The effects of sound-wave irradiation were investigated on the decomposition of carbon dioxide in a discharge plasma. Discharge plasma supplies high local energy levels, as charged medium particles, so chemical reactions ungoverned by thermodynamics can occur. However, the discharge space is extremely confined, which restricts the conversion rate. This study investigated the combination of plasma and sound-wave irradiation, which increases the vibration motion of the medium. A streamer was observed to expand into a fan shape on irradiation of sound waves. The expansion of the discharge space was positively correlated with the magnitude of the sound. Accordingly, the effects of sound-wave irradiation on the direct decomposition of carbon dioxide were evaluated. The decomposition rate of carbon dioxide (rCO2) increased with sound pressure at the closed end of the sound tube, and rCO2 at 1.8 kPa approximately increased to approximately twice that for no sound-wave irradiation. This increase in rCO2 resulted from the improvement in the reaction probability due to expansion of the discharge space and increased vibration of the charged particles.


PhD Thesis written by Roser Morante Vallejo at Tilburg University under the supervision of Harry Bunt (Tilburg Univ.). The thesis defence (viva voce) took place before the committee formed by doctors David Traum (Univ. of Southern California), Michael McTear (Univ. of Ulster), Reinhard Muskens (Tilburg Univ.), Einiel Krahmer (Tilburg Univ. ) and Robbert-Jan Beun (Utrecht Univ.) on the 3rd of December 2007.


DNA repair maintains genomic stability and the loss of DNA repair capacity results in genetic instability that may lead to a decline of cellular function. Adult stem cells are extremely important in the long-term maintenance of tissues throughout life. They regenerate and renew tissues in response to damage and replace senescent terminally differentiated cells that no longer function. Oxidative stress, toxic byproducts, reduced mitochondrial function and external exposures all damage DNA through base modification or mis-incorporation and result in DNA damage. As in most cells, this damage may limit the survival of the stem cell population affecting tissue regeneration and even longevity. This review examines the hypothesis that an age-related loss of DNA damage repair pathways poses a significant threat to stem cell survival and longevity. Normal stem cells appear to have strict control of gene expression and DNA replication whereas stem cells with loss of DNA repair may have altered patterns of proliferation, quiescence and differentiation. Furthermore, stem cells with loss of DNA repair may be susceptible to malignant transformation either directly or through the emergence of cancer-prone stem cells. Human diseases and animal models of loss of DNA repair provide longitudinal analysis of DNA repair processes in stem cell populations and may provide links to the physiology of aging.


Present paper provides some preliminary evidences from a research on the innovation of online media in Spain. This research analyzes significant cases of success innovation in spanish media through content analysis, interviews or focus group. The next lines offer an overview of trends about participation in media.


Rehabilitation counselors and supervisors affiliated with a state vocational rehabilitation program were surveyed to assess supervisor practices and satisfaction when providing or receiving supervision. Results indicated general satisfaction with both administrative and clinical supervision provided or received. Although counselors and supervisors were less satisfied with clinical supervision as compared with administrative supervision, they perceived both the degree to which supervisors provide support and encouragement to counselors and the emphasis on promoting counselors' understanding of their clients similarly. Supervision relies on counselor self-report of counseling sessions more so than any other supervisory method. Individual supervision is used almost exclusively and on average lasts 20 min each month. Supervisors tend to adopt a consultant role more than administrator, counselor, evaluator, or teacher roles. Multiple regression analysis indicated that gender, frequency of supervision, and a supervisory consultant role were predictors of satisfaction with clinical supervision. Implications for rehabilitation counseling practice and research are examined.


Cryptococcal meningitis (CM), a fungal disease caused by Cryptococcus spp., is the most common form of meningitis and a leading cause of death among persons with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Detection of cryptococcal antigen, which is present several weeks before overt signs of meningitis develop, provides an opportunity to detect infection early. Screening persons with HIV for cryptococcal infection when they access healthcare can identify asymptomatic infected patients allowing for prompt treatment and prevention of death. A newly developed point-of-care assay for cryptococcal antigen, as well as growing evidence supporting the utility and cost–effectiveness of screening, are further reasons to consider broad implementation of cryptococcal screening in countries with a high burden of cryptococcal disease.


Oval-shaped cornea associated with true lens duplication and separate capsules is a rare anomaly. It can occur as an isolated finding(1,2) or be associated with other ocular and facial maldevelopments.(3-5) We report a novel association of an hourglass cornea, lens duplication, and optic nerve hypoplasia with myelomeningocele in a male infant.


Abstract Chen and Yao (1993) described diverse echinoderm communities from Ordovician through Upper Carboniferous rocks in western Yunnan, China—the first monographic treatment of Chinese echinoderms in almost 70 years. This paper is the first in a series of studies re-describing echinoderm taxa from these biogeographically important Paleozoic assemblages. Pentremites globosus Chen and Yao, 1993 is designated as the type species of Sinorbitremites, a new genus of orbitremitid blastoids. Pentremites ovatus Chen and Yao, 1993 is placed in synonymy with Sinorbitremites globosus (Chen and Yao, 1993). Cryptoschisma conicum has been reassigned to Breimeriblastus, a hyperoblastid blastoid.


Slices are the basic resynchronization units of video sources with Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) coding scheme and the characteristics of slice provide a better understanding of the correlation property of the video source because the autocorrelation function of the slice-layer data separates the interframe (temporal) and the intraframe (spatial) components of correlation. In this paper, we propose th(e correlated stale transition (CST) scheme for the modeling of MPEG video source at slice level. For the proposed CST model, each slice forms its state transition independenlily, however, the state transitions of all slices during irafic simulation are correlated by applying the same random nu.mber. The step size of the state transition of each slice is determined by taking the autocorrelation with one slice lag into consideration in order to maintain the histogram of each slice. The results show that the CST model demonstrates a good performance in capturing Ihe charac2erisiic:s of autocorrelation, which is very important in analyzing network performance, and preserving the behavior of the histogram. Performance of a multiplexer connected with several MPEG video sources are also studied by applying the CST model.


In most algae, NO3- assimilation is tightly controlled and is often inhibited by the presence of NH4+. In the marine, non-colonial, non-diazotrophic cyanobacterium Synechococcus UTEX 2380, NO3- assimilation is sensitive to NH4+ only when N does not limit growth. We sequenced the genome of Synechococcus UTEX 2380, studied the genetic organization of the Nitrogen Assimilation Related (NAR) genes, and investigated expression and kinetics of the main NAR enzymes, under N or light limitation. We found that Synechococcus UTEX 2380 is a β-cyanobacterium with a full complement of N uptake and assimilation genes and NAR regulatory elements. The nitrate reductase (NR) of our strain showed biphasic kinetics, previously observed only in freshwater or soil diazotrophic Synechococcus strains. Nitrite reductase and glutamine synthetase showed little response to our growth treatments, and their activity was usually much higher than that of nitrate reductase. NH4+ insensitivity of NAR genes may be associated with the stimulation of the binding of the regulator NtcA to NAR genes promoters by the high 2-oxoglutarate concentrations produced under N-limitation. NH4+-sensitivity in energy-limited cells fits with the fact that, under these conditions, the use of NH4+ rather than NO3- decreases N-assimilation cost, whereas it would exacerbate N-shortage under N-limitation.


BACKGROUND
CIyptococcal meningitis is an important opportunistic funimgal infection that became very common after the era of HIV infection.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the magnitude of Clyptococcal meningitis and study the clinical pattern among inpatients with HV infection at Gondar Hospital.

METHODS
A descriptive study was done among ELISA confirmed admitted HIV patients. Clinically suspected cases of meningitis underwent lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. The clinical profile and outcomes of the confirmed Cryptococcal meningitis cases were described.

RESULTS
Among 375 HIV serology positive patients 31 were confirmed to have Cryptococcal meningitis. Their median age was 29 years (range 16-64); and 22 were males. The major manifestation at presentation included headache and fever each in 90% malaise (65%), stiffness of the neck (48%), altered Mentation (32%) and nausea and vomiting (32%), photophobia (23%) and seizure (3.6%). Median duration of illness was 16 days; ranging from 1-40 days. Temperature was above 38.4 degreees C in 80%. Meningial signs were observed in 32% altered Mentation was noted in 29% and focal neurologic deficit in 19% Cerebrospinal fluid examination revealed visually increased pressure (measured opening pressure >200 mmH2O in six patients) in 81% glucose < 50 mg/dl (50-70 mg/ dl) in 55% Protein >40 mg/dl (15-40 mg/dl) in 35% leukocytes count < 20/mm3 (poor prognostic sign) in 58% Indian ink staining detected encapsulated yeasts in 71% C. neoformans was cultivated in 90% of sample. Highest case fatality rate of the disease was observed during the pre HAART era.

CONCLUSION
Cryptococcal Meningitis is common among patients with immune-suppression. It could be the initial manifestation of HIV infection and should be suspected in any potential HIV infected patient with neurological symptoms especially headache and fever. As it has highest case fatality rate, early diagnosis and prompt therapy is strongly recommended Better treatment options like boosting their immunity with HAART should also be investigated


The genus Brassica comprises economically important oilseed and vegetable crops. Their susceptibility to fungal diseases such as blackleg causes yield loss. In this study, thirty accessions from USDA germplasm collection representing two diploid Brassica species (Brassica rapa and Brassica oleracea var. virids) and fifteen tetraploid cultivars (Brassica napus) from the national winter canola variety trials (NWCVT) were evaluated using 13 sets of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) associated with blackleg resistance in Brassica nigra. 126 highly polymorphic bands with an average of 10 per primer were detected. A UPGMA dendrogram showed B. rapa as highly diverse and was supported from three different basal branches, while B. napus accessions were generally monophyletic. Similarly, all of B. oleraceae accessions were supported from the same basal node. Generally, the three species were reciprocally paraphyletic, suggesting that the RAPD markers showed both functional relationships as well as homology, possibly due to selection at the RAPD loci associated with blackleg resistance. Consequently, two potentially susceptible B. napus accessions were identified. The high polymorphic information content (PIC) and number of phylogenetically informative bands established RAPD as a useful tool for phylogenetic reconstruction, quantification of genetic diversity for conservation, cultivar classification and molecular breeding in Brassica.


Now a day's transient stability study constitute the major analytical approach to the study of power system electromechanical dynamic behavior. Transient stability study of a power system is required to determine whether the system will remain stable or not after major disturbances such as sudden load changes (induction motors starting), loss of generating units, transmission system faults or line switching. The degree of the system stability is an important factor in the planning of new facilities and interconnection. In this study, a method for online Transient Stability Assessment (TSA) of large scale power systems is proposed.The method namely catastrophe theory is used to determine the transient stability regions. Taylor series expansion is used to find the energy balance equation in terms of clearing time and system transient parameters. The energy function is then put in the form of swallowtail catastrophe manifold from which the bifurcation set is extracted. The bifurcation set represents the transient stability region in terms of the power system transient parameters bounded by the transient stability limits. The transient stability regions determined are valid for any changes in loading conditions and fault location.


Within public mental health services in Australia, community mental health nurses are often the first point of contact for people presenting with mental health problems. Community mental health nurses are responsible for determining appropriate triage and assessing need for treatment. Community mental health staff identified a need to improve skills in assessment and documentation of psychiatric symptoms. This collaborative study sought to develop an educational package, based on Present State Examination-9, for initial assessment, and a reliable file audit tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the education. Twenty initial mental health assessments completed by twenty different community mental health nurses were audited approximately one month prior to, and two months after, attendance at the education programme. The audit indicated that the documentation of assessments improved in all aspects, although the most significant differences were achieved in recording history, mental state and treatment plan. These items were the main items emphasised in the education programme. It is suggested that the Present State Examination-9 provides a useful base for teaching clinicians how to incorporate the documentation of comprehensive and precise information into assessment formats and treatment planning and that the file audit tool, when linked with an assessment format provides a useful way of evaluating self and peer assessment documentation.


Many Web 2.0 applications were intended for social interaction and networking among people. Little research has been conducted on the use of Web 2.0 application in Human Resource Recruitment in Jordan. The recruitment process involves several tasks that needs interaction between the candidate and the recruiter. Our study focus on the use of Web 2.0 Social applications in Human Resource recruitment. Online social networks are among the leading Web 2.0 application that are used by HR professionals in finding the right candidate for the job. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Skype and LinkedIn are the major applications sought by recruiters to gather the needed information. But how effective is this new medium for HR professionals? How did they use the Web 2.0 applications in researching potential candidates? And which application is used most among other social networks. An exploratory study is presented and discussed. The findings based on statistical analysis of information provided by HR professional showed that only a 15% of organizations use the technology. The level of awareness of the true value of the online social network in recruitment was very low.


Among the researches applied to the sustainable production of construction materials there are the incorporation of rejects from the civil construction to clayey masses to make bricks, tiles and other products of structural ceramics. Main objective of this paper is to show the results of these mixtures. Spherical samples had been conformed incorporating 1%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 30% of reject from the civil construction in mass. These samples had been evaluated on compressive strength after dried to 110°C and to color and compressive strength after burns to 950°C. The composition that presented better results had been conformed by extrusion in prismatic samples. Then, the dried to 110°C and burnt to 950°C samples had been evaluated on flexion strength and in linear retraction too. Industrial test was made having produced 1500 ceramic blocks that show similar or better properties of blocks without incorporation. It was measured the ceramic and leaching properties of the blocks. The mixture with 5% of rejects in the clayey mass show the better results in all tests.


Periodogram analysis of unequally spaced time-series, as part of many biological rhythm investigations, is complicated. The mathematical framework is scattered over the literature, and the interpretation of results is often debatable. In this paper, we show that the Lomb-Scargle method is the appropriate tool for periodogram analysis of unequally spaced data. A unique procedure of multiple period searching is derived, facilitating the assessment of the various rhythms that may be present in a time-series. All relevant mathematical and statistical aspects are considered in detail, and much attention is given to the correct interpretation of results. The use of the procedure is illustrated by examples, and problems that may be encountered are discussed. It is argued that, when following the procedure of multiple period searching, we can even benefit from the unequal spacing of a time-series in biological rhythm research.


UNLABELLED
Naturally occurring exposure to pollen allergens causes symptoms of allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma in susceptible individuals. It is, however, unknown why some subjects develop only an allergic rhinitis while others develop asthma as well. The aim of this study was to investigate the difference of immunological parameters in patients with pollen-induced seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and asthma and to determine the risk factors for pollinosis with asthma. We evaluated the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, sensitisation pattern to tree-, grass- and weed-pollen and perennial inhalant allergens according to skin prick tests, allergic inflammation parameters (blood and nasal eosinophil count, serum IgE, eosinophil cationic protein levels) in and out of the pollinosis season. Logistic regression analysis was used to rate the effect of covariates on risk for pollinosis and asthma. One hundred and one patients (52 men and 49 women) aged 16-63 years (median 24 yrs.) with pollinosis symptoms were investigated. All patients suffered from moderate-severe seasonal allergic rhinitis, 96% from concomitant allergic conjunctivitis, 23.8% had seasonal asthma. The significant clinical and demographic risk factors for pollinosis with asthma were smoking (OR=15.4, p=0.003) and pollinosis season lasting more than 14 weeks (OR=5.6, p=0.02). The patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis alone were significantly more frequently sensitized to orchard grass (p=0.005), ragweed (p=0.02), lamb's quarter (p=0.05) allergens. During the season the blood eosinophil count raised in all patients (p<0.01). It was shown statistically that there were no differences between groups in blood and nasal eosinophil count, serum eosinophil cationic protein level. The patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and asthma had higher levels of serum IgE during the season (p=0.05) and out of it (p=0.01). More than two times elevated serum IgE in acute and symptom-free period of pollinosis was considered as a significant risk factor for pollinosis with asthma (OR=3.5, p=0.04 and OR=3.4, p=0.03).

CONCLUSIONS
Pollinosis presented with seasonal asthma in 23.8% of cases. Our data indicate that patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and asthma differ from the patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis alone according to higher serum IgE levels. Prolonged pollinosis season, smoking and high IgE levels increase the risk for seasonal asthma in pollen-induced allergic rhinitis subjects.


Author(s): Lee, Tzu-Cheng | Advisor(s): Seo, Youngho | Abstract: Studies have shown that hypertension is associated with abnormalities of calcium metabolism, and it may lead to increase the risk of fractures and osteoporosis. However, several recent clinical findings in the past decade revealed an inverse correlation between bone mineral density (BMD) and hypertension in large cohorts of old male subjects. In this report, we further investigated whether this positive correlation between bone loss and hypertension could be also observed in animal models of hypertension. The use of animal models (Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats, SHR) can lead us to a better understanding of the correlation without other confounding factors. We used high-resolution micro-computed tomography to investigate the BMD and bone structure differences in the tibial and vertebral regions of two-year-old male SHRs in comparison to those in normotensive rats (Wistar-Kyoto, WKY). Moreover, we also applied the finite element analysis (FEA) and the bone biomarker test to further examine whether there are significant differences between these two groups. Surprisingly, almost all bone quality indices of the tibial region showed significant statistical differences (pl0.01) between the SHR and the WKY. In the tibial metaphysis part, the SHR group showed significant increase in the bone fraction (BV/TV, 29.5%), bone number (Tb.N, 31.4%), connectivity density of bones (Conn.D, 138%), and decrease in the bone separation (Tb.Sp, -27.9%), cortical thickness (Ct.Th, -18.2%), cortical bone density (Ct.TMD, -1.9%), and structure model index (SMI, -21.6). In addition, the 2-dimensional histomorphometric scan on the tibial diaphysis region also showed that the bone quality is better in SHR than WKY rats. On the contrary, SHRs significantly lost concentrations of two bone formation markers (Vitamin D25H and P1NP), and had elevated S-CTX concentrations (a bone resorption marker) compared to WKYs. In this reports we revealed that even the loss of bone mass continued happening in old-male SHRs, through the changes of bone microarchitectures, the bone quality was getting better at the same time.


Layer-by-layer manufacturing of composite mechanisms allows fast and cost-effective fabrication of customized robots in millimeter and centimeter scales which is promising for research fields that rely on frequent and numerous physical iterations. Due to the limited number of components that can be directly integrated in composite structures, however, often an assembly step is necessary which diminishes the benefits of this manufacturing method. Inspired by the Japanese craft of cutting (kiri-) paper (-gami), Kirigami, we introduce quasi-2D and highly stretchable functional Kirigami layers for direct integration into the composite mechanisms. Depending on the material and geometrical design; functional Kirigami layers can perform as flat springs, stretchable electronics, sensors or actuators. These components will facilitate the design and manufacturing of composite robots for different applications. To illustrate the effectiveness of these components, we designed and realized a foldable composite inchworm robot with three Kirigami layers serving as actuator, sensor and contact pad with directional friction. We elaborate on the working principle of each layer and report on their combined performance in the robot.


Abstract A theory of lee cyclogenesis is proposed, based on a linearized model of baroclinic wave generation by mountains in the presence of a background shear. The theory predicts that lee cyclogenesis will occur when the criterion for the existence of standing baroclinic lee waves is satisfied in the environment. For an infinite ridge, this requires that the component of wind across the ridge must reverse with height. The time scale for cyclone development, and the meaning of the ambiguous term "lee" are clarified by examining the group velocity of the baroclinic waves. Time dependent three-dimensional solutions are discussed along with their application to Alpine Ice cyclogenesis.


Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows (VRPTW) is a well known NP hard combinatorial scheduling optimization problem in which minimum number of routes have to be determined to serve all the customers within their specified time windows. Different analytic and heuristic approaches have been tried to solve such problems. In this paper we propose a two phase method which utilizes Genetic algorithms as well as random search incorporating simulated annealing concepts to solve VRPTW problem in various scenarios.


Emotions are key to conflict resolution: to resolve conflict situations assertively, we must be able to manage the emotions that cause them. After a detailed analysis of the relevant theoretical framework, this paper presents a theoretical emotion management model aimed at assertive conflict resolution. The model, which is described step by step, has been transformed into an interactive program for students, implemented, and assessed in a population aged 8–16 years. The model is divided into four steps or phases. The first is emotional awareness, which consists of understanding and legitimating emotions; the second focuses on reducing emotional intensity and impulsivity; the third encompasses the use of different emotion regulation strategies; and the fourth and final step is assertive communication. Training in this process results in better emotion management, which eventually leads to greater wellbeing and a more positive assessment of new conflicts and aids in the assertive resolution thereof. The final section of the paper summarizes the most important evidence and outcomes of the use of the Happy software so far.


We consider the projection problem for linear spaces and operators over dioids such as the (max, +) semiring. We give existence and uniqueness conditions for the projection onto the image of an operator, parallel to the kernel of another one, together with an explicit formula for the projector. The theory is not limited to linear operators: the result holds more generally for residuated operators over complete dioids. Illustrative examples are provided.


This paper describes how public transportation of disabled persons by taxicab was unheard of a few years ago in the Province of Quebec because taxicab drivers were avoiding them. However, in 1982 the situation changed. The Transport Adapted du Quebec Metro Inc., (T.A.Q.M.) a subsidiary of the Quebec City Transit Commission, introduced the use of taxicabs for providing transportation for the disabled. The introduction of taxicabs resulted in improvements of both services and costs and include: (1) an increased number of vehicles available; (2) the advanced reservation notice was reduced from twenty-four hours to eight hours; (3) the passenger's average travel time was reduced; (4) important hour changes imposed to the user were minimized; (5) transportation impossibilities were brought down to zero for the past years; (6) the user is traveling throughout the city with greater ease; and (7) the dispatchers benefit from improved flexibility in assisting trips.


Ten adolescent patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (12 feet) were evaluated an average of 7 years, 7 months following triple arthrodesis (TA) for the treatment of cavovarus deformity. The TA was the primary or index bone procedure. At follow-up, five feet were plantigrade, asymptomatic, and radiographically fused at all three joints. Three feet were plantigrade and asymptomatic, but two had talonavicular pseudarthrosis and one had calcaneocuboid pseudarthrosis. Three feet were radiographically fused at all three joints, but in nonplantigrade positions and symptomatic. One foot required a revision TA. In general, TA offers adolescent Charcot-Marie-Tooth patients a stable plantigrade foot in the face of a progressive disorder. The residual deformity, revision, and pseudarthrosis rates are similar to those for adults. Postoperative pain was related to a nonplantigrade foot and not to the presence of pseudarthrosis. It is not known whether a nonplantigrade foot was a result of incomplete surgical correction or recurrent deformity due to progressive muscle imbalance.


Electromagnetic propagation at normal incidence through a multilayer medium is a problem which has already been solved in optics. We use here the same approach to find the equivalent circuit of a transformer. Using complete Maxwell's equations, a fully equivalent electrical circuit is associated to any layer. Then, for three materials (conductor, insulator, ferrite), a lumped element circuit is designed as a low to medium frequency approximation. Finally, linking altogether these circuits, leads (for a two-winding transformer) to a recently proposed equivalent circuit.


To understand mechanisms of protein-protein interactions, we have used rigid-body docking algorithm generating many protein complexes, called decoys. This docking method is popular and useful but with some serious cases of no near-native decoys (NN-decoys). We developed Re-docking scheme, iterating rigid-body docking for generating NN-decoys using Interaction FingerPrints (IFPs). By this scheme, after re-docking process in each interfaces, we could obtain more NN-decoys. To predict interaction surfaces with NN-decoys, we investigated several parameters of interaction surfaces. In this work, we analyzed interaction surfaces of decoys by IFPs, and will discuss interaction surfaces generating more near-native decoys by re-docking process.


Mechanical face seal installed in primary heat transport pump used for heavy water reactor prevents leakage of working fluid using thin working fluid film between primary seal ring and mating ring. If the leakage of working fluid exceeds the allowable volume, serious accident can be happened by the trouble of primary heat transport pump. The thinner fluid film exists between primary seal ring and mating ring, the less working fluid leaks out. On the other hand, if the thickness of fluid film is not enough, the life of mechanical face seal will be reduced by friction and wear. Therefore appropriate design is necessary to maximize the performance and life of mechanical face seal. In this study, numerical analysis using finite volume method was conducted to investigate the performance of mechanical face seals which have same deep straight groove and 11 different net coning values. As results, equilibrium clearance between primary seal ring and mating ring, leakage volume of working fluid, friction torque on sealing surface and stiffness of working fluid film were obtained. With increasing net coning value, equilibrium clearance and leakage volume increase, and friction torque and stiffness of fluid film decrease.


The research aims to determine the types of plants food sources available and used by communities in Tembawang forest Nanga Sayan subdistrict  Melawi District. The benefits of this research can provide information about food sources and utilization of plant communities that exist around the village of Nanga Kompi, as well as the basis for management and development of the region by the agencies involved in the protection, conservation and utilization of plant food resources in the future. This study uses snowball sampling technique or performed in sequence by asking for information on people who have been interviewed or contacted prior to interview, observation, and literature study. Based on the results of the study found as many as 92 plants classified to 45 famili. Most is family Arecaceae and Anacardiaceae 6 species (6.52%). Parts used are part of the fruit that is as much as 67 species (72.83%). How to use it by way of direct consumption 41 species (45%), processing methods with cooked 35 species (38%), the most widely used is derived from the group of fruits that 52 species (56.52%), vegetables 38 species (41.30%), as much as 55 species (59.78%) is a wild plant. Keywords : food plants, Nanga Kompi village, tembawang forest


In the article are analysed paradigms of Kremlin's propaganda, used against the Baltic States and Ukraine. The research was made in a context of information warfare Russia implement against countries of the post-soviet area. The analysis of paradigms allows spotlight models of basic propaganda's narratives – the matrix of propaganda. On the final stage of the research different matrix was compared. The main conclusion is that Kremlin uses similar strategies of propaganda against the Baltic States and Ukraine. In fact, first Kremlin's propaganda matrix was formed after the collapse of Soviet Union and was used against Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Later comparable narratives were implemented against Ukraine (in the most powerful way during Maidan events and annexation of Crimea in 2014).


Detection of residual structure in denatured proteins is of interest because fleetingly structured regions may be initiation points of the folding pathway. Residual structure in this context is not the definition of one stable conformation but a population phenomenon. Acid, thermal and solvent-denatured states have recently been examined by NMR spectroscopy, but cold-denatured states have not been characterised to date. Cold denaturation is a general phenomenon of globular proteins, which provides a convenient route for studying early events in protein folding: such states can be induced to fold and be monitored on a submillisecond time scale by temperature-jump methods. Here, we use NMR spectroscopy to define residual structure in cold-denatured barstar. The cold-denatured state becomes significantly populated in the presence of increasing concentrations of urea and lower temperature. In the presence of 3 M urea, the double mutant of barstar in which Cys40 and Cys82 are both mutated to Ala (C40/82A) is completely and reversibly denatured at 278 K, a temperature that is accessible to NMR experiments. This cold-denatured state of barstar was assigned by heteronuclear NMR experiments and structural parameters such as NOE, coupling constants and chemical shifts were derived. Based on the excellent dispersion in a HSQC-NOESY-HSQC experiment, dNN(i,i+1) NOEs were observed for almost all residues. This allowed us to normalise NOE intensities as the NOE: diagonal ratio dNN(i,i+1) NOE (sigma NN) and the NOE ratio of d(alpha N(i+1,i+1)):d(alpha N(i,i+1)) (sigma N alpha/sigma alpha N). This approach reveals residual structure populating the alpha-region of the (phi, psi) conformational space in the regions corresponding to the first and the second helices and near the end of the second beta-strand of native barstar, whereas the C-terminal region that corresponds to the fourth helix and the third beta-strand is in a random coil conformation. The results suggest that the first and the second helices are potential initiation sites for the folding of barstar. The details presented here provide the starting point for the study of rapid folding of cold-denatured barstar.


Who are the high-technology entrepreneurs: superheroes or jack-of-all-trades? Is there a new generation of young entrepreneurs who "think different" and use new and unexpected perspectives to imagine their business, products and mission? This paper presents some empirical evidences emerging from a multiple case study composed by 20 Italian technology intensive firms. After a review of the high-technology entrepreneur topic, some typologies of the Italian high-tech entrepreneurs are analyzed and finally an elementary classification is proposed in order to clarify the difference between "old" and "new way" entrepreneurship. New trends, behaviours, strategies and business models are explored in order to contribute to the academic debate and the practical knowledge about high-technology entrepreneurship. The last section of the paper suggests a future research agenda.


We motivate and present Ring loss, a simple and elegant feature normalization approach for deep networks designed to augment standard loss functions such as Softmax. We argue that deep feature normalization is an important aspect of supervised classification problems where we require the model to represent each class in a multi-class problem equally well. The direct approach to feature normalization through the hard normalization operation results in a non-convex formulation. Instead, Ring loss applies soft normalization, where it gradually learns to constrain the norm to the scaled unit circle while preserving convexity leading to more robust features. We apply Ring loss to large-scale face recognition problems and present results on LFW, the challenging protocols of IJB-A Janus, Janus CS3 (a superset of IJB-A Janus), Celebrity Frontal-Profile (CFP) and MegaFace with 1 million distractors. Ring loss outperforms strong baselines, matches state-of-the-art performance on IJB-A Janus and outperforms all other results on the challenging Janus CS3 thereby achieving state-of-the-art. We also outperform strong baselines in handling extremely low resolution face matching.


This paper presents the design and the implementation of the new high performance biomedical data center of the Decrypthon computing grid which provides a strong potential for calculation and storage to high trhoughput biological applications and projects. In order to efficiently share the biological data required by the application, the Decrypthon data center is integrated in the computing grid to provide local databases of nucleotide, genomic and proteomic sequences. In addition, the access to methods for heterogeneous and distributeddata, and treatment of joint queries, analysis and visualization are provided. A new system of data integration, called BIRD (for Biological Integration and Retrieval of Data), considered as the core of the Decrypthon data center, was developed to locally integrate very large genomic, proteomic and transcriptomic datasets. BIRD also provides an engine and a high level query language allowing the biologist to extract pertinent information.


GNAS1 codes for a part of the a-stimulatory subunit (Gsa) of the G protein. Mutation of GNAS1 has been frequently found in myxoid soft tissues, however, in gastrointestinal tumors, little is known about the mutation status of GNAS1. The aim of the study was to analyze the occurrence of GNAS1 mutations indifferent gastrointestinal, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) and colorectal tumors. Mutation status of GNAS1 exon 8 was analyzed in one hundred thirty-five formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) gastrointestinal tumor samples including 45 tubular-villous adenomas, 11 tubular adenomas, 6 villousadenomas, 10 hyperplastic gastric polyps, 31 GEP-NETs and 32 colorectal adenocarcinomas by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing. Five GNAS1 mutations were found in 2 tubular-villous adenomas, 2 villous adenomas and 1 colorectal adenocarcinoma. No mutations were detected in the tubular adenomas, the hyperplastic gastric polyps or GEP-NETs. GNAS1 mutation is not a frequent molecular event in GEP-NETs or hyperplastic gastric polyps. The study confirms the presence of GNAS1 mutations in colon tumors with villous differentiation.


A survey of the major techniques used in the design of microwave filters is presented in this paper. It is shown that the basis for much fundamental microwave filter theory lies in the realm of lumped-element filters, which indeed are actually used directly for many applications at microwave frequencies as high as 18 GHz. Many types of microwave filters are discussed with the object of pointing out the most useful references, especially for a newcomer to the field.


Polymers containing ethylene oxide (EO) groups have gained significant interest as the EO groups have favorable interactions with polar molecules such as H2 O, quadrupolar molecules such as CO2 , and metal ions. However, the main challenges of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) membranes are their weak mechanical properties and high crystallinity nature. The amphiphilic copolymer made from PEO terephthalate and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PEOT/PBT) comprises both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments. The hydrophilic PEOT segment is thermosensitive, which facilities gas transports whereas the hydrophobic PBT segment is rigid, which provides mechanical robustness. This work demonstrates a new strategy to design amphiphilic mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) by incorporating zeolitic imidazolate framework, ZIF-71, into the PEOT/PBT copolymer. The resultant membrane shows an enhanced CO2 permeability with an ideal CO2 /N2 selectivity surpassing the original PEOT/PBT and Robeson's Upper bound line. The nanoparticles-embedded amphiphilic membranes exhibit characteristics of high transparency and mechanical robustness. Mechanically strong composite hollow fiber membranes consisting of PEOT/PBT/ZIF-71 as the selective layer were also prepared. The resultant hollow fibers possess an excellent CO2 permeance of 131 GPU (gas permeation units), CO2 /N2 selectivity of 52.6, H2 O permeance of 9300 GPU and H2 O/N2 selectivity of 3700, showing great potential for industrial CO2 capture and dehumidification.


A new bi-level programming model of multistage transmission network expansion planning (TNEP) based on double-bidding based pool electricity market is presented in the paper. Open access transmission brings new challenges to transmission planning. From the transmission company's view, the goal of optimal transmission planning scheme should not only bring the optimal transmission profit in the market, but also ensure high operation security and reliability. In this paper, the upper level program considers transmission profit maximization in long-term planning, the lower level program considers the social welfare maximization in short-term operation. Furthermore N-1 security constraints are also considered in the model. A hybrid algorithm integrated with niche genetic algorithm and prime-dual interior method is used to solve the bi-level programming model of the transmission network expansion planning. Test results of the 18-bus system and real world 77-bus system show feasibility and right of the method.


PURPOSE
To compare the remineralization potential of Clinpro Tooth Crème (CTC C, 3M Oral Care) containing functionalized tricalcium phosphate (fTCP), Tooth Mousse (TM, GC) containing casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP), and Tooth Mousse Plus (TMP, GC) containing casein phosphopeptide amorphous calcium phosphate with fluoride (CPP-ACPF) and their effects on the shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets to enamel.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In Part I of the study, 51 premolars were divided into 3 groups: 1: fTCP; 2: CPP-ACP; 3: CPP-ACPF. Artificial carious lesions were created and immersed in remineralizing solution for 30 days. Specimens were evaluated using Knoop microhardness and transverse microradiography. The percentage of surface hardness recovery (%SHR), change in lesion depth (∆LD), and mineral loss (∆∆Z) were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. In Part II of the study, 80 premolars were divided into 5 groups: A: brackets bonded to sound enamel; B: brackets bonded to demineralized enamel (DE); C-E: demineralized enamel immersed in remineralizing solution containing fTCP (group C), CPP-ACP (group D), or CPP-ACPF (group E) before bracket bonding. The SBS of half of the specimens were tested immediately, while the other half were tested after thermocycling. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA.

RESULTS
TMP showed significantly higher %SHR, ∆LD and ∆∆Z compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). Both control and TMP had the highest SBSs and demineralized enamel the lowest, irrespective of thermocycling. No significant difference in SBS was found between TM and TMP after thermocycling.

CONCLUSIONS
Tooth Mousse Plus achieved significant remineralization of artificial enamel carious lesions without adverse effect on shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets to remineralized enamel.


This study aimed to investigate effects of restricted calcium intake on cortical and trabecular bone density in white rats. Low Ca diet was fed for six weeks, and bone density and bone metabolism parameters were assessed in blood. This study was carried out on 12 male white rats aged 12 weeks (Sprague-Dawley; SD). These rats were bred for 1 week and randomly assigned to the standard calcium diet group (SCa group, n = 6) and the low calcium diet group (LCa group; n = 6). The SCa group was given a modified AIN-93M mineral mix (with 0.5% Ca), which was made by adding calcium to a standard AIN93 diet, and the LCa Group was fed a modified AIN-93 Mineral mix (with 0.1% Ca). Femoral BMD and BMC were measured by DEXA in each rat. After trabecular bone was separated from cortical bone, volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) was measured using pQCT. Serum Ca and P levels were measured as parameters of bone metabolism, and S-ALP, S-TrACP and-Dpd levels were also measured. The results revealed no significant differences in weight, growth rate, feed consumption and feed efficiency between the two groups before and after calcium-restricted diet (p > .05). No significant differences were also observed in bone length and bone mass between the two groups (p > .05). Although bilateral femoral BMDs were not significantly different between the two groups, bilateral femoral BMCs significantly decreased in the LCa group, compared with the SCa group (p = .023, p = .047). Bilateral cortical MDs were not significantly different between the two groups, either. However, trabecular BMD significantly decreased in the LCa group, compared with the SCa group (p = .041). U-Dpd and S-TrACP levels significantly declined in the LCa group, compared to the SCa group (p = .039, p = .010). There were no significant differences in serum Ca and P levels between the two groups (p > .05). However, a significant decrease in urinary Ca level (p = .001) and a significant increase in urinary P (p = .001) were observed in the LCa group, compared to the Sca group. These findings described that six-week low calcium diet led to decreased trabecular bone density, reduced urinary excretion of Ca and increased urinary excretion of P. As a result, Ca hemeostasis can be maintained.


Two approaches for the evaluation of the relative degree of global DNA methylation through the quantification of 2′ deoxynucleosides are described. Detection and quantification of 5-methyl 2′-deoxycytidine in genomic DNA is performed using both high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) with UV–Vis detection or liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometric detection (LC-ESI/MS). Treatment of genomic DNA with a ribonuclease and generation of nucleosides through enzymatic hydrolysis notably increases the specificity of both techniques. Both approaches have been demonstrated to be highly specific and sensitive, being useful for the rapid quantification of the degree of global DNA methylation and its exploitation for the analysis of poorly purified and/or concentrated DNA samples, such as tumor biopsies.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Angiogenesis plays an important role in the tumor growth and metastasis by facilitating increased blood supply and thus fueling unwanted growth factors and nutrients to the growing tumor. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is recognized as a multifunctional angiogenic stimulator that stimulates blood vessel formation and endothelial cell survival. Recent therapeutic trials with anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab (Avastin), although produced beneficial effects on some cancers including colorectal and lung cancers, had very limited beneficial outcome in breast cancer. The diverse response of avastin raised questions about the efficacy of anti-VEGF antibody approach for breast cancer therapy. Despite the disappointing outcome, it cannot be ignored that regulation of angiogenesis plays a critical role in breast cancer. We hypothesized that angiogenesis may be better controlled by blocking the synthesis of VEGF protein as opposed to the present approach that attempts to block the functions of VEGF by using antibodies. Induction of VEGF by a plethora of physiological and environmental stimuli strongly suggests the presence of multiple routes of VEGF synthesis, which are incompletely understood. We present evidence for a novel mode of transcriptional induction of VEGF, regulated by an inflammation-responsive transcription factor, SAF-1. Incidentally, inflammatory breast cancer exhibits increased angiogenesis and has a higher metastatic potential than noninflammatory breast cancer, supporting the notion that chronic inflammation plays a strong role in angiogenesis and in the progression of cancer. SAF-1 is present in high abundance in human breast cancer tissues. We show that inhibition of endogenous SAF-1 by antisense shRNA can markedly inhibit VEGF expression and block cancer cell-supported vascular endothelial cell function and angiogenesis. Furthermore, SAF-1 inhibition by shRNA reduces tumor growth in mouse tumor model. We provide evidence that SAF-1-mediated induction of VEGF remains suppressed by KLF-4 transcription factor which is abundantly present in normal breast epithelial cells but absent in breast cancer cells. Mutually exclusive interaction of KLF-4 and SAF-1 at the VEGF promoter provides a mechanism for regulation of low-expression of VEGF in normal breast tissues. In correlation, lack of KLF-4 in breast cancer cells appears to be linked to un-restricted interaction of SAF-1 leading to the induction of VEGF expression. Together, our studies provide a new insight into the molecular mechanisms of VEGF expression regulated by SAF-1 and its impact in angiogenesis.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5278. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5278


Sustainable increases in water productivity and water use efficiency at different levels can be achieved by optimizing water uses that are suitable for local farmers, especially those who own small‐scale farms. There has been continuous land fragmentation mainly due to land inheritance over generations. A historical assessment of land fragmentation (1994–2013) was evaluated in relation to water management such as pump operation hours. In the Nile Delta, 90% of farm areas are less than 2.1 ha and 59% of these are small‐scale areas, ≤0.42 ha. Those small‐scale farmers decide on crop patterns and are mainly dependent on the rice crop, which yields the highest net profit income. As a result of land fragmentation, the total number of irrigation events in 2013 was higher than in 2006 and is higher than the number of irrigation events of 1994. Therefore, the total water applied for irrigating crops in 2013 was higher than 2006 (+10.5%) and 1994 (+12.6%). Currently, farmers tend to irrigate their fields for longer periods due to land fragmentation. It is suggested that irrigation improvement as well as a farm contracting system could be the best countermeasures to mitigate the impact of land fragmentation and decrease water losses. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Social Network Analysis (SNA) involves the study of the structure and composition of networks that, in turn, is useful for understanding the implications of patterns and relationships among social entities. The focus of SNA is based on relationships within a network rather than the influence and characteristics of individuals within a network. Four key features of SNA are the structure of the social ties, systematic data, graphic representation, and mathematical or computational models. Examples of network structures and graphic representations are provided. This article provides an overview of SNA; it looks at some studies of SNA with indigenous and minority groups; it explores the use of social networks within a Kaupapa Māori analysis; and gives preliminary consideration as to whether SNA may be useful as a method for analysing social networks with Māori collectives. The article also raises considerations for future research using SNA such as who benefits from the knowledge that analysing Māori social networks brings about; what is the use of internet among Māori and to what extent do Māori use internet-based social networking tools; and will SNA enhance our ability to anticipate, understand and explain the relationship between social networks and whānau ora (wellbeing).


Despite the intensive studies for decades, it is still not well understood how qualitatively different magnetic behaviors can occur in a narrow composition range for the Fe-rich Fe-transition metal (TM) amorphous alloys. In this study of amorphous $\mathrm{F}{\mathrm{e}}_{100\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{Z}{\mathrm{r}}_{x}$ ($x=7$, 9, 12) metallic glasses, normal ferromagnetism (FM) is found at 12 % Zr where only the FM-paramagnetic (PM) transition is observed at the Curie temperature, ${T}_{C}$. In contrast, spin-glass (SG)-PM transition at a temperature, ${T}_{g}$, called SG temperature, is only observed at 7 % Zr, while in the transient re-entrant composition range $(x=8\ensuremath{-}11)$, an SG-FM transition at a temperature, ${T}_{f}$, called spin-freezing temperature, is also observed at low temperature besides the normal FM-PM transition at ${T}_{C}$. In order to understand this unusual behavior, a detailed characterization of pressure (atomic volume), composition, and temperature dependence of the magnetic properties is coupled with high pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction determination of the pressure dependence of the atomic volume. The results on $\mathrm{F}{\mathrm{e}}_{100\ensuremath{-}x}\mathrm{Z}{\mathrm{r}}_{x}$ ($x=7$, 9, 12) are compared to those obtained for the FM $\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{o}}_{91}\mathrm{Z}{\mathrm{r}}_{9}$ metallic glass not showing any kind of anomalous magnetic properties. It is confirmed that the unusual behavior is caused by a granularlike magnetic structure where weakly coupled magnetic clusters are embedded into a FM bulk matrix. Since the mechanism of the magnetization reversal was found to be of the curling type rather than homogeneous rotation, the energy barrier determining the blocking temperature of the clusters is calculated as AR, where A is the exchange constant and R is the cluster size, in contrast to the usual characterization of the energy barrier by KV where K is the anisotropy energy and V is the cluster volume. The volume fraction of the FM part is a fast changing function of the bulk composition: Almost 100% FM fraction is found at 12 % of Zr while no trace of real FM is observed at 7 at % Zr. The driving force of this surprising magnetic character is the atomic volume: The lower the Zr content, the higher is the fraction of Fe atoms with compressed atomic volume having low magnetic moment. The percolation of their network separates the clusters from the FM bulk. The complex magnetic behavior of the Fe-rich Fe-Zr amorphous system at low temperatures can thus be interpreted with the only assumption of a cluster-size distribution and a weak coupling of the clusters to the FM matrix. The introduction of this coupling is able to explain the opposite pressure dependence of ${T}_{g}$ and ${T}_{f}$. The threshold atomic volume in the low magnetic moment regions is found to be comparable to the atomic volume characteristic to the low-spin limit of the face-centered-cubic Fe alloys. The extensive literature results on the anomalous magnetism for various Fe-rich Fe-TM amorphous alloys and especially for the Fe-rich Fe-Zr glassy system are also found to be in agreement with this granular magnetic behavior.


Author(s): Nguyen, Phi-Khanh | Abstract: The global trend towards energy efficiency and environmental sustainability has generated a strong demand for clean energy technologies. Among the many energy solutions, the work in this dissertation contributes to two strategic goals: the reduction of fuel consumption in the transportation sector, and the increase of domestic wind power capacity. The key barriers to achieving these goals are materials challenges. Automobiles can be made more efficient by thermoelectric conversion of waste heat from the engine into electricity that can be used to power electrical components in the vehicle. Vehicles can forego petroleum fuel altogether by using electric or hybrid motors. Unfortunately, the conversion efficiency of current thermoelectric technology is too low to be considered economically feasible, and the permanent magnets used in electric vehicle motors and wind turbine generators require critical rare-earth elements that are economically unstable (often referred to as the "rare- earth crisis"). In order to combat these challenges, a "spark erosion" technique was utilized for producing nanoparticles that improve thermoelectric efficiency and contribute to the development of electromotors that do not require rare-earths. In Chapter 2 of this dissertation, I describe the utilization of spark erosion for producing high-quality thermoelectric nanoparticles at a remarkably high rate and with enhanced thermoelectric properties. The technique was employed to synthesize p-type bismuth- antimony telluride (BST) and n-type skutterudite nanoparticles, using a relatively small laboratory apparatus, with low energy consumption. The compacted BST nanocomposite samples made from these nanoparticles exhibit a well-defined, 20 - 50 nm size nanograin microstructure, and show an enhanced Figure of merit, ZT, of 1.36 at 360 K due to a reduction in lattice thermal conductivity. The skutterudite nanocomposites also show reduced thermal conductivity but still require enhancement in the thermoelectric power factor. Such a technique is essential for providing inexpensive, oxidation-free nanoparticles required for fabricating high performance thermoelectric devices for power generation from waste heat, and for refrigeration. We have investigated the spark erosion of MnBi, a promising rare-earth-free permanent magnet, and have determined that spark erosion provides the best approach for producing MnBi particles. The low-temperature phase of MnBi (LTP-MnBi) is an attractive rare-earth free permanent magnet material due it its high uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy, which produces an unusually high coercivity at the elevated temperatures required for motor and generators. However, due to the peritectic Mn-Bi phase diagram and the slow interdiffusion of Mn and Bi below the 350°C phase change temperature, bulk samples of LTP-MnBi with high saturation magnetization (MS) have been difficult to achieve. In Chapter 3, we describe the successful formation of high- purity bulk LTP-MnBi ingots and spark erosion of this material to produce single-domain particles of MnBi at an unprecedented rate. The bulk ingots have MS g 90 wt % of LTP-MnBi, and are formed by chill-casting and by vacuum- annealing of arc-melted ingots. The as-prepared powder then consists of amorphous, crystalline, and superparamagnetic particles, mostly as porous aggregates. The major fraction of the powder consists of 20-30 nm particles. A short anneal crystallizes the amorphous particles producing a high moment, albeit with HC of only a few kOe. If lightly milled, the agglomerates are broken up and yield an HC of 1 T and a maximum energy product of 3.0 MGOe. The particles can be further engineered through milling, annealing, and/or solution processing in order to produce unique properties that hold promise to achieving the first bulk permanent magnet that utilizes the exc


In the Peripheral Vascular Clinic of the Massachusetts General Hospital in the ten year period from Jan. 1, 1929, to Jan. 1, 1939, there have been 530 patients with sufficiently advanced arterial obliterative disease to require admission to the hospital. Of that number 204 have had single major amputations and fifty-eight have had bilateral amputations. My paper is based on this material. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS The treatment of this trying condition should be concerned primarily with those measures which, with reasonable safety to the patient, hold out the greatest hope of painless independence consistent with the known prognosis of the disease and the age of the patient. It must be remembered that the peripheral lesion is but one manifestation of a generalized progressive process and that a protracted hospital stay to save a potentially useless extremity is neither a kindness to the patient nor an intelligent utilization of the beds of


The present work deals with the equilibrium adsorption of Hg(II) onto carbonized Rosmarinus officinalis leaves (ACROL) as a new adsorbent from aqueous solution and it has been investigated. ACROL samples were prepared by physical carbonization at 773 K for 1 h. Titration method was used to determine the concentration of Hg(II) before and after adsorption onto ACROL by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, EDTA, as chelating agent. Batch equilibrium studies were carried out under different experimental conditions such as Hg(II) concentration and temperature. The relationship between the amount of Hg(II) onto ACROL can be described using four tow-parameter isotherm models. The equilibrium sorption data were analyzed using Freundlich, Langmuir, Dubinin-Radushkevich (DRK) and Temkin isotherms. The experimental results were found to fit the Langmuir isotherm model with a monolayer adsorption capacity of 588.2 mg/g at 318 K, while they were found to fit the Freundlich isotherm model at 298 K. The KL was decreased with increasing temperature, indicating a bond strength between Hg(II) and ACROL decreased with increasing temperature and sorption is exothermic. From DRK isotherm, free energy, E, was higher than 31 kJ/mol suggesting the Hg(II) adsorption onto ACROL chemical sorption. The thermodynamic studies revealed that the process is spontaneous nature of Hg(II) adsorption by ACROL and exothermic. The findings from this research show that ACROL has capability to remove Hg(II) from aqueous solutions.


Plasticity of synaptic transmission between parallel fiber (PF) and Purkinje neurons (PNs) is widely accepted as a cellular model for certain forms of cerebellar learning. Whereas the signaling cascades involved in postsynaptically expressed bidirectional long-term changes at PF–PN synapses are well investigated, data on presynaptically expressed long-term potentiation (LTP) are incomplete and controversial. Here we used transgenic mice that express a fluorescent protein Ca2+ sensor in PFs to demonstrate LTP of PF presynaptic Ca2+ transients after PF stimulation with 120 pulses at 4 Hz. Potentiation of the presynaptic Ca2+ transients correlated with the expression of simultaneously recorded LTP of PF–PN synaptic transmission and was suppressed by a protein kinase A inhibitor. Moreover, this presynaptically expressed form of LTP clearly required activation of an NMDA receptor/nitric oxide pathway, in contrast with the majority of previous reports. Blockade of NMDA receptors did not affect the PF Ca2+ transients induced during 4 Hz stimulation, indicating that the NMDA receptors required for the induction of presynaptic PF LTP are not localized in PFs.


This paper presents that torque characteristics according to the pole/slot combination is analyzed under a stator-turn fault. The circulating current affects increasing input current and aggravating torque characteristics under a stator-fault. This paper is made of the modeling of 8-pole 12-slot and 10-pole 12-slot motors using the developed FEM-base model and analyzed the torque characteristic according to the circulating current and input current under a stator-turn fault.


The plant male germline undergoes DNA methylation reprogramming, which methylates genes de novo and thereby alters gene expression and facilitates meiosis. Why reprogramming is limited to the germline and how specific genes are chosen is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that genic methylation in the male germline, from meiocytes to sperm, is established by germline-specific siRNAs transcribed from transposons with imperfect sequence homology. These siRNAs are synthesized by meiocyte nurse cells (tapetum) via activity of the tapetum-specific chromatin remodeler CLASSY3. Remarkably, tapetal siRNAs govern germline methylation throughout the genome, including the inherited methylation patterns in sperm. Finally, we demonstrate that these nurse cell-derived siRNAs (niRNAs) silence germline transposons, thereby safeguarding genome integrity. Our results reveal that tapetal niRNAs are sufficient to reconstitute germline methylation patterns and drive extensive, functional methylation reprogramming analogous to piRNA-mediated reprogramming in animal germlines.


Benny B, Azari P, Briones D: Complications of cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections.Although cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injections are used in the treatment of radicular pain, there are a number of major and minor complications reported in the medical literature. These complications are limited to retrospective studies, retrospective survey studies, case reports, and data obtained from studies evaluating the benefit of cervical transforaminal steroid injections. Thus, the data are limited in value with regard to identifying evidence-based recommendations for future research. We aim to review and critically evaluate literature focusing on the incidence and clinical presentations of major complications associated with cervical transforaminal steroid injections. The goal of this review is to identify pertinent journal information that aids in the improvement in clinical care and guides future research by increasing the awareness of the potential major complications associated with this procedure and their presentations.


This paper is a review on research efforts in CEA-Leti on compact modeling of MOS transistors for simulation of mixed-signal circuits working at cryogenic temperatures (0.3 K, 4.2 K, 77 – 200 K). Specific and non-specific physical effects are observed when cooling transistors of CMOS technologies ranging from 0.7 µm down to 0.18 µm. Weak and moderate inversion regions are emphasized, as they are crucial for design of ultra low power circuits due to cryogenic constraints. These results will provide helpful guidelines for design and optimization of complex infrared CMOS imagers for high performance.


In order to reduce the power consumption in international standard IEC62087, the luminance efficiency should be improved at the low discharge load rather than at the high discharge load. Thus, this paper analysed the characteristics of the discharge at the panels with ITO Gap of 65㎛, 80㎛, and 100㎛ in 50-inch PDP with FHD resolution. It was well known that the long gap panel improves the luminance and the luminous efficiency. However, it is very difficult to drive the panel due to high driving voltage. When the normal driving method was applied at the panel with ITO gap of 100㎛, the phenomenon of the double peak was generated in the sustain period. We confirmed that main factor of the double peak is the self-erasing discharge. When the CLHS driving method was applied at the panel with ITO gap of 100㎛, the self-erasing discharge was improved in the sustain period. Also, the VS and VA minimum voltage of the CLHS driving method decreased about 9V and 12V compared with those of the normal driving method. Moreover, when the CLHS driving method was applied to the panel with ITO gap of 100㎛, the luminance and the luminous efficiency increased compared with those of the normal driving method. The luminance and the luminous efficiency greatly increased at the low discharge load. The less discharge load, the higher increase rate of the luminance and the luminous efficiency. Especially, the luminous efficiency at ITO gap of 100㎛ increased about 26.3% at the discharge load of 4% compared with that at ITO gap of 65㎛.


Vaccination plays an important part in the health management of the poultry flock. There are numerous diseases that are prevented by vaccinating the birds against them. Vaccination is a way of obtaining a controlled result with a minimum of harm to the birds. Vaccines are generally fragile products some of which are live but in a state of suspended animation. The aim of this study was to assessment of preventive effect of thyme essential oils in the vaccination reactions in chickens. In this study, 450 one year old Lohman chicks were selected. Chicks were divided into 5 groups. From day 1 to end of the study, thyme essence was used as mentioned in materials and method section. The results showed that there were low reactions in treatment than control group. Thus can be conclude that thyme essence has protective effect in emergence the vaccination reactions.


The interest in individualized medicines and upcoming or renewed regulatory requests to assess treatment effects in subgroups of confirmatory trials requires statistical methods that account for selection uncertainty and selection bias after having performed the search for meaningful subgroups. The challenge is to judge the strength of the apparent findings after mining the same data to discover them. In this paper, we describe a resampling approach that allows to replicate the subgroup finding process many times. The replicates are used to adjust the effect estimates for selection bias and to provide variance estimators that account for selection uncertainty. A simulation study provides some evidence of the performance of the method and an example from oncology illustrates its use.


Background: Tumor microenvironment (TME) is an essential part of tumor tissue, and increasing references suggested that TME has clinicopathological significance in predicting prognosis and therapeutic efficacy. However, little efficacy has been demonstrated in prostate cancer.Methods: The cohort TCGA-PRAD (n=477) was used in this study. Based on the proportion of 22 types of immune cells calculated by CIBERSORT, TME was classified by K-means Clustering and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined. Then TMEscore was calculated based on cluster signature genes, which were obtained from DEGs by random forest method, and the samples were classified to two subtypes. We performed somatic mutation and copy number variation analysis to identify the genetic characteristics of the two subtypes. Correlation analysis was performed to explore the correlation between TMEscore and the tumor response to ICIs as well as the prognosis of PCa. Results: Based on the proportion of immune cells, we constructed the TMEscore model and classified PCa samples into TMEscore high and TMEscore low groups. The results of survival analysis suggested that the TMEscore high group had significantly better survival outcome than the TMEscore low group. The correlation analysis showed a significantly positive correlation between TMEscore and the known prognostic factors of tumors.Conclusion: our study indicates that the TMEscore may be a potential prognostic biomarker in PCa. A comprehensive description of the characteristics of TME may help to explain the response to therapies for PCa patients and provide the new strategies for treatment.


Evidence on whether diversifying farm production leads to improved household dietary diversity and nutrition remains inconclusive. Existing studies analyzing the link between production diversity and dietary diversity are mainly based on cross-sectional methods, which could be biased by omitted confounding factors. Using two waves of a panel household survey of 900 rural households in Tanzania, this paper examines the link between production diversity and dietary diversity, while minimizing potential confounding effects. We estimate four regression models with two different production diversity measures and two panel estimation methods—fixed effect (FE) and random effect (RE). In three out of the four models, production diversity is significantly and positively associated with the dietary diversity measure of the food consumption score. The production diversity indicator is represented by the total crop and livestock species count, as well as by counting only crop species. The total crop and livestock species count shows a significant positive association with dietary diversity across estimation methods while the positive association with crop species count is not significant in the FE method. Our results suggest that the selection of appropriate production diversity indicators tailored to the specific circumstances of the local agricultural system is likely one key factor in identifying a robust relationship between production diversity and dietary diversity.


Numerous studies have reported positive impacts of physical activity on cognitive function. However, the majority of these studies have utilised physical activity questionnaires or surveys, thus results may have been influenced by reporting biases. Through the objective measurement of routine levels of physical activity via actigraphy, we report a significant association between intensity, but not volume, of physical activity and cognitive functioning. A cohort of 217 participants (aged 60–89 years) wore an actigraphy unit for 7 consecutive days and underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. The cohort was stratified into tertiles based on physical activity intensity. Compared with individuals in the lowest tertile of physical activity intensity, those in the highest tertile scored 9%, 9%, 6% and 21% higher on the digit span, digit symbol, Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) copy and Rey Figure Test 30-min recall test, respectively. Statistically, participants in the highest tertile of physical activity intensity performed significantly better on the following cognitive tasks: digit symbol, RCFT copy and verbal fluency test (all P o 0.05). The results indicate that intensity rather than quantity of physical activity may be more important in the association between physical activity and cognitive function.


Traditional IT outsourcing is a supplier business. Outsourcing providers seek to engage in sustainable long-term business relationships providing their clients with customized IT services. The client relies on the Request for Information (RFI), the Request for Proposal (RFP) as well as the due diligence to receive required information directly from potential service providers. Triggered by the progressive adoption of the cloud computing paradigm the traditional value chain in the IT outsourcing industry is breaking up and gets replaced by a complex value network. Cloud computing is a system business where IT services are highly standardized and created for an anonymous market, rather than being customer specific. As part of this development, customers unilaterally provision standardized IT services via online distribution platforms like Google Apps Market and Force.com. Clients who want to obtain IT services via the cloud have to gather all relevant information for decision making their selves online, rendering RFIs and RFPs as well as due diligence inapplicable.Prerequisite for the widespread use of cloud services by organizations are cloud service descriptions covering all information required in order to compare and select services. Analysing firms' information demands associated with service and provider selection in IT outsourcing, this paper identifies the information needed by organizations for cloud service selection. A catalogue of description elements required by the client is compiled. Using the Unified Service Description Language (USDL) as a framework, our results are clustered into eight description elements which are related to the business, the operational, and the technical domain.


This article presents communicative ways to model the transmission and evolution of the processes and artefacts of a culture as the result of ongoing interactions between its members - both at the tacit and the explicit level. The purpose is not to model the entire cultural process, but to provide semantically rich "conceptual placeholders" for modelling any cultural activity that is considered important enough within a certain context. The general purpose of communicative modelling is to create models that improve the quality of communication between people. In order to capture the subjective aspects of Gregory Bateson's definition of information as "a difference that makes a difference," the article introduces a Holographic Cognition Model that uses optical holography as an analogy for human cognition, with the object beam of holography corresponding to the first difference (the situation that the cognitive agent encounters), and the reference beam of holography corresponding to the subjective experiences and biases that the agent brings to the situation, and which makes the second difference (the interference/interpretation pattern) unique for each agent. By combining the HCM with a semantically rich and recursive form of process modelling, based on the SECI-theory of knowledge creation, we arrive at way to model the cultural transmission and evolution process that is consistent with the Unified Theory of Information (the Triple-C model) with its emphasis on intra-, inter- and supra-actions.


Despite the recent advances achieved in the treatment of colon cancer, tumor resistance is a frequent cause of chemotherapy failure. The aim of this project is thus to identify new targets involved in resistance to oxaliplatin using a phenotypic high-throughput screening. We established oxaliplatin-resistant cellular clones from the colon carcinoma cell line HCT-116. Using a clone displaying mild resistance, HCT116-R1 (i.e., with an IC50 10-fold higher than the parental line), we performed a genetic screening based on short hairpin RNA (ShRNA) targeting genes of human kinome. The final aim of this procedure was to reveal genes whose silencing restores drug sensitivity, so displaying a synthetic lethal interaction with the drug. We identified ATR (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated and rad3 related), a protein playing a key role in DNA repair that is activated in response to persistent single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) indirectly induced by various DNA-damaging agents, as a determinant of oxaliplatin resistance. We showed that ShRNA-mediated repression of ATR in HCT 116-R1 sensitize them to the drug. Then, we evaluated the effect of combining oxalipaltin with VE-822, an ATR inhibitor. The analysis of interaction between oxaliplatin and VE-822 was addressed by mean of concentration matrix cytotoxic test and the Bliss equation for additivity. We demonstrated that coincubation of oxaliplatin and VE-822 led to a dramatic synergistic effect in oxaliplatin-sensitive CRC cell lines (HCT116 and SW48) and in oxaliplatin-resistant correlative clones (HCT116-R1, HCT116-R2, SW48-R1, and SW48-R2) both in 2D and 3D. We also showed that the synergistic effect of oxaliplatin and VE-822 was accompanied by an increase of ssDNA followed by DNA double-strand breaks, growth arrest, and apoptosis induction. The appearance of these DNA damages is correlated with activation of ATM pathway, p53, and inhibition of CDK2 activity. Finally, Ve-822 + oxaliplatin association is also efficient in vivo, on immunodepressed mice xenografted with oxaliplatin-resistant cells as well as on immunocompetent mice, with a higher synergistic effect indicating that immune cell death (ICD) is part of the mechanism of this drug combination. In conclusion, all these data confirm the results of our screen by demonstrating for the first time the functional role of ATR in sensitivity to oxaliplatin. Our results highlight the strong potential of ATR inhibition combined to oxaliplatin in vitro but also in vivo to sensitize cells to chemotherapy, creating dramatic DNA damages and stimulating ICD. Citation Format: Eve Combes, Augusto Faria Andrade, Diego Tosi, Flavie Coquel, Delphine Desigaud, Veronique Garambois, Arnaud Coquelle, Pierre Martineau, Maguy Del Rio, Philippe Pasero, Jerome Moreaux, Roderick Beijersbergen, Nadia Vie, Celine Gongora. Synthetic lethality screening reveals ATR as responsible for oxaliplatin resistance in colorectal cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2017 Oct 26-30; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2018;17(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A147.


We present an optical characterization of the effect of reactive ion beam etching on InP using a plasma of generated by electron cyclotron resonance discharges. We have studied both semi-insulating (Fe-doped) and -type material (Sn-doped). Raman scattering and photoreflectance have been used to study the evolution of the lattice disruption and the surface electric field as a function of the ion beam voltage, which was varied in the range from 100 V to 600 V. Results indicate that the optimum etching conditions are obtained for an ion beam voltage of about 300 V due to the better relationship between disturbance of the crystal lattice and the etch rate.


Human-robot handovers are characterized by high uncertainty and poor structure of the problem that make them difficult tasks. While machine learning methods have shown promising results, their application to problems with large state dimensionality, such as in the case of humanoid robots, is still limited. Additionally, by using these methods and during the interaction with the human operator, no guarantees can be obtained on the correct interpretation of spatial constraints (e.g., from social rules). In this paper, we present Policy Improvement with Spatio-Temporal Affordance Maps - π-STAM, a novel iterative algorithm to learn spatial affordances and generate robot behaviors. Our goal consists in generating a policy that adapts to the unknown action semantics by using affordances. In this way, while learning to perform a human-robot handover task, we can (1) efficiently generate good policies with few training episodes, and (2) easily encode action semantics and, if available, enforce prior knowledge in it. We experimentally validate our approach both in simulation and on a real NAO robot whose task consists in taking an object from the hands of a human. The obtained results show that our algorithm obtains a good policy while reducing the computational load and time duration of the learning process.


When Franklin Roosevelt unveiled his "court-packing" plan, law professors found themselves in an unfamiliar position. For perhaps the first time ever, their professional opinions were being sought by journalists and politicians, for consumption by the general public. In faculty meetings and private correspondence, law professors considered the propriety of taking a stand for or against the President's plan. Ultimately, some professors chose to go public with their support (or opposition); others considered such commentary as a form of advocacy that was incompatible with their job descriptions. This article relates and examines the debate among law professors over both the court-packing proposal and their proper role, if any, in the public sphere.


Background

Transmembrane 4 L six family member 5 (TM4SF5) has been found to play a vital role in the cancer process, but the relationship between TM4SF5 and colorectal cancer remains unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the clinical and prognostic value of TM4SF5 in colorectal cancer (CRC).
Methods

Immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR were used to identify the clinical significance and prognostic value of TM4SF5 expression in colon cancer. The expression of TM4SF5 was knocked down using the siRNA method to evaluate the role of TM4SF5 in regulating the biological behavior of colon cancer cell lines.
Results

The immunohistochemistry study revealed that the expression of TM4SF5 in human colorectal cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (P < 0.0001). However, there was no correlation between the expression of TM4SF5 and the clinicopathological features of these patients. The RT-qPCR analysis revealed that the mRNA expression of TM4SF5 was higherin colon cancer cell lines than in normal cells (P < 0.05). The survival analysis revealed that the overall survival (OS) rate of patients with a low expression of TM4SF5 was significantly higher, when compared to patients with a high expression of TM4SF5 (P = 0.048). The COX model revealed that the expression of TM4SF5 (P < 0.001) and clinical stage (P = 0.025) can be used as independent prognostic factors for patients with colon cancer. In addition, the knockdown of TM4SF5 in colon cancer cell lines LoVo, SW480, RKO and HCT-116 significantly reduced the ability of cells (such as proliferation, migration and invasion).
Conclusion

The present results indicate that the increase in TM4SF5 expression in human colon cancer is associated with cancer progression and poor survival, and that its intervention can be an important therapeutic strategy against colon cancer.


A quantitative risk assessment model investigating the risk of human infection with campylobacter from the consumption of chicken meat/products is currently being formulated. Here such an approach is used to evaluate the probability that a random bird, selected at slaughter from Great Britain's national poultry flock, will be campylobacter-positive. This is determined from the probability that a flock chosen at random contains at least one colonized bird and the within-flock prevalence of such a flock at slaughter. The model indicates that the probability bird chosen at random being campylobacter-positive at slaughter is 0·53. This probability value has associated uncertainty, the 5th percentile being 0·51 and the 95th percentile 0·55. The model predicts that delaying the age at first exposure to campylobacter can have a significant impact on reducing the probability of a bird being campylobacter-positive at slaughter. However, implementation of current biosecurity methods makes this difficult to achieve.


Adaptive controllers, based on backstepping, are verified on practicability, and are used to improve the control of an experimental setup: an XY-table. Theoretical bounds for the adaptive schemes indicate strong transient performance. The robustness, with state and output feedback controllers, is verified with experiments for the XY-table. The controllers based on state feedback showed good results. They were easy to implement and their parameter tuning appeared straightforward. The controllers based on output feedback were more difficult to implement. In experiments the range of possible tunings was restricted due to a conflict between numerical accuracy and real time requirements. Two extensions on the original control scheme are proposed. Both extensions result in more freedom in the controller design. In the allowable tuning range, the results were still inferior to the results obtained with state feedback.


In reinforcement learning, the discount factor $\gamma$ controls the agent's effective planning horizon. Traditionally, this parameter was considered part of the MDP; however, as deep reinforcement learning algorithms tend to become unstable when the effective planning horizon is long, recent works refer to $\gamma$ as a hyper-parameter. In this work, we focus on the finite-horizon setting and introduce \emph{reward tweaking}. Reward tweaking learns a surrogate reward function $\tilde r$ for the discounted setting, which induces an optimal (undiscounted) return in the original finite-horizon task. Theoretically, we show that there exists a surrogate reward which leads to optimality in the original task and discuss the robustness of our approach. Additionally, we perform experiments in a high-dimensional continuous control task and show that reward tweaking guides the agent towards better long-horizon returns when it plans for short horizons using the tweaked reward.


When detected in a first trimester scan, an increased thickness of nuchal translucency (NT) may be associated with chromosomal, cardiac or genetic disorders. However, less attention has been devoted to the outcome of those fetuses who have confirmed normal anatomies and karyotyping, but have abnormal first trimester scans. Thus, a challenging new issue is how to counsel such cases of transient increased NT in which the translucency rapidly vanishes with no evidence of other underlying abnormalities. Two cases of transient increased thickness of NT are reported. In both, a nuchal cord was ultrasonographically demonstrated and a thorough work-up revealed chromosomally and anatomically normal fetuses. The pathophysiological theories behind these observations and their significance are discussed. Based on these observations, we suggest that transvaginal sonography combined with Doppler flow studies should be utilized for the presize detection of cord patterns to accomplish the work-up in cases of increased NT.


At the triplet magnets, close to the interaction regions of the LHC, the current Beam Loss Monitoring (BLM) system is very sensitive to the debris from the collisions. For future beams with higher energy and higher luminosity this will lead to a situation in which the BLM system can no longer distinguish between these interaction products and quench-provoking beam losses from the primary proton beams. The solution investigated is to locate the detectors as close as possible to the superconducting coil, i.e. the element to be protected. This means putting detectors inside the cold mass of the superconducting magnets at 1.9 K. As possible candidates for such loss monitors, diamond, silicon and a liquid helium chamber have been tested in a proton beam at liquid helium temperatures. The initial promising results from these tests will be presented and discussed in this contribution.


Nondisjunction is the failure of homologous chromosomes to disjoin correctly during meiosis. This results in the production of gametes containing a greater or lesser chromosomal amount than normal ones. Consequently the individual may develop a trisomal or monosomal syndrome. Non disjunction can occur in both Meiosis I and Meiosis II of the cellular division. It is a cause of several abnormal medical conditions, including Down ́s syndrome (trisomy of chromosome 21), Patau ́s Syndrome (trisomy of chromosome 13), Edward ́s Syndrome (trisomy of chromosome 18) and Turner ́s Syndrome (the presence of only one X chromosome). It is also the main cause of many genetic disorders, however its origin and process remains vague. Although it results in the majority of cases from errors in the maternal meiosis II, both paternal and maternal meiosis I do influence it. The maternal age, is considered a risk factor of trisomies, as well as recombination alterations and many others that can affect the chromosomal segregation, such as genotoxicity and chromosomal translocations. We will review the results of previously realized studies between the years 2003 and 2009, found in ISI WEB, PUBMED, SCIENCE DIRECT,SPRINGER LINK and SCIELO, that led to important conclusions and highlighted interesting factors that can be the starting point to future investigation.


This laboratory notebook relates to the " Thermal Inactivation of Ricin in phosphate buffer system and orange juice" project with Britt Burton-Freeman as the Principle Investigator.


The beta-lactams are bactericidal antibiotics, but some of them may be inactivated by bacterial beta-lactamases which destroy the beta-lactam ring. The inactivation of amoxicillin by beta-lactamases of gram negative anaerobic bacteria can be circumvented by the addition of clavulanic acid, a beta-lactamases inhibitor. Thus, most of these bacteria are susceptible to this combination. The aim of this study was to investigate the concentrations of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). These concentrations were measured in 20 patients with rapidly progressive periodontitis 1 h after a dose of 500 mg (1 tablet Augmentin) on day 0 and 1 h after the 10th intake on day 3. For the sampling of GCF, Periopapers were introduced in 16 gingival sites per subject and time. The GCF volumes collected were estimated using the Periotron 6000. A high performance liquid chromatography method has been developed for the determination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid in microsamples (1 to 10 microliters) of GCF. The concentrations of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid were respectively, 14.05 micrograms ml-1 and 0.40 microgram ml-1 at day 0, 13.93 micrograms ml-1 and 0.37 microgram ml-1 at day 3. Effective levels of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid, well above the minimal inhibitory concentrations of some susceptible periodontal anaerobes (P. intermedia) involved in destructive periodontal diseases, are achieved following the multiple administration of amoxicillin combined with clavulanic acid.


...................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER


Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) is rich in polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and iridoids. However, its bad taste and smell make noni fruit unsuitable for consumption. After fermentation, noni wine becomes free from the undesirable smell. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether processed noni could retain its original nutrients and effects. Therefore, we conducted a series of evaluations on the nutritional composition and efficacy of noni wine. Our results showed that the polyphenol, flavonoid, and vitamin C contents in noni wine were 558.80, 234.42, and 0.30 mg/L, respectively. Our animal experiments showed that 40 ml kg-1  day-1 noni wine could reduce bodyweight, as well as the levels of body fat, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein, while it simultaneously increased the amount of energy expenditure and activity, and improved the systemic antioxidant capacity in mice following a high-fat diet. The results of the gene expression and western blot analyses showed that 40 ml kg-1  day-1 noni wine could regulate the Nrf2 pathway and improve the antioxidant enzyme gene expression in mice maintained on a high-fat diet, thereby improving body lipid metabolism, reducing fatty acid synthesis, and promoting fatty acid β-oxidation. Our study indicated that drinking 40 ml kg-1  day-1 noni wine could effectively prevent high-fat diet-induced oxidative stress and obesity in mice. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Noni fruit is rich in nutrients but its bad smell and hardship of processing make its commercialization difficult. Previous studies mainly focused on fresh noni juice and its primary processed products, while few noni products, of poor taste and low quality, are available in the market. Therefore, the fruit wine with both the nutritive values and the special flavor of noni has broad market prospects. Our work provides a valuable reference for the commercialization of noni wine.


In article it is underlined the leading part of textbooks on the technical disciplines, used in the Northen-Kuban humanities and technology institute, in methodical construction of educational process. The role of qualification and experience of the teacher in the organization of educational process and development of methodical recommendations is estimated. It is paid attention on available in texts of some textbooks editorial, author's, thematic, and scientific mistakes. Examples are resulted. The reasons of mistakes are analyzed and recommendations are discussed.


A new audio transform coding technique is proposed that reduces the bitrate requirements of the perceptual transform audio coders by utilizing the stationarity characteristics of the audio signals. The method detects the frames that have significant audible content and codes them in a way similar to conventional perceptual transform coders. However, when successive data frames are found to be similar to those sections, then their audible differences only are coded. An error analysis for the proposed method is presented and results from tests on different types of audio material are listed, indicating that an average of 30% in compression gain (over the conventional perceptual audio coders bitrate) can be achieved, with a small deterioration in the audio quality of the coded signal. The proposed method has the advantage of easy adaptation within the perceptual transform coders architecture and adds only a small computational overhead to these systems.


Utilizing Geographical Information System (GIS) in the management of water resources, especially, in the quality of surface water, c made in the improvement and control the levels of pollution in the water. In this paper, GIS technology was used in conjunction with Water Quality Index (WQI) to assess the suitability for consumption of water in the souther within Baghdad City for human needs based on the set of monthly measurements during the period from January to December 2016. The variables measured in seven monitoring stations along the studied reach of the river were: Total Di (T.D.S), Total Hardness (T.H), Sulphate ion (SO Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD higher than the permissible limits specified by Iraqi and WHO regulations for the d and wet seasons. The digital pollution maps showed that the pollution moved from extremely polluted zones near the outfalls of wastewater to low polluted zones near the confluence of the Diyala and Tigris techniques are among the most effective methods to display the seasonal variability on water quality, which can be used by the decision makers.