 40 grabens and half grabens. The basin was formed by extension from Jurassic to Early Cretaceous and filled with more than 3000m thick of clastic lacustrine deposits. Based on the integrated analysis of seismic profiles, logging and cores, 5 sequence sets and 12 sequences, bounded by discontinuous, have been identified. Three types of lacustrine sequences have been identified: (1) deep lacustrine basin sequences, mainly consisting of sublacustrine fan and fan delta systems; (2) shallow lacustrine basin sequences, predominately composed of fan delta and braided delta systems and (3) shallow lacustrine and fluvial basin sequences. The sequence architecture and the basin filling evolution were controlled by the basin structural framework and lacustrine level changes. The computer modeling study by using the backstripping and forward modeling technique has shown that the major unconformities confining the sequences may be generated by the variation in tectonic subsidence rate caused by episodic lithospheric stretching. The model have also be used to predict the sequence architecture and the facies distribution in the basin.


An efficient asymmetric synthesis of 6-aminobicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid as a novel γ-turn mimic has been achieved. Structural analysis of the γ-amino acid derivative was carried out using 1H NMR spectroscopy and intramolecular hydrogen bonding between side chain amides confirmed the turn structure, which had been predicted by Ab initio computational study.


In this study, thermal decomposition of Hinoki chips soaked in Ca solution and adsorption properties of obtained charcoal for nitrate nitrogen were investigated to develop a novel functional charcoal. Ca(OH)2 was used as Ca source due to less environmental load and easy handling and Ca-impregnated chips were heat-treated in an electric muffle furnace at temperatures between 600 and 900°C. The Ca-loaded charcoal acid-treated with HCl exhibited adsorptive ability for nitrate nitrogen. It was revealed that adsorption of nitrate nitrogen was ion-exchange reaction and that the charcoal samples acid-treated with HCl could be regenerated repeatedly by exchanging nitrate ion for chloride ion. The measurements of adsorption properties for nitrate nitrogen revealed that the adsorptive ability and durability of these samples were higher than those of activate carbon and anion-exchange resin. It was also found the obtained charcoal exhibited selective adsorption for nitrate nitrogen and fluoride anion, but not for sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid anions. As the result, the simple method, Ca-impregnation, thermal decomposition and acid treatment of wood waste, has advantages in production of nitrate nitrogen adsorption material.


The present article purports a description of laboratory and clinical procedures used to rehabilitate a partially maxillary and mandibular edentulous patient. Treatment was divided into two phases. The fi rst phase encompassed the insertion of an immediate maxillary total prosthesis as well as an immediate mandibular overdenture with balanced occlusal scheme. Once the patient's tissues were stabilized, the second phase of the treatment was undertaken: immediate prostheses were exchanged for a conventional maxillary denture as well as an tooth-supported overdenture retained by root-axial stud-type devices. In this second phase, the immediate prostheses' anterior guide was reproduced and a lingualized occlusal scheme was used. Described procedures allowed the decrease of clinical and laboratory time without endangering the quality of the fi nal rehabilitation.


Y.-A. de Montejoye et al. 's Report "Unique in the shopping mall: On the reidentifiability of credit card data" (special section on The End of Privacy, 30 January, p. [536][1]) led to a widespread media sensation proclaiming that reidentification is easy with only a few pieces of credit card data ([ 1 ][2]–[ 3 ][3]). Although we agree with de Montejoye et al. that data disclosure practices must be responsibly balanced with data privacy and utility, we are concerned that the study's findings reflect unrealistic data intrusion threats. Making policy decisions based on the conclusions from this work would thus be hasty and could lead to the abandonment of modern data protection standards, with negative consequences to privacy, research, and society.

Some media confusion stems from the paper's use of the term "reidentify"; credit card metadata were not actually linked to any personal identities. Instead, it was assumed that an intruder could obtain data about identity, geography, time, and price to reidentify all targeted consumers. Yet this scenario requires some very strong assumptions about the attacker that are unlikely to be realized in practice. First, the study did not demonstrate the extent to which the necessary identifying information could be obtained reliably for any consumer. Second, the study neglects to acknowledge that when the data come from a fraction of the general population, unique purchase data in the sample will often not be unique in the larger population. Given that the undisclosed country's population was likely much larger than 1.1 million, the paper's data uniqueness measure is likely a substantial overestimate of risk. Third, the study's risk estimates are further inflated because they did not include cash or other banks' credit card purchases.

The research communicated in this paper is critical to moving forward privacy discussions about data sharing. However, we stress that claims about reidentification must be based on models that realistically and correctly account for the probability, as well as the possibility, of attacks.

1. [↵][4] N. Singer, "With a few bits of data, researchers identify 'anonymous' people," New York Times (29 January 2015); .
2. R. Jacobson, "Your 'anonymous' credit card data is not so anonymous, study finds," PBS NewsHour (29 January 2015); [www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/anonymous-credit-card-data-anonymous-study-finds/][5].
3. [↵][6] D. Coldewey, "'Anonymous' credit card data can still give you away," NBC News (29 January 2015); [www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/anonymous-credit-card-data-can-still-give-you-away-n296446][7].

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1256297
 [2]: #ref-1
 [3]: #ref-3
 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text"
 [5]: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/anonymous-credit-card-data-anonymous-study-finds/
 [6]: #xref-ref-3-1 "View reference 3 in text"
 [7]: http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/anonymous-credit-card-data-can-still-give-you-away-n296446


In Japan there exists a interinstitutional difference in the response rate of cervical cancer, which is ascribed to the lack of intracavitary radiotherapy instruments. Provided the standardized treatment schedules are followed in all institutes, the over all responses will be definitely improved. Currently there are two major problems to be solved. Firstly, we have discussed IOR and hyperthermia to individualize locally advanced cervical cancers which are excluded from current standardized treatment method. Next we discussed indications for high dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy and the dose fractionation of it in relation to external beams.


Theoretical studies so far on piezoelectric scattering have resulted in a mobility behaviour of mu approximately T-1/2 in which mu continues to fall indefinitely with increasing temperature T. Such a behaviour cannot tell us where this scattering will become unimportant, as might be expected on physical grounds. The correct behaviour should be a falling curve first, followed by a gradually increasing one when the scattering ceases to be effective. In this work, by using the force-force correlation function technique within the linear response formalism, we obtained a mu versus T curve that shows just this behaviour.


The evolutionary significance of some kinds of group living are well-known, some others such as the diapause aggregations remain poorly known although widespread. In this thesis, I tested if the arthropods form diapause aggregations to find their mates according to the hidden lek hypothesis with the ladybird Hippodamia undecimnotata. By using a Species Distribution Model, I showed that ladybirds aggregate in places with a prominent object and where the risk of being sprayed by pesticides is low. Then, I highlighted that abiotic conditions are unfavourable to ladybirds' survival. In a third part, I found that mating is widespread activity in the aggregation sites. Finally, I showed that energetic costs linked to mating are low, and thus allow the ladybirds to disperse and display post aggregations behaviour. This thesis shows that the diapause aggregations are part of the mating system of the arthropods and that sexual selection can be a driver of the evolution of diapause aggregations.


Honeybee nests constructed without man-made wax foundation have significantly more variability of cell widths/sizes than those in commercially-kept colonies. The effects of this natural variability in comb cell widths on individual and colony traits have not been explained to date. The investigation of this problem can lead to new findings about the biology, physiology, and possibly, the evolution of the honeybee. The aim of the study was to compare the catalase and superoxide dismutase activities and the total antioxidant capacity levels in the hemolymph of honeybee workers reared in small-cell combs and standard-cell combs in colonies kept simultaneously on standard- and small-cell combs. The ratio of the small-cell combs to the standard-cell combs in the nest was 1:1. The workers reared in small-cell combs were characterized by higher antioxidant activities in the hemolymph than those reared in standard-cell combs. Consequently, their hemolymph had a greater antioxidant capacity, which indicates that they may be better predisposed to be foragers than workers reared in standard-cell combs. To describe the physiological differences between worker bees reared in small- and standard-cell combs in the same colony, the role of the considerable variation in the cell width in natural combs built without the use of artificially produced wax foundation is worth elucidating. The comparison of the apiary and cage experiments indicated that changes in antioxidant activities predominantly result from worker activities, especially those requiring the intensification of metabolism, rather than the age of the worker bees. To reduce the impact on the results of random environmental factors potentially present in one-season studies of honeybee research, investigations should preferably be carried out over a few consecutive years.


Ideal cylindrical radiation transformers and concentrators are examined in both asymmetrical and symmetrical forms. Symmetrical ideal transformers are found to give the lowest peak concentration for a given angle of acceptance. Average concentration for uniform diffuse radiation or a distant point source of constant apparent angular velocity is found to be independent of the symmetry of the transformer; for an apparently accelerating source such as the sun, however, an asymmetrical transformer can give higher performance than a symmetrical unit when averaged over time.


According to Global Hazard Assessment Program (GSHAP), the Chittagong division's hill tracts area has the highest hazard. In Chittagong division the maximum peak ground acceleration (PGA) would be 0.24g-0.4g in the northern and southern section. But Bangladesh National Building Code-1993 is specified a maximum PGA of 0.15g for Chittagong and its surrounding area which has been found equivalent to be around 7.5 magnitude. In Chittagong City Corporation area approximately 642.5 km long electrical distribution line is divided into 116 sub-lines called Feeder line which are controlled by 14 substations. This distribution line contain 2,093 transformers and approximately 26,258 P.C.poles to supply electricity of capacity of 5,59,575 kVA to 4,76,956 consumers. This study aimed at developing a model to evaluate seismic vulnerability of electrical distribution line of Chittagong City Corporation area, considering physical, functional, and organizational factors as all are deeply interconnected one to the other. The resulting assessment tool consists of a set of parameters measuring the response capacity of electrical distribution line exposed to earthquakes.


The origin of the material data mining (MDM) field in China can be traced back to Professor Nianyi Chen's pioneering contributions in the 80s of the 20th century. His scientific protégés have inherited his research legacy and been continuously pursuing research in this field. The present article provides an overview on the MDM research conducted by Nianyi Chen's scientific family, by reviewing these achievements of the formation criteria of amorphous phases in ternary fluorides, the discovery of new compounds in molten salt systems, the design of layered double hydroxide with desired specific surface area, and the discovery of perovskite material with desired Curie temperature. These achievements indicate that the MDM is a powerful approach in material discovery and innovation and will play a more important role in the development of Materials Genome Initiative and Materials Informatics.